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American Morning

Katrina Six Months Later; The Forgotten City Of Slidell; Mardi Gras Parades

Aired February 27, 2006 - 07:30   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Miles O'Brien. Welcome to a special edition of CNN's AMERICAN MORNING.
I'm on Brookwood Drive in Slidell, Louisiana. Take a look at all the trailers here. These are the infamous, if you will, FEMA trailers, in many respects. They're happy that they're here. Now the concern is, how long will they be here? As this community, 10,000 homes here in all, 4,000 of them uninhabitable, tries to get back on its feet.

This is the six-month mark after Katrina. It also happens to coincide with the end of the carnival season. You and I know it more familiarly as Mardi Gras. And the Mardi Gras time of year is an important time of year in this part of the world. The celebration has continued amid so much destruction and so much heartache. It's quite a mixed bag here on the six month mark and we're doing our best to bring you up-to-date on how things are going in the Gulf region.

Soledad will be with us from New Orleans in just a moment. But before we do that, let's get to Carol Costello with some headlines.

Carol, good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

Good morning to all of you.

The Treasury Department will soon begin taking a closer look at the U.S. ports deal. The United Arab Emirates company formerly requested another security review. It's expected to take 45 days. The head of the Arab American Institute, though, calls the delay a reaction to deep-seed resentment or fears of Arabs.

President Bush is hosting the country's governors at the White House. The president will sit down with them this morning for a working session. Topping the agenda, the National Guard, healthcare and immigration.

Saddam Hussein is eating again. Remember he staged that hunger strike to protest the new head judge in his trail. Well his lawyer says he kept it going for 11 days but began eating again for health reasons. The trial is set to resume tomorrow.

George Michael has been arrested on drug charges. A police source says the singer was found Sunday slumped in a car. The drug charges could involve anything from marijuana to some painkillers. He was bailed out and is due to appear in court next month.

And there is a new twinkle toes on the "Dancing With Stars" show. Former 98 Degrees singer Drew Lachey and professional dance partner Cheryl Burke waltzed away with the trophy for season two. It was a surprise upset. Pro wrestler Stacy Keibler was an early favorite but was cut in an audience vote half way through Sunday's finale.

So her long legs didn't make it, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm so, so sorry I slept through that.

COSTELLO: And I thought you would be watching that being the dancer that you are.

MYERS: No. You know one of my neighbors must have it on Tivo, so I'll just go over there and watch it later on today.

COSTELLO: Sure you will.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MYERS: Soledad, for you, 77 for your fat Tuesday. Well, not your fat Tuesday, everyone's fat Tuesday.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, well, good, because it's got to be 40 something now.

MYERS: Yes, it is.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: It is chilly. And I know Miles is cold, too. He's got people there in Slidell making him cups of coffee and I'm drinking out of styrofoam, but that's another issue for another day.

Thanks, Chad.

You know here at the convention center, you see some of this kind of stuff. These are plastic bags full of beads. And because they've been doing some of the floats, bringing them in and out of here, often what happens is some of the garbage kind of gets left behind.

Other things, though, that show some signs of improvement is stuff like this. This paper -- they've been replacing a lot of these panes of glass. Some -- I think it's 80,000 panes of glass had to be replaced here in the convention center. And, frankly, it looks pretty good. Three of the halls are open. There are 12 halls in all. And they're actually ahead of schedule. They've got eight more that they expect to open in June.

We came back to take a closer look at a place that truly had an infamous reputation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWD: We want help! We want help!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All these people you see here are dying.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, (voice over): Heartbreaking and horrifying.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No (INAUDIBLE) for nothing. We haven't had nothing.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: These are some of the most disturbing images to come out of Hurricane Katrina.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are the policemen at? Where are the national guard at to control all of this?

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Some of the most painful cries for help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No food or water. Nothing.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: All coming from one place.

If Katrina can be compared to 9/11 in terms of sadness and suffering, this could very well be ground zero. As many as 19,000 people descended on the New Orleans Convention Center looking for help, finding only hell. Stranded and desperate, the crowd's fury grew.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These people couldn't leave because they couldn't afford to leave.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And the scene quickly became one of chaos and death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got bodies in there. You've got two old ladies that just passed, just have died. People dragging the bodies into little corners.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: It also became a flash point. Exhibit a in the case against the government's handling of the disaster.

