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CNN Live Sunday

Residents Begin To Reenter Algiers Area Of New Orleans; National Center Continues Frustrating Work Of Reuniting Families

Aired September 18, 2005 - 18:00   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin. To our top story in just a moment, but first stories making news right now.
A hurricane watch is in effect for the Florida Keys as Tropical Storm Rita heads toward that low-lying island chain. Governor Jeb Bush has declared a state of emergency. And mandatory evacuations are in effect for tourists in the lower Keys. A live report from the CNN weather center in just one minute.

And a shocking development in the investigation of yesterday's train derailment in Chicago. The National Transportation Safety Board says the Metra commuter train was traveling nearly 60 miles an hour over the speed limit before it jumped the tracks. Two people died in the derailment, and more than 80 were injured.

And now to two highly watched elections overseas. The first in Afghanistan. Millions of citizens there braved the threat of insurgent violence today and voted on the country's first parliamentary provincial elections in more than 30 years. Security at polling sites was heavy. And only a few insurgent attacks were reported.

And parliamentary elections in Germany have set off a scramble for power between the country's two major parties about. Exit polls show the conservatives led by Angela Merkel slightly ahead of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats. But that lead is not enough to form a government. So, both Merkel and Schroeder are now shopping for coalition partners to get a ruling majority.

To our top story now. First, it was Katrina, and now another dangerous storm, Rita, is making a beeline towards Florida. The big concern, as you can imagine, is whether its bound for the Gulf. Florida governor Jeb Bush has declared a state of emergency. So let's go right to CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Carol. They just upgraded to a tropical storm about an hour ago with winds now 40 miles an hour or so. We're watching it carefully.

We were watching Phillipe here, but of greater concern is Rita which is a lot closer to the U.S. So that's why the red flags are starting to pop up.

South Florida here, the Bahamas and here's the center of Rita, less than 400 miles east-southeast of Nassau. It's heading to the west now at about 10 miles and hour. And that should bring it into the Florida straits within the next 36 hours. And that's important. And that's why there have been some watches and warnings put up.

Tropical storm warnings for the southeastern parts of the Bahamas. That means that tropical storm conditions are happening or are expected in the next 24 hours. The yellow highlighted areas, the northwest Bahamas, and also the Florida Keys, and that's now been extended up through lower parts of Florida from Deerfield Beach around towards East Cape Sable. And what hurricane watches mean is that hurricane conditions are possible in the next 36 hours in those spots.

So this storm is getting itself together quite rapidly and heading to the west quite rapidly. And here's the latest forecast track now out of the National Hurricane Center. Bringing it towards to hurricane status likely tomorrow night into Tuesday morning. And then Tuesday morning, having it somewhere in the Florida straits.

Now the latest forecast track is a little different from earlier today. And that it's a little farther to the south. And that would bode well for folks who live in, say, Key West or in any of the lower Keys. But we'll have to wait and see exactly what happens then.

Then it goes into the Gulf of Mexico Wednesday and Thursday. And then, you know, all bets are off where it goes from there. It looks like right now Texas, but certainly the Gulf coast of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama are going to be worried about that situation.

Tropical storm Phillipe, this one looks like we don't have to worry about. It looks like it's going to head into the open Atlantic Ocean. And that's good news.

Right now, though, all eyes are on Rita as it closes in on the southern part of Florida. More updates throughout the night. Carol back to you.

LIN: All right. A frightening situation. Thanks Rob.

Well, in the meantime in the Gulf Coast, muck, mold and a miserable mess as New Orleans residents take their mayor's advice to come home. Now, it's clear many people won't find much when they get there. And even if they can live in their old homes, what but their communities? Power, water and phone service are spotty.

And even though the foul waters are draining away, people may still get very, very sick. Doctors say they are bracing for a second disaster as returning residents are met with fallen tree, collapsed walls and broken glass. Countless accidents are waiting to happen.

At least on the face of it, the Algiers neighborhood got off easy. This section of New Orleans lies across the Mississippi River. It didn't flood when the levees broke. So its one area where they do have power and water, although it's still far from business as usual.

CNN's Keith Oppenheim joins me now with a status report. Keith, it looks like things are improving there with the plywood behind you.

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's true. And comparatively, Carol, things are a lot better here.

This plywood belongs to this coffee house called Toute Suite. And we have been seeing people officially -- or unofficially I should say, hanging out here at this coffee house, just having a cup of coffee and hanging out.

Now I'm going to take you inside the home of a homeowner who is waiting for us on the inside. His name is Barry Hays. And like everyone else here, Barry knows that people can officially now come into this neighborhood, Algiers, and get their homes back together, which is where we find Barry. Hey, how you doing?

BARRY HAYS, ALGIERS RESIDENT: Hi, welcome to my home.

