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CNN Live Today

Hurricane Katrina Striking Large Stretch of Gulf Coast

Aired August 29, 2005 - 12:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's get a shot of it. But it is still there, it has turned even more from where it was this morning. So that storm surge is getting the best of that car, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that thing float pretty soon. But whoever's car that is, an unfortunate situation for them.

But like I said, it is getting much worse out here. Let's take a look at the bay again just to see where the storm surge is.

Once again, we're near the 17th Avenue train trestle which is close to the Visitors' Center as well. And that was some good thunder we just heard there, so we might not be here much longer.

But if we can get real close, I mean, we're on the road still and...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And that was another show of strength from Hurricane Katrina, waves pounding Pensacola, Florida. The pictures are from our affiliate WEAR. Katrina striking a large stretch of the central Gulf Coast now five hours after making landfall.

And in addition to Anderson Cooper in Baton Rouge, we have reporters throughout the central Gulf Coast area. We will be taking you to New Orleans; Biloxi, Mississippi; Mobile, Alabama; plus we'll be checking in with our Hurricane Mobile One unit currently stationed in Gulf Port, Mississippi.

I want to take a chance to say good afternoon to those of you in the East, and good morning to those of you across the country. It is 12:00 noon, just after 12:00 noon on the East Coast. But more importantly, just after 11:00 a.m. in the main part of the country where Hurricane Katrina is hitting at this hour.

We want to continue our coverage here on CNN. I'm Daryn Kagan.

We're going to go now to CNN's Rob Marciano. He has the latest from this area that is taking a beating, Biloxi, Mississippi -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We were getting hit hard about an hour ago. Actually, we're getting hit hard now, but about an hour ago we just had to come inside. And we did some reports from the third floor, showing you what things look like from that vantage point.

The roof actually being torn off this building and leaks all over the third floor. So even this secure engineered structure is having its own issues.

So the safest spot for -- for the folks who are staying here -- and a of them are just coming here because their homes aren't secure -- is right here in this lobby. No power, so it's dark, with the exception of our light. And you can see the plywood that's up against the glass windows to the north.

Also, you can see the big screen TV. They've got that hooked up to a generator. And for whatever reason, it's still in.

KAGAN: All right. That's our Rob Marciano in Biloxi, Mississippi. Sometimes in these very difficult conditions the technology works, sometimes it doesn't. But we have been able through this hurricane to make use of some amazing technology, including bringing you pictures and images even from places where we can't get a satellite truck in.

Let's give you a behind-the-scenes at what we're able to do.

Using the technology that we use to bring you the invasion of Iraq and that technology as the troops were on the move, we are able to use that same technology to bring you this storm on the move.

Our Gary Tuchman is in what we are calling Hurricane One. He's been moving up and down the Gulf Coast. Right now he filed this report from Gulfport, Mississippi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We come to you live from a parking lot here about three miles away from the beach. Earlier in the day we were actually at the beach. U.S. Route 90 is the road that runs along the beach. At that point, the water started piling up on the road next to the beach. We have been told by authorities there is now over 10 feet of on the road next to the beach.

When we were there we saw boats sailing up and down the streets. We're told there are at least four or five boats now on the main street here in Gulfport, population 71,000.

We've been doing reports, live reports from our vehicle that we have named Hurricane One. It allows us to drive around and show live pictures. We can't drive in the road right now because literally projectiles are coming our direction. It feels like we've got to dodge artillery, and I'm going to give you a look at what's happened to our vehicle.

Our cameraman, Steve Sorkin (ph) is going to show five minutes ago, a piece of wood crashed into our vehicle, crashed into the window. And it's put a hole in our window. So it gives you an idea of what people are facing here. Very slippery, so it's kind of hard to standstill.

I'm going to get a little closer to our car because there's lots of glass and lots of noise and lots of wood that I'm keeping an eye on. Lots of palm trees blowing around. But there is intense damage.

We have watched the dismantling of a beautiful town, Gulfport, Mississippi. Many of the buildings near the beach are -- have no roofs any more, have no windows.

We have been told there are several injuries. But I will tell you, authorities -- and a sign has just blown down from the hotel. You can't get the angle from where we are. But we have been told the authorities cannot go outside to look right now.

Anyone who hasn't evacuated has to fend for themselves because it's too dangerous for anyone to be outside. But the fact is, the people here experienced Hurricane Camille in 1969, a Category 5 hurricane. People still talk about it here like it was yesterday.

