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CNN Live Today

Highest Death Toll From Katrina in Mississippi; Rising Health Concerns in Wake of Storm; Louisiana National Guard Unit Ending Tour in Iraq

Aired August 31, 2005 - 10:59   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: CNN correspondents are in position along the Gulf Coast this morning. From New Orleans to Biloxi, we're going to hear from many of them this hour.
So far, the highest death toll from Katrina is in the state of Mississippi. And crews are searching the rubble and debris left by the storm. They're looking for survivors.

Ted Rowlands is in hard-hit Biloxi, Mississippi, with an update from there.

Ted, good morning once again.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

The latest numbers that we're getting from an emergency management official in the state of Mississippi is that the death toll is now, unofficially, at about 110. And it is expected to go up over the next few days.

This is what they're dealing with. This debris, rubble, pile, that we are in front of is being played out not only here in Biloxi, but across the Mississippi Gulf Coast in a lot of small towns.

This is basically what you see they are weeding through. There are search and rescue teams from around the country that have converged in this region, looking for any sign of life, and any survivors.

They are also looking and dealing with any bodies that they are finding. There are special teams dealing with the mortuary side of things, tagging the corpses, and dealing with that.

It is a very grim reality. Katrina's aftermath has come in full -- is becoming completely clear here. This is going to be a very long, long road of recovery for this entire region. It is going to take months, possibly years, before everything is back to where it was before Katrina hit -- Daryn

KAGAN: And Ted, is it too early to talk about this? But are people talking about rebuilding? Or is the idea that too much was built up there along the coast?

ROWLANDS: Well, you know, people are talking about rebuilding. But the enormity of the task at hand is apparent. We just talked to a restaurant owner here. He went through the restaurant with us. And by the end of our little tour, he had a deep sigh of -- a deep sigh, and he wasn't so sure about his rebuilding because of the enormity of it all. And, you know, hindsight is 20/20.

They have build up this coast. Everybody used Camille as sort of a barometer. That was the mother of all storms, it would never get any worse than that. Some of these structures -- the structure that was here survived Camille.

So people thought, well, we survived Camille, we can go ahead and build more, and we'll survive anything Mother Nature has. Now I think it's safe to say that Camille -- or Katrina will be the barometer and the level that it is compared to from here on out, and people will have second thoughts about building up too much along the coast.

KAGAN: Ted Rowlands, live from Biloxi, Mississippi. Thank you.

Let's check in on New Orleans. Got this news in the last hour that the international airport there is open again today. For now, though, the runways are restricted to flights dealing with humanitarian relief and cargo. Officials tell CNN it will be November before the airport opens to routine commercial traffic.

After months in Iraq, as we move on to other international news, a Louisiana National Guard unit is getting ready to come home. But after Katrina, coming home to what?

Lieutenant Colonel Jordan Jones commands the 141st Field Artillery Unit based out of New Orleans, and he joins me live now from Baghdad.

Lieutenant, thank you for being with us.

LT. COL. JORDAN JONES, COMMANDER, 141ST FIELD ARTILLERY UNIT, NEW ORLEANS: My pleasure. Thank you for having me.

KAGAN: So the tables were turned here for a bit. The National Guardsmen in Iraq had to worry about the folks back home.

JONES: Well, this is -- many people don't know about the National Guard. Our primary mission is for -- is to serve the government and, in particular, for instances like this here in Iraq. So this is our primary mission. Our secondary mission is to serve the governor when times like this -- when there are hurricanes, national disasters and that sort of thing.

KAGAN: So you've actually -- you and your unit have been there for about a year in Iraq?

JONES: That's -- we've been here for 11 month, that's correct.

KAGAN: And you're close to coming home?

JONES: Yes, we are. We're about -- about a week or two from going. KAGAN: And how has it been for those in your unit to try to find out what has happened to their homes and to their loved ones?

JONES: Well, the soldiers have had an opportunity to watch TV. Obviously, they're anxious to get back home. You know, all of our thoughts and prayers go out to those who -- who have been affected by this terrible storm.

Some of my soldiers have watched on TV and know that their homes are totally flooded. They're anxious to get home, as we all are. And when we get there, when we find out what our fate is, we will continue to perform -- we will just go to another mission. That's all it is.

