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CNN Live Today

Military Plays Key Role in Katrina Relief; New Orleans Mayor Addresses Press

Aired September 06, 2005 - 12:30   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm going to show you new pictures we're getting in from New Orleans. Troops are going door-to-door to places they haven't been able to get to, trying to convince people that it is time to leave. Some are happy to see them, and some say that they don't want to leave. Different reasons for that. Some say it's their pets they don't want to leave behind. Some just refusing to leave their homes.
By the way, the mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, says for those who do choose to stay behind, they no longer will be provided any drinking water. They believe it's a necessity that they get out. Let's listen in for just a moment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... understand it. We do appreciate your efforts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) talk to him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we're talking to her through a (INAUDIBLE) down link right now, and it's almost impossible to pass that along or I would.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now the Coast Guard is pleading desperately (INAUDIBLE) to come with them, to get into the helicopter (INAUDIBLE) reunite with his wife. But that's just not happening. He just doesn't want to go. And this rescue worker to put his life in danger just to save (INAUDIBLE).

KAGAN: And once again, what you're seeing is a scene that's been repeated over and over again. Help finally getting to those who need it. But for one reason or another, people refusing to go.

The Republican Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, he lost his own home in this disaster. He is demanding more federal help for parts of his state devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The former Senate majority leader met with President Bush yesterday, during Mr. Bush's visit to Mississippi. Lott is from hard-hit Pascagoula. He called on the president to authorize the release of 20,000 mobile homes for storm victims on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He says that trailers are sitting in Atlanta, and because of red tape, FEMA has refused to send them.

All along the Mississippi Coast, recovery efforts are well under way, the U.S. military playing a vital role. Our Ted Rowlands reports from Biloxi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Massive hovercrafts brought hundreds of troops and equipment to shore, creating Camp Restore, home of the military effort to help and rebuild the Mississippi Gulf coast.

CMDR. FRANK HUGHLETT, U.S. NAVY: I have no problem motivating the sailors. It's unbelievable. They took one look at the devastation, and they've been jumping the whole time. My concern now is they -- you know, it's going to be a marathon, I think, not a sprint.

ROWLANDS: The first jobs for these troops, who specialize in rebuilding, will be to fix the sewage systems and get power back to the thousands without it. They also plan to help distribute food and medical aid.

Thousands of people have lost homes. Some spend the night sleeping in tents, protecting their property. During the day, many homeowners come back to pick through rubble, looking for lost valuables.

PAUL GLOVER, HURRICANE VICTIM: We're just happy to get what we can. And we're going to try to come back down in a week or so and see if there's anything else we can grab.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How about some shampoo?

ROWLANDS: Dozens of shelters are providing people with food and essentials.

PHAEDRA JOHNSON, HURRICANE VICTIM: Baby diapers, juice, crackers. Any -- soap, deodorant, everything.

ROWLANDS: The job of locating the dead continues. Piles of debris are searched with dogs and tiny cameras. ATVs comb the miles of debris-covered beaches.

JERRY MARSHALL, SEARCH AND RESCUE CREW: Sheer devastation. And you can't get away from it. It's everywhere. No matter where you try to go, it's everywhere. It's -- nothing's there.

ROWLANDS (on camera): Troops deployed to Mississippi be broken up, some staying here in Biloxi. Others already have been fanned out across the state. As to how long they'll be here, the commander told us, quote, "We plan on being here until the job is done."

Ted Rowlands, CNN, Biloxi, Mississippi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: CNN is helping link family and friends to missing or stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina. In fact, we've set up a victims and relief desk to help people who are looking to find or just talk to one another.

Let's turn over now to our Carol Lin -- Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, you were just talking about people who didn't want to leave their homes. How about twin nuns who didn't want to leave their convents?

On Sunday, we told about Canice and Canisius Lastrapes. They are 83 years old. The Coast Guard actually went to go try to rescue them, and then the sisters wouldn't leave because they had their dog and their parrot with them. And the Coast Guard said that they couldn't go pick everybody up, including the animals.

