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CNN Live At Daybreak

Rita Likely to Hit Between Galveston and Louisiana; Donated Clothes

Aired September 23, 2005 - 06:29   ET

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


KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: And from the Time Warner center in New York, this is DAYBREAK. I'm Kelly Wallace, in today for Carol Costello, who is on assignment in New Orleans. And we'll be checking in with her in just a moment. Thanks so much for waking up with us.
Coming up this half-hour, we'll see how Texans are getting ready for Hurricane Rita. We've got a live report coming up from Galveston.

We'll also go live to New Orleans, and that's where Carol. She's standing by to tell us how that city is getting ready for its second storm.

But first, these stories "Now in the News."

President Bush wants the nation to know the response to Rita will be different from what happened with Katrina. He travels to San Antonio, Texas, today to review hurricane preparations. Later, he'll monitor from the U.S. Northern Command headquarters in Colorado.

A prison disturbance erupts in Chino, California. Authorities say guards used foam bullets, pepper spray and tear gas to get control of about 200 inmates. There's no word on what triggered the disturbance. Five prisoners were taken to a hospital.

Father and son terror suspects from Lodi, California, have court dates today in Sacramento. They're charged with lying about attending terror training camps in Pakistan. And the younger man is facing new charges of providing material support to terrorists.

And, again, to our top story on this Friday morning, tracking Hurricane Rita. Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider at the forecast center in for Chad Myers.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: And now for an update looking at what is going on in the projected path of Hurricane Rita. Thousands of people are heading away from the Texas and Louisiana coasts. But traffic problems have nearly stopped movement out of Houston. The mayor of Houston went so far as to ask people not in immediate flood danger to stay home.

Flights in and out of Houston will cease at noon Central Time today. That's when the city's two main airports close down. Operations were slowed yesterday after a number of security screeners failed to show up for work. Extra screeners were flown in from other airports to help out. Many of the evacuations have included pets this time around. Thousands of animals were left behind in Hurricane Katrina. New legislation proposed in Washington would make it mandatory for pets to be included in federal and state evacuation plans.

Well, Galveston, Texas, is a virtual ghost town this morning. Around 90 percent of the residents have left and just a skeleton crew of police and firefighters staying behind for emergencies.

CNN's David Mattingly is in Galveston, Texas, this morning.

David, what can you tell us? What's the latest from there?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kelly.

That figure of 90 percent is an extraordinary figure for evacuations.

But I have to tell you, we've heard reports this morning of something extraordinary happening. Some residents who have evacuated have actually been calling back saying, can we come back home? They're doing that because they're seeing that the worst-case scenario of a category 5 and a direct hit here does not seem like it is the current scenario. As the storm continues to track off to the north and northwest, it looks like Galveston will be on the lesser-intense side of this storm.

But officials are saying, no, you can't come back. The storm could easily change its path and come back this way. And regardless, this island is going to see quite a bit of damage from this very large and very powerful storm.

So, what you see on this island now is something we've -- a phrase we've been using for two days now, an absolute ghost town. When the evacuation orders went out, the mandatory order went out late in the evening two nights ago, the streets were already empty. And they have remained that way. If it weren't for the large contingency of news media here, you would almost never see a vehicle going up and down the roads here.

So, officials are very happy with the way people paid attention to the warnings and got out and got to safety.

As far as the few thousand that's estimated that's still remaining behind on this island, they will probably stay here, because if they try to leave now there's a very strong possibility they could get caught up in that traffic snarl on the mainland and have to end up riding out the storm in their vehicles.

So, officials here are expecting to see very few people trying to evacuate today.

So, everyone now is hunkering down, as they always do, watching this storm as it approaches, and wondering what they will have to do in the aftermath -- Kelly. WALLACE: David, very quickly. I saw your reporting yesterday. You were at the flood wall there in Galveston. How high is it? So how high of a storm surge could that city handle?

MATTINGLY: That is a very imposing structure when you stand next to it. It is 17 feet tall. So, there has to be a very substantial storm surge to come over that wall. When they were looking at the worst-case scenarios with a category 5 direct hit, they were talking about waves of 15 feet crashing over the top of that wall. They're not looking at anything at all like that if the storm stays on its current path.

But, again, I want to emphasize, this storm still has a long way to go and could easily change its path again.

WALLACE: OK. David, thanks for bringing us the latest from Galveston, Texas. David Mattingly reporting live for us.

Now to New Orleans, which is bracing for a one-two punch as rains from Hurricane Rita threaten an already weakened levee system.

For more now we go to Carol Costello, who is following all of the developments there.

Good morning, Carol. I see you have your rain gear on. Has the rain been heavy this morning so far?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Off and on, but right now the rain is light. The wind is becoming a problem, though. Some pretty big strong gusts, enough to kind of knock you the side are blowing through the city right now.