KAGAN: That was my next question. Do you expect as soon as you get home within the next week or two just to pick up, and your service will continue, but in your home state of Louisiana?

JONES: Well, we're not sure at this point. Those who are able to do so, they will. And others whose homes were totally devastated, they'll have the opportunity hopefully to link up with their families and take care of that as their priority.

KAGAN: And just real quickly, Lieutenant Colonel, have you been able to get in touch with your own family?

JONES: Yes, I have. I know my wife is safe in Texas. They were able to get out and board up the house before they left.

KAGAN: Well, that is encouraging news indeed. Thank you for your service for the last 11 months in Iraq.

JONES: Well, thank you.

KAGAN: And safe travels home to you and your unit.

JONES: Thank you very much.

KAGAN: Thank you, sir.

Lieutenant Colonel Jordan Jones, he commands the 141st Field Artillery Unit. It is based in New Orleans. They are certainly worried about what's happening at home.

A lot of questions about the involvement of the military. We're hearing of course from the National Guard, the Coast Guard, the Air Force, the Navy. We saw pictures earlier today.

Let's get some latest numbers on the exact involvement of the military and go to the Pentagon for Barbara Starr.

Good morning, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

Well, as we have watched those pictures from Norfolk, Virginia, those U.S. Navy ships headed out. It looks like they're going to war, and they really are, except it's a humanitarian relief operation against Mother Nature.

Those ships now pulling out of Norfolk. And we are told by military officials a great deal more is getting prepare to get under way.

There are already about 8,500 National Guard troops on duty. This now, that we're seeing out of Norfolk, though, is the active duty side of the United States military.

About four or five amphibious war ships, re-supply ships headed toward the region. They will fly their helicopters off their decks, conducting search and rescue, re-supply missions. They will be there also to support with medical assistance.

Already, there are more than a dozen helicopters, military helicopters, on station in Louisiana and Mississippi. We are told they are flying more than 15 miles a day, some of those crews.

But there is a bit of a shift here now. What the Pentagon tell us is that they are already putting into place a new round of military assets, if you will, putting them closer to the area, getting ready to move as soon as they get the request from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

So what else is on standby? Well, they tell us nearly 50 more helicopters on standby at Ft. Hood, Texas. They are ready to go.

In addition, a number of C-17 transport aircraft. They can bring in supplies. They can also take out people who are needing medical assistance who can't get it in these devastated areas.

A number of so-called LCAC ships. These are air-cushioned ships. They basically ride up right on the waves on to destroyed beaches and shorelines. They can bring in supplies and equipment to some of the most devastated areas. And even the Navy CBs, naval construction battalions, they are on stand by.

All of this now being moved into place, getting ready to go as soon as the civilian authorities ask for it -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Barbara, some of the most disturbing images that we've seen over the last couple of days has to do with some of the looting that's taking place, everywhere from New Orleans into Mississippi. Can the military get involved in trying to stop scenes like these?

STARR: Well, you know, the military's getting a lot of questions on that very subject, can U.S. troops take to the streets and conduct law enforcement activities? Under federal law, they cannot. That is a job for the National Guard, which is activated right now by the state governors.

Under the law, the National Guard, when operating under the state governors, can conduct those law enforcement activities. In the United States, the U.S. military doesn't do that unless there's a special declaration by the president.

But what has happened is a number of state National Guard units have sent their MP battalions to work on a state level. More of that possibly expected.

One other thing we should bring people up to date on, Daryn, is that levee situation, the flooding that is taking place. The Army Corps of Engineers today is on site. They're continuing to work that problem.

One of the things they're doing is bringing in some of their heavy lift helicopters, trying to drop those 3,000-pound sandbags into those areas to try and stop those leaks. But they tell us they are having a dreadful time getting their barges in, getting their boats in to try and work that along the waterways.

Those waterways, they say, are full of debris. And they're just having a very difficult time getting to the scene themselves -- Daryn.

KAGAN: An absolute nightmare. Barbara Starr, thank you.

STARR: Sure.

KAGAN: Thanks for all the information live from the Pentagon.

This, of course, the aftermath of the storm, having a huge impact on oil prices. Gulf Coast area refineries were hit hard by the storm. How's that going to affect gasoline supply and how it might hit your wallet, ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Weather playing a critical part to see how recovery efforts will be helped or hampered by the weather.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Right now, a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

Top story out of Iraq, a stampede on a Baghdad bridge today killed at least 841 Shiite pilgrims. Someone in the crowd apparently screamed "Suicide Bomber!" and that sparked panic. The bridge railing gave way, sending many to their death in the Tigris River. Most of the victims are said to be women and children.