So we have a good story to tell you. It turns out that the nuns were rescued. On the telephone with me right now is Carolyn Samiere, the nun's niece, out in San Francisco.

Carolyn, congratulations. We had just gotten word late last night that the -- your aunts, the twin nuns, were rescued. Do you know any of the details about what happened and how they ended up in Texas?

CAROLYN SAMIERE, NUNS' NIECE: Carol, I know a few of the details. Initially, when the nuns refused the first rescue, they were told that someone would be by soon to pick them up. Well, the nuns thought that would be a matter of hours. In fact, it was a matter of days. As far as I can tell, it appears that the nuns were taken to the New Orleans Airport, and from there, were transported to El Paso, Texas.

LIN: I know one of the concerns that you had is that they had onset Alzheimer's. They're elderly, they're 83 years old. But one of your family actually e-mailed me and said, a warning to the rescuers. Be careful, these sisters are stubborn and very strong-minded.

SAMIERE: I think that applies to my entire family. As far as the Alzheimer's, you know, there's no indication of Alzheimer's. The nuns are of -- fully sound in mind. The matter is -- the matter relates to the pets, and their understanding that a second rescue would not be a big problem. And, in fact, you know, the three days that they were left in the house must have been terrifying for them.

LIN: It must have been. Because the water was rising. I know they were on one of the upper floors. Carolyn, did you know that your aunts were picked up by the mayor of El Paso? I mean, they are getting royal treatment out there.

SAMIERE: Yes. Not only that, I believe a bishop or an archbishop was there in El Paso to meet them, as well.

LIN: And a U.S. senator also was involved to the rescue.

SAMIERE: So we're very grateful. Yes, yes, that's what we understand.

LIN: So what's going to happen next?

SAMIERE: Well, we -- they're surrounded by wonderful people. And certainly, we're going to figure out the next step of where they'll stay. And, you know, all of our family has opened their homes to them. So, for the meantime, they're relaxing and taking calls from family. And, you know, we're all in a state of ecstasy.

LIN: Oh, I'm sure. You know, I don't know if you know this, but I think the sisters are talking about staying in El Paso. In fact, Canice, who is the older one by a few seconds, I understand, says, well, it seems like a nice place. And you know, frankly, as long as it's dry.

SAMIERE: Well, if that's the case, we'll find them there. Wherever they decide to go, we'll be able to get together.

LIN: All right, all right. Good news indeed. They've got a lot of fighting spirit in them. And I understand the dog and the parrot are doing just fine, as well. Carolyn, good to have you, and glad some of the media coverage was able to help you out there.

SAMIERE: Yes, Carol, it was a great help. Thank you.

LIN: You're welcome. Thanks very much. Carolyn Samiere calling us or coming into us from San Francisco.

Now, here at CNN, we want to tell some of your stories. You can e-mail us at hurricanevictims@CNN.com. We've got tremendous resources to help you, as well as a safe list that you can register yourself on. Or, you can look for the name of your missing family member. It's all online at CNN.com/helpcenter.

Daryn, we want to bring some more of those happy stories to you.

KAGAN: Good to hear the two sisters who are sisters are in a better place.

LIN: You bet.

KAGAN: Thank you, Carol.

LIN: Sure.

KAGAN: We appreciate those heartwarming stories.

But, if you think you're going to escape the fallout of Katrina's destruction, you don't live anywhere near the Gulf Coast, well, think again. Up next, how the hurricane's ripple effect could take a big bite out of your budget. Details just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Here's Ray Nagin, the mayor of New Orleans, holding a news conference in Baton Rouge.

MYR. RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: My thank goes out to many, many people, both that stood on the ground with us when we were battling to keep this city together, to many, many states that have taken our citizens, to all of the citizens that are in shelters for your patience, for your courage, for your endurance.

