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The Situation Room
FEMA Director Recalled to Washington; New Orleans Authorities Collect Guns; Thad Allen to Head Relief Operations on the Ground
Aired September 09, 2005 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Wolf Blitzer and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where news and information arrive in one place simultaneously. Standing by, CNN reporters across the U.S. to bring you complete coverage on the state of emergency.
Happening now, fallout at FEMA. The embattled director, Michael Brown, is being sent back to Washington. Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen will take charge of relief operations in the disaster zone.
In New Orleans, troops and police go door to door collecting guns now and telling holdouts to leave. The next step, as the waters recede, collecting bodies.
From the war zone to the disaster zone, National Guard troops returning from Iraq to find their homes destroyed and their families scattered.
You are in THE SITUATION ROOM.
There's a new man in charge of the relief and recovery mission in the disaster zone. We will get to that in just a minute. But all along the Gulf Coast, the mission itself remains critical. Navy helicopters operating over New Orleans have moved their base from Florida's Pensacola Naval Air Station to the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman, which is now on the scene. The move will save fuel and flying time.
Get this. Mexican sailors have landed in Mississippi, bringing relief supplies and equipment. And a Mexican Army detachment is now in San Antonio, Texas, setting up mobile kitchens and water treatment facilities to help evacuees.
For the first time today, evacuees are receiving mail at the makeshift post office at Houston's Astrodome complex. Postal officials say that now that FEMA forms are being filled out, they'll be able to make deliveries right there.
Other developments we're following on the state of emergency.
Security first and foremost. New Orleans officials say their city is now fully secured; 14,000 troops are on patrol in New Orleans; 800 firefighters from New York, Illinois and Maryland are now aiding the remaining members of the New Orleans Fire Department.
Flooding and levees. The Army Corps of Engineers says water in New Orleans is receding by as much as half-a-foot per day. Two levees in New Orleans remain breached. Barges are back on the Mississippi River, meaning Midwest farmers can ship grain to Gulf Coast grain elevators.
Recovery. In Louisiana, 350,000 households remain without power. Damage to housing, aircraft hangers and equipment totals nearly $1 billion at six military bases in the disaster zone. As far as animals are concerned, animal welfare groups say they've rescued up to 1,000 pets in New Orleans.
The chips may be falling at FEMA. The director, Michael Brown, is being relieved of responsibility for relief operations along the Gulf Coast. A senior Coast Guard officer will take charge of operations on the ground.
CNN's Jeff Koinange is on the ground for us in New Orleans.
But let's begin with Jeanne Meserve of our America bureau. She's got the latest on the fallout at FEMA. Jeanne, what is going on?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the thundering criticism of the federal response to Katrina not costing FEMA director Michael Brown his job, at least not at this point. But he is being sent back to Washington, and someone else is being put in charge on the ground of the relief effort.
There has been a torrent of criticism relating to the speed, quality and quantity of FEMA's efforts and about Brown, his understanding of the situation, and even his qualifications for his job. Sources say Vice President Dick Cheney heard an earful about FEMA during his visit to the Gulf region yesterday, but that it was Michael Chertoff, the secretary of Homeland Security, who decided change was necessary. And he is the one who made the announcement today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, SECRETARY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Hurricane Katrina will go down as the largest natural disaster in American history. Mike Brown has done everything he possibly could to coordinate the federal response to this unprecedented challenge. I appreciate his work, as does everybody here.
I also appreciate the tireless efforts of the men and women of FEMA, many of whom were shoulder to shoulder with those who were victims of the hurricane and the flood, as well as the efforts...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: Replacing Brown as principal federal official is Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen, who had been acting as Brown's deputy in the response. Chertoff says Allen will help foster a seamless interaction with the military, which is playing a large part in the hurricane recovery. Those who know Allen say he's a no-nonsense individual who can get things done.
But this switch is not silencing all critics. Some Democratic members of Congress have written a letter to the president saying they want Brown removed from FEMA altogether and right now. Wolf.
BLITZER: I noticed, Jeanne, at the news conference, when the secretary of Homeland Security made the announcement, he was asked about this latest report in "Time" magazine that Mr. Brown had embellished his resume. And he didn't directly answer that question and he insisted on saying, the ground rules are, I am answering questions, and he didn't even let Mr. Brown speak. What's going on?
