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Bush Honors 9/11 First Responders; Coast Guard Leader to Take Over Hurricane Relief Efforts
Aired September 09, 2005 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Four hundred forty-two names...
KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: We'll take you straight to the president of the United States as we listen to what he has to say as the 9/11 heroes are being honored. We're also listening to see if he has anything to say about Hurricane Katrina.
BUSH: On one of the worse days our country has ever witnessed, we witnessed the courage of some of the finest people our country has ever produced, and their sacrifice will always be remembered.
I want to thank the attorney general.
I welcome members of the United States Congress and the United States Senate who have joined us -- Bill Frist, Senator Schumer, Congressman Fossella, Congressman Crowley -- by the way, thank you for bringing your mother -- Congressman Wolf, Congressman Smith, Congressman King, Congressman McCarthy, Congressman Israel.
I want to thank Ray Kelly, the police commissioner for the great city of New York.
(APPLAUSE)
BUSH: Thank all the fire chiefs, police chiefs, port authority personnel.
Particularly, I want to thank the men and women who were on the front line of making us safe. Thank you all for coming today.
(APPLAUSE)
The 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor honors the public safety officers who gave their lives on September the 11th. On that day, firefighters, police officers, emergency medical technicians, port authority personnel and other public safety officers performed their jobs with extraordinary distinction in the face of unspeakable terror.
We're grateful to the families and friends who have come here to honor their memory.
We know that the sense of loss you feel does not disappear with time. Four years later you still miss your loved ones.
America admires your courage in the face of such terrible pain, and your loved ones will always have the thanks and admiration and respect of a grateful nation.
When America has been challenged there have always been citizens willing to step forward and risk their lives for the rest of us.
Over the last 11 days in Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama, we have again seen acts of great compassion and extraordinary bravery from America's first responders.
Firefighters and police and U.S. Coast Guard men and women and National Guardsmen and active duty forces, disaster medical assistance teams, search and rescue units from all over the United States have descended on the Gulf Coast to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
They have faced the storm's destruction with valor and determination, and their hard work has saved lives in the face of great adversity.
BUSH: We're still at the beginning of a huge effort. The tasks before us are enormous. Yet so is the heart of the United States.
We're grateful to the emergency personnel...
(APPLAUSE)
We are grateful to the emergency personnel who are working to assist victims and restore communities affected by this disaster.
In these difficult days, we have again seen the great strength and character and resolve of America. And we will continue to work to help the people who are struggling.
In every community, we depend on those who carry the badge, who keep the peace and protect our citizens. And in times of national crisis, all Americans are grateful to those who answer the alarms and run toward danger and provide urgent care.
Those who place their own lives at risk for others must be recognized and honored by their fellow citizens.
Four years ago, America saw the unparalleled heroism of our nation's public safety officers. We lost brave rescue workers who gave their lives so that others can live. We lost many other citizens who assisted in the rescue efforts and whose courage and sacrifice that day made them extraordinary.
On September 11, 2001, America lost firefighter Danny Regan (ph) of Rescue Company 3 in the Bronx. During his 17-year career with the New York City Fire Department, he was cited six times for bravery. And today our nation honors Danny's (ph) final act of courage.
His son Peter lost a father on September the 11th. Today, he carries on his father's legacy. Peter followed his dad's footsteps to the fire department. Today, he is defending our freedom as a reservist with the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment in Iraq.
(APPLAUSE) On September the 11th, 2001, America lost firefighter Ronnie Giese (ph) of Squad 288 in Queens.
BUSH: Ronnie (ph) had been with the New York Fire Department since 1988. He rushed downtown to the World Trade Center. A video of the day showed Ronnie (ph) on his way into the towers. His wife says you see him straight on, carrying equipment with such a look of determination.
His own son Tommy (ph) graduated from the FDNY Academy last August and is now a member of Ladder 147 in Brooklyn. And we're grateful for Tommy's (ph) courage and service.
(APPLAUSE)
On September the 11th, 2001, America lost senior court officer Thomas Jergins (ph), one of about 25 New York state court officers who responded after the plane hit the first tower.
Thomas' last radio transmission came from inside the burning tower after he had been warned to get out because the danger was too great.
