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CNN Live At Daybreak

State of Emergency; Damage Control; Pet Rescues

Aired September 09, 2005 - 05:29   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. Thank you for waking up with us. Welcome to the second half-hour of DAYBREAK.
Coming up in the next 30 minutes, he's in charge of the federal response to Hurricane Katrina, but did he lie on his resume? We'll look at the questions surrounding Michael Brown's bio just ahead.

But first, "Now in the News."

The check is in the mail. President Bush has signed a $51.8 billion emergency spending bill for Hurricane Katrina recovery. With money approved by Congress last week, that means more than $62 billion is available for relief efforts.

The Baghdad Airport has been shut down. The British company that provides security for the airport has stopped working. Global Strategies Group says it hasn't been paid by Iraq's Transportation Ministry in seven months.

Two of NASA's facilities on the Gulf Coast were damaged by Katrina. The head of NASA says the agency will have to determine if the shuttle's external fuel tanks at one of the facilities are OK for the next scheduled launch in March.

To the Forecast Center and, Chad, good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad, we'll get back to you.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: We begin this half-hour with the man at the center of the storm. "TIME" magazine now reporting it has found discrepancies with Michael Brown's resume. FEMA's Web site lists Brown as being an assistant city manager with oversight of emergency services in Edmond, Oklahoma. But a spokeswoman for the city of Edmond says Brown was an assistant to a city manager and he had no authority over employees. She describes Brown's position like an internship.

"TIME" also looked at Brown's bio on the Web site FINDLAW.com. It says he was an outstanding political science professor at Central State University in Oklahoma. But Central State says he -- quote -- "was not a professor here, he was only a student." That's also according to "TIME." The Web site also lists Brown as Director of the Oklahoma Christian Home. When "TIME" checked with the home, it said Brown is not a person that anyone here is familiar with.

FEMA, though, is standing by its man. The agency points out that the Web site, FINDLAW.com, does not guarantee accuracy. FEMA says -- quote -- '"TIME's' misleading online report on Under Secretary Mike Brown's background is based on online information Mr. Brown has never seen...It's disappointing this magazine relied on unconfirmed information."

Carolina Miranda, the "TIME" reporter who broke the story, will be a guest on "AMERICAN MORNING" at 7:00 a.m. Eastern. That's about 90 minutes from now.

CNN has obtained some shocking pictures of the horror and chaos inside the New Orleans convention center the days following the hurricane. The pictures were taken earlier this week. They show the violence described by so many people who took refuge there.

CNN's Gary Tuchman has the story. And we want to warn you, it's rough to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The New Orleans convention center has been described by many as the hurricane shelter from hell. Now there is explicit evidence of that.

Very disturbing photographs supplied to CNN show four dead people who had apparently been mutilated. A source outraged at what happened who was inside the center gave these photographs to CNN. It is not known how these people died, but the source says it is apparent that, at some point, they had been physically abused.

One photograph of two corpses in a wheelchair is too gruesome for us to show. Three of the victims are male, one female.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is terrorism America-style.

TUCHMAN: In the days following the hurricane, chaos only grew for the 15,000 to 20,000 people in the convention center shelter. The photos we received show a kitchen full of garbage and feces.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are dirty. We waded in that water, dirty, filthy water, and we are dirty. This is not the way we live.

TUCHMAN: But it wasn't ordinary chaos. The New Orleans police chief said people had been beaten and raped. The head of FEMA said he didn't know until three days after the hurricane that the convention center even was a shelter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These people couldn't leave because they couldn't afford to leave. Superdome people went in that shelter because they couldn't afford to leave. And now we're dying. TUCHMAN: A covered corpse was left outside the entrance, and that wasn't the only body left that way. But there had been no evidence of more of the desecration of the dead until now.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And with the waters receding, New Orleans faces a ghastly task, collecting, identifying and then burying perhaps thousands of bodies.

President Bush is demanding proper treatment of the dead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have many difficult days ahead, especially as we recover those who did not survive the storm. I've instructed all agencies to honor their memory by treating the dead with the dignity and respect they deserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And just yesterday, recovery teams removed 14 bodies from Methodist Hospital in New Orleans.

Could take months, of course, to assess the extent of damage in New Orleans and elsewhere. For now, until all the water is pumped out of the city, the focus is somewhere else.

CNN's Sumi Das has more on that. She's live at the airport in New Orleans, Louis Armstrong Airport.

Good morning -- Sumi.

SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol.