MESERVE: Well, he had set ground rules for the press conference. And, clearly, they don't want to talk about Mr. Brown anymore. The person they want to talk about is Thad Allen. He's the one who will be in command of things moving forward.
Let's play that exchange for our viewers, just so they get a little flavor of what happened there. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: Is this the first step in Mr. Brown's resignation?
Can you answer that, Mr. Brown, please?
And also, how do you respond to reports that you embellished your resume? There was the report in "Time" magazine.
CHERTOFF: Here are the ground rules. I'm going to answer the questions. I've explained what we're doing. I thought I was about as clear as I possibly could be in English as to what I'm doing and why I'm doing it.
Next question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Does this mean, in effect, Jeanne, that Mr. Brown has nothing to do with Katrina anymore? He's being delegated to other potential disasters out there?
MESERVE: I don't know if it means he has nothing to do with Katrina. But, clearly, they want him to be looking at the big picture. Chertoff mentioned there were other storms brewing that might affect the U.S. And clearly, there could be other sorts of events, terrorist attacks, even, and FEMA would have to handle any response to those.
So, that's how they are couching it. But clearly, they want Michael Brown out of the limelight. They've had him out of the limelight for several days. But now they want someone else to have their hands on this, to be on the ground making things happen.
BLITZER: That would be Vice Admiral Thad Allen.
Jeanne, thanks very much for that report.
Police and troops are warning holdouts to get out of New Orleans and they are searching for remains of those who will never make it out.
CNN's Jeff Koinange, our man on the scene for us in New Orleans, with today's developments. Jeff?
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf. And you know what? Day 12 and it's getting pretty tedious. We went out most of this morning from neighborhood to neighborhood, following policemen, armed forces, trying to convince people to leave the city, Wolf. And it's almost like pulling teeth. A lot of people don't want to leave.
Some people have had it, have been emaciated, have run out of food and water and are agreeing. But there are those stragglers, Wolf, people who are simply adamant about leaving. We were into one area where the water is up to our knees, and the people still thinking that it's going to recede and they don't have to leave, Wolf. It's such a terrible situation. It's going to reach a head at some point. There's going to be a standoff where the police or armed forces will have to force people out of the city, because the water situation is getting even worse. And there's a fear of an outbreak of disease, Wolf.
BLITZER: We also are getting indications that they are still trying to use the power of persuasion to remove these people. Is there any evidence people physically have been forced to leave their homes yet?
KOINANGE: Haven't seen that, Wolf. And we have followed quite a few different units as they go from neighborhood to neighborhood. And they insist to us, they tell us, no, we're not going to force anybody. We're going to try and convince them. We are going to try and persuade them.
They've succeeded to a point. But there are just those people who refuse adamantly. They don't want to leave the city, Wolf. They have pets in the house. They have homes that they -- they are not sure will be secure when they leave. Bottom line, they are going to stay for as long as it takes, Wolf.
BLITZER: Check these pictures right now, Jeff. And I want to show our viewers these pictures. A bus has just arrived in New Orleans. And let's show our viewers what's going on. These are troops from Louisiana who have just come back today from -- from Iraq.
They are now back in Louisiana, Alexandria, Louisiana, specifically. They are reuniting with their family and their loved ones. These are U.S. troops, National Guard personnel, who had spent all these many months serving in Iraq. They are now back on -- in Louisiana in the aftermath of this hurricane. And they'll presumably have an opportunity to catch up with their family, their loved ones, see what's going on.
Many of them certainly have lost their -- certainly, many of them have lost their jobs and many of them are still worried about their family and their friends, troops from Baghdad now in Louisiana.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is on the scene for us. A pretty happy reunion right now, Ed. ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, you can imagine, Wolf.
You know, many of these families have gone through quite a bit. We were prepared to bring you an interview with one mother who was waiting for her son to come off the bus. And right before we were about to go on the air, she said, I'm not sticking around with you anymore. So, she ran over to the bus now. You might imagine, talking to her, her son is much more important.
You see the soldiers here lining up. They'll be put into formation and then there will be a brief ceremony here. And then, after that, the mayhem will ensue, as many of these soldiers will begin to see their families for the first time. This is the first wave of some 3,000 reservists that will be making their way back from Iraq. They have spent the last year, Wolf, patrolling the streets around the Baghdad Airport, a very dangerous duty, as you might have imagined -- you might imagine -- battling the insurgents in and around the airport, such an important target there for the military.
