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Hearing Held on Sago Mine Disaster; FEMA Undergoing Massive Hiring; Illegal Workers Help Rebuild New Orleans, Require Hospital Care; Thieves Find Way to Get Free Gas; Activists Work to Pass Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act

Aired May 02, 2006 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: Hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips.
Reliving a tragedy, remembering victims, requiring answers. Under pictures of their fathers, sons, husbands and brothers, families of the 12 miners killed in the Sago disaster gathered at a West Virginia college today. At times it was more like a memorial service than a hearing into an accident that happened four months ago today.

Our Joe Johns is at the West Virginia Wesleyan with the latest.

Joe, pretty emotional testimony today.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very emotional, in fact, shocking somewhat, when you actually get to listen again and again to one family member, then the next, describing their loss, describing what it's like to be without that miner who did not come home. Of course, 12 miners did not come home from Sago in early January.

Let's listen now to some of the family members expressing their feelings about the Sago mining disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's about 12 men who died doing what they were trained to do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our hearts are broken. More than just broken. They've been ripped out of our chests and shredded to a million pieces.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was this a preventable explosion? Did our dad have to die? These are just a few of the many questions I have. We can only hope that we get the answers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's many things that went wrong. The rescue efforts. Or should I say recovery efforts? The response time was unacceptable. The decisions made to wait, not to go in, because CO and the returns. You know, that's unacceptable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Of course, there will be two more days, perhaps, of testimony. At least one here. This was the one opportunity for family members actually to address this audience. The governor of West Virginia has said this was one of the main reasons he wanted, in fact, to hold this hearing, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Joe, did we hear anything about the cause of the accident? Did that come up?

JOHNS: They're just getting started on that, really. The inspectors, some of whom actually inspected Sago mine in the months before the disaster, have been up and taking questions from people there on the stage.

Two things they seemed to zero in on early. No. 1 was a barrier that was created to divide the area where miners were working from an area which was, in fact, sealed off, abandoned, and unused. The question is, whether that seal was strong enough, if it was constructed properly. And if for some reason it could have failed. At least that's where they're headed with it.

The other thing they seem to be talking quite a bit about is the training of the miners. Were they adequately trained? Did they understand what they needed to do in order to get out of the mine in case of an emergency? But as I say, they've just got started on that questioning, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, Joe, you bring up an interesting point. It was just last week we read that amazing letter that Randy McCloy wrote, the only survivor down in the mine. And he talked about what they did minute by minute, at least what he can remember, from the very beginning. Could that be used at all? Could we hear from him, his family members?

JOHNS: It's not clear we're going to actually hear from him. The indication is, at least so far, that he is not coming. Nonetheless, a number of the people who spoke referred to issues that were brought up in the Randal McCloy letter. It was quite clear that letter was for them, for their use in this hearing, and they seem to be using it.

So those questions continue here behind the scenes and in front of the cameras, as well, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Joe Johns, live from West Virginia, thanks, Joe.

Brace yourself, it's on the horizon. A new hurricane season. It starts June 1st, 30 days from today. And by all accounts it will be another active one. Hurricane forecaster William Gray is predicting 17 named storms, nine of them hurricanes, five of those major ones.

Coastal communities, especially those battered and bruised from last year's storms, hope they're better prepared. In fact, city leaders in New Orleans are still presenting their preparedness plans at this hour.

Our Susan Roesgen is there. We're going to talk to her in just a few minutes. That's the police chief, by the way.

Plans are one thing. The people who have to carry them out are another. Are they ready? Our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve takes us inside FEMA headquarters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I swear to defend the Constitution of the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I swear to defend the Constitution of the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I swear to defend the Constitution of the United States.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the new blood, new hires FEMA hopes will resuscitate the agency.

MIKE HALL, FEMA HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR: If we're going to be better tomorrow than we are today, it all begins with people.

MESERVE: FEMA's people, or more precisely, a lack of them, were blamed, in part, for the agency's bumbling, stumbling response to Katrina. Government reports said a brain drain in the years prior to the storm had left FEMA unprepared.

Mike Austin, a 20-year FEMA employee, was one of those who exited. Now he spends his days doing pen and ink drawings.

MIKE AUSTIN, FORMER FEMA EMPLOYEE: We all want to feel like a part a winning team. We want to feel like what we did, who we were, what we were, was important and appreciated.

MESERVE: But Austin didn't. He says politicized leadership, budget cuts and organizational reshuffling, drove him and others away. The barrage of bad publicity since Katrina has further sapped morale, some insiders say, and the exodus of experienced personnel continues.

LEO BOSNER, FEMA UNION PRESIDENT: People are not only on their way out or a lot of them wishing they had an way out, to be honest with you.

MESERVE: Just last week, at least two high-ranking veteran employees left the agency.

Although, after a long search, a FEMA director has been nominated, many top positions are still open. There is no permanent director of operations or director of response or director of recovery. There are no permanent directors in half of FEMA's 10 regions. Not surprisingly, FEMA is now on a hiring binge.

