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CNN Live Today
Catastrophic Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; President Bush Tours Gulf Coast
Aired September 02, 2005 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: It is 12:00 noon in the East, 11:00 a.m. along the Gulf Coast. You're looking at downtown New Orleans. That's where at least two major fires have been burning this morning.
Welcome back to CNN's continuing live coverage of the catastrophic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the state of emergency that grows worse by the hour.
I'm Daryn Kagan, at CNN Center in Atlanta.
At the top of each hour we are going to update you with specific information about the critical issues that are changing literally hour by hour, minute by minute. We call it "Mission Critical." We are focusing on security, food and water, medical help, evacuation, relocation, and the levees.
First to New Orleans. Security rapidly continues to go downhill there.
Several thousand National Guard troops are in the city. The mayor, though, says many more needed to be added in order to restore order to that city.
Meanwhile, doctors at Charity Hospital are begging for food, water and medical supplies.
There is, however, one bit of encouraging news. The Army Corps of Engineers believes it's close to plugging up the breach in the 17th Street Canal. And that's one of at least three levee breaks that must be repaired before the city can be drained.
One of the few relatively safe and stable locations in New Orleans today is actually outside the city in Kenner, Louisiana. It's the Louis Armstrong International Airport. It has become a major staging area for medical evacuations.
And that's where we find our Ed Lavandera, covering today's comings and goings.
Ed, hello.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.
You know, to be honest, I've struggled over the last couple of days just to try and put in perspective how many people have been coming through here. We've tried over and over the last couple of days to get an idea of the numbers of people that have come through here.
And just a short while ago, I spoke with one FEMA official who said all of these people who are being airlifted into this airport area here and are in the process of being taken out of New Orleans, they have in the last day -- 40,000 people have come through this -- this little area right here, and have been taken either in to get medical attention here in the terminal of the airport, or on to flights out of New Orleans.
A massive operation. The medical teams here are treating about 800 patients an hour.
When I first arrived with the commanders of this -- of this particular field hospital, they felt they were equipped and they thought they were going to be able to deal with about 250 patients an hour. They're at 800.
And to make matters even worse, I asked, "How long are you expecting to see this kind of traffic?" There are helicopters constantly landing and taking off from the ground here. They say at the very earliest, this will last until Sunday. I've heard others estimate that this, what we see here at the airport, could last another six days.
Basically, all these helicopters touching down, dropping off the passengers that they were able to pick up in the city somewhere, and bringing them back here. And as we've reported over the last couple of days, a very -- many of these folks in critical condition. They are plucked from hospitals or from nursing homes around the area.
I also want to share with you another story. My colleague, Nic Robertson, and his crew that were making their way into New Orleans yesterday were driving in when they came across police officers that had pulled over three cars. And there were 14 men in the cars.
The cars turned out to be stolen. They were full of merchandise, clothing, CDs, DVDs, and that sort of thing. They found out that the cars belonged to a car dealership in New Orleans. The car dealership owner said that he just wanted the cars back and was not going to press charges against any of the 14 men caught with those cars.
Nic spoke with the officer that was there at the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We arrived to assist the New Orleans police officers and saw that three Dodge Stratuses were stolen out of the New Orleans area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Now, back here at the airport, as I mentioned, this process here expected to last possibly until Sunday. Some others estimating another six days of this.
Daryn, it is a constant flow of people flowing through here. And it's gut-wrenching to see many of these people being dropped off on luggage racks, holding their belongings in trash bags. Many of them walking barefoot along the tarmac here, just hoping to catch a flight out of the city -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Ed, let me ask you about some of those people that we're seeing moving around the airport. Clearly, all of them not in need of medical attention. Are people just showing up at the airport, knowing that this is one of the few facilities that is functioning and did relatively well during the storm?
LAVANDERA: I haven't -- we haven't seen a lot of that. We're kind of inside the airport terminal grounds. I haven't seen a lot of people walking in.
Basically, what we're seeing are people landing here. And what happens is, literally, when they come right below many where I am right here, it's determined whether or not they need medical attention. For example, these folks that were just dropped off, they will walk underneath here, and if they need medical attention, they will be taken into the -- into the terminal, where they will be checked out and get whatever they need.
Granted, this is a field hospital. There's only certain things they can do here. This isn't a full-fledged hospital. And then if you don't need medical attention, you are basically shuttled to the other side of the airport, where there are flights taking people out of the city.
KAGAN: Ed, I want to show our viewers, if you'll stay with me just a second, a picture that I believe you cannot see, but a picture -- and I believe it's from within New Orleans. It's a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, even all these days later, attempting -- do we still have that picture to go to?
Oh, this is it. OK.
Still attempting to make rooftop rescues. And if you look at that roof, a number of people who are still waiting all these days later to get some kind of relief and be taken from a building where they have ridden out Hurricane Katrina, and trying to get out of an area that you can see is still completely flooded surrounding that building.
Ed, from where you have been, watching the story unfold, helicopters and the pilots and the crews that have been staffing them playing a key role in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
LAVANDERA: Absolutely. In fact, I was told a little while ago by the director of the airport here that he estimates that there are about 75 helicopters now circling the New Orleans skies on these missions.
