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CNN Live Today

New Orleans: Public Health Concerns Increase; Busloads of Evacuees Arrive in Houston; Aerial Pictures from New Orleans

Aired September 01, 2005 - 10:00   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Soledad, we expect a lot of developments over the next three hours. We'll be taking you through all of them. Thank you for that. We will get started on CNN LIVE TODAY.
Nature's wrath, man's rage, frustrations simmering and boiling in New Orleans. Just take a look another these pictures. This is not a refugee camp in a distant third world country, this is life today in New Orleans, Louisiana.

As miles was just mentioning, any minute federal emergency officials are to hold a news conference. Just one of the many developments that we are following for you this morning.

We are going to begin in New Orleans. That is a city where chaos and menace seem to be as ever present as those flood waters. There is lawlessness, looting, random gunfire and a growing frustration that strokes even greater concern. Joining us now on the phone is our CNN Producer Jim Spellman. He is standing on New Orleans's famed Canal Street seeing a scene, Jim, that I believe is even hard for you to comprehend.

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really is, Daryn.

I don't think we really have the vocabulary for this. We just heard a couple of gunshot goes off. There's a building smoldering a block away from me. People picking through whatever's left in the stores right now. Walking the streets because they have nowhere else to go.

KAGAN: Now you're down by the area of the convention center, as I understand it?

SPELLMAN: A few blocks away. We drove through there earlier. And it was unbelievable. Thousands and thousands and thousands of people spent the night sleeping on the street, on the sidewalk, on the median. Inside the convention center is packed to capacity. And it's a scene that it's just unbelievable. You cannot believe that this is a major American city.

KAGAN: Now around the convention center, as I understand it, this was an area that people and families were left behind who weren't going to the Superdome were told to head. That that this was going to be a safe area. And, in fact, it's really a scene of anarchy.

SPELLMAN: Oh, indeed. And there's absolutely nobody in control. There's no National Guard, no police. There's no information to be had. Many people there feel that a boat is going to come and get them. If convention center hugs the Mississippi River and no boats have appeared. They think a bus is going to come. No buses have come. They think water's going to come. No water's come. They have no food. They have no water. As we drove by, I've never seen anything like this. People screaming out to us, help, do you have water? Do you have food? Do you have any information for us? And, unfortunately, we had none of those.

KAGAN: What about the growing you're starting to tap in on this growing sense of frustration but that we keep getting reports, as you were saying, of gunfire, of people basically going over the edge.

SPELLMAN: Oh, yes. It really feels like it's just deteriorating rapidly. Every time you think it can't get worse, it gets worse. The most probably the most disturbing thing is, unfortunately, people at the convention center are starting to pass away and there's simply nothing to do with their bodies. Nowhere to take them. No one to do anything with them, which is making everybody very, very upset.

KAGAN: And just on a simple infrastructure here, Jim, I understand that you're calling in on a pay phone?

SPELLMAN: Yes.

KAGAN: It works? Obviously because we're talking to you.

SPELLMAN: It's unbelievable that the pay phones work. I was a couple of days ago I was out in the middle of looting and I actually kind of ducked behind a pay phone for a little cover. And I picked it up and there was a dial tone. And cell phones and whatever devices like those have been working occasionally today for the first day. But nothing and people cannot people from New Orleans can't get a hold of their they don't know where to go. Their houses are gone. And it's very frustrating for them.

KAGAN: Understandable. Jim Spellman joining us from New Orleans's Canal Street.

Jim, thank you. We'll check back with you. If you find another pay phone, have more to report in, please give us a call.

In addition to Jim Spellman, we have correspondents spanned out across the region and the epicenter of one of the worse natural disasters in U.S. history. Miles O'Brien is waiting for that FEMA news conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Keith Oppenheim is at the Houston Astrodome. That is where the first bus loads of New Orleans have arrived.

Keith, let's go ahead and move on to you.

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, it's really temporary exodus in progress, if you will. About 60 buses have already arrived, maybe another 400 or more to go. A bit of a controversy. We heard from Houston officials this morning that there was a clear delay in the transport of buses because of violence in New Orleans. Specifically reports that someone had shot at a chinook helicopter involved in the transport.

But Louisiana officials not only haven't confirmed that. They said that there's been a continued transport operation going on and no delay. Although I have to say in the last half hour or so, no buses have been coming in, jiving with the first report but that might have been a planned delay. So we really don't know whether the transport has stopped or not.

