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CNN Live Today
Many People Holdout In New Orleans; Biloxi Starts Cleanup; FEMA Chief's Background Questioned and Criticized
Aired September 09, 2005 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We're out of time. On behalf of Soledad and the rest of the team, we will see you again tomorrow.
Let's go to Daryn in Atlanta.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Miles, thank you for that.
We'll go ahead and get started.
And actually we have this just into us here at CNN.
President Bush plans to return to the Gulf Coast again this weekend. That information from this morning's White House briefing. Mr. Bush plans to visit Louisiana and Mississippi on Sunday. This would be Mr. Bush's third visit to the region. More coming up on that with our Bob Franken. He is at the White House today.
Let's move on with our Mission Critical" of the hour. An up-to- the minute summary of Hurricane Katrina's aftermath.
Officers say they have removed most of the evacuees who do want to leave New Orleans. Now they say they're preparing for the forced evacuations ordered by the mayor. Police vow to use a minimum amount of force. Some officials say the resistance may be waning. Apparently many so-called holdouts are fed up with water and food shortages and now more willing to evacuate.
Another task awaiting the crews is recovering the bodies. The official death toll in five states is about 300 but authorities predict it will climb into the thousands.
Louisiana State University says that its health care services will continue to operate in New Orleans. It's just not clear where at this time. LSU's Charity and University hospitals were heavy damaged and have been abandoned.
And with the levees mostly repaired, the pumps are slowly drawing down the water levels in New Orleans. The latest estimate is that 40 percent of the city is now above water.
Let get the latest from the New Orleans, the epicenter of the storm rampage and a hub of ongoing relief efforts. Our Dan Simon is there with if latest.
Dan, good morning.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning.
You know, the attitude among these holdouts is one of defiance. The police department has made it clear they don't want to have to forcibly remove these folks from their homes. But based upon what we saw, they may have do just that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ASHTON O'DWYER, NEW ORLEANS HOLDOUT: Have you has your neighborhood ever been invaded by state troopers from another state? Sent here by God knows whom?
SIMON: Many of the people continuing to stay in New Orleans were told time was running out. Ashton O'Dwyer is an attorney but says he'll defy any order requiring him to evacuate.
O'DWYER: I will leave when I am dead. OK. Let them be warned. They come to my house, they try to evict me, they try to take my guns, there will be gunfire.
SIMON: With his house intact and with plenty of food and water, O'Dwyer cannot understand why folks like him are being forced to leave.
O'DWYER: Treat me with benign neglect. Get out of my neighborhood, get out of my life, get out of my [ bleep ] city.
SIMON: And there were plenty of other fireworks as officers went door to door looking for holdouts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's my right. It's a constitutional right.
SIMON: The situation got extremely tense when an armed man barricaded himself threatening to shoot. He was eventually arrested without incident.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are we evicting these people, for God's sakes, I hope?
SIMON: Officers also arrested the occupants of a suspected stolen truck.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing, man? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put your hands where I can see them.
SIMON: They searched it and found a stash of drugs and a handgun.
It may have been more calm at this neighborhood bar but the sentiment remains the same as folks try to figure out how to avoid the mandatory order.
JOANNE GUIDES, BAR OWNER: People can come in and get away from the insanity and get a little normality here.
SIMON: Owner Joanne Guides has managed to keep the place open with generators. Folks were socializing, ordering drinks, pretending everything was normal. Larry Stamm says right now, this is about as good as life gets.
LARRY STAMM, NEW ORLEANS HOLDOUT: Where am I going to go? I don't have no money. Can't get into the bank. I can't use my ATM card. If I leave here, I'm going to be in worse shape. I'm in here. We're watching TV. Got a place to sleep. We have food.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON: So as you can tell, these people are very adamant. They don't want to leave. It's a delicate situation for the New Orleans police department. They say it's not dangerous for these folks to be here and the question is, how do you get rid of the people in the town, if you will, without forcing them to leave?
Daryn.
KAGAN: Dan Simon live in New Orleans. Thank you.
Let's go ahead and head east along the Gulf Coast in Mississippi. There the death toll officially right now has climbed over 200. Officials there saying it may actually exceed 1,000 just in Mississippi. Our Senior Correspondent Allan Chernoff is in Biloxi with more on that.
Allan, good morning.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
The search and rescue effort here in Biloxi has been completed. The effort now is on rebuilding and also clearing out the entire city. And this morning the military who have been here for a few days, they're going to be getting help from the Mexicans. Within the hour, we expect right over there, about 60 Mexican sailors to arrive, come on to land and they'll be put to work helping to clean up this city.
And if you just look behind me, you can see there is so much to be cleaned up. Debris, literally on every single block of this town. Right across the street is the Biloxi Specialty Hospital. And if you look closely, you can even see ripped out there behind where there used to be a wall, still a hospital bed. Next to that, a toilet. And beyond that, that column, there was a shower right over there.
