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Pass Christian Struggles After Katrina; One Family Displaced by Katrina Plans to Go Back; FDA Approves Antidepressant Skin Patch

Aired March 01, 2006 - 09:32   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We're back here at "The Village," this tent city in the center of Pass Christian. I'm joined by the police chief, John Dubuisson, who is a lifelong resident here.
And, chief, good to have you with us, first of all.

You had a harrowing tale from the storm, had to spend it -- kind of rode it out in the library. You know about hurricanes here. You grew up around here. Did you ever imagine experiencing something like that?

CHIEF JOHN DUBUISSON, PASS CHRISTIAN POLICE: After Camille, I never thought anything could be as bad as Camille. This is a lot worse.

M. O'BRIEN: Camille of course is 1969. That caused a tremendous amount of damage. When you think about the damage that occurred then versus now, how would you compare it?

DUBUISSON: This is total devastation compared to Camille. After Camille, you had homes that were on the beach, the older homes in the historic district, that were still there. Now, they're gone. There's nothing there. It's just wiped out.

M. O'BRIEN: What's it been like for -- first of all, let's talk about the morale of your department. Police officers, emergency medical technicians. All of them have had to really step up in a way that perhaps they never envisioned either. How is everybody doing?

DUBUISSON: Since the beginning of this thing, on August 29th, after that day, these personnel, ladies and gentlemen that work for me, have done an outstanding job. They have been here through this whole thing with their personal losses, included. There were 15, I believe, in the police department that lost everything. And they have showed up for work every day and continued to work. And I can't say enough about them. They're going to continue to do so, I believe.

M. O'BRIEN: That's truly heroic when you think about it. What about just the overall mood of the town here? this is a town of 6,500 to 6,800 thereabouts, probably about a quarter have returned, depending on how you measure it. Almost like a ghost town, is it?

DUBUISSON: Almost. When you go toward the west, it appears to be that way, west and northwest. There's vacant lots where houses stood; they're not there any more. People are gone. They're slowly moving in FEMA trailers to take the place of the house. The attitude of the people is just great, but they are going to rebuild, and it seems that we will do that.

M. O'BRIEN: Let me ask you this. We were talking a lot this morning, just talked to the governor about it as well, the head of FEMA, as a matter of fact, the head of the Hurricane Center, one of the issues people are thinking a lot about, and I am sure you are, as well, is what happens next hurricane season, when you've got people in such vulnerable living conditions, and a storm comes your way. Even a category-one storm is going to cause you a lot of concern, isn't it?

DUBUISSON: Definitely. I'm sure that even with the category-one storm, and the FEMA trailers the way they are -- and I think they're pretty flimsy, that's my personal opinion -- I think people'll be living town. I don't think they'll stick around even for a category- one storm. They're out of here. And I hope they do, because, I mean, the way this thing came in and stayed on us all day long. If that were to happen with a category-one storm or category-two, these trailers, I don't think, are standing.

M. O'BRIEN: That's a big concern, isn't it? Because the trailers have been -- we've been talking about them so much as the answer to a problem; in many ways it creates other problems.

DUBUISSON: It does, because people won't be able to stay. They're going to have to evacuate and leave town, and then that's going to congest the highways going north to other areas. It's going to send more people into areas where we've already have a good population. So it does create problems.

M. O'BRIEN: And chances are, they're going to hitch up those trailers and bring them with them, aren't they?

DUBUISSON: I don't know about that. I don't think I would want to take one with me.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Chief John Dubuisson, thank you very much for being with us, lifelong resident here in Pass Christian. You've got a lot of work cut out for you. Keep up the good work here.

DUBUISSON: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, back to you, Soledad.

DUBUISSON: All right, Miles, thanks.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, you know, if this week is about New Orleans proving that it is coming back, there's one family that has absolutely no doubt about it, the St. Cyr family. Back when AMERICAN MORNING's Kelly Wallace first met them six months ago, they settled in Beaumont, Texas for the year, and they were very much on the fence about whether they would return or not. A decision has been made. Kelly has got their story.

Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. You know, they are a lot like the other families from New Orleans, so shocked by Katrina, they thought maybe we can never go back again. But they ultimately decided that's their home and that they want to be part of the city coming back and helping New Orleans come back. So they're planning to return in June. After months of adjustments big and small, trying to start over in a very new place.