Having said all that, 3,000 or so people have made it here. It's shy of the 20,000 or more that are coming. But the buses have been rolling in.

On the inside, it's really a virtual city in the making as officials here are laying out thousands of cots. They are preparing to make meals for all these people. Eight-hundred local workers making a hot breakfast and a hot dinner and a cold lunch for the thousands that will come in here each day.

They're also doing a medical screening of everyone who comes in. And those who are sick are sent to hospitals. Others get a toiletries kit. And they have four locker rooms in this facility. Good for sports teams but hard to imagine how they're going to coordinate the use of those locker rooms to get everyone something that they desperately want, a shower. But they're in the process of working out those details too.

And also, Daryn, what they say is they really want to think of the Astrodome as a temporary shelter. Judge Robert Eckels, who is the Harris County official, really in charge of the coordination around here, told me this morning that his hope is that people will stay here for a few weeks at most and then they can move them to temporary shelters closer to New Orleans, smaller places where people won't have to live under the stress of living on mass.

Back to you.

KAGAN: And I think we're expecting a news conference in the next hour on that. We'll be carry that live here on CNN.

Keith Oppenheim, thank you for that. Live from Houston in front of the Astrodome.

So we've been talking about the evacuations and the difficulty in getting these thousands of people out of New Orleans. A National Guards spokesman address that very problem just a few minutes ago. Here's what that National Guards spokesman had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a report that one shot was fired at a chinook helicopter. I don't know how many of you have ever been in a chinook. It's a rather large aircraft and it is extremely loud. So whether one was fired or not, I could not tell you.

QUESTION: Do you know if they suspended evacuations?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Evacuation operations are not being suspended.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Also getting this information in from the White House. President Bush will be meeting later today, 3:00 p.m. Eastern, with his father, the former President Bush, and President Clinton. We understand he's going to talk with the two former leaders to ask them to do a similar role here in the U.S. that they did worldwide in wake of the tsunami and try to lead the relief effort and the effort to raise funds for that very hard hit area along the Gulf Coast.

Also, finding new homes today. Some 400 military veterans displaced from their retirement home. That was in Gulfport, Mississippi. Ten chartered buses are due to arrive in Washington this morning. They'll stay in the Capitol for weeks or even months until water and electricity can be restored to the Gulfport facility. The military's retirement homes are funded by a 50 cent per month payroll deduction from active duty troops.

All this eventually leads down to the question of what is the weather like today, especially along the Gulf Coast. Jill Brown is with us here today to answer those questions.

Jill, good morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: You can read a lot more about Katrina, hurricanes in general and you local weather in particular at cnn.com/hurricane. You can also check out storm images and find a lists of aid organizations.

Michael Chertoff, the head of Homeland Defense, is speaking right now and talking about Katrina and relief efforts. Let's go ahead and listen in.

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We'll blaze a path forward on that road but we know that it's going to be a path that will be difficult. The Department of Homeland Security will continue to work with federal, state and local partners to support efforts on the ground in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. We are working tirelessly to make sure that federal resources are being applied where they are need all across the Gulf.

Hurricane Katrina reminds us as well that we are still in the midst of hurricane season. Disasters can strike anywhere and at any time, whether they're events beyond our control like hurricanes or manmade disasters like the terrorist attack in London earlier this year. We have to be prepared as a nation and as individuals to face these and other potentially dangerous situations.

That's why we're here today and that's why we are launching National Preparedness Month. National Preparedness Month is a nationwide effort to increase public awareness about the importance of preparing for emergencies and to encourage individuals to take simple, common sense steps to be more prepared in their homes, businesses and schools.

More than 190 organizations in all 56 states and territories will join together this month to provide a variety of opportunities for regular citizens to learn more about how to protect themselves, their families, their communities and their friends from threats and disasters of all kinds. State and local governments, organizations and companies from across the country will host events like the one we have here in Union Station today sponsoring preparedness activities and distributing emergency preparedness information.

Simple steps taken in advance can make all the difference in an emergency. Through National Preparedness Month, we'll be encouraging all Americans to take some basic actions that will enhance everybody's ability to deal with a crisis if it occurs. Prepare a kit of emergency supplies. Make an emergency plan for yourself and your family. Learn about the different kinds of threats that you might face, how they might affect the community and what responses are appropriate. It's important to take a few minutes to prepare in advance so that if an emergency does strike you will be ready to respond.

