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American Morning

Crisis in New Orleans

Aired September 01, 2005 - 07:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Soledad O'Brien. Some new developments. Evacuees from the crisis in New Orleans begin arriving in Houston, and they come with an incredible story, picked up their buses from who knows where. Inside, people who are desperate to escape New Orleans. We're live in Houston and New Orleans for you this morning -- Miles.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Miles O'Brien, live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We're at the state and federal operations center, the emergency operations center, where they're trying to coordinate this massive relief effort, and there are so many needs, so many things to address here. Among the issues that they have to contend with, rampant looting in the city of New Orleans. Twenty-one thousand National Guard troops to be deployed to try to regain control in that devastated city. But will it be enough?

Soledad?

O'BRIEN: And the disasters impact elsewhere in the country. Gasoline for $4, and $5 and even $6 a gallon in some places, and long, long lines to buy it. Those stories all ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. Miles O'Brien live from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

That building behind me is the emergency operation center, which has been a nexus, a focal point of the efforts to provide some measure of relief in the wake of Katrina. Of course, a lot of criticism this morning about the response at the federal and state level. We're going to talk a lot about that this morning, as many people inside the city of New Orleans expressing outrage over why help wasn't there sooner for the people as this category-five, and ultimately category- four storm made landfall there a few days ago now.

In addition to that, one scene that is playing out, as we speak, the transfer from dome to dome, from Superdome to Astrodome. Upwards of 30,000 evacuees in that Superdome have begun to make their way to the Astrodome. One bus actually made it already. As it turns out, it was a so-called rogue bus, but nevertheless those evacuees are making their way to the Astrodome where we hope conditions are much better. We're tracking that as well.

Back to you, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Miles. A rogue bus, apparently, we believe, because someone grabbed a school bus and then just began picking up stranded passengers along the way, arriving at the Astrodome and hoping for help, turned away at first, but they're going to be allowed to stay, apparently. We'll have more on that story just ahead.

In New Orleans, police say they've been overwhelmed by the widespread looting, mayhem. They've even had to divert search-and- rescue efforts to focus on the lawlessness. CNN affiliate WWLTV is reporting that that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has told police to, quote, "do whatever it takes to regain control of the city." On Wednesday Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco had the same view as the mayor. She said she was outraged.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO, LOUISIANA: I will tell you something, we are going to restore law and order. We will do what it takes to bring law and order to our region. We're not going to put up with petty criminals or hardened criminals doing their business. This is not a time or a place for any of that behavior, and I am just furious. This is intolerant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Chris Lawrence is in downtown New Orleans. He's on Canal Street, and that's where much of the looting, in fact, has been going on. Chris is joining us by videophone.

Chris, good morning.

What does it look like where you are this morning?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, it's the quietest it's been right now this morning in quite a long time right here on Canal Street. We're right here on the edge of the French Quarter, but it has not been like that throughout the night and over the last couple nights. The police say there is constant looting going on. We've seen it ourselves, shots fired throughout the night. There's just a tremendous amount of people walking through New Orleans armed with guns. Standing next to a police officer yesterday and someone walked by. You could tell he had a gun tucked right into his waistband. Some of the police say that they're just simply overwhelmed and don't have the manpower or the communication to, you know, totally put a stop to it. They say they needed a lot more help from, like, the National Guard, a day, two days ago.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's talk, Chris, a little bit about the situation at the Superdome. They've started to evacuate people. We've shown some of the pictures of the buses that are now leaving and arriving elsewhere. What was it like inside? You were there.

LAWRENCE: Well, inside the Superdome, from everything that I've heard, it got to be a horrible situation. I mean, thousands of people in there, you know, no real plumbing. Water, food running very low. So the thing is, a lot of people have left the Superdome. But a lot of people don't have anywhere to go. I know you've got these people on these buses going to Houston. There are thousands, thousands of people laying on the street of New Orleans. I mean, we drove by just about an hour ago as we were driving here to this location. It's a refugee camp in the middle of the streets, just the streets covered with people, literally just laying on the ground, with their mothers, with their children. They have nowhere to go. The buses are not moving people out, obviously, fast enough. And it breaks your heart. People come up to you and say, my God, somebody is bleeding, do you have a first aid kit? Or we need this? Or we need food? And even the police are, like, what can we do?

Right outside the convention center, there's a body. The body's been there for a couple days. I mean, this is the New Orleans Convention Center, right downtown. There's a dead body that's been sitting out there. And there's no one to take it away.