What the plan right now is to actually take the debris from the other hospital in town, bring it all over here so there will be one site where there is the, let's call it the medical debris. And this will be a huge garbage dump, essentially. Of course, they're going to knock that building down. Similar efforts throughout this town.
A lot of this is being coordinated just down the beach. That is Camp Restore. And the Navy is over there. Half of the folks from the Navy who are camped out there, they were about to go on leave. They just came back from the Mediterranean. Their leave was canceled. And they're here helping out.
Also, offshore, there are two Naval vessels. One 15 miles out into the Gulf and another 20 miles out into the Gulf. Helicopters have been coming in, back and forth, bringing supplies and also even medevacing people who need special medical care. So a lot going on here. And the military playing a very big role.
Daryn.
KAGAN: Allan, let's talk a little bit about that rebuilding. A lot of folks won't be able to do that until they settle with their insurance companies. And I understand with insurance there's going to be a question of exactly what caused those building to collapse.
CHERNOFF: Absolutely. As you know, of course, most of the devastation here from the hurricane but waters came up, not only from the Gulf of Mexico on this side, but only about 12 blocks to the other side of Biloxi you have a bay. The waters met in between. Everybody had flood waters everywhere.
So some of the insurance companies are telling residents, well, it was a flood that destroyed your house, not a hurricane. Many people didn't have flood insurance. So this is clearly going to be a very big dispute and a lot of residents are terribly worried about that because they had insurance but it seems they may not have had the right type of insurance.
KAGAN: And the frustration levels rise on that. Allen Chernoff in Biloxi, Mississippi. Thank you.
Other type of frustration. Critics calling on the White House to fire it's embattled FEMA director. Well, those critics may now have new concerns to bolster their attack. "Time" magazine, CNN's sister publication, is among the news agencies revealing serious questions about Michael Brown's qualifications to oversee disaster relief. With more on that, here's Catherine Callaway.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The controversy centers around entries in Michael Brown's biography on both the White House and FEMA web sites. It states that years ago in Edmond, Oklahoma, Brown was an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight. "Time" magazine reports that Brown was not an assistant city manager but an assistants to the city manager.
CAROLINA MIRANDA, "TIME" MAGAZINE: One of the things that has come to light in all of this is that a lot of the FEMA, the top FEMA folks at this point in the "Washington Post" is a great report about this this morning are political contacts of the Bush administration, that they don't have emergency management experience. Michael Brown, in particular. He was the college roommate of Joe Allbaugh, who was Bush's campaign manager, and didn't have emergency experience before taking on this position.
CALLAWAY: "Time" also points to Brown's bio on the legal Web site, findlaw.com. Under the heading of honors and awards, it lists Brown as outstanding political science professor at Central State University. The college says that Brown, "wasn't a professor here, he was only a student here." A FEMA spokesperson begs to differ.
NATALIE RULE, FEMA SPOKESWOMAN: He served as an adjunct professor of law upon the city (ph) university. He was named an outstanding political science senior as a student at the University Central Oklahoma.
CALLAWAY: Another entry lists Brown as director of the Oklahoma Christian Home. "Time" magazine contacted an administrator of that facility who said that Brown was never a director there and is, "not a person that anyone here is familiar with." FEMA says the Findlaw Web site is wrong and the "Time" article misleading.
RULE: Well, it's very disappoint that "Time" magazine has decided to use as their primary source a Web site that does not even claim or make promises to carry accurate or complete information. And we certainly know that this is true because information carried about Mr. Brown's background is incorrect on the Web site.
CALLAWAY: President Bush nominated Brown to be deputy director of FEMA in 2001. He was named director of FEMA in 2003.
Catherine Callaway, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Well, we expect to hear from President Bush in a few minutes. He'll be delivering remarks this hour. It's the swearing in ceremony of long time presidential advisor Karen Hughes. She's about to become the nation's undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs. Our National Correspondent Bob Franken is at the White House to tell us more about what that means Karen Hughes' job will be in the near future. But first, a little bit more on FEMA and Mike Brown.
Good morning, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
As for a White House reaction to the "Time" magazine, time.com, article about Michael Brown, the White House is staying away from that, saying that the only response will be the one that we heard just a moment ago in Catherine's report from FEMA. No response to that. No answer to the question about whether there is consideration to having somebody take over the entire rescue operation, a czar, which is the word you hear so often used.
The news out of a briefing this morning from Scott McClellan was that the president will be making another trip to the area over the weekend. Leaving Sunday. What makes this one different is that he will be staying overnight. He'll have stops in Mississippi, go to Louisiana, to have some events there before he comes back to the White House to, again, take his personal touch down to the area.
