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CNN Live Saturday

State of Emergency: The Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

Aired September 03, 2005 - 17:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: More life-saving aid and more scenes of desperation in New Orleans. Helicopters deliver food and water to residents still trapped in the flood. But thousands of people are getting out.
Hello, and welcome back to our continuing coverage of state of emergency, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in the Atlanta headquarters.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Let's start with the latest developments in mission critical.

WHITFIELD: The security situation is improving in New Orleans, according to some officials. Louisiana state police say there were no confirmed reports of violence overnight, and heavily armed law enforcement officers have reached the streets near the river. Still more ominous pictures of a city in crisis today. Flames engulfed rows of warehouses on the river waterfront, and a huge fire is burning at an upscale mall at the base of Canal Street.

An Army Blackhawk helicopter today brought precious cargo to people still trapped in some New Orleans neighborhoods. Residents scramble to recover cases of water and meals ready to eat dropped from that chopper.

And engineers continue to work around the clock to repair levees that allowed water to spill into the city. The breach in one key levee is now about a third filled in, Tony.

HARRIS: And Fred, the death toll is certain to climb in Biloxi, Mississippi, as more bodies are found in the hard hit coastal community. CNN's Ted Rowlands is joining us now live from Biloxi. Hello, Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Tony. Another tough day here in Biloxi and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It is a different scenario than it is New Orleans. There isn't the degree of lawlessness, but there is some looting, and the National Guard is now here in force, trying to quell that, and local police, with this reinforcement, are now enforcing very stringent curfews. People are worried.

One of the things, one of the biggest commodities now is gasoline, and we are seeing unbelievable gas lines. This morning, we saw a line that extended about a mile in the city of Gulfport, only to find out when we got to the front of it, they weren't even pumping gas there. There was a rumor that gas may be arriving at that station, and folks said they had been there for five hours on that rumor, and that they were willing to wait because they had no gas, just on fumes, and they needed to get more fuel, to get more water, to get their lives back on the road to recovery.

There are also issues with the continuing body count, which continues to grow. The devastation here is just unbelievable, over such a large area, that there are still pockets where they have not been able to send search-and-rescue crews into, and they're still retrieving bodies. They expect to be doing that for some time. Because there is no electricity in much of the state, they're putting the bodies when they find them in refrigerated trailers. They have been positioned in different areas of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. And mortuaries. It is a very, very difficult job. It becomes more difficult with every day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every day, things tend to get worse. But five days after, four days after, you know, things start to happen, things are getting a little worse. Without being graphic, that's about all I can give you. There is not really anything I can tell you. Just the worse it gets in 95-degree temperatures every day, and the longer someone is there, the worse it's going to be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROWLANDS: As difficult as it is, there are signs of progress. There is an army of folks from around the region here, trying to restore power, working around the clock, and they're slowly but surely getting the state back online. Once that's established, they can move onto the other infrastructure problems. This is going to be weeks, months and even years before life is back to where it was before Katrina came ripping through -- Tony.

HARRIS: Ted Rowlands, thank you.

Quickly now to live pictures out of New Orleans. Once again of another, yet another fire in that city. Let's listen to chopper pilot J.T. Alpaugh.

J.T. ALPAUGH, PHOTOGRAPHER: ... fire burning in the middle. You can see, it's so hot, causing so much heat, it's very difficult to focus on it. Because of all the heat in there, the smoke, a very hot burning fire, and it's been burning through most of the day.

Bringing you these live pictures on the western shore of the Mississippi.

What we're going to do now is we're going to continue on the left orbit, and we're going to include the area of this fire in relationship to the area of downtown New Orleans, to show you how up- close it is, and how far it is to get there.

Check with Allen (ph) here in air traffic, and make sure we're good to go. How are we doing, Allen (ph)? Allen's (ph) talking to aircraft right now. Over now on the northern side -- we're on the east side of the fire and now coming up on the north side of the fire -- I'm going to shoot back to the south, just come around left here.

Now we've got -- the sun is starting to get a little bit lower in the Louisiana sky right now, so the haze of the smoke causing what you're seeing now, kind of a washed-out looking picture, because of the weather and the smoke, so we're going to do the best we can to give you the silhouette of the downtown New Orleans area.

Barely making out the sky rise -- the skyline, I should say.