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We're on a path now to get about 95 percent of the vacancies filled in the department by June 1.

MESERVE: As of right now, about 85 percent of permanent full- time positions are filled.

HALL: For every position we've got advertised, we're getting hundreds of applications. And so I think that we're building a very dynamic workforce.

MESERVE (on camera): FEMA says it hopes to make its target of being 95 percent staffed by June 1. But experts say there's another question: will those new hires be trained and ready when the first hurricane hits?

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Legal immigrants are helping rebuild New Orleans. But what happens when they need help? Many of them don't even have insurance, and they're straining the city's hospitals.

Here's CNN's Sean Callebs from his report on "ANDERSON COOPER 360".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Luis is living and working illegally in New Orleans. But he can make $150 a day here, as opposed to $8 a day at home in Honduras. So it's worth the risk in more than one way.

Roofing, gutting homes and putting up sheetrock can be dangerous. Luis told me a friend of his was putting in a screw with a power drill and accidentally drilled the screw through his finger.

Hospitals, such as East Jefferson, have seen a tremendous spike in the number of illegal immigrants needing treatment. It's estimated there are as many as 20,000 illegals here, people who don't have insurance and can require extensive and costly treatments.

Dr. Hal Stokes is a hand surgeon.

DR. HAROLD STOKES, HAND SURGEON: Finger amputations, severe lacerations of the hand.

CALLEBS: It's putting an additional financial burden on post- Katrina New Orleans health care.

DR. FRANNIE KRONENBERG, EAST JEFFERSON HOSPITAL: So many of the immigrant workers are coming in, bringing their families, and their wives are coming and are pregnant. And many of those are not receiving any prenatal care. So they're coming here, presenting to emergency department in labor.

CALLEBS: And basically the hospital has to eat the cost. E.R. physician Dr. John Wale says the hospital can get some money back from the federal government if a patient admits he's in the country illegally.

DR. JOHN WALES, EMERGENCY ROOM DOCTOR: To me, that's kind of similar to going to the Department of Motor Vehicles and asking where you can register a stolen vehicle.

CALLEBS: There are tragic cases, hospital officials say, such as one illegal worker who fell off a roof.

KRONENBERG: He had serious brain damage and required life support, intubation and he's now in basically a vegetative station.

CALLEBS: East Jefferson must keep him alive and pay the bill.

While today was a day to walk out, Luis and his co-workers were out sweating, trying to improve their lives and help rebuild their city, but oblivious to the strains the influx of illegals has created here.

Sean Callebs, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Anderson Cooper tracks the Gulf Coast recovery weeknights at 10 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

Christopher Reeve was the face for the movement. Now others are picking up the torch to raise awareness about paralysis.

The news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you. More LIVE FROM coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Three dollars a gallon, $4 a gallon? How about zero dollars a gallon? That's what someone has been getting anyway with at a Maryland gas station.

John Sherman from CNN affiliate WBAL has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN SHERMAN, WBAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Riaz Amid (ph) says with the right key getting inside his pumps isn't difficult, but what's next is.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He comes here. He opens this box. He disconnects the cable so nobody -- and this pump was not communicating with the cash register. They punch the codes in and make this pump a live pump, which is disabled from the main system. It becomes stand alone, and this is a free pump, free product.

So they do not have to pay. They do not have to use a credit card. All they do is just come, lift the nozzle and start filling up.

SHERMAN: No cash draw ringing. But thousands of gallons gone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I lost $8,100. This is my net cost.

SHERMAN: A clerk saw two SUVs filling up, but no icon lit up showing gas pumping on the registers. Then two more SUVs hit those same two pumps. So she wrote down all four plates, called the owner and the police.

(on camera) You gave them those plates, and what did they do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They did nothing. They said he just ran the reports on those plates and handed over me this and then he just give me a report and that's it.

SHERMAN: And said good luck?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good luck. He said call your insurance. Insurance does not cover this.

SHERMAN (voice-over): Amid insists his concern about the lack of police response isn't just for the $8,000 in gas he's lost. It's for wherever the thieves strike next.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sure they're doing it until they're caught. It's easy money for them. They're not going to back off.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Our thanks once again to John Sherman from CNN affiliate WBAL for that report.

Coffee, tea, or surgical mask? Arming flight crews against coughing travelers is just one recommendation in a massive pandemic flu plan due to be unveiled tomorrow at the White House. While bird flu does not pass easily from person to person, health experts continue to warn the time now is to prepare. Associated Press says the feds are doing just that.

In a report that predicts a worst case scenario of two million Americans dead and 40 percent of U.S. workers unable or unwilling to show up.

And a shot or a sniff? Flu vaccines need to be traumatic or their parents anymore, but some experts say that the spray vaccine better protects babies and young children than the traditional shot anyway. Findings come from one of the largest studies to compare flu inoculations.

