Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Rita Whips Water Over Levee in New Orleans; President Bush Visits FEMA Headquarters

Aired September 23, 2005 - 12:33   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Watching these live pictures go from the Industrial Canal. This is New Orleans, by the way. A situation, a scenario they were fearing, and fearing it would take place, if it did, even later than it has already started. That is the Industrial Canal and that is the Lower Ninth Ward on the other side.
The storm surge coming in already, too high for the quick fix on these levees to hold. And the water is going to pour in there. And should be at least another couple hours before they could even get a chance to get in there with some boats and try to shore up that situation.

More on that in just a moment. Also, we're standing by. We expect any minute to go live to Galveston, Texas. That is where the mayor, Lyda Ann Thomas, is expected to hold her daily news briefing. You'll see that live here on CNN.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Let's get back to the developing situation in New Orleans. You were talking about these levees, especially the one along the Industrial Canal, apparently not holding the water as the storm surge from Hurricane Rita moves into that area.

I have on the phone with me right now Brigadier General Bruce Berwick, the engineer for Operation Task Force Katrina. General, thank you for joining us.

BRIG. GEN. BRUCE BERWICK, OP. TASK FORCE KATRINA: My pleasure.

KAGAN: Not your pleasure, though, to see what is already taking place there along the Industrial Canal. This the situation, I understand, that you feared could happen as the storm surge from Rita moved in.

BERWICK: Well, you're right. We did anticipate that this was a possible outcome, but there's no question that we're disappointed. We had hoped to be able to keep water out of those parishes in New Orleans.

KAGAN: And if this was going to happen, did you expect it to happen so early?

BERWICK: Well, you know, one of the things that I think about is that these storms are very dangerous and they are really an active enemy. And we certainly are not in control and we just have to be prepared to respond. So, I had not thought of the timing of this, but I always accepted that a possible outcome would be that we'd end up this way.

KAGAN: You talk about response. Right now, your hands are tied because of weather conditions.

BERWICK: You are right. What I think we're going to end up needing to do is get helicopters back in action to help us (INAUDIBLE) off again. And, of course, the first priority under these circumstances is going to be the safety of the responders. And we're certainly not going to be trying today.

KAGAN: Not trying today at all? When I talked to someone from Army Corps of Engineers a little while ago, they said within a couple hours, you might be able to get a boat in there or something?

BERWICK: I don't believe -- we'll not be putting helicopters in the air, that's for sure.

KAGAN: Yes, no helicopters but what about boats that could perhaps bring in some boulders to try to shore up...

BERWICK: That's a possibility. And I know people are looking around and working on it. But I have not (INAUDIBLE) that is positively going to happen. I think that we may end up needing to use aviation assets (INAUDIBLE).

KAGAN: All right, well, we wish you well whenever you do get a chance to get to that. Once again, disappointing news and disappointing pictures from the Industrial Canal, as the water and levees do not hold the rising storm surge as it pours there into the Lower Ninth Ward. That's Brigadier General Bruce Berwick on the phone with us from Operation Task Force Katrina.

Just one thing the military is trying to do in this immense area. With more on what the military is doing in advance of Rita, let's go to the Pentagon and correspondent Barbara Starr -- Barbara?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, this deteriorating weather situation really causing some problems, especially in New Orleans. Now, we've talked to General Honore and, of course, the general you were just speaking with -- are both pointing out the same thing.

The winds are picking up in New Orleans, 40 mile-an-hour gusts or higher. They cannot fly helicopters in those type of winds. So what General Honore has been saying is, once all of that clears, they may be able to go in and they will try and go in with small boats. But even at 40 miles-an-hour, that is going to be tough. Small boats in those waters, they are going to get pushed sideways, we are told.

So one of the things is they've got to have this bad weather clear out. And it's going to be some hours, clearly, if not a day or so, before that happens.

They do believe most of the residents are out of the Lower Ninth Ward, but what General Honore is saying, he needs to have an overall assessment of the situation, and then get back in there and see if there are any civilians that need to be evacuated from the area.

General Honore today now moving his personal situation, his headquarters, if you will, over to Lafayette, in western Louisiana, with a team from the 82nd Airborne, as the storm sits over parts, or the opening band of it, sit over parts of Louisiana, western Louisiana, a major concern. And there are also concerned about northern Louisiana as it moves north, and these winds continue. The military is concerned power lines will come down, that there will be large areas left with no electricity and they may have to help out there.

Across the way in Texas, the Texas governor has requested that the military will provide now a number of areas of active-duty military assistance. Let's take a look at some of the things that the military will be providing to Texas as Rita makes landfall.

One major capability, the amphibious warship Iwo Jima, which left New Orleans will now indeed go to Texas. About 600 to 1,000 Marines onboard. They will be able to move very quickly on shore, through flooded waters, through debris, through washed-out roads, and provide immediate assistance once the storm clears landfall in Texas.

