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CNN Live Today

Crisis Leadership; 911 Calls Poured In As Katrina Hit New Orleans

Aired September 16, 2005 - 11:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to say good morning to everybody watching today. Welcome to the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY. I'm Betty Nguyen in Atlanta, sitting in this morning for Daryn Kagan.
First up, the president's plan to rebuild the shattered Gulf Coast. It is both ambitious and expensive. Let's get started at the White House. Our correspondent Dana Bash is on duty this morning.

Dana, do you the president and his team accomplish what they had set out to last night?

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: They understood full well how high the stakes were for the president's speech last night. It was something that his allies were anxiously awaiting, that they thought perhaps he should have done, many of them, more than a week ago.

But the White House wanted to wait until the president had some substantial initiatives, tangible initiatives to offer up. And he did. Things like job training, up to $5,000 for that. Creating what he called an Opportunity Zone, tax breaks for small businesses. All part of what he called one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The federal government will undertake a close partnership with the states of Louisiana and Mississippi, the city of New Orleans and other Gulf Coast cities, so they can rebuild in a sensible, well-planned way. Federal funds will cover the great majority of the costs of repairing public infrastructure in the disaster zone, from roads and bridges to schools and water systems.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, the question is, exactly how the government is going to pay for what the president talked about, and much, much more likely.

This morning, the president's chief economic adviser told reporters -- quote -- "The recovery will be paid for by the federal taxpayer, and it will add to the federal deficit." Now, he was quick to point out they still believe that the president will make his goal of cutting the federal deficit in half by 2009. I should point out, by the way, that we are looking at a picture of President Bush arriving at the National Cathedral for a prayer service.

But back on really the brewing controversy here in Washington about how exactly the president will pay for the rebuilding, this massive effort that the president talked about, the other question is whether or not the White House will offset some other programs, cut some other federal programs in order to pay for rebuilding and reconstructing New Orleans and the Gulf area.

The president's domestic policy officer, Claude Allen, told reporters, I can't name any programs that will be cut. And, again, we didn't focus on that. The president's focus is on the immediate need of the evacuees.

Now, Betty, those statements are probably not sitting well with some fiscal, some conservative Republicans, who are very anxious about how the government is going to pay for this massive rebuilding.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: But they are good questions and questions that indeed need answers.

We're looking now at a shot of the National Day of Prayer, which is taking place at the National Cathedral in Washington.

Dana, talk to us a little bit about the president's role in this prayer service.

BASH: Now, this is something that the president, according to aides, was really intent on doing. He announced that today would be a National Day of Prayer last week, and talked about the need for that.

We're told that he has been, like most Americans, really struck and disappointed and even disgusted by the pictures of the bodies that had been left out in New Orleans and around the Gulf Coast. So, this is a time, really sort of an attempt to punctuate a week where the president has been trying to show empathy, to bring the country together in a way that some people thought he didn't do enough of earlier after Katrina hit -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Dana Bash in Washington. Thank you for that.

Aides hope the president's address will restore the crisis leadership mantle that he assumed after 9/11.

Senior political analyst Bill Schneider joins me this morning in Washington to talk about that speech last night.

Bill, let's first talk about some of the things he said specifically. He talked about rebuilding. And, now, correct me if I'm wrong here, but it sounds like there was a familiar tone in all of this.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Throughout the area hit by the hurricane, we will do what it takes. We will stay as long as it takes to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Bill, are you hearing some of the echoes of the same tone he used when talking about Iraq?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes. That was very much an Iraq echo, when the president says we'll stay as long as it takes to get the job done, we'll spend as much money as it takes. People have heard that before. They heard it when the United States went into Iraq, in the reconstruction effort over there.

The president even drew another parallel in his speech when he said he considers emergency planning for American cities a national security issue, drawing a parallel to the aftermath of 9/11. And essentially saying, we have to have disaster plans in place for cities all over the country because of national security.

NGUYEN: The president also talked a little bit about specifics on how this rebuilding process is going to play out.

Let's take a listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: The work that has begun in the Gulf Coast region will be one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen. When that job is done, all Americans will have something to be very proud of.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Bill, he also said that the government would pay for the vast majority of the cost here. And this is a question that Dana mentioned as well. How is the government going to pay for all of this?

SCHNEIDER: That's a good question. A lot of people here in Washington are asking that question in the president's own party. You know, if you ask Democrats, they'd say, repeal the tax cut for the rich. Cut spending on Iraq.

The Republicans have more trouble coming up with an answer, because they're not going to increase taxes. They're not going to cut spending on Iraq. They're talking about cutting the fat out of government spending on other programs. But they're having a lot of problems finding out exactly where and what that should be.