I've been told that the Coast Guard helicopters are the ones that are actually going to what they call the hot rescues. That is, people who are probably from the picture that you were showing there, people still trapped in their homes and in the more intense situations. There are people, a military unit that was flown in here that is experts in these types of evacuations that have been flown in as well. And then many of the other military choppers are actually hitting the areas where people are sitting on the side of the roads, hospitals, nursing homes, or wherever they might be in neighborhoods just waiting for someone to come pick them up.
KAGAN: We're also -- I don't know if you're able to see from where you are, but another aerial picture we're looking at shows a lot of smoke along the river. Yet another fire breaking out. And something, I would say, to deal with in New Orleans, but clearly there is no one available to deal with these fires.
Earlier -- well, first, let me ask you, Ed, are you able to see any of the smoke or flames from where you are?
LAVANDERA: We did see some flames -- or some smoke, actually, that was coming just off the horizon over here to our side a little while ago. That has gone away. So I'm not sure if the fire has just put itself out, or if there are actually crews here in the Kenner area that were able to go fight that. I'm unable to see the ones closer to the river from my vantage point here.
KAGAN: Well, there is one closer to the river. Then there's this one, which I'm sure you can't see. It's in downtown New Orleans that we have been watching.
This is actually the central business district where this fire is taking place. I believe we've been seeing this for over a couple of hours now. This follows an explosion that took place earlier this morning.
Our Chris Lawrence says he was awakened by this blast about 4:30 a.m., 5:30 local time. Initially thought to have originated in the city's southwest district. But it later determined to be across the Mississippi river.
A chemical fire. Officials saying that they don't believe that there were any chemicals there that were going to be dangerous or toxic at this point. Even if there were, there's nothing that -- and there's no one that can really do anything about it.
LAVANDERA: Absolutely. I think if what's happening here -- and this is a rather controlled situation at this point, since the crews have been here on the ground for so long -- if this is as chaotic in a controlled situation, I can only imagine what's going on when you start venturing away farther from the airport, start getting several miles away.
I imagine it starts -- it becomes an even more difficult situation. And situations where, as I mentioned, you know, a lot of these officials and first responders on the ground have to make decisions at this point. They are faced with two disasters, and they have to decide which disaster to go to first. And the humanitarian disaster, at this point, is probably taking precedent over any kind of building that might be on fire. KAGAN: Ed Lavandera joining us from Kenner, Louisiana, at the New Orleans International Airport.
Ed, thank you. We'll be back to you later in this hour.
Meanwhile, all these people who are trying to get out of New Orleans, their first destination was to be Houston. The folks there opening up the Astrodome, saying they can take 25,000 evacuees. Well, at about half capacity, they said, enough, we can't take anymore.
Our Sean Callebs is in Houston to tell us more on why they shut the lid and where now the people who are leaving New Orleans and coming to Houston, where they are being sent -- Sean.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Daryn. Both very good and relevant questions.
We just came out of a news briefing from Houston Mayor Bill White, and he was asked repeatedly, "What happened?" We were told for days that the Astrodome was prepared to hold as many as 24,000 people.
Basically, they said, you know what? This is an untried position, what we are doing. We thought we could get that many cots in, we realized that we couldn't early yesterday afternoon.
At one point yesterday afternoon, the fire marshal apparently tried to close it down to any further people in the Astrodome, and the mayor overrode that decision. However, around midnight Easter Time, they simply decided there were too many people in the Astrodome.
Now, they are not turning away and have not turned away any buses. Those people that are still coming in are being taken to the Reliant Arena, which is only several hundred yards to the left of the Astrodome.
There's a queue of buses right now waiting outside, and it takes, once these buses get here, about an hour for people to go through that process, go in, and go through all the procedures they have to, to be registered. They get medical attention at that point.
Certainly some frustration last night. Some very upset, angry individuals who had made a bus ride of close to 12 hours, only to be told they couldn't go into the Astrodome.
However, the mayor right now is pleading for people here in the Houston area to open up their homes, to open up any kind of apartments, whether it be garage apartments, anywhere, to try and house some of these at least 100,000 evacuees they expect they're going to have in this area.
Now, what are they finding once people get here? A number of people simply traumatized. They say some people simply were so frightened once they saw the Astrodome, they didn't want to go in the building. To them, it symbolized the Superdome in New Orleans and exactly what they had gone through in the past several days. And they were terrified and didn't want to go inside. We can also tell you two people have passed away since they have been brought here. One, an elderly woman who had cancer. She died last night as she was being attended to by a physician.
Another individual was taken to a hospital suffering from what doctors called a preexisting condition, chest pains. That individual died at the hospital yesterday as well.
Inside, we have had some pictures that were shot earlier, very early in the morning of the Astrodome. You can see just how crowded it is. People crammed right next to each other.
Now, while they are preparing for this to be a long-term transition, they are trying to get these people out of the Astrodome, out of the Reliant Arena, as quickly as they can. We know they are trying to open up facilities as well in San Antonio, Dallas, and Huntsville, but just how quickly they are going to get those individuals loaded up and how many more buses they can expect to make that 350-mile trip to the west, Daryn, they simply can't answer at this time.
KAGAN: Sean, meanwhile, we heard something incredible earlier that the Astrodome has now been given its own zip code because so many people are staying there?
CALLEBS: That's a pretty fair assessment. We had representatives from the post office here. And anybody trying to reach the 12,000 people that are going to be in the Astrodome for the foreseeable future, they can write their loved ones, their family members here, and then give a zip code.
