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Polygamist and Fugitive Warren Jeffs Arrested Near Las Vegas; Tropical Storm Ernesto; New Orleans Hospital Deaths; Remembering Hurricane Katrina

Aired August 29, 2006 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get straight to Phoenix, Arizona, now, that live presser with regard to the arrest of Warren Jeffs, that polygamist. One of the FBI's most wanted now captured.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the occupants of the vehicle was identified as Isaac Jeffs. He was driving this automobile. That is Warren Jeffs' brother. The third occupant of the vehicle, Naomi Jeffs, I understand her to be one of Warren Jeffs' wives.

At the time of the stop, all three occupants were briefly questioned by the officer. The conversation and responses were inconsistent. Shortly after that initial stop, a second.

A Nevada state police officer arrived on scene to assist. During this traffic stop, Warren...

PHILLIPS: OK. We apologize, but we lost our audio at a news conference taking place in Phoenix, Arizona. They're actually talking about the charges that Warren Jeffs faces.

If you're not up on this story, let me just tell you real quickly that we got the announcement today that after nearly four months since he was listed as one of the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives, polygamist Mormon sect leader Warren Jeffs was arrested late Monday afternoon during a routine traffic stop just outside of Las Vegas. The state trooper that pulled over Jeffs' vehicle for a possible registration violation had recognized his picture and took him into custody after verbally confirming his identity.

We're going to continue to follow this story.

As you know, Jeffs is 50 years old. He faces charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in Utah and Arizona, sexual conduct with a minor, and also conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor and rape as an accomplice.

Now we're going to take you to a simultaneous presser that's going on right now. This one is in Salt Lake City, Utah, where charges are pending.

Let's listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... removal from the list due to death was more than 300 days. In this particular case, Mr. Jeffs was on the list for 114 days.

Finally, I would like to thank those of you in the media who have worked with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in publicizing Mr. Jeffs' status. I appreciate the courtesies you have extended the FBI in reporting this story.

Now I would like to turn the podium over to United States Attorney Tollman (ph), who will be followed by Attorney General Shurtleef. And thereafter we will take your questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

As it is very apparent from the description that Mr. Fuhrman (ph) has given, that this was a collaborative effort, and cooperation between state, local and federal. And I think that needs to be emphasized. It's also apparent in the charges that are being brought against Mr. Jeffs that there are state, local and federal interests at stake.

It is also important to note at this time that while there -- Mr. Jeffs is in custody pursuant to federal warrants, that there are interests of state -- and interests in Arizona and state interests here in the state of Utah. And we will work together to determine what is the best course to pursue from this point on, whether that is to proceed on federal charges or whether to proceed initially on state charges.

And outside of that, I'll turn some time over to my colleague, Mr. Shurtleef.

MARK SHURTLEEF, UTAH ATTORNEY GENERAL: Thank you.

Well, let me echo what the U.S. attorney just said. And this is a perfect example of cooperation of federal, state and local law enforcement to catch a man who is -- who is wanted for some very serious crimes and now he's going to be held accountable for those crimes that he's been accused of.

I want to thank and congratulate some of the same people, and I'm going to do it in reverse chronological order. I'm going to begin with the Nevada state trooper and Nevada Highway Patrol, who was doing his job.

You know, day in and day out these men and women are on our -- on our freeways, they're out there protecting us.

PHILLIPS: Believe it or not, three news conferences taking place right now, Arizona, Utah, now to Las Vegas, where Warren Jeffs was captured.

Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS) STEVE MARTINEZ, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: And he is in command of the southern command.

I would like to announce the arrest of FBI top 10 most wanted fugitive Warren Steed Jeffs, age 50.

Last evening, at approximately 9:04 p.m., a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper conducting a routine traffic stop on I-15, northbound, at mile marker 60, pulled over a 2007 red Cadillac Escalade. Upon questioning one of the occupants of the vehicle, it became apparent to the trooper that this individual possessed a likeness to FBI top 10 most wanted fugitive Warren Steed Jeffs, the leader of a polygamist sect known as the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints.

The trooper contacted FBI Las Vegas; agents immediately responded to the scene, at which time Warren Jeffs, who initially used an alias, acknowledged that he was, indeed, Warren Steed Jeffs. Warren Jeffs and two other occupants were transported to the Las Vegas FBI Office, Jeffs was fingerprinted and photographed at approximately 5:07 a.m. this morning. He was booked at Clark County Detention Center on two out of state warrants.