So we're looking at about two miles to the northeast of the downtown Louisiana -- downtown, I'm sorry, New Orleans area, burning south now. So this is what we've got going. If this fire continues to burn the way it is, it's going to completely burn through this warehouse, continue to its exposure here, possibly even here.

Now, where we do get a little bit of a break is where there's a large space right here, a fire -- a natural fire break, if you will, dividing it from the rest of the pier that actually goes into the downtown area. So we're hoping that they do control this fire before it destroys the rest of these warehouses. But, you know, this is just one little tragedy going on in a world of tragedies.

HARRIS: I'll tell you, this is a fire that I believe we've been following most of the afternoon here, and I will tell you, just a small portion of that building was burning earlier. The fire is consuming that warehouse.

WHITFIELD: It is. And we don't know what's in that warehouse, if that's making it that much more combustible, or what, but the proximity to the downtown area makes this a pretty remarkable blaze as well.

As we heard from J.T. Alpaugh, it's only two miles northeast of downtown area, just a few paces away rally from the riverwalk there, which is usually teaming with tourists, and along the tracks that are shared by not just the trains that take this cargo from one point to the other, but also the trolley system there, which is of course made so famous there in New Orleans.

I want to depart from that scene for a moment now, and talk about how evacuees are getting some kinds of attention in the form of medical help. They're being taken to the Louis Armstrong Airport. It's just outside New Orleans, really just a stone's throw away, and that's where we find CNN's Ed Lavandera, with the latest on the medical attention being given there -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, the thunderous buzz of helicopters does not ease up here at the New Orleans Airport. We're going to try to give you a little bit different vantage points of what the scene is like here at the airport. As we've been explaining, as all these helicopters come in, and we've been told by airport officials here that at its busiest moments, there are 10 helicopters landing here at this -- at this airport at any given time. Drop -- only on the ground for a few seconds, dropping off a dozen or so people at a time, and then they're escorted into the airport area through this little walkway right here.

And it has become much more organized in the last 24 hours, which is good news for all these folks that are landing here. You can see a much stronger National Guard presence here at the airport now. They've set up these buckets of ice and water for people to get.

But as this has become more organized, it has become more organized because there are so many people here. At the last count, officials were able to take, has people waiting here, and it stretches all the way underneath the terminal here as you might be able to see. These are all people waiting for a flight out or a bus out, whatever they can get, to get out of New Orleans, and it has become much messier inside the terminal and outside. There's thousands of people waiting. Stacks of garbage bags are starting to pile up along the outside of the airport here. A lot of that is coming from inside the airport terminal. So this is definitely a situation where they're trying to move people through as quickly as possible, but it is an endless stream of people, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: It is indeed. It only seems like it's going to thicken with the number of evacuees and people in need before, it seems, as though it thins out. Thanks so much, Ed Lavandera.

HARRIS: Houston, Texas is serving as a major hub for hurricane survivors already; some 200,000 evacuees have arrived in the city. Many more are on their way. CNN's Sean Callebs is in Houston. And Sean, how are folks there coping?

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: People are coping here relatively well. It is certainly -- to echo what Ed just said -- it is certainly calming down here. Officials are getting a handle on the size, the scope of this entire crisis. Certainly the Red Cross, FEMA, they planned to put 24,000 people in the Astrodome. They overestimated how many cots they could get in there. For a while, for about 24 hours, people were crammed together, certainly uncomfortably.

Right now, thousands of people are being moved from the Astrodome to neighboring Reliant Center and Reliant Arena, trying to make conditions a lot more comfortable inside. People are still getting food, medical treatment. We've been told that 3,000 have received medical treatment. One hundred have been moved to the hospital, so certainly not a medical crisis here in Houston at this point.

But to a person, the evacuees we have talked to say they cannot thank the city of Houston enough for their efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Up to the ceiling. In my house, all the way to the ceiling.

CALLEBS (on camera): Were you terrified you were not going to make it out?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, because it was four days in the attic, which is sealed good.

CALLEBS: You were in an attic?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the attic.

CALLEBS: How did they finally evacuate you out?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At the top, the New Orleans Police Department.

CALLEBS: New Orleans police came and got you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We was stinking, smelling like the waters that we got stuck in, and half of us got viruses from the water that we had to swim in. Half of us is sun-burned. Children got ringworms from the water and stuff, but I'm glad we survived it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: And another thing we're hearing from so many of these evacuees, every time people see us, they come out with photos, with phone numbers, with information. Almost everybody seems to be missing a relative, somehow, somewhere. Families simply displaced. A lot of people have no idea whether their loved ones are indeed alive.