Talk to the littlest members of the St. Cyr family of New Orleans, eight-year-old Leda and six-and-a-half year old Kristen and they'll tell you one of their biggest adjustments to life in Beaumont, Texas.

(on camera): Do you like sharing a room?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, not really, because she's messy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you're a neat freak.

WALLACE (voice-over): We first met the St. Cyrs back in September after they evacuated New Orleans and moved in with 12 other family members before renting a place of their own.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I miss my little room.

WALLACE: Six months later, Denise St. Cyr says she doesn't hear too many complaints.

DENISE ST. CYR, KATRINA EVACUEE: Except every now and then from Kristen, I'm ready to go home! I don't want to stay anymore! I want to go home!

WALLACE: Denise and her husband have tried to keep life as normal as possible for the girls, no easy task, since back home Denise's work schedule as a pharmacist never changed.

ST. CYR: There are some things we can't do. Play dates are kind of difficult because my schedule is not the same.

WALLACE: They have kept purchases in their temporary home to a minimum, planning to buy what they need when they return home. However, at Christmas, they splurged, renting furniture for the holidays so the girls would see something besides a Christmas tree in the house.

ST. CYR: The girls enjoyed Christmas. They had a good time.

WALLACE: But it's been tough going. They were in Beaumont only about a month before they had to pack their bags again, this time for Hurricane Rita.

ST. CYR: That's the only thing I kept saying; it wasn't as bad as what we went through with Katrina.

WALLACE: Katrina pretty much destroyed the St. Cyr's new home in New Orleans. They moved in just one month before the hurricane hit. Because of all the water and the mold, the house had to be gutted. Denise's dad, back in New Orleans, showed us around.

ROY MARRERO, DENISE'S FATHER: The damage is severe. It's like rebuilding another house all over again, only from about halfway down.

WALLACE: Despite feeling frustrated about the pace of rebuilding in New Orleans...

ST. CYR My children fuss at me, to say, mommy, why are you screaming that radio?

WALLACE: This New Orleans native is anxious to get back. Her biggest concern, how her girls will adjust.

ST. CYR: When they left, things were a certain way. And when they're coming back, it's going to be different. They just don't realize how different.

WALLACE (on camera): You looking forward to going back?

LEDA ST. CYR, KATRINA EVACUEE: Yes, somewhat. I don't how it's going to be to leave Texas, though, when I've been there for a year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: Another adjustment.

S. O'BRIEN: She's so old.

WALLACE: Yes, exactly for two very young evacuees. At least when they go back to New Orleans, they won't have to share a room any longer, and that's going to make Leda and Kristen very excited.

S. O'BRIEN: So obviously they're not moving into what was their new house, because we saw the condition that's in. Where do they go?

WALLACE: They're fortunate, because they own another home that they're going to move into in June. That home didn't have a lot of damage. It had a little bit damage on the roof, and then they will hopefully, they hope, to be in their new home that they were in before Katrina by Thanksgiving.

S. O'BRIEN: Their new home that was ruined in Katrina, they'll move in to hopefully by Thanksgiving.

WALLACE: Exactly.

S. O'BRIEN: What made the decision for them? I mean, why did not sit around the table and say, you know, the girls are happy, they're adjusting, let's stay in Texas?

WALLACE: And we asked them that. And also they get that question from people in Texas. Why go back? Aren't they worried this could happen again? And you know, Denise St. Cyr says, you know, when there's a blizzard in the Northeast and people have to leave, no one really says why are you going back to the Northeast?

S. O'BRIEN: It's your home.

WALLACE: She says it's your home.

S. O'BRIEN: People in the South have a sense of home that is absolutely unmatched, I think.

WALLACE: And absolutely. And she knows it's not going to be the same, and she knows it's a long road coming back, but this is what she's wiling to do. It's her home. It's where her family is, and it's where they want to be.

S. O'BRIEN: You know, I love this family, and their girls are so cute. Were they fun to talk to?

WALLACE: They're very, very cute.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Kelly, thank you very much.

Wonderful, wonderful job.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MARKET REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: "CNN LIVE" is up next. Carol Lin is in for Daryn this morning.

Hey, Carol. Good morning.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, Soledad.

We've got some interesting stories, too, at the top of the hours. We're going to be talk about buying or selling a house. We're heading into the busiest time of year for home sales, but prices are dropping. So has the real estate bubble burst? I'm going to ask Gerri Willis.