Jeffs was wanted for the alleged sexual assault of a minor in two 2002. He was also wanted for one count of conspiracy to commit sexual conduct with a minor in 2002.

The alleged offenses took place in the vicinity of Colorado City, Arizona. Additionally, Jeffs was wanted for a rape as an accomplice in Utah.

The apprehension of Warren Jeffs is the 453rd arrest of an FBI 10 most wanted fugitive since the program's inception in March of 1950. I would like to specifically thank the Department of Public Safety, Nevada Highway Patrol for their participation and excellent work in this investigation, and for putting us on to this dangerous fugitive.

At this time, I'd like to introduce George Togliatti with the Department of Public Safety.

GEORGE TOGLIATTI, DIRECTOR, NEVADA DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY: Thank you.

Needless to say, I'm extremely proud of our Department of Public Safety state troopers, and in our homeland security effort we're highly trained to be vigilant in locating any suspicious vehicles, both private and commercial, which may pose a threat to the Las Vegas valley. Our troopers did a fantastic job in their investigation last night and I couldn't be more proud.

Thank you very much.

MARTINEZ: We would be happy to answer some questions for you at this point.

QUESTION: Could you describe the circumstances of the stop, please? What led the trooper to make the stop, and maybe any other details you might fill in as to...

MARTINEZ: I think that would be appropriate for Mr. Togliatti.

TOGLIATTI: The vehicle last night was a new 2007 Cadillac Escalade with temporary license plates out of Colorado that were not visible. So that was their reason, initially, to stop the vehicle.

QUESTION: Could you describe then the interaction that the officer had with the people in the car?

TOGLIATTI: It became a routine, if you will, stop, although no stops are routine. It became a routine stop at that point, and the troopers approached the vehicle and went to identify the driver and the passengers.

QUESTION: Did the trooper describe anything about what went through his mind or anything when he recognized Mr. Jeffs?

TOGLIATTI: Initially, he had some suspicions that that could be who it was in the vehicle. But again, our computer was down, actually, at that time. The state computer was down when the stop was made. It's, you know, Murphy's Law, I guess. So he didn't get any immediate response as to the registration on that vehicle.

QUESTION: Was Jeffs a passenger or the driver? And what was the alias he was using?

TOGLIATTI: I don't know, as he was using an alias. I don't think he made any statement initially. And he was not driving.

QUESTION: What about the passengers in the car? There was a wife in the car and a brother. We understand they were put in a taxi and they're back on their way (INAUDIBLE).

TOGLIATTI: We turned them over to the FBI and I will let the FBI respond to that.

MARTINEZ: There were two individuals in the car with Mr. Jeffs. He was not the driver. Mr. Jeffs was not the driver. Those two individuals were not charged and were released this morning.

QUESTION: Is there a reason why they have not been charged with any crime?

MARTINEZ: There is -- there were no charges pending against them and there was nothing that the prosecutors wanted to charge them with.

QUESTION: Where are they now?

QUESTION: Aiding and abetting?

MARTINEZ: They are now on the street. I mean, they were released. So, they're free to go.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: If they knew that he was, in fact, a fugitive, why is it that they will not be charged?

MARTINEZ: Well, we did confer -- the FBI office here did confer with our counterparts in both Arizona and in Salt -- in Utah, and it was determined that at that time they would not be charged for harboring or any other offense. And you'd have to -- I'll defer any questions of that to the United States attorney's offices in those jurisdictions.

QUESTION: Can you tell us...

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Can you tell us where they were coming from and going to? And can you make any statement about whether he had been in Las Vegas at any time.

MARTINEZ: I am unaware of any statement that was made, no do I believe there was a statement made about their specific itinerary.

QUESTION: So you don't know where they had been staying, how long they had been in Las Vegas?

MARTINEZ: I certainly don't, and nothing has come up like that in the investigation thus far.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: What else was found in the car?

MARTINEZ: Yes, there were several items found in the car. I think there has been some pool footage that's been provided, so a lot of that speaks for itself. But everything from a large number of cellular telephones, laptop computers, three wigs, quite a bit of cash, in excess of $50,000 in cash.

The inventory search is not complete, so we haven't completely through the vehicle. But there were lots of items in that car and we're going to be looking at them.

QUESTION: Is Mr. Jeffs being cooperative?

MARTINEZ: He was cooperative in identifying himself with his true identity. There was no follow-up interview, to my knowledge, that gave us any substantive information about the substantive charges in Arizona Utah.

(CROSSTALK)

MARTINEZ: Back here.