But I have two special people -- or three special people to thank: the mayor of Las Vegas, Mayor Oscar Goodman; and the mayor of Atlanta, Shirley Franklin; and the CEO of Southwest Airlines, and I don't recall his name at the moment, Mr. Kelleher I think it is.

We called them and within 24 hours, we had a network set up with hotels in Las Vegas, restaurants, free hotels, free restaurants, free Las Vegas shows.

We put in a system where we put in cash in everybody's hands before they leave. Every person that goes through this processing will receive $200 in cash just in case they have none, or just in case they decide they want to drive and visit their relatives, or really, we don't care; they deserve it.

In Atlanta, Mayor Shirley Franklin put together a block of rooms. She has entertainment for them. She has restaurants. She even raised some money, and they will have a $100 stipend for every day that they are in her city.

Those people should be very commended for a job well done.

And I know you just got a briefing on the safety issues. We have zero tolerance for violence in this city as a result of this. We have the resources to enforce a zero-tolerance policy.

So anybody who's out there, my mandatory evacuation is still in effect. We're going to modify it in the next few hours. I'm going to be meeting with a city attorney, and we will be removing some of the exemptions that were in initially that are no longer necessary. But this mandatory evacuation on the east bank of Orleans is still in effect.

Now, there are some rumors going out there that I met with the National Guard and I told them to withhold water and food to people that wanted to stay in spite of the mandatory evacuation. That is absolutely a false rumor.

We had a discussion with the National Guard, and the head of the National Guard informed me that he thought, well, maybe they might be doing some things by giving food and water, because the people were going back into their homes and ignoring their request to leave. I said, "Do not, do not harm anyone, do not allow anyone to starve, do not allow anyone to go without water, and always treat everyone with respect."

Now, I also emphasize that I would like for everybody to get out because it's a health risk. There are toxins in the water. There are gas leaks where we may have explosions. We're fighting at least four fires right now and we don't have running water.

It is not safe. The mosquitoes that are biting dead people are starting to fly. So this is not a safe environment.

And I understand the spirit that's basically, "I don't want to abandon my city." It's OK. Leave for a little while. Let us get you to a better place. Let us clean the city up.

And once we clean it up, I promise everybody that you will be able to come to a city that's safe and a city that's better.

And let me close by basically saying this: The resources are now here in the city of New Orleans that we need to get this job done and to complete it.

I want to thank the governor, I want to thank the president, for everything that they've done.

I want to thank the John Wayne dude also, General Honore. He's the man. He is still getting things done. He grabbed me yesterday and he said -- he had this like mischievous smirk, and he took me on the Iwo Jima. That's why I'm wearing this gear today. And he showed me the resources that are in the city.

They have hospital beds. They have doctors. They have nurses. They have everything that we could possibly need to make this turnaround much better.

They even gave me a physical and checked my crazy butt out. And I'm checked out OK.

They gave me a tetanus shot. They checked my knee, which has been swelling up all night, and they're doing OK.

But I just want to thank everybody. And I want to thank the press for being here. I want to thank the press for coming here. And I want to thank all the National Guards and EMS and the firefighters and National Guard and the Army, everybody who came to support us.

We really appreciate it. And God bless this place. We will build a better New Orleans.

STAFF: We're going to start to the left, my left, and we'll make our way around for questions for the mayor. We'll start over to my left. Any questions?

That should be pretty comprehensive.

QUESTION: You say no water is coming into the city now?

NAGIN: I did not see any water coming in the city as I did my flyover. And as a matter of fact, I saw water levels drop significantly in certain areas of the city.

There's still some significant water in New Orleans East and in the lower 9th Ward. But even those levels looked a little bit lower -- not a lot, but a little bit lower than I've seen before.

QUESTION: Just to reiterate. You said that the canal break has been...

(CROSSTALK) NAGIN: The 17th Street Canal has been completely repaired. There's a total levee system that is stopping water from flowing on either side.

