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CNN Live At Daybreak
FEMA to Provide Emergency Assistance to Texas and Louisiana
Aired June 13, 2001 - 07:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Federal Emergency Management Director Joe Allbaugh got a first-hand look at the flood devastation around Houston and he joins us live from the White House this morning.
Good morning Mr. Allbaugh.
JOE ALLBAUGH, FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR: Good morning, Carol. How are you?
LIN: Well, I'm doing just fine, thanks for asking. But what can you do for those folks out in the Houston area who don't have any flood insurance?
ALLBAUGH: Well actually we've moved rather quickly. President Bush declared Harris County and 27 other counties on early Saturday morning. We've moved over 450 people into the area, as well as Louisiana and we are assisting the families like Mike Hallo and his loved ones as quickly as we can to help them put their lives back together with necessary clothing. We'll get some temporary housing for those folks, making sure that they're fed and any medicines that they may need they will have access to.
LIN: Well, you know, when I hear about a 12-foot high wall of water hitting a residential area, it's so hard for me to believe that this was a tropical storm and not a hurricane or a tornado.
ALLBAUGH: Well, unfortunately, the tropical storm stalled out over the southeast Texas coast. There are parts of Houston that I visited, I guess Sunday afternoon or Monday, that received over 36 inches of rain. Now, no one can really prepare for a 36-inch downpour. Fortunately, we didn't have greater loss of life. We've lost 25 individuals all across the South.
I know those families are in our hearts and prayers, as well as President Bush, and you can replace personal belongings and your home -- you can't replace lives. That's the sad part.
LIN: Yes, and I read that 17 of those people died from drowning. Does this make an argument for a better early warning system or was there just simply nothing these people could have done to prepare?
ALLBAUGH: I'm not sure. It was basically a flash flood that hit a multitude of areas. What this is is an early warning for the rest of the hurricane season. Please keep an eye peeled to the sky, listen to your local weather forecast. Make personal plans for your families -- an evacuation route, make sure you have first aid kits, make sure you have common sense items like batteries in your radios and flashlights.
It's real important for folks to step up to the plate right now, if you live along an exposed area -- coastal region that may suffer from a hurricane and be prepared.
LIN: Is there any consideration to moving some of these folks out of this area? Are they -- are they in a flood plain? Is this an area where they're going to be allowed to rebuild?
ALLBAUGH: Most of the homes that I saw and that were damaged were not in a flood plain, but we have an ongoing program nationally where we try to remove individuals and businesses that are affected year in and year out in flood plains.
It's a buy-out program. We'd like to move people out. We do this in concert with states and with local communities, counties, parishes. It's a very effective and successful program.
LIN: So are these folks candidates for that program then?
ALLBAUGH: They will be now -- absolutely.
LIN: OK. They'll be given the option.
ALLBAUGH: Absolutely.
LIN: All right.
ALLBAUGH: But we'll take care of that now. We're most -- later -- we're concerned about taking care of those individuals right now.
LIN: Got you.
ALLBAUGH): Their immediate needs.
LIN: All right, thank you very much Joe Allbaugh.
ALLBAUGH: You bet, Carol.
LIN: Good to see you.
ALLBAUGH: Take care.
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