I'm sorry?

QUESTION: Were any weapons found?

MARTINEZ: None to my knowledge, but, again, the inventory search is not complete. So, as soon as that's complete, I'd be able to give you a better answer on that. But no, no weapons found in the car thus far or at the scene.

QUESTION: And when would he be extradited?

MARTINEZ: I'm sorry?

QUESTION: Is he going to Arizona or Utah?

MARTINEZ: You know, that will determined as the prosecutors confer looking for what the best jurisdiction is to charge him and start the process. So, I'll again defer that to the prosecutors in both Arizona and Utah.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

MARTINEZ: He is being held at the Clark County Detention facility, yes. He was booked in this morning.

QUESTION: Could you please describe the satisfaction...

MARTINEZ: Let me answer this one first.

To my knowledge, no. And there was no mention of an attorney at the time. He just did not provide any kind of statement.

QUESTION: Steven, what alias did he use?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

MARTINEZ: I'm sorry.

QUESTION: Could you tell us a little bit about the trooper, how long he had been with...

MARTINEZ: Mr. Togliatti?

TOGLIATTI: Right now they were -- I can say that we had a team of troopers and that the trooper that made the initial stop was part of that team. Presently, he doesn't wish to be identified by name, and so I just have to leave it at that.

But they are -- they are -- they're trained as part of our new, recent, within the last two or three years effort in homeland security, where we are more vigilant regarding commercial vehicles and any suspicious vehicles. And he was part of that team, and that's one of the things that they do.

QUESTION: Can you describe (INAUDIBLE) such a high profile criminal being caught by your...

TOGLIATTI: Our -- these troopers are really highly trained. And when we get a situation like this, it just -- you just bubble inside. It's just a terrific accomplishment.

They have done a lot over the past two years, made a lot of important stops of criminals. And we've captured a lot of criminals. But this one just happens to get a lot of press. So this is terrific. MARTINEZ: I wanted to follow up on that. There was speculation that if we did encounter Mr. Jeffs there could be a violent confrontation or something like that. I can assure you there was not.

He was arrested without incident. I think that's a tribute to the professionalism of the Nevada Highway Patrol and the tactics and techniques that they use. But we are very, very pleased that this was resolved without any violence.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

MARTINEZ: To my knowledge...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I say thank you at this point?

MARTINEZ: Yes. To my knowledge, it probably would not. You know, that's a matter of the duty of an officer. And, of course, an FBI agent would be the same.

But we certainly have a long-standing excellent relationship with the Department of Public Safety, and I think this is just indicative of when agencies get together and pull resources and are talking ahead of time that we can resolve these things very, very quickly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll field two more questions.

QUESTION: Is there a court hearing today?

QUESTION: He was out there by himself, correct?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was in the vehicle by himself, but then he was immediately backed up by other members of the team.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is based in Las Vegas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. I'm told that doesn't count for one question.

QUESTION: What alias did he use, Steve?

MARTINEZ: You know, he used an alias, but I don't think it's really germane to the story here, so I would prefer just to defer on that.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

MARTINEZ: No thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Thank you very much. I think that will do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Live from Las Vegas, wanted by the FBI, done in by the DMV, top 10 fugitive polygamist Warren Jeffs has been on the run for months, but he was nabbed last night in a routine traffic stop near Vegas. As you just heard right there, a state trooper first pulled him over for not having tags on his car. Well, then he recognized him from a mug shot and Jeffs' jig was up.

He faces a number of charges, including unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in two states and sexual misconduct for allegedly arranging marriages between underage girls and older men.

Tropical Storm Ernesto is expected to hit Florida by tonight and dump heavy rain across much of the state by tomorrow. You can see Governor Jeb Bush there in Tallahassee, side by side with Department of Homeland Security head Mike Chertoff right behind him. They're taking questions now from reporters.

Let's listen in.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: Well, yes. I think that's accurate.

I think our survey, though, is not enough. It's not a -- you know, the margin of error is not 3 percent. I mean, the survey does not completely assess the entire community, but anecdotally we have seen that there are large lines of people that are in gas stations. That's good news to a certain extent, but it's a bad -- it's bad news if you're in line, you know, with a pickup truck and you're -- and you've got 30 gallons -- you know, you're trying to get as much gasoline as you can get, because we will have -- we will be up and running with this storm very quickly.

In addition to that, the power-generating capacity of the gas stations has been enhanced and it will only get better over time as the law kicks in and as oil companies that provide retail gasoline to their -- to their customers realize that it's good customer service to get their -- get their stations up and running. So, I don't think people need to hoard. I do appreciate the fact that they're prepared.