We encourage people to visit the booths here and the displays at Union Station.

KAGAN: The security secretary at a news conference, a joint news conference, with his department and also the American Red Cross, talking about how FEMA and his department and the Red Cross are doing everything possible that they can. Some amount of an irony there that he's also talking about how September is National Preparedness Month. That each family in America be encouraged to prepare for any type of disaster. More on him a little bit later.

Now we want to go back to the pictures and get some perspective from people who have been right there gathering the pictures. J.T. Alpaugh is a pool photographer for the networks. He's been in New Orleans. He's been taking the video of these scenes of devastation that I'm sure you've been seeing over and over again. He's on the ground right now and he's joining us on the phone to talk to me about what he has seen.

J.T.

J.T. ALPAUGH, NETWORK POOL PHOTOGRAPHER: Yes, ma'am. How are you?

KAGAN: Thank you for being with us and for giving us some perspective.

So we're looking at pictures that you actually have taken from a helicopter. How many times would you say you have flown over this area in the last few days? ALPAUGH: Well, we actually came in behind the storm. We followed Katrina in from the south, behind it, and we were about two hours behind it. And when we first came over the city, we had been shooting nonstop, only to stop for darkness hours. We'd been flying 15, 14 hour as day.

KAGAN: Mainly in New Orleans?

ALPAUGH: Mainly in New Orleans. We did also go to the Gulf Coast and checked out Gulfport, along with Biloxi, the destruction there.

KAGAN: And of everything that you've seen, what has taken your breath away the most?

ALPAUGH: Oh, gosh. It is everything has taken our breath away. When we first came in, the flooding in the immediate areas was unbelievable. But what really took our breath away was the absolute devastation of the Gulfport area and the Biloxi area. Gulfport absolutely blown away. It looked as if a nuclear bomb hit the area. That was a devastating moment for us and a realization of how large this storm and this hurricane actually was.

KAGAN: Yes, let's talk about the geographic expanse of this damage, especially that kind of perspective you get by flying over. How it just doesn't end.

ALPAUGH: It's absolutely very widespread. And especially in the New Orleans area, we were taken back by how much of the area has actually been flooded by the broken levee that has come off Lake Pontchartrain and flooded the entire basin, or what they're now calling the bowl, is just absolutely completely wide spread with thousands upon thousands homes completely flooded.

KAGAN: And we should say, to put it in perspective here, you are no amateur. You're usually shooting and doing this job in Los Angeles. So you've seen your share of destruction in Southern California. And how does this measure up to other stories that you've covered in the past?

ALPAUGH: Well, I've flown over many, many disasters, especially in Southern California, where we have fires, earthquakes and floods as well. But nothing along this proportion. The only thing I can really compare it to the Northridge (ph) earthquake but it's nowhere near the devastation and destruction that Katrina has just 50 times anything we've ever seen before. I don't think in my career I've ever seen anything like this or will ever see anything like this again. It is an absolute devastation in the area.

KAGAN: And you plan to keep flying and shooting?

ALPAUGH: We absolutely do. We've landed for fuel in nearby Houma, Louisiana, and we're refueling right now and we're going to be going back into the area. We're providing pool pictures and images to your network, among others, along with the disaster relief FEMA people as well are taking some of our images and hopefully using them to help figure out what they're going to be doing here.

KAGAN: Well, you're doing really important work and we appreciate your pictures. And we encourage you and your crew, your whole flight crew, to please be safe.

ALPAUGH: Thank you very much. And my pilot, Allan Cohen (ph), thanks to you as well.

KAGAN: And send them our thanks and our appreciate on to Allan as well. Thank you. J.T. Alpaugh, the photographer, pool photographer, who has been flying over this area all the way from New Orleans, he's mentioned Gulfport and also on the Biloxi area, bringing us those incredible pictures of the devastation.

The death toll in these areas is rising. Dozens more are missing. Thousands are homeless. Still to come, the president is encouraging this massive relief effort that promises the big easy will rise up once again as a great American city.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: FEMA very much on the job today. They are headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and that's where we find our Miles O'Brien.

Miles.

Miles, you're with us.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey.

KAGAN: Miles.

O'BRIEN: I'm sorry, Daryn, I was unable to hear you.

KAGAN: That's all right.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about Mississippi for a moment, shall we? I apologize for not being able to hear you coming in there. But in the state of Mississippi, we focus so much on New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana. And I am after all here in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where the emergency operation center is for all that.

