Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Rita Bears Down on Texas; Military Plans for Potential Flooding in New Orleans

Aired September 22, 2005 - 08:30   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Now, when I say this next line, you're going to get the wrong impression. It is Hurricane Rita has weakened. But...
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Not very much.

M. O'BRIEN: It's a difference, really, without a distinction. From 175 miles an hour to 170. Barometric pressure, for those of you who keep score on that stuff, has gone up a little bit, which means it's a little less strong of a storm. But this is an epic storm. So five miles an hour, a few inches, millibars, whatever it is, is not going to make a heck of a lot of difference here.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Let's get another check of the headlines now. Kelly Wallace is in with that. Good morning, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles, and hello, everyone. These stories "Now in the News."

Chief justice nominee John Roberts could be one step closer to sitting on the bench. The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on his confirmation later today. The leading Democrat on that panel, Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, gave Judge Roberts his endorsement Wednesday. If he is approved, Roberts' confirmation will go before the full Senate next week.

Delta Airlines announcing job cuts this morning. The nation's third biggest carrier says it will eliminate 9,000 jobs by the end of 2007. That's 17 percent of its workforce. The move taking place as Delta tries to restructure. The airline recently filed for bankruptcy protection. Andy Serwer will have much more on this, just ahead.

On a health note, smoking could be deadly, even if you're smoking less than five cigarettes a day. A new study suggests light smoking can triple the risk of dying from heart disease or lung cancer. The results are based on 43,000 smokers traced from the 1970s until to 2002. Details appear in the journal "Tobacco Control."

And for better or for worse. With Hurricane Rita barrelling down on southeastern Texas, one couple decided to exchange their vows a few days early. The wedding had been set for Saturday. You see Jessica and James Jackson there. They held an impromptu wedding on the beach, complete with a bouquet toss by the bride. The newlyweds are planning to spend their honeymoon in Spain. We wish them well. Sad, Miles, that they couldn't enjoy a wedding in Corpus Christi.

M. O'BRIEN: You'll notice they picked Spain.

S. O'BRIEN: Get out of town.

M. O'BRIEN: Good choice.

WALLACE: Far away from Hurricane Rita.

M. O'BRIEN: Very good choice. I think they're off to a very good start on their marriage, despite all those vicissitudes.

A tropical storm warning is now in effect for Louisiana's southeastern coast. You heard that, right? This is the southeastern coast. This is where the levees have all the problems. This is where people only recently have neighborhoods become dry after pumping out billions and billions of gallons of water.

Carol Costello is along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain in the Lakeview section of New Orleans this morning, where it is dry now -- but, you know, we kept saying when we were there last week, Carol, that as hot as it was, thank goodness there hasn't been any rain. And here comes the rain.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, I know. It was raining earlier this morning and we were praying that it would go away, and it did. But as you can see, the wind is picking up. As a matter of fact, and in just about a half hour, they'll close the flood gates.

And we can get a shot of those flood gates for you. You see the one on the right, already closed. Going to close the one to the left between those two lights in just about a half hour. And that will hopefully keep the waters of Lake Pontchartrain enclosed in this area, if it comes to that.

Now as far as the military is concerned, they're getting ready to redeploy to different areas, so that if flooding does occur, they can be at the most convenient spots to help. They do have a very intricate plan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go!

COSTELLO (voice-over): The 41st Brigade combat team, Charlie Company, blowing off some steam, waiting until see where Rita will hit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you going to do with Charlie Company goes down on you?

COSTELLO: OK, I wouldn't mess with them, but Rita might. These men are now ready to be redeployed to Baton Rouge.

GEN. DOUG PRITT, JOINT TASK FORCE CMDR. They are going to be the quick reaction force for the Louisiana National Guard. COSTELLO: Which means they would wait out the storm away from New Orleans and then be sent to wherever they're needed in the state of Louisiana. The biggest concern in New Orleans is another breach in the 17th Street levee. If that happens, water again will flow into parts of the city. The Guard knows of 43 families currently in homes close to the breach. One of them is 70-year-old Alice Stevenson, who braved Katrina with her dogs and her goat.

ALICE STEVENSON, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: I think this heat wave we're having now is going to keep Rita pushed and keep her going across. I don't think she's going to give us problems.

