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American Morning
Fourth Anniversary of 9/11
Aired September 11, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome. Thanks for joining us on this special Sunday edition of AMERICAN MORNING and of course, it is the fourth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And we're watching what's happening at Ground Zero in New York now. These are live pictures of a reflecting pool, part of a commemoration and memorial there, impromptu in some ways, memorial at the site of Ground Zero. Family members are gathering there, emergency rescue workers, police officers, all remember the fallen of four years ago this morning.
S. O'BRIEN: Just heartbreaking to see the family members clearly clutching the pictures of their loved ones as they get ready for the ceremony to start. I mean, we have seen this scene essentially a hand holding up of someone lost on that terrible day, and really to make sure that they are not forgotten as the years and the days pass.
M. O'BRIEN: Those who lived through it, all of us who were there and have memories of it one way or another will never forget it, of course.
S. O'BRIEN: We're going to bring you lots of coverage this morning from that location at Ground Zero.
First, though, let's get back to our other top story this morning and that's the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Let's get right to the mission critical news, 14 days after Hurricane Katrina hit. The draining of New Orleans going faster than expected. The Army Corps of Engineers believes that the water can be pumped out of the streets by mid-October.
That's about half the time they originally predicted. Soon after that, in about 45 days, one of the main arteries into the city could reopen. Work on the I-10 bridge over Lake Pontchartrain begins tomorrow.
And FEMA has already paid out $669 million to victims of Katrina. The Texas Senator John Cornyn says has a plan for how state and local governments could be reimbursed for the money that they're spending on health and education.
President Bush traveling to Mississippi and Louisiana again today, it his third trip in ten days. Let's get right to Bob Franken, he is at the White House for us this morning. Good morning to you, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. And it is a day that the president is dealing with disasters, the September 11th anniversary today and of course the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, just two weeks from that. And the president at this moment is in church, just down the street at St. Johns. He'll be coming back to the White House at exactly 8:46 a.m. Eastern.
The president at the South Lawn of the White House, the other side of the White House for me, we'll be overseeing a minute of silence to mark the events of September 11th, and of course very much on his mind now is what is going on with Katrina, the Katrina area down in the Gulf and all of that is not going on, as you pointed out.
He's about to make another trip down there, he's going to be overnighting this time, outside of New Orleans on the USS Iwo Jima and then will be visiting Mississippi the following day, continues to try to show the flag, show the chief executive flag to show that he's now leading a government that wants to make good on efforts to rehabilitate the entire region after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: Bob, how much of all of that is really due to the fact that the president's approval rating is down in, I think it's literally every single poll that's been taken since Thursday.
FRANKEN: Well, the White House would say that this is just a president taking charge but as you point out, these ratings are just really hitting a real new low. Let's take for instance the approval ratings of the president.
The "Newsweek" poll shows that there are 38 percent. You can see that other ratings are in that ballpark, AP at 39 percent, the Pew poll at 40 percent, Zogby 41, 42 percent, the lowest for "Time" magazine.
These are as far as the president is concerned dangerously low approval ratings. As far as the handling of the Katrina crisis they're also showing a real skepticism on the part of the people of the United States.
The AP poll shows that 52 percent disapprove of the handling by the president and this administration. Zogby 60 percent, "Time" magazine 61 percent. These are polls that this president is unaccustomed. These are results and he has got a bit of rehabilitation to do, not only of the area down there but his own image.
Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: We'll continue to update you as the president makes his trip. Bob Franken for us this morning at the White House.
Bob, thanks. Miles?
M. O'BRIEN: The mass sheltering effort in Houston is winding down. Look at some numbers this morning. We're told there are about 5,500 people today in the Astrodome complex, we'll call it. That is down significantly just from yesterday, almost 2,000, and people are obviously making their ways into more permanent locations, apartments, homes, family members, friends. Whatever the case may be, that's a sign of optimism there.
CNN's Betty Nguyen has been tracking the whole scene from the arrival of the evacuees to the debit card debacle to now an apparent situation where me might make good on the promise to have the Astrodome vacant by next week.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it appears that way Miles. As you mentioned, the numbers are dwindling very significantly. Almost 2,000 down from the numbers we saw yesterday. Now at 5,500 here at the Astrodome complex.
I want to tell you about what's happening today. The governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco, will be touring these shelters today. It is going to be very interesting to see the response she gets from evacuees because many still complain that both the state and federal government acted too slowly in getting them out of the flooded areas.