In Mississippi, there are 185 people confirmed dead. That number is sure to grow much larger. Seventy-five percent of electrical customers are without power. And we're talking on the order of three months at least before the first light bulb comes on according to many people I've been speaking with. So given all that and given the fact that this storm, this one-time category five storm, was out there in the Gulf and presented all the officials with a fair amount of warning, we've been asking some questions of officials about this. And we will get to that in just a moment.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Yes, Miles, we're going to get back to you on that information you have. Right now we have the opportunity to listen to a briefing, listen only to a briefing from the Pentagon. No pictures, just audio. Let's go ahead and listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. RUSSEL HONORE, CMDR. JT. TASK FORCE KATRINA: FEMA and the other agencies in conducting the evacuation of individuals from New Orleans to the Astrodome in Houston. We have assisted in their planning, as well as providing assistance where possible in effecting that operation.

And our current situation update of what's happening right now is to continue our life-saving operation, focusing on doing search and rescue. As you would know, starting in Mississippi, from the area of the Gulf of Mississippi north to about three miles, most of the infrastructure is destroyed. North of that line to I-20 in Mississippi, much is severely damaged in terms of infrastructure, homes and communications and electricity. So the efforts in Mississippi remain the same and we continue to build sustainment capability to push food and water to distribution centers, as well as to continue the search and rescue operation. But I want to emphasize much of the Mississippi coastline was destroyed.

That being said, a major effort is required there. It's a much larger area than Louisiana. And a lot more isolated, small communities that have to be re-supplied. And that's our major effort.

In New Orleans, the primary threat to the people is the flooding, which prohibit the surface transportation with isolated communities that are surrounded with water up to five to six feet in many communities. Thus, those people have been evacuated in most cases to the Superdome area and many of them are on high streets. And there's a part of the population that took refuge in high buildings and we're in the process now of in support of Louisiana in the movement of people by bus from the vicinity of the Superdome to the Astrodome in Houston.

We continue to build our capability. I will first start with the land side. The major effort is in support of the National Guard.

The National Guard forces current boots on the ground in Louisiana is 4,700 approximate. And in Mississippi, the approximate number to date is 2,700. By the end of the day, the boots on the ground in Louisiana, Louisiana National Guardsmen, will be approximately 7,400. And by the end of the day in Mississippi, it will be approximately 6,000.

And by tomorrow, the boots on the ground of National Guardsmen in Louisiana will be approximately 8,600 and in Mississippi 9,500. For a total strength over the next three days, we intend to have approximately 12,000 troops on the ground in Louisiana and 12,000 troops on the ground in Mississippi. That capability is on the road as we speak, flowing to Mississippi and Louisiana.

Our major effort again in Louisiana is to focus in and around in New Orleans area and to sub communities and continuing to flow out the people that are ambulatory and those that requiring medical care. Between 1,500 yesterday afternoon and midnight last night, we had flown approximately 600 patients from the Superdome area to area hospitals for onward movement and care.

We'll continue that effort this morning. We have increased our capability with helicopters. We have two battalions from Ft. Hood arrive yesterday that's in that effort. That effort is being led by the United States Coast Guard and Louisiana National Guard, who are coordinating the effort to synchronize the helicopters and the distribution of those patient in support of the health and human service element that's a part of the Louisiana task force.

That flow worked well. And as of last night, the evacuation of New Orleans begun. And it is continuing as we speak. The governor of Louisiana, for whom I had a chance to meet twice yesterday, as well as Director Brown, marshaled her school buses from throughout the state and sent them in as a part of the transport means to take the citizens to Houston, Texas, to the Astrodome, as well as 500 buses from FEMA. As of yesterday, we had part of those buses on hand. And they started moving citizens last evening. And that operation will continue until we evacuate that population from New Orleans to the Astrodome.

And that plan is working. Security is being provided at that location by the mayor of New Orleans and the New Orleans police department, as well as the National Guard. I met twice with the mayor yesterday and we collaborated with the state, as well as with the unified command of FEMA and the other agencies, in developing the plan and the beginning of the execution of that plan last night.

And we couldn't do this too soon. As most of you have seen, it is a trying situation at best. And the enormity of the task is significant in the terror of feeding and providing water. And that need is being met by the tremendous effort of our lead federal agency FEMA. It takes time, as you would might expect. And the numbers in New Orleans were roughly around 60,000 people. And the majority of them a large number of them are at the Superdome. But people are still scattered in their communities in isolated areas.