S. O'BRIEN: It is a horrific situation there. Chris Lawrence, we're going to check with you again and all throughout the morning. Thanks.

Well, buses carrying the evacuees from the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans began arriving early this morning at the Houston Astrodome, and there at the Houston Astrodome, in fact, they're getting cots, and showers and hot meals, and there are phones, too. More than 20,000 evacuees are expected to be bussed the 330 miles or so from one stadium to the other.

Let's get right to Keith Oppenheim. He's at the Astrodome this morning.

Keith, good morning.

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

And we're getting breaking information from an official who is the spokesperson for Judge Robert Echols (ph), the Kerris (ph) County official here who's coordinating things at the Superdome. About five minutes ago, Gloria Romer, the spokeswoman, told me that the transports from the Superdome in Louisiana to the Astrodome here in Houston are going to be put on hold. And her description for that is because there have been shots fired at a Chinook helicopter, part of a means of transport out of the Superdome in New Orleans to get people out. There were shots fired from the crowd, and as a result of those shots, they feel that the situation is at least temporarily unsafe, and they are going to hold transport, as she said, for a couple of hours.

I should emphasize that we're getting this from a reliable source here, but we are not there, and we are going to work to confirm that this information is accurate. But it comes from Gloria Romer, the spokesperson for the judge in charge of things here.

In the meantime, you have had about at least 20 or more buses that have been coming in fairly regularly here this morning. And on the inside, it's really a city in the process of being made. You have thousands of cots being laid out. As people come in, they will be going through a medical screening, and then they will be given some toiletry kits so that they can take a shower. There are only four locker rooms that were used for professional teams here, so it's going to be a major operation just to get things started here -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Keith, let me bring you back to this breaking news that we're getting now, that the buses that were leaving from the Superdome heading to the Astrodome have now been stopped. How many buses, first of all, made their way out? How many people got out?

OPPENHEIM: Yes, I don't have an exact percentage from her. Her description was it's a relatively small percentage of people who have gotten out so far. So this delay, if it is just for a couple hours, is significant because there are so many more people to get out of the Superdome to be taken to the Astrodome.

We've seen here, you know, perhaps more than 20 buses that have arrived. They don't all go through the gate near where I'm standing, so I can't give you a full number, and some of them come to the other side of the Astrodome.

S. O'BRIEN: We're looking at the same time that we're talking, Keith, to some live pictures of some of those buses that have arrived, and it does -- it looks like more than a dozen, from what I can tell from the wideshot, so obviously a small percentage. What more do we know, if anything, about this shots fired at the Chinook helicopter that's assisting in the evacuation?

OPPENHEIM: Not a great deal of detail. I got this information from the spokesperson just, you know, about five minutes ago, just before we went on the air. But she's describing a safety situation in New Orleans which is pretty dire, that the situation is, in her words, out of control, and that these crowds of folks out there have not been controlled by authorities. And that, in her view, is the source of where shots came from at a Chinook helicopter.

S. O'BRIEN: Out of control now and one has to imagine it's not going to improve if, in fact, those shuttles out of the Superdome stop because they continue to have nowhere to go.

All right, Keith Oppenheim, we're going to check in with you again, get some more information on this story, a pretty amazing development, in fact.

Let's move on and get right back to Miles, who's got the very latest from where he is this morning.

Miles, good morning again.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning again, Soledad.

In Mississippi, the death toll now stands at 185. That number is almost certain to increase over time. Seventy-five percent of the state without power, and the prospects for it coming back on, not happening any time soon. CNN's Ted Rowlands joins us now live from Biloxi, Mississippi, where the grim effort to recover bodies and try to clear away the debris continues -- Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is grim indeed, Miles.

And less hectic as things are in New Orleans, albeit but still very depressing here along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In Biloxi this morning, we are seeing the first signs of help from the federal government. The National Guard is making its presence known, not only in Biloxi, but along all of the other smaller towns on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It is much needed help for local law enforcement, who have been tasked with patrolling the streets. These are local people that have lost their own homes and have been out working almost around the clock. So that help is needed and is here.

We're also seeing some help in terms of medical facilities popping up from FEMA. That said, the continued search-and-rescue effort is turning up more dead bodies than it is live people, people that tried to weather this storm. We're up against a horrific nightmare, and as they go through the rubble, these buildings that are now reduced to absolutely nothing, they are finding more and more bodies, and as you mentioned, it is expected that the death toll will rise as the days go on here along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

There are a lot of people that did survive, people that now are on day three without food or water, and without electricity and without homes. And they are milling around, looking for help. That help is now just arriving. We're seeing evidence of it this morning. But there is much more needed help here. It is going to be a long, long road ahead -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: CNN's Ted Rowlands in Biloxi, Mississippi, thank you very much.