This unit has lost 35 soldiers during their yearlong tour in Iraq. And, you know, they've now come back.
Here she -- here she is. Here she is.
(CROSSTALK)
LAVANDERA: Where is he?
TONGIE LONDOT, MOTHER OF GUARDSMAN: He's in the middle. His face is that way.
Randy (ph)!
LAVANDERA: There he is. There he is, waving.
(LAUGHTER)
LAVANDERA: How are you feeling?
LONDOT: I'm feeling wonderful.
LAVANDERA: You guys have been through so much in the last two weeks. Not only has your son been a year in Iraq, the hurricane. You aren't living in your home. What does he come back to?
LONDOT: He doesn't know yet, but he's not coming back to anything. He just has us. He has -- that's it. He doesn't know that, though.
LAVANDERA: You haven't told him much about what has happened?
LONDOT: I didn't tell him anything. I don't want him -- I just want him to be home. I don't want him to worry. And if he gets hurt because he's thinking about home, then I cost him his life. So, I didn't tell him nothing. I just told him, everything's fine, and we just want you to come home. LAVANDERA: He looks pretty happy.
LONDOT: Yes, he does. Yes, he does. Wait until I tell him about his car. He's not going to be happy.
LAVANDERA: Oh, we need to fill folks -- fill in folks on -- you were telling me the story about -- his pride and joy is what?
LONDOT: Is red hotrod Acura that he's worked on for four years, body kit, T.V.s (ph), nitro, super sports car. He painted it before he left and I parked it in the gym where my daughters practice. And the doors were blown in and it tore up the front of his car.
And he doesn't know that. And all he ever texts is, how is my car, mom? You starting my car, mom? You know, check how is it. And I just tell him, his car is fine.
LAVANDERA: It's those little things that get soldiers through their tour, I imagine, isn't it?
LONDOT: Yes, he loves -- yes. Yes. That's -- he's a boy.
(LAUGHTER)
LONDOT: Muscles, girls and cars. Mom's home cooking.
(LAUGHTER)
LAVANDERA: Tongie Londot, very -- very colorful woman, you are.
(LAUGHTER)
BLITZER: Ed, if you can hear me, maybe you could ask her -- ask her how long these troops have been in Iraq. When were they supposed to come back? Have they been rushed back because of this disaster called Katrina?
LAVANDERA: Sure. I can tell you, Wolf, they were deployed to Iraq last September.
LONDOT: Yes.
LAVANDERA: They left, were in Kuwait for a while. They made it into...
(CARS HONKING)
(CHEERING)
LAVANDERA: Oh. Made it...
(CROSSTALK)
LONDOT: My son has been in Baghdad, Camp Liberty, for a year.
LAVANDERA: Right, for a year, and very dangerous duty. They were supposed to come back several weeks from now, but because of the hurricane, they rushed them home.
LONDOT: Well, in fact, he was very upset because he had been extended and was going to have to stay and be attached to another unit. And he was really upset about that the week before the hurricane. And we had canceled flights to see him when he got home. And then the hurricane came and then the text message was, mom, I get to come home.
And I saw a sergeant talk on TV about them coming home. So, now they've come home just a little bit early.
LAVANDERA: You know, it's so tough. These guys and men and women want to come home, a year of tough, tough work in Iraq. They want rest and relaxation. But, if you are coming home to New Orleans, there's no R&R right now.
LONDOT: I hate to admit it, but I think he's safer in Iraq than what he is in my own city right now.
When we went home to gather belongings -- Jefferson Parish let us go home for 48 hours, is what we had -- and we had to be out by 6:00 to get clothes. The National Guardsman in front of my subdivision said there had been shooting in the neighborhood while we were there and we'd be safe -- safest if we left. So, I won't be going back.
If they are shooting at the Army, what the hell do you think they're going to do to me? So...
LAVANDERA: What have you -- have you talked to other families? What -- I understand that a lot of them are going to have the option of remaining in the reserves and, if they need a job, they can continue working. Is that your understanding as well?
LONDOT: What I understood from the meeting they just had for us inside that building was that the boys were given a choice to volunteer to work in the city. If they volunteer to work in the city, then they can have four days off, 10 days in the city at active- duty pay.
For those who don't volunteer, we were told, they would remain at Fort Polk seven days a week with no days off, and they would not be leaving to come home today. And I know my son doesn't know that, because he wouldn't be volunteering to do anything but come home and help his mama, his grandma and his two sisters.