Also in Baghdad, a mortar attack killed seven people today. Authorities say three rockets fell into a crowd of Shiites gathered for a religious commemoration. Thirty-six others wounded in explosions.

House arrest ends today for Martha Stewart. She will shed that electronic ankle bracelet and can come and go to work and social event. Stewart's confinement was extended three weeks. She reportedly got into a bit of trouble for driving around her estate and popping in for a yoga class.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: You can be nowhere near the Gulf Coast and Katrina is going to affect you. We're talking about refineries and gasoline supplies and prices. Our Allan Chernoff has latest on that.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: Much of New Orleans, as we head back to the Big Easy, lies below sea level. We've been talking about that all week. It's one of the many reasons that the city's 73 neighborhoods were swamped by Hurricane Katrina.

Charlotte Cunliffe is director of the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center. This is a group which keeps extensive maps of the area. And she's joining me from Houston, Texas, where she is stranded, after leaving New Orleans before the storm.

Charlotte, good morning.

CHARLOTTE CUNLIFFE, GREATER NEW ORLEANS COMMUNITY DATA CENTER: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: First, your personal story. You are living -- it's a story that millions of people are living right now. You left New Orleans just for -- just for a weekend. You didn't really evacuate on purpose.

CUNLIFFE: No, we left early on Friday. And, you know, fortunately, I threw my insurance papers in and pictures of our house. But other than that, we just brought the clothes that we thought we'd need for two days.

KAGAN: And so you'll just wait in Houston for now?

CUNLIFFE: Oh, yes. Fortunately, we have very dear friends that have opened their home to us, as many have, I'm sure.

KAGAN: All right. And I know it's emotional thinking about what you face and what's at home. And we thank you for wearing two hats today, both as an evacuee and as someone who has some really important information about New Orleans.

Let's go ahead and look at the Web site that your organization, your nonprofit, has put together, and talk about some of the different neighborhoods in New Orleans. And we just say New Orleans is flooded. There's actually many different stories taking place here.

First of all, the elevation. Different neighborhoods at different elevations, Charlotte.

CUNLIFFE: Absolutely. And one of the things that my staff did, since we're all over the country but wanting to help, is we put together an elevation map that people can go in and look at the boundaries of the 73 neighborhoods, superimposed on that elevation map, so people can understand where the water's flowing to and where it's not. And we just, you know, are trying to do what we can. KAGAN: I understand that. Other parts of New Orleans that's not really talked about, this is a city that historically was what they call racially engineered. That there are different neighborhoods that were set up with the intention of having different people live there.

CUNLIFFE: I think that's very true. And I think that -- you know, that's part of the power of the information that's available on our Web site, is that we've captured a lot of the census data by these neighborhoods so that people can get a sense of, you know, the kind of devastation that is going to be apparent in these neighborhoods. And it's going to be very different depending on where you live because of economic circumstance, because of the age of the homes, because of -- there's just so many factors that, you know, we all are going to have to consider as we try to rebuild New Orleans.

KAGAN: And when you talk about different economic circumstance, many of us when we think of New Orleans, we think of the French Quarter, we think of the Canal Street, we think of the good time we have when we go as tourists. But a large part of the city is actually very poor and very poverty-stricken.

CUNLIFFE: It's absolutely true. The poverty rate is in the 30 percent around the city. But as you go in and you dig into different neighborhoods, there's places where children -- like if you look at the statistics from the census, under five, 95 percent of them live at the federal poverty level. So we have some very dense concentrations of poverty that's kind of an untold story but a very scary one.

KAGAN: And people can get more information by looking at your Web site. Tell us again what the Web site is, because I know there's folks all over the country who are interested in what's happening in New Orleans.

CUNLIFFE: Right. It's www.gnocdc.org. And we hope that it's helpful.

KAGAN: Doing your part from home -- from your second home.

CUNLIFFE: From our second home. And all my staff just jumped in because we just want to see what we can do.

KAGAN: And you're just going day by day? Any kind of long-term idea about when you think you'll be able to go home?