It was a very sobering situation, and we know hundreds of more evacuees are going to be coming here. Texas governor has mandated that Houston is basically the drop-off point for all the evacuees coming in by vehicle. Then they will be moved to Dallas, San Antonio, Lubbock, Texas, Corpus Christi, and Huntsville, Texas -- Tony.

HARRIS: Sean Callebs in Houston for us. Sean, thank you.

WHITFIELD: Now, we want to show you some live pictures taking place right now, where J.T. Alpaugh, who has been the pool photographer on board a helicopter, has been able to show us some magnificent pictures taking place throughout New Orleans. This time, we're seeing a shot of a Navy -- what appears to be a rescue helicopter, a Blackhawk. Presumably, they may be looking for people to pluck from the rooftops, as we've been seeing for the past six days out of the New Orleans area, or perhaps even looking for some other signs of life. Let's listen in.

ALPAUGH: ... bring it around the front here -- trying to get around the front of the aircraft so I can see the face of the pilot as we shoot a little bit back towards (INAUDIBLE). When we get now to pull a little bit wide, I'll show you we're orbiting this planning zone (ph), on a CH-53. Below me, you can see more evacuees being brought into the area.

Just a beautiful helicopter. I can tell you that helicopters have just continued to be a life-saving asset here. We believe that he may be coming in now. He's shooting an approach, and I think that Blackhawk just left, so the CH-53 now shooting an approach into this area. I'm going to watch him.

WHITFIELD: You're seeing how the rescue efforts are under way. You're watching it live as it happens, with this Navy Blackhawk looking for people to rescue there in the New Orleans area. They continue to comb the air -- airwaves there, looking for any signs of life, looking for people to pluck from their rooftops, or otherwise to get them to some sort of medical assistance, or simply to evacuate them from the area entirely.

When we get more information on the kind of rescue mission that's taking place, and if there's any success in that, we'll be bring that to you, Tony.

HARRIS: And we have a programming note for you tonight. On CNN at 8:00 Eastern, find out how you can help, as Larry King is joined by Eric Clapton, Magic Johnson, Harry Connick, Jr., Celine Dion and others, for a three-hour special, all about how you can help. That's "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight at 8:00.

WHITFIELD: Coming up, President Bush making himself visible in hard-hit areas. Still, criticism he and his administration did not prepare adequately, and have been slow to respond. We'll look at the role of politics, how that may be playing into all of this.

Also ahead, a newborn baby is separated from his parents as Hurricane Katrina moves ashore. We'll have the remarkable story of what happened after that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Some aerial pictures now of New Orleans. This is in part an encouraging scene, because J.T. Alpaugh, who has been on this chopper, showing us these remarkable bird's-eye views, is able to show us now near the Superdome, it's nearly deserted. Hardly any people there now, just a couple of folks, which appear to be military folks right now. You're only seeing the debris of what was home to thousands of people for six days. It appears now, most have been evacuated.

HARRIS: Look at that picture.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. It's a terrible sight, seeing the debris, knowing what people had to deal with over the last few days, but it's also an encouraging sight, because maybe it does mean that people have now been taken to safer ground. Better facilities, facilities period...

HARRIS: Any kind of facilities.

WHITFIELD: They had no facilities there, no working facilities.

HARRIS: That's right.

WHITFIELD: And you're seeing also the debris of the nearby Hyatt hotel, which was destroyed, along with a number of other high-rises there -- Tony. HARRIS: That's right.

Well, what are the conditions in downtown New Orleans as we head toward evening? Joining me now from along Canal Street in New Orleans is CNN's Jeff Koinange. And Jeff, give us an assessment of what you are seeing as you walked around that area?

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, Tony, this is incredible. Because Canal Street, as you well know, on any given day at any other time, would have been the busiest street in New Orleans. Right now, if we look down either street, what's behind me, streets are completely deserted.

And Tony, just before I digress, right here is when those fires that you were talking about, that department store at the end of the street, Saks Fifth Avenue, one of the most expensive stores, department stores, in town, that's where one of the fires was. And there were fire trucks all over this area. They couldn't get any water in because the fire hydrants were dry. They had to commandeer a truck that was taking water to a cooling plant, bring it, and take care of that fire.

