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CNN Live Today

Discussion With Consumer Advocate Clark Howard

Aired September 07, 2005 - 10:33   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I want to show you some new sound that we're getting in. This is former Secretary of State Colin Powell. He showed up in Dallas. He was talking with some folks there who had moved on from the Gulf Coast. He was at Dallas's Reunion Arena, where folks are in a shelter. Let's go ahead listen to Colin Powell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLIN POWELL, FMR. SECY. OF STATES: I think there was a slowness to respond to all levels. I think anybody who has looked at this, from the president on down, has said that it was not acceptable. We've got to make improvements. We've got to find out what we did wrong. We've got to find out what was not right at every level.

But right now, the main priority is to take care of people in need, and to get the city of New Orleans, and Biloxi and Pascagoula and all the other places made viable again so that people can start rebuilding and move back to their homes.

But we have to learn from this lesson, to make sure that we don't repeat the mistakes again. And I'm confident that that's what government at all levels will be doing in the weeks and months ahead.

Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And that was former Secretary of State Colin Powell who was visiting with some evacuees in Dallas.

Our next guest is a familiar voice on radio, more than on TV. Clark Howard's radio show is carried in more than 130 cities. We're used to hearing him talk about bargains. Over the weekend, part of his other life, he shelved his consumer advocacy and answered a call to duty. He was activated and dispatched in New Orleans as a member of the Volunteer Georgia State Defense Force. Clark Howard our guest here.

CLARK HOWARD, SYNDICATED RADIO HOST: It's a pleasure to be with you.

KAGAN: It's good to have you here, because you've been doing important work. Tell us what you've been doing.

HOWARD: It's not me. We've had 800 people out working very, very hard at Dobbins Airbase, evacuating first people who were in dire medical condition. I worked on a...

KAGAN: So what kinds of things were you seeing when you were doing that?

HOWARD: We were seeing people with tubes running all through their bodies who were on stretchers, on military transports. We were taking people off on the stretchers, taking them to a triage area, where medical authorities, many who were volunteers from various area hospitals, were triaged, and they were tagged, and those who were in most desperate need of medical care were immediately taken to area hospitals. And as people were less seriously ill, they were attended to at the facility.

KAGAN: And you've also been down to New Orleans. And what did you see down there?

HOWARD: Yes, I went down on a Delta charter. The purpose of the charter was to bring back people who were not severely ill.

KAGAN: That was the idea.

HOWARD: That was the idea. We did end up with a number of people who had severe medical problems on that flight. We had 132 people and three dogs, and we had six people who had severe medical difficulties in flight. And thank goodness I had a volunteer doctor with me and one of our medics from the state defense force, and we were able to treat all the people on the plane.

KAGAN: Now let's even just talk -- the Georgia State Defense Force, they have this in every state, and this is something you volunteer for?

HOWARD: No, about 28 states. In fact, Mississippi has a very active state guard, and they were activated last week very early. And there are -- a number of the large states have state defense forces. New York, California come to mind. And most of the people who are in state defense forces are former military. I'm not. You can come in in many states as a civilian. Some states they carry weapons. Thank goodness they don't give me one. They don't give me a gun.

KAGAN: Not a good combination, Clark and a weapon, no.

HOWARD: No, that would not be a good idea.

But the idea is to be a rapid-deployment force, more experienced, older personnel who are from all walks of life. Most state defense forces have medical units. State of Maryland state defense force is now in Louisiana with a very large medical contingent. So our design is to serve natural disasters, or manmade ones like terrorist attacks, in our own states, but if necessary -- and this is an unusual situation -- we're dispatched across state lines.

KAGAN: Your passion, as anybody who listens to you here in Atlanta, or as we said, across the country, your passion is finding bargains and cheap things, and the cheaper the better. Two questions on that, first of all, when you see something like this and experience something like this, put that in perspective? Is a great sale not going to give you the same joy, or...

HOWARD: You know, I came back with a sense of sadness. And I think one of the things that TV can't communicate is the smells that just envelope you, from people who have been out in the streets, many without food and water, wearing the same clothes they were wearing five or six days before. And that's something I feel when I sleep at night. I'm not sleeping as well as I was before, and I'll get past that, but the -- what these people have been through is so traumatic.

Can I tell you something positive?

KAGAN: Please do.

HOWARD: People are very resilient. When we boarded that aircraft in New Orleans, people were in terrible spirits. People were completely dejected. When we sat down in Atlanta, the change in mood was phenomenal, because this is a new beginning for people. They're not done. I mean, the whole shelter thing is kind of messy. It's a transition. But they're not starving. They're not in danger of dying anymore. They're getting the medical care they need, food, clothing. And isn't it cool that states all around the country have stepped up to the plate, and governors like the governor of Georgia has said, we are going to help these people. The governor of Texas. All around the country, which is...