We've been reporting that officials have been telling people to go to the convention center if they want any hope of relief. I don't understand how FEMA cannot have this information.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Soledad, I learned about it listening to the news reports.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: It was too late for some by the time help arrived. Days later, and the week after the crowd was finally moved to safety, what crews found inside the convention center was proof of what the people trapped there had endured.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No air-conditioning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: None.

COOPER: (INAUDIBLE) people crying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Crying. Crying and dying. That's where the real hell was. Yes, this is where hell opened its mouth.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: That was then. This is now. After a renovation project that so far included replacing 88,000 yards of carpet and 780 panels of custom fabricated glass, part of the convention center has reopened ahead of schedule. It's now set up as a Mardi Gras prep site, as well as a make-shift hospital. And this past weekend it hosted three back-to-back parades and balls.

WARREN REUTHER, CONVENTION CENTER BOARD PRESIDENT: You know, this is the engine that runs the city. The whole economic basis comes out of the convention center. You can see the people here, they're getting back to normal. You know, there was some question about Mardi Gras, whether you should do it or not. The question that I had was, when the twin towers in New York went down, did they do the Macy's Parade?

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: As for the parades, they were a definite hit.

By November, the entire 31 million square foot facility should be fully functional. And it already has events booked years in advance, a hopeful sign that New Orleans is back in business.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And, in fact, the president of the board of the convention center says that there are many companies that are moving up their conventions to hold them here to help out the city of New Orleans.

Ahead this morning, we're going to talk to a woman who was in terrible circumstances. Her husband was hospitalized, very sick. She was evacuated here to the convention center. Spent four days here. Four horrible days. Had no idea what kind of shape her husband was in. We're going to talk to her about what it's like to now return and also how her life has changed in the last six months.

Miles is not very far from where we are, about 30 miles away, in Slidell, Louisiana.

Miles, good morning again.

MILES O'BRIEN: Good morning again, Soledad.

Slidell, Louisiana. This is a city we came to while we were here that really -- the day after Hurricane Katrina and then the subsequent day after that. At that time, no one had heard from anybody here because they didn't have any communication, they had no power. Typical scenario post-storm. We came in and we saw a scene of tremendous destruction and devastation. Six months later, they're taking baby steps back, but it's not an easy road by any stretch of the imagination.

Joining me now is the mayor of Slidell. And we're going to take a little walk here as we talk. Mayor Ben Morris, it's good to see you again, sir.

MAYOR BEN MORRIS, SLIDELL, LOUISIANA: Thank you. MILES O'BRIEN: And you've been calling this place the forgotten city. What do you mean by that?

MORRIS: The problem we have is we're caught between New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. All the visiting senators that have come down and the president, they all go somewhere else. The state has put together a recovery board. A Louisiana recovery board. Not one city on it.

Of all the cities caught in the eye of Katrina, especially on the north shore, we're the most devastated. And I keep saying, you know, where is everybody? Why don't they come visit us? Because most people don't have a clue what happened here.

And I keep trying to explain, I keep yelling and screaming at them, don't forget us, for God's sakes. You know, quit showing the ninth ward in New Orleans. I understand how devastated that is, but don't forget us. We have our own ninth ward. And you can look around and see that we've got trailers everywhere.

MILES O'BRIEN: Let's take a look down here. Like I just want to show folks here. Look at this culvert. This is one small culvert. Look at all the debris that is in here. Is this just a small microcosm of a problem you have all throughout here. You're concerned about what happens during the spring rains here because you can't afford to get rid of that debris.

MORRIS: No. The problem is, we've picked up 17,000 truckloads of debris so far out of the city. And it continues to accumulate as people begin to work on their homes and the stuff comes out on the street. But if you remember how it was a week, 10 days afterwards, this street, from one end to the other, on both sides of the street, the debris was piled almost as high as those trailers because everything everybody owned had to come out and be hauled off.

