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Icelandic Ash Clouds Causing Problems for Air Travelers Again; European Union Leaders Working on Bailout Plan for Greece; Ferryboat Accident in New York City; Nashville Cleans Up From Floods; Dolans on What to Do When You're Laid Off; Major League Advice for Little League Pitchers

Aired May 08, 2010 - 15:00   ET

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And as we start a new hour of the NEWSROOM right now. Let's take a look at some of the other headlines happening right now.

Ash clouds from the Iceland volcano are causing problems for air travelers again, this time 19 Spanish airports were closed today including Spain's second busiest airport in Barcelona.

European Union leaders hope to approve a bailout plan for Greece this weekend. The economic crisis has sparked riots in Greece and turmoil on world financial markets.

First our top story right now. A ferryboat accident in New York City. Here is what we know right now, a ferry carrying hundreds of passengers crashed into the Staten Island Ferry Terminal this morning. At least 55 people were injured, one seriously. Officials are blaming mechanical problems now. The boat was the Andrew J. Barberi, the same boat involved in a 2003 crash that killed 11 people. CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti is there. Susan, they believe now a mechanical failure, so they are not blaming human failure.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. They are saying they think what happened is this. It was about 9:25 in the morning. The ferry had just left Manhattan, Lower Manhattan heading here for Staten Island. The ferry by the way that you see over my shoulder is not the one involved in this incident. At about 9:25, just as the captain should have been slowing down, he wasn't able to, they said, because he tried to pull the throttle back on the ferry to do so, to slow it down. He couldn't control it.

It kept going at full speed which is about 5 knots or 5.7 miles per hour. At about a minute before the accident happened, they said the captain had a chance to sound an alert. We talked to some passengers who said they heard people yelling out, "red, red, red," as in red alert. The 18 crew members aboard were simultaneously trying to warn the passengers to say, brace yourselves, brace yourselves. Some people we spoke with were moved away from the outside of the ship to the inner part of the ship so that when the vessel hit the dock, they were able to try to brace themselves as best they could. Some were able to do a better job at it than others. Of course, there will be an investigation under way to see precisely what was at play here.

Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Susan Candiotti in New York thanks so much for that. Appreciate that.

Of course the U.S. Coast Guard and BP expected to have a news conference momentarily and perhaps giving a progress report about that work to stop the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. When that happens, we'll bring that to you.

Mean time, crews are trying to maneuver a four-story containment dome over the gushing well head. The ruptured pipe is 5,000 feet under water. An operation of this kind has never been attempted at that depth before. Every day, 210,000 gallons of oil are spilling into the waters off the Louisiana coast.

Even if they can stop the new oil from gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, the huge slick that is already there continues to threaten the Gulf coast, including many popular tourist destinations and many people's livelihoods. So what is it doing specifically to tourism, the business all along the coast? We have three guests right now, Jim Hutchinson of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. Lee Sentell of the Alabama Tourism Department and Will Seccombe of Visit Florida, good to see all three of you gentlemen. Thank you so much.

So Jim, let me begin with you in Louisiana. You clearly being hit first. We know a number of captains have canceled boat excursions for tourists for fishing expeditions. In what other way can Louisiana try to brace itself for being hit hard by this oil slick?

JIM HUTCHINSON, LA. DEPT. OF CULTURE, REC. AND TOURISM: Well, Fredericka, the primary business that would be affected by the oil slick obviously is the sport fishing business. Seven of the nine parishes that border the Gulf in Louisiana are totally unaffected by the spill as it currently is spreading. The only ones affected are the two east of the mouth of the Mississippi River. That's 70; over 80 percent of our coastline is unaffected.

WHITFIELD: So are you going out of your way and try and convey that to people, that perhaps they still might find tourism or sport fishing elsewhere? And you're trying to redirect people who might ordinarily have an interest in this sport?

HUTCHINSON: Most of the Louisiana shoreline is still available for sport fishing, as I indicated earlier. Even the parishes that are affected right now have what they call basically inland fishing still happening. Unlike a lot of the coastal states, Louisiana isn't a resort oriented coastline. It's mainly marshes and habitat that is made up by the mouth of the river. We don't have the beach situation.

In this particular instance, that's not a concern us to. Most of our attractions and most of the travel industry in Louisiana is pretty unaffected. Even New Orleans, which is obviously the biggest tourist attraction in Louisiana, is 100 miles inland. Our tourism industry for the most part isn't affected seriously by the results of this oil slick. WHITFIELD: But it might be affected if people are going to New Orleans, they usually love to enjoy shellfish, a lot the Gulf has to offer in terms of the beautiful food that is the showcase of New Orleans. If, indeed this oil slick impacts seafood like the expectation is, then that will consequently affect your tourism in that way, wouldn't it?