Let's move to the west a little bit, into Louisiana, north of New Olreans, to the city of Slidell, a city of about 30,000 people, 80,000 if you consider the unincorporated areas outside of it. People there really were taken aback by this storm. There were some who had evacuated in advance, but most did not feel the need to do so. And as a result, many were trapped in their homes when Hurricane Katrina blew ashore. And as a result of that, they have some amazing and harrowing stories to tell of survival.

In the meantime, police officers there in these flooded streets that are left behind are going through house by house, checking in on people, performing rescues, making sure everything is OK, and, in addition, looking for possible bodies.

Yesterday, while I was in Slidell, I had an opportunity to go on one of those missions with one officer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN (voice-over): Streets are canals in Slidell, Louisiana. And Officer Brian Marquette has spent everyday since Katrina plying the receding waters.

OFC. BRIAN MARQUETTE, SLIDELL POLICE: Looks like it might get deeper up here.

M. O'BRIEN: People here are in deep, and will be for some time. Their homes dark, silent and unbearably hot, and yet for some, there is still no place like it.

MARQUETTE: Do you want to get out of here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we will.

MARQUETEE: I would strongly suggest it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're trying to get ourselves together a bit.

M. O'BRIEN: Truth is, they seem a little storm shocked. Lillian Sellers tried riding out Katrina here. She and her son saved by a loose boat.

LILLIAN SELLERS, SLIDELL RESIDENT: I don't know whose boat it was, but when I saw it out the window, I said, oh my God, that's a godsend, and I told my son, and he tied it down and we got in the boat. That's how we made it.

M. O'BRIEN: They made it, all right, but barely, and now may need more help than they think.

MARQUETTE: Do you got water?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

MARQUETTE: Do you need some more?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no, I'm fine.

M. O'BRIEN: They're cut off here, but then so is everybody else. Poor Brian Marquette must be the bearer of the bad news.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there word when the power is coming?

MARQUETTE: It's going to be a while.

M. O'BRIEN (on camera): These people that stay behind, why are they here?

MARQUETTE: I can't tell you. I can't answer that, other than people want to protect their property and just don't want to leave. But we tell people, and tell them over and over again to leave because, it's going to be miserable. It's not safe.

M. O'BRIEN (voice-over): Maybe so, but, of course, home is where we all feel safest. And leaving it all behind can be hard.

SUSAN HINGLE, CHALMETTE RESIDENT: Everything that I've worked for is gone now, and I can't even get back there to find out that it's all gone.

M. O'BRIEN: Susan Hingel is from Chalmette, Louisiana, 30 miles south of New Orleans. Now all she has lies within her reach, inside a Slidell gymnasium.

HINGLE: And I never thought it would be us. They always said it would happen -- and I wasn't even going to leave, but I did it because of the grandkids, and now I have nothing. This is it. This is it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: She has nothing, but she does have her life, and she does still have her grandchildren.

We'll take a break. When we come back, we'll keep you posted on a developing story coming out of New Orleans this morning. That bus evacuation from the Superdome to the Astrodome halted because of gunfire.

Stay with us for details on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: You're looking at a picture of the courthouse in downtown New Orleans, just surrounded by water. To escape some of the chaos that came with Hurricane Katrina, Sandy Meadoux took eight members of her family to this courthouse. They were going to ride out the storm. She was only rescued on Wednesday from that building. Sandy Meadoux joins us by phone.

Sandy, thanks for talking with us. I know that you're safe and you're out of the courthouse now. Back up for me, though, and tell me a little bit about the situation in the courthouse. You were there with eight members of your family. What was it like inside?

SANDY MEADOUX, NEW ORLEANS EVACUEE: Oh, it was very frightening, extremely frightening. We only had food that we brought. Everything was very chaotic. The sheriff's department had no equipment, little to no equipment. We were told that the equipment and what have you, that the sheriff's department had at one time was either sold by the prior administration under Sheriff Fodey (ph), or under the current administration.

S. O'BRIEN: So you basically had nothing, Sandy. Let me figure out, how many people were in the same circumstance inside that courthouse with you? How many dozens of hundreds of other people?