As you can well know, Tony, the emergency services here are stretched to the limits. Over here to my left, Tony, typical of what's become of New Orleans now: Deserted streets. People, stragglers, literally, people looking for anything they can to take away. But for the most part, the streets are completely empty. Some of these stores have been looted. Some of these buildings have been razed to the ground by fires.

This is what's become of one of the most historical cities in the United States, Tony. It's a sight that a lot of us thought we would ever see in our time, but hopefully there's a silver ling at the end of this. Most of the people who are at the Convention Center and the Superdome have been evacuated, and that will give way to a cleanup service, a massive cleanup service, and then hopefully thereafter, a rebuilding process. But as you well know, Tony, that could take years, maybe even decades.

HARRIS: Wow. Well said, Jeff. Jeff Koinange. And he's so right, that is a major street, a destination site.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and that is the street where so many tourists jump on the trolley car, and then head up St. Charles and into the Garden District, et cetera. It's where all the high-rise hotels are, and it is right there just alongside the French Quarter as well.

HARRIS: Oh, my goodness. And it is essentially a ghost town right now. All right.

Emergency management officials say they understand the frustration and the criticism they're facing, but they say help is getting through to those who need it. At a briefing earlier today, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the government has never had to face an emergency of this magnitude.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: This is a daunting challenge. I guess I would say this is probably the worst catastrophe or set of catastrophes certainly that I'm aware of in the history of the country. Devastating hurricane followed by a second devastating flood. I guess I would compare what I witnessed to an effort to rescue victims of a tsunami while the tsunami is still there, before it's receded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A quick programming note right now. FEMA Director Michael Brown will join us for a live interview next hour, right here on CNN.

Today at the White House, President Bush said the government's response to Katrina is still falling short, but he vowed the situation will get better. Here's CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One day after he first said the results were not acceptable, President Bush began his Saturday huddled for roughly 45 minutes in the White House Situation Room, being briefed on hurricane response efforts.

Later, in a rare move, he delivered his weekly radio address live from the Rose Garden, flanked by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Richard Myers, and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Many of our citizens simply are not get the help they need, especially in New Orleans.

QUIJANO: Seven thousand more active duty and 10,000 National Guard troops will be sent to the Gulf Coast region.

BUSH: Our priorities are clear -- we will complete the evacuation as quickly and safely as possible. We'll not let criminals prey on the vulnerable. And we'll not allow bureaucracy to get in the way of saving lives.

QUIJANO: But the president is facing blistering criticism for the federal government's response, which many say was simply too little too late.

JOHN BREAUX, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: I think there's going to have to be a lot of soul-searching, and there will have to be a lot of calm review about what went right and what went wrong. I mean, this is five days after the hurricane, before food and supplies were being brought to the city. That's not good, that's not good for the United States of America.

QUIJANO: And even as the president, through a series of photo- ops in the Gulf Coast region Friday, tried to send the message that officials are turning a corner, it is these images of desperation that some say raise troubling questions.

DAVID GERGEN, FORMER WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: Why aren't we ready? Why weren't we prepared for something like this, which after all, has been foreseen by many experts for a long time?

QUIJANO (on camera): Administration officials argue the president did issue emergency declarations, freeing up federal money ahead of the storm. The president heads to the region again on Monday, taking another look at damage in Louisiana and Mississippi, as the administration tries to reassure people the government is getting a handle on the situation.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Learn more about how you can help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Join Larry King, along with Leann Rimes, Harry Connick, Jr., Terri Hatcher, Bill Cosby, John Goodman, Eric Clapton, Magic Johnson, a number of people. Maria Shriver -- all during a three-hour special, trying to give us all an idea how we can better help.

HARRIS: Fred, we've got more pictures of the relief effort. Obviously, a military helicopter on a freeway. I don't know if it's 10 or not, but it's certainly one of the major freeways in New Orleans. And this is a part of the continuing effort now: The ramping up of this rescue effort in New Orleans. I don't know if that's a staging area that we're looking at right now. It may be. But it is clearly an area where a chopper has landed. I don't know if this is a point where evacuations -- and now we see aircraft.

WHITFIELD: And it's interesting, because along the way, there had been a number of evacuees who got tired of being in the dome, got tired of being in the Convention Center. They walked, and they ended up on some of these overpasses of the highways, and they waited. And they were hoping, as they saw some of the buses, that they could climb on board. Perhaps the conglomeration of people we're seeing on that highway may be some of those residents who are looking for a way out.