He refused to leave his post. His last words before signing off were, "There are people here who need our help."
On September the 11th, 2001, America lost New York City police officer Maura Smith (ph). Maura (ph) is remembered by friends for her fearless spirit on and off the job. She ran with the bulls in Spain. In 1991, she ran into a subway tunnel to rescue dozens of people trapped in one of the worse subway accidents in New York history.
September the 11th, 2001, she ran toward danger once again into the burning towers of the World Trade Center. A broker she helped to safety remembers her steady blue eyes and her even voice. The next day's papers carried an image of Maura (ph) helping an injured man out of the tower before she rushed back in to save others. And the tower collapsed around her.
One of Maura's (ph) colleagues said she could have saved herself but nothing would have stopped her saving one more person.
BUSH: These are some of the examples, only a few of the examples of the extraordinary bravery that took place that day.
All the brave men and women we recognize today brought credit to the uniform and honor to the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
And one way our nation can honor their sacrifice is to win the war on terror.
(APPLAUSE)
On September 11, 2001, we saw the future the terrorists intend for us and I made a decision -- America will not wait to be attacked again.
We will take the fight to the enemy and we will defend our freedom.
(APPLAUSE)
And since that day we have taken the fight to the enemy.
We're hunting down the terrorists in mountains in Afghanistan, in tribal regions of Pakistan, in the deserts of Iraq, and on islands of Southeast Asia and the Horn of Africa.
We are fighting the terrorists and we are fighting their murderous ideology by spreading the hope of freedom across the broader Middle East.
Free nations are peaceful nations, and by advancing freedom's cause we are laying the foundation of peace for our children and our grandchildren.
(APPLAUSE)
We will succeed.
And the legacy of peace and freedom we leave behind will be the greatest memorial to your fallen family members and friends.
(APPLAUSE)
The heroes of September 11th will not be here to see that day, but their moms and dads and children and grandchildren can know a proud America will always stand in the long shadow of their service and sacrifice and a proud nation will always remember them.
May God bless you all, and may God forever bless the memories of those who sacrificed on behalf of our citizens.
(APPLAUSE)
PHILLIPS: The president of the United States there, honoring those that lost their lives, responding to 9/11. It's a special medal of valor ceremony in on the South Lawn. And you can see family members and friends of those members of the FDNY and the NYPD and other rescue crews that responded to 9/11.
Pretty emotional ceremony there, of course, for many people who lost loved ones on 9/11.
The other big news that we're getting in. As the president was speaking, we just got word that the head of Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, will be making a pretty huge announcement coming up, we think, within the next 30 minutes or so.
Jeanne Meserve, I'm hearing, actually, a new position for Vice Admiral Thad Allen, chief of staff, U.S. Coast Guard. What all do we know about this? JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A senior administration official says that at 12:45 Michael Chertoff, the secretary of homeland security, will announce that Michael Brown is heading back to Washington to oversee the national office of FEMA but that on the ground Vice Admiral Thad Allen of the Coast Guard will become the principle federal officer overseeing the response and recovery to Hurricane Katrina.
You'll recall that several days Chertoff declared this an incident of national significance. The PFO, the principle federal officer, is the person on the ground who coordinates all the federal effort that is brought to bear.
It has been Michael Brown. He is being removed from that position, sent back to Washington and we have Admiral Allen, we're told, stepping in to take his place.
Brown, as you know, has been the center of a fire storm over the speed and quality of the FEMA response to this storm, questions even being raised in recent news reports about his resume. There have been many clamoring that he should be removed from his job. But this senior administration official tells me he will stay as head of FEMA. He will simply be removed as principle federal officer for this particular event -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And Jeanne, of course, Michael Brown, like you said, a lot of controversy surrounding him, his background. What do we know about the admiral, Admiral Thad Allen, and his background? And what kind of experience he has with regard to emergency response?
MESERVE: Well, he has been on the ground for the last several days, acting as an assistant to Brown in the recovery effort, so he's very familiar with what is happening on the ground down there in the Gulf Coast area.
In addition, he's a long-time Coast Guard veteran, said to have been very involved in conversations about the role of the department post-9/11, the role of the Coast Guard post-9/11. According to those who know him, a very plugged in individual, someone obviously who enjoys the confidence of the secretary of homeland security -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And, of course, United States Coast Guard, Jeanne, I mean, this is what they train, to save lives. They train to respond to disasters of all types. So it seems like a fitting position for him.