I'm standing on the levee that protects the city from the Mississippi River. Behind me, you can see the bridge over the Mississippi River. And, of course, the Mississippi River is right to my right.

Now, of course, during Katrina this levee held. It protected the French Quarter and the Central Business District. And they're expecting it to do that again.

In other parts of town, as you know, the 17th Street Canal and the levee breach there, they're concerned about that, because the levee is in a weakened state. But that would take a storm surge above 6 feet, and they're hoping that does not happen.

Of course, it has a lot to do with the wind. And it doesn't seem strong enough to produce that right now. In fact, it's not strong enough to produce that right now.

Yesterday, the city of New Orleans seemed a virtual ghost town. Some people were still working earlier in the day. They were still putting up electrical lines. People were still cleaning out their businesses. Some people were in the neighborhoods cleaning up their homes. But most people really have evacuated to higher ground now. In fact, in St. Tammany parish, they'll be doing that. That's to the north and east of the city of New Orleans. It was hard hit by the storm, but there are still people living there. But the parish president has just issued a mandatory evacuation order. That will take effect at 8:00 this morning. So, he wants everybody out of there.

We also heard reports on WWL Radio that Jefferson parish also issued a mandatory evacuation order at 8:00 this morning.

So, people want -- I mean, officials want people out of here.

As for the New Orleans mayor, most of the people are already out of the city of New Orleans. But he said the psychology of this one- two -- possibly one-two punch is really affecting people.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: You know, up until Rita, you know, everybody was pretty upbeat and looking forward to the rebuild process. Now that Rita has kind of come into the picture, it's been difficult. People are struggling with the fact of, you know, why two storms back to back, why such two such powerful storms back to back. And we're just talking to people and basically trying to get them to stay focused on the task at hand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Certainly one man staying focused at the task at hand is the man who runs the pumping stations throughout the city of New Orleans. His name is Joe Sullivan.

Those pumps are working now at 44 percent capacity. Now, if Rita produces a sustained rain that produced three to six inches of rain, parts of New Orleans could be flooded with up to four feet of water. He says he can get that water out.

The biggest concern is the wind and the storm surge. And, of course, if this storm is really slow-moving, it could produce a whole lot of rain. And then the water could again come over that levee and into the city, and that would cause a real problem.

The Army Corps of Engineers, though, Kelly, says, you know, they've done all that they can, and they are confident that New Orleans can withstand whatever Rita dishes out.

WALLACE: Right. And at this point, Carol, boy, people are nervously watching and waiting. Carol, thanks so much, and we will look forward to your reporting all this morning on "AMERICAN MORNING" from New Orleans. Carol Costello reporting live for us.

Still ahead on DAYBREAK, two big disasters, a hurricane at home, a tsunami overseas. Our Soledad O'Brien talked with former President Bill Clinton about his efforts to raise recovery money for both.

Also ahead, why those hand-me-downs are not welcomed by relief agencies. We'll talk about that.

Here, though, first, a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And welcome back. A look now at how the international markets are trading. Tokyo's Nikki is down nearly 38 points, but the London FTSE is up 10 points, and the German DAX is up about 17 points.

Well, since leaving office, Bill Clinton has embarked on a second career as a disaster relief envoy for President Bush.

Soledad O'Brien sat down with the former president to discuss the relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina and other topics. She is joining us from New York with a preview.

Soledad, it must have been a fascinating interview.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely, Kelly. As you well know, President Clinton has been working to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina in addition to this role as a U.N. special envoy focused on tsunami relief.

And I sat down with him after some of his meetings at the World Bank yesterday in Washington, D.C., and asked him if he was concerned that, in fact, with the events happening here in the U.S., Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita coming this direction. Was he concerned that, in fact, the focus on the tsunami might be diminished, people would lose attention? Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There should be a lot of focus in the U.S. and around the world on Katrina. We've got a million people uprooted. And there are amazing parallels actually between this and what happened in Indonesia. You've got in Indonesia, half the people are living in homes with people. The same thing here.

We've never had, to the best of my knowledge, a government crisis where you had a million people dislocated, and then huge numbers of them wind up living with other people who just take them in. Should those people get some assistance? If so, what kind? How can you avoid abuse? You know, that kind of stuff. There are all of these kinds of questions.

But I don't think so. For one thing, we've got (INAUDIBLE) all of these, we have the financial commitments we need. So, all we need is to collect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: President Clinton said that, in fact, Americans have been incredibly generous towards the victims of the tsunami, and that it's time now for the Americans to focus on what is happening here at home.

In addition, Kelly, I asked him about his relationship that really has formed with his former rival, the former President Bush. And he said that actually they have a friendship. That they disagree, but he's also trying to raise the level of political discourse, politics may be less unpleasant and mean by their relationship. You know, working together on the fronts where they agree, and disagreeing on the fronts where they do not agree -- Kelly.

WALLACE: And, of course, we always want to hear about those disagreements, don't we, Soledad? What are those areas...

