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CNN Live Today

Interview with Dr. David Harvey

Aired September 26, 2002 - 10:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Want to bring you the latest now on those kids, those American kids who were trapped inside the school in Ivory Coast. U.S. troops are on the ground in the West African nation for the evacuation of more Americans that are trapped by the rebel uprising.
Less than three hours ago, the first of the freed American students boarded a U.S. military flight out of the West African country -- out of Ivory Coast. Just yesterday, French troops rescued them from the school where they had been pinned down by a rebel uprising just outside the campus. The school is affiliated with a Nashville-based missionary group. Yesterday, French troops swooped in, ended their six-day entrapment in their school. No one has been injured in the ordeal and all were in good spirits as they were whisked away to the capital for this morning's flight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very happy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, how you doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go U.S.A.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we're OK. Don't worry about it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love our mom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you going back home?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I'm happy. We might go to the States. Yes, we're very happy to get off campus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Well if you were with us this time yesterday, you had an introduction to the grandfather of three of those stranded students. He joined us to talk about the ordeal, not only about the kids but the families who were left watching and powerless to watch. And now that it's been resolved, we want to check back in with Dr. David Harvey. He again joins us by phone.

Dr. Harvey, good morning.

DR. DAVID HARVEY, GRANDFATHER OF IVORY COAST STUDENTS : Good morning.

KAGAN: And I imagine it is a slightly better morning than it was for you yesterday?

HARVEY: Oh we're really relieved. A wonderful thing to know that they're out of Bouake and safe. And I guess, I don't know, I think our kids might be on the way to Abidjan. I know that we got a communication that 12 of them were going to Accra and the other ones were going to Abidjan so. I am hoping for an e-mail pretty soon from them.

KAGAN: Have you had a chance to talk with them?

HARVEY: No, they haven't had an opportunity to get back to us yet. And we've been waiting.

KAGAN: They've been a little bit busy.

HARVEY: Yes, they have.

KAGAN: You might say. I don't know if you were watching yesterday, after we talked with you we talked with the director of the school. He was with us just three minutes before they headed out of the school and said you know I got to go because we are leaving.

HARVEY: Yes, and it took them a long time to get down there to Yamoussoukro, but I'm glad that they made it safely.

KAGAN: Have you seen the exclusive pictures we've been showing on our air this morning of the kids loading up on that military plane?

HARVEY: Yes, we did see some pictures there and we saw the planes. Couldn't see our kids there. And not sure that they all got on those planes. And this one word we had that they were going down to -- the rest of them were going down to Abidjan. I would expect that maybe our grandchildren would go down there.

KAGAN: Why would expect that?

HARVEY: Because we have mission leaders down there that I think they would want to talk to and find out what the next step is for them. KAGAN: Let me ask you this, where are their parents right now?

HARVEY: Of the children?

KAGAN: Yes.

HARVEY: Oh they're with them.

KAGAN: Oh they are.

HARVEY: Yes, because...

KAGAN: So they've been reunited?

HARVEY: No, because -- no, the parents were in the school, too.

KAGAN: Oh OK.

HARVEY: They were house parents of 20...

KAGAN: All right.

HARVEY: ... teenage girls in one of the dorms.

KAGAN: So the whole family was there?

HARVEY: So the whole family was there.

KAGAN: And now they're out?

HARVEY: And now they're out, yes.

KAGAN: OK. Well I imagine -- we're showing these pictures over again. I imagine you and your family here back in the States were watching those pictures very carefully just trying to get a glimpse. But it sounds like they're on their way to safer places.

HARVEY: Yes, and that's wonderful news. I'm just waiting for news of the other missionaries that were holed up Bouake and would like to hear how they're doing, because I know they're to be safe, not all or maybe they've all been evacuated now, I don't know.

KAGAN: It does sound like they are moving more folks out of there. Well we'll let you go because we know you are standing by for news, and we'd love to check back in with you as you -- as you hear from the family.

HARVEY: Thank you so very much.

KAGAN: Dr. Harvey, thank you so much.

HARVEY: OK, bye-bye.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good deal.

KAGAN: He's so calm through all this. HARRIS: I know, struck me as the same way yesterday, too.

KAGAN: Yes, absolutely. But again, today a much better day, they're in a...

HARRIS: Exactly.

KAGAN: ... much safer place...

HARRIS: Yes.

KAGAN: ... even if they're not at their final destination.

