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American Morning
Hurricane Katrina's Aftermath
Aired September 03, 2005 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
I'm Miles O'Brien.
At least 2,000 people still stranded at the New Orleans Superdome this morning. Buses have reportedly stopped rolling again and across the Crescent City, hundreds, perhaps thousands, still wait to be rescued.
A live report is ahead -- Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Miles, can you hear the choppers over my shoulder? Finally, some of these hurricane ravaged victims of Katrina are getting the relief that they badly, badly need. A field hospital set up here at the airport and thousands of National Guard troops are in the city rescuing people and trying to help them get out, as well -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: An overwhelming scene. And amid the growing criticism of the federal response to the disaster comes a new dimension to that criticism -- a blatant charge of racism.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
KANYE WEST, RAPPER: ... care about black people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: Rapper Kanye West speaking out against the president during a benefit concert Friday night for the victims of Katrina says President Bush doesn't care about black people. More on that on this special edition of AMERICAN MORNING.
A city holding on by a thread. People hungry and thirsty. Evacuations at the Superdome halted again. And a president vowing to make it right. He'll discuss the recovery effort in his weekly radio address, delivered live from the Rose Garden later this morning. We'll bring that to you -- Soledad, good morning.
S. O'BRIEN: Miles, good morning.
We begin here, where you were yesterday. This, of course, is the Louis Armstrong New Orleans international airport. You can hear the choppers over my shoulder. They've been coming in all morning. Kind of a little bit of a lull during the night. But really starting up again in the last few minutes. Right now, no firm numbers on the number of people inside of this main terminal. About 4,000 is what they're guesstimating at this point. But it's very strange, as I'm sure you noticed yesterday, the departures level, where you normally go to get on a flight and get out of town, is full of elderly people in wheelchairs, many of them evacuated out of the hospitals.
The downstairs level -- that would be the baggage claim -- and literally sitting on the baggage claim carousels, thousands of people just camped out, some of them ill, some of them getting help from the medical teams assembled here, some of them lying on cardboard boxes with their small children, just grateful to be out of the City of New Orleans.
Miles, as I'm sure you well know, there have been reports about the conditions of some of the city's hospitals. Sanjay Gupta's reporting on Charity Hospital for us. They're still trying to evacuate all the patients out of there. They've had a little bit of luck.
Sanjay got a chance to be inside what is the city's largest hospital, Miles.
We're going to take a look at that just ahead.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, thank you very much, Soledad.
We'll see you back there in just a moment.
Every hour we are bringing you the most critical issues facing Katrina's survivors -- security, food and water, medicine, evacuation, relocation, levees. We're calling this whole thing Mission Critical.
We start with the food and water situation. Response activity picking up all across the Gulf States. National Guard convoys rolling in, packed with supplies. So far, federal response teams have given out more than 125 tons of food, water and medicine.
More help on the way. President Bush has signed a $10.5 billion relief measure. But much of the region remains waterlogged, of course. The Army Corps of Engineers now saying it could take up to 80 days to pump the water out of New Orleans. And areas of the city still need to be evacuated.
Stay tuned to CNN for the latest on the recovery effort.
Let's begin in New Orleans, where relief assistance has finally begun to flow. Thousands of troops are pouring in to help control the rampant lawlessness.
We'll get right to it with Jeff Koinange.
He joins us via videophone from Canal Street, right in the downtown area of New Orleans -- Jeff, what's the scene there right now? JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, I can tell you it's very, very stable. Twenty-four hours ago, we couldn't be standing on this very spot. Why? Well, because the National Guard has rolled into town, just like you said, and they're expecting up to 7,000 troops by the end of Saturday.
This is critical, Miles, because once the troops are on the ground, that means that at least the situation will be stable. Food and other services will start pouring in. The other thing the National Guard was doing, distributing MREs, meals ready to eat, to thousands and thousands of refugees still outside that convention center. Despite the fact that thousands more have been transported to the Astrodome in Houston, thousands more still remain. It's still like a Third World refugee camp outside that convention center -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: OK, Jeff Koinange, thank you very much.
Glad to see things have stabilized at long last in New Orleans.
Let's go back to the airport and Soledad, where the other end of that evacuation from the hospitals, in particular, is occurring even as we speak -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Exactly. You can hear the choppers right over our shoulders, Miles. It's pretty remarkable. What they do is they touch down and they unload people, essentially on those carts that normally would be used to roll in baggage. They're literally bringing people right below us, I'd say 10 to 12 people sitting on these carts. They're going to bring them inside this field hospital, the largest field hospital now, just outside of New Orleans, and basically start to triage them, see who's the most critically wounded, see who needs the most care. And then they'll sit and wait until they can figure out what to do with them next.