That was 1969. Now in 2005, 36 years later, they are experiencing something that, when it's all over, when they have a chance to examine what's happened, they are going to see that much of this beautiful area here in coastal Mississippi has been ruined.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Very sad, but the latest story there from our Gary Tuchman in -- where is Gary again? Gary is in Gulfport, Mississippi. He is on the move. So we have to keep an eye on exactly where he is.

We know exactly where our Chad Myers is, because we kept him one place, in the weather center, a key part of our coverage for you today -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Thank you, Daryn. Yes, good morning.

That whole area from Gulfport to Biloxi, very hard hit in the past couple of hours as that received the eastern eyewall of this storm. We talk about the eye of a hurricane. And in fact, the center of the eye, does it have any wind in it really whatsoever? A little, but you can even see -- sometimes you can even see the sky.

Now, why would that happen? Well, if you think of like a top, the outside of a top goes very quickly because it's spinning very quickly, but the middle is barely spinning at all because it's right there in the center. It's almost just spinning around very slowly. And that's kind of what's happening here.

Gary missed the center of the eye and got only the eyewall. So did our Rob Marciano, right over there in Biloxi, Mississippi.

We'll stop at a couple spots here for you, zoom into Gulfport. The red zone here is when those winds were the most strong for Gary, probably 115 to 120 miles per hour. We actually don't know because the wind gauge in Gulfport from the weather service isn't operating anymore. So there's no way to know. It actually broke.

There are the rain showers and some of these spotty rain showers. This is now Alabama. Here's Florida. And some of these rain showers now associated with some tornadoes that are coming onshore, small once, F1s, F0s maybe 100, 125 miles per hour. But that's certainly enough to do damage. That is actually going to be a threat to the east part of this storm.

Now, where is the east part of the storm? Well, right now it's east of New Orleans. New Orleans only getting winds out of the northwest now, which means you are just about done.

This storm pulling away. Everything you get from here is going to be less and less. Yes, there will be gusts in New Orleans, but you're just about done right now.

So watch out. There's still going to be some flying things around. Probably still not time to go outside.

By 8:00 tonight, it's about Meridian, maybe Hattiesburg, Mississippi. This entire storm moves up. It is still a hurricane.

At 8:00 tonight it's still a hurricane. It's still a Category 1 hurricane, but we saw what that can do to Miami. And by tomorrow morning, Tuesday morning, we are back down to a tropical storm, and then the winds get all the way up to almost Salem, Indiana; Cincinnati, Ohio; and right through Columbus as well.

Now, by that time, the winds are like 20 or 30 miles per hour, but you get the idea. This is a long-term, big duration, big damage storm -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Chad. Thank you.

Funny you should mention Hattiesburg, Mississippi; because that's where our Drew Griffin is standing by. My information coming to me, he's going from Hattiesburg to Jackson, Mississippi, still very much in the middle of a hurricane.

Drew, what do you have?

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) Hattiesburg right now about (INAUDIBLE). The trees are falling all across Highway 9. Signs -- those big highway signs are down, and the road has become now impassable. If fact, we're having to get off the road and go around trees that have fallen.

Winds are very intense. The rain is very intense. And again, we may have just pushed it a little too far. We are getting off at the next exit.

KAGAN: All right. We're going to encourage you to do that. Your phone connection not the best either.

I want to let folks know that the pictures we are showing, live pictures we have for you to the east of where Drew Griffin is. Do we have those pictures still? Mobile, Alabama -- Mobile, Alabama, thank you to WEAR for these pictures.

And we were hearing earlier today from our Kathleen Koch, who is in Mobile, about a number of street signs down and debris in that city. The story that's being told, about cities clear across the Gulf Coast. We are making use not only of our many correspondents and producers and photographs that we have sprinkled across the Gulf Coast, but our many affiliates as well.

Now we want to go to WWL. The correspondent is Mike Ross, and he joins us from Tammany Parish. This is a suburb of New Orleans. A report he filed just a couple of minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE ROSS, REPORTER, WWL: In Tammany The wait for Hurricane Katrina is over. Overnight, the winds came up. We have torential rain now all across the parish.

Parish officials tell me that on the lakefront they now have sustained winds at around 6:0 a.m. of 60 miles an hour, with wind gusts up to 70 and 75. And they say the situation is only going to get worse.

