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American Morning

Visit to Algiers; Coming Home

Aired September 19, 2005 - 08:30   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: CNN has teamed up with National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. We're showing the faces, have been since Saturday morning, trying to reunite some families.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And in fact, since the efforts got under way at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, calls to the center have tripled. Twenty-three cases, we were told, have been resolved, 15 directly with CNN's help. That's good news.

M. O'BRIEN: To help locate one of the children, please call the number at the bottom of your screen. It is 800-843-5678, if my version is serving me well there. I think it is, and we would love to tell a few more good stories by the end of this day.

S. O'BRIEN: And another good way to remember it is 1-800-the- lost. That's even easier. So you make a phone call, they'll get it.

Let's go back to New Orleans. That's what Carol...

No, let's not.

M. O'BRIEN: Let's go to Kelly Wallace first, shall we? Kelly Wallace is going to check headlines, then we'll check in with Carol Costello.

Kelly, good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Exactly. Good morning, Miles. And good morning, everyone.

Now in the news, tourists and nonresidents in the Florida Keys are being told to get out before Rita strikes. The tropical storm is moving through the southeastern Bahamas. It could become a category- one hurricane later today.

Chad Myers is tracking Rita's path, and we'll check in with him in just a moment.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, you could say, is butting heads with FEMA officials. He wants 180,000 homeowners to return to parts of the city in the next week or two. But Vice Admiral Thad Allen, who's in charge of the federal disaster response, is warning people it may be too soon to come back. The two are expected to meet later today.

In overseas news, the White House is quote, "cautiously optimistic" about North Korea's pledge to give up its nuclear weapons program. That's according to a Bush administration official. North Korea has promised to abandon its weapons program and join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The development coming during six-nation talks in Beijing. In exchange, the countries involved, including the United States, agree to provide North Korea with energy assistance.

Former Tyco chief Dennis Kozlowski is facing sentencing today. Kozlowski and Tyco's former finance chief were convicted back in June on charges including grand larceny and securities fraud. Each could get up to 30 years in prison. Kozlowski is set to appear in a New York courtroom next hour.

And in entertainment news, everybody still loves Raymond. The show won an Emmy for outstanding comedy series for its ninth and final season. In the meantime, newcomer "Lost" also grabbed top honors. That show was honored in the best drama category. And Felicity Huffman, anything but desperate. She became a first-time Emmy winner for her role as one of the ladies of Wisteria Lane in "Desperate Housewives." And we will hear more about the other big winners and losers coming up. That gets you caught up.

But we want to continue our coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Our very own Carol Costello is in Algiers this morning.

Good morning, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Kelly.

And Algiers is coming alive. I'm at a distribution center. You can see they're already working to set food out. That's Marlowe in there. She's a volunteer. She's setting up the food items like Rice Krispy Treats and honey buns. And if talk a look down the way -- we're going to get a shot of these people already waiting -- they want water and ice. This distribution center doesn't open up for another half hour. But they're here waiting. They want to get started. They back to their homes. And as you're going to see, the reason is, is this a very tight-knit community examine, and they are ready to return to normal.

Here is Carol Lin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Block-by-block, the people of New Orleans are coming home again. As the city moves toward recovery and rebuilding, we're taking you to the neighborhoods, talking with the people and getting a sense of what they're up against zip code by zip code, starting with 70114.

New Orleans, 70114, nestled along the banks of Mississippi, a five-minute ride from the French Quarter, just across the river from Canal Street. A neighborhood of modest Creole cottages, rich in history, spanning from the time of the slave trade through the Civil War. It's home to Algiers Point, the second oldest neighborhood in New Orleans.

Before Katrina, this was an area bustling with young families, three-quarters of them African-Americans, families now coming home to Katrina's destruction. The people who live here, for the most part, rely on the service industry for work. Many are secretaries, administrators, clerical workers and retail sales professionals.

Before the storm, more than a third of the families here relied on public transportation. According to the latest census, 41 percent of the families owned one car. Just 20 percent owned two.

This is a zip code with plenty of local color. Off the beaten path of many tourists, the area is home to the house of the seven sisters. It is also home to Mardi Gras World, which boasts the world's largest fleet of floats. It's now been converted to a distribution center, offering drinking water and ice to those who stayed behind, and those who are just coming back. The courthouse has been here for more than a hundred years.

While the courthouse is old, most of the residents here are young. The average age is just 30, with an average household income of just over $31,000 a year. By comparison, the national average is about $44,000 a year.

Before Katrina, housing prices were just over half the national average. Post-Katrina, well, that's anyone's guess.

Carol Lin, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: As I said, people are so eager to get back to the neighborhood, no one is so eager as councilwoman Jackie Clarkson, and she joins us live now.

Thanks for coming over so early in the morning.