COSTELLO: But if she does, the 41st will be there.

PRITT: We know where they are and we're going to go make contact with them once Rita -- the effects of Rita pass by.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me a little slack real quick.

COSTELLO: In preparation, these soldiers are loading up boats. They will redeployed to points around the city in case they need to conduct water rescues.

LT. COL. TODD PLIMPTON, OREGON NATIONAL GUARD: FEMA's provided us those flat-bottom boats,with, you know, 10-horse mercks (ph) on the back of it. And that's all we've done for three weeks now. So I would tell you that we're -- we've got some expertise there now that we didn't have three weeks ago.

COSTELLO: Other soldiers are going to Alexandria, Louisiana, and parts of Mississippi just to spread out the resources so everyone isn't trapped in one place.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: I'm standing now with General Douglas Pritt, part of the Oregon National Guard. Thanks for coming out so early.

PRITT: My pleasure.

COSTELLO: So the plan we just talked about -- has that been put into effect now?

PRITT: A portion of the plan has been into effect. We located what's called the quick reaction force for the Louisiana National Guard, an element of the Oregon National Guard, the 101st battalion, 186th infantry, in Baton Rouge last night, so that they can be prepared to move forward to help mitigate the effects of Hurricane Rita. And just this morning, I received a call that they're now being relocated down to St. Charles to get them into better position to be able to respond.

COSTELLO: So they're going to where the most dangerous part is of Louisiana? Help me sort through that.

PRITT: Where they believe the most impact will occur for Louisiana.

COSTELLO: Got you. General Honore told me yesterday your mission, in essence, has turned to a recovery mission. And I was interested in that, because if the weather holds, you'll continue with the recovery mission. And what does that mean?

PRITT: Well, it means that the first phase of our operation, the search and rescue to find survivors from the storm, has been completed. And now we're transitioning to the recovery phase, which means we're assisting the civilian authorities in rebuilding.

So road construction, levee reconstruction projects, debris removal, all of those things. And while we may not do some of those things, we can do other missions that facilitate the release of those civilian assets to be able to accomplish those missions. And just clearing some roads so that the utility companies can get back in and re-establish power is one of the big things that we're doing.

COSTELLO: So while the weather holds, the troops still here will continue to do that?

PRITT: Absolutely. We're trying to take advantage of every moment that we get in the weather to be able to further the progress.

COSTELLO: General Pritt, thanks so much, we appreciate it.

PRITT: You bet.

COSTELLO: And we appreciate the work of your fine men and women, too.

PRITT: Thank you very much.

COSTELLO: Back to you, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Carol, thanks.

Well, as Texas braces for a direct hit from Hurricane Rita, New Orleans, as we've heard from Carol all morning, not taking any chances, preparing for wind, rain, possibility of flooding, as we've seen. All the while, the city struggling to get back on its feet after Hurricane Katrina.

Jay Batt is a New Orleans City Council member. He's in Washington this morning. He is pleading for more help from the federal government for his city. Nice to talk to you. Thank you very much for being with us.

You represent Gentilly, we should mention, which is one of the areas that was hardest hit. I know you've got a lot of concerns on a lot of fronts. What are your biggest worries right now about Gentilly?

JAY BATT, NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL: Well, the Lakeview area, the Gentilly area, mid-city, and uptown are the parts of the district that I represent. My biggest concerns are getting power up, and reliable power, through Energy New Orleans, getting the insurance companies to participate in a fair way for our citizens because they're playing games with their policies, the flood versus the hurricane event. And third and most importantly, to shore up our NOPD, New Orleans Police Department, because we're dwindling in numbers. And other municipalities are poised to pick off some of our employees, and we need to maintain our security in our city.

S. O'BRIEN: With all those concerns, and they're each individually a huge concern, do you agree with the mayor's plan, then, to repopulate the city? I know people are out now as Hurricane Rita approaches. But he was moving forward with plans to bring people back and bring the city back at this time.

BATT: It's very important that we repopulate the city. The longer our citizens stay outside, there's more opportunity for them to grow roots elsewhere. So it's important to get us back in. We need to be prudent...