This is a big issue. It means the deficit is going to grow. Is the deficit going to create an issue? Only if the economy turns bad. And do you know what we're finding? We're finding growing economic pessimism in the country about what's going to happen, about a recession. And that is being driven not by the hurricane so much, but by high gas prices.

NGUYEN: Bill, last night we also heard the president repeat something that he said before, saying that he accepts full responsibility for the relief efforts and all of the things that took place after the storm hit. All right. That being said, though, is this coming a little too late, or is the American public responding to that?

SCHNEIDER: Well, I think what the president is trying to do is turn the page, move on, beyond what was clearly a very bad episode for the federal government and for him personally. He took responsibility. He didn't quite apologize, but he said he assumes responsibility for that.

And that was part of what I call a three-step strategy: Change Brown, the FEMA director, take responsibility, give a speech to show the president is in charge.

But, you know, the problem for the president is, it's not just the hurricane. He's got a lot of problems on his plate. Iraq is still very much in disorder. They can't quite agree on a constitution. That will come to a vote next month. People are very pessimistic, as I said, about the economy. And they want him to do something about gas prices.

So, there are a lot bigger problems here than just hurricane recovery.

NGUYEN: A lot of problems on his plate. Bill Schneider, as always, we thank you for your insights.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

NGUYEN: Here's a live look again. The president is at the National Cathedral at this hour observing what is called the National Day of Prayer. He is there with many dignitaries today. And, in fact, he will be speaking. When that happens, we will bring it to you live.

Well, the president has outlined an ambitious plan to rebuild New Orleans. The mayor is working to get people back in the city. But the tragedy of Katrina's aftermath lingers.

CNN's Sean Callebs joins us live from New Orleans.

Sean, what's the reaction to the president's plan so far?

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly those 10,000 or so people still here are very bolstered by what they heard. And the hundreds of thousands who have left this area, I think many of them are going to take a wait-and-see attitude. But certainly saying that he couldn't imagine this nation without a city like this one is what they wanted to hear.

Right now, we're in the northern part of the city on Lake Pontchartrain. A nice, calm, breezy day. Boy, a dramatic contrast to what happened here two-and-a-half weeks ago when Katrina blew through.

Behind me, you see some of the pleasure craft tossed around and destroyed. Well, the night of the storm it wasn't just boats. It was also homes and people throughout the evening making frantic 911 calls, begging for help.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS (voice-over): As Katrina punished the heart of New Orleans, 911 calls began to stream in, like this call from a young woman named Shawntal (ph), who was trapped in the highest point of her home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're stuck in the attic, me and my little sister here and my mommy. And we have got water in the whole house.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there any way you can get to the roof ma'am? Because they are trying to get everybody to higher ground until we can get out there. We're trying our best.

CALLEBS: It wasn't just flooding. With electricity cut off and powerful winds decimating the city, some gas lines began to rupture.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My brother just checked the valve that we just opened, because we're up on the second floor, but we just opened the bottom just to let some -- I just want to know if there is a little gas leak, as long as we kind of let fresh air in, will, you know, everybody be all right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. I think if you let fresh air in, everybody's going to be all right.

CALLEBS (on camera): Throughout the night, 911 calls poured in, many coming from this heavily-damaged section of New Orleans called Ward Nine. For many frantic residents, their only outside contact with emergency officials was a woman on the other end of the phone who identified herself as operator 16.

At the height of the storm, the operator could do little but serve as a calming voice and encourage people trapped in these homes to somehow try and make it to the roof.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there any way you can get to the roof if need be?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know if we can make it or not.

CALLEBS (voice-over): The number of people trapped by rising water in some homes was staggering.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many in there inside the location with you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 people.

CALLEBS: In one case, among those caught by floodwater and fearing for survival, a disabled woman and a baby on a medical device.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got a handicapped girl, and I got a baby that's on a heart machine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you have a handicapped son?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have a handicapped sister.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have an attic, ma'am, inside your home?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS: And as the night went on, those calls continued to come in until phone service was disrupted in the area. But police and firefighters could do very little. They themselves were pinned down as Katrina lashed this area. And authorities know that sadly, for some of the people making calls that night, the 911 effort could have been a desperate final act -- Betty.

NGUYEN: It's just so sad. Sean Callebs, thank you.

After pounding parts of coastal North Carolina, what was Hurricane Ophelia has been downgraded to a tropical storm, spinning northward in the Atlantic. Ophelia never officially made landfall, but the storm has left its mark. One of the hardest-hit areas was Salter Path, North Carolina.

And our Rob Marciano has been surveying the damage there.