Now President Bush, as you can see, is on his way, getting to the State Department. He is, as you pointed out, going to participate in a ceremony for Karen Hughes. Karen Hughes will, in effect, be in charge of refurbishing the image of the United States oversees. And this appointment becomes the appointment comes the swearing in comes to fruition at a time when the administration is suffering its own image problem. But, of course, she's in the same town. Won't even take a long distance call to discuss that type of thing.
Anyway, the news today thus far is that the president is going to be traveling to the area one more time, Daryn, to face the problems that are down there.
KAGAN: I know we just learned that in the what they call the gaggle, the briefing. Any more details on his trip? He's going Sunday. What he'll be doing down there?
FRANKEN: No. No details right now. And at the moment, there are an awful lot of people in the media trying to figure out how to cover this and a lot of a quite a bit of angst right now.
KAGAN: All right, Bob Franken at the White House. Thank you.
And we do see that swearing in ceremony beginning. We'll go to that live. We do expect remarks from the president and from Karen Hughes and Condoleezza Rice all about the situation along the Gulf Coast.
While the coast will long bear the scars of Katrina, a storm that has likely set a new standard among the region's most disastrous storms. But 40 years ago today, the monster was named Betsy. The category four storm charged to shore near Grand Isle, Louisiana. Its flood waters swallowed much of New Orleans and left about 60,000 residents homeless and 75 people dead. Betsy also prompted the construction of levees and other flood protection projects.
We are focusing on a whole different storm. We are on to the O's and Chad Myers is here to tell us about that.
Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Once again, standing by, we expect to see President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and, no, I thought they might be walking in. Also Karen Hughes' husband as well. Here they come. Karen Hughes being sworn in as the undersecretary of state. She'll be dealing helping the administration with the troubled public diplomacy effort intended to improve the U.S. image overseas. Here now is Secretary of State Rice. Let's listen in.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: Good morning. Good morning. Thank you. Thank you very much. And welcome to the State Department for the swearing in of Karen Hughes as undersecretary for public diplomacy and ambassador for the same.
I'm delighted to be here in the company of so many people who mean so much, first of all, to the United States of America, but probably more importantly to Karen. We are joined today by Jerry Hughes, Karen's husband, her son Robert Hughes, who I just have to say is on his way to Stanford University as a freshman, by Laura Docket (ph), her daughter, Leigh Docket (ph), her granddaughter, Beverly Byrd, her sister, Nancy Bell, her sister-in- law, Kim Barnard (ph), her niece, Jim Unger (ph), her cousin, Val Unger (ph), her cousin, and Chandler Bell, her grand- nephew.
We, of course, also joined most importantly by the president of the United States and Mrs. Bush. I'll turn to the president in a moment to swear Karen in. But thank you, especially Mrs. Bush, for joining us.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: (INAUDIBLE).
RICE: We're joined also by a number of members of the cabinet. Secretary Gail Norton, Secretary Alphonso Jackson, Secretary Norm Mineta, Secretary Margaret Spellings and director for National Intelligence, John Negroponte. By a number of members of the diplomatic corps. Thank you Ambassador Antoine from Grenada, Ambassador Gewant (ph) from Afghanistan, Sharja Masud (ph) from Saudi Arabia and Ambassador Harnish from Azerbaijan. And I'd also like to recognize Margaret Tutwiler, a former undersecretary for public diplomacy.
Mr. President, we appreciate greatly your coming to swear in Karen Hughes, your friend and confidante, and a person that you have chosen to lead this important public diplomacy effort for the United States of America. Mr. President, all Americans in the world are grateful for your commitment and your dedication to the nonnegotiable demands of human dignity, to the fact that you believe, as Americans do, that democracy and liberty and freedom are the birthright of every man and woman around the world. And that is a message that we will try to get out in a better fashion and a more effective fashion. And I think with Karen Hughes leading the effort, we will be able to show the world the true heart of America and people will understand that we mean it when we say that Americans believe that there is no corner of the earth that should have to live in tyranny and that every man and woman should bask in freedom.
Mr. President, thank you for joining us.
BUSH: Thank you.
Madam Secretary, thank you. Thank you for the fine leadership you're providing for our country.
Laura and I are pleased to be back here at the State Department, and we're really pleased to be here to honor our new undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, Ambassador Karen Hughes.
It's good to see many of Karen's friends here tonight here today, particularly those from Texas. Welcome.
I want to say something about her family, her husband, Jerry, and Robert and Leigh and Lauren. I want to thank you very much for supporting Karen. It is a real blessing for this country that she has decided to come back and serve. And I know she would not have done that without your support. So thank you all very much.
We're in a war on terror. We are still at war. And to succeed in this war, we must effectively explain our policies and fundamental values to people around the world. This is an incredibly important mission. And so I've asked one of America's most talented communicators to take it on.