QUESTION: Governor, this morning, I guess it was a 5:00 forecast on the discussion page at the Tropical Prediction Center, it gave special thanks to the government of Cuba for allowing our planes to fly closer. Is that an unusual occurrence? And is that the result of the new relationship there with the government?

BUSH: Is it a new occurrence that we're thanking Cuba or is it a new occurrence that they're allowing us to fly closer?

QUESTION: How about both?

BUSH: OK. I don't know -- they're not allowing us to fly over, which...

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

BUSH: We're grateful for whatever we can have. I put aside -- in fact, if -- you know, if Cuba is hit by a storm, I'd be the first one to suggest that humanitarian aid be given, not necessarily to the government, but to the NGOs to be able to provide support for the Cuban people.

Politics is put aside after -- during storms and after them, so I guess that's encouraging to a certain extent. And we're tied together by -- by our, you know, location in the Caribbean and in the Atlantic. So, we're going to -- we're going to have these storms come through Cuba, or come around Cuba towards us all the time, and if there could be better cooperation, wonderful.

QUESTION: Is this in part because of a results of the change in leadership, do you think?

BUSH: I don't know. I don't -- I don't think -- I don't think one storm will determine that or not.

QUESTION: How many stations are prepared to pump fuel if there is a power outage?

BUSH: Based on our surveys, you know, probably 10 percent. But that does not include the portable generating capacity that can be brought on line by larger retail oil companies that may not have permanent generation capacity on the site, but they can bring it in.

And I think that there's been a significant investment in the last couple years by oil companies, and we're trying to make that assessment. We'll probably have more information about that by the end of the week.

QUESTION: Could you clarify your statement regarding the National Guard? You said that you have already...

BUSH: Two hundred -- 200 have been called up, up to 500 will be called up by the end of the evening -- by the end of the day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir, that's correct. It's a gradual ramp-up to meet the requirements for the state. Or course (INAUDIBLE).

QUESTION: Is there something that would trigger the extra amount?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, the triggering factor would be, of course, the storm get larger than we anticipated. Are the communities that had an effort that they had assessed needed additional help? That comes from Director Fugate, and, of course, those communities. But we do have 9,500 guards who are ready to do business and are very well-equipped, and we have the largest number of heavy-lift helicopters we've had in the 2004-2005 season.

So, we're ready to support the governor when he says come.

QUESTION: They're called up. Are they staged anywhere right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two hundred are staged (INAUDIBLE) that would be close to the periphery of the storm, and another 300 are ready to move down there. So we -- we don't want to get them too close for the obvious reasons, but they need to be close enough to get in there right away. So the is the same plan we used in 2004 and 2005 which the governor has approved, and it works.

QUESTION: Secretary Chertoff, as you noted, it's (INAUDIBLE). I'm wondering, can you assure us that the federal response will be swifter should a storm like that (INAUDIBLE) Louisiana or Mississippi again?

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Well, of course we had Wilma last year, and that was -- while a very challenging event, I think we did work very well with the state, supporting the state in what was an exceptional response under difficult conditions. We've had the opportunity over the past year to engage in a level of planning and preparation for dealing with a catastrophic response that is really unprecedented. And that's given not only capabilities at the federal level in terms of ability to track assets, much greater ability to bring resources from various agencies to bear quickly, but it's also let us work closely with the state and local officials in the two gulf states to make sure our plans are synchronized and that we have a very comprehensive evacuation plan that we can deploy, including buses that are propositioned and things of that sort.

Now, you know, we've got an exceptionally vulnerable -- vulnerable situation in Mississippi and Louisiana because of the rebuilding. And that's why we've perhaps taken a more active role on the federal level dealing with evacuation preparation than we normally would with a state that is...

PHILLIPS: Live from Tallahassee, the head of DHS, Michael Chertoff, along with Governor Jeb Bush, just talking about preparations for Ernesto.

Jacqui Jeras actually tracking every move of this tropical storm.

Boy, I tell you what, they're not taking any chances this time around, Jacqui. Starting the news conferences early on.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, and they shouldn't be taking any chances.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Jacqui.

The rooftops their last refuge. Their calls for help echo one year later. A reporter remembers when darkness fell.

This is CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: So who can forget the desperation in New Orleans' hospitals as the floodwaters rose? No power, no way out, no help from anywhere. And at Memorial Hospital, some patients didn't even make it. And later others said it wasn't because of the horrific conditions. Since then, one nurse and two doctors have been charged in second-degree murder in four patients' deaths.