JACKIE CLARKSON, NEW ORLEANS COUNCIL: Good morning.

Well, we're up anyway, and we're up and really going this morning. Welcome to New Orleans. We're officially opening the first district council office today in Algiers for District C, and Algiers will rebuild, the great city of New Orleans.

COSTELLO: You are such a cheerleader. I talked to you yesterday, and I was excited about it, I'm telling you, but there are still some problems, as far as FEMA is concerned...

CLARKSON: Not really.

COSTELLO: ... because Not many grocery stores are open.

CLARKSON: But you have to understand on the west bank of the river, which is actually it's the west bank of the way the river flows, it's east-southeast of the city, we have three parishes, three communities. And I'm Orleans, Algiers, and then we have Plaquemine on one side, and Jefferson, Gretna on the other, and they have grocery stores, and we have a drugstore, and between the three of us, we have it all. And we are used to existing over here away from our main cities as a west bank suburban community, and...

COSTELLO: But what about gas? Not many gas stations are open.

CLARKSON: Three places for gas. That's plenty when you've had none.

COSTELLO: Well, let's talk about the 911 system, because if something happens, you can't just call 911 and expect someone to come.

CLARKSON: No, we have a special number. We have a special number that they call, and it's been printed, it's been published, and it's been put everywhere. And we have all of that ironed out. We have four different groups of police over here in addition to our fourth district. We have -- including special agents, ICE (ph), federal agents. We have Army and National Guard. We have 82nd Airborne, and we're secure. We have phones. We've always had phone service. We have pure water, drinking water, potable water, and we have sewer, we have garbage pickup. We have more and more stores ready to come online that we're talking to.

And most importantly, we have a lunch of eager citizens that are ready to rebuild New Orleans. I have more volunteers to run my office than I've ever had, and I have a lot of volunteers.

COSTELLO: And so your community is very lucky, because it had a separate water system, and it's electrical system was above ground. But when you go back over the river and take a look at the French Quarter, which is also an area you represent.

CLARKSON: Yes.

COSTELLO: Is that ready for business?

CLARKSON: It will be next. It'll be next and it'll will be soon.

COSTELLO: Should it be soon, though?

CLARKSON: Sure.

COSTELLO: I mean, you can't drink the tap water there. The electricity is very spotty.

CLARKSON: Well, the electricity is being done as we speak for the French Quarter and some of my other east bank communities, which are Mariny (ph), by water, Esclamay (ph) Ridge, Trumay (ph), St. Rock (ph), and Auburn St. John (ph). I can't leave them out. And as soon as Algiers is up and running, Algiers will help me focus on that area.

And the French Quarter, it will be next, as well as the CBD. We will bring home the heart of our tourism and our economy, our business economy.

COSTELLO: Well, you know that there is a rift between the feds and Mayor Nagin.

CLARKSON: I wouldn't call it that.

COSTELLO: They think Mayor Nagin -- well, maybe it's not a rift, but it's certainly a difference of opinion.

CLARKSON: Well, the mayor is trying to run his city, as he should. And all we're asking the feds to do is help, not come tell us what to do.

COSTELLO: FEMA, a lot of people in this neighborhood are wondering where FEMA has been. In fact, this distribution center was set up by the residents of Algiers?

CLARKSON: Well, it was actually set you up by the Church of Christ, from Nashville, Tennessee. And thanks to the residents, we have people to help with it. Pastor Brown set one up on General Meyer (ph) Avenue the day after the storm all on his own with volunteers. This community is self-sufficient.

COSTELLO: So you don't need FEMA?

CLARKSON: Well, we need FEMA now. We should of had them day one, but they're here today, at they're here at Landry High School, and they will be doing all of the insurance, and FEMA, and unemployment and processing, and so they are finally here, but they're here, and they're here strong, and I've met with them, and they're going to be a wonderful, integral part of that community.

COSTELLO: We hope so.

CLARKSON: So we will have everything. We have everything in Algiers. We're used to being a self-sufficient community.

And most importantly, we were the community that built the city. The city started in the French Quarter, with the seat of government and aristocracy. This was the blue collar community that built the city, and we'll do it again.

COSTELLO: You're such a great cheerleader. Well, thank you very much Councilwoman Clarkson for coming out so early.

CLARKSON: Thank you. Thank you.

COSTELLO: Back to you, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Carol. Well, if a town can be rebuilt based on cheerleading alone, she's the one to do it.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, got some good news to tell you about out at the gas pump for a change.

M. O'BRIEN: Finally, 8:41, we have good news!

S. O'BRIEN: Andy is "Minding Your Business," just ahead. M. O'BRIEN: And more on Katrina's aftermath. We'll ask one business owner why he won't return to New Orleans any time soon, even though technically he's allowed to. Little things like running water, details, you know? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is allowing some business owners to return to the city this week. Some question, though, whether it's safe to return when the basic services like water and power and gas aren't even on.