OPPENHEIM: Yes. And you know, I can see, first all, it's a very beautiful home, but things are in a state of having been packed from before the storm. Overall, how is your house doing?

HAYS: The house is in very good shape. Couple of leaks here and there. Couple of shingles missing, but we're in very good shape.

OPPENHEIM: Your wife and your two sons, they're 2 and 4, I think you told me, right?

HAYS: Right.

OPPENHEIM: They were in Dallas and then in Shreveport as temporary places. Are you comfortable having them come back to this neighborhood this week? Or are you still a little unsure as to how safe it might be for you and your family?

HAYS: The only reason I would be unsure about them coming back is that there is just debris around. But I'm in the process of cleaning that up. And other than that, I think things are fine.

You know, I just want them to return to a state of normalcy when they get here. And that includes cleaning out the refrigerators that had, you know, really a terrible odor in them.

OPPENHEIM: In fact when I met you, you were trying to clean out that fridge. And it was almost impossible to get the smell out of rotten food.

HAYS: Right, exactly. And a lot of people are just pitching them out. But I figure...

OPPENHEIM: There are a lot of refrigerators on the street here.

HAYS: Right. Right. And I figure it's going to be very hard to get a refrigerator anyway. So I figure if we clean it out, even if the smell doesn't always get -- if it doesn't leave entirely, well then we will deal with it in a couple of months and get one when they are more readily available.

OPPENHEIM: Well, good luck to you. And to just give an overall picture here, Barry and his neighbors have electricity. They have running water for the most part. Some of them even have cable TV. But basic city services are slowly coming back, like sanitation and whether they can go to a grocery store or a drugstore.

So the fact that this neighborhood is being opened, has to be put in context, Carol. There are a lot of places or things that they might need that are not going to be easy to get. Back to you.

LIN: You bet. All right, thanks very much. Beautiful house indeed. Want to see more of it in case you are going live from there again, Keith. Thanks so much.

All right. As the Gulf region begins to turn the corner toward recovery, CNN will continue keeping you as close to the story as possible. Beginning tomorrow and all week, we're going to be reporting zip code by zip code as New Orleans rebuilds. Tomorrow, for example, we're going to focus on the 70114 and the west bank section of New Orleans called Algiers. And of course we're going to continue tracking developments throughout the Gulf region.

We're also helping people find their children. CNN has been working with National Center for Missing & Exploited Children this weekend. So many parents and children were separated in the confusion after Katrina. Our Gary Nuremberg is at the center's headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Gary, so good to hear that they're getting results.

GARY NUREMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know Carol, they really are. 3,026 cases, more than 850 resolved as of noon today. I have been eaves dropping on the volunteers, many of whom are former law enforcement officials, or that kind of training, very good reporting-like questions as they zero in on the information so essential to finding these lost kids.

But let's tell you the story now of two 5-year-old girls we'd like to call to your attention, starting with Eymi Gonzalez Lopez, 5- years-old. She's four feet tall, weighs 40 pounds. She was last known to be in New Orleans, Louisiana. Last seen to be with her mother, Tanya Carolina Lopez and her uncle Edgar Lopez. Their whereabouts since Katrina hit, still unknown. Any information call 1- 800-THE-LOST.

Another 5-year-old to introduce you to: four feet tall, 52 pounds, Santiago Flores. She was last known to be with her mother, Marissa Cabolos in New Orleans. However, they have not been heard from since the hurricane hit. Santiago has a chipped tooth. The picture of the child's mother can be viewed on the Internet at MissingKids.com under the Louisiana missing adult section. Again any information about 5-year-old Sandiago Flores, please call 1-800-THE- LOST.

Carol, there really has been some good news as a result of this effort. As we were on the air just a couple of hours ago, one of the cases we featured this morning of two missing brothers, 15 and 16, someone saw, called in. Now, we know that those two brothers are safe in Texas where one of them has already made the local football team at his new school. That family is going to be reunited within several days. Those are the kind of results we're look for, Carol. And this weekend those are the kind of results we're getting.

LIN: Gary, real quick, of the thousands of calls that these people are getting, I mean, what is it that they're hearing? We have a handful of kids reunited, but hundreds of people calling in. Are they saying oh, maybe we saw the kid at the supermarket? Or, I mean, what kind of tips are they getting?

NUREMBERG: Well, that's exactly what happened. I was eavesdropping on one call for someone who said we saw the picture of the child on television, and you know, I think I saw my neighbor walk down the street, funny you should say it to the supermarket. The case investigators is going to follow up when that neighbor gets back with the child.

We are told that there are a handful of cases right that appear to be solve, but they want to be very, very careful before they go public with that. And we hope to be able to have that information for you as the day progresses.

LIN: Got you.

All right. So, for every case that's resolved, it sounds like it could be dozens of calls coming in with bits and pieces of information that these virtual detectives have to put together behind you. That's amazing. All right. Thanks very much, Gary.

