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CNN Live At Daybreak

Thirty-Plus Residents Perish at St. Rita's Nursing Home in New Orleans; USS Iwo Jima provides support to New Orleans

Aired September 08, 2005 - 05:00   ET

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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello. Welcome to DAYBREAK. It is Thursday, September 8.
Grim discoveries along the Gulf Coast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of the houses that used to be here, it's just devastating. It's unbelievable.

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COSTELLO: Bristling with weapons and built for war, but this ship's mission is hitting closer to home than ever before.

A problem at Ford could lead to a whole lot of parked cars, trucks, and SUVs, and it has nothing to do with the storm.

And finally, something you can cheer about. What a match. We'll have the highlights for you.

And good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers. Welcome to DAYBREAK.

Also ahead, the blame game. No doubt the response to Hurricane Katrina was slow, but whose fault is it?

And later, the home movies of two tourists who ended up at the Superdome.

But first, now in the news. Congress is expected to approve President Bush's request for an additional $51.8 billion in federal aid for the hurricane battered Gulf Coast. Lawmakers approved a similar $10.5 billion aid package last week.

Vice President Dick Cheney is in the president's -- is the president's new point man for hurricane recovery. Cheney is set to visit the Gulf Coast region later today, assess the relief effort and report back to the president.

Ford Motor Company is recalling nearly four million pickup trucks and SUVs. There were concerns that a cruise control switch may cause engine fires. The recall involves F150 pickups, Ford Expeditions and Broncos and the Lincoln Navigator Series, model years 1994 to 2002.

And 105 years ago today, the deadliest hurricane to hit the United States came ashore. The Galveston, Texas hurricane of 1900 killed more than 8,000 people. It is considered the worst natural disaster in our nation's history. But of course as we know, Chad, that could change.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: At least the numbers there could change, couldn't they, Carol? We have Maria, Nate and Ophelia in the overnight hours. Three storms out there. This is the one that we're most concerned with for the U.S. obviously. This is Ophelia from Orlando to Melbourne. There's Cape Canaveral right there.

Still spinning around, 60 miles per hour is the storm right now, but it is stationary, sitting there in that very warm water that we know as the Gulf Stream. But the good forecast is at least it's turning out to the ocean and not turning back out or turning to the left into Florida. There is Bermuda. There is Nate, a much larger storm than the one there right off Florida.

Nate, 85 miles per hour, but it is forecast to move to the south of Bermuda. That's some good news there. Cold front through the northeast today, like you need another one, but you'll get one anyway, bringing that cool weather almost to an end in some spots in Kansas City and Denver as it turns into a warm front this way.

Maybe we'll see showers and thundershowers across that front, not really right now on the radar. Nothing to show you at this point in time, but a pleasant day in New York City today, 84 -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Thank you Chad. We'll get back to you.

Our top story this morning is the sad discovery at a nursing home in St. Bernard Parish. CNN's Gary Tuchman reported earlier this week that police there feared dozens had died in that home and now it's turned out to be true.

Also, there were reports that up to 100 people died nearby while awaiting rescue, but those numbers seem to have been exaggerated. CNN's Soledad O'Brien has details from Chalmette, Louisiana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At Chalmette Slip (ph) in fact it looks like only a few people died after being rescued and brought there. Three thousand people at one point were brought to Chalmette Slip (ph) after being pulled from their homes in the most dire conditions. Unfortunately, according to the chief of field operations, in fact, a few died. But they were mostly, he says, transferred very successfully onto safer areas.

Unfortunately not too far from there though a very different story. St. Rita's Nursing Home, the site of a very grisly scene, 30- plus residents -- according to the sheriff, 30-plus residents perished when the floodwaters just got too high. Today those floodwaters still at three feet or so, one imagines that those floodwaters were easily eight feet, maybe more, because we can see the markings on top of the cars with the debris, remains even today. In fact, it looks as if that nursing home with its 60 or 80 or 100 by estimations number of residents, it almost looks like it was dropped in a lake. That's not a lake. Those are the floodwaters that still remain and are not moving anytime soon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: That was CNN's Soledad O'Brien. Chalmette is in the heavily damaged St. Bernard Parish. Soledad will have much more on what she saw in Chalmette coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING". That of course hits our airwaves at 7:00 a.m. Eastern.

Here's what else you should know about what's going on in the hurricane zone. The New Orleans Police Department is stretched very thin. The city's police chief says officers who lost their homes are still working 20 hours a day and many are sleeping on the street.

Food and fresh water are flowing into aid centers and into the hands of those who need it. The Pentagon says the U.S. military delivered seven million bottles of water and two million meals in just one day.