LAVANDERA: So, you have got to think that they were toward the end of this, and they were...
LONDOT: And they think it's over.
LAVANDERA: And they were almost home, ready to get a well- deserved break. But that's just not the case.
(CROSSTALK)
LONDOT: No, not at all. And the problem is, they don't know it. So, who is going to tell them? Me?
LAVANDERA: Right.
LONDOT: I don't want to break his heart twice.
LAVANDERA: Well, why don't you take a quick look over there at your son and enjoy the view?
(CROSSTALK)
LONDOT: ... know where...
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
LAVANDERA: Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: You know, it's very interesting. What are we going to see happening now, Ed, as this event unfolds? Is there going to be a formal ceremony there?
LAVANDERA: Yes. Right now, what they -- what they've done is, they have all of the soldiers lined up here at attention. They will have a brief ceremony here. There are -- several of the commanders and the leaders of the unit have -- have some words that -- it's just pretty typical. And they -- they -- when these soldiers come back from Iraq, there's a ceremony like this.
But what is fascinating about this is that they try to set up a lot of rules as all of this -- as all of this is beginning. But once you bring in family members who haven't seen their loved ones in a year, the rules seem to kind of go by the wayside as soon as they see their soldiers arrive here at these ceremonies.
So, right now, technically, no one has had a chance really to go up and hug their soldiers or their loved ones. But here, after this brief ceremony is over, you'll be able to see people get really emotional, Wolf.
BLITZER: Maybe, Ed, you can invite her and her son to come join you. And we'd love to be able to ask him a few questions as well, or any of those troops who have just come back from Iraq, what it feels like to now be back in their home state of Louisiana, getting ready for their next mission, which isn't to protect the streets or the airport of Baghdad, but which is to protect New Orleans itself.
All right, Ed, we're going to check back with you and watch this ceremony unfold as well.
We're getting some new video that's coming in to CNN right now. These are aerial shots. Look at this, the destruction that these helicopter shots -- these are pictures that are just coming in to CNN right now and an area that clearly was devastated by this hurricane., more of these pictures. As many as -- as much as you see these pictures, it's still shocking. It's still quite a jolt when you see them once again and you see the floodwaters that certainly remain in so much of New Orleans.
We're going to keep these pictures up, so you can get a glimpse now. It's almost two weeks this weekend. We were getting all those warnings two weeks ago of what was about to hit New Orleans and Mississippi and Alabama, and now we see the results. Monday morning, it will be exactly two weeks.
Jack Cafferty is watching these new pictures with us as well. Jack is joining us from New York.
I'm happy for those troops who are back from Iraq, but they've got a mess on their hands in Louisiana as well, Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, but you know what? Just being home, they have got to be happy. And they'll get into that job that they've got down there in Louisiana, but it's Louisiana. It ain't Baghdad. Pardon me, Wolf.
Let's go back to FEMA for a minute. It's become my favorite topic in the last week or so. In addition to being incompetent, it looks now like FEMA Director Michael Brown is also a liar. "Time" magazine has found discrepancies about his background, his resume, if you will. "Time" reports that Brown's bio posted on the FEMA Web site claims that he was an assistant city manager in Edmond, Oklahoma, with emergency services oversight.
Contacted in Oklahoma, officials in the town of Edmond say that he was an assistant to the city manager. That would be an intern. And he didn't have oversight over anybody. There's more. Brown's profile on a legal Web site said he was a -- quote -- "outstanding political science professor at Central State University." Officials at the university say he was a student there, not a professor.
And the same profile claims that Brown has been director of the Oklahoma Christian Home for over 20 years. An administrator at the nursing home told "Time" magazine nobody there has ever heard of him. In response, FEMA says that "Time" based their piece on online information Mr. Brown has never seen.
Earlier this week, based on his abysmal performance in the days following the hurricane, we asked the question, should he be -- should he resign. As Emeril Lagasse is fond of saying over there on the Food Network, which is my second favorite cable channel, we're going to kick it up a notch now.
The question today is, should FEMA Director Michael Brown be fired? Duh. CaffertyFile -- one word -- @CNN.com.