HUTCHINSON: Certainly, I'm sure that the fishing industry and the harvesting game from the Gulf are going to be affected in some fashion by this. In the same manner that I was explaining about the sports fishing, the over 80 percent of the coastline and the gulf outward on the western side of the Mississippi mouth of the Mississippi River is unaffected. They are still harvesting food and shellfish and everything else.

In fact, we just got a report Friday from the Louisiana Seafood Organization indicating that the only real problem occurring right now is people buying a lot of shellfish because they're concerned for what may happen later. We've been reassured the sources for food in the restaurants in Louisiana isn't threatened as a result of this oil slick. At least not with the information and knowledge we have today.

WHITFIELD: OK, well Lee, let me bring you into this equation, Alabama Tourist Department. You do have two of the items that perhaps Louisiana does not enjoy. You do have the seafood, the fishermen and the beach-goers who are interested in the Alabama coast. How do you -- what do you convey to people who ordinarily would come this time of year and beyond for those two things? Sea food and the beach.

LEE SENTELL, ALABAMA TOURISM DEPT: We are telling people that it's business as usual on our Gulf coast.

WHITFIELD: Really?

SENTELL: Even this sheen is still 50 miles south of Alabama. It's not moving in our direction.

WHITFIELD: So that may apply for the month of April, but what about folks who make plans for June, July, August to your state?

SENTELL: Once the containment dome landed safely on the floor of the Gulf, reservations picked up dramatically. People feel much more optimistic that this is going to be over in a few weeks after the leak is stopped. Reservations are picking up. We are going to have a big weekend next weekend with a huge music festival. Reservations are above what they were this time last year for Memorial Day weekend. Things are very positive right now.

WHITFIELD: Very good. Will, are you feeling as positively? Is Florida pulling out all the stops similar to Louisiana and Alabama, saying we still want your business? We still want you to come because the oil slick is just so far out there?

WILL SECCOMBE, VISIT FLORIDA: Right. Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: That's to Will. SECCOMBE: In the state of Florida where you have 11097 miles of beaches, it's critical that we are able to get out the message to all the potential travelers and current travelers who have already made travel plans. It's such a huge industry. Any misconceptions become a problem. Our job at Visit Florida is to make sure that we are source for real credible information so travelers can make their travel plans based on the credible, most credible up-to-date information. That is the primary focus for us.

Of course, we are continuing to go out and market and continuing our sales efforts, continuing to drive people to visit Florida.com where they can get updates on the situation on the ground from the local levels. It's obviously an important situation. It's something we have to monitor and work very hard to make sure that we are continuing to educate and inform travelers around the world that Florida is open for business.

WHITFIELD: I wonder, Lee, you probably have the last word and you are going to have to speak for everybody collectively on this point as we wait for word of what is taking place for containment efforts at the oil spill and if it will continue to spew 200,000 gallons of oil per day? The picture I'm getting from all three of you is very rosy right now, if BP or the U.S. Coast Guard comes out in this press conference expected minutes from now and says we've got a big problem, we are not able to contain it and the oil is going to continue to spew for as long as we don't know, how concerned at this point will you be about that message super ceding the message that you all are giving right now?

SENTELL: I think Alabama is doing such a great job to protect the coast, that we will have a lot of efforts to protect the coast and clean it up in case something does happen. We are much more confident now than we were 48 hours ago.

WHITFIELD: All right.

HUTCHINSON: May I make one suggestion? I would say to anyone who is concerned with any of the coastal locations, they should call specifically the destination. People will be very honest with them in regard to what the situation is like in their community. They'll be able to make an informed decision. All of our state websites, I'm sure ours is totally current. People can look there for guidance and instruction.

WHITFIELD: All right. Lee Sentell, the Alabama Tourism Department, Will Seccombe with the Visit Florida and Jim Hutchinson with the Louisiana Department of Culture, Rec. and Tourism, wow what a mouthful. Thank you, gentlemen, for joining us. Appreciate it. All the best as we continue to wait word on what is going on with the containment efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.

All right. Take a look right now. Live pictures of where that news conference is to take place. U.S. Coast Guard, BP. I don't know if this is a mike check right now or if it is, indeed, under way. It looks like we are going to listen to it right now. U.S. Coast Guard at the mike. REAR ADM. MARY LANDRY, U.S. COAST GUARD: To remove the oil before it reaches our shores. While the weather today may be preventing us from burning, crews are aggressively attacking the spill response using other tools available. Crews continue to skim out of the water, use dispersants to break up the oil and we also have active teams out there scouring the area in search of any oil that might reach our shores. Responders with great cooperation from volunteers and fishermen hired by BP have already deployed more than 900,000 feet of boom to protect the most sensitive shoreline.