Karen Hughes has been one of my closest and most trusted advisors for more than a decade. She understands the miracle of America. She understands what we stand for. After all, she's lived it.
Her grandfather was a Pennsylvania coal miner. She's a working mom who rose to serve at the highest levels of our government. She has a compassionate heart, a brilliant mind, and a deep love for America. I can think of no one better to share the American experience with the world than Karen Hughes.
I want to thank cabinet secretaries who are here. I appreciate you taking time out of your day to come and honor our friend. Don't hesitate to get back to work. We've got a lot to do.
I appreciate General Dick Myers, chairman of the joint chiefs, who's with us. I want to thank John Negroponte, who's joining us as well. And thank you all.
America's a strong and resilient nation. Our people have the spirit, the resources and the determination to overcome any challenge. And today, this nation faces enormous challenges, at home and abroad.
At this moment, our fellow citizens along the Gulf Coast are struggling to recover from one of the worse natural disaster in our country's history. Many thousands have lost their homes. They've lost their loved ones. They've lost all their earthly possessions.
The disaster area is larger than the size of Great Britain. Towns and communities have been flattened. One of our great cities has been submerged.
In this time of struggle, the American people need to know we're not struggling alone. I want to thank the members of the diplomatic corps who are with us today. I want to thank the world community for its prayers and for the offers of assistance that have come from all around the world. The outpouring of compassion and support has been substantial.
Think of this, Afghanistan has pledged $100,000 to aid in aid to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Mr. Ambassador, thank you.
Canada has sent ships with disaster supplies. Air Canada's planes assisted in the evacuation. Israel sent tents and mineral water and medical supplies. Italy has sent beds and sheets and blankets and inflatable rafts to help with rescue efforts. Kuwait has pledged $400 million in oil and 100 million in humanitarian aid. Qatar and the UAE has pledged $100 million each.
Sri Lanka, one of the world's most impoverished nations that is struggling to overcome the effects of the tsunami, has sent a donation of $25,000. In all, more than 100 countries have stepped forward with offers of assistance and additional pledges of support are coming in every day. To every nation and every province and every local community across the globe that is standing with the American people and with those who hurt on the Gulf Coast, our entire nation thanks you for your support.
Four years ago the American people saw a similar outpouring of sympathy and support when another tragedy struck our nation. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This Sunday, Americans will mark the fourth anniversary of that terrible day when nearly 3,000 innocent people were murdered. The attacks took place on American soil, yet they left grieving families on virtually every continent. Citizens from dozens of nations were killed on September the 11th. Innocent men and women and children of every race and every religion.
And in the four years since the September 11th attacks, the terrorists have continued to kill. In Madrid and Istanbul, in Jakarta, in Casablanca, in Riyadh, in Bali, in Baghdad, in London, in Sharm el-Sheik and elsewhere. In the war on terror, the world's civilized nations face a common enemy. An enemy that hates us because of the values we hold in common.
The terrorists have a strategy. They want to force those of us who love freedom to retreat, to pull back, so they can topple governments in the Middle East and turn that region into a safe haven for terrorism. To achieve these aims, they kill the innocent, because they believe that all human life is expendable.
And that stands in stark contrast to what we believe. We believe human life is a precious gift from our creator. Every nation that shares this belief, shares the belief in human rights and human dignity, shares a stake in the outcome of this struggle. Every nation that believes that human rights and human dignity applies to every man, woman and child shares a responsibility in ensuring our victory over the terrorists.
We're on a hunt for the terrorists. We are striking them in foreign lands before they can hurt our citizens again. Yet we know that this war will not be won by force of arms alone. We must defeat the terrorists on the battlefield and we must also defeat them in the battle of ideas. As Prime Minister Blair said after the London attacks, we must not fight just the terrorist methods, but also their views. Not just their barbaric acts, but also their barbaric ideas. In the long run, the only way to achieve lasting peace is to offer a hopeful alternative to the terrorist ideology of hatred and fear by spreading the hope of freedom across the broader middle east.
Condi and Karen, or should I say Madam Secretary and the Ambassador, understand that spreading the message of freedom requires an aggressive effort to share and communicate America's fundamental values. And so they have an ambitious agenda to carry out.
First, I've asked them to marshal all the resources of the federal government to this critical mission. Public diplomacy is the job of every member of my administration. As the under secretary of public diplomacy and public affairs, Karen will direct the State Department's efforts to communicate with the world. And at the same time she will coordinate the work of our administration in support of this vital mission, ensuring that every agency and department gives public diplomacy the same level of priority that I do.