Also, air and ground search and rescue, bridges, debris clearance, ambulances, field hospitals, all of that now on tap to go to Texas for the aftermath of Hurricane Rita.

There is one piece of really heartwarming news in all of this, Daryn. The U.S. military already, in advance of Rita making landfall, has evacuated more than 4,000 elderly, ill and disabled people by military aircraft. They moved in very quickly. We understand this was not actually done through Pentagon procedures and bureaucracy.

A few people got on the phone. They said these people that could not move themselves need help. The military moved in aircraft, and now more than 4,000 disabled, ill and elderly people out of the hurricane's path before it makes landfall this time -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Barbara, Thank you.

Let's go live right away to Galveston, Texas.

Well, we were hearing from the mayor, Lyda Ann Thomas. We'll check back in with this news conference in just a bit.

Also a chance to talk with our hurricane chaser. He's moved his way right into the middle of the storm to bring you live pictures on the Internet. Well find out more with him, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Before we went to break, we were listening into the news conference of the mayor of Galveston, Texas. We missed a little bit of what she had to say, so here's some tape for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MYR. LYDA ANN THOMAS, GALVESTON, TEXAS: It is suggested that they take a bedroll or their own linens. It is just a refuge, just for a few hours. So please don't plan to stay there. Once the storm passes, we will ask you to return to your homes, of course, as soon as the streets are clear enough for you to do that.

There are Galveston Independent school district custodians there. That's all they are. They are there to help in any way they can. There are no nurses, no doctors, no triage. It is just a refuge, and I would like to make that clear. If there are people on Galveston Island who are fearful and who have not been able to leave, or have just now decided to leave, you may go to 53rd and N 1/2 (ph), the Alamo School, where you...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And so we were listening into Lyda Ann Thomas, the mayor of Galveston, Texas, talking about basically a shelter of a last resort for folks who are still in Galveston. If they really are afraid, they can go to this area, but as you heard, she was saying it is bare bones. It is not trained rescuers that are there. It is school janitors, and they are just doing it to give you a roof over your head.

Expect to hear from President Bush. He went to FEMA headquarters in Washington D.C. earlier today to thank those who are working on planning in advance of Hurricane Rita, and he apparently did answer some questions while he was there. We'll be getting that videotape shortly and play it for you as we do get it.

Meanwhile, looking at forecasters predicting Hurricane Rita could strike land some time overnight in the Beaumont, Port Arthur area of Texas, about 75 miles east of Houston. It includes a stretch of refineries and chemical plants.

On the phone with us again from Port Arthur is Mark Sudduth. He is editor of the Web site hurricanetrack.com. I think actually hurricanelivenet.com -- Mark.

MARK SUDDUTH, HURRICANE TRACK.COM: You got them both right. Hurricanetrack is the free site and hurricanelivenet is our subscriber-based site. But hurricanetrack.com is where the public can get the latest information from what I'm doing.

But I want to talk about what's going on here. The wind is starting to pick up. I think you can see a live feed from my camera there. We haven't had any rain yet here, but that's coming, and the people here are very nervous. I was talking with Steve Fudderman (ph) from CBS News, and he is very nervous himself. He was asking me what to expect. These folks have not seen a major hurricane in this area since 1983, I believe, with Hurricane Alicia, and they're on edge. They saw what had gone on with Katrina, and now they're seeing what's going on in New Orleans with the levee problem and -- but on the other hand, they are prepared. But they're very nervous, anxiously awaiting as this hurricane closes in. KAGAN: Well, in your business, as a hurricane chaser, and expert, and lover and scientist, basically, you try to put yourself exactly where you have, and that is, it looks like you've gotten very close to where this Hurricane Rita is expected to make landfall.

SUDDUTH: Yes, that's correct. I do a lot of education work around the country each year. For example, I go around to different Lowe's Home Improvement stores. They're the biggest supporter of my work, and we have a massive education program, education based on experience. Seeing is believing, Daryn. I mean, you know that, seeing is believing.

If I can show people how bad these hurricanes can be, but do that smartly by setting up these remote cameras and remote-weather stations. I'm not going to sit out in this hurricane. I'm not stupid. I've got children and people that are depending on me to survive, and I'm going to practice what I preach.

Yet as the scientist in me wants to get close to this, I do have to be here where the worse conditions are going to come in to document, to record weather data and send that out over the Internet as best as I can, and to report to the world on what's going on, just like there are hundreds and hundreds of other journalists and storm chasers and universities doing excellent research. It's all about what's coming up in the next 20 hours or so.

KAGAN: OK, but in the next 20 hours, you have some help from some -- what you're calling virtual hurricane watchers. These are boxes that you're able to leave in more dangerous areas than it would be smart for you to stay.

SUDDUTH: That's correct. Real quick, the hurricanelivenet.com site is subscriber-based because I cannot provide free streaming video to a million people. The servers will crash. I mean, I think people should understand that. So we've kind of have clamped it down by having -- asking people to sign up.