It was a dream that Christopher and Dana Reeve devoted their whole entire lives to. Now hundreds of their friends and supporters are trying to make it happen. One them joins me come up on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, they died before their time, but their work lives on. Christopher and Dana Reeve are remembered in Congress today as friends and supporters push for the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Research Act.

Joining me now from Washington, activist Brooke Ellison. And we were going to have actress Susan Sarandon also. She was scheduled to join us, but she had to leave to catch a flight just a few moments ago.

But I know that you've been working closely with her, Brooke. I'm sure you'll be able to tell us about this, no matter what. It's good to see you.

BROOKE ELLISON, PARALYSIS ACTIVIST: Thank you. Great to be a part of this. Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, you know, just to give viewers a little bit of background, I want to personalize your life a bit here and talk about your story.

ELLISON: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Take us back to when you were 11 years old and tell us what happened.

ELLISON: Sure, it was my first day of school in the seventh grade, It was actually September 4th of 1990, and I was walking home from my first day of school and I was hit by a car. It was an accident that left me paralyzed from my neck down and dependent on a ventilator. And I spent seven months -- or nine months, actually in the hospital that year.

PHILLIPS: And I just -- I mean, I think about that. I read the story of what happened when you were 11. But it's all those years in between, Brooke, that have been absolutely amazing, all the way up to graduating with honors from Harvard University.

Tell me, what was your strength? Was it someone motivating you? Was it something that happened along the way? A group of people?

ELLISON: Thank you. Well, it was my family, my friends, my community who have all kept me motivated, have kept me strong, have kept me focused, all of these things. And, also, a commitment to a broader purpose. I know that by me working hard, I can stand to benefit other people who are in similar situations. So it's kind of two things working in tandem: people helping me and me, in turn, helping people in the end.

PHILLIPS: Well, you and Christopher definitely worked in tandem. You met and you were the subject of a film that he directed, "The Brooke Ellison Story." How did the two of you meet? Why did he decide to tell your story? Give us a little background.

ELLISON: Sure, thank you. Yes, I graduated from Harvard in 2000, and my graduation was covered quite a bit in the media. And he had read about me in "The New York Times" and actually called shortly thereafter and expressed interest in telling my story and was moved by my life, as I was by his. So that's kind of how it all evolved.

PHILLIPS: How do you -- I don't know what the right word would be and how to ask you this question. But as I look at the clips from this film. And you look at Christopher Reeve's life. He was married. He had a very supportive wife. He had children.

Have you, do you think -- Are you able to say, "I'm living a normal life. Yes, I am dealing obviously with some tremendous challenges. But don't second guess what I've been doing on a daily basis"? ELLISON: Exactly, exactly. It is a normal life in every way. It's different in some ways, but normal, you know. I have friends and family and people who support me. And I do the things everybody else does, just a little bit differently.

And I'm -- you know, I love life. I love my life. And I'm honored to be helping other people through what I have done.

PHILLIPS: Well, tell us about the bill, Brooke.

ELLISON: About the -- excuse me?

PHILLIPS: Tell us about the bill.

ELLISON; Oh, the bill. Oh, my goodness. Well, the event today was just wonderful. The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act is -- has potential to affect millions of people's lives directly today. And I don't know how many millions of more every day.

And it's something that so many people are committed to, myself included. And we've heard from several legislators, Senator Clinton, Senator Harkin, Senator Kerry. And they all spoke of their commitment to moving it forward and making sure that no more days go by without coverage for people who are living with paralysis and people who need to have their lives and conditions repaired.

You know, it was an honor to be a part of this event today. And I think that activism like this is what politics is all about. People speaking out for a cause that is so important and for lives that need to be validated and lives that need to be recognized. And the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act does just that.

PHILLIPS: Well, Brooke, it talks about paralysis research, paralysis rehabilitation and care, improving quality of life, paralysis data tracking. Pick one of those for me and give me some examples of how this bill will really dig into one of those major issues.

ELLISON: Well, let's see, we could talk about paralysis research, but I guess -- at the time of my accident, there was really no cure for paralysis. There was nothing on the horizon. People told me that my condition was it, that there was not going to be any hope for me. And this bill does just that, creates hope, fosters the research that needs to be done.

We hear from scientists over and over again that the promise is just on the edge of the horizon and the bill, like the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act, brings us closer to the horizon every day.

And the economic reasons are profound. The emotional reasons are even more profound. This affects real people's lives in a real way. And we have to -- we can't lose sight of that.

PHILLIPS: Well, Brooke, you are quoted as saying, wherever there is a condition of discouragement or inopportunity, that's where I hope to be. It's pretty amazing to watch your life. ELLISON: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: And we'll follow what happens to the bill. Brooke Ellison, thank you so much.

ELLISON: Thank you, Kyra. Thank you.

PHILLIPS: When we come back, we're going to talk about higher gas prices. What do you think? Could it mean lower prices at the dealership? We're going to check out some of the new incentives when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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