Over 1.3 million feet is staged at 12 locations around the Gulf. BP is also reaching out across the globe to keep the needed supplies on hand. We continue to expand activities along the shore to prepare for sheening or other impacts to shore. As necessary, the shoreline cleanup and assessment team are being deployed by helicopter, by boat and land, to evaluate reports of oil and act as dictated by the response plans.

We also remain ready to respond to any wild life that might have been impacted. So far, we had two oil birds cleaned and those two oil birds will be released. We received reports Friday of two dead birds and three dead porpoises off Louisiana and have experts working to identify whether or not these deaths were a result of this spill.

In addition, our newest incident command post in St. Petersburg, Florida is fully up and running in cooperation with state agencies. I would like to clarify some reports of oil off shore, particularly Grand Isle, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality personnel confirmed that the red fluffy material in those areas is in fact algae, not oil. We had oil reported in the vicinity of the Chandeleur Islands and we have crews working in that area to make sure they can either skim or remove that oil. This is a fast-moving tidal area that presents challenges. We continue to quickly work to investigate reports of oil coming ashore.

BP will provide more information on the containment dome shortly. I must continue to manage expectations on all this ground-breaking effort to address this challenge. This dome is no silver bullet to stop the leak. We continue to work on all fronts with more than 10,000 personnel now and the support of the governmental international scientific and industry experts. This is an all hands on deck evolution. We continue to oversee BP's activities to ensure every possible resource and action is being directed to this incident.

And as focus of attention moves toward the shoreline cleanup, we are promising transparency that will allow you to understand what is going on out there we have added a new visual that gives you a sense where the location of the trajectory shows and where we are actually seeing oil from our over flights. We are also giving you communication about where boom is now deployed and where boom is staged. We will continue to get that level of granularity out to you. With that, I think Mr. Lars Herbst from MMS would like to speak a little bit about the activities.

LARS HERBST, MMS REGIONAL DIR., GULF OF MEXICO REGION: Thank you Adm. Landry. First I would like to say MMS continues to work with BP on all the various options related to source control on this incident. We continue to closely monitor the ongoing operations under way at the well site, while work continues to advance other options for capping the well. It's important for plans for any alternative operations to stop the flow of oil at sea floor carefully reviewed by MMS engineers to ensure that procedures conducted are conducted safely and minimize any risk of additional impact.

As the drilling of the relief well progresses, which is going very well, MMS inspectors of monitoring activities on the drilling rig, which include the testing of the stack system. At this time MMS inspectors are continuing to conduct targeted inspections of all deep water production facilities. We finished all the deep water drilling rig inspections and we are now doing the production facilities. This part of the safety review process was directed by the president and interior secretary.

Department of Interior has established the outer continental shelf safety oversight board to provide recommendations regarding interim measures that may enhance OCS safety and recommendations for improving and strengthening the departments over all management and regulation and oversight of OCS operations. The board will also provide oversight of MMS regarding the joint investigation into this incident along with the Coast Guard. I should announce that investigation will formally commence next week in New Orleans.

As soon as that investigation is complete, we plan to incorporate those recommendations into our program oversight. At this time I would like to turn it over to Mr. Doug Suttles of BP.

DOUG SUTTLES, BP CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: Thank you Lars and Adm. Landry. Before I provide additional details of our activities of the last 24 hours, I would like to express our thanks and appreciation for the over 8,500 responders in this event, and the over 4,000 volunteers who are helping us. To give a sense of the interest in this incident, we had over 35,000 calls to our hotline. Almost half those people expressing interest to volunteer to help. That gives you some sense of the passion in the communities that are impacted by this spill.

Over the last 24 hours or so, of course the main area of interest has been around the containment dome. Yesterday evening we lowered that to the sea floor and began to place it over the source of the leak. I think as we expressed numerous times, this particular operation has never been done before at this depth. We also shared that the big technical challenge was with hydrate formation. A hydrate is actually when gas combines with water under certain pressure and temperatures it forms a crystal very similar to ice. What happened as we were placing the dome over the leak source a large volume of hydrates formed inside the top of the dome, requiring us to move the dome to the side of the leak point.

The dome is currently sitting on the sea bed while we evaluate options to deal with the hydrate issue. It will probably take the next two days to look for opportunities to overcome this challenge. In addition, we continue to progress other techniques to control the source of flow and ultimately stop the source of flow. These include activities to try to create a stoppage or plug up the existing blowout preventer to stop flow, or put a second block preventer or similar valve to stop the flow. Additional data will be gathered to see if these options are viable and that work will continue over the next 48 hours.

Our relief well drilling continues. The relief well is at approximately 9,000 feet and making progress actually ahead of plan. Onshore I think the admiral's already covered many of the details. We deployed over 130,000 feet of boom yesterday. We are approaching a million feet deployed. We have over 2.3 million additional feet, either coming from existing stocks in the United States, Brazil, Spain, China, United Kingdom and other countries across the United States.