But just getting out, of course, is a huge step forward.
Sanjay Gupta, as you're well aware, has been reporting for us from Charity Hospital. It is the largest hospital for, essentially, the poor here in New Orleans. Some people still waiting to get out from there, as well.
Here is his report.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
(VIDEO CLIP OF EMPLOYEES AND PATIENTS SINGING)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Any hospital would have a difficult time in a disaster like this one, even one with the name Charity. At New Orleans' largest public hospital, the goal of the staff today -- that nobody dies.
DR. BEN DEBOISBLANC, CHARITY HOSPITAL: We are their only hope and we are trying as hard as we can to get them some help.
GUPTA (on camera): What's going to happen to some of these patients if you don't get out them out of here?
DEBOISBLANC: Two of them have already died here on this ramp waiting to get out, in this very spot.
GUPTA (voice-over): There's no electricity, no water, no food, but more than 200 patients. And it's been this way for days.
(on camera): So this is what a Charity Hospital looks like in the middle of a natural disaster. We are in downtown New Orleans. This is actually an auditorium that we're standing in now. At one time, it held up to 40 patients all around this place. Several patients still remain here, as well.
DR. KIERSTA KURTZ-BURKE, CHARITY HOSPITAL: We are at the point where it's developing nation medicine, probably without the power, without light.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like a Third World country. We know the risks and we're just doing the best we can.
GUPTA (voice-over): But this is the United States. Tuesday, the governor said this place would be evacuated. Three days later, we watch as medical personnel of Tulane, right across the street, were picked up by helicopters, while Charity's patients, some on ventilators being worked by hand pumps, waited in this parking garage.
(on camera): Last night, this hospital had a good night because nobody died.
(voice-over): Fortunate because the morgue, which is in the basement, is flooded. The dead have to wait in the stairwell.
(VIDEO CLIP OF EMPLOYEES AND PATIENTS SINGING)
GUPTA: At the hospital named Charity, it takes good doctors, quick thinking and a lot of faith.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because victory today is mine.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: A gruesome scene that Sanjay is describing. Here, though, a much different scene. It's relatively calm inside, Miles. It's basically orderly, but you have thousands of people sitting and waiting.
Once again, it sounds like another chopper taking off. They're going to make another run, obviously, and try to pick up a dozen or so people, see if they can bring them out. And really an indication, I think, today, as you can hear all the noise over my shoulder, of just how much work is going on. It really picked up in the last hour or so.
Also, we saw our first commercial jetliner roll by just a few minutes ago. As you're aware, many of the big airlines, and some of the smaller ones, as well, are taking part in efforts to evacuate people who desperately need to get out of the City of New Orleans -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: And that is a key point, Soledad. I was talking to those medical personnel when I was right where you are standing and they were very concerned that further evacuees coming to that location was just going to completely swamp them. And what they needed were more outgoing flights. It's good to see that.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, no question about it. I mean the ambulance drivers have told us stories about who they're picking up and how they're picking them up. One ambulance driver told us late last night, around midnight, when we got here, that an 18-wheeler full of patients, none of whom could stand up, all of them lying down, supine, he said, rolled in. And they took them off and loaded them off and then loaded some people on, as well, to get them out of town -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: And the other thing is, you know, I know you've had a chance to talk to these people -- and watching Sanjay's piece reminds me of this. The heroism, the courage of these people to persevere and try to help these people when, in many cases, they've had their own losses throughout this, is truly remarkable.
S. O'BRIEN: It is amazing to talk to some of the police officers. And while people beg them for help and for answers, they'll say I haven't found my family yet either. The ambulance driver we spoke to said he's basically doing 24 hours shifts. So he just works straight through, takes a break, comes back and works straight through. And really had nothing but praise for all the other organizations that had donated their ambulances, as well.
So you're seeing people really pulling together and finally getting some relief to the people who really just need to get out and get to some medical car.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Soledad, we'll check back in with you very shortly.
Thank you very much.
Rapper Kanye West used a telethon to voice harsh criticism of the federal response in New Orleans. West was taking part in an NBC benefit for hurricane victims last night when he made some impromptu comments.
He blasted President Bush and the media coverage of looting in New Orleans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM
COURTESY NBC NEWS)
KANYE WEST, RAPPER: I hate the way they portray us in the media. We see a black family, it says they're looting. We see a white family, it says they're looking for food. And you know it's been five days because most of the people are black.
George Bush doesn't care about black people. (END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: Those things were not in the script. NBC actually omitted them from the West Coast feed of that and that was how it went, at least on the West Coast. But on the East Coast version, those comments were carried.
CNN's special coverage of the aftermath of hurricane Katrina continues with how you can help. Join Larry King tonight for details on how you can help those affected by the hurricane. A special three hour presentation of "LARRY KING LIVE." That's at 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific.