That's our basic land and helicopter operation. We have significant naval presence. The baton is present off the coast of Louisiana. I just ordered baton to move to Biloxi and to support the operations in Mississippi as I have additional helicopters that arrived yesterday from Ft. Hood who will reinforce the operations in Louisiana.

Our challenge remains the Broad Street damage. And again, it can be characterized in Mississippi as a large area with isolated pockets. And the equal challenge in New Orleans of a concentrated area that is flooded.

By and large, the -- you have dry conditions in Mississippi, but the challenge is a dispersion. And in Louisiana, it's a concentration of people in a small area and the streets are flooded. So they have to seek refuge in high buildings and in the Superdome. That operation is, at its best, a sustainment operation of sustaining life and taking care of the critically injured and wounded.

Subject to your questions, I wanted to make sure that you understand that this is a total effort to include our aerial element. The United States Air Force is decisively engaged in providing access, in terms of the strategic lift to bring in units as well as capability and those are flowing as we speak.

Our primary resupply areas into Mississippi is the Gulfport Airport and Meridian, and in Louisiana, it's the Belle Chasse Airport and the New Orleans International Airport. A significant operation by the United States Coast Guard and search and rescue, as well as the Coast Guard under Admiral Duncan (ph), is providing the initial air command and control of the helicopters that's doing the search and rescue and the evac of the citizens, who are ill from the Superdome.

And again, subject to your questions, I have about ten minutes, as I have to move to New Orleans and link up with the TAG (ph) of Mississippi, the governor of -- the mayor of New Orleans and the chief FEMA rep in New Orleans to complete the coordination and to see how we can assist them more in the evacuation and the sustainment operations -- over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, we'll get into a few questions here. Let's start with Charlie.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: General, just a couple of quick questions. You said 24,000 would be in Alabama -- Mississippi and Louisiana in the next three days. We understand that a total of about 30,000 will be in the four states, including Alabama and Florida, in the coming days. How many of those in Alabama and Mississippi will be military police, and what are their rules of engagement for looters and that kind of thing? We understand some helicopters were fired at today.

HONORE: To answer the first part of that question, they have remained under rules of engagement as established by the governor of the state. And those rules are established and passed out through the TAG. That is the process. What is the specific rules in each state is what I've heard is to protect property and to protect yourself. But at this point in time, that presence normally will ward off the perpetrators from those who wish to conduct looting or other illicit operations. But those are under state law, and that is the way that it is being conducted at this time. And what was the second part of your question, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just two quick ones. We understand that a total of about 30,000 Guard will be in the four states. You say 24,000 in Mississippi and Louisiana. And how many of those in Mississippi and Louisiana will be police, military police?

HONORE: Sir, I don't have those numbers in front of me, but I would defer to my good friend Steve Bloom (ph), who has that, and I will follow up with you within a few minutes and give that to you. But there is a major effort in Louisiana for security-type forces.

And I will tell you the majority of them right now -- Louisiana has 4,700 of its own National Guard committed to that effort. And the majority of the force flow -- there will be 1,400 additional security forces in Louisiana today, with an additional 1,400 tomorrow, along that force flow build up, as I gave it to you. But we will get that to you in detail within a few minutes, sir. It's fair to say the majority of the forces going to Louisiana are security-type forces, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go over here with Jamie and then over to Tom.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: General, Jamie McIntyre from CNN. To what extent is this additional assistance you've outlined today a response to a request from the state governors in Louisiana, Mississippi. And if so, can you tell us when specifically you got that request?

HONORE: Yes, sir. The process starts, sir, in this particular event with a request of -- Friday of last week, as an approximate date, or defense coordinating officers to be established in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Those were established in those states over Friday and Saturday.

MCINTYRE: Sir, specifically interested in how soon after the hurricane...

KAGAN: We've been listening in to Lieutenant General Russell Honore. First of all, let's just say, that physically wasn't that easy to listen to the buzz in the audio. We apologize for that. But let's explain what we were listening to and why it was important to listen in. The lieutenant general is the commander of the joint task force that has been assigned to deal with the devastation and the recovery of Hurricane Katrina. He was on the phone from the regional airport in Gulfport, Mississippi, talking to reporters back at the Pentagon. That explains the audio.