And I think I wrote the zip code down. I certainly hope I did. If I didn't, I know we called it in.
It is 77230. Once again, the Astrodome zip code, 77230.
There are just so many tales that we are hearing from the people, Daryn, coming out of this. We have had people stop by, and it's simply heart-breaking. They've been separated from their families, separated from their loved ones.
They have no idea where they are. At least two couples have come to us, saying that they got separated from their newborn infants.
KAGAN: Yes.
CALLEBS: Children born much earlier, and then the mother discharged from the hospital. But when the hurricane came in, mother and father had to evacuate. And we know that one couple fount their infant in Ft. Worth, and we hope to bring you that story later today. The other one, they are simply trying to find their child at this hour.
And it is heartbreaking to see the tears come to their eyes and hear the emotion in their voice.
KAGAN: Continues to completely blow your mind.
On the zip code issue, what makes me wonder, though, is, I thought with the Astrodome, the idea, they really didn't want people to stay there that long. The idea that they're putting out word that you can receive mail here, that would seem counter to what their intent is.
CALLEBS: Perhaps. But they have cleared the Astrodome schedule until December. They know this is going to be a long-term situation.
They may want to move these people out as quickly as possible, but reality is something entirely different. And the Houston mayor is also appealing to the rest of the country to reach out to these evacuees, these refugees as he referred to them at one point, to try and find other areas of the country where a significant number of people -- think about the more than million people that have been displaced.
And also the stories we heard from the buses that it left. There were tens and thousands of people on bridges, on overpasses as these buses began making their way through. People pleading, beating on the sides of the buses, throwing objects, trying to get the bus to stop so they could get in.
This situation certainly sounds as though it is going to get more dire, because the people that are coming here after only a few days are already dehydrated. They haven't had medication that they have been on.
And if you think about it, the city -- 23,000 people. How many they expect to have on the grounds here within the next 24 hours, it's a small city. The doctors say, two, three, to five deaths every night is not going to be out of the ordinary.
KAGAN: Sean Callebs in Houston, Texas. Thank you for that.
Meanwhile, all this is taking place as President Bush is touring the hurricane-ravaged areas along the Gulf Coast today. He's going to be in the air. We saw him take off just a little while ago.
Also on the ground. He arrived in Mobile, Alabama, within the last hour. Our Elaine Quijano is at the White House with more on the president's trip.
Elaine, hello, once again.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn.
It was in Mobile, Alabama, that the president met with emergency officials. In fact, we saw the president, along with those emergency officials, as well as the governors of Mississippi and Alabama.
They went before the cameras, and with an aircraft in the background there, a Coast Guard aircraft, the president listened as they each commented on the latest efforts. But the White House clearly trying to send the message not just with the president's words, but also with images that the government is in charge.
But, of course, even before he left Washington, the president himself took a strikingly critical tone when talking about the government's response, saying the results were unacceptable. And in Mobile, Alabama, the president pledged the government would do better.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have got courageous people risking their lives to save life. And I want to thank the commanders and I want to thank the troops over there for representing the best of America.
I want to congratulate the governors for being leaders. You didn't ask for this to happen, but you are doing a heck of a job. And the federal government's job is big, and it's massive, and we're going to do it.
Where it's not working right, we are going to make it right. Where it is working right, we are going to duplicate it elsewhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)\
QUIJANO: So President Bush there, vowing that the government will, in fact, get on top of the situation. But, the president today will be getting his first up-close look at some of the damage left behind by Hurricane Katrina.
This, of course, though, also a chance for the president to thank those who have already been involved for days now in the relief efforts. The president doing that in Mobile, Alabama. But the president will also be taking an aerial tour, as well as a walking tour, in Biloxi, Mississippi.
And we learned late this morning that a change to the president's schedule has been announced. The president will in fact be taking a walking tour of some parts of New Orleans.
Now, this was something that was not originally planned. The president was going to just depart from the New Orleans airport, perhaps make a statement. But now we understand in some parts of New Orleans, the president will actually be on the ground doing a tour. We'll look for more details on that -- Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. Elaine Quijano at the White House. Thank you.
Want to go back to live pictures. These coming in from New Orleans.
These incredible pictures. It would appear some firefighters and at least one civilian trying, or perhaps the firefighter who couldn't get to his gear, trying with a single hose to go and attack this fire.
We have been watching this fire develop and ravage this building in the central business district in New Orleans for about the last couple of hours now. When we first went to it, it was on the first or second floor. Clearly, it has made its way all the way up to the fourth or fifth floor of this structure as it begins to crumble.
And the firefighters trying to go at it with just a single hose. At this point it might be an effort to keep the fire from spreading to other buildings that are packed so closely in this business district.
We'll get more information as it becomes available from that part of New Orleans. And more ahead.
Right now, a break. We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We want to go back to these live pictures that we are watching in the central business district of New Orleans. A fire that has completely engulfed a four or five-story building. We've watched it burn and build and make its way up the many stories of this building over the last couple of hours.
When the camera pulls out -- and we don't have control over that -- but when it does, we can see a couple of firefighters on the roof of the building next to it, attacking this large fire with a single hose. Perhaps what they are really trying to do is prevent the fire from spreading to any of these surrounding buildings that are just so close to this and having the whole block go on fire.
Our Chris Lawrence is close to the area.