All across St. Tammany, they now have reports of downed trees, power outages. No reports of any significant structural damage or injuries at this point, but the Parish (INAUDIBLE) continue to monitor the situation from the emergency operation center in Covington, which is where we're based at this point. And they're advising everyone, if you have not evacuated yet, to stay inside, hunker down and try to ride this out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's still pretty early. We are getting a lot of wind now and it's increasing. Later this morning we'll get more of the hurricane-force winds. But as you can tell, as you go outside, it's blowing pretty good, heavy rains.

I've got reports of some flooding in the eastern side of the parish. A couple of calls around the West Hall area. Treasure Island (ph), I haven't gotten the most recent report, but it was -- the water was rising in that location. So the surge is pushing in. That's pretty obvious at this point.

We'll just keep monitoring it here. We're not able to send out anybody at this point.

ROSS: So the warning at this hour is that for St. Tammany Parish, this is only going to get worse. It looks like the eyewall is going to cross somewhere over the Slidell area or near it, but they're expecting heavy winds and torrential rain all across St. Tammany from one end to the other.

And again, warning people, stay in their homes, if they're still at home, stay in the shelters if you're there. Don't try to go out, and just do your best to ride Katrina out.

Reporting from Covington, Channel 4, Eyewitness News. (END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And we do want to make note. Many of you are used to tuning in this hour and seeing our international news coverage. We've decided to preempt that coverage today in order to bring you the latest on Hurricane Katrina.

I want to go from outside of New Orleans, where we just heard that last report, to inside the city and the Superdome. This is exactly the place where thousands of people look refuge as of yesterday because they had nowhere also to go, weren't able to get out of the city.

The big story on the Superdome today has been a large-sized hole that has appeared in the roof. Our Jeanne Meserve is outside the Superdome and able to bring us the latest about what you're able to see in that area -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, I cannot see any hole in the roof. What we do see is that the entire white membrane that covered the roof has been ripped away, some of it tearing -- hanging off the side of the building. And so you can see the structure of the roof that was underneath that membrane.

I presume, not having a little knowledge of swimming pools, that that membrane probably was intended in large part to keep the water out. And having it off is certainly problematic given the weather conditions.

The weather, in fact, has improved quite a bit. The wind is still blowing, don't get me wrong, and we still have a lot of rain, and perhaps under any other circumstances, I'd say this was quite a storm. But having seen what we did in the last couple of hours, this is looking relatively calm.

We do see, of course, a lot of damage to the windows all around us, but one of the things that is both interesting to me is the water level of the street underneath it. It does appear to have dropped back. Impossible for me to measure it exactly, but it looks definitely as though it has dropped to some considerable debris.

I have seen a few cars out and about, a few police cars that seem to be making the rounds. I also saw one other vehicle which from a distance, at least, looked like it could be a civilian vehicle. Obviously a very bad idea at this point in time.

And over outside the Superdome, I saw some people who ventured outside. They appeared to be standing around and talking. They were in a sheltered positions. Again, this is something I wouldn't recommend. But it is indicative of the fact that things have calmed down quite a bit from what they were -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Our Jeanne Meserve reporting from just outside the Superdome.

Jeanne, thank you for that. On the phone with us right now, Congressman Bobby Jindal, a native of Louisiana, in Louisiana, in his home state today, riding out the storm.

Congressman, good morning.

REP. BOBBY JINDAL (R), LOUISIANA: Good morning.

You know, we've got several incidences of power outages. We have got hundreds of thousands of people without power. We've got tree limbs down everywhere.

We are hoping the tidal surge doesn't turn out to be our worst thing. Probably the worse thing that can happen is that (INAUDIBLE) the water. That would keep us busy for weeks. Anyway, this is a storm we've always feared, but it (INAUDIBLE).

KAGAN: Congressman, are you riding out the storm in Baton Rouge?

JINDAL: I am indeed. That's where our state has set up its emergency response (INAUDIBLE) state, local officials here. That coordination between FEMA and the state has been tremendous.

They have pre-positioned medical teams, search and rescue teams, engineering teams, the healthcare teams. (INAUDIBLE) unprecedented (INAUDIBLE). The Salvation Army around the nation has been very generous.

We are going to be busy for (INAUDIBLE). So we're going to have some very serious damage, but the challenge, as you've reported (INAUDIBLE), once the water gets over the levees, and we get that tidal surge, nothing (INAUDIBLE) to pump it out because it has really (INAUDIBLE).