Well, President Bush addressed the nation on Thursday. He called on Americans to observe September 16 as a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance to remember those who had died and not survived the storm. And to the survivors, he made a promise that the government would be with them for the long haul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After days of stinging accusations of neglect and mismanagement, the federal government is focusing on damage control. Vice President Dick Cheney toured the Katrina-beaten cities of Gulfport and New Orleans. His message was largely upbeat.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think this will ultimately be a moment we can look back on and be proud of what we were able to accomplish together as a nation.

DAS: Cheney's reception was mostly friendly, except for one heckler.

Meanwhile, the blame game isn't just between Republicans and Democrats. The Red Cross says it twice tried to enter New Orleans and offer relief within days after the hurricane hit but was rebuffed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're a humanitarian organization asked to go in to provide any support that we could. At the time that we made the request of Col. Mayu (ph), he told me that the conditions were not properly set for us to go in and provide that support and asked us not to go in.

DAS: Late Thursday, President Bush signed a $52 billion emergency aid package. Roughly half is allocated to FEMA to help victims start anew. Many of them are left without homes and jobs. Another large chunk would pay for cleanup, a task especially daunting in waterlogged New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

The water level is now dropping in New Orleans at a rate of four to six inches a day, but 60 percent of the city is still submerged.

Live at the New Orleans International Airport, I'm Sumi Das -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Sumi Das, thanks so much, reporting live from New Orleans this morning.

Let's get right to our e-mail segment, because the e-mails are flying in again this morning.

MYERS: Want to know whether you think we need a whole different person to do this? Do we just need a guy or a woman that goes down there and can be in charge of all of these groups and be the "Katrina Czar"? And, if so, if your answer is yes, who should that be? Go to DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

And from, let's see, from Montana (ph) from Bowling Green, Ohio, actually, first name is Montana. She nominates Anderson Cooper. I've watched all of his coverage, he clearly knows what's going on down there. Give it to someone who actually has some feet in boots on the ground.

OK, Anderson might like that. He's actually -- he's a gung-ho guy.

And now we go to why would we need so many organizations, like FEMA and Homeland Security, if the president is just going to go and declare those heads incompetent and make someone else oversee them? I don't think there's any reason to bring in someone new, just make everyone work together.

Regarding Katrina, I have three words for you, Lt. Gen. Honore. And in response to your question, Rudy Giuliani should be the guy. He's the man who can show local politicians how the job gets done. And those distressed citizens deserve nothing less than Rudy's expertise.

In my opinion, Homeland Security is like having a fox in the hen house. FEMA should be its own agency, not under Homeland Security. Another Katrina agency, the agencies can't organize them, form a chain of command, more agencies not necessarily better. That was from Carol (ph) in Virginia -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, we'll get to more later.

Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: Thank you.

COSTELLO: And thank you for your e-mails this morning, DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

The first lady, Laura Bush, toured the hurricane devastation along the Gulf Coast. In a radio interview, Mrs. Bush called disgusting the comments blaming her husband for the high number of black victims. Rapper Kanye West said -- quote -- "George Bush doesn't care about black people." Democratic Chair Howard Dean said skin color and age played a role in who survived and who did not. Mrs. Bush took issue with those comments.

Well on an entirely different topic, are you ready for some football? Last night was the big NFL kickoff. We've got the results for you next.

And forget the tribe, the IRS has spoken and a former "Survivor" champ could soon be voted off the island and into prison.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 5:42 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

A 2001 White House news release says current FEMA Director Michael Brown was an assistant city manager in Edmond, Oklahoma, with oversight over emergency services. Well, a "TIME" magazine report out this morning disputes that oversight claim.

Diabetics who depend on shots or insulin pumps may be getting a new way to take insulin, inhaling it. A panel advising the FDA has voted in favor of Exubera. That is insulin that is inhaled. The agency usually follows advisory panel recommendations.

In money news, President Bush has signed a nearly $52 billion aid package for Hurricane Katrina relief. Congress approved more than $10 billion in emergency spending last week, but that has pretty much run out already.

In culture, a grand jury has indicted Richard Hatch on tax charges. Hatch, who got a million dollars as the winner of the very first "Survivor" TV show, is accused of never paying taxes on that money. He faces millions of dollars in fines and possible jail time.

In sports, the New England Patriots began the NFL season the same way they finished the last one, they won. The Pats beat the Oakland Raiders 30 to 20. And I've got to check to see how Randy Moss did -- Chad.

MYERS: OK.

COSTELLO: I need an update, so I'm going to do that right now.

MYERS: I didn't even -- obviously, I was sleeping before that game started.

Carol, a little bit ago I promised you a Web site that could actually show you so many thousands of images. In fact, now I know that there are 7,000 images across the Gulf Coast.