Second, I've asked the State Department to enlist the support of the private sector in our nation's public diplomacy efforts. The experienced diplomat in this room will be the first to tell you the American people are some of our nation's best ambassadors. We must find ways to utilize their talents and skills more effectively. Everyone who travels abroad or welcomes an exchange student into their home is an ambassador for America. And we need more of our citizens involved in our public diplomacy.
Third, I've asked the State Department to improve our government's capabilities to confront terrorist propaganda quickly before myths have time to take root in the hearts and minds of people across the world. Listen, our enemies use lies. They use lies to recruit and train and indoctrinate. So Karen and her team have a vital task, they must ensure that the terrorists lives are challenged aggressively and that our government is prepared to respond to false accusations and propaganda immediately.
Finally, I've asked the State Department to encourage Americans to learn about the languages and cultures of the broader Middle East. In the early days of the cold war, our government undertook an intensive effort to encourage young Americans to study Russian language and history and culture so we could better understand the aspirations of the Russian people and the psychology of those who oppress them.
I got to tell you, it's impressive to be with Condi when you're with the Russian officials, to hear her speak the Russian language. She was a part of that initiative. Today, the struggle for freedom has shifted to a new region of the world, and we need a similar effort to educate our people about the broader Middle East. We must encourage young scholars to study the great history and traditions of the region. We need skilled linguists who can communicate with their people so we can engage in a fruitful dialogue about what it means to live in liberty.
We're living in dangerous and challenging times, yet this is also a moment of great hope and opportunity. Across the world, hearts and minds are opening to the message of human liberty as never before.
In the last two years alone, tens of millions have voted for the first time in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Kurzakhstan, Ukraine, and Georgia. And as they claim their freedom, they are inspiring millions more across the broader Middle East.
We must encourage their aspirations. We must nurture freedom's progress. Karen will deliver the message of freedom with humility and compassion and determination. She knows that freedom is not America's gift to the world. She knows that freedom is the Almighty God's gift to every man, woman, and child in this world.
She will help America seize this moment of opportunity by working with other nations and peoples to replace tyranny with tolerance and overcome hatred with hope. Together, we're going to help millions achieve the nonnegotiable demands of human dignity so they can build a better life for their children, and so we can lay the foundation of peace for our children and grandchildren.
Karen, good luck on your task. May God bless you.
RICE: I, Karen P. Hughes...
KAREN P. HUGHES: I, Karen P. Hughes...
RICE: ... do solemnly swear...
HUGHES: ... do solemnly swear...
RICE: ... that I will support and defend...
HUGHES: ... that I will support and defend...
RICE: ... the Constitution of the United States...
HUGHES: ... the Constitution of the United States...
RICE: ... against all enemies, foreign and domestic...
HUGHES: ... against all enemies, foreign and domestic...
RICE: ... that I will bear true faith...
HUGHES: ... that I will bear true faith...
RICE: ... and allegiance to the same... HUGHES: ... and allegiance to the same...
RICE: ... that I take this obligation freely...
HUGHES: ... that I take this obligation freely...
RICE: ... and without any mental reservation...
HUGHES: ... and without any mental reservation...
RICE: ... or purpose of evasion...
HUGHES: ... or purpose of evasion...
RICE: ... that I will well and faithfully...
HUGHES: ... that I will well and faithfully...
RICE: ... discharge the duties of the office...
HUGHES: ... discharge the duties of the office...
RICE: ... on which I am about to enter...
HUGHES: ... on which I am about to enter...
RICE: ... so help me God.
HUGHES: ... so help me God.
KAGAN: And with that, Karen Hughes becomes the under -- Well, looks like we are having to -- To speak or not to speak, that's the question. I think she's going to speak.
HUGHES: Thank you all very much. Thank you so much.
Mr. President, I guess it wouldn't be good for a communicator to stand up here and say I'm speechless, but I am certainly overwhelmed. Mr. President and first lady, we're delighted that both of you joined us here at the State Department. Madame Secretary, I thank...
KAGAN: All right. Karen Hughes making comments, her first comments in her new role as the undersecretary -- let's get this part right -- undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, President Bush saying it will be her job to most effectively explain American policies and values around the world, the president also making comments about the situation along the Gulf Coast and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and giving many thanks to the countries around the world that have sent aid, help, and support to that region.
The president, by the way, we are learning today, will go again to the Gulf region, and he will do that on Sunday.
More all about that from the White House just ahead. Also, still to come on CNN LIVE TODAY, members of the Louisiana National Guard are headed home. But what awaits them, now that they're going to be home from Iraq?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Lavandera in Alexandria, Louisiana. Daryn, we'll have that story coming up. The soldiers just a few hours way from arriving back home in Louisiana, Daryn.
KAGAN: Thank you, Ed.
And later, these people are committed to helping, but there are also people out there that are committed to stealing and scamming your money. How to make sure your donation is going to the right hands.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Members of a Louisiana National Guard unit have been serving in Iraq for a year. This week, they come home to find out what happened to their family members. And they will be doing that today.