KAGAN: Yes. Unfortunately, our phone connection with you, Congressman, in Baton Rouge, is not the best, but it does sound like you're saying that so far, things are going better than had planned for the type of storm that New Orleans and this part of Louisiana has feared for so long. And as you said, a lot of work to come. And if I can read into the comments, I can understand satisfied with the support that the state of Louisiana is receiving from the federal government and FEMA at this time.

That was Congressman Bobby Jindal, doing his best to call in from Baton Rouge.

Talking to all of you out there. If you are away from your television, you can still track Hurricane Katrina's path. Just go to your computer and log on to CNN.com/hurricane.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Well, it's Hurricane Katrina that's still very much making history all along the Gulf Coast. That includes New Orleans.

Now, the French Quarter of downtown New Orleans still too wet and too flooded to get our satellite trucks in there, but with the use of a new technology called FTP, our John Zarella able to go out into the streets of the French Quarter, shoot a standup, shoot his story, and send it back us to via computer. So here now, John Zarella from the French quarter in New Orleans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are on Common Street in the French Quarter. The height of the storm still not here on top of us yet. But already, you can see blown out windows in the building across the street from us.

The wind is howling and circulating throughout this -- the corridors of these streets, just howling through here. The water is already coming up on the streets, up through the drainage system, all along the street here. Off the sides of the buildings you see the water pouring down.

Back in the distance, you can still barely see down the street. It's just a white sheet of water, a white sheet of rain pounding in downtown, in the French Quarter.

You can hear debris flying through the air. You can see debris up in the skies, circling in the wind, just being whipped around by the wind. Pieces of shingle, pieces of roof tiles flying by.

We do expect that we are going to see a lot more water rising. What we are seeing here is just water coming up from the drainage system. Just from the rain. It's not floodwaters from, say, Lake Pontchartrain. This is just strictly the overflow. All of the rain we have had for the last several hours as Hurricane Katrina continues to beat its path at our door.

John Zarrella, CNN, in the French Quarter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And once again, John Zarrella filing that report just a little while ago, using our FTP technology, filing it simply through computer.

I want to go back and bring -- welcome back on the phone Mike Majonos, an independent contractor for FEMA. Also a native of this area. He is in Metairie, Louisiana.

When we were talking to him just a -- I don't know, I think it was about an hour or so ago, Mike, you were saying that the storm, you thought, as intense as it was, the area that you're in just outside New Orleans perhaps catching a bit of a break.

MIKE MAJONOS, HOUSING INSPECTOR, FEMA: Yes. Only here so far. We are -- we are experiencing some slowly-rising fresh rainwater. I do not believe that it's coming from the levee, but we're having water come up further east, and we really don't know where it's coming from.

So that's what we're hearing on the news and from people I've spoken to that are in eastern New Orleans. And, you know, it could have come in the industrial canal.

And there are definitely problems in St. Bernard Parish. There are people on the roofs. There has been a storm surge in lower St. Bernard Parish and (INAUDIBLE) Parish. And there are going to be some people that are going to need to be plucked out of there before anything happens otherwise. So...

KAGAN: As a FEMA housing inspector, what will your job be once this storm passes?

MAJONOS: Well, we'll go to the command center and probably stay somewhere out in Baton Rouge. And we will get -- we will first need to assess people who need immediate housing assistance and trying -- get some trailers that are in uninhabitable areas and have no place to go. And that, I guess, would be the first priority.

I believe, based on where I am, that it's going to take a while for citizens to come back and for us to start inspecting individual residences for their personal and real property damage. I just think that's going to take up to several days in some cases.

KAGAN: What do you think that delay is going to be?

MAJONOS: I have no way of knowing. I really don't know.

I can tell you it's going to take about 72 hours to get this neighborhood straightened out, and I'm in northwest Metairie. I'm about a mile from the lake. And that levee has held so far, but we have a rainwater problem. And the pumps are working, but they're not working very well. Some pumps are broken east of us, and that water is slowly make its way to the path of least resistance.

KAGAN: All right, Mike. I want to bring -- keep you with us and bring in our Chad Myers, our meteorologist, who has a couple of questions for you as well -- Chad.

MYERS: Mike...

MAJONOS: Yes?

MYERS: ... this is out of the New Orleans Weather Service Office, 8:36 Central Time. Their exact words: "Many reports are stating total structural failure in the New Orleans metro area. Seek substantial cover now." And that was, you know, a few hours ago now.

What do you know about? Was there really that much damage there?