Also here today, Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan and there are a number of events happening. In about 40 minutes from now there will be a moment of silence in remembrance of 9/11. Obviously, folks here have experienced their own tragedy, but they will take a moment to remember the lives lost and those injured in 9/11, one of the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.
Also, there will be church services held today which offer spiritual uplifting to so many people here who said faith was the only thing that got them through this entire ordeal.
Miles?
M. O'BRIEN: Betty, as long as you're standing in front much the stadium, it's football time and in New Orleans, the Saints are a very, very important part of the fabric. And I suspect that even in spite of all that happened there are a few Saints fans will be following the team today.
NGUYEN: Absolutely, without a doubt. We have been told at 12:00 noon local time that game will be aired in many of these shelters. In fact in all of the shelters -- a lot of folks have their own televisions nearby and they can change to any channel they want. But you know that channel will be on this game, the New Orleans Saints playing the Carolina Panthers and you know the evacuees are very interested in that.
And on top of that, Miles, they just need a release, a break from all of this, a sense of normalcy and watching their Saints play is going to give them a little bit of that.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, thank you very much, Betty Nguyen, check in with you later. Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: Let's get to North Carolina now, where people there are worried about the next hurricane. Bonnie Schneider is at the CNN Center. She has got the latest look at that this morning. Hey Bonnie, good morning.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad and folks in North Carolina should be watching Ophelia very closely, because whereas yesterday we were talking about South Carolina towards Georgia, this storm's track has changed completely.
Now we're looking at a storm that has pushed slowly to the north- northeast yesterday. It kind of stalled out. It's stationary right now with maximum winds at 85 miles per hour. Still a hurricane, a Category 1 but the track has really shifted and therefore the Hurricane Center has changed where the hurricane watch is.
And remember a watch means that the potential exists for hurricane conditions within the next 36 hours. That extends northward to Cape Lookout, North Carolina down to Edisto Beach in South Carolina. So this is the area we're focusing on.
However, when we look at the latest track, this is from our 5:00 a.m. advisory, you'll see that it's really changed quite a bit as I mentioned before because the storm instead of coming right onshore kind of gets close and moves a little to the north getting very close to the outer banks where we may see landfall and not because it's moved to the north, we're not looking at landfall on Tuesday morning. It looks like according to this, sometimes on Wednesday if we do see a landfall there is even a chance the storm will get close but not quite make it to the Outer Banks.
But anywhere in the North Carolina region towards South Carolina please be on the alert and be watching Ophelia. Because we sure are. The storm is making for some interesting forecasting.
Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: All right. We'll continue to watch it. Thanks, Bonnie.
You want to stay tuned to CNN for complete coverage of all hurricanes, including Ophelia. CNN, of course, is your hurricane headquarters.
There are other stories making news this morning. Let's get right to Tony Harris. He is at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Hey, Tony, good morning.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad. Good morning, everyone. Now in the news, after almost four decades in Gaza, Israeli troops are just hours away from pulling out of the region. The Israeli government voted earlier today to formally end its 38-year military administration. The final troops are expected to be out Monday. The move paves the way for a new round of peace talks.
Iraqi and U.S. forces are going after al Qaeda suspects in Northern Iraq. Troops have confiscated hundreds of weapons and detained more than 2,000 suspects in the city of Tal Afar. The Iraqi defense minister is calling the city, quote, "a big warehouse for weapons."
Here in the U.S., New York firefighters assisting in the Katrina rescue efforts are taking a moment to honor victims of 9/11. Some 350 New York firefighters are in the Gulf region. Within the next hour they are expected to gather in Algiers, Louisiana just outside of New Orleans for a memorial service.
And a message of hope for Katrina victims from the Dalai Lama. The Buddhist leader is set to give a blessing today to the people affected by the hurricane. He will also offer a prayer for the victims of 9/11. Some 10,000 people are expected to turn out for the the Dalai Lama's address in Sun Valley, Idaho and the Dalai Lama will be Larry King's guest at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Nine minutes after the hour, now back to Miles and Soledad in New York.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Tony.
M. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Tony. Still to come, lessons of the storm. Some of the most vulnerable people caught in the path of Katrina. We'll look at how a repeat of their plight could be avoided.
S. O'BRIEN: Also more of the human toll from that hurricane as we talk with one noted artist who lost his life's work but he has his life and today, his thoughts are 1,300 miles away at Ground Zero.