MESERVE: Well, of course, he'll have a much larger portfolio than just the Coast Guard. He'll be looking at all the response and recovery efforts across the board and the federal government. So it's much broader than just the Coast Guard.
But you're indeed right, and the Coast Guard has been in there from the start on this crisis. Their helicopters were working Monday night to try and rescue people from rooftops -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So I'm wondering, Jeanne, with Mike Brown back in Washington, do we have any idea what kind of communications will take place between the admiral and Mike Brown? Or is the admiral being told, "Sir, you're stepping in. You're taking over and you are making the decisions, despite what anyone says, when it comes to running these type of operations that Mike Brown was overseeing"?
MESERVE: Kyra, I have no idea what sort of communications there may have been between those two individuals. Can't comment on that at all.
PHILLIPS: All right. Jeanne Meserve, working the latest news for us here. Jeanne, thank you so much.
As we've been telling you, this just in to CNN. Michael Chertoff, the head of Department of Homeland Security, will be announcing at any moment now the fact that Michael Brown, the head of FEMA, will be going back to Washington, D.C., operating out of Washington, D.C.
And Vice Admiral Thad Allen, chief of staff, U.S. Coast Guard, who has been this on the ground, will now be taking over what Michael Brown was doing in theater, as you will, on the ground there in the disaster area, taking over and taking charge of efforts there, relief efforts and operations on the ground.
We'll continue to follow this developing story and, of course, bring you that live news conference as soon as it happens.
We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Later on LIVE FROM...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they bundle me up and carry me off, there will be gunfire.
PHILLIPS: Uneasy evacuations. What really will happen when people are forced from their home?
Also ahead...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your house is underwater?
PHILLIPS: ... cries for help.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were begging for their lives.
PHILLIPS: Nine-one-one operators share their stories from the storm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I hope their families understand that we tried.
PHILLIPS: Next on LIVE FROM, Louisiana answered the call for help on September 11. Now the New York Fire Department returns the favor, and the fire engine. Two heroes of the storm join me live.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: We continue our developing story now. As you know, the story that we broke just a few moments ago. And that is we have learned that the head of Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, is set to announce, probably in about half an hour or so, that he will be replacing FEMA Director Mike Brown -- Mike Brown on the ground in the disaster area. He will be going back to Washington, D.C., to operate FEMA out of Washington, D.C.
And we are learning now that Vice Admiral Thad Allen, chief of staff, U.S. Coast Guard, will be taking over all the operations that FEMA was doing, that Mike Brown was doing there in the area of operation.
Once again, Vice Admiral Thad Allen, chief of staff, U.S. Coast Guard, set to replace FEMA Director Mike Brown in the disaster area, taking charge of those operations.
This was an interview, actually, that the admiral did with CNN within the past couple of days. And I'm being told that he may be set to be with us again live and possibly one of our newscasts within a few hours. We'll keep you updated on that.
But nevertheless, we'll continue to bring you the latest information about his new role in responding to operations there in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
As you can imagine, a lot of reaction to this. Bob Franken at the White House, Dan Simon on the ground in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Bob, why don't we start with you?
As we well know, through a number of interviews, a number of Democrats and Republicans speaking out. Mike Brown has been, his background, his resume, what he's been doing to respond to Hurricane Katrina, I think it's fair to say he's definitely been under fire.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And here was the dilemma for the White House: how do you abandon somebody who is becoming controversial, whose qualifications are in question, without appearing like the president is abandoning him?
So you learn to read the "no comments" from the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan, who just recently had a briefing -- that is to say, within the last 15 minutes -- and repeatedly would make no comment about the fate of Michael Brown, except and when he was talking about the operations and response to Hurricane Katrina, he would always talk in terms of the secretary of homeland security, Michael Chertoff. Would not bring up Brown's name at all.
So that gives credibility to the report that Michael Brown is going to be taken at least out of the visible role in the response to Katrina and brought back to Washington. And his role taken up down there by the admiral, where he will be very, very visible, in the hopes here that the controversy over Brown subsides a little bit.