KAGAN: Houses of worship, private homes. I want to ask you one last question about new beginnings, because a lot of these people are going to have to start over with very few to no resources. Perhaps is there an opportunity for you to -- I don't know if there's a book, or a Web site or something to help people figure out how to put it back together when you really don't have anything?

HOWARD: I think we're a little early on that. I'm really working on that, because it is my natural beat to assist people who are in distress financially. I'm going to get there, but I don't quite have the tools in place in my mind about how best to help people put one foot in front of another financially, because people right are trying to find where family members are and deal with checking accounts, mortgage payments, car payments. I've had so many calls from people who owe banks in New Orleans money, and they can't send them money. What do they do? So it's a day by day thing. And we'll move -- as we've moved into recovery, the next step will be people putting their lives back together, and I'll be ready to assist them.

KAGAN: Yes, you'll figure it out, because you do figure out some amazing things. Clark Howard, thank you for your service and for your consumer service that you always do.

HOWARD: Thank you very much. Certainly.

KAGAN: Thanks for being here with us.

HOWARD: We're going to talk about other open hearts and a full house, families and finding shelter from the storm. We're going to tell you about a man who took in dozens of people in the aftermath of Katrina, a story of kindness and compassion, just ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we continue to try to provide a service here at CNN, helping people who have been displaced find their loved ones. With more on that, let's go over to Carol Lin at our Victim and Relief Desk -- Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Daryn.

We're still hearing from people at our e-mail site, and we want to share some of these just in case any of you out there can help these people, as well.

Athelgra Landry has not been heard from since the day before the storm made landfall. She told her daughter she was going to ride out the storm, but if things got really bad, she would head over to the Superdome. Now, Brittany Smith has been hoping to hear from her mother for more than week now.

And a call of concern is still out for an entire family in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Chris and Gina Kinney, their three children, ages five to 13, and the children's grandmother, were planning to stay in their home. Now, friends have not heard from them and say that they are very worried.

A lot of those folks may be scattered about in various states and they can register either on our Web site or on the Red Cross Web site and everybody can surf for names.

But in the meantime, we have a really great story to tell you. Imagine a mother with five kids, one baby sick in the hospital. She had to make a decision as to what to do, flee or stay in the hospital with her child. A really wonderful outcome for Maureen Wells. This is how it unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIN (voice-over): By the time Hurricane Katrina slammed into Louisiana, Maureen Wells had already tearfully said goodbye to her baby.

MAUREEN WELLS, MOTHER: She was very sick. She was already in the hospital before the hurricane even was in the path.

LIN: Fourteen-month old Joelle (ph) suffers from a serious heart condition. Maureen had a choice: ride out the storm with her baby at Children's Hospital in New Orleans or flee to Atlanta and protect her four other children.

WELLS: It broke my heart. It broke my heart.

LIN: The hurricane raged on, cutting of communications. Yet Maureen Wells, 500 miles away, stayed in phone contact with the hospital. But the situation worsened.

WELLS: I was afraid of flooding. I heard on the news that they were experiencing looters.

LIN: The New Orleans hospital, like so many others, was already struggling on generator power. Now, they were running out of water. A network of children's hospitals got little Joelle Wells out of New Orleans and back into her mother's arms. Finally, a plane carrying her precious cargo landed in Atlanta and mother and daughter were reunited.

WELLS: It's Mommy. Hey. Hey, Joelle. You're a survivor.

LIN: A survivor who now not only has a mom watching her every move, but an entire team of medical professionals.

DR. KEVIN MAHER: She's going to do fine, I believe. She has a number of chronic health issues that need to be addressed. But I think she's received excellent care thus far.

LIN: A feeling echoed by perhaps the biggest expert of all.

WELLS: Well, I think the future is a good future for her. She's very optimistic. She's very happy. She looks great.

Hey, girly, yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Great. The prognosis is really good for her. Despite all the traveling she's done and surviving this hurricane, she's going to lead a perfectly normal, healthy life.

Now, whether they are lost or found, we want to hear about your loved ones. E-mail us at hurricanevictims@CNN.com. And if you're looking for information, we have a list of resources at CNN.com/helpcenter.

Daryn's going to be back with more on how the evacuees are surviving out there in shelters.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's follow the path now of many of Katrina's victims. Many are now in Houston, Texas. Nearly 23,000 are in the city's Astrodome. Inside one area is the hub for those still searching for loved ones missing in Katrina's aftermath. And they're also looking to move on with their lives. Kenya Sentino is one and she is hoping that her children can attend school very soon.

Our Betty Nguyen is in Houston with more on that. Betty, good moring.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. One of the main focuses out here today is getting students enrolled in the Houston Independent School District. These students, evacuees from New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, they have come here to the Astrodome, to Reliant Center, Reliant Park, looking for shelter, also looking to relocate. Now, school is being made available. Registration started this morning. It will last through this evening. And so far, the Houston Independent School District has already enrolled some 900 students -- hope to do thousands more today.