M. O'BRIEN: And you may remember Jim Caviezel. You remember him in a role as Jesus Christ? Well, he is actually in the disaster zone talking to some of the evacuees. We'll talk to him in just a moment. Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Live pictures from New York City and Ground Zero as we remember those who lost their lives on 9/11 four years ago and those who died trying to save others as well the heroes receive a special honor from President Bush, it's called the Medal of Valor, and those medals were presented to family members at a ceremony that honored 443 first responders.
Christopher Saucedo is a sculptor who lost his brother, a firefighter on 9/11 and he's lost even more. His home in New Orleans, his possessions and lifetime of artwork. He comes to meet with us this morning. Nice to see you. I know you're in town literally here because you're going to be taking part in some of these ceremonies for 9/11, but I also want to talk to you about the multiple disasters, frankly, that you've suffered through and yet you say you feel very fortunate.
CHRISTOPHER SAUCEDO, LOST HOME IN HURRICANE KATRINA: I wouldn't say very fortunate but yes. We're alive and well, my wife and children and I and our dogs are safe. And we got out and we were in Texas for a few days and drove up to Brooklyn to stay with family and we're okay. So yeah, I feel fortunate in that regard. I mean, you know you were down there, I saw you on the news. As the water goes down, they're seeing horrible things, nursing homes that couldn't be evacuated people's houses -- so it's a real situation.
S. O'BRIEN: You're a professor of art. You also have, you're an artist who had a massive collection in your own home which is now destroyed. Do you know how bad it is yet?
SAUCEDO: Well, I suppose when I get back, and I open that door, and I see what really happened, it will be -- eight or 10 feet of water is on my block in Brooklyn -- sorry in New Orleans in a neighborhood called Gentilly.
S. O'BRIEN: And you say Brooklyn because that's where you are now.
SAUCEDO: Exactly, and that was always the confusing thing because I'm from Brooklyn, 25 years and then 15 years in New Orleans, at the University of New Orleans. But ...
S. O'BRIEN: Eight feet of water?
SAUCEDO: Eight -- 10 feet of water on the street a single floor house and then next to it, a little house next to it an old hardware store which is my studio and of course my artwork. In my neighborhood I was kind of the eccentric guy who bought an old hardware store and converted it to a studio. So it has got my office, my library and my archives, I mean, everything, slides, books, journal my notebook. Flat files full of drawings ...
S. O'BRIEN: What kind of medium do you work in? Is this possible -- we're looking at some of it here. It's hard to tell what it's created from. Is it possible to that when the water goes down you could kind of clean it up?
SAUCEDO: Some of the cast bronze pieces should just have a new unique patina on them I hope. I haven't seen the house. I don't know if a tree or a boat came through the wall so I don't know to the extent that the building still stands but I'm optimistic that some of the more durable pieces will be still there in some capacity. I mean, they didn't vaporize. I mean, they'll still be there. Wooden element, fabric elements, they're kind of gone and then of course, it's the ensuing mold.
I assume if you put something in that -- you saw the water. It's not clean water.
S. O'BRIEN: It's disgusting.
SAUCEDO: So does that dirtiness get into the house? I don't know. If it does -- and time, they said it would be eight or 10 weeks, now they're saying four weeks until the water's down. There's a Website where you can find out how deep the water is and apparently it's still six feet in my neighborhood. S. O'BRIEN: Yeah, it's pretty bad still there.
You have said to some of your producers that you imagine that opening the door to your home will be a little bit like the search for your brother, a firefighter who died on 9/11. I'm curious to know what you meant by that.
SAUCEDO: When I drove up from New Orleans to Ground Zero on September 15th, I had no idea in my head what really was going on. I watched the news like everyone did and I knew that lower Manhattan was on fire. So when I drove up I packed the truck with the family and I brought boots and gloves and a respirator, and I figured maybe I'd I don't know, dig for my brother because all of those people were still at that time, they were just still being rescued, it was a rescue effort, it was the first effort.
And you know, sifting through things. And then Steve, my brother Steven is a firefighter as well who didn't work that morning. Steven worked at Ground Zero recovery for six or eight months so literally with rakes going through Ground Zero, finding clues and unfortunately body parts and wrist watches and jewelry and all kinds of things.
Well, when I get home I need to try salvage every bit and piece I can out of my life, whether it's my mother's wedding photo. I suppose water damages things, maybe destroys them, but I'm wondering what point in between damaged and totally gone, you know, things can be cleaned up, restored. I'm imagining if I could salvage two percent of what I had in there, things that might have gotten -- that were in plastic tubs.