MAJONOS: I really cannot speak for eastern New Orleans. That would include Chalmette, upper and lower St. Bernard Parish. There looks like there has been some significant, catastrophic structural failure.

MYERS: Really?

MAJONOS: We do know that there are people on their roofs awaiting evacuation. And as soon as it gets down 40 miles an hour, we'll try to get boats out there.

MYERS: Wow.

MAJONOS: But in Metairie, northwest Jefferson Parish, on the north side of the river...

MYERS: Right.

MAJONOS: ... south of the lake, so far we've got shingles off, siding, we've got lots of trees down, significant powter outage, poles down, and things of that nature. No houses that I can see from where I am, or have I heard about from the radio station that's not far away, have just totally collapsed.

MYERS: You said you've got to get down below 40 miles an hour. Where do you think are now?

MAJONOS: I would say we're probable 50 to 60, still gusting above hurricane-force winds.

MYERS: OK.

MAJONOS: But it's significantly better than when I spoke to you guys last.

MYERS: Yes. Thank you, Mike.

KAGAN: And Chad -- Chad, that's what you were saying, that...

MAJONOS: And the pressure is rising. My barometer is going up a little bit.

MYERS: Right. Yes. Sure. The hurricane is pulling away from you.

MAJONOS: Yes.

MYERS: It gets better from here, basically.

KAGAN: Mike Majonos, thank you. An independent contractor for FEMA.

Boy, is he going to have his work cut out for him in the days and weeks ahead.

Chad, that report, as Mike was saying, as he was there in Metairie, Louisiana, that he thinks the worst has passed. That jives with what you're seeing from your radar pictures?

MYERS: Absolutely, but Kenner, Metairie fared much better than he called in Chalmette. He called it over here.

This is the area from New Orleans, literally 15 miles east of New Orleans, all the way to the east. Anybody over there, all the way up to Slidell, the damage in Slidell is going to be what we expected, that word "catastrophic." Absolutely wind gusts over 150 there. KAGAN: And, yes, you were saying -- it was a point -- there was a radar spot there, a radar tower that went out, so that you couldn't even get exact readings about what was taking pace at a certain point.

MYERS: There's a National Weather Service Doppler radar in Slidell, and exactly when our Viper system showed the spinning, with possible winds to 140 miles per hour, that went out. The radar site went out immediately. Haven't heard from that radar site since.

KAGAN: All right. We're going to bring you back in just a minute to get a better idea about where Katrina is headed and who needs to be concerned as that path moves to the northeast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Our coverage of Hurricane Katrina continues. We're following the storm as it goes into Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and moving up into the Northeast. Reason to be concerned in Georgia and Tennessee and Kentucky. More on that from our Chad Myers in just a moment.

First of all, we have on the phone with us a Louisiana native and someone with good connections in the federal government. Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana is in Baton Rouge, I believe, riding out the storm. And joins us on the phone right now. Senator, thank you for joining us.

SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D), LOUISIANA: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: First as a native, let me get your perspective of how this storm ranks.

LANDRIEU: Well, as you know, it's a mandatory -- was a mandatory evacuation for New Orleans, which was unprecedented, just to tell you the nature of the seriousness in which local officials took the storm and tried to move people out of its way. It's a large and very serious storm. The Governor Kathleen Blanco has been hard at work for days trying to move people, along with local officials, out of the way. Now we're in the middle of the storm. Emergency personnel cannot get to the areas until it's safe to do so. But we're experiencing, of course, high waves, wind and water.

KAGAN: What do you think about the kind of support your state is getting from the federal government, Senator?

LANDRIEU: Well, all assets are being brought to bear. We have -- Mike Brown is actually here, conducting hearings as I speak, the FEMA director. I spoke a little while ago with Marty Evans, who is the head of Red Cross. They are preparing for a storm of great magnitude. And all federal assets are here.

We thank the president for his early declaration. In fact, he declared an emergency before the storm hit. This is a big storm. It's affecting not just the southern part of Louisiana, where the eye came through, but also Mississippi, Alabama and the whole Southeast region. KAGAN: What about the economic impact, not just of your state, Senator, but when you look at the huge clearing house that your state serves for goods that come not just in and around the country, but throughout the world. What about that kind of impact?

LANDRIEU: Well, those assessments will be done, but Daryn, you're correct. Louisiana has the largest port system in the world. We move goods back and forth throughout the whole nation. This delta system also serves as a drainage for the country, not to mention the oil and gas and the energy infrastructure being affected. Those assessments will be done, but right now, all of the officials here are focused on saving lives, rescuing any people that may need to be rescued as this day unfolds, and just keeping people safe and alive through this storm.