Plus approximately a million feet coming from new manufacturer. We are currently expecting to see about 25,000 feet of boom material being produced every day for this activity. As the Admiral already covered, we have oil around Chandeleur Island and our shoreline cleanup team is responding to that. In certain areas, what was originally reported as oil has been confirmed to be algae. Offshore we did complete five successful burns yesterday. We actually skimmed over 17,500 barrels of an oily water mix. I would end by saying we are focused on stopping the flow, we are focused on minimizing the impacts both environmental and economic, and about keeping the public informed of our activities. Thank you.

At this point we'll open up for questions.

RAY HENRY, "ASSOCIATED PRESS:" Mr. Suttles can you explain to us a little about the hydrate situation? What exactly happened last night and what the status of the dome is now? Where do you go from here?

SUTTLES: Yes. What we did last night was, we lowered the dome. The dome had to be lowered carefully over the sea bed. We actually were successful in placing it over the top of the leak site. These gas hydrates are actually like crystals, like ice crystals. Of course they are lighter than water. What they did is form on the inside of the dome which tried to make the dome buoyant. It also plugged up the top of the dome where the oil would come out of. What we had to do was pick the dome back up, set it over to the side while we evaluate what options we have to actually try to prevent the hydrate formation or find some other method to try to capture the flow.

CAMPBELL ROBERTSON, "NEW YORK TIMES": Campbell Robertson, "New York Times." There's been discussions of creating a new blowout preventer on top of the existing one. But the other technique you said was under consideration of plugging, where you try to plug it, can you talk about that?

SUTTLES: Yes. The other option -- I should back up. Since the beginning, we always had this strategy about we needed to find and progress multiple options. We didn't know which one would be successful. It's all to do with working in 5,000 feet of water in difficult and challenging environments. We always progressed multiple options. One of those, people referred to in the industry is what's called a junk shot. All that means is we take ground-up material at various times and try to inject it into the blowout preventer at the bottom of it. It will flow up and plug it up. Some people described it like stopping up a toilet. It's just that simple a concept. It has certain issues and challenges and risks with it. That's why we haven't actually progressed that to this point. We continue to look and see if that's going to be a viable option.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does this mean the containment dome has failed? Are there options to make it work the way you planned for it to work?

SUTTLES: Well, I wouldn't say it's failed yet. What I would say is what we attempted to do last night didn't work because these hydrates plugged up the top of the dome. What we are currently doing and expect it will take the next 48 hours or so is seeing is there a way to overcome this problem. We did anticipate hydrates being a problem, but not this significant. There are numerous ways to manage hydrates. One is can you provide heat down at this level so that they don't form or can you actually apply methanol as another way to manage hydrates.

So our teams, as Lars has already mentioned, working with him and across the industry are looking to see if is there a way to overcome this problem?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you tell us if the report of seven BP executives on board the rig celebrating a safety record at the time of the explosion accorded is true and were you one of them?

SUTTLES: There were 126 people on the rig at the time of the accident. As you know, 115 successfully evacuated the rig. Unfortunately, 11 people are actually missing. Of the 126, six were BP employees. They ranged from fairly new, younger engineers all the way up to our vice president drilling for the Gulf of Mexico. All six of those, thankfully, successfully escaped from the facility with no serious injuries.

One of the reasons the more senior members were there were to discuss the safety performance of this rig. This rig had an outstanding record. I think it had gone over 2,500 days without a significant safety accident. That was one of the reasons the more senior members were on the rig at the time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you there, sir?

SUTTLES: No, I wasn't. I was not there.

HENRY: Ray Henry, Associated Press. About those documents that came out last night talking about the methane, possibility of that causing the accident. Is BP investigating the methane bubble as a cause of this?

SUTTLES: I should clarify. There's the Admiral and Lars have discussed numerous times, the government has an investigation. We have an internal investigation trying to figure out what went wrong here. I'm not personally involved in that. My role in this incident since the very beginning is to manage our response. I can't actually comment on the status of investigations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is for anyone, actually. I understand there are foreign offers of support and some are actually being actively taken up on including the boom, but as well as oil cleanups and other areas. Can you talk about foreign involvement or the at least what we've, not just the offers, but what we've taken?

LANDRY: We should both speak to it. As a person who's been involved in oil spill response for years, my comfort came when I heard about the international experts, one particular person is world renowned for her work in marsh areas and restoring marsh. When you have the people known around the world --

WHITFIELD: You're hearing a number of things coming from this extraordinary news conference involving the U.S. Coast Guard as well as the BP chief operating officer. Everything from Doug Suttles, the CEO saying there have been challenges, yes, they have lowered that four-story containment. It took them just a week to construct it by using about a dozen welders. It's never been used before. They lowered it to the bottom, a mile down deep now in the Gulf of Mexico to try to contain that oil spill, 200,000 gallons seeping from that leak.