Here is the Web site on my computer, www.noaa -- N-O-A-A -- .gov -- G-O-V. Very easy. NOAA.gov. I want you to go up here and click on the word Full Story. It's right here in the middle of your screen. The top story is Hurricane Katrina. Go to full story, click on that. Then right over here you can see it in purple, 7,000 aerial images.

You'll get a map that looks like this. That's the map you're going to see. Every one of these boxes contains thousands of images. Every little square that you see here, that's an image.

Here is one of them that I just picked out randomly. This was obviously a boatyard. Now all of the boats all stacked up against each other.

One place that you might know, this is Pass Christian. This is U.S. 90. This was the bridge the Pass Christian over to Bay St. Louis.

And you can pan back and forth. You can see you could look for your home, you could look for maybe even the beach house that you stayed in years ago, whatever it might be. But they are all here, thousands and thousands of images made possible by NOAA -- Carol.

COSTELLO: That is fascinating.

MYERS: It truly is.

COSTELLO: And hopefully you'll show us more throughout DAYBREAK. The pictures are just so interesting to see.

MYERS: They're interesting, and they're also saddening in many ways.

COSTELLO: You got that right.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Thank you -- Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, the rescue efforts on the Gulf Coast aren't just for people. Ahead, we'll hear about the volunteers who are working to reunite displaced pets with their families.

And we would like to know what you think this morning. Do we need a "Katrina Czar"? Maybe Rudy Giuliani, maybe Lt. Gen. Honore, maybe Bill Clinton, how about Colin Powell? You can e-mail us at DAYBREAK@CNN.com and we'll read some of your e-mails next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In the rush to escape Hurricane Katrina and the flooding, families left behind thousands of pets, and many evacuees are now desperate to find them.

CNN's Adaora Udoji has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pat Bozman is living one nightmare after another. Her city is flooded. Now she's frantically searching emergency animal shelters for her two dogs.

PAT BOZMAN, HURRICANE KATRINA VICTIM: Nicky (ph), no, that's not him. That's not him.

UDOJI: On New Orleans' waterlogged streets, you can hear the dogs for miles. They are trapped on boats, roofs, porches, surrounded by blackened, putrid water.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One block that way is General Persian (ph).

UDOJI: But the cavalry, led by Louisiana's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has teams from as far away as Boston tracking them down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have an address on your list, it's a Forette (ph) Street address, Forette Vet Clinic?

UDOJI: Chief Craig Warren (ph) sent his four teams out with inflatable rafts, armed with a handful of hundreds of addresses pet owners have called in. The work is hot and painstaking for this volunteer San Diego team we followed.

The first dog we see, a Labrador mix, is not on their list, so they keep going. The dog follows us four blocks to the team's first address, where they find nothing. So they pick the dog up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, good boy.

UDOJI: The lucky Labrador turns out to be a female. The next dog doesn't come so easily. The team says he's scared and hungry. The situation escalates quickly.

(on camera): That little terrier didn't want to go.

LISA LIGHTFOOT, SAN DIEGO ASPCA: No, no, and sometimes you just can't get them

UDOJI (voice-over): But they keep going because they do save so many animals. The teams rescued two dozen this day, which are sent 50 miles north to the Lamar Dixon Center, where, every day, hundreds of people come looking. Some, like this man, forced to leave his pet when he was evacuated. It's a sweet reunion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Daddy came and got you, huh, boy? I know he's happy, too.

UDOJI (on camera): Who do you think is happier, him or you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both. Probably both.

UDOJI (voice-over): So far, 600 animals have rolled in, dogs, cats, pigs. Surprisingly, most in good shape say animal workers.

LAURA MALONEY, LOUISIANA ASPCA: It's a very long day. We start -- we're out of here by 7:00 and we don't go home until after midnight.

UDOJI: Louisiana's director expects more than 2,000 animals. That's more pets, more horses, more mules. They can barely keep up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Got 15 trucks going in. We could use you know some (INAUDIBLE).

UDOJI: The rescued Labrador from earlier comes in on one of them. Like all animals, she's photographed, checked, then decontaminated. So dehydrated, she laps up her shower. All stations fully manned.

MELANIE PARKER, VOLUNTEER: I'm volunteering to help the animals.

UDOJI (on camera): Why?

PARKER: Because it's a fun thing to do, and to help save them.

UDOJI (voice-over): Dozens of volunteers are caring for the animals, feeding them from tons of donated pet food.

But a crushed Pat Bozman doesn't find her dogs here.

BOZMAN: Yes.

UDOJI (on camera): You must be a little disappointed.

BOZMAN: Yes, but I hope they're at LSU.

UDOJI (voice-over): She moves on, driven by her faith her family pets will be found.