So it's still going on. It's not over yet. I still most probably have 20,000 trees in this city that have to come down.

MILES O'BRIEN: Twenty thousand trees. Where are you going to get the money to do that? How are you going to do this? You have a budget total of $37 million in a normal year. Where are you getting the money to do all this right now?

MORRIS: Actually, we've been borrowing money. I just let (ph) contracts for over $4 million to clean subsurface drainage and the sewer system. And there's just so much more to do. It kind of boggles the mind, but we're getting it done. This city has come back further and faster than any other city caught in the eye of Katrina.

MILES O'BRIEN: In the midst of all this, you've had a Mardi Gras celebration. You had parades here. We've been seeing what's been going on in New Orleans. Is it a time to celebrate? Is there something to celebrate here?

MORRIS: Actually, there is. Most probably, 85 percent of our people are back. Maybe more than that. The city's coming back to life. New businesses are -- you know, businesses are starting to reopen. Things are really starting to step up. It's just that the process is so agonizingly slow.

And getting the attention of Baton Rouge or the government sometimes is the most maddening experience that you can go through. But we're getting their attention. Finally the FEMA trailers are coming in.

The debris pickup, our surface drainage, the big ditches, the big canals that will take the spring rains out of here are still clogged. And there's a battle going on about who's going to pay for this and who's going to paying for that. They told me that now I have to pay 25 percent of the subsurface -- not the subsurface but the surface drainage system.

I said, well do you want the keys for the city? Where am I going to get that? You know, what lending institution can I go to? So that battle has gone on and we're subtropical.

We start our rainy season next month. And we get over five feet of rain here a year. So you can look at these ditches. They all have to be cleaned. All these trees that you can see on the skyline that are broken have to come to the ground. I must probably have another 10,000 truckloads of just green debris.

MILES O'BRIEN: Mayor Ben Morris, congratulations on the progress you've made. You got a lot of work ahead. And, you know what, we're not going to forget you, OK.

MORRIS: I know you won't.

MILES O'BRIEN: All right.

MORRIS: And thanks for being here early on.

MILES O'BRIEN: All right. Take care. Mayor Morris, appreciate that.

In just a little bit, we're going to take a look inside some of these trailers, see what life is like. You know, people for a long time were hoping against hope they'd show up. Now they wonder how long they're going to be here. Perhaps a little longer than they'd hoped in the first place.

We'll be back with more AMERICAN MORNING in just a moment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We'll get back to Miles and Soledad in the Gulf Coast in just a minute.

One of the things we've seen are those great Mardi Gras parades. But with the smaller crowds, the tourism dollar has to stretch even farther in the city. And is it really helping the economy at all, Andy?

ANDY SERWER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, Carol. I mean the way to look at it, I think, is that Mardi Gras is sort of two-thirds the size this year of a typical Mardi Gras. We have some numbers to sort of back that up a little bit. Steven Perry (ph) from the New Orleans Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau telling CNN that visitors will be about 60 to 70 percent of a typical year, which would be about $300,000 to 400,000. It will bring in about $200 million to the city, Carol, much-need, versus $300 million. Again a two-thirds kind of thing.

COSTELLO: Really, $200 million?

SERWER: Yes, that's what they said. Yes, because of all the people coming in, staying at all the hotels, all the restaurants. If you total it up, I mean that's the way you kind of do one of these economic reads. It's a lot of money.

We have some other numbers here to throw at you. For instance, 23,000 of the 28,000 hotel rooms are open in New Orleans. They're about 95 percent full. And 85,000 citizens work in the hospitality and restaurant business there.

Many restaurants are open. It's sort of about 50/50 here. Arnos (ph) and Galatwars (ph) is open but Felicks's (ph) and Antoine's (ph) and Commanders Palace sadly are not open yet. But you can still get a good meal there. That's what people are saying.

COSTELLO: I bet you.

SERWER: Yep.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Andy.