However, the CEO saying because of these challenges, no, they have not been able to secure to cap off that well that leak thus far. He says, "He wouldn't say it was failed yet." He says there are ways which to manage what is taking place. There are gas hydrates or ice crystals that formed at the top of that dome. That is preventing that oil from going up that line which would then hit the surface and go on those containment vessels. He says that they are now looking for ways within the industry to see if there is a way in which to address these gas hydrates, these ice crystals that have formed on that containment dome.

There are still a lot of things that they need to address to try to cap off this problem. The oil continues to spew. Meantime, U.S. Coast Guard says they continue to see the use of the dispersants to try to absorb a lot of the oil that continues to spew from this leak. 900,000 feet of boom have been distributed. We did hear earlier throughout the week some 80 percent of that boom had been damaged because of bad weather. The BP CEO says more boom continues to be put out into the Gulf of Mexico. The CEO also said they continue to burn oil as well as they have skimmed 17,000 barrels of oil already.

As to the damages in the way of wild life, the U.S. Coast Guard says they have found two oily birds. They cleaned them off. They will be released into the wild. They did find two dead birds and two dead porpoises, but are trying to confirm whether their deaths are a result of this oil spill. A lot going on as we continue to listen and monitor that press conference that is ongoing involving BP as well as the U.S. Coast Guard. We will try to assess that and bring you any latest information as it becomes available.

We've got much more from the NEWSROOM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right, in Tennessee and neighboring states, the clean-up is getting under way in earnest as the impact of last weekend's massive floods comes into sharper focus. Raging waters caused more than $1.5 billion in damage in the Nashville area. Our Martin Savidge joins us live from downtown Nashville, where it's both residential and commercial -- Marty.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, yes, we're actually just to the southwest of downtown Nashville, in an area that's called Bellevue (ph). And this is an area where there's a lot of attached housing, so you have a heavy concentration of homes. Unfortunately, when the waters came through, that also meant that you have a heavy concentration of damage. You look all the way down the street, you can see the debris pile that just stretches on and on and on. This is debris that's coming out of the units as everybody begins the long and difficult process of cleaning up.

We'll actually take you inside here and show you one of the units. And this is pretty typical of just about all the that units you're going to find here as far as what work's being done, what's been accomplished. And it's very reminiscent of what you might remember from what you saw after Katrina down in New Orleans because the idea is get everything out, clear it right down to the studs, and that's what they've been doing.

And joining us right now is Russ Haselton. He's the owner. Hello, Russ.

RUSS HASELTON, NASHVILLE RESIDENT: Hello, Martin.

SAVIDGE: How're you doing?

HASELTON: Good. How about you?

SAVIDGE: Doing good. You've made a lot of progress so far.

HASELTON: We really have. We really have, and it's due to all the volunteers and people just coming in unannounced, people I don't even know.

SAVIDGE: Well, you talked about that. We were -- you were saying who showed up. Now, tell us a bit about who showed up.

HASELTON: Well, let me tell you that -- let's see, I guess it was Monday afternoon we got back in here and assessed everything. So we came back in early Tuesday morning to start trying to clean it out, and three young people in their early 20s came across the street and asked if they could help. I didn't know who they were. They were here to help somebody else, but they hadn't shown up.

And those three -- two girls and a guy worked all day with me, tearing this drywall down, that was wet and really smelly. All the carpet came out. And they just worked, really, from about 8:00 to 8:00 that day. And that's how we got a jump on it.

SAVIDGE: And then you had members of a softball team that showed up?

HASELTON: Well, my daughter's high school baseball team came walking through the front door this morning. And so since we're in a condominium, we're trying to help people on both sides of us. So the baseball team cleaned that unit, and then when they got through, they went over and cleaned this unit.

SAVIDGE: Let me just interrupt you because I want to -- I want people to just see the beehive of activity. This is pretty much what you're going to find in almost every unit. Now, remember, it's Saturday, and the call went out for volunteers and people responded by the thousands and they continue to be here. There are those who are in charge of feeding them. There's those in charge of making sure people have stuff to drink. And then there are also those who have to do the work. It's quite an amazing thing to see. Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it really is. I love how people have just come out in full force. I'm actually really stunned at the progress. I mean, that was an area -- that house you're looking at right now, that had furniture -- that was devastated and damaged by water. And right now, no sign of it, even with that drywall being peeled back like that. It's extraordinary. They're moving fast.

SAVIDGE: And look at this here. You can see through all the units. This is -- that's actually a unit next door. And then beyond that...

WHITFIELD: Gosh!

SAVIDGE: ... is another unit next door, and on and on and on. And they've all pretty much got it down to the same pattern. They said they didn't have anybody that really told them how to do it, they just figured it out on their own.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my.

SAVIDGE: Seems like they've done pretty good.