But there was very important information that the lieutenant general gave. And we'd like to pass some of that on. First of all, National Guard troops within the next few days, just in Louisiana and Mississippi alone, the lieutenant general was saying there should be some 24,000 National Guard troops on the ground. Right now, about 7,000 in Louisiana and 6,000 in Mississippi.

He also gave an assessment of just how bad the devastation is in Mississippi, saying that basically much of the Mississippi coastline has been completely destroyed. The challenge in Mississippi versus Louisiana -- in New Orleans the main challenge is flooding and in Mississippi, you have not only the destruction, but a number of small, isolated communities that really have no chance of getting any help with the infrastructure as it's torn apart.

We're going to have much more on this. And our coverage of Hurricane Katrina: The Aftermath, continues after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: As it has been for most of the week, our coverage is fluid. Right before we cut away to the Pentagon for that briefing out of Gulfport, Mississippi, we were talking with our Miles O'Brien. He is in Baton Rouge. This the temporary headquarters for FEMA in that area. But, Miles, you're looking at the whole area, and I believe we were talk agent Mississippi when we cut away. O'BRIEN: Yes, the numbers of Mississippi, really, we really don't have the numbers yet. And by the time it is all tallied, you know, of course, the mayor of New Orleans said we're talking in thousands. But in Mississippi, they've reached 185 dead on an unofficial count, and 75 percent of the people there without electricity. Many, many weeks, months perhaps, before the first light bulb comes on. The question that's come up today and has continued, is persisting is more on the order, though, of the response after Katrina. There's no question that officials, federal, local, and state officials made it very clear people should evacuate in advance of Katrina.

But a lot of questions today about how quickly the federal government has come into play here, specifically the Pentagon, to try to handle this. This clearly transcends the scope of state and local officials. And I was talking with the governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour, just a little while ago, and I asked him about that very point, whether the federal officials, and specifically the Pentagon, is doing enough.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: Let's talk about the response and what was put into position in advance of this storm. We knew about Katrina. We knew it was a strong storm developing for several days before it ever made landfall. Do you have the sense -- because it's quite clear that state and local officials cannot handle this on their own. This is too overwhelming. Do you have the sense that the federal government has dropped the ball here, sir?

GOV. HALEY BARBOUR, MISSISSIPPI: I really don't. And I think it's very unfair for the federal government, for you to say we knew this was a great powerful storm. This was a category 1 hurricane when it hit Florida. Now that's the truth.

M. O'BRIEN: Governor, it was a category 5 storm.

BARBOUR: The federal government...

M. O'BRIEN: A category 5 storm when it was...

BARBOUR: No, it was a category 1 -- it was a category 1 storm when it hit Florida. It was a category 5 storm a few hours before it came ashore.

M. O'BRIEN: No, no, Governor Barbour...

BARBOUR: The federal government have been tremendous partners in this. They have helped...

M. O'BRIEN: Governor Barbour, surely there was enough knowledge in advance that this was a huge killer storm a matter of days, not hours, before it ever struck landfall. And it seems to me the military...

BARBOUR: Now, Miles, if this is an interview or an argument, I don't care. But if you want to let me tell you what I think, I will.

M. O'BRIEN: OK, go ahead.

BARBOUR: And what I think is this storm strengthened in the Gulf. We begged the people to leave, and thousands of people left. Thousands of people left New Orleans. The federal government came in here from the first minute -- in fact, in advance. They have been tremendously helpful, whether it's the Coast Guard, the Corps of Engineers, FEMA.

M. O'BRIEN: But...

BARBOUR: I don't think it's at all fair...

M. O'BRIEN: But...

BARBOUR: ... and I'm not going to agree to that, because I don't believe it's true.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: And just to give the numbers, about 28,000 National Guard troops spread throughout the three states effected, about 7,000 National Guard in New Orleans. No active duty federal troops on the ground there whatsoever yet -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. But we are getting those new numbers in from the Pentagon, and they say within the next few days between Louisiana and Mississippi there should be about 24,000 to 30,000 troops on the ground.

Miles, thank you for that. We'll get back to you in Baton Rouge.

So when the Hurricane Katrina victims do get to go home, they're going to have to run through a checklist of items for safety. For those people and anyone who might have to deal with a natural disaster, we have today's top five tips. Our personal finance director Gerri Willis with us for that -- Gerri.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN ANCHOR: Daryn, good to see you.