Let's check the forecast this morning.
Bonnie Schneider is in for Chad Myers.
She's at the Weather Center, the CNN Center -- good morning, Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, ATS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Miles.
It's still very active out in the Atlantic. We have a tropical storm. This one, Emily, is moving to the northwest. Maximum winds are at 50 miles per hour. The good news with this storm is we're not expecting it to pose a threat to the U.S. mainland.
A couple of other things going on. We have an area of disturbed weather here near the Bahamas, toward Florida. This is not really, right now, showing signs for tropical development, but we're watching it closely just in case anything does emerge.
And then further to the south, you can barely make it out on the corner of your screen, in the lower latitudes, there's a tropical wave that some of our computer models are projecting to turn into something a little bit more substantial in the weeks to come. So we'll be watching that, as well. But it's also still hundreds of miles away from land.
Well, yesterday we got an interesting report from Dr. William Gray, from Colorado State University, for his forecast, his projection for September and October for hurricane season. Remember, we're still right in the heart of the season on our way to the peak time, where we see the most activity out there.
Here's a look at September, and this is what Dr. Gray expects -- five named storms, four hurricanes and two possibly major hurricanes, meaning category three or higher. Also, there is a 43 percent chance, according to his study, an intense hurricane will hit the U.S. in September.
September traditionally is one of our most active times of the year. The peak of the season is between September 10th and September 13th.
Now, looking ahead to October, we can project from Dr. William Gray we may see three named storms, two hurricanes, one major hurricane and if you're wondering when all this will end, hurricane season is actually over on November 30th.
So, even though Katrina was such a monumental devastating storm, it doesn't trigger the signal of the end of the tropical season. We still have a ways to go, unfortunately -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: And, Bonnie, we should tell folks, when you -- when Dr. Gray issues a report, we should listen to it. He is sort of the gold standard in all this.
SCHNEIDER: Yes. And he has been pretty accurate so far, saying that this was going to be one of the worst tropical seasons we've seen. And that's actually quite evident.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, that is precisely what we did not want to hear.
Bonnie, we don't blame you, but we did not want to hear that.
SCHNEIDER: OK.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
M. O'BRIEN: Relief finally starts to arrive in New Orleans. Convoys of National Guard troops are on the ground. But is the situation improving fast enough? We'll talk to a federal official who knows about that next.
And the former mayor who was among the first to criticize the federal response. What does he think now that he sees pictures like this, those convoys rolling through the water?
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
Today it feels as if a corner has been turned, as if, in fact, aid is finally getting to some of the people who need it the most.
Here to talk about the federal response this morning is Patrick Rhode.
He is the deputy director of FEMA.
Mr. Rhode, good morning, and thanks for talking with us.
And as you can hear the choppers over my shoulder are going to make it a little bit tougher for us to talk, but it's all good news, because, of course, those are evacuees coming in and getting some medical treatment.
Give me a sense of what the resources are right now on the ground in New Orleans, sir.
PATRICK RHODE, FEMA DEPUTY DIRECTOR: That's exactly right, Soledad.
What you are seeing is a massive search and rescue operation. At the same time, we conducting one of the largest evacuation operations in this country's history.
Right now what we have seen over the past 24 to 48 hours are significant resources that have now logistically been able to be applied strategically to areas around not only New Orleans, but also areas of Mississippi. And what we've seen, particularly within some of the areas that were most impacted around New Orleans, are heavy airlift operations, some bussing operations, plane operations to try as best as we possibly can to get those victims who have been suffering out of those areas, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: There was word that there were some 2,000 or so people still at the Superdome and that efforts to get them out actually had shut down. And I'm not sure of the reasons behind that shut down.
What are you doing for those 2,000 or so people and the other thousands of people who are still at the convention center and then, of course, the others that you sort of referenced who are still waiting to be rescued?
RHODE: That's exactly right. This is all part of a larger plan and both evacuations of those who are more mobile and that we have stabilized within situations. So we understand obviously they're in miserable conditions right now and we're trying to get them out as fast as we possibly can.
We do understand the Superdome population. We've been able to evacuate almost 95 percent of that community over the past 48 hours. Significant progress there. Significant progress at the convention center and many other sectors of not only New Orleans, but also in Mississippi that aren't quite as high profile, but we also are having to concentrate on.
It's important that we all recognize that this is a 90,000 square mile area. Not only was this a catastrophe for the major metro area of New Orleans, but also swinging into Mississippi, as well, too.
And we have conducted and I understand that the first responders on the ground now have saved more than 7,000 people. That's in addition to the evacuations that you're seeing now at one of the largest scales in this country's history -- Soledad.
