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American Morning

Hurricane Katrina Devastates Eastern Gulf

Aired August 31, 2005 - 08:30   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Things the, to some degree, seem to be getting worse, not better, as they struggle to deal with that broken levee, now two levees, confirmed to have broken. And you can see windows blown out in the hotels -- hotel rooms right across the street from the Superdome, an indication of just how severe those winds were from hurricane Katrina.
Just a big mess today that they are only beginning to clean up because, of course -- Chad Myers, they have huge problems before they can even get to the problems from the hurricane that they're dealing with.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Another hot day today. Yesterday, well, we don't really have any idea how hot it was in New Orleans because all the weather instruments were blown out. But in New Iberia, which is about 100 miles west of there, it was 98 yesterday. Even if it was 95, with all that water around, all that humidity, it must have felt like 105 to 110 in New Orleans yesterday. And then being stuck outside in the sunshine, as well.

Here you go. This is what the remnants of Katrina are doing right now. The center of circulation, not much of a low right now, but about western New York, moving rain showers into places like Vermont and New Hampshire.

Here's the rain. Rain as far as Montreal. It is raining in Canada from a hurricane that hit New Orleans. This storm has really spread its arms out, for sure. Rain showers down across New Orleans today, the possibility there, well, also down even into parts of Florida. Even a couple of clouds may help at all.

Here you go. A couple of clouds along a cold front through the Midwest. Pretty good weather for you up there -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: A little bit of good news there.

All right, Chad, thanks.

MYERS: All right.

S. O'BRIEN: A short break and we're back in just a moment.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Welcome back live from Slidell, Louisiana. And, you know, there are thousands of stories in the wake of Katrina of people missing and unaccounted for.

In just a few moments, we're going to talk to a woman who is desperately trying to find her husband who, when last she saw him, had gone their mobile home. She went to -- back to that location after Katrina. The mobile home is devastated and her husband is missing. We'll talk with her about her efforts, with complete lack of communication, to try to find him.

That's coming up in just a few moments.

But first, back to Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Miles.

Thanks.

Oh, these stories are just utterly heartbreaking, aren't they?

We're going to get much more to -- on the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in just a few moments.

First, though, let's get a look at some of the other stories that are making headlines this morning, especially the story out of Iraq -- Carol, good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It's unbelievable.

Thank you, Soledad.

Good morning to you.

Now in the news, we are following that breaking news story out of Baghdad for you. At least 648 people were killed earlier today on a bridge above the Tigris River, most of the victims women and children. It happened as some one million pilgrims were apparently heading for religious ceremonies. Someone screamed there was a suicide bomber. People pushed and a railing apparently gave way, sending dozens into the river. More than 300 people are wounded. A three day period of mourning has now been declared.

President Bush is heading back to Washington to oversee the federal response to hurricane Katrina. The president reached out to affected communities Tuesday during a speech in California, saying the priority is on saving lives. He's expected to get a firsthand look at the devastation in the Gulf Coast later this week.

The U.S. will tap oil reserves to boost supply in the wake of Katrina. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman making that announcement just a short time ago. The storm has disrupted oil supplies from tankers and offshore oil rigs. The hope is that the extra boost could stabilize prices.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SAMUEL BODMAN, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: Well, our first job is to try to provide supply. One of the reasons you're seeing an increase in prices is that we have perceived shortages and that's something that we can try to deal with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: More information on that decision to keep oil flowing expected later today.

Louisiana's governor has declared today a day of prayer. She's asking everyone in Louisiana to take a little time out today to pray for strength, patience and safety as people try and cope with the devastation.

She's actually asking the whole country to pray.

S. O'BRIEN: And they're going to need every single prayer, I tell you, because they have -- they've been calling it obstacles. They have massive problems ahead.

COSTELLO: Well, you know, a lot of people are e-mailing us wanting to help, they just don't know how and who to call and where to send their supplies.

S. O'BRIEN: Not much of an infrastructure, it looks like, has been set up there.

You're looking at -- you can see the breach right there. That's new video we're showing you of this, the breach of the levee. And obviously the water now flowing right across that breach. And, you know, basic physics tells you that the water will flow out of Lake Pontchartrain until it gets to the level in the downtown where the lake is.

COSTELLO: Yes, the bowl will fill.

S. O'BRIEN: I mean, it gets to a balance -- the bowl, it's a whole -- like a bowl and the whole bowl basically filled up. I mean look at the rushing water here. The force of this water is incredible. And here is the worst news in bad news -- it's only getting worse. There's, you know, more breaks, potentially, in this levee. They're trying to fix the breaks, but you can't fix the levee until the water is out.