CNN's Drew Griffin, on the story from the first, has been talking with one victim's family.

You broke the story. What is the latest now, Drew?

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, this family that came forward hasn't come forward in the year since Emmett Everett (ph) died, but Carrie Everett, the widow of Emmett Everett (ph), finally decided to come forward for one reason. This town wants to forget about what happened at Memorial Hospital, she says.

There's a full-court press on in the medical community and among others in this town to make this case go away. Carrie Everett is coming forward to say her husband did not die for some sort of mercy killing or for some Katrina-related event. She believes that he was murdered inside Memorial Hospital.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Do you think they just didn't want to bother moving him?

CARRIE EVERETT, HUSBAND DIED AT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL: That crossed my mind. You know, let's -- let's be real.

You're on the seventh floor, you have a man that's paralyzed, 6'4, 380 pounds. You want to risk hurting yourself to try to carry him down seven flights of steps?

GRIFFIN: You think that's the reason your husband may have been killed?

EVERETT: Yes. Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Emmett Everett (ph) was 61 years old, Kyra. He was in the hospital for a urinary tract infection.

The day before the hurricane he was transferred to Memorial and called his wife, telling her that he's fine, he's on the seventh floor of Memorial Hospital. Gave a room number, gave a phone number.

It wasn't until September 16th she finally contacted the hospital and learned that her husband had died, supposedly on September 1st. They attorney general of Louisiana says Emmett Everett (ph) died of a deadly cocktail inside his body, the same cocktail found in four other patients at that hospital.

She wants this prosecution to go forward. Like I said, it's now in the hands of the district attorney here in Orleans Parish, and it seems to be stalled for reasons we haven't been able to determine yet.

PHILLIPS: Drew, what do you think? Could there be a domino effect? Could we see more cases like this?

GRIFFIN: Almost assuredly. In fact, sources close to this investigation, Kyra, told us there are at least five more very suspicious deaths inside that hospital. And we are told that could lead to more charges, not only against the doctor and the two nurses, but additional charges with other people who may have been in that hospital.

The investigation at the attorney general level far from over. The question is, will there be a prosecution brought in Orleans Parish? Right now that is up in the air -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, and, Drew, you first broke this story. We also sort of gradually heard from attorneys representing those in the hospital that have been charged. What's the latest with regard to their stories? Of course they're claiming innocence.

GRIFFIN: Well, they're not claiming innocence. What they're claiming is that we did the best we could under the situation. Trying to say or through their attorneys tell us that this was more or less a mercy killing. That these people were dying anyway. That the conditions were terrible. No one has said to us, no, my client did not inject a needle into any of these patients. That has not been said to me or producer Kathleen Johnston (ph).

What we're hearing is the conditions were so bad what did you expect these doctors to do? They were doing the best they could and whatever did happen was part of their medical treatment. Carrie Everett's coming forward to say, no way. She had a healthy husband before this and she should still have a healthy husband after the fact.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Drew.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We are sometimes wacky thrill seekers, but when you stand in the dark and you hear people yelling for help and no one can get to them, it's a totally different experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Overcome by emotion, overwhelmed by disaster. Even journalists who had seen death and despair the world over were brought to tears by Katrina. Among them are Jeanne Meserve. She revisits one horrible night in this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: It's been horrible. As I left tonight, darkness, of course, had fallen, and you can hear people yelling for help. You can hear the dogs yelping, all of them stranded, all of them hoping someone will come.

It is still horrible. The neighborhood is thick with the memory of death. The evidence of destruction, the reality of displacement. But a year ago, it was different, immediate, terrifying.

OLIVER THOMAS, NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT: It was like a horror film, a New Orleans horror film.

MESERVE: City council president Oliver Thomas drives us to the Eighth Ward as he did a year ago. As the waters deepened that day, he said "my city is dying." He had just seen his first Katrina victim. Water up to the eves of the houses, people yelling for help.

CHRIS MERCADEL, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: Every time I think about the boat, I think about Katrina.

MESERVE: Chris Mercadel went out in his fishing boat with friends to rescue whoever he could. CNN cameraman Mark Biello went along and remembers being shocked that their boat was one of only a handful in the area.

MARK BIELLO, CNN SENIOR PHOTOJOURNALIST: Where is the everybody? Where is the help? There is nobody here to help these people.

MESERVE: Some were lucky.