S. O'BRIEN: Just high enough up.
SAUCEDO: Right, and the attic might be okay. We're hoping some things in the attic might be okay. So yeah, there were two rescue missions, you know. Of course, you know, my brother's death was final. I'll rebuild my home. We'll be okay. It will take some time. It was my library of 20 years and whatnot and it might take 20 more years to get it back together again. New Orleans didn't vaporize. It's still there. It's just really wet. So when the water goes down we'll rebuild the city. I'm certain they will. It's not a vacation home. It's a working place where you need a city.
S. O'BRIEN: Christopher Saucedo, nice to talk to you. Thanks for being with us ...
SAUCEDO: Thanks.
S. O'BRIEN: ... this morning.
Miles?
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, he played Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ." today, Jim Caviezel is worshiping with Hurricane Katrina evacuees. We'll talk with him ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Actor James Caviezel known for his role in playing Jesus in "the Passion of the Christ," of course, it's also a devout Catholic in real life. This morning he will be attending mass with evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. He joins us now from Baton Rouge. Good morning, Jim and welcome.
JAMES CAVIEZEL, ACTOR: Good morning, Miles. Thank you very much.
M. O'BRIEN: What prompted you to go there?
CAVIEZEL: Well, a buddy of mine, Greg Bellow (ph) called me up one day and said let's just go down there. I said yeah, let's do it. And I had actually had some friends, one in particular, Raymond Arroyo who had to evacuate New Orleans and a friend of mine, Brent Honore (ph) who is General Honore's cousin and I'm actually staying with him.
M. O'BRIEN: Give us your -- I know you have had a chance to talk to evacuees mostly in the Baton Rouge area, haven't been able to see the damage just yet. How damaged are they, the evacuees themselves?
CAVIEZEL: I was speaking to an 82-year-old woman and her daughter, and they were in the infirmary, and one woman said it was hell on earth. She was in the, I believe the convention center. She watched three men rape an 11-year-old girl, watched a man walk up and shoot a police officer right in the head. And just -- it was just chaos.
M. O'BRIEN: What a horrific thing to endure. You must have had an opportunity to talk with her a little bit about faith and where God fits into that picture.
CAVIEZEL: Absolutely. I mean, a lot of these people, they need hope, and just to sit there and hold their hand, you know. I didn't have to bring up the fact about God. They said man, you were really the man in "the Passion of the Christ." I love Jesus. And that just opened up the conversation right there.
M. O'BRIEN: Yo Jesus, huh?
CAVIEZEL: Yeah.
M. O'BRIEN: Because you're not exactly in your Jesus costume there. Do people recognize you from that role still, and does that put you in somewhat of an awkward position at times, where people are kind of treating you as if they would a priest or even more?
CAVIEZEL: Well, I mean, I guess in our faith, when we take the Eucharist, there is a part of Christ inside of you, so in some way, we all are Jesus at that point, and so I went over and brought the Sisters of Charity in with Brent Honore and two of my buddies and they need to be there. These people need hope. Especially, I mean, one night, we were coming down the escalator and here's a woman giving birth in the foot of an escalator and you got an M.P. standing right over with an M-16 five feet away. It's just, this is the reality of what life can be like in chaotic terms and in this chaos they need hope and they need prayer.
M. O'BRIEN: You keep wondering if you're going to wake up from the nightmare sometimes when you're there and see those kinds of scenes you couldn't possibly conjure up.
You're going to be attending mass with some of the evacuees today. What's that going to be like? What's going to be on your mind? What will you be praying for?
CAVIEZEL: You know, if they find peace - And even in these kinds of situations there's always hope. You know, they find peace, you know? And even in these kind of situations, there's always hope. That God can use these things, as hard as they are, that they can become blessings. What doesn't destroy you can make you stronger.
And I've seen this, with a lot of the people, and have great, great strength, many of these people in the convention center. In fact, one of the firemen came over to me and says oh, my God, I cannot believe you're here. I said why? He says no, you don't understand. See this wristband? I looked at his wristband. I said yeah.
He says, I get this phone call from this woman, and she's drowning, and I ran over, you know, actually took a boat over, and saw her, and her daughter, and they end up being okay because the water was rushing in and he says, I can't get you out right now but I will in a little bit. And that little bit became a couple days and every day he'd come back and bring them water and food and this woman came out and she just broke down and goes here, I don't have anything to give you by want to give you this wristband and he's like, and then he said, she goes, the last two days I've had this little compact DVD player and watching "the Passion of the Christ" on it and here you are and I grab my rosary and I said I want to you give this to her and I hugged him and I said you have to give that to her, too.