S. O'BRIEN: Even without a 911 system, even without potable water, even without any kind of transportation and any sort of circumstance for people in the area? Even without security issues sort of resolved? All those problems, you think?

BATT: Well, that's one of the reasons why I'm up here. I'm meeting with the Rubin Borales (ph), who's the director of intergovernmental affairs with the president, to ask for those type of support, that type of support, for our city. We have been weakened on every front and we need federal assistance. I think that's -- everybody supports that. And I do support the mayor, though. It's important to repopulate. But we do need to do it in a very concise, safe way before we bring in our folks.

However, it's important that our citizens get a chance to at least come back in and take a look at their homes and what's left of their homes, to take some of their keepsakes and valuables out. Some people haven't been back in their house for three weeks. The Lakeview area, which I represent, some of the folks haven't been back to see their homes except on TV and aerial footage.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, and it's not a pretty picture, as you well know. Were you surprised that the mayor waited more than three weeks to brief the city council members, to meet with you? I mean, the city has its biggest crisis ever and you haven't met with the mayor for three weeks?

BATT: I was surprised. That wouldn't have been my management style. He must have his reasons. I know that he's doing the best that he can. The city council's doing the best that they can. We're all on the same team, and that is to bring our city back and make it a safer, cleaner place. And we will do that.

S. O'BRIEN: I understand the desire for everyone to present a united front, but I know that you were calling his office trying to get meetings with him. Because people, of course, are calling you, trying to get answers from you. That has to be incredibly frustrating. And you also have the federal leaders saying, at the same time, that the mayor's plan to repopulate is not on the same timeline. A lot of sort of public disagreements about a very important issue.

BATT: Well, what we all can agree on is that New Orleans needs to be rebuilt, that we need federal assistance and we need to do it quickly. Shoring up our levee system, as the Corps is doing right now -- it became apparent that we were blindsided and it hadn't been addressed in quite some time. I think we're all in agreement there. So I'm going to focus on the things we can agree on and move forward.

S. O'BRIEN: New Orleans city councilman Jay Batt joining us this morning. Thank you for talking with us.

BATT: Thank you very much.

S. O'BRIEN: Miles?

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come in the program, Rita's effect on Gulf Coast chemical plants. We'll look at the environmental consequences of all of this. We've been talking about Lake Pontchartrain being a mess. Who knows what lies ahead with Rita bearing down? Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Breaking news from the airline industry, and we're not talking about broken landing gear on JetBlue. No, this is about a financial matter. Delta Airlines, announcing massive layoffs. Delta -- well, still haven't declared bankruptcy.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" COLUMNIST: No, they did.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, they did. That's right, they did. I'm sorry.

SERWER: Several days ago.

(CROSSTALK)

M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer, by the way, keeping us up to speed on such matters.

SERWER: Yes. Well, with all the hurricane news, it's hard to...

M. O'BRIEN: I sort of missed that...

SERWER: .. pay attention to this.

M. O'BRIEN: ... memo.

SERWER: You might have been down in New Orleans at that point.

First of all, I want to give you some breaking news about the employment picture. This just crossing the tape. A quarter of a million Americans, nearly a quarter of a million Americans, I should say, have been thrown out of work because of Hurricane Katrina and are seeking unemployment benefits. This according to the latest government report.

M. O'BRIEN: Most of them New Orleans residents, I presume.

SERWER: That's right. And Mississippi, as well.

Let's talk about this airline situation. Delta Airlines in bankruptcy. It didn't take them long. Announcing 9,000 jobs. They'll also be cutting the pay of the remaining employees, and they're going to be focusing more on international flights. Isn't that interesting, Miles? The CEO, Gerald Grinstein, is announcing he's going to be taking a 25 percent pay-cut. So he's in with the troops there, I guess you could say.

Meanwhile, Northwest Airlines, which declared bankruptcy the same day, also announcing that they will be laying off 1,400 flight attendants. This just months after they had hired them back. So we're seeing all sorts of machinations in that business, of course.

Now, more news on the Rita front. We've talked a lot about oil refineries over the past 24 hours and the threat faced there. But what about the chemical industry? It turns out this region of Texas is home to much of the nation's chemical industry, as well. Look at this. A hundred and 60 chemical plants in Rita's path. And this is the salient point here, Miles: 50 percent of the nation's chemical production is in that area.