Well, from city hall to the White House, the government response to Katrina took plenty of criticism. Up next, can a safer America emerge from this tragedy? Political analyst Carlos Watson working his sources and he's got a "Fresh Take."

Also, a New Orleans' TV station weathers the storm, but suffers personal losses. The staff is still working through these difficult days.

And later, Katrina's impact on mental health. The psychiatrist famous for her positive energy is going to offer advice for coping with stress. This is CNN LIVE SUNDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: There has been plenty of blame to go around, from FEMA to the New Orleans mayor from President Bush to the Louisiana governor. The president has been to New Orleans multiple times, and he's going there again this week. Is it possible all of the finger-pointing will actually lead, though, to a safer country, bullet-proof against both mother nature and Osama bin Laden? Finally, a "Fresh Take" on this disaster. Carlos Watson, you actually think Katrina may finish the business of 9/11? This takes some explaining.

CARLOS WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, maybe. Carol, you remember after 9/11, the country, obviously became very worried about our safety and our preparedness. The 9/11 commission proposed some 40 major recommendations. But Carol, most of them have sat stalled in Congress, they haven't moved on them.

But interestingly enough, this disaster, sad as it is, may actually get Congress to move on a couple of major things. One on emergency first responders, meaning that when there is a disaster like this, it's clear who has the command and who has the control to make things happen.

No. 2, the radio spectrum. There is an argument that part of the radio should be used in emergencies by police, fire, and others in order to make sure everyone knows what to do. Again, that's been stalled, frankly by some pretty powerful commercial interests. That may finally move.

And last but not least, one of the other fairly significant things here in terms of the 9/11 commission's recommendation would be making sure that we utilize all of the resources: federal, state and local, and that they're well coordinated.

You may see a lot of movement on each of those three over the next six to nine months. And frankly what the 9/11 commission couldn't do, you may actually see Hurricane Katrina and the remembrance of that actually achieve.

LIN: But, you know, politicians have lost so much credibility in the aftermath of Katrina. So who is going to have the credibility to lead this kind of response?

WATSON: Well, interestingly enough, on issues like homeland security you may see people like John McCain, the maverick senator from Arizona, be kind of a big champion, and he may be the person.

But when you talk about some of the things that President Bush discussed on in terms of rebuilding New Orleans, whether it's job training or new home ownership initiatives, interestingly enough, Barack Obama, the freshman senator, the Democrat from Illinois may end up becoming a new Bush partner.

Frankly, no senator has been as outspoken as he's been. He's given his first major Sunday interviews since he took office just in the last two or three weeks talking about what should happen here. And we can't forget that he's a former community organizer and professor. And so these issues of job training and health care and all those sorts of things fit nicely for him.

And whereas in the past, the president partnered with Ted Kennedy on big bipartisan efforts, efforts like No Child Left Behind and Medicare, look for a partnership with Barack Obama. It actually might benefit both men not only in terms of policy gains for real people of New Orleans but may be a political dividend as well.

LIN: Wow! All right, well. You asked us also earlier to say this. OK? The words on the screen, "competence is sexy." All right. In a disaster scenario, like the one we're looking at in the Gulf Coast, what do you mean? WATSON: Well, Carol, what I mean is after a disaster like that, people are looking for reassurance. Very few people when you look at polls, feel that the mayor, the governor or the president did a good job in responding. And so as you look ahead to 2006, this may in effect become the quiet slogan. That competence is sexy. And whether someone is a former business type like this guy, who hopefully we will show on the screen.

LIN: Lee Iacocca?

WATSON: You remember him, the former CEO of Chrysler who made people believe that America could be competent in building cars. And he says if you got a better choice, take it? Well, you may hear that from a lot of people. Again, whether, it's a business-type who's running for mayor, whether it's maybe a former military officer who is running for governor, perhaps it's a doctor who's running for the U.S. Senate, the theme of competence and clean government is going to become a big thing, maybe the biggest thing we have seen since the post-Watergate candidates of 1974 and '76.

LIN: It's going to make a really interesting 2006.

Carlos Watson, thank you so much.

WATSON: Good to see you.

LIN: You, too.

All right. Out of Hurricane Katrina's devastation, does come plans to rebuild. And that means, more than replacing buildings, it requires restoring a sense of well-being for survivors. So coming up, find out the key steps to emotional rebuilding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: We've been showing you some business owners along the Gulf Coast who are finally being allowed back in to survey the damage. And what they're finding is not a pretty picture.

Joining me by telephone from the uptown district of New Orleans is Mary Lou Bensabat, a store owner who just returned today to survey the damage. Mary Lou, what did you find?