I don't know, Chris, if you are able to see the fire. But perhaps you can talk about on the list of the many, many frustrations in the city at this time, the lack of resources the fire department has to even fight something like that.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It's hard to be a -- it is hard to be a firefighter when you don't have any water pressure going on in the city.
I know that a lot of the firefighters have been -- like when we saw a fire on Canal Street, they were pumping the water directly from the floodwaters in the street. And now they have the capability to pump directly from the Mississippi River and from other bodies of water there. But in terms of having the full use of fire hydrants like they normally would, they just don't.
But again, I spoke with a police officer earlier. He seemed fairly confident early on. Again, this is before this fire got quite so big. He seemed fairly confident that they could contain it to that one building, that it would not be a danger to engulf multiple buildings or an entire block.
And just on a completely different note, as we were heading out of town I know they have been promising some food and water, that aid was on its way. And we did pass huge flatbeds, you know, 18-wheelers stacked with -- you could see cases and cases of bottled water and what looked to be boxes of food supplies as well. And about five miles after that, just a row of buses heading into the city of New Orleans about -- it looked to be 20 to 25 tour buses. Huge tour buss. And then following right behind them, about 10 to 12 school buses. So it does seem as if food, water and more buses are -- by this time, they should be right on the edge of the city.
KAGAN: Chris Lawrence, reporting to us from New Orleans. Chris, thank you.
Now, the other part of the story we want to share with you here, a part of the story we haven't shared with you that much at home, many, a good number of our employees here at CNN who have been working to bring you this breaking news story have family members of their own that have been in a crisis situation up and down the Gulf Coast.
That includes our Kim Bondy, a name who might not be familiar to you. Bu our Kim Bondy is vice president of morning program. She is the brains and the power behind "AMERICAN MORNING," is the easiest way to tell you what she does.
She also has a daughter, Ruby Boisseau, whose shining face we see with us right now live from Baton Rouge.
And Ms. Boisseau, I hope Kim is watching, because she is sure going to be happy to see your face right there. I know she has been very worried about you.
RUBY BOISSEAU, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA: Yes. Yes, I've talked to Kim a couple of times today. And I'm as happy to hear from her is she is to hear from me.
KAGAN: Tell us a little bit about what the last few days have been for you. You do live in the New Orleans proper?
BOISSEAU: Yes, we live in the Gentilly area of New Orleans, which is, you know, less than a mile from the lake front and very close -- I'm sorry, I was going to tell you very close to where the 16th Street Canal, where they actually had that breach in the levee. So the water came up...
KAGAN: Did you make the decision to get out before the storm hit?
BOISSEAU: I'm sorry, did we do what before the storm hit?
KAGAN: Did you get out of your home before the storm hit?
BOISSEAU: Oh, no, no, no. We made the poor decision to stay and ride the storm out.
The house, we felt like it was a good, strong sturdy house. And the house held up perfectly. But shortly after the storm stopped, that's when the water came. And the water came very rapidly.
KAGAN: And then how were you able to get out?
BOISSEAU: We got out through a boat. My husband has a small handmade boat that he built that takes two people.
I originally left in another boat. There were neighborhood people going around rescuing people from a number of houses from, you know, upstairs stories, from roofs. And I left first with those people while my husband and his brother stayed in the house.
But then, ultimately, after the water didn't recede, and we were afraid that there might be even more flooding, we ultimately escaped to the University of New Orleans shelter in my husband's boat, which he then gave to the Coast Guard or levee board or something. But that's how we got out.
KAGAN: And all of your loved ones accounted for at this time?
BOISSEAU: I'm sorry?
KAGAN: Are all of your loved ones accounted for at this time?
BOISSEAU: I'm sorry, I just can't understand.
KAGAN: That's OK, Ms. Boisseau.
BOISSEAU: No, all of our loved ones are not accounted for. We are still looking for our daughter, Dana Boisseau, who we talked to last on Sunday.
Dana, as far as we knew, was on the west bank of New Orleans, either in Algiers or Gretna. And because the cell phone service is not working, we have not been able to communicate with Dana at all.
And so we would be very appreciative if anyone knows where Dana is, if they would get in touch with us. My cell phone is working, and it's 404-317-1238.
So we are on our way to -- yes, go ahead.
KAGAN: So this crisis is still very much alive for your family because, as we said, you haven't been able to account for your other daughter at this time.
BOISSEAU: Right. Right. The rest of our family evacuated. And they are all fine.
KAGAN: And any news on your home? Do you assume it's completely flooded at this point?
BOISSEAU: Oh, yes. It was completely flooded by the time we left. The single-story houses in the neighborhood, the water was up to the gutter cans. And our first story was completely flooded, yes.
KAGAN: And what are your plans at this time? Are you going to try and stay in Baton Rouge and stay close? Are you coming to camp with Kim in New York City?
BOISSEAU: No. Actually, Kim's father's going to pick us up here in Baton Rouge and take us to Lake Charles, where my son is going to pick us up and take us to San Antonio, where we have family. So we will be in san Antonio for the next several days at Rose Hawkins' (ph) house.
KAGAN: Thank you, Rose.
BOISSEAU: I hate to keep doing this to you, but we need Dana to be able to find us.
KAGAN: Yes. And speaking of having family, we are going to do a little reunion on the air here, because we do have Kim on the phone with us.
BOISSEAU: You do?
KAGAN: Yes. Kim, do you want to go ahead and ask mom a question? Or just tell her how much you love her and how happy you are to see her face?