We will not rest until we are done with this job. We understand...
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, certainly there are...
RHODE: I'm sorry. Go ahead.
S. O'BRIEN: Forgive me. We're having a little, obviously, with the choppers behind us.
I was just going to say clearly the numbers ramping up.
But as you well know, Senator Frist wants an investigation into the response. The president said the results of the response were not acceptable yesterday, as he headed out to tour the region.
Why did it take so long to see what we're seeing here right now?
RHODE: Well, when the president says that the results are unacceptable, I understand completely what he means. It's hard for all of us to take a look at the pictures of the victims and the people that are suffering in an area of this scale and not be sympathetic. We understand. Our hearts go out to those victims. It's absolutely unbelievable to think you have actually lost your entire home, you have perhaps lost a family member, you may have lost a friend, you don't know what's going to happen to you next.
We incredibly sympathize with everyone. And he is unsatisfied, just as all of the men and women of FEMA, the federal government, the states and local communities are unsatisfied until we're able to respond to every potential disaster victim.
It's important to note that what we're looking at has truly been the perfect storm. You are looking at a category four to five hurricane that impacted one of the major metropolitan areas of this country. That brought with it an infrastructure collapse which we've never seen before, particularly of the levee system, which led to another three day flooding event that we're just now able to get our hands around.
And so the logistical challenges of not having the normal infrastructure has created some problems. But I think the mobilization that we're seeing right now and has been gearing up and has been on the ground over the last several days in various operations of this 90,000 square foot area, has been absolutely unprecedented. And we will not stop until we are all administering to every disaster victim that we can possibly find.
S. O'BRIEN: Patrick Rhode is the deputy director of FEMA.
Mr. Rhode, thanks -- Miles.
Oh, I should mention, actually, before we let it go to break. We're going to take a short break in just a moment.
We're going to hear from the former mayor, Sidney Barthelemy. He's going to weigh in on how he thanks FEMA responded. Does he think they did a good job or does he think, in fact, the results have been, as the president said, unacceptable?
A short break and we're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Welcome back to a special weekend edition of AMERICAN MORNING.
We're continuing our coverage of Katrina and its aftermath.
Our next guest was among the first to criticize the federal government's response to the disaster in New Orleans, his city.
Sidney Barthelemy is a former mayor of the that city and he joins us now this morning from CNN Center in Atlanta.
Mr. Mayor, good to have you with us.
First, on a personal note, you've had personal losses.
Have you been able to find family members and friends who have been missing?
SIDNEY BARTHELEMY, FORMER NEW ORLEANS MAYOR: My wife's mother is still missing. We are trying desperately to find out where she is. She's infirm, very, very ill and needs medical attention. But we haven't been able to find her yet.
M. O'BRIEN: So no way to get any information on that then?
BARTHELEMY: We have tried many ways, with the Red Cross. We've tried contacting legislators in Louisiana and we still are not sure.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, well, we wish you well on that front.
BARTHELEMY: Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's talk about things on a larger level for just a moment.
The perception is that at long last -- and here we are talking Saturday. The storm was on Monday.
BARTHELEMY: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: A corner has been turned, things are changing, there are signs of improvement. This is the first time we can really say that since the storm hit.
Would you go along with that?
BARTHELEMY: I would, Miles. The only thing that I would say is I don't understand why it has taken so long. If you recall, Soledad and I spoke about this Tuesday morning. And here it is Saturday morning and we're just making the turning -- just turning the corner.
M. O'BRIEN: Do you have any theories on why there wasn't a faster response?
BARTHELEMY: I really -- the only thing I could say is that everyone has been overwhelmed. I think no one expected the hurricane to be as strong as it was and to do the kind of damage that it has done. And I'm -- I believe that's probably the reason. I don't think the federal agencies realized what the situation was down there and that's why, you know, I was sort of pleading with the federal government to come in immediately and don't take -- don't wait.
M. O'BRIEN: It's interesting, though, when you look back at the history of all of this, and you as mayor would be fully tuned in on all of this, when you look back on the history, there was a realization of this potential worst case scenario. A big storm hitting New Orleans has always been a big concern for people who have been concerned about the city and concerned about emergency response. And yet I don't think that people could fully conceive of what has unfolded.
In other words, not unlike 9/11, there seems like there was a lack of an ability to imagine this crisis.
Would you go along with that?
BARTHELEMY: I would absolutely, Miles. I think no one conceived that this could happen. No one conceived that we would leave behind 80,000 people and it would take that long to rescue them. And no one conceived that the kind of mayhem that happened would happen, not in the United States of America, you know?