CUNLIFFE: Well, I mean, I think I'm very fortunate in that I can stay away as long as I need to. And I think that's what we all need to do as citizens, is not try to get back sooner than we have to. We need to let people take care of business.

KAGAN: Well, I know it's going to be probably the longest wait of your life. We wish you and your family the very best.

CUNLIFFE: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Thank you.

Charlotte Cunliffe joining us live from Houston.

The search and rescue effort is continuing in Louisiana. It is a race against time.

That, plus another update on conditions in the region just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: The death toll is rising and conditions are going downhill in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

To Mississippi. The unconfirmed death toll has risen to 110. Officials say many more people are feared dead and the number of dead is expected to climb.

In New Orleans, the water continues to rise from a downtown levee breach. The Army Corps of Engineers is working to repair the break and stop the flow of water into the already flooded city.

And Louisiana officials plan to send storm refugees by bus. In fact, this is taking place already, this evacuation. The governor of Louisiana is calling for the evacuation of the refugees from New Orleans in the Superdome because of the deteriorating conditions there. They are being sent to the Astrodome in Houston, Texas.

The mayor of Gulfport, Mississippi, says it's like a bomb went off. That's how he describes the destruction from Hurricane Katrina.

Our Gary Tuchman is reporting along the coastline there. Here is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A small Mississippi town in ruins. Bay St. Louis, which suffered catastrophic damage from Hurricane Camille in 1969, was hit even harder this time.

Nikki Nicholson moved here two years ago.

NIKKI NICHOLSON, BAY ST. LOUIS RESIDENT: Here's my dream. Yes. I came here from New Orleans two-and-a-half years ago with a wonderful dream to have a B&B on the beach. And I did for a very short period of time.

TUCHMAN (on camera): And Nikki, I can't even see where it was anymore.

NICHOLSON: I know.

TUCHMAN: Where was it?

NICHOLSON: It's right here. This beautiful tree was in my front yard.

TUCHMAN (voice over): Her bed and breakfast is now rubble, just like many of the homes and businesses on Main Street. Just like the mile-long bridge which is part of U.S. 90 across the St. Louis Bay, each of the stories is unique, but Nicky's is harrowing as well as lucky.

NICHOLSON: This house has withstood Camille and withstood the huge one of 1947. And so I felt we were safe. I felt safe in the house.

TUCHMAN: So she and six other people remained in the bed & breakfast. But a tidal surge came in and then...

NICHOLSON: My house literally crumbled.

TUCHMAN (on camera): While you were in it?

NICHOLSON: While we were in it. Crumbled, just crumbled.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): And that's where this tree comes into the story. The seven were propelled by the storm surge to the tree. As the winds whipped and the torrents of rain fell, they grabbed on to a limb, literally for dear life.

NICHOLSON: We held on, it was amazing, for almost three hours. And it just finally -- finally slowed down. I mean it -- it was washing over our heads, over our heads.

TUCHMAN: One of the employees of the B&B, Kevin McNeill (ph), was next to Nicky on the limb.

(on camera): So Nicky was here. You were where, Kevin?

NICHOLSON: He was right there.

TUCHMAN: And the waves were hitting the branch?

NICHOLSON: Yes.

TUCHMAN: And what were you thinking?

NICHOLSON: I started to pray a lot. I truly didn't know if we'd make it. I really didn't.

TUCHMAN: You must have been terrified.

NICHOLSON: Absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was just trying to keep calm...

NICHOLSON: And every once in a while, we'd look at each other and touch a finger to each other and...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it was stinging so bad, the rain.

NICHOLSON: Oh, it was awful.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Minutes later, four of the seven, including a couple in their eighties, lost their grips and floated away. The three left in the tree were despondent.

(on camera): Did you think you were going to die?

NICHOLSON: Yes, yes. I did.

TUCHMAN: No doubt about it?

NICHOLSON: No, no doubt about it. No doubt.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): But the water started to recede. Nicky and her friends were safe. And the four who floated away were later rescued.

(on camera): What were you thinking when that water was climbing the tree and you were on it?

NICHOLSON: That I would be a little bit more religious, have a little more faith.

TUCHMAN: Have more faith?

NICHOLSON: Yes.

TUCHMAN: If you lived?