MARY LOU BENSABAT, NEW ORLEANS STORE OWNER: Well, we found a -- we share a building with a landlord who has the florist shop next door. And we found the roof had been -- the paper had been blown off. Quite a bit of damage to the florist shop next door and some rain coming in and causing mold and anything on the floor to become wet on our side.

LIN: Well, given what you've been watching on television for the last couple of weeks, is it worse or is it better than what you...?

BENSABAT: Oh, it's very easy. We almost feel guilty.

LIN: Really, yes. Because you got the framework to rebuild. I mean, you got something there at least.

BENSABAT: Absolutely. What we need -- yes, we just threw out everything that was damaged. Thank God the customer's art that was still in the shop is still OK.

LIN: Wow. That's pretty miraculous.

BENSABAT: Yes. Well, we do our hurricane prep. We had it all up off the floor and underneath plastic. This is -- the things that were damaged were on the floor.

LIN: So how much do you think it's going to cost to restore your store? And where do you think you're going to get the money?

BENSABAT: Hopefully insurance, because we are insured. And thank God it was not flood damage, but damage from the roof.

LIN: Oh you are lucky, yes. Because a lot of people are going to have to prove that it was wind damage and not flood damage. And most people didn't sign up for federal flood insurance.

BENSABAT: Exactly. And so, you know, we do have flood insurance. But the other insurance I think will actually pay more. It looks like maybe about $20,000 worth. But I'm not an insurance adjustor so I don't really know.

LIN: Mary Lou, what was the hurry to get back? I mean, you know, you've got the head of the recovery operations saying, look no power, no water. We can't guarantee what you're coming back to, and disease may soon start spreading. So stay away.

BENSABAT: Well, we know different because we didn't have any huge flooding uptown. So therefore we didn't have the disease from the water. And you just want to see. You want to see what's going on with your property. You can't relax. You can't rest.

LIN: Well, you've got a store but you don't have any customers.

BENSABAT: That's right. We'll get customers, though.

LIN: What about your house?

BENSABAT: House is fine. House is fine, thank God. And once again, almost feel guilty saying that it was OK.

LIN: You know what, there's nothing wrong, nothing wrong with being blessed, Mary Lou.

BENSABAT: Yes, well, we are.

LIN: Maybe you skirted this, but at least you're having a chance to take a look around.

BENSABAT: We are. So we'll be able to help other folks.

LIN: Yes. So what's the neighborhood like? What's the feeling? What's it like to stand there and be there?

BENSABAT: Well, it's pretty weird seeing humvees and tents and portalettes (ph) out in the street. And what's very strange is to see the search and rescue symbols on the homes. That's very spooky.

LIN: Yes.

BENSABAT: A lot of downed trees, but someone's done a pretty good job clearing things away so that you can navigate the streets very easily.

LIN: Uh-huh.

BENSABAT: Just no people, you know? We've got houses and trees and neighborhoods but no folks.

LIN: Well you've got the foundation to start over, Mary Lou. It's good to hear that. I'm glad you got a chance to see your property.

BENSABAT: We feel much better.

LIN: All right, Mary Lou Bensabat from the uptown portion of New Orleans.

In the meantime, jazz legends are remembering the victims of Hurricane Katrina at the 48th annual Monterey Jazz Festival. Alto saxophonist John Handy was among the featured artists performing this weekend. One singer criticized hurricane efforts while another promised New Orleans the music would return.

And last night, there was also a tribute to the late Ray Charles by guitarist John Schofield. The festival wraps up today.

Now, tourists are being told to leave parts of Florida as Tropical storm Rita barrels west. We're going to show you where the storm is heading when we come back.

And later, coping with Katrina. A psychiatrist is going to join me talk to about some tips on how hurricane survivors and relief workers can deal with depression and exhaustion. She is an expert. You're watching CNN LIVE SUNDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Welcome back. I'm Carol Lin. And here is a quick look at what's happening right now in the news.

The Florida Keys are under a hurricane watch. Tourists have been ordered to evacuate the lower Keys. The islands are in the path of a strengthening weather system that became a tropical storm, named Rita within the past couple of hours.

And a Chicago commuter train was going 69 miles per hour in a 10 mile per hour zone when it derailed yesterday. Federal investigators determined the speed from a data recorder. Two people were killed and dozens injured. 15 are still in hospitals today.

And voting in local and national elections across Afghanistan has concluded with minimal disruptions from militants. Afghan police and the military reported some encounters with enemy fighters, but none at the polls. Women ran for office and voted today free to participate in politics after being banned by the previous Taliban.

Exit polls show a closely divided result in today's voting in Germany. Christian Democrats led by Angela Merkel apparently got more votes than Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats, but not enough to assure that Merkel will be Germany's next leader. Both candidate are trying to put together coalitions that will give them a majority.