But the criminal element -- and I want to say, Miles, that the good people of New Orleans, all of us who live down there, the vast majority are good, decent human beings, good American citizens. The thugs and the criminals that have taken advantage, that's not a reflection of the people of New Orleans. We have good people. I mean there are many, many poor people down there, but they're good, decent people. They're not the thugs. They're not the criminals. And it's a shame what they have done to the image of our city.
And I just hope the rest of America don't judge New Orleans by what they have seen over the past couple of days.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, you know, I think -- and I would never want to be an apologist for that kind of behavior, but it's all linked together. The fact that there wasn't food and water, the fact that there wasn't a comprehensive evacuation plan, the fact that nobody seemed to be in charge, all of that leads to what we saw. It created the environment where those thugs would do what they just did. And I'm sure all good standing citizens of New Orleans are appalled.
BARTHELEMY: You're absolutely right. You know, I sat down and in was very, very angry. And I couldn't understand why -- I still can't understand why the thugs are getting away with it and why there's not the presence of the National Guard and the military, still not enough there. You know, there's a corner that has been turned, but we need to triple our efforts. We have to get those people who are causing the problems because they are not only victimizing the poor people who are stuck there, they're victimizing America. They're victimizing all of us.
M. O'BRIEN: Sidney Barthelemy, former mayor of New Orleans.
Thank you, sir. BARTHELEMY: You're welcome.
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, the latest from Mississippi, also devastated by Katrina. Parts of the state still lack fresh water and electricity, and the death toll rises as the search through that rubble continues.
We are live from Biloxi.
Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Every hour we are bringing you the most critical issues facing Katrina's survivors.
We start with the situation at the Superdome right now. The National Guard putting evacuations there on hold temporarily. That's according to the Associated Press. But we don't know why. We're working on that one right now. Two thousand people remain inside. Obviously, they've made a lot of progress evacuating people. They could stay there until tomorrow. The situation is apparently stable, though.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard says more than 7,000 have been rescued in New Orleans as of Friday. That includes helicopter as well as boat rescues.
And the U.S. military just announced a short time ago it is sending home some 3,000 Air Force personnel from Iraq and Afghanistan. Those troops will head to their Mississippi Air Force Base, Kiesler, so they can attend to their families' needs.
Stay tuned to CNN for the latest on the recovery effort.
Now, back to Soledad at the airport in New Orleans -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Hey, Miles, good morning to you.
The situation at the airport, of course, is the end of where those folks who have had the chance to be evacuated out of the Superdome and be evacuated, sometimes plucked off their rooftops, or evacuated out of the convention center. In many cases, they end up right here.
We're talking with Major Adam Rodriguez.
He is with the U.S. Air Force Reserve and he's really been working around the clock trying to figure out what to do with these people.
First of all, when did you get here?
MAJ. ADAM RODRIGUEZ, USAF RESERVE: We got here September 1st, which was Thursday.
S. O'BRIEN: So you've been here basically 48 hours on the ground.
What was the situation like when you arrived?
RODRIGUEZ: When we first got here, we had quite a bit of patients that needed to be evacuated and that's why we're here. And so we've just tried to pretty much get operations going, assess the situation, get the operations going and started evacuating patients as soon as we could.
S. O'BRIEN: So you're evacuating the patients that are here and are critically injured out of here?
RODRIGUEZ: Yes, ma'am. That's correct.
S. O'BRIEN: Where are they going?
RODRIGUEZ: They're going to, from what I know of, there are at least five or six locations around the United States. I know of Texas, Alabama, Atlanta and Mississippi are all taking people. Some here in Louisiana, as well.
S. O'BRIEN: One of the things that I think is most disturbing -- and maybe we can get a picture of this and show -- you look down at some of the people who are clearly not so injured, like this family down here. You can see the little baby sleeping down there.
RODRIGUEZ: Yes, ma'am.
S. O'BRIEN: That baby has been there for two days now.
RODRIGUEZ: Right.
S. O'BRIEN: I know that they're getting some food and water and milk for the baby.
But what happens to a family like this, that's not critically wounded and clearly needs to go somewhere?
RODRIGUEZ: Right. They have two different locations. We're working up on the top level and those are the patients that we're evacuating now. The folks down here, I understand that they have another level working down here. They're trying to take care of these people here and what their needs are and whether there are medical needs or not.
S. O'BRIEN: Who -- how do you decide who's going to be evacuated out? I mean what makes someone evacuated immediately and what makes somebody stay?
RODRIGUEZ: Well, we're working along with our FEMA counterparts and FEMA has pretty much got the triage locations set up. So once they get triaged, seen by physicians, nurses, what have you, and they categorize them, then they'll come to us and then come to us about getting a military aircraft to get them out of here.