HARRIS: Yes, good to hear.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 26, 2002 - 10:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Want to bring you the latest now on those kids, those American kids who were trapped inside the school in Ivory Coast. U.S. troops are on the ground in the West African nation for the evacuation of more Americans that are trapped by the rebel uprising.
Less than three hours ago, the first of the freed American students boarded a U.S. military flight out of the West African country -- out of Ivory Coast. Just yesterday, French troops rescued them from the school where they had been pinned down by a rebel uprising just outside the campus. The school is affiliated with a Nashville-based missionary group. Yesterday, French troops swooped in, ended their six-day entrapment in their school. No one has been injured in the ordeal and all were in good spirits as they were whisked away to the capital for this morning's flight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very happy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, how you doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go U.S.A.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we're OK. Don't worry about it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love our mom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you going back home?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I'm happy. We might go to the States. Yes, we're very happy to get off campus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Well if you were with us this time yesterday, you had an introduction to the grandfather of three of those stranded students. He joined us to talk about the ordeal, not only about the kids but the families who were left watching and powerless to watch. And now that it's been resolved, we want to check back in with Dr. David Harvey. He again joins us by phone.

Dr. Harvey, good morning.

DR. DAVID HARVEY, GRANDFATHER OF IVORY COAST STUDENTS : Good morning.

KAGAN: And I imagine it is a slightly better morning than it was for you yesterday?

HARVEY: Oh we're really relieved. A wonderful thing to know that they're out of Bouake and safe. And I guess, I don't know, I think our kids might be on the way to Abidjan. I know that we got a communication that 12 of them were going to Accra and the other ones were going to Abidjan so. I am hoping for an e-mail pretty soon from them.

KAGAN: Have you had a chance to talk with them?

HARVEY: No, they haven't had an opportunity to get back to us yet. And we've been waiting.

KAGAN: They've been a little bit busy.

HARVEY: Yes, they have.

KAGAN: You might say. I don't know if you were watching yesterday, after we talked with you we talked with the director of the school. He was with us just three minutes before they headed out of the school and said you know I got to go because we are leaving.

HARVEY: Yes, and it took them a long time to get down there to Yamoussoukro, but I'm glad that they made it safely.

KAGAN: Have you seen the exclusive pictures we've been showing on our air this morning of the kids loading up on that military plane?

HARVEY: Yes, we did see some pictures there and we saw the planes. Couldn't see our kids there. And not sure that they all got on those planes. And this one word we had that they were going down to -- the rest of them were going down to Abidjan. I would expect that maybe our grandchildren would go down there.

KAGAN: Why would expect that?

HARVEY: Because we have mission leaders down there that I think they would want to talk to and find out what the next step is for them. KAGAN: Let me ask you this, where are their parents right now?

HARVEY: Of the children?

KAGAN: Yes.

HARVEY: Oh they're with them.

KAGAN: Oh they are.

HARVEY: Yes, because...

KAGAN: So they've been reunited?

HARVEY: No, because -- no, the parents were in the school, too.

KAGAN: Oh OK.

HARVEY: They were house parents of 20...

KAGAN: All right.

HARVEY: ... teenage girls in one of the dorms.

KAGAN: So the whole family was there?

HARVEY: So the whole family was there.

KAGAN: And now they're out?

HARVEY: And now they're out, yes.

KAGAN: OK. Well I imagine -- we're showing these pictures over again. I imagine you and your family here back in the States were watching those pictures very carefully just trying to get a glimpse. But it sounds like they're on their way to safer places.

HARVEY: Yes, and that's wonderful news. I'm just waiting for news of the other missionaries that were holed up Bouake and would like to hear how they're doing, because I know they're to be safe, not all or maybe they've all been evacuated now, I don't know.

KAGAN: It does sound like they are moving more folks out of there. Well we'll let you go because we know you are standing by for news, and we'd love to check back in with you as you -- as you hear from the family.

HARVEY: Thank you so very much.

KAGAN: Dr. Harvey, thank you so much.

HARVEY: OK, bye-bye.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good deal.

KAGAN: He's so calm through all this. HARRIS: I know, struck me as the same way yesterday, too.

KAGAN: Yes, absolutely. But again, today a much better day, they're in a...

HARRIS: Exactly.

KAGAN: ... much safer place...

HARRIS: Yes.

KAGAN: ... even if they're not at their final destination.

HARRIS: Yes, good to hear.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com