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CNN Live Today

House Panel Hears From Relatives of Miners who Died in Sago Mine Tragedy; Blizzard Snarls Air Traffic and Leaves Thousands of Passengers Stranded; After Katrina

Aired February 13, 2006 - 10:59   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go ahead and take a look at what's happening right "Now in the News."
This tape of British military police say they have made one arrest in this videotape beating case in Iraq. The tape was obtained by a London newspaper. It appears to show British soldiers beating young Iraqi prisoners with their fists and batons. The paper "The News of the World" says the video was filmed in southern Iraq about two years ago.

A Texas lawyer is recovering in Corpus Christi in a hospital after being shot by Vice President Dick Cheney during a hunting trip. Authorities say Cheney accidentally pelted Harry Whittington with bird shots. Whittington's daughter says her father is very, very luck.

Cheney is now back in Washington.

At least two deaths were reported in the crash of a small plane in northern California. Authorities say the single-engine aircraft appeared to be performing a stunt when the pilot lost control. The plane crashed into a home near Sacramento.

Mine safety is in the spotlight on Capitol Hill this hour. Relatives of coal miners killed last month in Virginia are expected to speak out at a forum that is sponsored by House Democrats.

In Sarasota, Florida, the man found guilty of kidnapping, raping and strangling 11-year-old Carlie Brucia is being sentenced today. Joseph Smith was found guilty late last year. The jury has recommended the death penalty. The girl's abduction two years ago was captured by a security camera.

Good morning once again. And welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY.

Checking the time around the world, it is just after 5:00 p.m. in Torino, Italy, and after 10:00 a.m. in New Orleans.

From CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Daryn Kagan.

Want to go now live to Capitol Hill. This is a House panel hearing from relatives of miners that died at the Sago Mine accident.

DEBORAH HAMNER, WIDOW OF GEORGE HAMNER, JR.: Junior and I were married for 32 years, and I can't believe our story's over. I feel that we've been -- that I've been robbed of our golden years together. I want to tell you a little bit about -- about Junior.

Not only was he a good husband and a good father, he was a generous man. Even though there was only the two of us at home now, he raised huge gardens and gave away bushels of food. And that seemed to be the sort of thing that made him happy.

Junior was 54 years old, and he had nearly 30 years experience in the underground mines. I'd like to share with you today a note that he left in his dinner bucket addressed to me and our daughter Sara. And my daughter Sara is going to read that note for you.

Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome, Sarah. Thank you.

SARA BAILEY, GEORGE HAMNER'S DAUGHTER: "Hi, Deb and Sara. I'm still OK at 2:40 p.m. I don't know what is going on between here and outside. We don't hear any attempts at drilling or rescue."

"The section is full of smoke and fumes so we can't escape. We are all alive at this time."

"I just want you and Sara to know I love you both and always have. Be strong, and I hope no one else has to show you this note.

I'm in no pain but don't know how long the air will last. Tell everyone I'm thinking of them, especially Billy, Marion (ph), Will, Bill and Peg."

"I love you all -- Junior Hamner, 1-02-06."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Sara.

HAMNER: Besides showing Junior to be a loving man, I think there's a wealth of information contained in that note.

First of all, we can learn that the miners were still alive eight hours after the explosion, and second of all, that they made an assessment that the section was too full of smoke and fumes and they could not escape. They barricaded themselves at the face of the mine and confined -- to confine the good air, and I understand that the materials needed to build a barricade -- barricade were not available on the section.

It breaks my heart to know that there's -- that there's modern technology that could have prevented my husband's death and the Sago Mine wasn't equipped with it.

I'm left with so many questions.

One is, why weren't there -- why wasn't there a wireless communications system outside so that my husband and the other miners could have been told that the best chance for survival was to walk out?

Why weren't the escapeways well marked so the miners could have seen their way through the smoke and escaped?

Why hasn't MSHA required mines to be equipped with chambers or at least to require extra air supplies on the sections?

I think we all remember the Canadian miners that were able to escape because of the chambers. Why does Canada have better protection for its miners than we have in the United States, the most advanced country in the world?

This disaster prompted West Virginia's legislature to quickly pass the governor's proposal to improve communications, provide electronic tracking of coal mines, provide additional air supplies underground, and require more prompt reporting of disasters. Why did it take the death of my husband and so many good men to get this law passed? And when will the rest of the country get these protections?

IGA -- ICG had nearly 50 citations in December alone. These habitual violations show me a disregard for miners' health and safety.

KAGAN: We're listening into a House panel discussion. This is the widow of Junior Hamner. This is Deborah Hamner. Her husband was one of the 12 miners who died in the Sago Mine disaster in West Virginia early last month, and she's asking a lot of questions, wanting to know why here husband was put in difficult situations and did not make it.

There was also an emotional letter that was read by her daughter, a final letter that was one -- that was written by George Hamner before he died in that mine. Pretty much was trying to console those that he was leaving behind.