KIM BONDY, V.P., CNN MORNING PROGRAMMING: I've told her about a thousand times. And it's a huge relief to have this part of the story over with.
And I didn't know that Dana was unaccounted for, because, you know, it's such a communication failure. So now there's something else to worry about. But, you know, seeing my mother's smiling face is -- I'm tired of crying, but, I'm glad she's safe. And as you now know, my mother's where I got my producing genes from.
KAGAN: Lots of strong women in the family. Good to see you. And that certainly has served you well.
BOISSEAU: Yes.
KAGAN: Ms. Boisseau, there's still so much more for you and your family to go through. And we wish you well. And on the side, thank you for all the good work you put into -- to your Kim, because we make good use of her here at CNN.
BOISSEAU: Thank you, Daryn. And thanks to all the CNN people. You've been great. Thank you.
KAGAN: Good luck getting to San Antonio, and number one, getting in touch with your other daughter, Dana. Ruby Boisseau, mother of our Kim Bondy. Thank you, Ms. Boisseau.
As we go back to our others news coverage right now. Compose ourself, an emotional moment there, Kim getting to see her more. We move on.
Barbara Starr has been traveling with Lieutenant General Russell Honore. He is the military commander in charge of the task force that is dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Barbara Starr, traveling with the Lieutenant General today. She joins us once again, from New Orleans -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, I am standing at the corner of Loyola and Poidros (ph) in downtown New Orleans. And in the last five minutes, the most extraordinary thing has unfolded. Dozens and dozens of military vehicles, packed with National Guard troops, are now moving into New Orleans. This is the beginning of the deployment of 1,000 National Guard troops in a food convoy that will go to the convention center and try and bring food, water, medicine, to the thousands of people that are trapped there.
But just to paint the scene for everyone, we are standing on the city street corner with the three star army general in charge of this operation. And he is literally directing this deployment on this street corner from his cell phone. With a couple of aides, he directing the movement of these troops.
And as I'm talking to you, coming through the flood waters, I am counting at least -- more than three dozen, possibly as many as 50 military vehicles. National Guard troops packed onto the roofs, hanging on to the sides of doors, coming through the flood waters, coming to this corner. And they are then getting off their vehicles, mustering, reforming into a convoy, and they will go to the convention center.
It really is an extraordinary sight, because even if we see these 1,000 troops come through the flood waters, right along with them, we are seeing some of these very desperate civilians. Parents carrying their children with just their own sacks of belongings, whatever they've been able to salvage, moving right along with these troops, trying to find somewhere where they can get some relief supplies.
But, at the moment, this is truly just an extraordinary scene. I'm standing, watching the general literally direct these 1,000 troops from the city street corner, as they come through the flood waters -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Barbara, does this look like it's a situation that could get out of control? As you were saying, these are people that are so desperate and frustrated. If they believe this is help on the way, could there be a stampede or a rush?
STARR: That is something that the general has expressed a great deal of concern about this morning. As we have been in his meetings around the city with him. He has taken a number of measures to ensure security. But, what I would also tell you, when we are able to finally bring these pictures to you, all of these National Guard troops are armed.
They all have weapons. But General Honore is going through and telling all of them to put their weapons point down. He very specifically has said, literally, he does not want this to look like Iraq. He -- a few moments ago, he actually stopped the guard -- a truck full of National Guard troops, three-star Army general and said, point your weapons down, this is not Iraq.
He is very determined to keep this looking like a humanitarian relief operation. He believes that that is really the way to go. There are forces available, if there are any unfortunate incidents. But he does not want this to look like a military invasion. He is determined, as these forces, as I'm speaking to you, continue to pour into this downtown area. He is very determined to keep this a humanitarian relief operation -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Barbara Starr on the phone, live with us from New Orleans. We'll get back to you, Barbara. As you say, an incredible scene unfolding there as these troops and help, some amount of help, gets to the very frustrated people in New Orleans.
Meanwhile, let's show you some images we're just been getting in. As we've been talking about throughout much of the day, President Bush is in the area today for his first really good look at the devastation. That's not a live picture. That's tape we're getting. President Bush originally landed in Mobile, Alabama, and then landed at an Keesler Air Force Base, a base that suffered its own amount of damage, we understand.
Today he is going to Biloxi, as well. And that's where he's going next, to do a walking tour of Biloxi. And then into New Orleans. Originally, it was just supposed to be an aerial tour of New Orleans and then stop at the airport just outside of the city. Now we understand the president will be on the ground in New Orleans to get a firsthand account of exactly what that city faces at this time.
Our coverage continues. Actually, I think we're going to Capitol Hill. A lot happening there concerning what Congress has appropriated, $10.5 billion.
Joe Johns is with us. Joe, earlier the president, when he landed in Mobile, he said guess what, I have word for you. That's just a down-payment on what it's going to take in order to get this area back on its feet -- Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Daryn. A lot of people are saying that. The House of Representatives expected to come in, oh, about 20 minutes from now to take up the $10.5 billion measure to help FEMA. Also, there's $500 million in there to help the Department of Defense.
This is going to be a bare bones session. We're told a lot of people are not going to be here, including the speaker of the House of Representatives. Dennis Hastert apparently had a fundraiser he had to do in Indiana this morning, we're told. He is hustling to try to get back to town.