It seems like an awful lot of damage, especially for a category 1 storm, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's amazing, Betty. You know, as the storm was approaching, we were saying that it's the slow- moving aspect of this storm that could very well create the most damage, and possibly in the inland sounds and bays. And, you know, even after saying that, I didn't think we'd see what we're seeing behind me.

This is Salter Path. It's on the north side of Bogue Banks. And this is a fishing community. You are seeing destruction now of fishing houses, where fishing boats would actually come up here and unload their catch. You see scallops used to be shucked right there and then brought to the front of the house and sold to the public.

But look how, not only the pylons and the docks and the piers being wiped apart, but look at the concrete blocks of that blue building completely bashed in. That has been deemed unsafe to go in by the fire department, because that roof could collapse at any time.

Then as we continue to pan off towards the left, you see more in the way of destruction. No more decks, no more piers. There used to be two fishing boats that went into the building with the white brick and the ripped-off roof, or at least half ripped-off roof. That is the Crab Shack. That's an institution here. That's where everybody goes to eat. And why? Because the owner himself has two fishing boats that he brings in there, and he unloads the fish. It's off the boat and on your plate, sometimes literally in minutes.

Continue to pan off towards the left you see more in the way of decks. I talked to one of the marine owners here, and he said that he had 51 slips for boats to come in here. That's all gone. It's unbelievable.

So, you know, we tried to get a comparison. We talked to a lot of folks. We tracked down the captain of the Salter Path Fire Department, Joey Frost. This is what he had to say when comparing this storm to storms past.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. JOEY FROST, SALTER PATH, N.C., FIRE DEPT.: Our benchmark before this storm was Hurricane Hazel in '54. Hurricane Hazel, from what my father told me, was like a little kitten to a lion compared to this storm. We've never seen -- he told me he's never seen the water act like this storm did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: Hurricane Hazel was a category 4 storm. This one a category 1 storm.

Right now, you're looking at Bogue Sound, which stretches from west to east. You're looking off toward the east. Typically a calm, flat piece of water. But with east winds pounding in here for days prior to the storm's arrival, this area literally filled up with water. And it's a very narrow inlet. So, it had nowhere to go but up.

And then we had the storm surge come in as the storm approached. And then we had high tide as well. Well, all of that water went up, and then the storm didn't come on shore. It actually passed us to our south. And what that did is that switched the winds around to the north. And that huge mound of water that built up in Bogue Sound was then just forced violently towards the northern shore of Bogue Banks.

And this fishing village is kind of set in a bit of a bowl. And they got it the worst. An 8 to 10-foot storm surge with 4 to 6-foot breakers on top of that. And you're seeing storm damage here on a much smaller scale, similar to what I witnessed in Biloxi, Mississippi, just two weeks ago on the sound side, what you would consider to be the protected side. And that's what's the most amazing thing to witness here.

I'll say one thing about the community here. They seem pretty upbeat. You know, there are some folks who actually live right on water here. And when they saw the water coming up -- there weren't mandatory evacuations ordered here by the way. So, when they seen the water coming up, they got out. These folks are no strangers to hurricanes. And what do they do in this community? They just head to higher ground and knock on their neighbor's doors. Hey, listen, the water is getting crazy here. Can I hang out here for the night? And that's how most people here survived the storm.

A lot of stories we've been hearing. It's fascinating to listen to that and the history here, Betty. But even more amazing is to see the damage behind me from a category 1 storm.

Back to you.

NGUYEN: Without a doubt. Rob, we're seeing people behind you surveying the damage. They're walking around, looking at all of devastation there. What's the power situation like, especially if people go to clean up and rebuild?

MARCIANO: I'll tell you what's been most impressive to me is that the power has come on pretty quickly in most areas. This section is still without power, mostly because there's nothing to hook up to. So, it's much like Biloxi, Mississippi. You didn't any see power crews there, because there's nothing left. So, you know, where there's less damage, the power crews did a pretty good job of getting things up and running. So, you don't have to drive too far to get a hot cup of coffee or maybe some ice. But right here, they're not going to put the power on until they actually have something to hook the power to.

NGUYEN: It makes sense. Rob, stand by for just a second, because Chad Myers is joining us now -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Rob, I'm seeing all of the docks there behind you. Where are the boats?

MARCIANO: Well, the fishing vessels and most of the boats, they got them out before the storm. So, they did expect to see a bit of a surge, Chad. And we were talking about it before the storm came on shore. But they didn't expect it to be this damaging to the structure. They got the boats out of here, but they couldn't move the buildings, that's for sure.

MYERS: Rob, we just saw all of that damage from Lake Pontchartrain with Sean Callebs. Boats were everywhere. Behind you, it looks relatively clean except for the damage to the buildings. Thanks a lot, bud. Great reporting.