I wouldn't bet on that. I would suspect that the Democrats are going to continue to tee off on him and to continue to raise the questions that have been raised by politicians and in media reports about the qualifications of those who are in the hierarchy of FEMA and in the entire response of this administration and this government, particularly with all the preparations and billions of dollars that have been spent since September 11.
So don't expect this controversy to subside but, of course, we can expect that Michael Brown becomes a heck of a lot less visible.
PHILLIPS: Bob, do you have any idea what type of communications will take place between Mike Brown in Washington, D.C., and the admiral on the ground in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama?
FRANKEN: Well, my temptation is to say very little, but the answer -- the true answer to your question is, is I have no idea whatsoever. We can only -- only judge on appearance here. That is that Mike Brown is being removed from being such a visible figure here.
Whether this means that he, in Washington, will still have an important function as if response to Katrina develops or whether this is just an effort to try and finesse this bad situation, we'll find out. We'll find out over the months, the years, whether Michael Brown continues to have the support and position as the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
PHILLIPS: Bob Franken live from the White House. Thanks so much, Bob.
When we come back after the break, we'll talk with our Dan Simon, there on the ground in New Orleans, for reaction. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: FEMA director Mike Brown out that is out of the area in New Orleans. And also areas of Mississippi and Alabama, going back to Washington, D.C.
Vice Admiral Thad Allen, chief of staff, U.S. Coast Guard, in. He will be taking care of all of operations now, heading all operations in the affected areas since Hurricane Katrina.
We're following all angles of this story right now as we were the first to tell you about this change that's going to take place. We expect to hear the formal announcement by the head of Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, about 1:45 Eastern Time. We're going to bring that to you live, as soon as he steps up to the microphone.
Meanwhile, we want to take you now to Dan Simon, on the ground in New Orleans. And before we get to the latest from there, Dan, any reaction from anybody that you've been able to talk to since we first got word about this?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, not yet, Kyra. No way yet to measure how New Orleans residents will receive this news. But one thing I can tell you is they obviously did not hide their displeasure of how this operation was conducted at first. Whether or not the admiral taking over gives them a morale boost, a sense of confidence, remains to be seen.
The task facing authorities today is trying to figure out how to get the 5,000 to 10,000 residents who are still here out of their homes. Will they be forcibly removed? That's a question now facing the police department.
They've already had to deal with some of those folks. There was an example of an elderly woman -- this was a highly dramatic situation -- an elderly woman being taken down by the cops. This is a woman who is allegedly pointing a handgun at the officers when they came to her home. So a very tense situation confronting the police department and the military personnel down here in New Orleans.
Earlier, just a little while ago, we heard from city officials who conducted a briefing. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERRY LANDRY, CITY ATTORNEY, NEW ORLEANS: We want to send a message to our citizens, who are concerned about the safeguarding of their property. The city is now fully secured. The city is now fully secured. Fourteen thousand troops are in Orleans Parish at present. They are actively patrolling all areas of the city and are even running nightly reconnaissance missions on air and ground to prevent further looting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: Kyra, you can't see the building behind me, but just off to my side is the Aquarium of the Americas here in New Orleans. And at this hour we understand that 19 penguins and two otters are being rescued. They're going to be taken to Monterey, California.
This aquarium, very well known in the region. It has about 10,000 fish here. And unfortunately, most of the aquatic life died as a result of not getting enough food and not getting the attention they need in the wake of the storm, because all the personnel apparently had to flee the aquarium.
So a lot going on here at this hour. And we'll keep you updated.
Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: Well, Dan, that's good news they're able to rescue -- make some rescues inside there. You're right, that is a pretty amazing place. I've had the pleasure of being there, also.
Dan Simon on the ground there in New Orleans. Thank you so much.
Well, more than 200 people now confirmed dead in the -- or in Mississippi, rather. Hundreds more still expected. And we told you yesterday that a vast fleet of mobile homes on the way to take some of that load off the shelters.
Well, today the first 20 or so will open their doors. And the "Jackson Clarion-Ledger" reports that dozens of Mississippi National Guard troops are also coming home from Iraq on emergency leave. They've been in Iraq since January and are due to go back next January.
We're going to take a quick break. Stay with us. More LIVE FROM right after this.
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