HARRIS: Yeah.

WHITFIELD: And this is the best they could do, the furthest they could get in order to try to get out.

HARRIS: We'll be bringing you more of these pictures obviously throughout the afternoon here on CNN. And just ahead, a remarkable story of a newborn reunited with his parents, and the latest on how the U.S. military is responding to this national disaster. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. Tony, more live pictures now, thanks to pool photographer who is on board on of the choppers, giving us this view. J.T. Alpaugh has been explaining that this chopper right here has been looking for an year in which to make more drops of water and MREs. Let's listen in.

ALPAUGH: ... much the same thing earlier this afternoon. We believe we have some tape of that, so we're going to feed that back after this feed is over.

Now, some of the -- some of what we were doing earlier. OK? We're going to make our way back towards the 17th Street Canal, which...

WHITFIELD: It is still a remarkable scene no matter how many times you look at it, to see the spans of land that is still under water. The size of Great Britain, 90,000 square miles.

We're going to continue to show you these pictures as the helicopter there gives us so many different bird's-eye view of the efforts to offer some rescue or some aid.

Leaving your home in the approach of a hurricane is hard enough, but imagine what it was like for one couple who had to face the heart- wrenching decision of whether to bring along their newborn baby, or leave him with the doctors. Here's CNN's Keith Oppenheim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Six days before Hurricane Katrina struck, Zachary Breux was born in New Orleans. At Methodist Hospital, Zachary Breux tested positive for being susceptible to sudden infant death syndrome.

LANIE BREUX, MOTHER OF ZACHARY BREUX: I called him, called Tad and I said, you know, "What do you think we should do?"

OPPENHEIM: Suddenly, his parents, Tad and Lanie Breux, had to make tough decisions. With Hurricane Katrina approaching, they were getting ready to evacuate, but their doctors advised, without a special monitor, it would be safer to leave Zachary at the hospital.

L. BREUX: We've evacuated New Orleans as a couple, at least five times, and were gone for three days, and we knew this was a big storm, so, OK, maybe it's going to be a week. OK, so for a week, we'll know he's safe, and, you know, we'll just come back.

OPPENHEIM: But, of course, there was no going back. By Tuesday, Lanie and Tad, now at a hotel in Houston, started getting calls Methodist Hospital was to be evacuated. Their son was just a week old, and they had no idea where he was or where he was being taken.

TAD BREUX, FATHER: You're helpless. There's nothing that you can do. You just want to cry.

OPPENHEIM: But the Breuxs did do something.

T. BREAUX: Breaux -- b-r-e-a-u-x.

OPPENHEIM: They got on the phone, and on the Internet, asking friends, family, anyone they could think of, to call hospitals in five states. Eventually, the network they created worked. Tad Breux received the call he was desperate to get.

T. BREAUX: We called hospitals in Texas, in Alabama, in Mississippi, in Louisiana...

L. BREAUX: In Arkansas.

T. BREAUX: ... in Arkansas. And it's just fantastic now that we just finally found him.

OPPENHEIM: Tad and Lanie hugged, overjoyed Zachary had been located.

L. BREUX: They found our baby.

OPPENHEIM: Late Thursday night, the Breuxs got on a private plane. A friend of a distant relative had called a Ft. Worth, Texas hospital, and learned Zachary was there.

L. BREUX: We always knew that he was fine, we just didn't know where he was, which is a horrible feeling.

OPPENHEIM: Their feelings would change. Tad and Lanie and their very tired 5-year-old son Benjamin entered Cook Children's Medical Center to set their eyes on their 9-day-old baby boy.

BENJAMIN BREAUX, BROTHER: He's so pink. Mom, don't touch him.

T. BREUX: Mom, don't touch him. You're going to mess him up.

OPPENHEIM: We would learn later, Zachary was one of many babies transported to the airport in New Orleans. After a 12-hour wait, young Zack, accompanied by nurses, was transported on a military cargo plane to Ft. Worth.

(on-camera): As a hospital, you weren't able to contact them because their cell phones weren't working.

NANCY CYCHOL, COOK CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER: Correct. We tried everything. And we, you know, we didn't know what to do to get a hold of them. So we just did everything we possibly could and listened to what the nurses were telling us, and then we got the phone call saying, "Do you have baby Zachary?"