To live pictures now of U.S. highway 1. It is the main north/south route out of Key West. There has been a mandatory evacuation of tourists there, as Tropical Storm Rita starts heading their way. The mayor has said that 15,000 bikers were down there this weekend because of a poker run. But so far we don't see a lot of bikers on the road.

A few minutes ago, we did see some SUVs heading out of town, but it looks it's pretty calm so far as yet another Tropical Storm heads for the state of Florida.

Now, Florida governor Jeb Bush has declared a state of emergency in the approach of that tropical storm. So we're going to go to Rob Marciano at the CNN weather center to see what is up. Where is Rita right now, Rob?

MARCIANO: It's pretty far away right now, but it is moving a little bit more rapidly than, say, Hurricane Ophelia was moving just a few days ago. Here it is. It's in the Bahamas, basically, north of the island of Hispaniola, heading to the west at about 10 miles an hour. A litter closer look at it for you, and get your bearings.

Bahamas, South Florida, Miami, the Keys. Here's Cuba. And here's a center of what is now Tropical Storm Rita. It's about -- well, it's just under 400 miles from east-southeast of Nassau. And again, heading into this direction.

All the convection, all the stormy-ness with this system is all to the north. So the southern half has yet to develop, but the northern half looks pretty healthy. And for that reason, the National Hurricane Center says, yes, this thing is a tropical storm. And it's going to be heading into very, very warm water here. I found a couple of reports, some of the buoys across the Keys of 88 or 89 degrees for water temperatures, and that's significant. We get them up over 80, that's what you need for hurricanes. But if you get them up that warm, that's some serious juice.

All right. Here is the forecast from the National Hurricane Center, taking it basically on a due west course. So whether or not it goes over Cuba, interacts with Cuba there and weakening, we will have to see. If it goes a little bit farther north, obviously South Florida will be under the gun. But it is forecast to become a hurricane by Tuesday morning or at the very latest, Tuesday afternoon. And because of that tropical -- or hurricane watches are up now for much of southern Florida all the way down to Key West. That's the latest from here, Carol. Back over to you.

LIN: Serious business, thanks, Rob.

Well, balancing risk against recovery, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin tells business owners and residents they may begin returning to start rebuilding their city. But the point man in charge of federal relief efforts is urging a more cautious approach. Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen is concerned that New Orleans isn't ready to meet some very basic needs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICE ADM. THAD ALLEN, U.S. COAST GUARD: They're still trying to reconstitute the 911 system. Some of these people may not have telephone service, there is not power and there is not potable water. So you put people into that situation and if you have an extreme weather event, you're very, very challenged to try and get notifications and to get them out. And we think that is to be the subject of some very deliberate planning and a very thoughtful approach of how you reenter the city.

LIN: One federal official who insisted on remaining anonymous told CNN that federal and state officials were caught a bit off-guard by Mayor Nagin's call to come on back to New Orleans. But I just talked to a shop keeper and she says everything looks good in her uptown neighborhood.

Now, a lot of magazines and television shows have learned that people love to see the inside of celebrity homes. But a local New Orleans television anchor has turned that idea on its head. WDSU's Norman Robinson invited a camera into his private home, not to offer his insight into his lifestyle but to offer a stark picture of a disaster that didn't care whose door it knocked down.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NORMAN ROBINSON, WDSU CORRESPONDENT: This is the gut-wrenching view of Spring Lakes subdivision. This is one of the oldest communities in what's called New Orleans East. The destruction is just totally thorough. It's overwhelming. We've had people asking us questions all over the country. What does the east look like? What does my neighborhood look like? Well, this gives you some appreciation of the widespread destruction, devastation. It's like no-man's land.

As you could see, the door is hard to open because, actually, we had to force it open because it was swollen from all the water. The mold is climbing up, up the walls. It's well above my head. And this was my granddaughter's piano. It was on the other side. It was abutted this wall. And it looks like the storm surge did some rearranging of the furniture of its own. It moved the sofa from over here to over here where the piano was. It moved the piano from over against that wall here. And left it laying in the middle of the floor. This is what's left of the family room. This is the place that we all gather for family occasions and social events, and it's a complete mess.

Now, this almost looks like it was built into this chair. This is -- that's about half an inch thick. But it's completely unusable. There's nothing salvageable in here. This was a sturdy oak table and look at it. The table is now concave.

I tell you, you just get a tremendous respect for Mother Nature when you look at stuff like this. This is utterly, just almost indescribable. It's so much wreckage. I've never seen anything like this in my entire life. The sofa ended up from the family room over here. I don't even want to touch this. The mold growing here, it is just -- it's just yucky.

This is what's left of the kitchen, or should I say what's not left of the kitchen. Look at that. That's just complete ruination everywhere you look. The cabinets are moldy. And this looks like moss hanging on the oak tree outside. This is utter chaos.

