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CNN Live Saturday
Losses Mount From Damage Left by Hurricane Lili
Aired October 05, 2002 - 18:19 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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The losses are mounting from damage left by Hurricane Lili. Experts say insurance companies could end up paying a staggering $600 million in claims. But they also say it could have been much worse if Lili had stayed a category four hurricane. Damage from tropical storm Isidore a week earlier was estimated at about $100 million.
Not every one worried about Lili's arrival. CNN's Jason Bellini found some neighbors who said, bring it on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They were told that a category four hurricane was coming their way. They decided to ride it out, or should we say, party it out.
PEOPLE SHOUTING: Come on, Lili! Yeah!
BELLINI: A block of neighbors in Lafayette, Louisiana, ignored official advice to evacuate and they appeared to enjoy their decision.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love this Mother Nature!
BELLINI: Unless you were unlucky enough to living somewhere like here or here, and you decided to ride the storm out from home, you were right. The experts were wrong. Hurricane, smurricane.
As good as meteorologists were at anticipating the path of first Isidore and then Lili, they had no way of knowing how strong the hurricanes would be when they hit land. Prepare for the worst, was the best advice. So, what happens next time? Next time a hyped up hurricane is headed towards shore ...
FREDDIE RODRIGUE, PASTOR, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH: It's going to be a tougher sell, there's not doubt about it.
Pastor Freddie Rodrigue, who opened his Gray, Louisiana church as a shelter the night before Isidore, is worried that next time a hurricane threatens death and destruction, even fewer residents will take the threat seriously.
RODRIGUE: This is definitely going to be a detriment, because we've had many people -- especially in our trailer parks that have never experienced storm before. And they don't really know the damage and as far as their lives being at stake during these storms, especially in trailers. BELLINI: After all, hurricanes head for parks, don't they?
(on camera): It's the day after the hurricane and here in this trailer park life is back to normal. You don't see people out in their yards cleaning up debris because this storm left very little behind.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, it's a little scary when you hear your roof kind of rattling. But by then I wasn't going nowhere, because better here than there.
BELLINI: Next time would you do the same thing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably so.
BELLINI: Even if it's predicted to be a big storm?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I'd a soon, they'd go somewhere, but I'd stick.
RODRIGUE: The big one will come eventually. There's no doubt about it. And we've experienced two minor storms this year and who know? Next year might be the one.
BELLINI: Waiting for the big one, and when it hits, there's sure to be some big gamblers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the man ready for you, he'll take you.
BELLINI: Jason Bellini, CNN, Lafayette, Louisiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 5, 2002 - 18:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The losses are mounting from damage left by Hurricane Lili. Experts say insurance companies could end up paying a staggering $600 million in claims. But they also say it could have been much worse if Lili had stayed a category four hurricane. Damage from tropical storm Isidore a week earlier was estimated at about $100 million.
Not every one worried about Lili's arrival. CNN's Jason Bellini found some neighbors who said, bring it on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON BELLINI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They were told that a category four hurricane was coming their way. They decided to ride it out, or should we say, party it out.
PEOPLE SHOUTING: Come on, Lili! Yeah!
BELLINI: A block of neighbors in Lafayette, Louisiana, ignored official advice to evacuate and they appeared to enjoy their decision.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love this Mother Nature!
BELLINI: Unless you were unlucky enough to living somewhere like here or here, and you decided to ride the storm out from home, you were right. The experts were wrong. Hurricane, smurricane.
As good as meteorologists were at anticipating the path of first Isidore and then Lili, they had no way of knowing how strong the hurricanes would be when they hit land. Prepare for the worst, was the best advice. So, what happens next time? Next time a hyped up hurricane is headed towards shore ...
FREDDIE RODRIGUE, PASTOR, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH: It's going to be a tougher sell, there's not doubt about it.
Pastor Freddie Rodrigue, who opened his Gray, Louisiana church as a shelter the night before Isidore, is worried that next time a hurricane threatens death and destruction, even fewer residents will take the threat seriously.
RODRIGUE: This is definitely going to be a detriment, because we've had many people -- especially in our trailer parks that have never experienced storm before. And they don't really know the damage and as far as their lives being at stake during these storms, especially in trailers. BELLINI: After all, hurricanes head for parks, don't they?
(on camera): It's the day after the hurricane and here in this trailer park life is back to normal. You don't see people out in their yards cleaning up debris because this storm left very little behind.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, it's a little scary when you hear your roof kind of rattling. But by then I wasn't going nowhere, because better here than there.
BELLINI: Next time would you do the same thing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably so.
BELLINI: Even if it's predicted to be a big storm?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, I'd a soon, they'd go somewhere, but I'd stick.
RODRIGUE: The big one will come eventually. There's no doubt about it. And we've experienced two minor storms this year and who know? Next year might be the one.
BELLINI: Waiting for the big one, and when it hits, there's sure to be some big gamblers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the man ready for you, he'll take you.
BELLINI: Jason Bellini, CNN, Lafayette, Louisiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