COSTELLO: There's not a big enough finger to put through the whole in the dike.

S. O'BRIEN: Exactly. Exactly. And several holes now in the dike is really probably a better metaphor for that.

Let's get right to Barbara Starr.

She's at the Pentagon this morning -- Barbara, good morning to you.

Obviously troops are going to be involved in this.

What's the time line for the troops and how many are being sent in?

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, even before we get to that, as you continue to show these pictures of the breaks in the levees around New Orleans, we have just received information, an update from the Army Corps of Engineers. They tell us that Army Chinook heavy lift helicopters are now moving into place. They're going to try and drop some more of those 3,000-pound super sandbags into those breaks to try and stop the water flow.

But they also tell us that there is debris and a good deal of impassibility, they say, in trying to get up and down waterways to get those barges into place that can also put some gravel and some of these other measures into place to try and stop this flow of water.

So the Army Corps of Engineers telling us they're having a lot of trouble moving into place up and down these waterways today to try and stop the flow of water.

Overnight, there has been a decision, indeed, to deploy some active duty military capability to the region. Mainly, at the moment, it is going to be Navy warships. The USS Baton, an amphibious warship, is already moving into place. Its helicopters will fly search and rescue missions in the affected areas, also provide medical assistance. Four other amphibious warships today are loading up supplies in Norfolk, Virginia. They expect to be in the area in the next few days. They will bring food, medicine, humanitarian relief supplies, even things like soap. The Navy hospital ship Comfort, based out of Baltimore, Maryland, is also getting ready to go. It is awaiting final orders, but it is expected to set sail. Other Navy ships will conduct underwater surveys to try and clear some of these ports, some of these waterways so other assets can get into place.

This is now going to be a long-term effort. The National Guard also continuing to deploy resources from across the United States. Many states sending their National Guard teams into the region -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, they need those resources and they need them now.

Barbara Starr for us at the Pentagon.

Barbara, thanks.

Let's get right back to Miles.

He is in Slidell and there is obviously just a devastated scene right there -- good morning, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning, Soledad.

Slidell, Louisiana is a town that is coming off of a terrible, terrible disaster. And as we've been telling you, there are many, many stories, really, thousands of them, when you look at Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, of people who are desperately looking for loved ones who are missing in the wake of Katrina. Many people decided to ride out the storm in the wake of the previous storms this season. They had the false impression, perhaps, that they were more secure. And, in some cases, they waited, perhaps, a little bit too long to evacuate.

Let's go and talk to someone who has been through that, as a matter of fact, as we speak.

MILES O'BRIEN INTERVIEW

M. O'BRIEN: Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MYERS: Temperatures in New Orleans yesterday approached 96 degrees. Even warmer than that to the west. Some relief today, but maybe some unwelcome relief. Here come some rain showers out of the Gulf of Mexico. It's not a tropical system, but certainly heavy to tropical showers possible later on today for that much damaged area.

Some showers through New York today. Also, the potential for some strong weather, still the remnants of what was Katrina here, western New York. Rain showers all the way even into Quebec and Ontario. There you see the clear skies over the Southeast. That could lead to a few thunderstorms, as well, with all that sunshine and all that heat. That pops up temperatures into the middle and upper 90s -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: As you say, relief but maybe not welcome relief.

MYERS: Right.

S. O'BRIEN: Chad, thanks.

Well, as rescue and relief efforts go on in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, Louisiana's governor has declared a statewide day of prayer for the victims.

Bishop Paul Morton leads a congregation of 20,000 people at the Greater St. Stephens Full Gospel Baptist Church in New Orleans.

Bishop Morton joins us here this morning to tell us how folks there are dealing with the devastation.

You're here because you told your congregation on Sunday to get out.

BISHOP PAUL MORTON, GREATER ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH: Yes. It was time to get out. And, of course, our mayor called a mandatory evacuation and I believe that we have to obey them who are in authority. And I just believe that all of our members are out.

Our major problem is communication with people who did not leave, because you really can't call anybody right in the City of New Orleans. So that's the difficult part for us, because a pastor likes to be with his flock at a time like this.

S. O'BRIEN: I've got to imagine your flock really needs u.

MORTON: Oh, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Twenty thousand people minimum, and they're already spread out. But now they're really scattered, literally.

MORTON: Yes. All over the place. Yes. Some are in Houston, in Memphis. And we're getting calls there. But we're still worried about those that are right in the City of New Orleans.