SERWER: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: And we'll have much more from New Orleans. Soledad's at the convention center. She'll join us live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MILES O'BRIEN: Welcome back to a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Miles O'Brien reporting live from Slidell, Louisiana. All throughout this region, whether it's Slidell or Pass Christian or Waveland or New Orleans, of course, they celebrate the carnival season, Mardi Gras, which is tomorrow, fat Tuesday. Last night I had an opportunity to become a part of this. This is the first Mardi Gras I've ever experienced and, boy, did I get a front row seat. I got a chance to ride on a float with the Bacchus Krewe. Bacchus, the god of wine. And one of the preeminent krewes in the city of New Orleans. They were gracious enough to let us ride along and I, for a moment, became one of the people they call Mista (ph).

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN: We're obviously clueless. We don't have a costume. We have no beads.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It won't matter.

MILES O'BRIEN: I look like a complete idiot up here. What are we in store -- what are we going to find as we get going here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to find huge crowds. It won't matter how you're dressed, you're going to have the time of your life. Trust me.

MILES O'BRIEN: Who wants it? You got it. Not you. This is for you, OK? For you. All right, there you go.

Basically the krewe here is not very happy so far with the way I'm looking, so they've been putting a few beads on me. This is a special one. That's a Bacchus one. They did have a spare mask. I'm going to put that on. All right. That's good. What do you think? And then I'm going to put this hat on. It came from the priest on board. It's kind of the Bacchus chaplain.

Let's see, who wants one? Who wants one? Let's see a real far one. Let's see how far we can go. Here we go. Yes, yes, yes! Beautiful! That was my longest one ever. Beautiful thing.

The costume has arrived. I guess I'm wearing pink. Am I wearing pink?

I think we are finally set now. I got the hat. Oh, I like that. I like that. I got that and the lavender pants. Now let's do some serious bead-throwing.

Look, look. That sign's for me, obviously. So I'm going to -- here you go. How did you know I was coming? How did you know? How did you know? I tend to be sending a few more (INAUDIBLE) the direction of the ladies. What do you think? Is that a bad idea? You know, maybe I should throw it to one guy. There you go, one guy. All right, all right, all right.

There's so much talk about whether to have Mardi Gras or not. When you see this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would have been a disaster not to have it. We're back and the whole world needs to know New Orleans is back.

MILES O'BRIEN: So, Bacchus, you enjoy this?

Secrets of being a master. Battery pack. See. That will probably outlast me tonight.

How about this little girl right there? Right there. Ready? Yeah. Oh. We'll we're for Bacchus beads. All right. Hooray for Bacchus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I felt and we felt very, very strongly that we had the parade. We had to show the country and the rest of the world that, yes, we're on our knees but we're not dead and buried.

MILES O'BRIEN: You know, I'm not a big fan of parades normally. And this is different. There's something special about this. There is an energy here. And especially given all that's happened here. This is wonderful to see these faces.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN: And I -- when Soledad gets back, I did, in fact, save her one bead, which is a very valuable item, I'm told.

Take a look at the trailers here on Brookwood Drive. This one, this is your classic FEMA issued trailer. They've got their DIRECTV satellite dish. They've got a deck built in. There's some people over here who have decked out their trailer on that side with some Mardi Gras decorations.

This is the reality of many neighborhoods. This is Slidell, Louisiana. And in just a little while, we're going to talk to some of the people who are now making due, doing the best they can, living inside these trailers for who knows how long. That story coming up in just a little bit.

In addition, we're going to tell you about the levees. So much of what happens in New Orleans revolves around fixing those levees. There's a short-term fix and a long-term fix. And the short-term fix, they've got 95 days and counting to finish a huge job. We'll check in on their progress. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MILES O'BRIEN: Good morning and welcome to a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Miles O'Brien reporting live from Slidell, Louisiana. On the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. A hard-hit area six months after Hurricane Katrina.

Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Talk about a hard-hit area. We're reporting this morning from the convention center. And, of course, you'll remember those dreadful pictures of the tens of thousands of people who were not only inside the convention center but outside as well literally begging for help. Begging for food and for water as well as they waited for days, in many cases, trying to get some aid and assistance and literally trying to get out of the city.

But take a look today. Now the garbage on the floor here, this is from some of the Mardi Gras parades. What they do in these little plastic bags is they put the beads inside, open them up and then they toss them off the float.

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