Jarrod Nackley owns a sandwich shop in New Orleans. He also recently bought his first home near Loyola University. He is in Baton Rouge this morning. Jarrod, nice to talk to you. Thanks for being with us.

First, the business downtown, the home uptown. What's the condition of both of them or do you not know?

JARROD NACKLEY, NEW ORLEANS BUSINESS OWNER: I do know. I was able to get into the city on Friday, luckily, and surveyed both businesses and my home. And they both survived relatively well.

S. O'BRIEN: So, then, what's your plan for both of them? Will you go back in as the mayor starts opening up the doors and allowing folks in?

NACKLEY: I can't wait to get back in. Right now, I don't have usable water for my businesses or my home. My zip code is slated to come in on Wednesday, if I'm not mistaken. So my neighborhood grocery stores, gas stations and those sort of things aren't open yet. So I'm going to just hold off for a little while, and get back as soon as I can.

S. O'BRIEN: There's no indication that they're going to -- forgive me for tripping on you there. There's no real indication that they're going to be open by Wednesday. So when your zip code comes up, if, indeed, it is on Wednesday -- and I know the mayor is sort of holding off and it's kind of going day day-by-day, would you go in without those services or will you hold off until everything is a hundred percent back?

NACKLEY: I'll hold up till everything is a hundred percent back. I don't really see the point in being able to get into a home or business. I certainly can't conduct my business without potable water. And you know, even having electricity to your home, which may or may not be true, I don't know. Based on what I saw, it's going to be quite some time. So there doesn't seem to be much to go back to, unfortunately, right now. I'll be the first one there when I know it's -- everything's ready to go. But right now, there's just not quite enough services to return to.

S. O'BRIEN: What about the mayor's plan to sort of bring the business owners back to bring the business up and running? It sounds like you're kind of saying we're putting the cart before the horse. NACKLEY: Possibly. I can't wait to get back. We also have the issue of employees. I have employees scattered throughout the country right now. Some I'm not even sure quite where they are. So it won't be that easy. But as soon as I'm able to, I will get back and I can't wait to get back to the city and be part of the rebuilding process. But it might just take a little bit longer than people are realizing right now.

S. O'BRIEN: And how are you communicating with your employees, those, at least, that you've been able to find? How did you track them down?

NACKLEY: Well, finally through cell phones. Of course, the area codes that we all have are very spotty right now. Just keep trying and trying. And we've all gotten through to each other. One, I don't know where she is, but I know she's safe.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh. Well, that's good news, at least. At least you don't have to worry too much about that. Roly-Poly is the franchise. You're wearing the hat. We can see that.

NACKLEY: That's right.

S. O'BRIEN: How did your business survive outside of the storm and the subsequent storm? How about the looting?

NACKLEY: Very luckily, we were not looted. I'm in one of my locations right in downtown New Orleans, in Shell Square (ph), that office building was untouched. Another one luckily was right across from a Winn-Dixie that did get severely looted but, for some reason, my store did not. I guess it wasn't a juicy enough target for them compared to a Winn-Dixie or a Walgreen's. So it was boarded up very well, also, and luckily, survived.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, gosh. You had a lot of good luck then.

NACKLEY: I did.

S. O'BRIEN: Do you think you're going to eventually go back? I mean, will you go back forever, outside of just checking out your house and checking out business> Will you remain and live in New Orleans?

NACKLEY: I will. I can't wait to get back to New Orleans. I love the city. I've only been there about three and a half years, but it's the kind of place that really gets into your blood. And I love it. I can't wait to be part of the rebuilding process. It's just going to take some time.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, time and a lot of work, one would imagine. Jarrod Nackley joining us. Good luck to you. Thanks for sharing your story with us. We appreciate it.

NACKLEY: Thank you so much for having me.

S. O'BRIEN: My pleasure. Miles?

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come in the program, Andy "Minding Your Business." Prices going down at the gas pump. I'll say it again! Prices going down at the gas pump! But how long will it last? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Some relief at the gas pump, albeit maybe momentary. We'll find out. Plus, a proposal to build the first U.S. refinery in more than three decades from an unlikely builder, perhaps -- well, maybe it's not unlikely. I don't know. Andy Serwer is here with that.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" COLUMNIST: Got some stuff for you, here. Let's talk about gas prices, first of all. Because we do have some good news at the pump. Prices plummeting now, coming down from that Katrina high. $2.80 now, 25 cent decrease over the past two weeks. That means that you're -- you fill up a tank with an SUV, you're saving $4 or $5 now from what were paying a couple of weeks ago. Still, almost a dollar higher than it was a year ago.