QUESTION: Could you talk about the moral and ethical dilemma of trying to rescue people and them wanting to still stay in their homes? There's a part of you that understands that?

NAGIN: I understand wanting to stay in their homes. I mean, I have done flyovers all around this city, and I have resisted the temptation or the urge to...

KAGAN: All right, apparently we lost the sound. But we got the gist of the mayor's news conference. This Mayor Ray Nagin from in here of city hall in New Orleans.

A couple points. He's saying there is some significant progress in terms of the water going down in New Orleans. Next major operation, he's talking about cycling in and out the emergency workers, police, fire, other emergency workers, sending them to Las Vegas, which he said might sound strange, send them there, get them a hotel room, get them some rest, bring them back to New Orleans for all the work that needs to be done there.

Also, he was talking about the evacuations, still under mandatory evacuations there in New Orleans, but he wants to dismiss the idea that, he said, that those who chose to stay will be cut off from food and water. He said that simply is not true.

One thing that is true. You will be affected by this storm and the aftermath, whether or not you live anywhere close to the Gulf Coast. We'll take a look at that with our Ali Velshi, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And we're getting new pictures in. This is from Edidas (ph) Springs, showing you the devastation. Aerial pictures. The first pictures we are getting in from this area. And you can see these are pictures that we were just seeing it seemed like almost a week ago from some other areas. Trees into roofs. And the first look that we're getting at that area.

Now, you could be from there, and dealing with this your home, but also, the impact of Hurricane Katrina is being felt far beyond the Gulf Coast than those pictures that we're getting in. Americans across the country are dealing with the economic fallout. We are all paying higher prices at the pump. And hold on to your wallet on this one, there might be more sticker shock ahead.

Our Ali Velshi takes a look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Get past the sticker shock. The cost of filling your tank may soon pale in the face of Katrina's stronger economic impact. High oil prices are the obvious result, but it's not just a the gas pump.

In 80 percent of America, goods arrive by truck, goods that now will end up costing more. Beyond transportation, the destruction will put a strain on home building supplies, asphalt, shingles, plastic plumbing pipe and some types of installation. They're all made from oil. These are indirect energy costs. Direct energy costs make up about five percent of the average American's budget. Direct food costs are three times that amount.

The Farm Bureau estimates Katrina has caused a billion dollar in damage to agriculture, wrecking sugar cane and poultry farms. The port of New Orleans, one of the biggest in the country, is devastated.

TERRY FRANCEL, AMERICAN FARM BUREAU FEDERATION: We have a potential crisis if in fact we cannot resolve these issues and get the products flowing within approximately a Monday's time.

VELSHI: For example, don't be surprised to see the price of coffee going up. Twenty-seven percent of raw coffee beans imported into the United States are stored in New Orleans. The city is also the nation's main port of entry for bananas and other fruits and vegetables. Forty percent of U.S. oysters -- that's one billion oysters -- and 10 percent of the nations shrimp come from the Gulf regions.

How much more you're eventually going to pay depends on what you buy. AAA's numbers suggest the average driver is already paying about $200 more for gasoline per year than they did a year ago. Home heating bills could be 50 percent higher than last year. The average family could end up paying almost $900 more to heat their home this winter.

So nevermind the other costs, just the fuel for your home and the fuel for your car, you could end up paying $1,000 or more this year. That's a vacation, a mortgage payment, a refrigerator, or the down payment on a new car. They're tough choices, but choices that Americans may be forced to make.

Ali Velshi, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And this still ahead. When New Orleans fell into chaos, he was one of the key leaders who helped restore order. Up next, the general behind the military mission in New Orleans.

Coming up in roughly 30 minutes, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has a live Pentagon briefing. Kyra Phillips and the "LIVE FROM" team will bring that to you when it happens. Our coverage continues at the top of the hour.

I'm Daryn Kagan. I'll see you tomorrow.

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