M. O'BRIEN: So she's okay?
CAVIEZEL: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Great.
Jim Caviezel, we wish you well as you spend some time seeing the damage and spending some time with people today praying on this Sunday, now nearly two weeks since Katrina hit. Thanks for being with us. Soledad?
CAVIEZEL: Thank you very much, Miles.
S. O'BRIEN: That's a very nice and moving story.
Let's show you live pictures from 9/11 where you can see people are already gathered. They're getting ready for memorial service to begin. It's sure to be a massive crowd, many of them holding pictures of loved one who were lost on that day. In just a few minutes, there will be a moment of silence to remember the victims. We're going to continue to cover this story for you after we take a short break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
You're looking at live pictures from New York City this morning on this, the fourth anniversary of the attacks at Ground Zero. Today we've seen many people who have come down to this area, the site of the former World Trade Center, with pictures of their loved ones, holding them, as they begin the ceremonies to remember all of the victims who were lost on that terrible day. We're waiting for those ceremonies to get under way and of course we're going to carry those for you as soon as they begin.
M. O'BRIEN: 8:46 a.m. Eastern Time, about 16, 15 minutes from now is when they will begin the remembering that moment, that moment when the North Tower was struck and the attacks began and our world changed forever more.
We will bring that to you, that moment of silence and much of the ceremony as it begins.
S. O'BRIEN: First though a check of the other stories making news today. Let's get right to Tony Harris. Good morning, Tony.
HARRIS: Good morning, Soledad. Good morning, Miles. Good morning, everyone. Now in the news, there's word Japan's prime minister is keeping his office. Exit polls suggest Japan's ruling party won a landslide victory in today's parliamentary elections. Polls closed just within the last hour. Japan's prime minister had vowed to resign if his party lost. Official results are expected tomorrow.
And an emergency landing at Northwest Airlines three weeks after the airline's mechanics went on strike, the plane headed from Memphis to Minneapolis when the pilot reported trouble with an engine and a landing gear. None of the 62 people aboard were hurt. Northwest's mechanics have been on strike since August 20th. The airline and the union say it is too early to tell if the problems are related.
And Ophelia is still churning in the Atlantic. A hurricane watch is in effect from the Georgia/South Carolina border through North Carolina. The National Hurricane Center predicts the Ophelia will hit the U.S. but it is not exactly sure when or where. Bonnie Schneider is at the CNN Center with the latest weather update. And good morning, Bonnie.
SCHNEIDER: Good morning, Tony.
Well, right now, Ophelia has maximum winds as 85 miles per hour, still a hurricane, a Category 1. The storm is now stationary, it's kind of just drifting out to the ocean. And because it moved to the north-northeast yesterday really the main thing to note is the track has shifted as well.
In fact, the hurricane watch is discontinued southward towards South Carolina and Georgia. Rather, we're really focusing on North Carolina down through Edisto Beach in South Carolina. That's where the watch is at this time.
So keep that in mind. We're going to see hurricane force conditions in this region for the next 36 hours. We'll be watching that very closely.
Now, as we take a look at the track you'll see the time line here has changed as well. So has the cone of uncertainly stretched as far north as the North Carolina, Virginia border there. And this storm is actually going to be getting pretty close to land if not making landfall, so we will be feeling the strong winds on the Outer Banks.
And I just want to mention once again that we have rough surf and rip tides all the way along the Carolina coast down through Georgia still today. So it's not a good idea to head out into the rough waves.
So Category 1. Will it make landfall? The computer models are kind of saying it will and won't at the same time. So we're watching to see if it actually makes landfall or just brushes the Outer Banks. But it looks like according to this track we will see landfall later than we originally thought, getting closer to Wednesday.
Miles?
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Bonnie Schneider.
Stay with CNN for complete coverage of Hurricane Ophelia. CNN is your hurricane headquarters.
In the wake of Katrina, a lot of blame aimed at the Louisiana governor, Kathleen Blanco, many blame here for the slow response. The governor toured the damage in Slidell, Louisiana yesterday, a hard-hit part of the world there.
And while there she talked to CNN about allegations and a late call for help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO, LOUISIANA: Did I ask the president early on for help? Yes, I did. I asked him before the storm came, because I know what a storm can do to my state and I know that we need help. He wanted to help. We both got caught in trying to make a bureaucracy work on something bigger than it ever had imagined it would have to work on.