The problem is Tropical Storm Rita is making oil prices go back up. Concerns that it could damage rigs and pumps in the Gulf region. And that may affect gas prices later in the week. And here we go again. It will be nice to have this hurricane season over. Meanwhile...

M. O'BRIEN: We got a ways to go.

SERWER: We do.

M. O'BRIEN: I hate to say it.

SERWER: Goes to October, right?

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it does.

SERWER: Meanwhile, we haven't built a new oil refinery in this country in three decades. And you know, that's the problem here, because apparently enough oil out there, but it's converting it to gasoline and heating oil that's the problem.

The Kuwaitis are now offering to build an oil refinery in the United States, which is a very interesting notion. They said they want to get U.S. partner, a company here to do it with them. And this could be interesting stuff.

Shaikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who is the Kuwaiti oil administer right there, has made the offer. So far, no response from any oil companies in the U.S. or from the U.S. government, and no word on where this would go, but it will be something that will be kicked around, I'm sure.

Let's talk about the markets. M. O'BRIEN: Of course, where is always a big thing.

SERWER: Yes. Where is a big -- in your backyard, perhaps?

M. O'BRIEN: Well, exactly...

SERWER: That's the whole point.

M. O'BRIEN: It's a nimby (ph) kind of thing. Just quickly, November 30th is -- the hurricane season ends.

SERWER: Oh, I'm sorry.

M. O'BRIEN: So we've got -- we could be getting into the Greek alphabet

SERWER: That's right. Markets last week, slipping a little bit here. You can see -- well, actually, I'm not sure. I have some confusion here about the screen. In any event, futures are down this morning because of Tropical Storm Rita.

M. O'BRIEN: Just, you know, digest the numbers at will, in other words.

SERWER: Exactly. Yes, you're on your own.

M. O'BRIEN: You're on your own on that one. Do the math at home, folks. Andy Serwer, thanks very much.

SERWER: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Kind of sounds like what Mayor Ray Nagin said to the people who are coming back in. Well, you know, good luck, you're on your own, welcome back.

Let's talk about the Emmy awards. Did you stay up to see it last night? If you did, you're probably pretty sleepy. Many people agree, though, that the show struck just the right balance between amusing banter and respect for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Sibila Vargas has our report this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELLEN DEGENERES, EMMY AWARDS HOST: Come on, if you don't win tonight, it doesn't mean you're not a good person, it just means you're not a good actor.

(LAUGHTER)

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Emmys featured plenty of one-name stars, between Ellen, Whoopi, The Donald and Conan. But it was another name that loomed over them, Katrina. DEGENERES: Our thoughts and our prayers go out to everyone affected.

VARGAS: The hurricane was a recurring theme during the telecast. Some stars wore magnolias, the state flower of Louisiana and Mississippi. And CBS pointed viewers to its Web site where they could donate to hurricane victims through Habitat for Humanity.

Presenter Jon Stewart drew laughs with the rant that he pretended had been censored by CBS.

JON STEWART, ACTOR: There's something I'd like to say to the government officials in charge, thank you all of you local, state. Local and state. The most confident, acceptable, shockingly ept response ever.

VARGAS: A couple of the night's winners also referred to Katrina.

PATRICIA ARQUETTE, BEST ACTRESS-DRAMA: And I really want to send my respect and gratitude to all the volunteers who are helping out right now.

VARGAS (on camera): With Hurricane Katrina hitting just three weeks ago, the disaster wasn't far from people's mind, whether it was on the stage or here on the red carpet.

HUGH LAURIE, BEST ACTOR NOMINEE: This is not a problem that is going to be solved in a matter of weeks or months. This is something that is going to affect people's lives for maybe a decade.

GLENN CLOSE, BEST ACTRESS NOMINEE: I think it was shameful. I think it was shocking that it was handled so badly.

VARGAS (voice-over): Some stars were not shy about expressing their political opinions.

NAVEEN ANDREWS, BEST ACTOR NOMINEE: It's now obvious to everyone what this government's priorities really are.

VARGAS: The real purpose of the Emmys, of course, were to hand out trophies. That went ahead as planned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Lost."

VARGAS: Newcomer "Lost" won for best drama. And veteran sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," which ended its run last season, won for best comedy.

Backstage the consensus was that the show struck the right note.

TONY SHALHOUB, BEST ACTOR-COMEDY: It is a night of celebration. And I think it really had a perfect balance. For us in the audience, it was a lot of fun.

VARGAS: Sibila Vargas, CNN, Hollywood. (END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Some other emotional moments, when David Letterman paid a special tribute to Johnny Carson, and the Emmys salute to news anchors Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather and the late Peter Jennings.

Coming up in just a moment, is New Orleans moving too fast to try to bring people back into that city? The latest on that rift between federal officials and the mayor, just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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