Of course, in the big picture, the Senate has taken up this bill already, and passed it. A lot of people out there asking whether help is getting to the people in the region quickly enough. The majority leader of the Senate addressed that talking to me last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SENATOR BILL FRIST (R), TENNESSEE: We probably talked five different times with the president of the United States, with the leadership of the administration, with representatives from FEMA that were working very aggressively to reverse this natural disaster, which is one of the worst that we've seen in the last 100 years. (END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Now, as I said, criticism is mounting of the administration's response. Earlier today in Washington, D.C., some members of the Congressional Black Caucus attending a news conference at the National Press Club raised the issue of whether class and race is, in fact, an issue right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS, CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS: Many of these Americans who now are struggling to survive are Americans of color. Their cries for assistance confront America with a test of our moral compass as a nation. We cannot allow it to be said by history that the difference between those who lived and those who died in this great storm and flood of 2005 was nothing more than poverty, age, or skin color.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: The president's allies, of course, here on Capitol Hill indicating that a lot is being done behind the scenes and in front of the scenes. The House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is expected to be on the floor when the House takes up this emergency measure.
FEMA has also put out a statement that says, in part: "This is a catastrophic event and it takes time to get assets to victims over this large area while we continue to conduct search and rescue efforts."
Back to you -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Joe, meanwhile, the confirmation hearings for John Roberts are scheduled to start on Tuesday. Is there any talk of delaying those?
JOHNS: No. So far, there's been no talk of delaying those hearings. A lot of people we've talked to say this is a situation where a justice on the Supreme Court will affect the United States for generations to come. They think it's important to try to go ahead as scheduled. That question has been asked repeatedly on Capitol Hill, and so far, every indication is the Supreme Court hearings will go forward starting on Tuesday, Daryn.
KAGAN: Our Joe Johns, live on Capitol Hill. Joe, thank you. If you're with us just a few minutes ago, we showed you an emotional reunion via our television and our satellite here with one of our vice presidents and her mother who made it out of new orleans.
Coming up, our Kathleen Koch, one of our correspondents who has been in the area -- she grew up in the area -- she goes home or to what was her home along the Mississippi coast. It is a very moving piece. We'll bring that to you straight ahead.
Also coming up on CNN tomorrow night 8:00, you're going to find out how you can help. Don't miss the all-star line-up on a three hour special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE," tomorrow night 8:00 p.m., "How You Can Help."
We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We are just getting these live pictures into CNN, incredible pictures, some of the first pictures of hope arriving in New Orleans. This is a convoy. And as the camera pulls out, you'll be able to see just how large the convoy is. Some 30 trucks bringing hope, relief, supplies, water, food to the convention center in New Orleans.
And as you can see, these trucks having to make their way through an amazing amount of water just in order to get to the convention center. And get to the thousands of people that are sitting there so desperate, a situation we have been following for the last couple of days. People told to go to the convention center, told that that that's where they would find relief only to find one of the most desperate situations in all of New Orleans. No water, no food, no ice, no even sanitation, and yet people have been there. They've been stuck and waiting for something like this to show up.
The concern, of course, that as this shows up, that there would be a run on the supplies. And our Barbara Starr who is on the phone with us, who is travelling with Lieutenant General Russell Honore, who is the military commander of the response to Hurricane Katrina, telling the troops that are bringing these supplies in to not use their weapons. A quote from Barbara Starr, saying he does not want this to look like Iraq.
And you can see these are no ordinary trucks. These are actually amphibious vehicles that are being used to get through the water. Barbara saying this is, looks like, and being treated like a war zone. And they're bringing out the tools to bring the supplies to these people. This comes after a very frustrated mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin releasing a statement earlier today, and also giving an interview to a radio station there, where he expressed his complete frustration, where he's talking about the lack of clean water.
The mayor saying earlier last night was our last functioning clean water facility that provides portable water for the west bank and east bank. It was nearly overtaken. If our water supply is further reduced, thousands more will die. He also talks about these troops that he says he hears are on the way. I hear that troops are on the way. We are protecting the city with only 1,500 New Orleans Police Officers, an additional 300 law-enforcement personnel, 250 National Guard troops and other military personnel who are primarily focussed on elevation.
I believe we are getting sound and information from the helicopter and the reporter that's onboard.
Should we go ahead and listen into that? OK, let's listen in.
J.T. ALPAUGH, POOL PHOTOGRAPHER: Blackhawk helicopter coming around 5:00 to 6:00, low level. No factor. Coming back to a couple humvees. You can see the water line up on these humvees are nearly up to the -- try to get in tight on this here, is around the trees here. Right now these military's armed with their weapons to protect the food, and the water getting to the people that need it. You can see the automatic weapons in their hands.
KAGAN: Just so you know who we are listening to, this is J.T. Alpaugh. He is a photographer normally based in Los Angeles. We've talked to him a number of times throughout the week. He's been the pool photographer for the helicopter service that has been flying over New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast ever since they were able to, as soon as the storm passed. So he has had a firsthand view of the destruction, and now the help that finally is arriving at the convention center in New Orleans. He was making note of the soldiers you see, and that they do have weapons.
But we were hearing from our Barbara Starr, a Pentagon reporter who is travelling with Lieutenant General Russell Honery, these troops are under specific orders not to shoot and not to point their weapons at the people. They are anticipating a very desperate situation and a frustrated crowd of thousands of people who have been stuck at the convention center.