KAGAN: And I don't know if you're able to see if you have a television on where you are with us, Senator, but we are getting new pictures in. I believe this is -- if I can get some guidance, it's pictures from New Orleans?

LANDRIEU: Yes, it looks like that to me. I'm looking at the screen. I'm in Baton Rouge. But, you know, the -- that looks like Canal Street in New Orleans. But the Superdome is where 10,000 people are now. I understand that it's orderly and safe. There have been some leakages in the roof that -- it's a very sort of light roof. It was constructed that way. But the building is very sound.

Of course, the Red Cross does have not shelters below I-10 because we don't want people staying below I-10. In storms like this, we want people to move north, out of the way of the storm. Most people did that.

KAGAN: Senator, let me just jump in here a second. Stay with us. We want to just go listen to the ferocity of the storm. We're going to listen to these new pictures.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the Sheridan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's coming off the Sheridan?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right. I'm going back. Are you staying in the Sheridan, also?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, good.

KAGAN: And, of course, what we're hearing there is not just the rain, but the wind that is ripping through downtown New Orleans. Senator, let me just wrap up with you with this, in asking what do you think, coming out of this, the biggest help your state is going to need?

LANDRIEU: Well, the pictures you're seeing now of Canal Street and that is the Canal Place right there on Canal Street -- we're going to need all the help we can get from the federal government. I know the federal officials are here with us. They'll be doing everything they can, but again, our focus is on saving lives when emergency personnel can get out and assess the situation. People need to stay where they are and stay safe.

KAGAN: Senator Mary Landrieu, joining us on the phone from Baton Rouge. Senator, thank you and good luck to your state as it tries to recover from this horrific hurricane.

As you heard the senator mentioning, this is a storm that is facing and it is attacking not just Louisiana, but a number of states, as well. Mississippi, Alabama, the Panhandle of Florida. And it's moving north from there. Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky and Georgia, other states that have reason to be concerned as Hurricane Katrina moves on its path.

We're going to check in with our Chad Myers, get the latest on the radar picture and the story of Hurricane Katrina, after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: A number of new elements to bring your way. First of all, these are new live pictures we're getting in from Mobile, Alabama. You can see the flooding going all of the way up to -- that looks like it's some type of hotel or resort. And perhaps that's a parking lot that's turned basically into a lake. While we look at those live pictures, let me tell you, we're making use not just of our many correspondents and producers and photographers that we have stationed throughout the Gulf Coast.

Also, one strength of CNN -- one of our many strengths -- is the many, many affiliates we have that we can work with. We're going to make use of a couple of those right now. First to WKRG. Their Webcast reporter, Kim Curth is in Mobile, Alabama, and she filed this report just a few minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KIMBERLY CURTH, WRKG CORRESPONDENT: We're in downtown Mobile, right by Royal Street. If you look behind me that is Water Street. You can't stand up. You don't want to come down here.

Guys, we are in store for one nasty storm. Stay inside. If you can look behind here, now that we've got a break from this wind, I want you to see this. Water Street is under water. That is the convention center you see behind there. We have tree limbs blowing everywhere, streetlights are blowing. I think we can try to get a wind gauge here: 48.

Back to you guys.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Well, glad we had the beep there to get out some of the expletives. That, once again, was Kim Curth, webcast report for WKRG. That report coming from Mobile, Alabama. I'm going to show you pictures right now that clearly are not along the Gulf Coast. That is President Bush. He is arriving at Luke Air Force Base. That's just to the northwest of Phoenix, Arizona. Sunny there. You can see John McCain there to greet the president.

The president, before the storm, Hurricane Katrina, hit the Gulf Coast, did declare an emergency situation to get FEMA and to get the most help possible to folks along the Gulf Coast as Hurricane Katrina hit there.

Also want to go ahead and welcome our viewers joining us from all around the world on CNN International joining us and our domestic viewers here on CNN.

Once again, we are making great use of our CNN affiliates that are stationed throughout the Gulf Coast. Right now, a report for you from Brian Andrews. He is with an affiliate, and he is joining us from New Orleans filing this report just a few minutes ago. .

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN ANDREWS, WFOR CORRESPONDENT: All right, here we go. All right. Five, four, three, two, one. This is how difficult it is covering the hurricane. We're coming out of the hotel, and this is the motor lobby here.