ARTHUR WHITE, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: When I pulled the blinds back and look out of it, all I had seen was water.

MESERVE: Arthur White soon realized there was only one direction to go.

WHITE: I pulled the ladder out and I got into the attic.

MESERVE: You can see the marks where White cut through his roof. Mercadel's boat picked him up. Martha and David Ramie are rebuilding and reuniting with neighbors scattered by the storm.

DAVID RAMIE, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: Well I got three and four generations of family that's buried here. And I'm going to be buried here, one day.

MESERVE: As Katrina's water lapped higher, they, too, retreated to the attic. Martha snapped this picture of the water just below them. Then Chris Mercadel's boat appeared. Their salvation.

MARTHA RAMIE, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT (voice-over): My thought was, my god, I'm living, I've been saved. Someone has come.

MESERVE: Some lives ended that night, the lives of those who survived and even those of us who witnessed are changed.

BIELLO: A lot of nightmares, stays with you. Never goes away.

MESERVE: What are the nightmares about?

BIELLO: Could we have done more?

MESERVE: We are sometimes wacky thrill seekers, but when you stand in the dark and you hear people yelling for help and no one can get to them, it's a totally different experience.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, if you've ever said, "I want to report for CNN," now is your chance. CNN has launched I-Report with you, the viewer, as our eyes and ears. If you capture a great video on your camera or cell phone, send it to us. Just log onto CNN.com or punch I-Report at CNN.com on your cell phone. Your I-Report is your chance to share what you have witnessed and today we asked those of you who survived Katrina to send us before and after pictures.

Joining us on the phone is our reporter Gretchen Schneider. She's calling us from Hammond, but her home is in New Orleans. Gretchen, thanks for being with us. We'll just get straight to the pictures. I believe we're going to start with your dining room. We're looking at the before picture, by the way, beautiful hardwood floors in home. Tell me what happened as we see the after picture.

GRETCHEN SCHNEIDER, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT (on phone): Well, this is the before shot coming through my front door. I had -- that's exactly what you saw the first time you walked into my home. The first time I was allowed back in my home was October 1st and that's exactly what I saw. You can see that the furniture is all over the place. One painting is still on the wall. My home actually is raised, so, 10 feet of water in the area, I only had about five and a half in the home. My neighbors are mostly slabs, so they lost everything to the roof.

PHILLIPS: And when did you get out? Did you get out when the first warnings were made?

SCHNEIDER: Well, yes, I did. I left the Saturday morning before, before the evacuations were even called.

PHILLIPS: Where did you go, Gretchen?

SCHNEIDER: We went to Houston, Texas. We usually evacuate to Jackson, Mississippi, but Jackson was full so we went to Houston. I did not come back until May of this year.

PHILLIPS: Wow, we're going to see the exterior of your home now. Is this, now, this is, I can see some of the spray paint on the outside. So I am assuming this is what the home looks like now, is that right?

SCHNEIDER: That is what it looks like now. We've had a lot of rain and some of my grass unfortunately is about three feet tall at this point because I can't get my gardener to come. But I got spray painted three times. They spray painted across the front doors and then the two markings on the front, of which you can't really see anymore.

PHILLIPS: What do the markings say? I can't really make out.

SCHNEIDER: The big red one to the left of the window is actually, that's my kitchen. It was the crew that came through, I believe the second time I think it was marked on September 15th and it just tells you that there were no dead bodies within the home. There is a marking to the right of the window that you can't see and I believe that was the SPCA, it says, "no animals."

PHILLIPS: So, where did you work there in New Orleans and have you been able to come back and start your job again?

SCHNEIDER: I worked for Entergy. Entergy took care of me up in Houston. Unfortunately, I've left and I've begun work with Winn-Dixie in New Orleans and I'm very happy here. Located in Hammond, that's where our offices are.

PHILLIPS: Oh, that's great. And I see that your home now has been gutted and are you completely rebuilding, are you taking it phase by phase?

SCHNEIDER: I am going to rebuild. As you can see, there's studs, studs for the walls, but my ceilings are still in tact and my crown molding is still there and I am getting my bids in now and as soon as the hurricane season is over and we get everything going, I hope to be back, hopefully maybe March or April of next year.

PHILLIPS: I'll tell you what, you're keeping a great attitude and you've got a beautiful home. I hope to see it when it's all finished.

SCHNEIDER: I'd love for you guys to come through.

PHILLIPS: Gretchen Schneider. All right, we're expecting you, as an I-Reporter, then to send us a follow-up picture, OK?