Adaora Udoji, CNN, New Orleans. (END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The Humane Society sent teams of rescue crews into the disaster zone to save the pets. And they're working to reunite owners with other members of the family, as you heard Adaora say. For many people, all they have left are their pets.

Joining me to talk more about this effort is Wayne Pacelle. He is President of the American Humane Society.

Good morning -- Wayne.

WAYNE PACELLE, PRESIDENT, U.S. HUMANE SOCIETY: Good morning to you.

COSTELLO: You know taking in so many abandoned animals has to present a number of problems. How long can you keep these animals?

PACELLE: Well, this is a problem, the rescues are going as well as can be expected, given the difficult logistical circumstances. But our teams from the Humane Society of the United States are getting hundreds of animals a day now. They're breaking into homes.

We've had 2,000 calls to our 1-800-HUMANE-1 line or messages through our Web site, HSUS.org, with people telling us they evacuated New Orleans, my cats are on the second floor, my dogs are in the garage, specific addresses with numbers of animals. And our teams are getting them, and as your report indicated, many of them are still alive.

But we're going to fill up. We're going to have thousands of animals. And we're going to have to move them on to other shelters across the country, because, you know, we just don't have a permanent shelter that can give them the space that they need.

COSTELLO: Yes, and you know people are spread out all over the country now, and it will be difficult for them to even travel to find their pet, wouldn't it?

PACELLE: It may be. We're going to set up a Web site that will have pictures of animals and there will be some complications in reuniting. But the key is rescuing them now, because they're trapped in homes, they're isolated, they don't have food, they don't have water and the clock is ticking against them. The key thing is for us to get them to a safer area. If we can reunite them, that is an entirely successful outcome. But we just want to save them from dying of thirst and hunger.

COSTELLO: You know just watching their behavior, it's heartbreaking because a lot of them are staying at home just waiting for someone to help.

PACELLE: Well our people you know go on top of roofs and you know they're met by a dog who starts licking the face after they've been on the roof for seven or eight days. You know they -- animals are just so loyal and trusting to us. And this is an awful situation where people thought they'd be coming back after a day or two. We at HS -- and then of course people aren't coming back at all, or at least for months. And it's a terrible situation.

We really stress disaster preparedness. Wherever you are in the country, if you have pets and you're susceptible to a disaster, whether it's a natural disaster or some terrorist incident, you've got to have a plan to get you and your pets out. Don't get in a last- second situation where you're scrambling to find a place to go with your pets. Know where you're going to go.

Go to our Web site, HSUS.org, and find out about disaster preparedness. And of course now we really want people to help us on this effort. It's going to be a huge effort. It has reconstruction components, rebuilding shelters in Mississippi and Louisiana, rescuing these animals and finding them homes across the country.

COSTELLO: Wayne Pacelle, thank you for your fine efforts. I know many people really appreciate it.

PACELLE: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Take a look now at your screen, you can see there are several ways you can help save some of those animals, as Wayne was suggesting. Donations of food or funds can be made to the Humane Society and supplies can also be sent to the ASPCA or the Louisiana Branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. And you can get more information from our Web site, CNN.com. And if you want more phone numbers, please e-mail us, and we'll try to get back to you.

OK, Chad, take it away.

MYERS: Yes, we're talking about the necessary, a possibly of a "Katrina Czar" or "Czarina," if you will. And if so, who should that be? Go to DAYBREAK@CNN.com. Tell us your opinions.

Linda (ph) from California thinks the perfect no-brainer is James Lee Witt. He has the experience, he knows the area, he knows all the people and all the agencies involved. Will he be appointed? No. Why? Because of politics. He has served under the Democratic administrations. Rudy was the man for New York, but James is the man for the Gulf Coast, says Linda.

And from Pete (ph) in Los Angeles, everybody up early out there, notice who's suggesting this "Katrina Czar," Kay Bailey Hutchison and Rick Santorum, both Republicans. Since the 2008 elections will be the first in decades when neither a sitting president, nor a vice president, will be the logical nominee, sounds like they want to use the "Katrina Czar" to post -- to create a hero that will run in 2008. Incidentally, there is absolutely no need for such a person. We have plenty of politicians.

From Brian (ph), he says Bill Clinton would make the best "Katrina Czar." He's not racist or classist. And Bush, who's in denial, essentially is a lame duck for the next three years anyway.

And from Dale (ph). Dale says Norman Schwarzkopf, General, U.S. Army retired, would be my choice. And he's from New York.

COSTELLO: That name.

MYERS: Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Thank you for your comments this morning, we appreciate them.

The next hour of DAYBREAK just a minute away.

MYERS: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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