I'm just looking to make sure we're not going to get whacked in the head with anything. We're making our way over here. Come on. Let's go this way. This buddy's from the "New York Times." And he's never been through a storm before. What was that? Here we go. Let's see if we can get to the crevice.

All right. This is where we'll take refuge to try to shoot some tape. The winds are really kicking. Come on in. All right. Let's catch our breath for a second. This is what it's like just to get out the front door of the hotel.

Now I don't know if you can see it but in the middle of Canal Street there's a tree that's down. I'm going to try to head out toward that mailbox right there and get a glimpse of what I can see, all right?

Kevin, if you see something coming for me just scream at me, all right?

All right. I'm going to crouch down and use this as cover. This is what it's like in downtown New Orleans right now. It is just after 8:20 in the morning Eastern Time and stuff is flying down the street. These are the hurricane-force winds. All right.

That's it, guys. I'm going to come back in. See debris goes flying. We're going to let it go. All right.

Reporting from the hurricane in New Orleans -- come on, let's go for cover -- along with photographer Kevin Martels (ph).

We're going to go inside now. I'm Brian Andrews.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Good idea, Brian. Brian Andrews from WFOR, our affiliate, filed that report a while ago. You could tell it was kind of dark there in New Orleans. Points for effort if not using your smarts so much, Brian. Thank you for that.

I want to show you live pictures once again from Arizona. Luke Air Force Base just to the northwest of Phoenix. President Bush arriving, getting in that limousine.

President Bush -- we're expecting a decision from him later today, weighing a decision on whether to release some of the nation's petroleum reserves to help refiners who will definitely be hurt by Hurricane Katrina. Keep in mind the storm has already shut down an estimated one million barrels of refining capacity along the nation's Gulf Coast.

The president is off to an event in Elmirage (ph). He's there to discuss the new prescription drug plan. He'll be doing that later today.

Our coverage of Hurricane Katrina continues after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Pictures continue to tell the story. Oh, that little bird telling the story. We're bringing the latest pictures as they come in to us here at CNN. Sometimes it's something as simple as a little bird fighting against those gusts of winds. Also getting pictures in of glass breaking from high-rises in downtown New Orleans.

Our Chad Myers has been with us for hours now.

Chad, something as simple as blowing glass could do so much damage.

MYERS: Oh, certainly. Now, it's impossible to know whether these windows actually failed because of just wind or was there another building possibly upwind from it that lost shingles.

So many things that you don't realize that can hurt you at 105 miles per hour certainly will even if it's a piece of styrofoam hitting a plate glass window like that. At that type of wind speed you could break some windows.

Now, it's impossible to tell whether these actually broke from the inside out or from the outside in. Maybe the other side of the building is breached as well and the pressure caused those windows to blow out. Hard to say with being out of context on which exactly direction those winds came from -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Chad, I want to get back to you in just a moment, because you have important latest information on the storm for us. Right now, our John Zarrella is live on the phone from downtown New Orleans. A part of the story that we don't want to hear about, looters, taking advantage of the situation -- John?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They sure are, Daryn. We're outside of a Winn-Dixie on St. Louis Street here and they're literally walking out with the store. Shopping carts filled, overflowing. Even -- they even have some of the kids going in with them to get stuff out of the store. Just one after the other, there must be 40 or 50 people inside there coming out of the Winn-Dixie parking lot here right now.

And as we drive around we're also -- besides seeing this, of course, what we have seen is a lot of flooding all over the city. Many areas are completely impassable. We just can't drive down the roads. We are also seeing -- we haven't seen any kind of structural damage yet. What we have seen are trees down, power lines down, lights down. That's the kind of thing that we are seeing here. The rain continues to fall and the winds gusting.

But you're right, Daryn, the unfortunate thing we are witnessing right now -- there's a the man coming behind me right now with a shopping cart filed with food that they've taken -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. John Zarrella, we'll get back to you with that part of the story that we definitely do not like to hear.

Chad, let's bring you back in and give us the latest on the radar and where Katrina heads from this point.

MYERS: Well, the storm moved directly east of New Orleans, in a pretty much south to north fashion. All night long, it was headed to the south of New Orleans. Then about midnight, maybe about 11:00 last night, this thing made a right-hand turn. And good thing it did, because the bad side of the eye is always on the east side of the eye. Because then you not only have to add in 130 or 125 miles per hour of the storm, you have to add in the storm movement, as well, which was 15 miles per hour. So there were gusts on the eastern side of this storm to 140. And even sustained winds, possibly, to 140, over around Slidell, all the way over to Gulfport.