WHITFIELD: It looks like they did really good. I don't know I would know on my own. I wouldn't know to do that. I would just, you know, be relying upon everybody else's expertise. All right, Martin Savidge, thanks so much, in Nashville. Glad that they're...

SAVIDGE: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: ... feeling some progress and feeling rather hopeful about picking up and starting over.

So more people in this country are getting jobs, we understand -- I'm going to shift gears quite a bit -- but the unemployment rate is going up. And it sounds like a contradiction. The Dolans will be explaining in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: So April's unemployment numbers are out, and the jobless rate rose from 9.7 percent to 9.9 percent. Now, that's mostly because many people who had actually stopped looking for work are jumping back in the game. The big news here, there was a gain of 290,000 jobs in April. That's on top of the 230,000 jobs added a month earlier. So April's jump in new jobs was the biggest increase since March 2006.

So why does it feel like some people are still looking for work or that they lost their job recently? So perhaps if you have lost your job or you are worried about what to do, you need to have an action plan.

And here to get you going on the right track, Ken and Daria Dolan are back with us. They've been with us all day long.

KEN DOLAN, DOLANS.COM: Not them again! Oh, no!

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: So glad you're here.

KEN DOLAN: Oh, no!

WHITFIELD: We have really traversed a lot of territory...

KEN DOLAN: Yes, we've (INAUDIBLE)

WHITFIELD: ... investments, you know...

KEN DOLAN: From Greece to Wall Street...

WHITFIELD: ... and Greece, Wall Street. And now we're talking about jobs and what to do, all the smart things that you need to be keeping in mind just in case you do get laid off.

KEN DOLAN: Whether you've been laid off or may be laid off.

WHITFIELD: Right.

DARIA DOLAN, DOLANS.COM: And you know, you look at those job numbers, and there's a lot of guesstimating that goes on on the part of the Bureau of Labor...

KEN DOLAN: Oh, don't get her started on the numbers!

DARIA DOLAN: The BLS, or as I like to call it, the BS. But anyway...

KEN DOLAN: Well, thank you, Daria. We'll see you. Thank you very much.

(CROSSTALK)

DARIA DOLAN: That's why people are still insecure about this. And a lot of those jobs were government temporary census workers. WHITFIELD: OK.

DARIA DOLAN: So if you're laid off...

WHITFIELD: Yes. What do you do?

DARIA DOLAN: First thing you do is, you can back off for 24 hours, but don't go into, Gee, I think I'll take a few weeks just to unwind from the trauma.

WHITFIELD: No. Some people think -- yes, they'll say, you know, I'm going to take that vacation I've never taken, meaning (INAUDIBLE) time off (INAUDIBLE) Don't do that, you say.

DARIA DOLAN: And that adds (INAUDIBLE)

WHITFIELD: Keep going.

KEN DOLAN: What you have to do is handle it like a job. Handle it like a job. Get serious. Get up every day and get to work on doing some of the things we'll talk about, like make sure you check your financial situation. Have you saved money? Well, it's going to take three to six months or more to find a job, usually a month -- now, this is -- this is just a number, a month for every $10,000 you make.

DARIA DOLAN: And that was in the good times.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

KEN DOLAN: Yes, so it might be more now.

DARIA DOLAN: Probably more now.

KEN DOLAN: If you have to cut back, start right away, unless you've got a whole bunch of money saved, number one. Number two, check your health coverage. Number one, check your health coverage and see what plans -- see if COBRA is available to you.

WHITFIELD: Oh, it's just so expensive!

KEN DOLAN: And then...

DARIA DOLAN: It's very expensive, but it is still, believe it or not...

WHITFIELD: I mean, it's incredible...

DARIA DOLAN: ... cheaper than if you have to go out and get it on your own.

WHITFIELD: Right (INAUDIBLE)

KEN DOLAN: Or cheaper than not having it.

DARIA DOLAN: Exactly. KEN DOLAN: And also, something that's so important, Fredricka, and we talk about it all the time. And that is -- it seems pretty simple -- contact your contacts. You say, Well, I'm kind of embarrassed. Don't be embarrassed. If a person and a friend is a contact of yours, they've either been in that position or they're going to come to you when they're in that position.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

KEN DOLAN: So don't be ashamed to do it.

DARIA DOLAN: Which is why...

KEN DOLAN: ... tell everybody.

DARIA DOLAN: ... it's always good to stay in contact with people, even when you don't...

WHITFIELD: Don't let so much time lapse, and all of a sudden, you need something (INAUDIBLE)

DARIA DOLAN: Yes because that's, like, Oh, there they are. Now they need me and I hear from them, you know? So keep avenues open with people. And remember that you're going to, nine times out of ten, be looking for that new job only on line...

WHITFIELD: OK.

DARIA DOLAN: ... because...