O'BRIEN: And you're going to hear more on those disagreements, actually. What a good tease, Kelly, because coming up in just about 15 minutes we're going to run the entire interview as "AMERICAN MORNING" gets under way at the top of the hour.

WALLACE: Great. We're really looking forward to that, Soledad. Thanks so much. We'll see you in a few minutes.

We want to turn now again to our top story this morning, Hurricane Rita. Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider in for Chad Myers this morning with the latest.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: Coming up here on DAYBREAK, we'll tell you why relief agencies would prefer you to dig deep into your wallets rather than your closet to help out storm victims. We'll tell you why right after this. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And welcome back.

When disaster strikes, Americans are quick to jump in and help out. They open up their wallets and empty out their closets. But for many relief agencies, the piles of clothing pose a problem. That issue is featured in today's edition of "USA Today."

Here to talk about that is "USA Today" reporter Ginger Gadsden.

Ginger, thanks for joining us. I think our viewers will be surprised to hear this. They think that if they donate clothing that could help people in need. Why is that a bad thing?

GINGER GADSDEN, "USA TODAY": Yes. And it's not a bad thing. But, you know, Kelly, sometimes too much of a good thing can be a little bad.

You know, there's no doubt that we are very generous after a disaster strikes. We open up our hearts. We open up our homes. And apparently we love to open up our closets.

But now, overloaded relief agencies are simply saying enough already. And some of them say that often after a natural disaster strikes, donated clothes piling up can end up being a second disaster. It just starts to pile up.

And often, if there aren't enough shelters to put the people in, then there certainly won't be any place to store tons and tons of donated clothes. It's coming in faster than it can be handed out.

For example, in Baton Rouge, the agency there gave away 100,000 pieces of clothing in just 10 days, and they have a 20,000-square-foot shelter, and it's packed to the ceiling. And they can't give it away fast enough.

In Gulfport, Mississippi, same story. They have actually asked donors to stop donating. They don't have enough volunteers to distribute the clothes. And some of it has just ended up piled up on the roadsides and in parking lots, and it's ruined by mold and the wet conditions that they're seeing there. And in many cases, it just has to be thrown out.

WALLACE: You know, Ginger, it's interesting, because you hear this from relief agencies time and time again, like the Red Cross. Please give cash donations. That's what people need. But there's something about a tangible thing, giving the jacket you're wearing, giving some slacks. You feel like in some way that is actually going to go directly to someone and help them immediately.

GADSDEN: Absolutely. You know, the Red Cross, they do not, they don't accept clothes. They want cash, they said, as empowerment to the folks who are left in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

But as far as giving, it does make you feel as if you're doing something more than simply writing a check. You have a better idea of what is actually -- what you're actually doing. And you can say that, oh, this thing has been sitting in my closet for so long, it's just going to waste. But if someone else can wear this suit to work, then it will make them feel better, and it will make you feel better, too.

But chances are some of it's not clean, and many times it's just inappropriate clothing that we end up donating. And a lot of it ends up in landfills. It gets resold, and it's sent overseas, and it's put into these recycling bins, and then they're just shipped out of the country.

WALLACE: So, important information. If an organization says we need some clothing, give them clothing. But if they're asking for other things, try not to give them some clothing.

GADSDEN: Give them cash, yes.

WALLACE: OK. Ginger Gadsden from "USA Today." Thank you so much for joining us on this Friday morning.

Switching gears a little bit. Time to give away a DAYBREAK coffee mug. Here are the answers to Thursday's coffee quiz.

Which Arkansas military base is welcoming hurricane evacuees? The answer is Fort Chaffee. And how many storm names are left for forecasters this hurricane season? The answer is four. And the winner is Richard Rosa from Cottonport, Louisiana. You will be getting in the mail your very own CNN DAYBREAK coffee mug.

Now time for today's questions. The first one, how many years has Bill Gates topped the "Forbes" richest Americans list? The second one, when will the LSU football team have their first home game?

Submit your answers online. The address, CNN.com/daybreak. You can find out if you won on Monday morning.

Much more ahead on DAYBREAK. We'll have a last look at your travel forecast. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WALLACE: And welcome back.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WALLACE: First, some stories "Now in the News," everybody.

The nation's fourth-largest city isn't the fourth largest today. Thousands of people have fled Houston as Hurricane Rita approaches Texas. The Texas National Guard has send out two gas tankers. But just minutes ago, a spokeswoman for the Guard said the 10,000 gallons of gas are not nearly enough to gas up all of the stalled cars.

And also some pictures just into to us today. A surfer being escorted out of the water by some Texas authorities there in Galveston, Texas. He was handcuffed, we believe arrested. Texas police saying they're very frustrated. A waste of resources here. They say they should be spending their time getting people out of Galveston, not out of the water.

From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Kelly Wallace in today for Carol Costello. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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