We are all in this together. There will be plenty time later to dissect what we could have done better or should have done better. But right now, for people not sitting here in the midst of our people and seeing the strength and the determination and the frustration in their hearts, what we need to do is not distract, not play the blame game, because everybody is at risk here. We need to keep our eye on the goal, and the goal is the rebuilding and the rebirth and the renewal. (END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: Franco went on to say she hopes lessons learned from Katrina can help to reshape emergency management in this country.
Now, how serious is this exodus of New Orleans? Well, the mayor is among those in the exodus. He's moving his family to Texas. Mayor Ray Nagin has bought a house in Dallas. He was there on Friday, raising some funds for students there. Now his own daughter will go to school in Dallas. He says his family will live there the next six months while he shuttles back and forth to New Orleans. Just so happens six months from now is when Nagin faces re-election. That will be an interesting election.
Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: To say the very least. That might be the understatement of the year, Miles.
Some of the most troubling and most sad stories to come out of Hurricane Katrina were those that involved the elderly, for example, the story we told you about the senior citizens at St. Rita's Nursing Home, many of whom could not get out of the nursing home when they finally decided to evacuate that residence.
Well, many of the elderly survivors are now separated from their families and their familiar surroundings and their medicine and their health care. Let's get right to Tom Nelson this morning, he's the chief operating officer with AARP. And he's in Washington this morning.
It's nice to talk to you, Mr. Nelson. Thank you for being with us.
The older people, I think it's fair to say, in some ways disproportionately affected, in many cases they couldn't get out, couldn't afford to get out and when they were given advice by the mayor of, if you're going to stay, you should have an axe to cut your way out, clearly they're not going to be able to do that either.
TOM NELSON, COO, AARP: No, that's absolutely right. We're really talking about the most vulnerable of the vulnerable, and that's where we failed. That's why the officials failed. That's where the larger community failed. These were the folks who are counting on the rest of us for help and that help didn't come in a timely way that saved lives. Clearly, there were acts of heroism and kindness, but there's a larger failure here that needs to be understood.
S. O'BRIEN: What about the emotional component, too? Physically, obviously, a lot of these people are frail and physically couldn't get out, but emotionally now, for those who survived, what kinds of things do they face?
NELSON: Well, it's an ongoing tragedy. For those who have been relocated, they may well find themselves alone, isolated, without the caregivers that had provided them support, without the medicine they need, perhaps disoriented and frankly, in many of these centers, despite the best efforts, they're not in a position to provide the kind of care and support that some of these older people are in need of.
S. O'BRIEN: We've talked about how in certain shelters disease is a problem and again, the elderly and small children but the elderly are disproportionately affected by that, too.
NELSON: That's correct. And one of the challenges for many older persons is that they may well have left their medications behind when they were evacuated, and so the challenge of identifying and understanding what's the medical regime that they need to be on, and also to make sure that they're getting the benefits such as me Medicare or Medicaid is one of the challenges as well.
We were pleased that this past Friday the government announced that they were adjusting some of the regulations to enable people to get those benefits to make it easier again. That's been a problem.
S. O'BRIEN: Before I get to what AARP is doing to help the folks, because we've clearly set up the problem now, I want to talk about logistical problems as well. I mean, many of the grandparents are in charge of their grandchildren. They may be essentially the parents of their grandchildren in certain parts of the inner city. And yet not officially. No adoption papers were drafted and drawn up.
What kind of problem is that causing?
NELSON: Soledad, you're absolutely right. In Ward Nine, which was one of the earliest and most severely hit area of the New Orleans City, roughly 60 percent of the households with children are headed by grandparents.
O'BRIEN: So what do you do for these people now?
NELSON: Those people have been moved to new locations but as you said, they may not have the documentation, the paperwork that gave them custody or guardianship of their children, so the challenge now is as they arrange for education or health care. They're not recognized as having the authority over these children. It's a huge problem.
S. O'BRIEN: So what is AARP doing?
NELSON: Well, we're really acting on a number of fronts. In the short term we're helping as many organizations are with providing financial resources to help the relief effort. We'll also be sending staff and volunteers into the area to help older people. We have special knowledge, special skills, information. Also, we'll be providing information because the next round of tragedy are things like home repair scams that are targeted at the elderly.
We'll be giving them information. But perhaps most importantly in terms of the long-term we're really going to be shining a spotlight, as will others, on what went wrong and what needs to change in the future to prevent this huge tragedy from happening again. S. O'BRIEN: Many of us would like to hear the answers to that. Tom Nelson, the chief operating officer AARP, thanks.
NELSON: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: Miles?
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, remembering 9/11 as we think about Katrina and that tragedy, we also look back to four years ago and 9/11.