One of the parents looking to enroll her children is Kenya Sentino. You are from New Orleans. You evacuated on Monday, landed here in Houston. Now you're looking to start anew. Why don't you want to enroll students at this time?

KENYA SENTINO, EVACUEE: Because I don't have a stable address, a stable home to even, you know, locate my children at in school. You know, they say they're going to bus the children back and forth, but we need uniforms, school supplies, shoes. Everything that we need we're not getting right now.

NGUYEN: And you need an address, because you're worried that once these students get in a particular school district, a particular school, then once you move, that school may be some 20, 30 miles away?

SENTINO: Yes. That's basically the reason why I need to find a stable home. Right now, I don't have an address. I live in a hotel requiring $40 a day. I don't have enough money to do that right now.

NGUYEN: There was some word here that families were being provided up to $2,000 in debit cards from FEMA. How has the response been on your end as you try to get those cards?

SENTINO: Well, I went to every location I could think of. They say there's no debit cards being issued, FEMA never heard of it. They don't know who's telling us that. And we heard over the local station, right here in Houston, Texas.

NGUYEN: So where do you go from here? What's your next step?

SENTINO: Basically, it's working. You know, trying to provide for my family the best way I know how.

NGUYEN: And the good news is, you did find a job?

SENTINO: Yes.

NGUYEN: And you're one of the lucky ones who have. But at this point, there are lot of questions that still need to be answered. And as you walk around this center looking for help, looking to sign up for the different things that are available, what kind of answers are you receiving?

SENTINO: Confusion. It's just -- answers that we don't even know what the response -- they're sending us all over these different places. And each time we get to a different place, they sent us back to point A when we trying to get point B. And we just can't even get to where we need to be at all.

NGUYEN: Well, we want to thank you for your time. Best of luck to you as you start to make this your home here in Houston. Thank you, Kenya.

Obviously, the situation out here has to do with progress, yet some confusion. People are looking for homes, they're looking for housing, they're looking for some money to get their lives started. And at the same time, students are being enrolled in schools and some parents are very hesitant, because they don't want them enrolled in a particular school, then they find some permanent housing and not be able to bus that child there or have a car to take them to that particular school.

So there are a lot of questions to be answered, situations to be worked out. And we're going to be following all of that, Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Betty Nguyen in Houston. Betty, thank you for that.

You're talking about housing. Well, a lot of Americans are actually opening up their private homes to Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

Our Sean Callebs has a Houston family's story of kindness and compassion.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You must excuse them if breakfast seems a bit chaotic. Such is the cost of friendship.

It began when Demond Lemon and his family, flooded out of their homes in New Orleans, asked a childhood friend in Houston for a place to stay to avoid conditions in the Astrodome.

DEMOND LEMON, EVACUEE: A lot of people just sleeping on cots, you know, around like hundreds and thousands of people.

CALLEBS: For Kirby and Tiffany Robinson, the choice was easy.

KIRBY ROBINSON, FRIEND OF LEMON: I can't see nobody who can actually turn people away. If you've got any space in your house, you should let -- you know, at least let them in.

CALLEBS: A big heart, Kirby couldn't say no. First to the Lemon family, then Demond's mother and her friend. After that, five children from the Lemons' neighborhood. Then their family friends. Their relatives, more extended family. Finally, a friend of a friend with nowhere to turn.

ROBINSON: At this point, we've got about 27 people in here. And you know, just laying everywhere. You know, doing what they can do. They're all grateful, though, you know.

CALLEBS: Food stamps pay for some food. Kirby has pitched in, too. So much he was late with September's rent for his own small apartment. This sprawling ranch house actually belongs to his mother and there's a pool house attached. His guests are thankful. Evacuee Sherman Robertson says the full house help relieve the sadness and the stress. Working for the city of New Orleans, he was a year from retirement. Now...

SHERMAN ROBERTSON, EVACUEE: I'm just going to have to start all over again. You know, just like day one. Everything's gone, you know. It ain't much we can do about it.

CALLEBS: On top of everything else, Kirby's mother isn't even home. She's in Iraq right now as a civilian contractor.

ROBINSON: Yes. Actually, she's not going to know this until she sees it on the news that all these people are in her house.

CALLEBS: Everyone pitches in: Cleaning, washing, cooking. It's early for many here to think about where they will live permanently, but they say, they'll find a way to get by and move forward with their lives with help from a friend they'll never forget.

Sean Callebs, CNN, Houston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: A great story of sacrifice there.

We're going to talk business news just ahead. What are oil prices doing today and steel prices? You might care if you're in the market for a new car. That's all just ahead, after this.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: We are keeping you up to date on the very latest information from Louisiana and all along the Gulf Coast, still reeling from Hurricane Katrina. We're expecting a FEMA briefing any minute. As soon as that begins, we'll go to that live.]

Plus, what is exactly in the toxic gumbo that has flooded New Orleans, and what health problems does it pose? The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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