S. O'BRIEN: What's some of the injuries that you've seen, some of the worst?
RODRIGUEZ: Well, there's been vast injuries from one spectrum to the other. We had, you know, little newborns that we've had to evacuate out where they become a high priority. We've had renal dialysis patients that we're trying to get out to, because they haven't been -- received treatment in about a week or so. We've gotten chest wounds, open wounds, actually ventilated patients. We've had got that out, as well.
So they go from one extreme, from critical to pretty much ambulatory patients that just need to get somewhere to get seen.
S. O'BRIEN: Is there any kind of registry here? I mean if someone says, you know, my mom or my dad, I haven't heard from them, they are a dialysis patient or they may be sick, how would you track down the loved ones?
RODRIGUEZ: From the military aspect, I can tell you that every patient that we put on planes, the military, that we're in control of, we do have a registry and they can come and talk to one of the Air Force liaisons. I'm on the liaison team. And we can try to track this family down. If they can -- if they went through military aircraft.
We've also got civilians that are working with the aircraft, as well. And there's a place where -- an administration where they're taking their names, as well.
S. O'BRIEN: You've been in the military quite a while. I'm curious to know, just on a personal level, you've been working around the clock, you know, no breaks, 24 hours each day.
RODRIGUEZ: Yes, ma'am.
S. O'BRIEN: What's it been like to see this happening in a major American city?
RODRIGUEZ: It's really a big concern, obviously. That's why we're here. And it's heartening. But, you know, we all -- our whole squadron got activated when the war started. So we've kind of seen it, but from a wartime scenario. And so the only difference is now here it's in our home land. So we're doing whatever needs to get done, get the job done.
S. O'BRIEN: Does it feel organized? Or does it feel chaotic to you?
RODRIGUEZ: When we first got here, again, we hit the ground running, pretty much. So we made a quick assessment, made some changes of how the Air Force is here to, you know, work with FEMA to get these patients evacuated. So at first it was just a matter of kind of saying what the roles were and what hats we were wearing. And once we got that situated, we have a nice processes going in place now.
S. O'BRIEN: Major Adam Rodriguez, thanks for talking with us. And a great job. I know people are just really working nonstop and it's hard and the conditions really bad, frankly.
So thanks.
We appreciate it.
RODRIGUEZ: Yes, ma'am.
Thank you.
And it's a team effort, you know, with our civilian counterparts and us. I mean we're all doing the best job we can.
S. O'BRIEN: Miles, we'll throw it back to you. And, again, you know, the choppers over my shoulder, every time you hear one, you can see there's a baggage claim vehicle. They're going to offload people off that chopper, bring that vehicle straight through and then begin the processing of some of these patients to determine whether or not they're critical, what kind of medical care they need and then essentially move them on.
It can, for some people, though, be a pretty slow process, as we showed you pictures of that family with that little baby waiting for a couple of days. A vast improvement, though, over what they were experiencing before. So I guess a step in the right direction -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it's a real mix, isn't it? And as you watch that choreography out there, it is -- it's amazing how it is organized on one sense and yet chaotic -- you know, you go inside that building and in many respects what you see is chaos and confusion. It's a real mix. They're really grappling with it there, I think, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: But, you know, they -- but, it's chaotic in the sense that you have a lot of patients. But everybody's waiting pretty calmly, when we walked through -- and we've gone through a couple of floors now. And, also, people are being fed. There's water. There's food. It's readily available. There are MREs. Everybody's getting them. So you don't have that sense of what we saw, at least, on TV, of angry, scared crowds that aren't sure where they're going to get water from.
So in that sense, not chaotic at all, in the context of a situation that's very chaotic -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Right. Yes, this is, you know, let's be clear with viewers, this is no Superdome there at the airport, for sure.
All right, Soledad, we'll be back with you in just a little bit.
Let's move to Mississippi now.
The confirmed death toll in Mississippi now stands at 147. And you might be thinking, well, I thought the number was higher. There are higher numbers out there, they're just not the official confirmed numbers. And that confirmed number, of course, will probably grow.
From Pascagoula to Gulfport, coastal cities are getting some relief. Thousands, though, dealing with shortages of fresh water, fuel. No electricity yet.
Chris Huntington live in Biloxi.
What are the big concerns there -- Chris?
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, the number one concern around here is fuel, diesel fuel for generators, gasoline for automobiles. The lines here have been extraordinary. We drove by one line yesterday morning two miles in length at least. It's regular that we're seeing people wait for hours and hours and hours.
The situation, frankly, is that you can't get to the bulk of the clean up without fuel. And Haley Barbour, the governor here in Mississippi, has been making that appeal.
Frankly, folks on the ground here feel they're being somewhat neglected with so much attention, understandably, focused on the situation in New Orleans. They get a sense here that maybe they are getting the short end of the stick.