Plus, a million-dollar painting, a school field trip and an unwanted piece of chewing gum. You have to stick around for the rest of the story.

Lots more ahead, as well as some breaking news.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, we look forward to that. Thank you very much, Carol. Appreciate it.

"House Call" coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING. People who rely on pills to treat depression are soon going to have an alternative treatment. It's a treatment you can wear. Elizabeth Cohen is going to explain in just a few moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. We've got this breaking news just in to CNN: The Lionel Tate case we've been telling you, it turns out Lionel Tate has made a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to one count of armed robbery. He will be sentenced to a minimum of 10 years. That sentencing date on is on April 3rd. The maximum could be 30 years.

You'll recall that it was back in 1999 that Lionel Tate, who was just 12 years old, was wrestling, he claimed, with a young friend, a 6-year-old girl, when he killed her. He was sentenced to prison, life in prison, the youngest person in Florida ever.

He was released, though, on a technicality. He had never been given a competency hearing. He got out, had some legal problems that followed, and now it looks like he will be going back to prison as he makes a plea deal. A minimum of ten years, maximum of 30 years. We'll know more on April 3rd when that case goes to a sentencing.

Short break. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: There's a new weapon to fight depression. The FDA has approved the first antidepressant skin patch.

Let's get right to medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. Hey, Elizabeth. Good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Usually when we think of people taking drugs for depression, we think of them as taking a pill. Well, this patch could be something very, very useful for folks who have not done well on things like Zoloft and Prozac. Zoloft and Prozac are what -- are in a class of drugs called SSRI. And while many people do beautifully on them -- you see another SSRI right here -- while many people do beautifully on SSRIs, some people don't do well and they would do better on another class of drugs called MAOI.

But there's a problem with MAOIs. Doctors often try to steer away from them because they have this very bad side effect when used with certain other drugs or when taken even with food. When people take MAOIs with food, like soy, aged cheese, deli meats and certain other foods -- here you see cured food right there -- sometimes it can cause blood pressure to go very low, and people can sometimes have a stroke. So MAOIs are very tricky.

Now, this is where the good news comes in. The good news is that because this drug is in a patch form, when you take it at its lowest dose, it doesn't go to your stomach. You're not actually swallowing it. It's a patch, it's in your skin. And so you don't have a lot of those food issues.

So at the lowest dose, people can take this drug, according to the manufacturer, and not have to shun all those foods. So, again, this could be good news for folks who are not responding well to things like Prozac and Zoloft -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Outside of the sort of tolerance issues and not responding well, what are the other upsides or downsides?

COHEN: Well, there is an issue with all antidepressants that some studies have found that antidepressants can actually cause suicidal thoughts when children or adolescents take them. And there's a lot of ifs here and a lot of questions, but these antidepressants carry warnings. This one will, too. It will say if a child or an adolescent is taking it, you need to be very watchful that this child or adolescent doesn't develop suicidal thoughts.

Now, this patch is only supposed to be used by adults. But a lot of times doctors will take a drug that's supposed to be used only by adults and give it to kids or teenagers. So this drug, this patch, will carry a warning saying do it at your own risk.

S. O'BRIEN: Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen for us. Elizabeth, thank you very much.

Short break. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Back live in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Folks, when you get down and out about America and you're concerned about the red tape and the FEMA issues and all this, I want you to think of these kids. These kids are from New Hampshire and Michigan and New York and Connecticut, spending their spring break, high school and college age, with Americorps, cleaning things up here in Pass Christian.

Josh Aiello (ph), it warms the soul, doesn't it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it does. It's really nice to see these volunteers down here with Americorps St. Louis Emergency Response Team. We got about 150 volunteers from all over the country down here, and we couldn't do without them. They're the ones that are really the anchor behind our program here, and we really appreciate all their help.

M. O'BRIEN: Give yourself a round of applause, kids. Get out there and clean up the Gulf Coast! Good job. We're proud of you. Back you To, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Miles, thanks. And it's a good opportunity, a good time to remind us all to say a big thank you to all the volunteers, not only there, but across Mississippi and across New Orleans and Louisiana and all the places where really volunteers have been making a huge difference.

We're out of time on AMERICAN MORNING. Let's get right to Carol Lin. She's at the CNN Center, going to take you through the next few hours.

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