OPPENHEIM: What's it like now that you have him in your arms?

T. BREUX: It's the best feeling in the world. We can all sleep well. We've got our family together, our whole family.

OPPENHEIM (voice-over): The Breuxs don't know yet where they will go. Like so many from New Orleans, they're homeless. But the experience of losing and rediscovering their baby has affected them deeply.

L. BREUX: Thank God we found him. And he's perfect, and he's healthy, and he's robust, and the pediatricians say he's doing great.

OPPENHEIM: And reminded them of just how fortunate they really are.

Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Ft. Worth, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And live pictures now of work going on one of the levees now in New Orleans. We can tell you that this particular levee, Fred, that the Army Corps of Engineers is making some progress on this particular levee. We understand 200 feet actually of progress today; 600 more feet to go to close that levee. And wow, look at that! Trying to get from one end to the other there. So another 600 feet to close that levee. Looks like a little more than that, but OK, I'll take the word that's given me, another 600 feet to close that levee. You can see the sandbags there. I guess that's the start of the process, drop the sandbags first, and then try to close that breach as best you can, with dirt and everything else that you ?an bring in. But that's the work that's going right now by the Army Corps of Engineers, as they try to breach this one particular levee. At least two levees actually gave way, so that's where we are right now with this particular levee, with another 600 feet to go to close it; 200 feet of progress reported today, Fred.

WHITFIELD: That's amazing, and you know, and the photographer was able to give us a tight shot a moment ago, so you could really see the kind of dirt...

HARRIS: The land movers.

WHITFIELD: ... and what kind of debris, you know, it's pushing, and it looked also like just chunks of concrete from what, we don't know, if they brought that, but just kind of pushing it in. Boy, they got a big job ahead of them.

All right, well, coming up, members of the U.S. military have a new mission of their own: Disaster relief. We'll get the latest from the Pentagon on what is being done.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Tales of horror in New Orleans. People left homeless by Hurricane Katrina are telling chilling stories of their time in shelters that turned into places of violence and crime.

Let's check the latest developments in mission critical. More water and food has arrived at the New Orleans Convention Center. It's some relief to the thousands of people who have been stuck there, with little or no supplies, since Hurricane Katrina hit Monday. However, many of them have moved onto buses now.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is reporting a bleak situation at the New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport. It's been turned into a field hospital. But Frist, who was there today, says more than eight to 10 people are dying a day. He reports the hallways and floors are filled with people swamping doctors and nurses.

And FEMA officials say 42,000 people have now been evacuated from New Orleans as a whole. About a tenth of them left on buses from the city's squalid Convention Center today. But thousands still remain at the site, as well as at the Superdome, and many are still trapped in their homes.

HARRIS: Fred, many have criticized FEMA and President Bush about delays in providing help to the hundreds of thousands of people devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Some say race played a role. Earlier, I spoke with former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun about the response to this disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL MOSELEY BRAUN, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: Response was not only late, but at this point it's counterproductive. I just heard from my family members in Baton Rouge now -- they were able to flee New Orleans -- the place is so locked down now, they're treating the people like refugees and rioters, and not allowing the healthy to take care of the sick, not allowing people to leave their homes and get across the Mississippi bridge -- get across the bridge over the Mississippi, so they can get out of town. It is not only an adequate response, but at this point it borders on a criminal one.

I am just horrified. The dead are not being identified, are not being secured, if you will. I'm told they're talking about a mass grave for people instead of even attempting to deal with the death -- the dead with some dignity. The people who are healthy are being locked in their homes, told to stay in their homes. They can't leave to get food and supplies. And frankly, you know, my family was appalled at the fact that when whites in Metairie went into stores and got food and supplies, they were seen as doing what was necessary. When blacks went to do the same thing, they were called rioters.

People should not be referred to as rioters or as refugees, but rather, should be treated like American citizens, deserving support from their government, to deal with this horrendous tragedy.

HARRIS: I will tell you that that whole discussion of the looting -- and -- I'm not -- I don't quite understand how that story became the story, instead of the relief efforts and what needs to be done for these people.

We had an overwhelming storm, hit the city of New Orleans, Gulfport, Biloxi, Mobile, and can we imagine that the emergency personnel did what they thought was best, where, as in hindsight we might criticize, but at time, they were doing what they thought was best?