The bulk of the National Guard presence in the region is in Louisiana. There are fewer members of the Guard here in Mississippi. They are visible, though, and that has made a big difference simply in controlling traffic. That is a huge issue here because, of course, you have no street lights and people are pretty much running around.
We've seen evidence of clean up. We saw tree cutting crews from Ohio yesterday working feverishly in Gulfport. Here in Biloxi, the streets are relatively clear. The devastation, though, is phenomenal. You go as far in as a mile inland and you see evidence of the storm surge.
The -- you mentioned the folks from Kiesler Air Force Base. That is just down the street here. Three hundred active duty and Reservists from -- who are deployed out of Kiesler will be returning from Iraq to help their families.
We spent yesterday in Waveland, which is about 30 miles west of here and one of the hardest hit areas up and down the coast, including in Louisiana. The devastation there, Miles, is virtually indescribable. It appeared to me, frankly, like a dirty, greasy snow globe that somebody had shook up. Everything strewn in the trees. And as far as the death toll is concerned, we're told by National Guard folks on the scene that there are many, many more dead still trapped in the rubble -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: A grim picture there.
Chris Huntington, thank you very much.
Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, we'll talk to a man who rode with President Bush as he toured the devastated Gulf Coast. What were the president's reactions to what he saw?
And progress at one of those breached levees in New Orleans. New estimates on how long it's going to take to pump all that water out of the city. It's not going to be easy. Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
We're coming to you from New Orleans international airport, which is essentially now the largest field hospital right outside of the City of New Orleans. It is the place where they are bringing some of the more critically wounded that they evacuate out of some of the hospitals that are flooded and devastated in the city, and also out of the Superdome, as well, and the convention center.
They basically divide people into a couple of groups. The most critically wounded go to the second floor. They're triaged, they're treated, and, in some cases, shipped off to hospitals elsewhere, out of the state, maybe. And then downstairs, the baggage claim area that you would sort of know if you travel, people are essentially just waiting there, sleep on the baggage claim carousels as they wait to figure out what their next step is going to be.
One of the most remarkable things is the number of small children, babies, really, that are just lying on cardboard boxes that have been cut out and laid on the floor so people can get some rest. It's a pretty incredible sight. The estimates, as many as 4,000, 4,000 people are being treated right here. And yet even with those numbers, not very chaotic. Not a lot of noise. Not particularly loud. It seems as if things are running very, very smoothly.
We want to introduce you to Commissioner Todd Bassett.
He is with the Salvation Army.
He had a chance to tour some of the most devastated regions yesterday with President Bush and he joins us this morning.
Commissioner, thank you for talking with us.
COMMISSIONER TODD BASSETT, NATIONAL COMMANDER, THE SALVATION ARMY: Thank you.
Good morning.
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning.
Give me a sense of what it was like to spend the day with the president, the entire day, as you toured a region that's been utterly devastated.
BASSETT: Well, for the most part, it was heartbreaking. It was heart wrenching to see the kind of devastation that has taken place. But even more so, to see the plight of the people as we met with them, as we walked along the street, and yet also to see a certain vibrancy from them that says life will go on.
S. O'BRIEN: What were some of the people that you met and the president met yesterday, what were some of the things that they were saying? Were they angry? Were they pleased with the response from the administration?
BASSETT: Well, the main area that we toured as in Biloxi. And never once did I hear anybody express anger or hostility. They certainly expressed great appreciation for the president being there. I saw great emotion from the president as he put his arms around people, as he talked to them and as he made promises that the federal government and organizations like the Salvation Army and the Red Cross are going to respond to this desperate situation.
S. O'BRIEN: The president had a fairly emotional meeting with two young people and we've got a little bit of videotape of that. I want to show that videotape, sir, while you describe what happened.
BASSETT: Well, as we walked down the street, the president met these two young ladies and as they shared with them, with the president, that they were there with everything they owned, he put his arm around them and embraced them and said that he was going to be there and organizations like the Salvation Army would be taking care of them. And within just a few moments, we walked around another corner and there was a Salvation Army feeding station, which, frankly, I didn't know was around that corner. And there were our people serving hundreds of people their afternoon lunch.
S. O'BRIEN: How about the situation here in New Orleans? When the president landed in New Orleans, what was that like?
BASSETT: Well, the New Orleans visit was one that I was not directly with him when he went to the levee. But I was there when he returned and he made that very bold statement that New Orleans will rise from the ashes. And I saw the kind of emotion that he felt as he talked with the governor and with the mayor and the kind of commitment that I believe he has given that the American people, and certainly the federal government, is going to respond to this catastrophic disaster.