MARCIANO: Yes, they got them out.

MYERS: Stay safe out there.

MARCIANO: Thanks.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Rebuilding hospitals. Katrina's wrath left the institutions in dire condition. This hour, what needs to be done to get the New Orleans health care system back on its feet? Plus, you're looking at a live picture now at the National Cathedral in Washington, where this hour a prayer service is being held to honor Katrina's victims. President Bush is expected to speak. And we will bring you that when it happens.

And all this weekend, CNN will focus on the missing children of Katrina. Beginning tomorrow morning at 7:00 Eastern, we will show you photos and share the stories of hundreds of children desperately hoping to find their families. "CNN LIVE TODAY," "State of Emergency," will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SINGING)

NGUYEN: You're listening to soprano Angela M. Brown (ph) singing "How Great Thou Art" on this National Day of Prayer. A service is taking place right now at the National Cathedral in Washington, where the president is in attendance in honor of Katrina victims. He will be speaking this hour. And when that happens, we will bring it to you live.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, hospitals in New Orleans found themselves in critical condition, surrounded by rising floodwaters. Charity Hospital and others struggled to care for patients under dire conditions until they could be evacuated.

Dr. Dwayne Thomas is CEO of the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans, which operates Charity and University Hospitals. And he joins us now from Baton Rouge to talk about the challenges facing the health care system in New Orleans.

We want to thank you for being with us. First of all, I understand you are a lifelong resident of New Orleans. In fact, you were born at Charity Hospital. So, take us back to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and walk us through some of the things that you had to face there.

DR. DWAYNE THOMAS, MED. CTR. OF LA. AT NEW ORLEANS: Thank you again for having us on. When the storm actually began to roll in, we had a lot of challenges facing us, because we knew if we experienced floodwaters we were going to lose power, which we did. So, we had to take care of patients in stifling heat, no power, no medical gases at times, and in addition to that, no sewer service. So, it was very, very challenging and difficult.

NGUYEN: I can only begin to imagine. Talk to us, if you would, specifically about some of these very difficult decisions that you had to make in regards to the patients that had you with you.

THOMAS: Well, again, we were actually able to care for the patients. We had enough oxygen on board. But when we lost electricity, we had to hand-bag patients. We also had to make decisions about who could get out first. And we attempted to get our critical patients out first.

NGUYEN: And looking back, is there anything that you learned from that that maybe you would have done differently?

THOMAS: I think that, you know, there's not a whole lot of things we see in retrospect. I think our staff did an excellent job. We only lost eight patients during that six-day period while we were there. Only three of those deaths were related to the storm. So, again, under the circumstances, the age of the building, I think we did an outstanding job in caring for the patients.

NGUYEN: That is remarkable, considering you had some 250 patients there at the hospital.

THOMAS: Actually the number was...

NGUYEN: What is the status of Charity Hospital right now?

THOMAS: Actually, the number was 378.

NGUYEN: Even more so.

THOMAS: Because we had nearly 400 patients on the roof.

NGUYEN: Truly highlights.

THOMAS: The status now of Charity now is that we do not believe we will be able to occupy that campus again as a hospital. We are hopeful that once the waters move from the basement at University that we may be able to occupy that and put that hospital back online.

NGUYEN: And so, as we talk about the hospital community as a whole, many of the hospitals that were affected by this, how do you get them all back online? What are you doing right now? What's the status of all of these hospitals? And when can they start taking patients again and get the work done again?

THOMAS: Again, I think it's probably going to be three to six months before we can actually get University Hospital back up online. It requires us to pump the water out of our basement, and then assess our electrical systems and the structure of the building before we can actually assess whether or not we can even open that hospital. I have been inside of Charity, and that building, I think, is gone for good.

NGUYEN: So, as you look to the work ahead, what is your biggest challenge right now?

THOMAS: Our biggest challenge is actually being able to get back into the New Orleans area, safely get the hospital open and begin to provide services to the indigent patients who will be returning to the community. So that will be a huge challenge. And, again, bringing our staff back to Louisiana, finding temporary housing and just being able to make certain that everyone is taken care of, the caretakers are taken care of.

So, the biggest challenge will actually be getting the electrical and construction work done and finding temporary housing for our employees. NGUYEN: Dr. Dwayne Thomas, we wish you the best of work. You've got a lot -- best of luck, because you do have a lot of work ahead. Thank you for joining us today.

THOMAS: Thank you so much.

NGUYEN: And all this weekend, CNN will focus on the missing children of Katrina. Beginning tomorrow morning at 7:00 Eastern, we will show you photos and share some of the stories of hundreds of children desperately hoping to find their families.

"CNN LIVE TODAY" "State of Emergency" will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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