There's a city called Freeport, which is just south of Galveston, right there on the coast, that for instance has 22 plants -- a Dow (ph) plant, a BSF plant. Thousands of pounds of ammonia there. In Katrina, there were no spills. But you remember one big plant is offline for the rest of the year. So, again, ripples in the economy is concern, as well as environmental impact.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, that liquid hydrogen plant...

SERWER: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Is that thing up and running now?

SERWER: It is not, and it will not be up until at least the end of the year.

M. O'BRIEN: Boy.

SERWER: So that's a big problem for the steel industry.

M. O'BRIEN: And also the refineries, I'm told, use liquid hydrogen, as well. And as we all know, it's rocket fuel, too.

SERWER: Yes, yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer, thank you very much.

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, this is a piece you're not going to want to miss. Suzanne Malveaux, who has roots in New Orleans, takes a trip back -- it's a haunting trip back -- to try to recover what she can of a cousin's artwork. Stay with us for a special piece on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: New Orleans still closed to residents this morning. The threat of Hurricane Rita is now looming over the Gulf Coast. But once that storm passes, people will be able to come back and inspect the damage.

Now, last week when President Bush was in town, our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, was able to return home, to her New Orleans roots, to take a look at what was left behind.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bourbon Street, French Quarter, it was all about Mardi Gras. It was all about our family taking me to see the big floats and the parades. I remember my uncle on the Zulu float, throwing down beads, with the balloons and coconuts and everything. As a child, it was such a place of wonderment.

(on camera): We're going to my grandmother's house, 3936 Palmer Street.

So much of my childhood was spent here with all of my cousins, my brothers and sisters, my grandparents. Hot, lazy summers. This is a beautiful place. It's empty, and it's quiet.

There are some things that are pretty much the same. It's kind of comforting.

We're looking for my cousins' house. There were seven brothers who grew up together. They lived together in this one house. Their parents had died when they were pretty young. And they're on St. Anthony Street.

My cousin Vernon, he's an artist, and his studio is inside here. And the one thing he's really worried about are his paintings, whether or not his paintings actually survived all this.

The bedroom, it looks like the water got to be about up to here. All of this was in water.

This is his art studio. This is my cousin's studio. This is his life work. Oh, this is covered in mold. Oh. Many of these paintings he does and he models them after the relatives -- our cousins, brothers and sisters. He takes their photos, and then he paints for the church.

Do you see the theme, though? It's Christ. It's the black church. It's a very common theme that runs through his work.

This is our family. This is me. This is my sister. That's my niece.

I think this is a picture of me. You know, they are photos, and that's really sad. But we're all alive.

I don't know what to do. I have no idea of what to do. I should try to bring something back that I could take off, just one.

OK.

(voice-over): There was one place left I have to see. One of Vernon's works that can't be moved is inside a church just a couple of blocks away.

(on camera): It survived. The mural survived.

This church was the only place that we found that was above water that was dry, that was safe, and that was standing. The significance of this church for me is that my mother couldn't attend during the time of segregation this beautiful place of worship. And many years later, my cousin, Vernon, the artist, painted this mural behind me in the church. He painted Mary and the eight angels of innocence, each one of them to represent a different ethnic group. And in recognizing our family and our own heritage, he painted my mother's daughters, me and my sister, on this mural.

Our family was lucky. We all came out safe and alive from this hurricane experience. And in some ways, I guess, the angels were looking after us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux was reporting that story.

Coming up in just a moment, we'll have much more on our top story, Hurricane Rita. The Category 5 storm has weakened slightly now. It is still packing, though, a powerful punch. We've got the very latest on its path, coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: A potentially catastrophic hurricane bearing down on Texas. Rita bringing 170 mile-per-hour winds.

In coastal areas, massive traffic jams. This is I-45 in the Houston area. We're watching that evacuation unfold and we're watching the forecast, as well.

In New Orleans, tropical storm winds are a possibility. It could rain for days. Can those levees, shored up by no more than sandbags, hold up to another storm? We're live in New Orleans.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com