Ed Lavandera is in Alexandria, Louisiana, with the rest of that story. Ed?
LAVANDERA: Hi, Daryn.
Well, there's about 3,500 soldiers making their way back. The first wave starts landing today here in just a few hours. And one of the soldiers that has already arrived here is Specialist Erin Robicheaux, good Cajun name. She came back on Sunday, part of the advance team.
You weren't affected, or your family wasn't effected by Hurricane Katrina, but a lot of your comrades have been. What's it been like for you guys in the last couple of weeks?
SPEC. ERIN ROBICHEAUX, 25TH BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM: Well, when we were in Baghdad, we got most of our information from the news, so it was a lot of wait and see and getting e-mails from home and that kind of thing, trying to figure out the situation.
But our brigade has -- and the state of Louisiana, actually, and the Army, the active-duty Army, has been very good about pushing us forward as far as getting the New Orleans soldiers home much sooner, so that they can come home and assess their home situation and their families.
LAVANDERA: Yes, as soon as everyone started figuring out that several hundred soldiers were affected by this storm, they started moved your return date up early. So that came as welcome news.
ROBICHEAUX: Right. And we were actually scheduled to come home within the month, so it was only a matter of days that they had to adjust everything. But they moved certain units around just to make sure the New Orleans, you know, the New Orleans unit, the 141, came in earlier, because they are stationed, their home unit is in Jackson Barracks, which is New Orleans, and it's completely under water.
LAVANDERA: You guys have spent the last year patrolling the streets of Baghdad, working in and around the airport there in Baghdad, making sure it's secure. To have done all that hard work, and then now have to come home when you're expecting some R&R, much well deserved, it's got to be difficult, isn't it, for those guys?
ROBICHEAUX: It is. It's actually hard for all 4,000 of the soldiers in the Louisiana National Guard, because the entire -- our whole state, not just the Guard, but -- is affected by it. And some will be placed on active duty to help in and around the state wherever they can.
But, also, it's good to know that, you know, we're not fighting an insurgency anymore now. We're coming back to help our own people. So -- and most soldiers, you know, I think it's going to be a voluntary basis, is what it sounds like. But I think that they'll -- the numbers will be, you know, high.
LAVANDERA: Great. Specialist Erin Robicheaux, thank you very much. Congratulations, and welcome home.
We call her specialist, but we're trying to get her a promotion. Maybe the -- sergeant, in the near future.
Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: You work on that, Ed. I'm sure she'd appreciate that.
LAVANDERA: All right.
KAGAN: Thank you. Ed Lavandera.
LAVANDERA: Got the colonel right here next to me.
KAGAN: Yes, all right.
And this just in. This concerns Jose Padilla, the man that President Bush calls an enemy combatant. He has lost a court challenge. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled with the president, saying that the Bush administration does, in fact, have the authority to detain a U.S. citizen closely associated with al Qaeda.
Now, if you followed the story, you know that a federal judge in South Carolina had ruled last March that the government cannot hold Padilla indefinitely. The government believes that Jose Padilla was trying to build a dirty bomb, a radiological device, and deploy it here in this country. But he hasn't been charged with anything and has been in custody for quite a long time.
It is now expected, having lost at the federal appeals court level, that Jose Padilla and his attorneys will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Well, you see the devastation, and you want to help out, but you also want to make sure your money gets to those who really need it, not to those who are scamming you. Gerri Willis will be here with tips on avoiding charity scams.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Of course, you've been hearing about a lot of ways that you can donate to Katrina victims, but there are also a lot of ways you can get scammed. In today's top five tips, we're going to look out at how to protect you from charity scams and get your money to the people who really need it.
Our personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, joining us to do just that. Hey, Ger.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, Daryn.
This is a sad story, the scams online, and people who want to take your money when you're trying to get it to people who really need help.
Tip number one, ignore the solicitations you get by e-mail, and there are plenty of them. Experts say some 100 million fraudulent e- mails out there. You're really going to have to watch what you do. Chances are, if you get any e-mail at all asking for money, it's fraudulent. So don't respond.
KAGAN: What are some other red flags of charities in general?
WILLIS: Well, I want to show you a Web site that some people are being linked to. And it's being investigated right now by a company that's working with the FBI to find fraudulent charity Web sites.
Now, here's the thing. It's really hard to tell that it's fraudulent. You know, they use key words, Katrina victims, phrases that you would expect to see. What you should look for, misspellings. If the URL, that's the Web address that appears at the top of the Web page, if it has a different country ending, bad sign, too.
Bottom line, though, you've got to trash these e-mails as soon as you get them. Do not link to the next page, because these people want to steal your money, and they also may want to steal your ID, your identity. So you have to be very careful.