I just want to say that there are a couple things that people want to look out for as they get back into their house. Don't even go into the house yet before you think about two things. One, hazards with power lines. If you smell rotten eggs, you definitely want to be sure to be very careful. Indeed you could have a natural gas leak, downed power lines, electric lines very problematic, too. Structural problems, you will definitely want to watch out for structural problems. With the house itself, cracks in the wall. If you see those on the outside do, not go in. Look for your front door sticking. If it sticks at the top it could indicate that your ceiling is ready to fall -- Daryn.

KAGAN: As we move on, I don't know if you can hear me, Gerri, but we'll go on to tip number two. You need to tread carefully. Be careful of any gas that might be in your house. WILLIS: That's right. You want to watch out for -- make sure you don't light a match when you walk inside that house, because again, natural gas. You could set off a fire, an explosion. You want to be careful. Watch for animals, watch for snakes. Carry a stick with you so you can prod the ground as you walk around, because no doubt, your house is full of water, it's full of mud. You can't really see what's on the floor.

KAGAN: Why do you want to look for watermarks on the wall?

WILLIS: Well, watermarks will tell you how high the water got inside your house, and if you're appliances are below that, they're going to say, don't turn them on; they could be damaged. So make sure you don't turn on that washing machine if you have high water marks in the house.

KAGAN: Now a generator can be a lifesaver, but it also very dangerous.

WILLIS: That is absolutely true. You know, generators are a great thing when there's no electricity, but they also emit carbon monoxide, and that can be a silent killer if you use it indoors. Be sure to put that outdoors, but to be sure to put a tarp over it, if in fact, it's raining outside, because you don't want that generator to get wet.

KAGAN: What about water and debris that might have gathered in your basement?

WILLIS: As you're getting rid of that, you're going to have to be careful. Indeed, make sure you're covered, because water can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes and disease, so keep yourself covered with boots, with whatever you can use as you clear that stuff away, because it's very, very dangerous just getting back home.

KAGAN: Yes. Gerri Willis, live from New York City, thank you for those tips.

Our coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina continues after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: As we watch what's been happening along the Gulf Coast, a lot of questions about the role of the National Guard and the military in general. Our Rick Sanchez in New Orleans. He was just a little bit ago embedded with the National Guard unit in Louisiana, and he joins us now on the phone.

Rick, hello.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.

Things are pretty tough here, even for officials who are still trying to get outfitted. We've been spending the night at the New Orleans Saints' training facility, which is really the encampment for most of the FEMA officials and the National Guard troop who have gotten here thus far as they deploy out to certain areas.

One of the areas we went to last night, they just deployed a new unit out here. They're from California, your neck of the woods, Daryn. They're called swift water operations rescue units, and these folks are trained in going in and trying to get these people out of these homes, been stuck in these homes for days now, with the rising floodwaters. They've been able to get a lot of them out. We were with them last night. As a matter of fact, we were able to get on a boat. We went out to watch as they performed many of these rescues.

It's quite a sight to see. You know, you see bodies floating along the road. And I asked them, what do you do about that? They say there's no time to deal with them now, we have to deal with the living. They went to as many homes as they could. We went off into some of the communities to see if we can find some people. And as you're navigating through these narrow areas with power lines and all kinds of obstructions above you and beneath you, you suddenly hear faint screams coming from homes, people yelling help, help.

We found one elderly woman in one home telling us, I've been here and I need to get out, can you get me? But then she said, but there are people next door and they have babies. Leave me until morning. Get them out now. So we contacted the swift water rescue units and they went out there. To our surprise and their surprise, there were no less than 15 people who were huddled in their home. We could only hear them. We couldn't see them. But we were able to assist, at least, and get the right people over there to get them out.

But you know, Daryn, just like them, there may be literally thousands that need to be somehow rescued and taken out of those areas. Really, it's an immeasurable number at this point. And it's a very daunting task for these officials. They're trying to get more reinforcement, more help.

But now they have another problem on their hands. I was talking to some FEMA officials this morning who were telling me that they're concerned now for the safety of the rescue people that they've been bringing in. So now they're going to put in a policy, at least in some parts, where the rescue people will only go in if they have armed personnel with them to protect them. So as you might imagine, that might be slowing things up somewhat. Because as people become more desperate, they say they're also becoming more violent.

KAGAN: Yes, it just -- it boggles the mind how the story keeps getting worse in that respect. Our Rick Sanchez from New Orleans. Rick, thank you for that.