This guy is just an all-around embarrassment. He can't do the job. He's got people under him who have no experience in disaster or emergency management of any kind. And now it turns out he's lying about stuff on his resume. I mean, how do you keep a guy like that on the payroll? I don't care if they ship him back to Washington or Boise, Idaho, or where they send him. They've got to cut him loose. This guy is a joke. BLITZER: Well, they have humiliated him today by removing him from being on the scene and bringing him back to a desk job in Washington.
CAFFERTY: Yes, but you know what? He's still collecting a paycheck. And you know who is paying for it? You and me, Mr. Blitzer.
BLITZER: All right. Good point. Jack, we will check back with you, hear what our viewers have to think about that as well.
We are going to continue to watch all these stories. We're getting new video in, helicopter continuing to fly over New Orleans. We're also watching that emotional ceremony in Alexandria, Louisiana, where troops just back from Iraq, Louisiana National Guard forces, are reunited with their families. But most of them are going to get back to work very quickly, dealing with the situation in their home state.
We will also watch the littlest victims of this storm, perhaps those who need the most attention, children displaced by Katrina. Coming up, we will tell you what's being done to reunite missing kids with their families. This is a tough story to cover.
And long lines, little patience, lots of confusion. Evacuees desperately waiting for much-needed money on those debit cards, they may now have to get their funds another way.
And since Katrina came through, the world has been watching the disaster and the U.S. response. And now the world is reacting. More on that, what people around the world are saying.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're getting a lot of satellite feeds coming in from all over the region, including from Alexandria, Louisiana. U.S. military forces, members of the Louisiana National Guard, they've cut short their stay in Iraq to come back here in the United States right now in order to deal with what's happening in their home state of Louisiana.
Here, you see some of those troops reunited with their family members, very happy troops right now. But most of them pretty soon are going to be on the streets of New Orleans or elsewhere dealing with this current problem that affects their state.
The family members there, they are all very, very happy. And we're going to go back there shortly and speak to some of them, speak to some of their family members, the reuniting of U.S. military forces just back from Baghdad, now in Louisiana, we're happy about that.
We want to update you on a story now we brought you yesterday, reuniting Hurricane Katrina's missing children with their families. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is involved, deeply involved, right now trying to help out.
Our Brian Todd once again in Alexandria, Virginia, with details of what's happening today. Brian?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, you mentioned a moment ago that this is a very tough story to cover. Indeed, you can feel it in this room in a very palpable sense.
If you take a look around this room, this is where the Katrina missing persons hotline is set up. Dozens of volunteers taking here literally hundreds of calls an hour. These are all former law enforcement officers.
The story has gotten tougher today, because we got some new numbers for you, Wolf. A total of 1,500 children have been reported missing. That is an increase of more than 500 from yesterday. Of those, though, there are some success stories. Two-hundred and fifty- eight have been recovered. But it leaves a sum total now of 1,242 children now listed as missing from Hurricane Katrina.
Right now, I'm joined by Ernie Allen, the president and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Mr. Allen, thank you very much for joining us.
What I'm going to do, Wolf, if you'll put some of these pictures up on the screen for us, we're going to talk about a certain category of child that we have from this disaster. These are children who have actually been found, been found, but are still looking for their parents. These are kids who are in shelters, but still looking for their parents.
The first one is Kiarra Roberts. Look at this picture of this little girl. She is not even 1 year old. They say in the -- in the -- on the Web site here that she may be 1 year old. She was separated by -- from her caretaker by Hurricane Katrina. She was found in New Orleans some time on Monday.
Check out this little boy, Roy Williams, 3 years old, another category here, separated by caretaker -- excuse me -- from caretaker by Hurricane Katrina.
I want to ask Mr. Allen, when you say on the Web site separated from caretaker, what does that mean? Does it mean a grandmother, aunt? What are we talking about?
ERNIE ALLEN, CEO, NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN: In most cases, what it means is that we're dealing with very young children and our description of who they are separated from is a function of what they can tell us.
So, we may not know. A 1-year-old, a 2-year-old may not be able to tell you who their mother is or exactly who they were living with.
TODD: And you talk about that kind of a logistical challenge. Check out this picture, Wolf. It's an unknown female child. And Mr. Allen just talked about a child who may be up to 2 years old.
They have no name for this child, no date of birth. They say she may be about 2 years old. And you can see it there. She arrived at the Kelly USA Center in San Antonio two days ago.
Now, again, Mr. Allen, an enormous logistical challenge, a child who may not be able to communicate, right?