KAGAN: Bad news. How can you just tell in general if a charity is good at fulfilling its mission and purpose?
WILLIS: Well, a great place to go, CharityNavigator.org will give you lots of information about a charity, how it spends its money. And Daryn, I've got to say, there was a lot of criticism after 9/11 about how some of these charities used their money. They're doing a better job themselves of sharing that information. The Red Cross has info on its Web site about how many people they're feeding, how many people they're sheltering. So they're really trying to be more up- front about what they're doing.
KAGAN: You want to make sure you designate your gift.
WILLIS: That's right. If you're worried about whether your money is actually going to where you want it to go, and you're giving it to a very big organization, you can write on that check, "For the victims of Hurricane Katrina." They are -- the Red Cross, whoever, has to give that money to Katrina victims by law, not just by ethics, but by law.
KAGAN: And then finally, if you think something's funky about a certain charity, what do you do?
WILLIS: Be a tattletale. I'm telling you, the FBI wants to hear your stories if you come across one of these scam artists who's trying to steal your money. Go to Ic3.gov. One of these Web sites here, the Federal Trade Commission wants to hear your stories too, as well as the Better Business Bureau. Any of these Web sites will help you shut down somebody who's doing something they shouldn't.
KAGAN: Gerri Willis, top five tips, thank you so much.
WILLIS: You're welcome.
KAGAN: Heading back to the Gulf Coast, a lot of focus on animals and their survival in the aftermath of the storm.
Want to focus now on the aquarium in New Orleans. Officials at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas say that its backup generator died during the storm. So did much of the facility's life-support systems. So many of the 6,000 animals have died in its aquatic collection have died in the wake of the storm.
But there were survivors, and are some encouraging stories as well. Melissa Lee is the aquarium's public relations director, and she joins us now by phone.
Melissa, thank you.
MELISSA LEE, DIRECTOR, AUDUBON AQUARIUM OF THE AMERICAS (on phone): Hi, Daryn.
KAGAN: First, let's start with the good-news stories. Tell us about some of the survivors of the storm.
LEE: We do have some good news. We have quite a number of our animals that will be airlifted from New Orleans today, 19 penguins, our entire penguin colony, has survived, and they will be moved to Monterey Bay Aquarium later today, along with our two California sea otters.
KAGAN: And came from Monterey in the first place. So it's (INAUDIBLE) a welcome home for them.
LEE: You're right. They were rehab animals. They weren't able to live on their own in the wild, so they came to live with us. And now they're going to go back to visit Monterey for a while. But we hope to have them back very soon.
KAGAN: Now, the other side of the story, those who don't survive, some of your biggest losses. LEE: Well, unfortunately, like you mentioned, we did lose some generator power, and that meant that the salinity and the water temperatures did very. We lost some of our marine animals, but some of them, surprisingly, did survive, including some very rare sea dragons that come from only one place in the world. They come from Australia.
And they -- we've always treated them with the utmost care, of course, thinking that they could never survive a change, even a minor fluctuation, in the temperature of their water. And miraculously enough, they did survive, and they will be moved to Dallas World Aquarium as part of our airlift today.
So it was very surprising for everyone, and also a big rallying point for our staff. We had staff who stayed through the storm and have been there stabilizing the animals and the collection and getting them ready to move out.
KAGAN: Melissa, too early to figure out what could have been done differently to save even more animals?
LEE: It's hard to tell right now, Daryn. We anticipated as much as we could. Some things we just knew that we would not be able to deal with as the time -- the extended time period went on.
But our staff just went above and beyond. They did everything they could. We actually had New Orleans police officers and National Guardsmen around, and they were given crash courses in how to take care of some of the animals. So even when our staff had to be evacuated out for our own safety, the police officers were able to stay back, and they were able to still get some food to those animals, and keep a good number of them alive.
And we're delighted and so thankful to our sister institutions around the country that are opening their doors and letting our animals come and have an extended vacation. But they'll be back soon.
KAGAN: Yes, and what about plans to reopen?
LEE: It will definitely happen, I can tell you that. Of course, we are going to follow what the city of New Orleans recommends, as far as getting people back into the city. But plans are already under way to get all of our facilities up and running just as quickly as we can. Our staff, as I mentioned earlier, still there, taking care of the animals. And some of the animals will stay inside the aquarium. There's no reason to move our large white alligator. We have eight terrapins still swimming in their exhibit. They're doing fine, no reason to move them either.
So the -- as life support and power's coming back on, we're finding a lot of animals that have survived, and that's very hopeful for everyone, and we're doing the best that we can to keep them going.
KAGAN: Well, here's hoping the recovery goes swimmingly. Melissa, thank you.
LEE: Thank you.
KAGAN: Melissa Lee with the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans.