S. O'BRIEN: Have you heard from anybody within New Orleans?

MORTON: No, we have not. We tried to make connections. We hear about those who made it out. We get those calls, I got out, I just got out yesterday. But still people are there. We know that we have some members that are there and that's why we're really, really praying at a time like this.

S. O'BRIEN: In addition to praying really hard, what else are you trying to do?

MORTON: Well, I really want to make more of a connection because I believe that I want to let people know that they can't not panic at this time. And I speak on the behalf of pastors in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana. Because we are concerned and we know that they're without their shepherds, without their pastors. And it's not a time to panic. And just stay away from these particular areas at this particular time.

I think that we have to do that. When we get back, we're going to get a plan together. I believe that god has allowed us, our lives are spared for a reason. And we will survive. We are going to make it. And I want to encourage people everywhere, to let them know in these areas of Louisiana, New Orleans, the people that I love dearly, it's going to be all right. I know that.

S. O'BRIEN: You've had personal losses in addition to the issues with your congregation. Your home was destroyed.

MORTON: My home was destroyed.

S. O'BRIEN: You have friends missing.

MORTON: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: You have family members...

MORTON: Yes. It's a deep tragedy that we're facing. One of my -- we had one church in three locations in New Orleans. We lost our largest location, in East New Orleans. So we're dealing with that. And now with the levee, our uptown church is, you know, in jeopardy. So we're concerned about that. The one on the West Bank is pretty safe. We're in the major parts of New Orleans, uptown, East and West Bank, and those are the areas that we are really, really dealing with and praying just for everybody in this situation.

S. O'BRIEN: When can you get back, because, you know, it's hard to be the shepherd from a distance?

MORTON: Yes. Well, I've been talking with the chief of police and as soon as I can get the release to go back and share -- they're just not letting anybody in right now. But as soon as I can, because that's the place that I want to be right now and I think the people need us. I believe even with the looting and all of this that is going on, I believe that we can kind of calm that down, to let people know how important that is, because we've got to get a plan together. And I think that's what it is. People are hungry. They've got to eat after a few days.

But that is just the way I think we need to handle it.

S. O'BRIEN: Bishop Paul Morton, thanks for talking with us this morning.

MORTON: Bless you.

S. O'BRIEN: A short break.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

Corporate America is playing a role in helping the recovery effort after Katrina.

Andy Serwer has got that.

He's minding your business this morning -- good morning.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning to you, Soledad.

You know, after the tsunami, American businesses contributed over half a billion dollars in relief aid and cash in kind, goods and services. And we are now starting to see some of that kind of effort pouring into the tri-state region in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.

Here we're just going to go through some of these, Soledad.

Exxon-Mobile, Amerada Hess, a couple of oil companies. Wal-Mart, 123 stores closed. Price freeze. They're freezing prices on all things like chainsaws, plywood, wet drive backs, generators, if you can get one. They said you cannot find generators in that part of the country right now. Very difficult.

Move on here, Target, Office Depot and Lowe's matching customer contributions. You're going to start to see in stores across the country kiosks set up where you can donate, customers can donate contributions, as well, and they'll be matched by these companies, which is another good idea.

Harrah's hit very hard. They have casinos in that area. A million dollar employee fund. They're also going to be paying employees in the area who are out of work 90 days of pay going forward.

Anheusher-Busch, drinking water. No word on any Michelob or Budweiser. Just a little light moment there.

G.M. is donating 25...

S. O'BRIEN: They'd probably prefer the beer, but they really need the water.

SERWER: No, you've got to do water here. You don't want to start drinking beer down there. Twenty-five vehicles. Also, you can see money there.

And we're moving on, also, into some other companies, like DuPont. U-Haul, they've got a lot of storage areas in Alabama and Mississippi. They're going to open those up for people. Nissan also donating some trucks. T-Mobile allowing people to have free wi-fi in the tri-state region, I guess if you were able to salvage your laptop when you left your home. I mean, maybe that's not so practical. On the other hand, I guess if you've got one and you can use it, it kind of makes sense.

S. O'BRIEN: Right. Right. Really.

All right, Andy, thanks.

SERWER: OK.

You're welcome.

S. O'BRIEN: We're going to come back in just a moment.

The latest on the efforts to shore up parts of that collapsed levee in New Orleans. No luck so far by repair crews.

Meanwhile, water continues to rise in the downtown area and officials say that time is not on their side. Live reports just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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