ALLEN: It's huge. All we can do is take her picture. We took that photograph with a digital camera and put it in front of as many eyes as we can in the region and nationwide and then follow the trail. Hopefully, somebody knows who this little girl is.
TODD: And she may be very well traumatized. Now, some 2 year olds can speak. And some, especially some who have been through something like this, cannot speak, right?
ALLEN: Well, I mean, these children have seen their whole lives washed away.
TODD: Right.
ALLEN: Everything that they depended on, all of their safety net, is gone. Now they are in the company of strangers. It's not a surprise that they are not real communicative.
TODD: All right, thank you again, Mr. Allen. Great work you're doing here.
Wolf, I want to highlight again the number. If anybody has information on the child we just talked about or any of the children that we are putting up on the screen, the number is 1-888-544-5475. You can also go to www.MissingKids.com.
Very quickly, one great success story from a story that we reported to you yesterday. Megan Carter, a 13-year-old girl who is autistic, you can look up at her case up on the screen now. It has been resolved. She has been recovered. We told you about her yesterday. Wolf, that is one success story that we can report.
BLITZER: All right, Brian. Thank you very much, Brian Todd, reporting for us.
Our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton, is here to tell us how some people are caring for the kids affected by Katrina. Abbi?
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Wolf, thousands of children and their families have been evacuated to Houston, Texas, to the Astrodome and to the Reliant Center there. And volunteers are working with them.
I wanted to bring you the story and the Web site of three of those volunteers, three self-described soccer moms. That's the way they described themselves to me, Johna DiMuzio, Carol Gunn and Janine Schueppert, who have working with the children there and set up an impromptu art project, katrinaskidsproject.org, inviting children there staying at the Reliant Center to come over.
They have makeshift tables set up. Come along and draw pictures. And they found very early on that these children were recording their experiences during the hurricane and the evacuation.
Let me show you some of them. This one from Irene (ph), age 10, with a car in the floodwaters. Another one here, the Katrina. You can see the storm there enveloping another vehicle. This one here from Donald, the rescue attempt coming along.
Now, they are gathering all these pictures together in -- at the Web site. They are also photocopying them on to fabric and inviting adults at the center to come along and make these into quilts that they are hoping that they can auction off for charity at some point.
Over 100 children were doing this yesterday, says Janine. She hopes it can continue. She's saying that these kids are now helping other kids and enjoying that experience. Kids like Alicia (ph) here, whose picture is very simple, but says, "I will love New Orleans and Texas forever".
Wolf.
BLITZER: Very moving. I love those kids. Thanks very much, Abbi, for that.
A programming note you will want to take note of: Tonight, CNN's PAULA ZAHN NOW will air "Children of the Storm," featuring the innocent and vulnerable victims of Hurricane Katrina. That airs tonight, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.
There are literally thousands of stories like them, each one heartbreaking. Coming up, we will introduce you to one mother desperately looking for her missing son. And she's hoping you can help. Maybe you can.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The Katrina disaster is dominating headlines not only here in the United States, but around the world as well. Our Zain Verjee is at the CNN Center with a closer look at some of the international reaction. Hi, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Wolf. The response to the disaster was the focus of a "Japan Times" editorial. It says, "Katrina surprised a woefully ill prepared administration. Bush and his officials failed in their most basic responsibility, to maintain the peaceful social framework within which Americans normally live and work together".
But Britain's "Guardian" newspaper cautions this and says, those who think they might do better by saying "Before we get too piously smug about America, just imagine a flood crashing through the Thames barrier and drowning London and Essex. What would we see? Essentially the same thing, even if Mayor Ken Livingstone did evacuation well."
And there's a downright optimistic note in the "Ottawa Citizen" where John Robson writes this: "This is the United States of America, which critics knock at every opportunity for its energetic, dynamic, can-do spirit that promptly confounds most of their criticism. I do not deny the tragedy and lives lost cannot be recovered, but if you think Americans will let the birthplace of jazz die, you don't know Americans."
Wolf?
BLITZER: Zain, I want you and our viewers to look at this video I'm going to show our viewers. We spoke about this yesterday. Now we're getting new tape in. These are Mexican troops. Mexican troops involved in cleanup operations in Biloxi, Mississippi. The first time in more than 150 years Mexican forces are operating inside the United States. Got to go back to the Mexican American War for that.