Want to go ahead and check in in Houston. Our Betty Nguyen is standing by there. Betty?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.
Those debit cards from FEMA, they are being handed out as we speak. They started around 8:00 a.m. local time this morning.
And we've just learned, Daryn, that it's not only happening here in Houston, it's happening in Dallas and San Antonio as well. In these three Texas cities, folks are getting debit cards, evacuees are getting debit cards.
But outside of these cities, we are understanding that FEMA really wants to go back to that old method of issuing checks and direct deposit.
But as for the lines here in Houston for those debit cards, they were so long this morning. People stood in line overnight waiting to get in those first few spots so they could get in the door and processed.
But at this point, we have learned that that line is moving smoothly. There are 100 stations there, so there's plenty of people to process the evacuees as they come through.
But this next person that I want you to meet, I actually met over there at the FEMA debit center. He wasn't interested in a debit card. He wants to find his son. His name is Leon Doby.
And Leon, tell me about your son, and how you lost him.
LEON DOBY, NEW ORLEANS EVACUEE: Last time we were -- last time I had him in his hand, we was at the Convention Center in New Orleans. All kind of riots broke out, fights, people were trying to get to the little water that was then distribute.
NGUYEN: You had him in your hand, you had his hand?
DOBY: I had his hand, ma'am. I don't know, I believe, by all the pushing and shoving, because it was too much pushing and shoving. We couldn't even control ourselves, less than our children. We was hungry, we was thirsty, it was below poverty down there. It was ridiculous.
So some kind of way, I let his hand go. I had his hand and her hand at the same time. She had my hand tight. He had my hand tight as well, but I don't know what happened in between that time, but...
KAGAN: And that's the last time you heard from him?
DOBY: Last time. Last time. KAGAN: Got to be so difficult, being here in Houston, and then, of course, Carolyn, your daughter, is asking about her brother.
DOBY: Every day. Every day. Where is Keyon? Every day, Where is Keyon? Every day.
NGUYEN: What do you tell her?
DOBY: We're going to find him. And we are, because I'm a very positive person, and I do believe in God, and I do believe that my son is safe. I know the kind of mother he have. I know the kind of grandmother he have. I know the kind of, you know, family members he have. I'm more than sure he's safe. I have to stay positive about...
NGUYEN: And you've been searching every day. You've been on every Web site, called every phone number.
DOBY: Everywhere, everywhere. Family Link, run into every public library out here, running backwards and forward to these shelters. I actually registered here just so I can have a chance to come out here just to see...
NGUYEN: Well, we're going to put that number on the air. But before we do, if he's watching, or any family members are watching, what do you want to tell them?
DOBY: All I want to say is, get the number. Y'all call me. Let me know that Kwanza (ph), let me know that you, Keyon, Kershel (ph), Kelvin, your mom, just let me know y'all are safe. That's all I really need to hear. No more, no less. Just let me know y'all are safe.
NGUYEN: While you answer that phone -- hopefully that's some information -- let me give out the phone number for folks at home who are watching...
DOBY (on phone): Hello?
NGUYEN: ... may know where Keyon is. The phone number...
DOBY: Hello?
NGUYEN: ... to call Leon Doby is area code...
DOBY: Doby, D-O-B-Y.
NGUYEN: ... 337-244-0280.
Obviously, Daryn, so desperate to find his son. He's only five years old, Daryn.
DOBY: Just hold on.
KAGAN: Yes, we wish him well.
DOBY: Hello? KAGAN: And as you said, he's a very positive person. And perhaps those are calls he's getting right now. Glad to be of service.
Betty Nguyen in Houston, Texas. Betty, thank you for that.
Getting the Gulf Coast back on its feet. Lieutenant General Honore is in charge of relief efforts, military relief efforts.
Our Barbara Starr has been on the ground with him for the past week. She's going to join me. She's here in Atlanta, and she's going to talk about her experience and the general.
Plus, a special and very brief reunion after Katrina. Find out how one Air Force captain surprised her family before she heads off to Iraq.
The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins after a short break.
KAGAN: The abandoned victims of Katrina. Rescue efforts are turning to the animals left behind in the flooded streets of New Orleans in the chaos after the storm.
Animal welfare organizations are going home to home, rounding up the animals. Plus, donations of money, pet food, and supplies are coming in from around the country. People across the South are taking dogs, cats, even guinea pigs into their homes until their owners can be found. And the reunions are worth it all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my baby. This is my family, right here, for now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN headquarters in Atlanta.
First this hour, mission critical, an update on the urgent issues in the Hurricane Katrina disaster zone.
New Orleans police say just about everyone who is willing to leave the city has done so. Now they're prepared to carry out forced evacuations. The police superintendent says officers will use the minimum amount of force necessary.
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