And we're learning more about the toxic sludge in the streets of New Orleans. The Environmental Protection Agency says that high levels of E. coli bacteria and lead have been found. Needless to say, the EPA is warning people not to drink the floodwater.

The mandatory evacuation of New Orleans isn't ready to begin just yet. Police Superintendent Eddie Compass says the officers will complete voluntary evacuations first before they try to compel anyone else to go. Compass also says officers will use a minimal amount of force in the future.

The commander of the Army Corps of Engineers say the levee breaks were not caused by budget cuts. Lieutenant General Carl Strock told CNN's Lou Dobbs that no amount of money would have kept the levees from breaking under the force of a category four or five storm.

The unenviable task of cleaning up a flooded New Orleans is now underway. Twenty-three of nearly 150 pumps are now working, but the Army Corps of Engineers estimates it will take weeks, if not months to dry out the city.

CNN Radio's Ed McCarthy is live from New Orleans with more. Good morning Ed. Yesterday we were saying 60 percent of the city remains under water. Is that true today?

VOICE OF ED MCCARTHY, CNN RADIO: Well it is pretty much, Carol. We went from five pumps to 23 in New Orleans and even though that is an improvement, it's a long way to go. So the water is slowly starting to recede and it's got a ways yet (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Let's get some more water out of here and also they are finding still more bodies, as we know, each and every day as we go along here.

COSTELLO: They're saying this could -- it could take anywhere from 28 days to three months to maybe a year to pump all the water out of the city. Is there a better estimate that we're getting this morning?

MCCARTHY: Really not. We've heard up to three months (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the process to get the water out of New Orleans and we've also heard about the problems with toxicity of this water and where it's going. It's going to be pumped back into Lake Pontchartrain and then it's going to be eventually heading into the Gulf of Mexico.

So we've got very toxic water and we've got some environmental concerns ahead. This is just a mess. You have to take it one step at a time and then when you find out just how bad this water is going into other areas and the response that they have trying to get the water out quickly, you know, and they want to treat it, but you just don't know where to go. Step one at a time I guess so far.

COSTELLO: As far as restoring clean water service to New Orleans itself, how long will that take?

MCCARTHY: That is the number one question. So many people are saying we need to get the water on. In fact, it was Sunday when I was first here, a gentleman in New Orleans told me that, he says you know we need to get the water back on here. He says that would be the big thing, especially in those areas down near the French Quarter that really didn't sustain all of that heavy flooding. But the problem of getting fresh water on when you've got floodwaters that are still three or four feet high, it tells you right now that it's going to be a long time before we can get that in motion.

COSTELLO: And wouldn't the dirty water seep into like the pipes that supply the water to people's taps?

MCCARTHY: That's another problem too and of course, keep in mind when we had the flooding, all of the pumps that do pump out all of the water from the city system they've had in place for many, many years here in New Orleans, they were flooded themselves. So that's why we have, you know, just 23 right now of 148 that they need to get the job done.

COSTELLO: Ed McCarthy, live in New Orleans this morning.

There are more accusations about how this crisis was initially handled. This time they come from Democratic Party Chair Howard Dean. Listen to what he had to say.

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HOWARD DEAN, DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRMAN: Survivors are being evacuated and as their order is restored and the water (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and we sort through the rubble we have to come to terms with ugly truth that skin color, Aids and economics played a significant role in who survived and who did not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Dean addressed a meeting of the National Baptist Convention of America. He also told the group that funds paying for the Iraq war could be used to rebuild New Orleans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R), MAJORITY LEADER: This joint committee will be tasked with reviewing at all levels of government the immediate preparation and recovery from Hurricane Katrina. The committee is to report its findings to the Congress no later than February 15, 2006. Americans deserve answers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Americans do deserve answers. That was Senate majority leader Bill Frist, of course. He was announcing the creation of a joint bipartisan House Senate panel. Frist says the panel will look into why the initial response was unacceptable at all levels of government.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, has taken its fair share of the criticism in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the relief effort. But they have yet to hear from the Peoria, Illinois Fire Department.

CNN's Alina Cho has their story of inaction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These firefighters like the game of football.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

CHO: But that's not why they came to Louisiana. They came to work. They drove 24 hours straight from Illinois, arrived in Baton Rouge Tuesday, still waiting to get into New Orleans.

And you're basically waiting for the order.

KENT TOMBLIN, PEORIA FIRE DEPT.: We're waiting for assignment, right, correct.

CHO: How frustrating is that for you?

TOMBLIN: Well you've got 600 firefighters down here that are all you know ready to go. That's what we do. We want to get out and do our job.

CHO: But most here can't because FEMA has not yet sent them. So they eat, sleep and play football at Louisiana State University's campus, nearly 70 miles away from New Orleans.