But this is pretty remarkable as we see this international show of solidarity with the United States.
VERJEE: Yes, absolutely. We've been seeing that solidarity and that sympathy really outpouring from much of the world. The Mexican troops are among the more than 90 countries and international organizations offering their assistance to the United States.
So many of them around the world have really, Wolf, have seen an outpouring, digging deep into their own pockets, both individually and on a country and international assistance level to help the United States of America.
And so many people also have been on holiday to New Orleans. Have been to school there or have enjoyed the jazz and the people of America and in New Orleans and really, they want to see pictures like this to show that they care and that they want to help.
BLITZER: And I think it's going to do some good in trying to improve relations between the United States and so many countries around the world. Zain, we're going to get back to you, thank you very much.
Some victims of Katrina may soon be getting a relief of a different kind -- a break on their mortgages. Our Ali Velshi is in New York. He's got the "Bottom Line" on this part of the story. What's going on, Ali?
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Wolf. It seems like cold comfort, but the reality is for -- a lot of these people who have homes, they aren't getting mail. They may not have homes to go to. But what has happened is Freddie Mac, one of two federal housing agencies, has asked thousands of lenders across the country to return automatic mortgage payments that were made for September. So if they were automatically taken out of people's bank accounts, put them back. They've asked them to return by check or any other method, any mortgage payments that were made through other means.
If somebody sent their mortgage payment in by check to give that money back. And then they are looking at forbearance where a lender can hold off taking payments for about a year. Washington Mutual has already agreed to do this. We're checking with other mortgage lenders. Citigroup has saying that they have suspended collection calls on credit card payments. They are not reporting late payments from people in the affected region to credit bureaus and things like that.
Again, cold comfort because that's actually not going to be the first thing on people's minds. First thing on people's minds is, if they've got a home or not. But we are now starting to look at the things that companies and businesses are doing and lenders are doing to help those people who have faced remarkable devastation, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Ali, thank you very much. We're going to get back to you pretty soon as well.
We'll take another quick break. When we come back, your answers to our question of the hour. Jack Cafferty is sorting through your email. He'll be back with us.
Plus, all the day's other developments right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Throughout the day here on CNN our Deborah Feyerick has been updating us on the current operations in the disaster zone. She's joining us now live with the latest status alert. What are you picking up, Deb?
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this is what we're hearing. And this comes from an expert close to the victim recovery efforts. That is, after the tsunami, Thailand was able to recover its dead faster than the recovery effort that has been mounted here in the United States. In Thailand it took just several days to get a system into place. Here, two weeks later, almost two weeks later and there's still no formal recovery effort on the ground. Not in Louisiana.
We're getting numbers like 118 that have so far been collected. That is just a fraction of all those people thought to have died as a result of this hurricane. Now the military does not pick up the remains, human remains. The parishes themselves are really the ones responsible. They have asked the federal government for help. We are being told that the federal government reached out to a private company, the same company, actually, that was doing recovery efforts in Thailand. But so far, FEMA has not given this company, Kenyon International, the green light to go out and mount the kind of effort that needs to be mounted in order to get everybody back and into some sort of a morgue.
Now the parishes, their hands are tied because you have to remember, they were virtually wiped out -- their coroners' offices gone, the mortuary and morgue gone. So again, they are really relying on help from the federal government.
But we are told by some of our sources, they describe the situation with the government as a paralyzing amount of bureaucracy. And they say there's no true coordination that is going on right now. What's happening is that the few teams that are in place to begin this arduous task, they are being sent to the same places two and three times. So it's a very, very slow effort.
Wolf?
BLITZER: All right. Deb Feyerick in New York. Deb, thank you very much. She's going to be checking back with us. We're going to check back with her, actually, throughout this program.
Working to reunite families separated by disaster. We'll take you live to the Houston Astrodome and one mother's quest to find her four- year-old son. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: After some snags, those so-called debit cards are being distributed to evacuees. At the Astrodome complex in Houston, people waited in long lines overnight to get their cards, each worth $2,000. Evacuees in Dallas and San Antonio are also getting these cards. But because of the lines and the confusion in Houston, FEMA is now going to go back to its old methods of delivering aid in other parts of the country. That means evacuees will get checks and electronic transfer of funds.
The number of people sheltered at the Astrodome complex in Houston has dropped to about 7,000 as evacuees find other housing. Many have been finding their families. Others are still searching.