Let's listen a little bit more.
ALPAUGH: ... about the reports of sniper fire, small-arms fire. Their heads are on a swivel. They had their weapons out each window, making sure that if they are engaged by any type of gunfire, that they can protect themselves and protect the needed food that's being brought into the convention center area here near the Superdome. They are continuing eastbound. They've made a full loop around the Superdome. They're coming around the east side to, of course, where we are at. They're continuing eastbound. Not quite sure what their route is going to be in here. But I'm going to pull out wide here and just show you a (INAUDIBLE).
This is the convention center. You can see large glass roof of the convention center. And all the people are being organized here. And there is a covered area here that possibly the vehicles will be going into near the Hyatt Hotel. So I'm trying to find the vehicles now. They are continuing eastbound on the street, running east/west on the north side of the convention center and the dome, trying to get a fix on where they might be staging this food.
OK, well, this is interesting. Not sure what's happening here. They are moving further and further away from the convention center and the Superdome.
Now, this may be -- they may be getting to a place. OK, there's lines of buses. I can see they can come around left here as we descend a little bit. Come around left, you'll see buses. We've got lines and lines of buses here that are staging to get these people out. And what just happened.
OK, now I see the command post. As we park it here, Alan (ph). And I'm going to show you what appears to be a military command post in the area. OK, I'm going to go look at the shot here.
South.
KAGAN: We are watching these pictures live as they come in, and once again, the voice you are hearing is J.T. Alpaugh. He is the pool photographer who has taken so many of the aerial pictures that we have been watching. But what you are seeing is something that we have been looking for, and that the frustrated folks of New Orleans have been looking for days. It is the first sign of relief that is making it into that city. It is a military convoy, a convoy of buses. Making it through the flooded waters of New Orleans, eventually going to make it into the convention center, where thousands of people have been holed up and waiting for food, waiting for water, waiting for a way to get out of the convention center and get out of New Orleans.
I have with me right now one of our supervising producers here at CNN and a native of New Orleans, Andreas Preuss.
A city you grew up in and you're family very much a part of. As you're watching this help finally make it to your city, your thoughts?
ANDREAS PREUSS, CNN PRODUCER: Well, this is obviously a pivotal moment in the operation here to restore at least relief supplies and humanitarian aid to the citizens trapped in the Superdome, the Louisiana Superdome, as we've been discussing, is in the central business district.
As you can see, the building in the foreground is the One Shell Square (ph). We've also got major hotels in this district. We've got city hall, where Orleans parish government is run out of, obviously a gigantic operation going on right now with military vehicles, commercial buses, the type of Greyhound tourist buses that you're used to seeing. Also an average school bus, something you could transport children in, that they're using for this effort.
KAGAN: Andreas, J.T. Alpaugh, the photographer who is watching this happen from the helicopter, seems to be kind of surprised by the route that this convoy would be taking.
PREUSS: Well, you have to understand that, you know, some streets are flooded, others aren't. I think they're kind of navigating as they go along. That's my best guess. I have no idea. But you know, you've got some streets that may be, you know, a foot under water. You may have some streets that are five feet underwater. It may be a hit or miss scenario where you're just driving around, trying to find the most expedited route to the Louisiana Superdome.
KAGAN: And just so we can explain to our viewers what we're watching and why we split on the screen -- on the right side, the larger picture, once again, that much-awaited convoy of buses and help and military personnel making its way through the city of New Orleans, through the flooded streets to the convention center.
On the left side, although it looks like it might have cleared up a bit, we believe we were seeing a motorcade that included President Bush, who is in the area today, to get a look by air and on the ground. The president started in Mobile, Alabama; is right now in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Andreas, once again, getting back to what we're watching out of New Orleans. And I believe that's a live picture of the airport now? If I can get some help. Yes, yes. That's Kenner, Louisiana, just outside New Orleans. Give us an idea of how far that airport is to get to the heart of the city.
PREUSS: Well, the airport was first called Moisant (ph) Field, which was named after a famous New Orleans aviator. It became New Orleans International Airport. It's now Louis Armstrong International Airport. It's about eight to 12 miles west of the city, down I-10, in Kenner, Louisiana, which is a rather large suburb. Jefferson Parish, Mederi (ph), Kenner, Louisiana, these are where a lot of the people that live and work -- or actually work in New Orleans would be living.
The airport is a moderate airport. It's not gigantic, but New Orleans has a -- obviously, a huge tourist economy, and people fly into this thing. And you take, you know, a cab or a bus to the French Quarter, which is what most people know of.
KAGAN: And one of the few facilities that did really well through the storm.
PREUSS: Yes, the airport obviously seemed to be a bit high and dry and was -- is a great staging area for the operations that are under way to bring people in. We spoke to somebody a few days ago, that they would - Daryn, I think you -- Ed Lavandera had somebody out at the airport that they would try to restore commercial service within two months. That they hope to, within a few weeks, get some limited special permission flights into the area, which is obviously good news for people trying to get into help. Not, mind you, people who want to get back to see their house, per se, but volunteers or people that need to get into to help the citizens and people that are still in the city.
KAGAN: And, once again, we're seeing on the right hand of your screen, it looks like a staging area for some of the military troops that have finally made their way into New Orleans. The goal of those troops and the convoy that we are watching and the buses, to make their way to the convention center. Which, before this all happened, was a bustling hub and a huge not only tourist destination, but an economic key of your city.