If you want an example of what the inside of your house probably looks like if you're in this neighborhood, I think that this pretty much reflect reflects what it looks like. And it's not a pretty picture and is not a place you really want to be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: WDSU's Norman Robinson. That was his home.

Well, it's hard to imagine anything more traumatic than losing your home or a loved one. That's why it's so important that everyone affected by Hurricane Katrina keep their mental health in check. Identifying feelings of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder is half the battle. Dr. Judith Orloff (ph) is the author of "Positive Energy" and she joins me now from Los Angeles.

Dr. Orloff, what sorts of words of encouragement can you offer to these victims, when you saw that man's home, for example, everything gone?

DR. JUDITH ORLOFF, AUTHOR, "POSITIVE ENERGY": Yes, yes, well, the basis of "Positive Energy" is to develop compassion for yourself, for others, and to develop a sense of heart as best you can through any kind of difficult situation.

It's important to -- when we're going through all this, to be able to grieve, to be able to mourn, but also be able to use every experience as a way to create something more positive, to be generous, to give back. This is the basis of my book.

LIN: All right. So when you're angry, when you're homeless, when you're poor, tell me where you start. ORLOFF: Well, you first express your anger, and you let it out. Of course you've got to release it. But whenever you go through anything, you've got to try and rise above it and make the best out of it. You see these enormous acts of generosity that are going to in New Orleans. It just uplifts the heart.

You have to try to look at anything as a way to better yourself and take it a minute at a time, a day at a time. You need to grieve, but you also need to be able to live the best you can each moment. And create the best out of it.

LIN: Dr. Orloff, we're looking at scenes out of the shelters. I'm presuming that is the Astrodome in Houston. Some of those people, there's family that they left behind that may have died as a result of this storm. Some of these people are going to feel tremendously guilty. Why did I live and yet why did, you know, my loved one die?

ORLOFF: Right. Right, well, survivor's guilt is very common. And I think you have to deal with yourself, whoever has lost a loved one, to deal with tremendous compassion for yourself and to realize you did the best that you can, and to grieve them and mourn them and cherish them to the best of your ability but keep moving on in life, because that's what they would want you to do.

LIN: So when you say "grieve" or "mourn," be more specific. What does that mean?

ORLOFF: Be sad, cry, weep. Be angry at God. Be angry at life. Let it all out. But then regroup and focus on what you have to be grateful for. A premise of my book is looking at gratitude in the most -- in the darkest of circumstances, to try and find something in there to start leading your life again. This is what your loved ones would have wanted.

LIN: Because there's a trap, isn't there, when you are a survivor of this kind of disaster? You could allow yourself just to spiral down.

ORLOFF: Oh, absolutely. And I want to be a messenger of hope for people, even in the darkest of times. Because now is the time when you have to summon all of your hope, not lose hope in humanity or the government. You have to believe that this can be turned around to something positive.

LIN: All right. Dr. Judith Orloff, thank you very much.

ORLOFF: You are welcome.

LIN: Well, through all of the chaos endured by New Orleans and a local television station, it has been the rock of stability. Even during the height of Hurricane Katrina, the station never left the air and it's still going strong even though its harried staff is largely homeless now.

CNN's Alina Cho reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On this day...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, city hall is high and dry.

CHO: ... New Orleans' TV situation WWL is marking its 48th birthday.

SANDY BRELAND, WWL NEWS DIRECTOR: We would set for -- to city hall.

CHO: Though she'll tell you she's far younger, it's news director Sandy Breland's birthday, too, and she's celebrating with it with her other family, her staff.

BRELAND: I think it's because when we're working, we know it's due. And when we're not working, it's like, where do you start? We're just like everyone else.

CHO: Three quarters of the WWL staff lost everything during Hurricane Katrina, yet no one here is thinking about that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got a crew headed down to Saint Bernard this morning.

CHO: WWL was on the air 24/7 during the storm and immediately after, the only media outlet to broadcast. Its competitors were knocked off the air but WWL had an emergency broadcasting facility in a high and dry area.

BRELAND: Our building, our facility is in the heart of the French Quarter. And we knew that if New Orleans took a direct hit, we couldn't operate out of that building.

CHO: When the levees broke, that building was immersed in four feet of water, but WWL planned for that, too, moving the staff for the foreseeable future to Baton Rouge, where it now operates out of the public broadcasting facility.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roll four, track four.

CHO: Breland calls this the story of their lives.

BRELAND: We've covered so many stories, so many hurricanes, and so many storms, but it was always someone else. This time it was us. It was our city. It was our homes. It was our families.

CHO: Many staffers are native to New Orleans, like assignment manager Greg Phillips.

GREG PHILLIPS, WWL ASSIGNMENT MANAGER: I mean, I have a very close relationship to the city. Like it's -- I mean, it's a big part of me. And -- sorry.