NICHOLSON: Yes. And my brother's a priest. He'll be very happy with that.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Kevin hadn't been able to contact his nervous mother in Louisiana to say he was all right. We let him use our satellite telephone to do that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Love you. Love you. Bye. Bye.

TUCHMAN: And Nicky is now mulling the future with her faithful friend, Maddy (ph), the Scottish terrier, who, by the way, was on that tree branch with Nicky.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: So many stories that will stick with us for such a long time.

Well, on this day when we have so much news coming from the southern part of the U.S., there's also horrifying news out of Iraq. A stunning loss of life. More than 700 pilgrims killed in a stampede. What caused the tragedy?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Our CNN crews are slowly making their way to the smaller communities hit by the hurricane. Miles O'Brien now reports from Slidell, Louisiana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Slidell, Louisiana, isn't what it used to be, not by a long shot. This city of 30,000, just across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, got clobbered by Katrina. A hundred and 40-mile-an-hour sustained winds and a tsunami- like wall of water, about 15 feet high.

MAYOR BEN MORRIS, SLIDELL, LOUISIANA: Very conservative estimate on the number of large trees that we have down is about somewhere between 10 and 15,000. And a lot of them are sticking in homes. And I personally have three of them in my house, so it's one of the worst things I've ever seen.

O'BRIEN: Mayor Ben Morris is a local legend here, but with no power, no phones, no electricity, and no hope things will be fixed soon...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want our electricity back.

O'BRIEN: He has become a town crier of sorts, spreading the grim news face-to-face, door-to-door.

MORRIS: Your electricity is most probably...

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Do it! I learned myself!

MORRIS: Six to eight weeks away.

O'BRIEN: Or maybe 12 weeks. So many trees, so many lines down. It all boggles the mind.

MORRIS: If you have battery, radios, you most probably need to get ahold of a...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)?

MORRIS: You know, battery radios.

O'BRIEN: These folks were among the few who rode out the storm at home. Trees fell, water rose, and they got ready to head for the attic. Fortunately, the surge leveled off at ankle-depth. Relatively speaking, they were lucky.

(on camera): Are glad you stuck on out here or do you wish you had gone to a shelter?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We really don't have an option. We don't have the finances to leave.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Slidell is a place people know your name, your parents and who you dated in high school. In short, an extended family that gather frequently for concerts in a park that is now inundated.

(on camera): It must be hard to see it getting back to that right now. MORRIS: Oh, no. Piece of cake. By October, we will most probably finished our amphitheater and we'll be having concerts in the park again. This is just a bump in the road. A very bad bump in the road!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: That was our Miles O'Brien reporting from Slidell, Louisiana. Let's head east towards Gulfport, Mississippi. The mayor of that town says it's like a bomb went off. That is how he describes the destruction from Hurricane Katrina. Our Kathleen Koch is live from Gulfport with the situation there -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, what you hear going on behind me right now is the beginning of the big cleanup. You might call it Mission Impossible because this job is going to take months. There are backhoes, there are bulldozers, there are trucks just beginning to clear the debris in this beach-front area.

We'll show you some aerial shots of Gulfport. This was the biggest metropolitan area in the state of Mississippi, the biggest port in Mississippi, a huge money generator for this region, for the entire state. Shipping bananas in, shipping paper out, shipping chicken out, dog and cat food out. The paper -- now those rolls are strewn all around the area. The cat and dog food is also strewn and lots of rotting chicken, hundreds of crates of rotting chicken.

And we have with us some guests who live in the town that is to the west of here -- that's Long Beach, Mississippi. We were able to get in there yesterday. Christy Barstow and her sons Alex and Andrew.

You got out, Christy, but what did you find when you came back?

CHRISTY BARSTOW, HURRICANE SURVIVOR: I still have a home. But the total destruction is just unbelievable. I don't have a job. From what I understand, where I worked, The Casino Magic is gone.

KOCH: That's The Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis, one of the 12 casinos in Mississippi. And they were supposed to be built, by law, to withstand 15 foot storm surges, 155 mile an hour winds.

BARSTOW: But I don't think anybody was prepared for this. I was going to go to work. And they finally called and said, hey, you don't have to come in. And so, you know, like I said, I've lost my job, probably.

My husband, he worked on the port. He's -- his job's probably -- most likely gone, at least for weeks or months.

KOCH: Now your son Alex -- his first job was at Marine Life.