Another thing that's happening, that big red box there, those are tornado watches in effect for today. And even a few storms that are out of the boxes. Maybe they'll have to issue another one as far east as Savannah. Very warm conditions. The spin of the hurricane now, the land moving up, a little bit of friction in the land, causing small little what we call super-cell or small mini-cell thunderstorms that could have the rotation necessary to cause an F0 or an F1 tornado. Well, that's between 100 and 150. These are not the monster tornadoes we talk about sometimes in the Midwest.

But look at the rain, all the way from Charleston, right to the south of Lexington and down into parts of Kentucky. That's all part of a frontal system that's draping itself here from the north. And the wind from the hurricane trying to come up from the top. Well, that's causing trouble, obviously, causing some flooding there across parts of Kentucky. A thousand miles away from where we're talking here.

But if you notice what happened, here comes the eye, almost in a due south to north fashion, right to the east there of New Orleans and to the west of Gulfport. So that's why Gulfport was hit a lot harder than Mississippi or hit a lot harder than New Orleans. And as the storm continues today, that is still a Category 1 over Hattiesburg (ph), but still a hurricane, 8:00 tonight. Because it had so much potential. It started out as 125 and yesterday, it was up to 175. So now we're losing, losing, losing, losing. And finally, by the time we get up into Ohio, it's just a rainmaker.

KAGAN: Chad, let me show you some -- and share with you and our viewers at home some pictures we're just getting in from New Orleans. Still -- and these are live pictures -- but what we're also seeing, along with the blowing water and the rain and the flooding, we're starting to see people come out in it.

MYERS: Yes.

KAGAN: Which gives an indication, as you were saying, that the worst of Katrina, at least for New Orleans, has passed on.

MYERS: Yes, but there are still things floating around in the air, still things moving at 50 or 60 miles per hour. You don't want to be out in this. Another thing, that is not fresh water. Yes, it fell out of the sky, but as soon as it mixed with the sewer, as soon as it mixed with oil and gas from the roadway, that is not safe to be out in, it's not safe to have the kids go out and play in.

I remember as a kid going out and playing in a bike. Didn't like anything better than going, riding around in a bike in the water. Well, you know what, now we know better. Now we that that water is not safe to be out in, because if you do get it in your mouth or in anything, then you're actually going to get sick from it. So be careful out there.

KAGAN: Also underneath that water, broken glass....

MYERS: Absolutely.

KAGAN: ... debris, any number of things.

MYERS: You might -- some of the manhole covers that we saw John Zarella showing that were blowing off from below, you don't even know if that manhole cover's even on the manhole. Or you might just fall right down from that. So yes, you got to be very careful all along those grates, because those grates were getting pushed up hard by that rain coming out of storm sewers.

KAGAN: And getting back to what you were telling us at the latest radar, what would you say is ground zero right now for Katrina?

MYERS: Ground Zero was probably Gulfport. Bay St. Louis took a very hard hit and Slidell may be completely damaged. There may not be any building in Slidell that doesn't have some type of damage with it, Daryn. So it was a very big storm just to the east there of New Orleans. Even Chalmette in New Orleans, or just the eastern suburbs of New Orleans.

I've just been handed here the 1:00 advisory, coming in just a couple of minutes early. The storm now, Daryn, is moving at 17 miles- per-hour. That helps a little bit when it comes to flooding. Remember what happened in Miami. The storm was only moving seven miles per hour. Because it was moving slowly, a lot of rain fell out of the storm and so there was all that flooding. The faster it moves, the faster it gets out.

The maximum sustained winds, down to 105. Now, that is not a Category 3 hurricane anymore. Yesterday, Daryn, it was a Category 5, with 175. So we're all thankful that it did come down. It came down -- right now it's down to a Category 2, and the pressure is 27.76 inches of mercury.

KAGAN: All right. Chad Myers, thank you on behalf of our viewers watching from around the world on CNN International, as well. We'll take a break. We're back, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: These live pictures coming to us to once again from WKRG. Mobile, Alabama. It looks like conditions are deteriorating somewhat, as Hurricane Katrina makes its way onshore and continues to move in a northeasterly direction.

Our coverage continues here on CNN. I'm Daryn Kagan. Right now, I hand it over to Kyra Phillips from right here in Atlanta -- Kyra.

END

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