Well, in all of our coverage here, we do want to offer up one little bit of sunshine. Imagine the satisfaction, the happiness, of being reunited, if only over the phone, with someone who you thought was missing. We have at least one of those stories just ahead, with our Carol Lin at our relief desk. We're going to get to that after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CAROL LIN, CNN RELIEF DESK: Good morning. I'm Carol Lin. We are connecting with people who are trying to find their loved ones via segments like this and our Web site, CNN.com/stories.

And I've got some good news for you. I'm starting to get more information about people who are found alive. Our news desk got a call from a local man who was desperately trying to find his parents and his grandmother in Long Beach, Mississippi, which was totally devastated. We were able to connect John Walker and his dad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: John, it's really good to have you. You had a frightening 48-hour period where you had no idea whether your parents were dead or alive. A dramatic story unfolded, though. Your father managed to get ahold of someone else's cell phone, a total stranger?

JOHN WALKER, FOUND MISSING FAMILY: Two hours ago, yes.

LIN: John, we've got your dad on the cell phone right now from Biloxi, Mississippi. Mr. Walker, can you hear us?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I can.

LIN: I've got your son sitting next to me. Go ahead, John.

WALKER: Hey, Dad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, son.

WALKER: You doing OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, doing fine.

WALKER: Well, I'm here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doing fine. Everything -- it's dramatic, but we're doing fine. We're alive and thankful for that. We're going back to -- your mother was here earlier. I tried to get you and couldn't.

WALKER: Oh, no!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So she's all right.

LIN: Mr. Walker, I understand that your wife is at the department store trying to prevent looters from coming in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

LIN: A brave woman. How are you guys doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doing fine.

LIN: Your son had a scare. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doing fine. Everybody's pulling together, working together. It's traumatic but, you know, it's something we can overcome.

LIN: What was it like when you were able to hear your son's voice finally this morning?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I broke down and cried. Couldn't help it.

WALKER: I love you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you.

LIN: Give me an idea of what it was like to ride out this hurricane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lady, I lived through Camille. And Camille was a bad old girl, she came in and blew like hell for about four or five hours. This thing came in and stayed and would not leave. I mean, just -- I didn't think it would ever get over with. And, you know, you could hear tornadoes all around you, and you could see destruction going on right in front of your eyes. I mean, it was unbelievable. But, you know, the only thing you could do was just hunker down. And I was out in front of my house and under my front porch, which I was on the good side, and I watched everything take place. It's just unbelievable what you could see, though.

LIN: And it's your house -- is one of the few houses left standing on your street?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly. Uh-huh.

LIN: It is a miracle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

LIN: And your grandmother rode out the storm as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

WALKER: That is correct. And her house is OK, Dad?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her house is fine. Her house is fine.

LIN: It is a miracle. Why didn't you run? Why didn't you leave for shelter?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ma'am, I've got three different businesses down here and, you know, when you've got three or four million dollars tied up in inventory in each one of them, it's just hard to run off and leave it. You know? And like I say, I lived through Camille and I said, well, it can't be as bad as Camille. So we're going to stay and see what happens. And I -- we boarded up, we done everything you were supposed to do. And just didn't anticipate it being this bad.

LIN: Mr. Walker, how are the people in Long Beach going to rebuild?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ma'am, it's going to be a long process. I will tell you this, everyone is helping each other. People are sharing things. It is -- you know how people gel when things like this happens.

LIN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just -- just natural, I guess you could say.

LIN: Well, it is our pleasure to hook you and your son up by cell phone here.

WALKER: Thank you very much.

LIN: John, I know you were worried, but what a blessing to hear your father's voice.

WALKER: Absolutely. I appreciate it. I love you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you, Bubba.

LIN: Talk to you in a bit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, bye-bye.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Those are the stories we love to hear. And now you can go to CNN.com/safe to see a list of people who have e-mailed us to say that they are OK. Our Web site is able to do this in partnership with neighborhood America. If you're OK, then e-mail us so we can tell your story and your family can know that you're safe. E-mail was at hurricanevictims@CNN.com, or log on to CNN.com/stories.

And if you're displaced by the hurricane, go to CNN.com/relief for local information and organizations offering assistance. And, of course, check in with me right here at the victims relief desk. You might just see your family safe on our air.

Daryn's going to be back with more CNN LIVE TODAY.

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