CHO: A big reason why this staff continues to work without sleep, without knowing when they'll be able to go home again. Breland says, these days she's not just a boss, she's a counselor.

BRELAND: We hug and we cry, I have never cried with so many people and hugged so many people. And they're my family and I just tell them it's going to be better.

CHO: For now the WWL staff continues to do what it does best. And Breland says the city of New Orleans has never needed them more.

Alina Cho, CNN, Baton Rouge.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: So as the Gulf region begins to turn the corner toward recovery, CNN will continue keeping you as close to the story as possible. Beginning tomorrow and all week, we will be reporting zip code by zip code, as New Orleans rebuilds.

Tomorrow, for example, we're going to focus on 70114, the Algiers area of New Orleans. And of course we're going to continue tracking developments throughout the Gulf region.

So, are you ready for some football? If so, you're just a day away from one of the most emotional games of the season. That story is coming up in our new segment "Beyond the NFL."

And roll out the red carpet, it's Emmy night, a very different kind of Emmy night. We're going to show you why in a live report from Los Angeles. You're watching CNN Live Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER (voice-over): Mother Nature holds many secrets, even about robots. And James McLurkin is using the Swarm project to reveal them.

JAMES MCLURKIN, MIT GRADUATE STUDENT: Well, the inspiration from the Swarm comes from nature. Ants, bees, termites, all of these insects produce very complicated group behaviors.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And it is these group behaviors that McLurkin is aiming to imitate. By creating software, he hopes to understand how to program large numbers of robots to perform tasks that are complicated and dangerous for humans.

MCLURKIN: You have your earthquake and you have our robo-file, this is a tasks that humans are particularly ill-suited for. Imagine you have 20,000 cockroach-sized robots, and they scurry through the pile looking for survivors and they send the signal out to get a rat- sized structural engineer. That robot will then assess the structural integrity of the building, figure out how to pull the rubble off of the survivor. It is something that is almost impossible for us to do now with current technology.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: McLurkin, the 2003 winner of the $30,000 Lemelson MIT student prize, says there are still many technical issues to be worked out, such as power sources for these energy hungry robots.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Hurricane Katrina is having a major impact on professional football this weekend. With the Louisiana Superdome in shambles, well, you can see it right there, the New Orleans Saints, forced to set up operations in Texas, now head to New York to play what was supposed to be their first home game.

The NFL will use the contest as part of the backdrop for an historic Monday night doubleheader and telethon. Katrina's impact on the world of sports, the topic today as we take you "Beyond the NFL."

All right. In the meantime, a new segment is debuting tonight on CNN LIVE SUNDAY. Each week, we're going to take you away from the playing field to show you the money. That includes a look at the marketing behind the wins and the losses. And on that journey with us, will be CNN's sports business analyst, known as the sports professor, Rick Horrow. He joins me now from West Palm Beach, Florida.

Hey, Rick, got the pigskin ready.

RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Love to take you on that journey, kind of behind the Xs and Os and getting into the, as we said, "Beyond the NFL." Excited about it for the next -- or certainly for the season.

LIN: Yes. Well, you know, and very timely, too, given that tomorrow there's going to be this historic Hurricane Katrina relief football fund-raiser. I imagine that a lot of these players must have friends or family in the Gulf Coast region.

HORROW: Well, you know, the first thing to remember about the NFL is it's an incredibly generous league, and the sports industry is a giving industry as well, $9 million was raised the first couple of days after Katrina and the NFL led the way. Warrick Dunn, a running back for the Falcons, from New Orleans, challenged players to give more. And Brett Favre and Peyton Manning, quarterbacks who both come from the Gulf Coast, spearheaded efforts.

But the big issue tomorrow night's doubleheader, unprecedented. ABC "Monday Night Football," former presidents Bush and Clinton will be at the coin toss. They're going to raise over a million dollars in this telethon. You talk about $600 million to rebuild the Superdome or not, the real focus is on tomorrow night's generosity.

LIN: Yes. And the NFL is in a good position to do something like this because I was surprised to learn that the game has overtaken baseball as the nation's favorite pastime. How did it become the gold standard of pro sports?

HORROW: Well, and of course, we will get into it in detail every week, but it's a $6 billion industry, well beyond another other sport. And 44 percent of us like football better than any other sport, twice as much as any other. Seventeen million of us go to games, 95 percent capacity.

Here is the rub, if you want to buy an NFL franchise, it's going to cost you $650 million on average. And if you want to buy Dallas or Washington or two others, over a billion dollars. That's where the franchise rubber really hits the road.

LIN: Yes. Forget about it. And also, it has become the most profitable and popular sport in U.S. history, but it's able to kind of make its own rules, huh?