MEADOUX: Oh, everyone. I would say several hundred, at least 300. And the only way that we got out is my father and my husband left on an air mattress to go and find us a boat, and they came back with a boat and eight of my family members -- and we took my dog as well -- all got on the boat and we came to my uncle's house who had left. His house was dry. There's water all over his yard and all, and we stayed overnight, and we're leaving today to try and make it to Edgard, Louisiana. That's where my husband is from. S. O'BRIEN: Back inside the courthouse, I know that the conditions outside of just having no food, and no water, and no boats, as you mentioned, was very much deteriorating, because, of course, the courthouse is next to the prisoners.

MEADOUX: That's correct.

S. O'BRIEN: What happened?

MEADOUX: The prisoners were making noise and trying to break out, starting tear fires. From what I understand, officers from Hunt Correctional Facility had to be brought in, and the prisoners subdued, and -- but we were told that a couple had escaped. I don't know that they made it into the courthouse. It was very frightening, everyone -- it was chaotic. We had to run and lock ourselves into the courtroom. The dogs were released, and from what we were told, the prisoners were going to be transported by boat, so they started transporting the inmates after that incident occurred.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, we're looking at some of the prisoners on that overpass, basically just sitting on the highway, and I guess there are some armed guards around them.

Sandy, give me a sense of what you were feeling. I mean, did you think you were not going to make it? And did you wonder where the help was?

MEADOUX: Oh, yes. I mean, because all we kept seeing were deputies and different people coming and going and coming and going in these boats that were really rickety, and they just didn't have any equipment, and we were wondering, well, what was going to happen to us, how are we going to get out of here? And we knew that there were people in worse conditions on rooftops. And for the moment, we were safe, so to speak. But you know, it was very frightening, and there was a time when I thought I wouldn't make it because the water at the building was, of course, stopped working. You couldn't flush the toilet. That would have been a problem. There were people just straying in off of floating in the street with only, like, maybe a grocery bag with personal items wrapped in, whatever they could gather. But when we left the courthouse, we could just see people just, bodies floating, just people wandering aimlessly with nowhere to go.

S. O'BRIEN: Sandy, we're leaving -- but what happens -- forgive me for interrupting you there. What happens now? What happens to New Orleans now? Do you think you're leaving, and you're going to try to rebuild your life sort of where your husband is, at least temporarily, where he's from? But what happens to everybody else, do you imagine?

MEADOUX: It's very uncertain. I know, personally, I really don't want to live in New Orleans. I'm just -- this has been the most horrific experience for me. You know, I don't know at this time. I don't know how you begin to pick up the pieces, but I know that I have to.

S. O'BRIEN: Sandy Meadoux, thank you very much for talking to us. And good luck to you. We'll check in with you again.

Our complete coverage of Katrina's aftermath will continue in just a moment. Some experts say they're worried that a national gasoline crisis may be looming now.

We'll have the latest on that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: So far Americans have given more than $27 million to help pay for what will be the largest relief effort in the United States' history. That is according to "The Chronicle of Philanthropy," which tracks charitable giving. The American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and other nonprofit groups say hundreds of millions more dollars are still needed. If you want to find out how you can make a donation, you can go to CNN.com/relief.

Also this Saturday night, Larry King is going to host a three- hour special. It's called "HOW YOU CAN HELP." That's on Saturday at 8:00 Eastern Time.

Business news now. Analysts are issuing grave warnings about Hurricane Katrina's impact on the U.S. economy and gasoline supplies. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Good morning.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Soledad.

The big story this morning, soaring gas prices across the nation, lines at gas stations and scattered shortages being reported. The good news, though, this morning, two giant pipelines that supply fuel from the South, including gasoline,are opening up. One Plantation pipeline is actually open. Colonial is supposed to be open over the next few hours. However, they will only we running a limited amount of fuel. Still, good news. That means more fuel will be reaching gas stations and the like. We have some pictures of some gas stations with high prices across the nation.

You can see here. Look at that, $6 for premium. That's in Stockbridge, Georgia. Brighton, Massachusetts, the cheapest gas in town it says, well, hardly. Milwaukee down there, there's a sign that says have a nice day. There's no new national average price with gasoline that hasn't come out yet, but it has got to be close to $3 when the new price comes out, easily.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, easily. I mean, you know, Duchess County, the gas is well over $3, well over $3.

SERWER: And you know, experts are talking about $3.50. And just a note here, the old inflation adjusted high for gasoline, $3.10 in March of '81, very likely to get close to that or top it.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, I think top it, it's fair to say. Andy, thanks. Still to come, we'll have the very latest on the massive federal relief effort, truckloads now of water, and meals and medical supplies are on their way to the hardest-hit areas. We're going to talk to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff about that. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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