And many of us this morning wonder what we may or may not have learned in the wake of 9/11 as we look at events unfolding in the Gulf region. Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Live pictures now from Ground Zero as the ceremony begins in the four years since the terrorists brought the World Trade Towers crashing to the ground. We've heard an awful lot of survivors' stories. But those who survived that awful day, there is a powerful need to preserve those memories.
Mary Snow is at Ground Zero this morning for this emotional ceremony. Mary, good morning to you.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles. That ceremony just getting under way. This year, siblings will be reading the names of the 2,749 people who died here on September 11th. This is a day about remembering and some family members, are already doing that in a more permanent way.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): September is a difficult month for Michael Kuo. It brings him back to ground zero, the place where his father Fred was killed four years ago, the place where he hopes to preserve his father's memory.
MICHAEL KUO, SON OF 9/11 VICTIM: When I'm home I'm there for my mom and then when I get the feeling that she's spooked of my presence because of how much I resemble him, it is something that I kind of wish that I didn't have, because I think that it hurts her.
SNOW: Kuo is among the first 100 9/11 families recording oral histories at a story boot at the Trade Center train station, recordings to be part of a permanent memorial. As Kuo talks to an interviewer, he recalls simple things, the feel of his father's stubble, driving with him in a station wagon and how he showed affection for his mother.
KUO: My dad when we were driving in the car he'd always put his hand on her knee.
SNOW: At times, Kuo has to stop, but he felt it was important to finish. KUO: I've met a lot of people that have come here to the city to talk to family members like myself or just to express their kind of sympathy for us. And to share. Every time somebody opens themselves up to me, I feel like a richer person because of it.
SNOW: The brainchild behind this project is documentary maker Dave Isay.
DAVE ISAY, FOUNDER, STORY CORPS: The microphone gives people the license to talk about things they might not be comfortable talking about.
SNOW: 9/11 survivors and first responders are also telling their stories.
REV. JAMES HAYS, 9/11 FIRST RESPONDER: My name is Father James Hays. I am 56 years old.
SNOW: Hays is a priest in a Lower Manhattan church just blocks from Ground Zero. The day of the attacks, he went to help.
HAYS: This -- I believe it was a police officer, he yelled in this booming voice, "The town is the tower is coming down." And it was almost as if time stopped.
SNOW: As the first Twin Tower collapsed the huge cloud of dust and debris barreled towards him.
HAYS: I just literally dove like a baseball player. Heading for home plate underneath the front part of the car and just as all that stuff came down.
SNOW: Afterwards, Hays spent weeks at the site morgue, blessing victims.
HAYS: Seeing the body parts and seeing, and then trying to understand that human beings did this to other human beings, it's like totally incomprehensible.
SNOW: Four years later he still struggles with what he witnessed.
HAYS: Jesus says to forgive. I'm not there yet. I'm not there yet. But in a sense the forgiveness takes away from the pain.
SNOW: A pain these story tellers want us never to forget.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: That was Mary Snow reporting, and let's take you back now to Ground Zero, the bagpipers have played and we are approaching the moment, 8:46 a.m., Eastern Time, four years ago, precisely, when that first airplane, American Airlines flight 11, out of Boston flew into the North Tower.
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, MAYOR OF NEW YORK: Again, we are a city that meets in sadness. We come here to remember the names of those we lost four years ago. The greatest honor we can do them is to remember them, not just as they were in death, but as they were in life. We have asked our sisters and brothers, those who grew up with them in childhood and who knew them in the prime of their lives to lead today's ceremonies.
At this time, please join us and all New Yorkers in a moment of silence.
(SILENCE)
BLOOMBERG: The ties between brothers and sisters are special ones. Their lives are intertwined from childhood, sharing a common bond of parents and the years of their youth. Siblings know each other as no other person ever can. The one you depend on to walk with you, in times of trouble, and in times of joy. As we listen today to these sisters and brothers, we are reminded that there are ties between all men and women, that we are all linked to one another in our common humanity, that in a fundamental way, we are all brothers and sisters.
We have asked the siblings of those who died to help us remember the bright lives and the legacies of those who perished in this place.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My name is Anfula Katimatires (ph). My older brother, John, lived in Technicolor. He taught me to wear bright colors and to love life, so today I wore this bright pink shirt to honor him and to fill the day with his great zest for living. At home, we called John by his Greek name, Yanni (ph). When he walked in the door, the whole house lit up and I'm sure heaven lit up, too, when he got there.