Alex, we understand some of the sea lions and seals that you cared for, that you cared deeply about are dead.

ALEX BARSTOW, HURRICANE SURVIVOR: Yes, T.C. is dead; Cody the seal is dead and -- (inaudible) got shot in the head. He was in someone's backyard and I guess they couldn't contain him.

KOCH: Now, Andrew, you lived on -- I say lived because we don't know what happened to your house on the Wolf River between Long Beach and Pass Christian, south of I-10. What do you know, if anything?

ANDREW BARSTOW, HURRICANE SURVIVOR: What I've heard, there isn't anything out there at all left. I live -- I mean, I lived 250 yards off the river and its out of its banks by a mile and it's only a three foot surge. It's just hopeless. I don't see any sense in going back out there to look because I know it's not going to be there. At least mom and dad's house is here. I can stay there.

KOCH: What do you have left personally?

ANDREW BARSTOW: Enough clothes for two days and a bottle of water is about it.

KOCH: How does a family recoup, rebuild, after this kind of disaster?

CHRISTY BARSTOW: You just don't know what you're going to do, you know. I'm sure we're in the same boat as lots of people.

KOCH: Did you stay? Do you pack up? Do you leave?

CHRISTY BARSTOW: It's like, what do you do? We're still all in a state of shock. And it's just, thank God we've got each other.

KOCH: Thank you, Christy. Again, that is the feeling of many people here, Daryn, who made it through who may have nothing left but they're really saying, well, at least we're alive; we've got each other, we can start over, we can rebuild. Daryn.

KAGAN: This is a story we're going to hear way too many time. Kathleen Koch, live from Gulfport, thank you.

Katrina has been blamed for dozens of deaths across the Gulf Coast so far and the death toll is expected to rise. We're going to take a look at the public health risks in the storm's aftermath ahead on CNN LIVE today. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, President Bush is cutting his vacation short and heading back to the White House. Still some questions: What does he expect to do about the petroleum reserves and what about a possible visit to the area?

Let's go to the White House and Bob Franken for more on that -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let's sort of do this in reverse order. We're expecting, according to a recent background briefing on the part of the White House press secretary that there will be a visit to the area, either later this week or on the weekend or something like that. One of the concerns that the White House always has is that it doesn't want to get in the way. So we can expect that the president, before he left Texas -- he's on his way to Washington -- that before he left Texas, he participated in a video conference with the heads of the important agencies who are part of this task force that's going to try to coordinate relief for the Gulf area.

It was declared by the Secretary of Homeland Security to be an incident of national significance. Now that is not just semantics. That is a specific technical description which allows the federal government to initiate a widely coordinated program. The president is coming back; he's going to have a meeting with many of the same people who are heading those agencies.

They'll be meeting here in the White House in the cabinet room. Already, there has been an announcement that there will be a release of some of the crude oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. It's going to be to provide refineries the chance to make some gasoline.

The problem is, is that the refineries are not yet in a position to turn that into gasoline, so for a while, there's going to be this upward movement of gasoline prices. Nevertheless, the energy Secretary said that it was time to move ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMUEL BODMAN, ENERGY SECRETARY: An announcement will be made about the specifics later on today. And I would expect, because of the approach we've used with that crude oil can be made available to that refiner as soon as tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: In the meantime, gasoline prices are expected, over the Labor Day weekend, to climb to three dollars, three dollars, fifty cents. As you can see, that has already happened in some metropolitan areas like the Washington, D.C. area.

And that is just one of the manifestations of the national economy impact that there's been as a result of Katrina. But right now, much of our focus is on the area that was so devastated. That is going to be the area where coordination is going to take place when the president shows next, when he gets to the White House and meets with his agency heads -- Daryn.

KAGAN: OK, Bob Franken, live at the White House. Thank you.

Big story today: the levee breaks still not controlled in New Orleans. With more on that, let's go to our Bonnie Schneider in the Weather Center -- Bonnie.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: All right, Daryn.

Let's take an aerial look now of where that levee broke. And you can see, as we take a wider viewpoint of the city of the New Orleans and the downtown location of where the French Quarter is. Right now we're getting flooding right now at the Superdome area. We have reports of about three feet of water surrounding the Superdome right now.