PREUSS: Well, the convention center, the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, which is what we saw the riveting pictures from yesterday, is probably one of the largest convention centers in the country, if not the world, and is what draws the AMA and other huge conventions to the city, which supply the restaurant industry, the service industry, the hotels. Every part of New Orleans is affected by tourism. The CDD where we saw the fire earlier is where commerce happens. That is your banks are headquartered, your law offices. Your hospitals are in that area, Charity Hospital,Tulane University Medical Center. These are all located centrally. Here you see the Superdome once again. The Superdome was built as a large facility and they have ramps, where you see the people standing. These are ramps -- if anybody's been to an event there, you've walked these ramps. You've gone to see concerts or football games there. These are obviously coming in great use today for people to be able to get out of the Superdome in an orderly fashion, or as orderly as possible.
Now, you have to understand, New Orleans, Mardi Gras, Jazzfest. Crowd control is what the New Orleans Police prides itself on. Here, obviously, you've got the National Guard involved.
KAGAN: Right, and the New Orleans Police Department clearly overwhelmed.
PREUSS: Yes, I don't think anybody could predict anything like this. And you could just see the sheer volume of people, trash. It's just an amazing picture, and I do think this is a pivotal moment in the story, and it's amazing to see this footage live.
KAGAN: Something that we can't convey over television, the incredible heat of your hometown. Here we are at the end of summer, no air conditioning. It's only added to the intensity and the frustration and the difficult situation in dealing with this crisis.
PREUSS: Hot and humid, that's the forecast, and it always is for New Orleans. New Orleans is not a seasonal city. It doesn't have a clearly defined winter, spring, summer and fall. Now, it does have a bit of that. You know, and -- and also where the people are, you have the Hyatt Hotel. The New Orleans Center, which is a big shopping -- one of the only malls, so to speak, in the New Orleans area, the downtown New Orleans area. And you can see that they're trying here obviously to file the troops in and get this operation going.
KAGAN: We are hearing from our Barbara Starr, our Pentagon correspondent who is traveling with this contingent and Lieutenant General Russell Honore, who is charge with it, very specific directions to these troops of how they were to carry their weapons. And we can see that here, when they do zoom in. Those weapons are pointed down. Barbara Starr reporting that these troops were told this is not to look like Iraq. Tell us exactly, location-wise, what we're looking at here, Andreas.
PREUSS: Well, this is probably the Southern entrance of the Superdome. And you're looking at the ramps. Like I was telling you, these ramps can hold hundreds of thousands -- not hundreds of thousands, but tens of thousands of people that would file into a sporting event or any event at the Superdome.
You can see, obviously, they've taken the people out of the Superdome structure itself, the interior of the dome, which also has mega-ramps which can hold hundreds of people at once walking down these things. They've, you know, led the people outside, the people that were already in, or, obviously, as we've seen earlier today, people that were already outside, waiting in this heat and humidity for the aid to arrive. You can see this is, you know, a wider aerial shot. That building that is the glass-topped or grayish-type slate is the New Orleans Center. That is that shopping mall area that I was speaking about. This is all attached to, like, a Superdome complex which would be, you know, shopping, hotel...
KAGAN: Convention, sporting event, or any other kind of...
PREUSS: Exactly. Exactly.
KAGAN: ... entertainment facility. So this has really turned into one giant spill-over...
PREUSS: Yes, yes.
KAGAN: ... of evacuees. And out there, this -- so we're looking at -- you're describing the ramp before. And then that would have been a parking area. A parking structure on either side of that?
PREUSS: Yes, that would be parking structure. You can see how the ramps curve around the Superdome. The Superdome is totally covered by these gigantic ramps that then lead down to the street, and Poidros (ph) being one of the boundaries. There you see to the left is the new auditorium. This is where the Hornets play, the ice hockey team, other smaller events. And they've been having some smaller, not gigantic events that the Superdome would hold. You'd obviously have this in the smaller auditorium.
We're now pulling out a bit further. We're panning to the -- looks like towards the French Quarter area. There you see the interstate, I-10, which is that long band. It runs over Claiborne (ph) Avenue. Here we have the New Orleans river front. This is the French Quarter to your left. The cameras continuing around the bend in the river.
KAGAN: And then this fire. Where would this fire would be burning?
PREUSS: This fire is on the New Orleans riverfront on the East Bank. The East Bank of the river is probably right above the French Quarter, if you're going -- actually, below if you're going south. This would be just south of the French Quarter. We've obviously lost our picture there.
KAGAN: Something will come back. There we go.
PREUSS: There it is. And we're back to the Superdome live shot, which is -- once again, people waiting. This is -- once again, the fire on...
KAGAN: How far is this fire from where those people are, to give us perspective, Andreas?
PREUSS: Probably -- New Orleans is -- it's not a very large city, and it's not a -- downtown is not sprawling. It's a small, compact downtown. It's probably a mile at the most. The riverfront, you know, it hosts the -- it's got the river walk. It's got Jackson Square, it's got St. Louis Cathedral. These are all along the river. You've got cruise-ship terminals. You've got Navy vessels that also dock there.
KAGAN: OK. This is my opportunity. Andreas, you've been such a huge resource and I think they're going to want you to stay put. But this is my opportunity to pass our coverage over, as it continues, to my colleague, Kyra Phillips -- Kyra?
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