Our Kathleen Koch is listening in as well from Washington, D.C. -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, this has been a very emotional hearing this morning. And quite interestingly, it started out with testimony not from families from the Sago Mine disaster, but families who had lost loved ones back in 2001 in a mine explosion in Alabama. And these families in that explosion, there were 13 men killed, 12 of them when they raced in to try to rescue their co- workers.

These families say it's deja vu all over again. They're hearing all the same promises, all the same excuses being made to the Sago families that were made to them. And the frustration and the pain has been so palpable, and these families are begging that for once things really do change.

They say that they want the federal mine inspectors to not be able to go back and really -- and watchdog themselves. They want someone else to come in and look at their performance, look at whether or not the Mine and Health Safety Organization is doing a good enough job.

They also want to see the existing rules and regulations that are on the books in force. They simply don't think they're being enforced and that miners are safe enough.

And then we've heard a lot of testimony also this morning from miners who say they believe there need to be more unionized mines. They believe that the men and women who work in the mines then are much safer.

KAGAN: Kathleen Koch, live from Washington, D.C.

Thank you for that.

KOCH: You bet.

KAGAN: Digging out from a deep freeze, the Northeast is recovering from the blizzard of '06. The record-breaking storm dumped two feet or more of snow in some areas. And as you can see, the map is clear at this hour.

This morning, crews are clearing streets, airports have reopened, and stranded travelers slowly trying to get to their destinations. More on all that in a minute.

First, Chad Myers has the latest forecast -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And good morning, Daryn.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

KAGAN: The winter storm snarled air traffic nationwide and left thousands of passengers stranded. Most airports have reopened, including all three in the New York area.

Our senior correspondent, Allan Chernoff, is at LaGuardia airport, which is the last of the three to reopen.

Allan, good morning again.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

And air traffic is finally beginning to return to normal here at LaGuardia. And so, now it comes time to tell the tales of survival from the storm of 2006.

Earlier, we told you about the gentleman who spent eight hours on a plane at JFK without taking off. They finally returned to the terminal.

Some people never got on airplanes yesterday. They spent the night here at LaGuardia airport. And we have one of those folks with us right now.

She is Shuntelle Archer.

Shuntelle, I understand you arrived here at 12:00 noon yesterday?

SHUNTELLE ARCHER, TRAVELER: Yes, 12:00 noon yesterday to learn that all the flights were canceled, no flights were going out. And we had a hard time getting a ride here from the hotel because none of the cabs were driving, you know, riding. It was a mess.

CHERNOFF: How were the accommodations here overnight, Shuntelle?

ARCHER: It wouldn't have been so bad had it been warm. But the cots they gave us, the area that I was in, it was freezing. It felt like below zero. And I couldn't sleep with that.

CHERNOFF: So you tried to sleep on a cot?

ARCHER: Exactly. I tried to sleep on a cot, but like I said, the weather was so cold that -- actually, it was inside, but it was freezing as if I was outside.

CHERNOFF: Now, when are you getting out of here? You're trying to get down to Florida, Fort Lauderdale. When do you expect to actually leave New York finally?

ARCHER: 2:00 p.m. today -- 2:00 p.m. today. In a couple of hours.

It's 11:15 now. So I'm looking forward to it.

CHERNOFF: So, if it leaves on time, you'll have been here for 26 hours.

Good luck, Shuntelle.

ARCHER: Thank you.

CHERNOFF: OK. Very well.

So, Daryn, some people, now at least they have hope of escaping New York. But certainly it has been a very long day, night and now another day for people who have been stuck here for just too long -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All the more reason that young woman should be commended. You see that big smile on her face after everything she's been through? What a good sport. Good for her.

CHERNOFF: She's in very good temper.

KAGAN: Yes. One of the few, probably.

Allan, thank you.

Thousands are still without power in the D.C. area this morning.

CNN's Tara Mergener joins us live. She's in Washington, D.C., with more on the conditions there.

Tara, good morning.

TARA MERGENER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Daryn.

What a difference a day makes. We now have a beautiful, bright, sunny, 25 degree or so day, but we sure did get a lot of snow.

Now, take a look around. Here in the heart of Washington, D.C., we got about 8 inches over the weekend. Twice that in the suburbs. And the good news is the problems have not been apparent on the major roadways in the area, like the Capital Beltway.

Apparently, 99 percent of the roadways were cleared by yesterday afternoon, and that's probably because we had a lot of notice for the storm, a lot of good planning. In Virginia, there were 1,200 trucks on the road. In Maryland, there were twice that.

Now, there were no major accidents, surprisingly, caused by this storm. And that is just a major achievement here.

Now, as for the airports, that's a mixed blessing. They are back up and running. All the major airports that were closed because of the snow have reopened, but passengers who show up today who were supposed to get out over the weekend may be surprised to find out they are not the priority, that people with tickets for today, with seats for today will be given first priority.