BRAUN: No, we cannot imagine that. The response was inadequate, and that's just the fact. It is impossible to dress this up. It's the old, you know, put lipstick on a pig and call it Monique, it's still a pig.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Senator Carol Moseley Braun. Learn more about how you can help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Join Larry King, along with Eric Clapton, Magic Johnson, Maria Shriver, John Goodman. A number of other celebrities for a three-hour special, how can you help. "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

HARRIS: And coming up, as the U.S. struggles to cope with the impact of Hurricane Katrina, what is the reaction from around the world? We'll show it to you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Day six after Hurricane Katrina's arrival on the Gulf Coast. And many are left picking up the pieces, so we've created a victims and relief desk. The goal is to connect family and friends to their lost loved ones. Carol Lin is at that desk this afternoon. Hi, Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Tony. We've had some luck, and with each passing hour, the e-mails are asking for help and they keep pouring in. We've gotten more than 15,000, and we want to share a couple of them with you. And this one is especially scary for those of us with older parents.

Ruth Biery is 71 years old and she has Alzheimer's. Now, her family believes that she actually survived the hurricane, but her family lost touch with her.

And the family of Myrtle Albert is also concerned for her safety. She is 82 years old, and at last check, was driving towards Baton Rouge in a late-model GMC Envoy.

And this man in a blue shirt is Joey Unangst. The 57-year-old has a few distinctive traits. He's about 325 pounds, and has a partially amputated foot. His family has not heard from him.

And now this story hits really close to home for us working here at CNN. Clarence Simmons is one of our security guards here at CNN, and he has a daughter who was trapped in her dorm room at Xavier University in New Orleans. Well, over the past several days, we've had many updates on these stranded students, and Shantria Simmons, who was stranded for almost a week, about five days, is joining me right now, side by side with her father.

Shantria, it must have been frightening for you. You told me that you woke up and you actually saw the water rising, and cars beginning to float outside your dorm room. What did you guys do next?

SHANTRIA SIMMONS, RESCUED FROM DORM: Yes, my name is Shantria Martin (ph). We panicked when we first saw the water rising, because it was scary. We knew that we would eventually get out. It was just a matter of when. Because food was starting to run out. People's tempers and patience was running thin. People were starting to argue with each other, so that part was really scary.

LIN: It sure was. Now, Clarence, you took the initiative here at CNN. You came into the newsroom, you asked for help. You found out when your daughter -- you found out she was still in her dorm room. You knew that was serious business, because we had been doing coverage about the flooding of Xavier University?

CLARENCE SIMMONS, DAUGHTER RESCUED: Exactly. I wanted to make sure -- first of all, I was -- I was confused. I didn't know if she was all right at first, because we hadn't heard anything since Sunday morning early, or something like that. So I wanted to get as much of this as I possibly could. I knew CNN was doing live coverage there, and I knew they could give me some guidance on where to go, and some numbers to call as far as the Coast Guards go. So I did everything in my power.

LIN: And actually, rescue finally came, what, just a few days ago, on Thursday?

S. SIMMONS: Yes, we got out Thursday.

LIN: They came by boat!

S. SIMMONS: They came by boat.

LIN: You sailed across your own campus.

S. SIMMONS: Yes.

LIN: And loaded you onto buses and got you out of town.

In the meantime, how did you survive in the dorm?

S. SIMMONS: We had to go into people's rooms. We didn't want to, but we had to go into people's rooms, and find what we could to eat. And we had plenty of water. And they brought snacks and stuff, but it really wasn't enough. It was going to run out eventually if we had stayed there any longer. It was hot in there, and it was just really crowded.

LIN: At any point, did you think that you were going die?

S. SIMMONS: No, because in any situation, you have to have a will to live. And I have a four-month-old son, and I knew I had to get back to him. And there were so many things I haven't done yet. I haven't met Oprah yet, so I knew...

LIN: Oprah, did you hear that? This young woman wants to meet you.

Clarence, how did you raise this young woman to be such a brave and calm soul in the face of crisis?

C. SIMMONS: Now, I'm going to tell you, her mother deserves a lot of credit, her mother deserves a lot of credit for doing a lot of things that she has done. And her mother, Theresa Martin (ph), should be also praised about this, because she is very important in her life.

LIN: Yeah, I understand. C. SIMMONS: And you're going to -- we are in the midst of something that's very, very special here.

LIN: Yeah. What a moment to be able to see the both of you together. A psychology major, I think this experience is going to serve you well.