HORROW: Yes. And the reason is because of sharing, sharing, and more sharing. We love the idea of sharing television revenues. You know, in the '60s, Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the New York Giants, the owners got in a room and said, let us share all of our television. So it doesn't matter how large your market is, $17 billion television contract, $3.5 billion annually, that's more than basketball, college football, baseball, golf, hockey, Olympics combined. And they also share with the players by the way. Two-thirds of the revenue comes off of the top, and that's why when you see the NBA almost on strike, the National Hockey League closing for a year, the players are in partnership.

Finally, something called parity. You know, we're in the second half of the week this week for football. The first set of the games, the eight of them, 75 percent of the teams are all now 1-1 off of that first half of games. So all of those city think they're going to the Super Bowl. That's the magic of the NFL.

LIN: All right. So give me your picks for Monday night's games.

HORROW: Yes. We've got two picks this week for the first time. You know, my head says the New York Giants, even though it's a Saint's home game. My heart says New Orleans, they're going to win it tomorrow night. And the second game, Dallas coach Bill Parcells is going to win, 2-0 against Washington going into the rest of the season. Mark my words, those are the picks.

LIN: We're marking them. Thanks very much, Rick. We'll see you next week.

HORROW: Talk to you next week.

LIN: Well, the impact of Hurricane Katrina is resonating across television's highest honors, so how will it affect tonight's Emmy awards? A live report from the Shrine Auditorium in just a moment.

You're watching CNN LIVE SUNDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: All right, we've got another tropical storm headed right for the state of Florida. Rob Marciano at the CNN Weather Center with more on Rita. MARCIANO: Already to the Rs, Carol. It's unbelievable, this hurricane season. You are right, Tropical Storm Rita is heading towards the Florida Straits and gaining strength while doing that. Winds now at 40 miles an hour. So it was just upgraded to a tropical storm about two hours ago.

To get an idea where we are, this is South Florida, Bahamas, and here's Rita. Most of the action from Rita is to the north of the system, which has been holding it down for the past couple of days, because winds have been kind of tearing it off from the south, kind of shearing things apart.

But it's heading into some quiet weather and warm water and that's a recipe for a strengthening storm. Probably getting into hurricane status some time during the day on Tuesday.

So here's the forecast track from the National Hurricane Center. Notice the due west movement, if anything, kind of curves up and maybe takes a little jog to the west -- to the south. So it's going to be interacting with Cuba and South Florida here during the day on Tuesday.

Good news with this system, it's a little bit faster than Hurricane Ophelia. So it will kind of be in and out, probably within a six-hour time frame across the Florida Keys. Tropical storm warnings, southeast Bahamas, northwest Bahamas, and much of South Florida. More specifically, from Deerfield Beach over towards the west, towards the east of Sable (ph) Island and down towards Florida -- the Key West area.

Hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible in the next 36 hours.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: Updates on Rita throughout the night. Back to you -- Carol.

LIN: You bet. Thanks. We'll need them, Rob. Thanks very much.

Well, what do "Desperate Housewives" and a group of plane crash survivors have in common? Well, both are nominated for a majority of the awards at tonight's Emmys, but the usual excitement and glitz is being toned down in deference to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Our Sibila Vargas is outside of the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles right now.

What's going on, Sibila?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Well, extremely exciting, that's for sure. But I'm here with the lovely Camryn Manheim.

Thank you for joining us, and congratulations on your nomination for "Elvis." CAMRYN MANHEIM, EMMY NOMINEE: I'm thrilled. I can't tell you. It's astonishing to be counted among the incredible women who are in my category, and to be, you know, nominated by my peers.

VARGAS: Yes, this year's Emmys, though, will definitely tone it down and also reflect what's going on in the nation. How do you feel about what we're going through right now?

MANHEIM: Well, you know, I have so many complicated feelings. First, I have to say, I have never seen the country rally together in such a way to send so many love and prayers to the South. Yesterday, there was a block party where I lived. Everyone I know is raising money and doing PSAs, and we're sending things down. It gives me faith in humanity that we have come together to help them, because it was so preventable, and so devastating.

So at the same time that we think about it all the time, every day, every question on this mind has been on the victims of Katrina, because we can't stop thinking about them. You know?

VARGAS: Thank you so much for talking to us.

HORROW: Thank you.

VARGAS: We'll catch up with you a little bit later.

MANHEIM: Just let them know that even though we are here celebrating the movie industry, we plan to come back to New Orleans, and all of the cities in Louisiana as soon as we can, and bring all of our love and commerce and good wishes back to you.

VARGAS: Well, that's certainly good news. That's certainly good news. Carol, back to you. You know what tone is. You could see it there.

LIN: That was nice. Thanks very much, Sibila.

Well, speaking of coming together, dolphins stranded in the wild waters of the Gulf of Mexico, a rescue effort under way. Where does it stand? An update when CNN LIVE SUNDAY comes back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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