Is it fair to say that precious time is being wasted?

TOMBLIN: Well anytime we have a job to do, our job is to react in a timely fashion, quick response. That's how we're raised as firefighters. We want to get down there in a quick response, do what we got to do, and you know help them as best we can. CHO (on camera): These firefighters were told to be self sufficient for at least two weeks. They brought plenty of food and water, extra fuel, even mechanics to keep them going throughout their deployment.

CLINT KUHLMAN, PEORIA FIRE DEPT.: Let us help. Let us get in there and do our job. It's the reason we came here.

CHO (voice-over): In Houston Wednesday, thousands of evacuees lined up after hearing FEMA was issuing $2,000 debit cards. After waiting for four hours, they found out the line was only to register people for FEMA assistance. Many said they had already done so and were outraged.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: FEMA has not assisted us with anything yet. So far the assistance we've been getting has been from Houston, the Houstonians, the people that live here. The government hasn't done anything for us yet.

CHO: Democrats say FEMA is to blame.

(on camera): The Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi, has called for your resignation and I'm wondering if you have a response to that.

MICHAEL BROWN, FEMA DIRECTOR: The president is in charge of that, not me.

CHO: On the issue of untapped resources...

BROWN: We have countries all over the world who are offering help. That has to be coordinated in such a way that it's used most effectively and it's used where it's needed and that's the same with the firefighters and police officers.

CHO: So these Illinois firefighters continue to wait and hope they can help.

Alina Cho, CNN, Baton Rouge.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Critics are blasting and I mean blasting FEMA's director for failures in relief efforts following the hurricane. Images of thousands of New Orleans residents stranded for days without food or water have prompted some Democrats to call for the resignation of the FEMA chief in very strong terms.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D), MINORITY LEADER: He chose someone with absolutely no credentials. And you know what? When I said to the president that he should fire Michael Brown, he said why would I do that? I said because of all that went wrong, with all that didn't go right last week. And he said what didn't go right -- oblivious, in denial, dangerous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The White House denies Pelosi's account of events and that brings us to our DAYBREAK e-mail question of the morning.

MYERS: Yes, I didn't pick it Carol, but I get to read it here for you. I want to know -- we're going to read your answers -- who should be fired over this slow response or was there slow response at all? We told you to get water days and days and days in advance.

DAYBREAK@CNN.com, tell me what you really think this morning. I don't want some political answers here. I think -- I want to know who you think is to blame, if anyone. Let it all out and I'll hang it out for you here, too, Carol.

COSTELLO: Well and specifically who should be fired...

MYERS: Fired...

COSTELLO: I mean the president is in a tough position because even if he believes all this stuff about the FEMA director, do you fire a guy right in the middle of a national disaster? That brings up all kinds of questions for him.

And do you think that FEMA was to blame? As you said, Chad, certainly the meteorologists weren't to blame because I know that you gave great advance warning to people that this storm was going to be huge.

MYERS: Well we knew -- as soon as it left Florida, Carol, we knew that the conditions were perfect for this to become a category four or category five storm. And it became a large category five storm. A category five starts at 155. This became 175 at some point, which really if you use your imagination, could be category six, but that doesn't exist.

Go to DAYBREAK@CNN.com. Let us know what you think.

COSTELLO: DAYBREAK@CNN.com. When you think of U.S. warships being deployed to the Gulf, you probably don't think the Gulf of Mexico. Coming up, a mission of mercy for the military.

And later, different kinds of sailors face an entirely different challenge -- the Gulf's shrimping industry now decimated. We'll look at what can be done to save it.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday.

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COSTELLO: Check out the international markets this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei is down nearly 74 points. The London FTSE is down 11. The German DAX is falling 10 points. And oil, well, in future's trading it's just under $65 a barrel this morning.

Your news, money, weather and sports at 5:18 Eastern, here's what all new this morning.

President Bush is asking Congress for nearly $52 billion more to pay for hurricane recovery. That's on top of the $10.5 billion Congress approved last week for the disaster. Now the White House says substantially more money will likely be needed.

Bernard Ebbers is avoiding prison for now. A judge ruled that the former CEO of WorldCom could remain out on bail while he appeals his fraud conviction. The appeals process could take a year.

In money news, Delta is cutting jobs and jets. The airline says the sale of 11 planes is part of its restructuring plan. Delta will also cut 1,000 jobs at its hub at the Cincinnati airport.

In culture, Harry Potter is going digital. All six of the novels are being offered for audio downloads. You can get the boy wizard stories through Apple's iTunes.

In sports, Andre Agassi staged a masterful comeback to advance to the semifinals of the U.S. Open. Agassi overcame an early two-set deficit against James Blake to win the five-set. I really thought James Blake was going to take it, Chad.