S. SIMMONS: Yes. Thank you.

LIN: Shantria, good luck. I know you are hunting for a university to reenroll in...

S. SIMMONS: Yes.

LIN: ... and there are opportunities out there for you, for storm victims, and a smart woman like you...

S. SIMMONS: Thank you.

LIN: ... thanks so much.

S. SIMMONS: You're welcome.

LIN: All right, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Carol.

And some live pictures there on the right hand side of your screen. You're seeing the efforts of fire boats being used to put out yet one more fire taking place in New Orleans, apparently right along the Mississippi River. It's a shot we showed you earlier of what appeared to be some sort of warehouse fire. And we're still waiting for some more details on that.

We'll have more on this development and the continuing search- and-rescue efforts under way.

Also coming up, President Bush has been praised for his handling of the 9/11 disaster. What will be the verdict on his handling of Hurricane Katrina? We'll take a look next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And Fred, we want to play a portion of a new interview that is into CNN. This is an interview with the mayor of New Orleans, C. Ray Nagin, and he is responding to a couple of questions, but we're going to let you hear his response to a question about his efforts to get more assistance, more resources into the city of New Orleans. And take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: I keep trying to find resources. We're making calls, we're trying to find resources all across the country. I'm screaming at the -- excuse me -- I'm screaming at the governor and the president, you know? The CIA could come in here any minute and wipe me out. So -- but I'm going to keep doing it, and I'm going to stay here until people are out of here, and this city is safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Not quite sure what he means by the CIA could come in here at any minute and wipe me out, but obviously, this is a man under a great deal of stress right now. Just trying to find resources for his city and save as many people as he can. That's the mayor of New Orleans, Fred, C. Ray Nagin.

WHITFIELD: Ordering 7,000 more troops to the Gulf Coast today, President Bush declared America does not abandon fellow citizens in their hour of need. But is it too late? Bill Schneider looks into leadership issues in the federal response to this disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): We all remember the iconic images of leadership from 9/11. Mayor Giuliani leading stricken New Yorkers from the World Trade Center.

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: Come with us. Come with us.

SCHNEIDER: President Bush at ground zero.

BUSH: And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.

SCHNEIDER: In the crisis caused by Hurricane Katrina, bigger and more complex than 9/11, with no convenient foreign enemy, the images have been very different. Local officials seemed overwhelmed. Federal officials seemed out of touch.

MICHAEL BROWN, FEMA DIRECTOR: The federal government did not even know about the Convention Center people until today.

SCHNEIDER: For days, the situation in New Orleans was out of control.

NAGIN: You mean to tell me that a place where you probably have thousands of people that have died and thousands more that are dying every day, that we can't figure out a way to authorize the resources that we need?

SCHNEIDER: The images of chaos and lawlessness have been frightening, magnified by the breakdown of communication.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would they not be prepared? I don't understand it. What are they doing every day in their offices?

SCHNEIDER: And miscommunication.

REP. ROBERT WEXLER (D), FLORIDA: How is it possible that the administration did not realize earlier what a catastrophe this is? SCHNEIDER: In a crisis, people demand leadership, presidential leadership, says this expert.

GARY JACOBSON, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: This is a fundamental role of the president, in times of major national crises, to take the lead and to show that he's -- this is at the top of the agenda and he's in charge.

SCHNEIDER: In this crisis, the country witnessed a vacuum of leadership, the frightening sense that no one was in control. Ultimately, the president did show up and offered reassurance.

BUSH: You know, I'm going to fly out of here in a minute, but I want you to know that I'm not going to forget what I've seen. I understand the devastation requires more than one day's attention.

SCHNEIDER: And so the memory of this catastrophe will linger, along with the troubling question -- what if this had been a terrorist attack?

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, this just in: Among the Bush cabinet members who are mobilizing to make their way to the hard hit areas along the Gulf Coast, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice now making announcements that she plans to head to Mobile, Alabama tomorrow. She is an Alabama native. She grew up primarily in the Birmingham, area, but it's Mobile, Alabama that she'll be heading to, apparently attending some church services scheduled for tomorrow, also taking part in relief efforts, and it's expected that she will be holding a press conference so we'll be able to hear about her observations and thoughts -- Tony.

HARRIS: There is still much more ahead on CNN. Pro football stars Payton and Eli Manning do their part for the victims of their hometown, New Orleans. We'll be right back.

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