S. O'BRIEN: A lot to take in, not only for the president, of course, but for you, as well.
Commissioner Todd Bassett with the Salvation Army.
Thank you.
We should mention, of course, that what you're hearing over my shoulder now, and you're going to continue to hear probably more and more, are these choppers. They're coming in. They are bringing in evacuees to the hospitals and what they're doing is offloading them and then beginning the triage process.
So while it's noisy and a little bit, you know, loud and things flow around, it's really good news that these flights are picking up. Commercial flights coming in, as well. A short break.
When we come back in just a moment, we're going to talk about the levees and the situation there.
Stay with us.
You're watching a special Saturday edition of AMERICAN MORNING.
We're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: In times of crisis, our leadership is tested, of course. How our leaders respond to the crisis is, in many respects, how they are measured by all of us.
CNN's Bill Schneider takes a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): We all remember the iconic images of leadership from 9/11. Mayor Giuliani leading stricken New Yorkers from the World Trade Center.
RUDOLPH GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: Come with us. Come with us.
SCHNEIDER: President Bush at ground zero.
BUSH: And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.
SCHNEIDER: In the crisis caused by hurricane Katrina, bigger and more complex than 9/11, with no convenient foreign enemy, the images have been very different. Local officials seemed overwhelmed. Federal officials seemed out of touch.
MICHAEL BROWN, FEMA DIRECTOR: The federal government did not even know about the convention center people until today.
SCHNEIDER: For days, the situation in New Orleans was out of control.
MAYOR RAY NAGIN, MAYOR, NEW ORLEANS: You mean to tell me that a place where you probably have thousands of people that have died and thousands more that are dying every day, that we can't figure out a way to authorize the resources that we need?
SCHNEIDER: The images of chaos and lawlessness have been frightening, magnified by the breakdown of communication.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would they not be prepared? I don't understand it. What are they doing every day in their offices?
SCHNEIDER: And miscommunication. REP. ROBERT WEXLER (D), FLORIDA: How is it possible that the administration did not realize earlier what a catastrophe this is?
SCHNEIDER: In a crisis, people demand leadership, presidential leadership, says this expert.
GARY JACOBSON, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: This is a fundamental role of the president, in times of major national crises, to take the lead and to show that he's -- this is at the top of the agenda and he's in charge.
SCHNEIDER: In this crisis, the country witnessed a vacuum of leadership, the frightening sense that no one was in control. Ultimately, the president did show up and offered reassurance.
BUSH: You know, I'm going to fly out of here in a minute, but I want you to know that I'm not going to forget what I've seen. I understand the devastation requires more than one day's attention.
SCHNEIDER: And so the memory of this catastrophe will linger, along with the troubling question -- what if this had been a terrorist attack?
Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: In a moment, today's top stories, including a volunteer search and rescue team forced to pull out of New Orleans because they don't feel safe. We'll talk to one of the volunteers about what it was like in the heart of all this turmoil.
Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Well, it's trading places today on this special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. And I was there, she was here.
Soledad, how was your journey? I'm curious. I left you a car that looked like something out of Mad Max and you had a long journey into New Orleans. Tell me how it went.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, we sure did. Well, you know, they shut down the city. You can't get into New Orleans after about 10:00 local time. So that was a little bit difficult. You had to get a police escort in, even though, of course, we've been set up here.
It's eerie. It's quiet. We did see a lot, a lot of buses leaving the city, which was a really good sign. And it looked like they were, some of them, at least, had people on them. But it's not -- when you consider the number still left in the City of New Orleans, 10, 20, 30 buses, really, they need much, much more to get the remaining tens of thousands of people out.
So it's really good news. Help is on the way. Bad news, a lot more is needed. And we've got some people who need a lot of psychological help, as well -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: You know, there's nothing more poignant in all of this than that empty highway. It really speaks volumes about this. It -- to think of that city being left to virtually a ghost town is something.
All right, we'll be back with you and with more from New Orleans and all around the Gulf region, as we continue our coverage in just a moment.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Hello, I'm Miles O'Brien.
Texas opening its collective arms and its heart to the victims of hurricane Katrina. More than 153,000 evacuees have already arrived in the Lone Star State. The Astrodome is full, but the mayor pledges to find shelter for everyone. We'll have a live report just ahead from there.
The federal relief effort in New Orleans has turned the corner. Evacuees being brought to a makeshift triage facility at Louis Armstrong Airport. We'll tell you more about that and the thousands of others waiting to be evacuated or rescued all around the city.
Soledad is at the airport.
After getting a firsthand look at the destruction, President Bush will talk about the recovery and relief effort in his weekly radio address. That's a little later this morning, a couple of hours from now. We'll bring it to you live on a special weekend edition of AMERICAN MORNING.
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