SCHNEIDER: Definitely.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Gretchen.

SCHNEIDER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, if you've got any pictures like Gretchen Schneider's, you can go to CNN.com, send an I-Report and join the world's most powerful news team.

Rebuilding homes while keeping the beat in New Orleans. Musician Branford Marsalis is helping build a village in the aftermath of Katrina. He joins me live to talk about it straight ahead.

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PHILLIPS: New Orleans is renowned for its Cajun cuisine and all that jazz. After Katrina, no one knew what to expect. Many musicians had fled their homes in ruins. Enter two Crescent City icons: Harry Connick, Jr. and our guest Branford Marsalis, who now lives in North Carolina, determined to bring the music back.

Straight in from performing in South Africa, we're so luck to have you today. Thanks for being with us, Branford.

BRANFORD MARSALIS, MUSICIAN: It's a pleasure, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about the musicians' village. What an awesome project. Just a take a minute here to brag about it.

MARSALIS: Harry and I were talking on the phone along with my manager, and we were trying to figure out what we could do because I think a lot of people were thinking me, in particular, because Harry had already been to New Orleans and you could see him on television helping people.

They thought of me as being eerily silent and I just -- these kinds of things develop and I studied history in college and they happen over a long number of years and because of the way our culture is right now, there's this initial burst of kindness and discussion and then it tends to disappear.

Thanks to you guys -- and it's really great. You've sort of continued the conversation, but oftentimes in these situations, the conversation ends in weeks and I was dedicated to an idea of doing something for the long term and not really rush into anything.

And the idea of building homes for musicians just kind of came out of the conversation and Harry discussed or he said that he had a relationship with Habitat prior to this, and it just took off from there.

PHILLIPS: Well, it makes perfect sense, considering the city, the musicians. So many of those musicians, too, Branford, are so talented, but, you know, make just enough money to get by, you know, playing at the local gigs. They don't want to leave New Orleans because that's where the flavor is, that's where the life is.

So how have they responded to you? I mean, have they moved in yet? Are they able to move into these homes yet? And, I mean, are they out there jamming at night talking about what they're going to create in this neighborhood, in this special village?

MARSALIS: A lot of the musicians haven't returned yet, and some of the musicians who have returned really like the idea of the village, but really feel like they want to live in the neighborhoods that they grew up in. Some of the musicians who are interested in living there are having some tax problems that prevent us from actually getting them the homes.

But we have, thanks to Habitat, several lawyers working pro bono to help them get their credit things straightened out so they can move into the village.

PHILLIPS: Wow.

MARSALIS: The whole credit situation kind of, to me, illuminates some of the inequities that the musicians are dealing with in the city. It's crazy that you can have a city that depends on musicians as much as New Orleans does, and the environment allows them to live, basically, paycheck to paycheck, almost as though they worked at a food store or something like that.

So, we're really trying to get the couple -- the few musicians who are there are very, very grateful and very happy to be there and gratitude is definitely not what I seek because I think Harry and I and Terrance Blacheen (ph) and my brother, we're all -- we owe them a debt of gratitude because it's their contribution to the music that allowed us to succeed to the level that we have.

PHILLIPS: Well, it sounds like part two of this story is getting a number of those lawyers working pro bono and helping those musicians to take care of the tax problems so they can get in those homes and afford to live in them. I'll tell you what, we'll stay on top of that, Branford. I promise you that.

MARSALIS: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: I know there's going to be a center for music, Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, in this village. Let's brag about your daddy for a minute. I mean, he's been a tremendous role model, an incredible musician. Tell us about this center that is going to be in the village.

MARSALIS: He's been a great role model for a lot of musicians in New Orleans, not just us. Obviously, us, but he's had a profound influence on a lot of musicians who have gone on to -- some musicians who have moved to New Orleans just to study with him. The bass player in my band right now, Eric Revis, be moved to New Orleans from Texas to study with my dad.

There's a lot of people who he's inspired, and because of that, it was decided not so much by me. I tend to stay out of that because my dad really schooled us on not being nepotistic. But when it was decided I, of course, didn't object. I thought it was a great idea that it should be named after my dad and it is going to be a learning center, a community center that is open to everyone who lives in the community and subsequently people all around New Orleans who tend to go there.

We are going to have a library, classrooms, because a lot of the musicians who were signing on to get the houses are going to teach classes there about the music, about whichever form of music that they happen to play. We're going to have a lot of computers around, and assisted living unit for elderly musicians. It's going to be a very large and ambitious project. It's going to have a concert hall with two magnificent grand pianos in it. I'm looking forward to it.