And zooming in, Lake Pontchartrain, the Mississippi River -- New Orleans smack in the middle. So not a good spot for flooding. Certainly, because you're surrounded by so much water, not to mention being below sea level.

But the problem right now really didn't happen until well after Katrina moved through. A canal break. We have a metal wall kind of keeping the water from coming into the city. And what's -- I understand it as the water came underneath the wall and that broke apart. And now we're seeing the flooding through the streets.

Now, if you're looking at this picture and wondering where's all the water, this aerial shot was taken before Katrina moved through. This is what it used to look like. Now we're seeing flooding through all these streets through here.

There is a second breach, another levee break, southeast of the first one. And here's the location of that. And you can see some of the streets that are getting water across here through this region. And if you're wondering the relationship of the Superdome between the levee breaks, that's exactly right. They're smack dab right in the middle of it. So the Superdome location in downtown New Orleans is right in the middle of the two levee breaks. So that's why we're getting the water flowing through.

And incidentally, Canal Boulevard is also flooded. Most of these streets are getting some water. The French Quarter is faring just a little better, not by much. But the French Quarter's at a slightly higher elevation than the downtown area where the Superdome area is. So we're the not seeing as high of water, but unless these two levees get repaired or they figure out a way to block the water, this water will continue rise. And that's what we're looking at right now, unfortunately, for that situation there.

And just want to mention the weather in New Orleans. Very, very hot and sticky, very humid. It's not getting any better. There's still the chance of an isolated shower or thunderstorm, as well -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Bonnie, thank you.

Want to show these pictures we're getting into us live here at CNN. Mobile, Alabama. See this? This is a line that goes on and on. All these folks waiting just to buy gasoline. And this is one of the shortages that they've been talking about in the area, one of the reasons they don't want people to come back. There is a lot of supplies, including gasoline. in the area. We're using these live picture from our affiliate WKRG. So, without them going backwards, it's hard to give you an impression of -- I mean, this goes for miles, it would appear. They've been following this line of cars, just waiting for the opportunity to buy gasoline from a single gas station.

More on the situation in Alabama, along with Florida and Mississippi and Louisiana, after this.

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KAGAN: In today's "Daily Dose" of health news, the widespread destruction left by Hurricane Katrina now poses the threat of a public health catastrophe from unsanitary conditions and contaminated water.

Dr. Carlos Del Rio is chief of medicine at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. He is also a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Emory University. Doctor, good morning. Thanks for being here with us.

DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Good morning, Katrina. Delighted to be with you.

KAGAN: This is a -- basically a big mixture of everything that you study.

DEL RIO: Well, I think you have all the necessary conditions to create a potential date a necessary public health disaster. Sewage contamination of drinking water. The food decomposing over time, because there's no refrigeration. And people are hungry, so they're going to eat whatever they find. In addition, you have -- it's the right season, it's hot. It's going to be humid. So you're going to have an explosion of insects, mosquitoes. And you -- we cannot forget things like animal bites, especially snakes and other animals, rats, that are going to be there.

KAGAN: Because the people aren't the only ones that are displaced...

DEL RIO: Correct.

KAGAN: ... in all this.

DEL RIO: I mean, there's tremendous alterations to the flora and the fauna in the region, which, of course -- those animals are also going to be looking for food.

KAGAN: When we look a the water, whether we're looking off the coast of Biloxi or we're looking in New Orleans, it is dirty and disgusting and only getting worse.

DEL RIO: And there's no drinking water available. We have heard over and over that Louisiana, New Orleans, is without drinking water. So people are going to have to be very careful. People are going to have to learn how to clean the water. People are going to have to learn how to boil it, sterilize it, put iodine, do whatever you can to make the water, if not totally sterile, if not totally drinkable, potable, at least decrease significantly the amount of coliform bacteria present there. Because the development of an outbreak of diarrheal illness will obviously be very serious and something that will cause a lot of deaths and disease.

KAGAN: And as we were saying before we came on, if you don't have to go back, don't. Very dangerous. DEL RIO: Absolutely.

KAGAN: Dr. Del Rio, thank you so much. Doctor Carlos Del Rio from Emory University. Thank you.

I'm Daryn Kagan. We're going to move on into the next hour of CNN LIVE. We're going to make it go an extra hour, we're going to preempt YOUR WORLD TODAY and bring you our continuing coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, after this break.

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