But, what that will allow them to do is see these three different remote cams that I'm going to set up. One is in my hotel room. That's the fourth camera. That will always be with me. The other three will be set up -- one in Port Arthur, right along the waterfront. One of them here at the hotel, with a bird's eye view down onto the parking lot. And two others that I haven't decided yet. Plus the weather station.

But I will be shooting video and doing updates for hurricanetrack.com. Obviously, a free site, it doesn't cost a dime to go there. The other site, again, has to be subscriber-base because I just can't...

KAGAN: Right. Let me ask you...

SUDDUTH: It will crash.

KAGAN: Yes. Let me ask you -- because we did have a picture of what this virtual box looks like. It looks to me like a big, black suitcase.

SUDDUTH: There it is.

KAGAN: So how does it work? Yes. How does it work?

SUDDUTH: Yes, that's a Storm Case. People also -- they refer to them as a pelican case. But Storm Case is the brand name, made by the Hardigg Corporation. They're very tough boxes. I bought several of these and have tested them last year during Hurricane Ivan, this year during Hurricane Katrina...

KAGAN: So there's a camera -- is it a camera in there?

SUDDUTH: Yes, the camera -- inside these boxes, a giant battery, a VCR and a laptop, a Sprint PCS connection card and all the connections to get everything out. The camera runs outside the box through a sealed hole, through 90 feet of cable, if I need to, so I can put the boxes up high so they won't float away, like they did in Katrina. I did this same experiment in Katrina, but I lost the boxes. They got swept out to sea. And I have learned from that.

And we'll see if I have, indeed, figured out a way to keep that from happening. But this is going to offer people a bird's -- I'm sorry, point of view, not bird's eye view, a point of view that would otherwise be lethal, perhaps, for me to do. And yet, we can still see what goes on. Even at night. Because two of the cameras are going to have night-vision on them.

KAGAN: OK, Mark, well, we wish you well, and we'll be looking for the pictures. Once again, hurricanelivenet.com, and hurricanetrack.com. Mark Sudduth, hurricane chaser, trying to bring us the latest pictures.

President Bush handling this hurricane very differently. He will BE heading to U.S. Northern Command to ride it out. First, though, he is in Washington, D.C., and he stopped by FEMA headquarters. He is there to thank those that are working on Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina. And while he was there, he did answer some questions from reporters and we have that tape for you now.

Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... get a full briefing on Rita. We're now facing yet another big storm. And I appreciate the folks here who are working so hard to help the folks on the ground prepare for the storm. I'm going down to San Antonio to see the prepositioned assets and to understand the relationship, that the federal government's role is to support state and federal governments. I want to watch that happen.

And then I'm going to go out to our North Com headquarters to watch the interface between our United States military, and, again, the state and local authorities. Our job is to assist, prepare for and assist the state and local people to save lives and to help these people get back on their feet.

Again, I want to thank the people here in Washington who are working with the folks in the -- out in the field to do everything we possibly can to prepare for this second big storm that's coming in into the Gulf of Mexico. Thank you all.

QUESTION: Sir, what good can you do going down to the hurricane zone? Might you get in the way, Mr. President?

BUSH: One thing I won't do is get in the way.

QUESTION: I mean, how -- what good can you actually do? I mean, isn't there a risk of you and your entourage getting in the way?

BUSH: No. There will be no risk of me getting in the way. I promise you. We're going to make sure that we're not in the way of the operations. What I am going to do is observe the relationship between the state and local government, particularly out in Colorado Springs. That's what I want to see.

See, North Com is the main entity that interfaces -- that uses federal assets, federal troops, to interface with local and state government. I want to watch that relationship. It's an important relationship and I need to understand how it works better.

QUESTION: ... overcompensation for the response to Katrina?

BUSH: We will make sure that my entourage does not get in the way of people doing their job, which will be search and rescue immediately. And rest assured, I understand that we must not and will not interfere with the important work that will be going forward. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: President Bush answering just a few questions there at FEMA headquarters in Washington, D.C., saying that he is intent on not getting in the way. He is going to U.S. Northern Command, military command, to watch how, as he was saying, the military will be interfacing with local and state authorities as Hurricane Rita moves onshore.

A little bit more to go. We're back after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: A lot of stories to follow as Hurricane Rita makes its way closer to the Louisiana and Texas shore. This is the big story in Louisiana. The levees not holding, especially along the Industrial Canal. The storm surge just too much, and too much water coming too quickly for the levees to hold there. That water right now pouring into the area of the Lower Ninth Ward.

I was talking to the Army Corps of Engineers just a couple minutes ago, saying they, because of weather conditions that are going downhill, will not be able to do anything to address the situation for at least 24 hours.

Also watching the situation along the Texas coast. Live pictures there from Galveston, Texas. The waves starting to pick up, but no rain there yet. The mayor there saying they have had a successful evacuation, believing about 90 percent on Galveston Island have made their way off.

Our coverage continues here on CNN throughout the day and throughout the night. I'm Daryn Kagan. Kyra Phillips joins you at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com