KEN DOLAN: That's the new -- that's the new way.

DARIA DOLAN: Yes. You can't do these face to faces anymore. Everything's on line. There are machines and faceless people looking at your resume. So...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: And have that resume ready.

KEN DOLAN: Absolutely, all the time.

DARIA DOLAN: ... an on-line resume. And be prepared, so it's set up on your computer. Be prepared to jigger it, and use whatever words you're seeing in that on-line ad to put into your on-line resume.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my. OK. And Josh Levs, he's going to soon be making his way over here...

KEN DOLAN: Josh is here again?

WHITFIELD: And when he gets here...

KEN DOLAN: Love him!

WHITFIELD: ... you know, he'll have some e-mail questions. But you know, before we get to that point -- come on in, Josh.

KEN DOLAN: Come on, Josh.

(CROSSTALK)

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ... double dose of the dynamic Dolan (INAUDIBLE)

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Before Josh does delve into that, what about freelance work? What if you are a freelancer or you want to be...

KEN DOLAN: Now, listen to me, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Yes.

KEN DOLAN: This is important. And listen, everybody. Freelance work is not the easiest thing in the world to find. But listen to me. There are some onerous things coming to small businesses, especially it relates to health insurance, and it's going to cost -- it may cost a lot of money to get a new employee. So get out there and look for overflow in offices. I don't need any office space. No. I don't need any health insurance, either.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

KEN DOLAN: And get out there and get going.

WHITFIELD: While a lot of companies may be laying off, they may still have the work in the form of freelance because they don't have to pay the benefits and...

DARIA DOLAN: Absolutely. Yes.

KEN DOLAN: But that's if they lay off, doesn't mean the work doesn't have...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: ... hire a freelancer.

DARIA DOLAN: Freelancejob -- freelancejobresearch -- no, Freelancejobsearch.com.

WHITFIELD: OK.

KEN DOLAN: Exactly. It's a very good one. And you got to...

DARIA DOLAN: I knew I'd get that out.

KEN DOLAN: ... get out there. You've got to -- you've got to get involved with industry groups, join the Chambers, get the word out, even -- even start a blog.

WHITFIELD: OK. KEN DOLAN: Freelancers, there's work out there. Be creative.

(CROSSTALK)

LEVS: I mean, it's actually (INAUDIBLE) being a job vulture, too. You -- people circle over these places that suddenly have massive layoffs. They know they're going to need people to do the work.

(CROSSTALK)

LEVS: Here I am, hire me. They're swimming in freelance work. I mean, there are people who get work...

KEN DOLAN: I love that.

LEVS: ... year-round. It's too bad to get it that way.

KEN DOLAN: Bad news for the lay-offs, good news for somebody who can come in and maybe do the job for less.

LEVS: And it's a way of still eating.

KEN DOLAN: That's a good one.

WHITFIELD: Josh, what are people asking?

LEVS: We're getting a lot of...

WHITFIELD: That was great advice. Thank you, Josh!

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

DARIA DOLAN: ... I'm not talking to Josh.

(LAUGHTER)

LEVS: (INAUDIBLE) All right, let's do this.

WHITFIELD: We're learning.

LEVS: First question from Elay. I'll be 40 this December, and I have a BS in accounting, but haven't had much financial success in that industry. Is it too late to switch careers at the age of 40?

KEN DOLAN: Two answers. Number one, accounting. We're going to talk the hot careers if we have time, but if not, accounting, because of all the tax mess, is going to be -- Alex (ph), is going to be one of the careers for the next 10 years, number one. And I changed from my Wall Street career to media quite by accident at age 42. That's a fact. Is it too late? No way! DARIA DOLAN: If you have a BS in accounting and you're 40 years of age and have had no success, find yourself a mentor if you still like the job and the career path.

LEVS: Maybe you can (INAUDIBLE) freelance with someone.

KEN DOLAN: Absolutely.

DARIA DOLAN: You're doing something wrong.

KEN DOLAN: Don't give up, Alex!

LEVS: All right, I'm getting the countdown (ph). Let's go to the second one. As long as we're in -- basically, in a contraction -- this is what Alex is saying...

KEN DOLAN: Economic contraction.

LEVS: Yes, economic contraction -- how can we expect jobs to become plentiful for people who need work? You can jump (ph) off that question. And do you guys see this changing at any time?

KEN DOLAN: I see -- it's coming -- I think -- I see it -- depending on the industry, I think it could be two to three years and even longer in some industries. So I think it's going to be a while.

DARIA DOLAN: I think we -- there's so much uncertainty out there still, and with the debts that all the world is racking up, not just us, I see the very real possibility of another dip in the economy, a W rather than a V-shaped...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Nobody should be too totally confident. OK, so...

KEN DOLAN: I think it's going to be a while.

WHITFIELD: We're out of time, but we love, love, love having you.

