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CNN Live Today

Post-Lili, Louisiana in Shambles

Aired October 04, 2002 - 11:06   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.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Just over 24 hours ago, Lili, the hurricane, was a category 2 storm battering southern Louisiana. It was the top of all our news reports. The storm has been downgraded now to a tropical depression, but it did leave behind floods, mud and misery.
CNN national correspondent Gary Tuchman joins us now. He is standing by in Crowley, Louisiana, with a picture from there.

Good morning -- Gary.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Leon, good morning to you.

Allow me to tell what you Louisianians, many of them, have been going through over the last few days. Wednesday, they were worried when they heard a category 4 hurricane was coming their way. On Thursday, relieved that it was only going to be a category 2 -- and today, surprised at the devastation a category 2 can cause. There is much devastation throughout southern Louisiana, including here at this gas station here in Crowley, Louisiana, the Chevron station. You can you see parts of the canopy have come down. We've seen that in a lot of gas stations throughout the state of Louisiana.

Fortunately, though, nobody dead no serious injuries, although there have been some injuries. Some of the luckiest people, five miles to the east of us in the town of Rayne, Louisiana -- an appropriately named town, I guess, considering what happened there -- people inside the water treatment plant heard bricks starting to come off the building. They then started to evacuate the building. Hundreds of bricks ended up landed in the concrete. Two people were hurt, one of them in his car while he was pulling out. The bricks landed on his car, demolished his vehicle. Both men are OK. They were hospitalized, but they will both be OK.

During hurricanes, got to stay away from those big rigs. We have some incredible pictures of a huge 18-wheeler overturning in the rain and the wind. We personally saw during our ride through southern Louisiana three big rigs completely turned over. We saw other trucks jackknifed on the highway, and they become like Matchbox trucks during this kind of weather with these heavy winds.

More than 400,000 homes here in the state of Louisiana still without power. Authorities are saying it could be up to seven days before all the homes get their power back. In addition to that, many people don't have telephone service, others don't have plumbing, and most stores in this general vicinity still aren't open after Hurricane Lili came a-calling yesterday.

Leon, back to you.

HARRIS: Thanks, Gary.

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 October 4, 2002 - 11:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Just over 24 hours ago, Lili, the hurricane, was a category 2 storm battering southern Louisiana. It was the top of all our news reports. The storm has been downgraded now to a tropical depression, but it did leave behind floods, mud and misery.
CNN national correspondent Gary Tuchman joins us now. He is standing by in Crowley, Louisiana, with a picture from there.

Good morning -- Gary.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Leon, good morning to you.

Allow me to tell what you Louisianians, many of them, have been going through over the last few days. Wednesday, they were worried when they heard a category 4 hurricane was coming their way. On Thursday, relieved that it was only going to be a category 2 -- and today, surprised at the devastation a category 2 can cause. There is much devastation throughout southern Louisiana, including here at this gas station here in Crowley, Louisiana, the Chevron station. You can you see parts of the canopy have come down. We've seen that in a lot of gas stations throughout the state of Louisiana.

Fortunately, though, nobody dead no serious injuries, although there have been some injuries. Some of the luckiest people, five miles to the east of us in the town of Rayne, Louisiana -- an appropriately named town, I guess, considering what happened there -- people inside the water treatment plant heard bricks starting to come off the building. They then started to evacuate the building. Hundreds of bricks ended up landed in the concrete. Two people were hurt, one of them in his car while he was pulling out. The bricks landed on his car, demolished his vehicle. Both men are OK. They were hospitalized, but they will both be OK.

During hurricanes, got to stay away from those big rigs. We have some incredible pictures of a huge 18-wheeler overturning in the rain and the wind. We personally saw during our ride through southern Louisiana three big rigs completely turned over. We saw other trucks jackknifed on the highway, and they become like Matchbox trucks during this kind of weather with these heavy winds.

More than 400,000 homes here in the state of Louisiana still without power. Authorities are saying it could be up to seven days before all the homes get their power back. In addition to that, many people don't have telephone service, others don't have plumbing, and most stores in this general vicinity still aren't open after Hurricane Lili came a-calling yesterday.

Leon, back to you.

HARRIS: Thanks, Gary.

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