PHILLIPS: Wow. Are you going to teach there?

MARSALIS: Oh, yes I will. Definitely. PHILLIPS: All right. Now, I want to share with our viewers a little bit of history, too. Just looking at what you and Harry are doing, this center named after your dad, of course, he's going to be involved.

But your grandfather -- let's go back -- a poultry farmer from 1943 converted a barn into a motel along the Mississippi River. He called it the "Marsalis Mansion," right?

MARSALIS: Yes, he did. Yes, he did.

PHILLIPS: And this was a 40-room motel, catered to blacks who were not allowed to stay in New Orleans hotels because of racial discrimination.

MARSALIS: That's right.

PHILLIPS: This sort of building a place for special musicians seems to run in the family.

MARSALIS: Yes. You made that -- you tied that up together very well. Kyra, I didn't put that together until you brought it up.

PHILLIPS: Really? You never thought of your grandfather and what he did?

MARSALIS: I never thought of relating what we're doing to what he did and that they are very, very similar.

PHILLIPS: It runs in the family, Branford.

MARSALIS: It's a beautiful thing. I used to hang out at that motel as a kid. I remember it. It was great. I think Martin Luther King stayed there. Jackie Robinson stayed there, Buck O'Neil, a lot of Negro League baseball players who were barnstorming in the south stayed there. My father had a club there for a little while. He somehow convinced my grandfather to invest in a jazz club.

PHILLIPS: Wow.

MARSALIS: In Shrewsbury, Louisiana. That didn't last very long, but my dad got the best of the deal because they bought this beautiful Steinway and when the club went down, he got to take the Steinway home. So he had the sweetest part of the deal.

PHILLIPS: Well, I'll tell you what, you are one -- yes, he did, didn't he?

MARSALIS: Yes, he did.

PHILLIPS: You are one sweet family, that is for sure. And so talented. I want to plug the Web site. Folks can actually donate to the project here, this musician's village, at www.habitat-nola.org. And Branford, I thought we would take it to break with a little bit of the song "All These people." You want to give us a little snippet about how this song came together, and we'll take it to break? MARSALIS: What song is that, Kyra?

PHILLIPS: "All These" -- really? With Harry and the gospel...

MARSALIS: Oh, you're talking about Harry's song with Kim Burrell.

PHILLIPS: Oh, I'm not allowed to say "y'all's" song! I have to say Harry's song?

MARSALIS: Yes, I'm not on that. That's Harry's song. No, Harry decided to do a record in honor of New Orleans. Not Katrina, but of New Orleans.

PHILLIPS: OK.

MARSALIS: And he hired a lot of musicians and one of them is this fantastic gospel singer named Kim Burrell.

PHILLIPS: Yes, she -- I saw her in the video.

MARSALIS: Yes, they -- she's phenomenal. She's a phenomenal talent, and Harry's been bragging about her for years, and I'm very glad that he had an opportunity to allow her to gain access to a larger audience and let people hear what a marvelous talent she is.

PHILLIPS: Well, I'll tell you what, your dad schooled Harry Connick, right?

MARSALIS: Yes, he did school Harry. Harry's done all right for himself.

PHILLIPS: All right, so in honor of you and Kim and the project, we'll take it to break, how does that sound?

MARSALIS: Sound great.

PHILLIPS: Branford Marsalis.

MARSALIS: Kyra, thank you so much.

PHILLIPS: You're fantastic.

MARSALIS: Thank you.

(MUSIC)

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PHILLIPS: Well, what caused the wrong turn? Investigators still want to know how Comair Flight 5191 ended up on the wrong runway in Lexington Kentucky, early Sunday morning. To help them find out, they're using another plane to recreate what the Comair pilot saw before their doomed attempt to take off from a runway that was too short, a runway that wasn't even lit in the pre-dawn darkness. Forty- nine of the 50 people on the Comair flight were killed; most, it appears, on impact. The first officer was at the controls, and is the only survivor. He's in critical condition at the University of Kentucky hospital.

Greyhound through a guardrail in upstate New York. This bus was headed from New York City to Montreal when it barreled through a guardrail and flipped near Saratoga Springs. The driver and four passengers were killed, more than 30 others are hurt. Greyhound says that the bus had just passed its annual federal inspection last week.

A wanted man no longer. Polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs captured in a routine traffic stop in Las Vegas. Details, just ahead on LIVE FROM.

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