KEN DOLAN: Thank you!

WHITFIELD: There are 10 hottest job recommendations that you all have. I'm going to riddle (ph) through as many as I can...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: ... people can go to your Web site...

KEN DOLAN: Oh, look...

(CROSSTALK)

KEN DOLAN: Dolans.com.

WHITFIELD: And you can also go to our blog because we're going to post it to make sure that people didn't miss it. So real quick, computer programmers, software engineers, IT analysis, day care providers, elder care specialists, employment specialists, environmental engineers, teachers, dental hygienists, veterinary tech, registered nurses, financial advisers.

KEN DOLAN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Those are all incredible...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: ... incredible jobs, and those are ones with growth and that's why you picked those, right?

KEN DOLAN: Exactly.

DARIA DOLAN: Absolutely.

KEN DOLAN: And there's others, but those are -- that's a good start.

WHITFIELD: OK, Ken and Daria Dolan, thank so much...

KEN DOLAN: Please, are we done?

WHITFIELD: ... for christening our new...

KEN DOLAN: Are we finished?

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: ... but we love that you all came from West Palm to join us here in Atlanta. And folks can go to your Web site, Dolans.com, if they want any more...

KEN DOLAN: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: ... free, free, free advice. You want to tap into what they've...

KEN DOLAN: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: ... got to offer. You all are...

KEN DOLAN: We love...

(CROSSTALK)

KEN DOLAN: Congratulations on your new studio.

WHITFIELD: Josh Levs...

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: ... thanks so much. And thanks to all of you viewers for sending great, brilliant questions. Appreciate that. KEN DOLAN: Thank you very much, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. So sometimes, all it takes to be a hero is a little willpower and a little light. Next, a "CNN Hero" who's skipping means in order to bring villagers something they never had.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, sometimes the simplest things can make the biggest differences in people's lives, and thanks to this week's "CNN Hero," impoverished Kenyans with dim prospects for the future now have a much brighter outlook.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVANS WADONGO, YOUNG WONDER: I have problems with my eyesight due to prolonged exposure to smoke.

We bend that around.

I had to use firewood to study as a child. I grew up in a small village in the western part of Kenya. These families are so poor, they don't have electricity. It's only kerosene and firewood they use for lighting, cooking. It's very, very frustrating. I couldn't compete effectively with other kids who have access to lighting. A lot of other kids just drop out of school, so they remain poor for the rest of their life.

My name is Evans Wadongo. And when I made the first lantern, I thought I must find a way of using solar to light up rural homes. I was so overwhelmed. I knew the impact the lantern would have on the river (ph) communities. The amount of money that every household uses to buy kerosene every day, if they can just save that money, they can be able to buy food.

All along, I've been skipping at least two meals a day so that I can construct the lamps, but I want to do more. It gives me satisfaction knowing that I'm lifting people out of poverty. I just feel like it's right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, perhaps you know someone worthy of being a "CNN Hero." To nominate someone you think is changing the world, go to CNN.com/heroes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, so major league advice for today's Little League pitchers. If you want your arm to last, learn the right moves. CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, explains in today's "Fit Nation" segment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's pitching great Tom Glavine watching his son's Little League practice. And you might be surprised at what he has to say.

TOM GLAVINE, 1995 WORLD SERIES MVP: You know, I wouldn't let a kid at 11 years old throw a breaking ball. I never threw a breaking ball until I got to high school.

GUPTA: So why does he say that? Well, because the breaking ball, also called the curveball, puts too much stress on pre-teen elbows.

GLAVINE: There you go. That's a little better.

DR. JOE CHANDLER, DIRECTOR OF MEDICAL SERVICES, ATLANTA BRAVES: Yes, over time, we're seeing an epidemic of overuse injuries in youth baseball, an epidemic of shoulder and elbow injuries.

GUPTA: That often means surgery, and pitching careers over before they've even started.

GLAVINE: I think at this young age, teach them how to throw a fastball for strikes and then teach them a change-up, and just teach them how to pitch and don't worry so much about the curveball. There's plenty of time for that.

GUPTA: Problem is that young players are also getting injured because they're throwing too many pitches each outing, or playing too many innings per game. It's hard when professional baseball is such a draw.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to be a professional baseball player.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's my dream.

GUPTA: But many young players and coaches don't always get this message: Play less to play longer.

CHANDLER: Those who are getting significant injuries at 19 or 20 years old, you can usually trace it back to overuse at 12 and 13 years old.

GLAVINE: A lot of these kids are playing one sport and they're playing it year-round.

GUPTA: Growing up, Glavine took a break from baseball each season to play hockey. He gave his arm a rest and thinks that may have contributed to his long baseball career. And he's hoping these Little Leaguers catch on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't throw curveballs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't throw it all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. That's not good.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta. (END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)