My brother wanted me to understand that each day should be lived to the fullest, that life is short, and that I should try to find happiness, even when I'm surrounded by sadness as we all are today.
When I think of John, I think about a man who had a gift, a gift for making all those around him feel good about being alive. I hope I'll carry the lessons he taught me all through my life. I am proud that he graced this earth for 31 years and made such a lasting impression on all those who knew him.
I am so proud to call him my brother.
God bless.
BLOOMBERG: Today, as we recite the names of those we lost, our hearts turn as well towards London, our sister city, remembering those she has just lost as well, and to Americans suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, our deepest sympathies go out to you, this day.
In difficult times as these, I think of the words of the American poet, Carl Sandberg. "Time is a great teacher. Who can live without hope? In the darkness, with a great bundle of grief, the people march." On this fourth anniversary of 9/11, the one miracle we can perform is to go on living, to preserve, protect, and celebrate the value of life, and to remember those who died here, not as strangers, but as but as our brothers and sisters.
Today, the sisters and brothers will read the names of those who died.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gordon M. Ammett, Jr. (ph)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Edilmuro Abad (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maria Rose Abad (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Andrew Anthony Abat (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Vincent Abate (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lawrence Christopher Abel (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Alana Abraham (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: William F. Abrahmson (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And my big brother, Texas A&M Aggie, Dr. Lee Allen Adler, Avram Chaim Ben David Moshe, V'yit Haesther (ph), miss you, Leroy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And my brother, Lieutenant Brian G. Ahearn (ph), FDNY. You're still our hero. Please keep watching over us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Richard Anthony Aceto (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Heinrich Bernard Ackerman (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Paul Aquaviva (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Donald Laroy Adams (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Patrick Adams (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shannon Lewis Adams (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Steven George Adams (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ignatius Udo Adonga (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And our sister, Mary Lou Hague (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Christy A Adamo (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Terrence R. Adderly, Jr. (ph)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sophia B. Ado (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dr. Lee Adler (ph). UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Daniel Thomas Appolito (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Emmanuel Aquszi Afuacua (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aluc Agawal (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Macul Kumar Aguwala (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And my brother, Edward W. Shunk (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And my brother, Keith Alexander Lasgo (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joseph Agnello (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: David Scott Agnes (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Auala Alberta Defonseca Aguiar (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brian G. Ahearn (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jeremiah Joseph Ahearn (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joanne Marie Aladiotis (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shabir Ahmed (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Terrence Andre Akin (ph). And our brother, Richard Dennis Allen (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love you and miss you, Richie (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Godwin Ashala (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gertrude M. Alagero (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Andrew Alameno (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Margaret Anne Alario (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gary M. Albero (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: John Leslie Albert (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Peter Craig Alderman (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jaclyn Delaine Aldrich (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And my brother, Richard Rico Palazora (ph). Your spirit lives on, Richie. The twins forever.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And my dearest sister, Sara Ali Escasaiga (ph), may the peace and blessings of Allah always be upon you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: David D. Alger (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ernest Ali Cacos (ph). UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Edward L. Alagritto (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Eric Allen (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joseph Ryan Allen (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Richard Dennis Allen (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Richard L. Allen (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Christopher E. Alingham (ph) and our brother, Salvatore F. Peppi (ph), we love you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anna Alison (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Janet Alonzo (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anthony Alvarato (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Antonio Javier Alvarez (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Victoria Alvarez-Morito (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Palermo E. Alvera (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Caesar Alvaranto Alviar (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tariq Amanula (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And my brother, our friend, we love you very much, I miss you every day. Sergeant Timothy Allen Roy Sr (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And my sister and friend, Jane Alan Baseler (ph).
M. O'BRIEN: Four years after 9/11, the ritual, the scene, the setting has sadly become familiar and yet, it is no less poignant as the siblings of those lost on that day, read their names and say a few words to their loved ones, wherever they may be, on this morning.
As one of them said, life is short. Live every day to the fullest, and never forget, never forget what happened that day. Never forget those people. We won't.
We have a special place for you to go if you'd like to see some additional tributes for the 9/11 victims. Go to cnn.com/memorial. Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: 9/11 remembered. The nation pauses to honor the lives of the victims on this, the fourth anniversary of the attacks. Katrina's aftermath, the search goes on for survivors in New Orleans. Authorities going door to door trying to find people who oar alive and who are desperately waiting for help. And a developing story, Hurricane Ophelia still hovering offshore. Will it make a sharp turn and head for the coast? A state of emergency in North Carolina on this AMERICAN MORNING.
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