MYERS: I did as well and I just can't imagine the crowd had to be so loud in that place. You can hardly get them to settle down before they can serve.

Good morning everybody.

Temperatures across the country (UNINTELLIGIBLE) going to be held down by a few showers especially Minneapolis and Detroit. You're seeing some showers this morning. Also that spin down around Orlando, that's all part of yes, Ophelia down there. Boston today you get to 84, 75 tomorrow. A beautiful cool down for New York City for the weekend -- how about 63 in the morning, Saturday morning, so you can open the windows and let the cool air in.

Orlando, showers and thunderstorms for the next two days, part of Ophelia. You'll have those arms of Ophelia all the way from Jacksonville to Tampa back to Florida again today. New Orleans, 91 all through the rest of the week and Phoenix, 102 with a couple of showers today -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Thank you Chad. That's a look at the latest headlines for you this morning. Our coverage on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina continues, but as we go to break, from CNN's Victims and Relief Desk, some of the missing and their contact information.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MYERS: OK, 1,100 e-mail responses already this morning. Are you guys fired up or what? Hurricane Katrina, should anyone be fired over the slow response? Get your e-mails in. I'm reading them as fast as I can get them, Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, you're going to be a busy man... MYERS: Wow.

COSTELLO: ... this morning.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: DAYBREAK@CNN.com. There are 20 U.S. Navy ships stationed off the Gulf Coast now. The sailors are helping in rescues and are providing relief to those who lost everything at Hurricane Katrina.

CNN's Jeff Koinange was aboard one of those ships, the USS Iwo Jima, and he found out that it's a mission of mercy that's very personal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Early morning on the flight deck of the USS Iwo Jima. Nearly as long as three football fields, the Iwo Jima has docked at New Orleans on a mission far different from what it's used to.

(SOUNDS)

KOINANGE: Its helicopters, amphibious vessels and Harrier jets have ferried Marines into Iraq, patrolled off the horn of Africa and conducted a peacekeeping operation in Liberia. The current assignment is search and rescue across Katrina-ravaged New Orleans.

The Iwo Jima was built just over 100 miles from here in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Squadron Commander Gerard Hall was born and raised in New Orleans. He still finds it difficult to come to terms with what's happened to his city.

CMDR. GERARD HALL, USS Iwo Jima: I'm at a loss for words. Just looking out over the city, I'm constantly at a loss for words. All I could do is say, you know, I got -- how -- what happened to all these people. Where are all of the houses that used to be here? It's just devastating. It's unbelievable.

KOINANGE: The Iwo Jima has a dual mission. It's a war ship, but below deck it's a hospital. Richard Callas is the captain.

CAPT. RICHARD CALLAS, COMMANDING OFFICER, Iwo Jima: This ship has six full operating rooms, but it also has a capability of handling about 600 patients. We have 600 beds here. In addition to all that, the ship also has a series of wards. First, 12-unit Intensive Care and then building up to a 40-man ward. I think there are very few cases that this ship and this facility can't handle.

KOINANGE: The ship hasn't been in port 48 hours and already the doctors are at work here inspecting Darrell Terrence's swollen feet. He says he's diabetic and thought he was going to die when Hurricane Katrina turned his city upside down.

DARRELL TERRENCE, HURRICANE SURVIVOR: I feel a little better. You know, I lost everything I had. But you know that's life.

KOINANGE: Doctors here say they are more than ready to play an important role in helping the people of New Orleans recover.

LT. COL. JEFFREY WEIBRENNER, USS Iwo Jima: We have a unit here of 80 people, so we have about 10 physicians, probably a surgical team of about six physicians and you know 10 primary care doctors.

KOINANGE: Back on the flight deck, Captain Callas has no illusions what he's up against.

CALLAS: This is the most significant, the most horrific disaster to strike the United States I think in the country's history. We're doing this here for America. This is our own. These are our grandmothers and aunts and uncles and fathers and sisters and cousins and close friends. We're doing it for ourselves.

KOINANGE: Doing it for themselves and insisting their mission wouldn't be accomplished until everyone who needs help is rescued.

Jeff Koinange, CNN, on board the USS Iwo Jima.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: It is the White House mantra these days. Now is not the time to be playing the blame game, but some say now is exactly the time to be doing it. President Bush takes a beating over Katrina. The latest ahead in our next half-hour.

And it is anything but your typical vacation video. Incredible images captured by two British tourists. You will see more when DAYBREAK returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: From the Time Warner Center in New York, this is DAYBREAK. I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers and welcome to the second half-hour of our show.

Coming up in the next 30 minutes, you'll be paying a lot more for your favorite fish dish, especially if it's Gulf Coast shrimp.

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