Now, the other issue here from the brunt of the storm is that Amtrak has canceled a lot of service in the Northeast Corridor. So, certainly we're still feeling the effects of the storm, but all in all, things are definitely looking up.

KAGAN: It sure does look pretty, too, but sitting down here in Atlanta, Georgia.

MERGENER: You bet.

KAGAN: Tara Mergener, live from Washington, D.C.

Thank you.

Coming up, an injured soldier forks over hundreds of dollars so he can come home from Iraq. That soldier and his dad will join us in a few minutes to explain what they had to pay money for.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: After Katrina, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is unveiling his first major reforms at FEMA at this hour. Among other things, he wants to add 1,500 staffers to work as a crisis response force during a major disaster.

Chertoff's performance during the storm comes in for a blistering rebuke in a House report due Wednesday. The review says that Chertoff managed the crisis either late, ineffective, or not at all. His response, according to an account of the report, delayed U.S. troops and supplies by three days. A summary of the House report is available today. It includes, "At every level -- individual, corporate, and governmental, we failed to meet the challenge that was Katrina... in this cautionary tale, all the little pigs built houses of straw."

Well, FEMA plans to stop writing checks today to cover evacuees' hotel rooms unless a judge steps in. That will impact about 12,000 families in New Orleans. The city plans to start razing damaged homes this week.

Let's talk about that with Oliver Thomas this morning. He is the president of the New Orleans City Council.

Mr. Thomas, good to see you again.

OLIVER THOMAS, PRESIDENT, NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL: Hey, good morning, Daryn. How you guys doing?

KAGAN: I'm doing OK. A number of things to get to you here in just the three minutes we have together.

THOMAS: Yes.

KAGAN: First, these demolition orders, a number of people trying to fight back on that. What are your feelings as this part of the city tries to come back?

THOMAS: Well, you know, at some point, demolition has to be part of our recovery because we have to start removing a lot of the blight and a lot of the debris from some of the areas that you want to rebuild. Now, as it relates to homes that should not be demolished or homes that can be salvaged, well, then individual property owners should be involved in that discussion. But there are a lot of properties that are in imminent danger, that are leaning on other properties, that are blocking public right of ways.

At some point, the city has to move forward when you talk about the cleanup. And that's part of it.

KAGAN: What about this congressional report that we hear that says there's plenty of blame to go around all the way from the White House down to the local parishes?

THOMAS: Well, you know, anybody that's still playing the blame game -- blame game is just trying to use an excuse not to help us. You know, the one thing we see -- you know, this is a brisk, cool day in New Orleans. The sun is out, but the storm, Katrina, still rages.

It still rages around trailers, still rages around housing, still rages around people getting put out of their hotels. It still rages about families that are still missing their loved ones and thousands that are still unaccounted for.

You know -- you know, this blame game -- it's time for the blame game to end. And I think that's just part of an excuse so that no one can really deliver what we need to begin to help us to rebuild. I'm sick of the blame game now.

KAGAN: In terms of time, FEMA also says it's time for these 12,000 families to get out of their hotel rooms. They've been given vouchers and assistance to get rent or move on. There's already been a number of extensions on the deadline.

When is enough enough with a hotel?

THOMAS: Yes. Well, let me say this. You know, I'm living in a hotel when I'm not with my family, but I'm also working on my house. It's time for all of us to start taking steps to some permanency, whether it's in this community or whether it's some place else. But we cannot keep relying on FEMA, we cannot keep relying on the government.

It's time to start taking whatever steps possible to get our lives back together. And, you know, that makes it -- it will be some hard decisions. You know? But we're going to have to do that.

The one thing the federal government has shown is that we can't rely on them.

KAGAN: All right. Oliver Thomas, president of the New Orleans City Council.

We'll have to get you back to talk about Mardi Gras because we ran out of time.

THOMAS: Daryn...

KAGAN: Yes?

THOMAS: ... any time. And thank you, guys. And hang in there with us.

KAGAN: Well, you do the same. Thank you for your time, sir.

THOMAS: All right.

KAGAN: Thank so you much.

Still to come, the lives it saves are priceless. The body armor, though, is not cheap. Just ask one soldier and his family who had to spend a chunk of change to get out of the Army. We'll talk to this young lieutenant coming up.

And military medicine has come a long way, but soldiers still face plenty of battlefield injuries. We'll tell you about one complication that doctors are seeing more and more of just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: This just in to CNN, news out of Kabul, Afghanistan. Word that a bomb hit a U.S. military vehicle Monday in central Afghanistan, killing four American troops. That's according to the military. Apparently, the service members were patrolling in an armored Humvee. That also according to the military.

So, once again, a bomb hitting a U.S. military vehicle, killing four American troops near Kabul, Afghanistan.

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