CNN's Betty Nguyen is now joining us from Houston with more on this story. Betty?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, you know, every day, people come up to us asking to please put this information on the air. This next person I want to introduce you to, her story is just so heart-wrenching. She's looking for her only child, a four-year-old son who is missing. This is Erika Fernandez. Erica, I know this is very difficult for you. You've been so extremely upset. But if you would, tell me a little bit about your son.
ERIAK FERNANDEZ, EVACUEE LOOKING FOR SON: My son's name is Damian Wilson (ph) and he's four years old. And we got split up because I wanted to stay home, but he wanted to leave with my mother and my father. So I haven't talked to him, I haven't seen him since the day before the hurricane. I think that was September -- not September -- the 28, that was the last time that I saw him, of last month.
NGUYEN: The days have just been running together for you, I know. What have you been doing to try to find him because you did find some family members?
FERNANDEZ: Yes, I found my mother. I've been calling and calling and calling, and they have been having a lot of opportunities for housing and different assistance and stuff like that. But I'm really not interested in that right now. I'm interested on getting my child and getting my son. So I've been making a lot of phone calls to my sister, to Red Cross in different states and stuff like that. But it's like every time I make a move, I'm running into a brick wall. And I'm trying to get my son. NGUYEN: And if you would, tell me where people can call to find information on how to get in touch with you because you don't have a cell phone number unfortunately.
FERNANDEZ: No. I don't have a cell phone number at this time. But where I'm staying at in the Astrodome. My friend Karen Perkins has a cell phone. And I gave it to you at the top.
NGUYEN: And we'll give another number out. Lastly, after we give this number, for anyone who may know where your son is or maybe if he is even watching, what would you like to say?
FERNANDEZ: Damian, mom is looking for you, too, and I love you and miss you so much and I'm trying my best to get to you. That's all I want and that's all I need. I need to get to you right now and mommy misses you and I'm going to see you soon and I'm all right. And I know you're all right. But I just need to get to you.
NGUYEN: And you'll just put your hands around him and touch him and squeeze him.
FERNANDEZ: And hug him and hold him. And that's it. That's all I want.
NGUYEN: Well, we wish you the very best. Hopefully you'll find him. Have faith that you will.
I'm going to give out the number right now. Of course, Erika doesn't have a cell phone. All she has is this number of the Holiday Inn at the Astrodome. We're going to put it up right now. It's 713- 790-1900, room 808. This is a desperate mom looking for her only child. Just a 4-year-old little boy. So if you know any information, call that number.
Wolf, I can't hear you right now but I want to bring you an update from the lady we spoke with yesterday, Sharon Webb. She was looking for her son. After about an hour of waiting, after we got off live, she came running back and said, I found him, I found him! She found her son. She is so elated, so happy. And that's one satisfied mother. We want to make Erika another satisfied mother. So hopefully someone will have some information about her son out there.
BLITZER: If we can reunite these families, it is such a pleasure to hear those stories. I know you can't hear me, Betty, but thanks very much. We'll check back with you.
And don't forget, more of these stories coming up. Our CNN special on the missing children, the most vulnerable. A special PAULA ZAHN NOW tonight 8:00 p.m. Eastern. You'll want to see that here on CNN.
We've been telling you all about the fallout at FEMA, and we've been asking you about the director, Michael Brown. Instead of returning to Washington, should he be packing his bags for good? Our Jack Cafferty has your thoughts and your email. That's coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: The Katrina disaster is arguably the biggest story the news media have covered since the terror attacks of 9/11.
For a look at the coverage, we're joined by our CNN special correspondent, Frank Sesno. He's a professor of public policy and communication at George Mason University. Contrast if you want to, Frank, a little bit, the coverage of 9/11 and the coverage of Katrina.
FRANK SESNO, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: It's very different and it's very stark. The coverage of 9/11 really was something shrouded. It was an unexpected event -- a terrorist event. And the president of the United States emerged there as the commander in chief president, principally because it was swift, unexpected, death was dramatic and there was -- there were evildoers. There was an enemy.
In this particular case, it's very hard to identify who the enemy is. And so this coverage, rather than being framed in the media as about evil and heroism in response, instead has been framed largely as a critical event, and a lot of criticism of those who are supposed to be in charge. I'm not a big fan, Wolf, of Google research, but if you Google "Katrina" and "heroism," and "Katrina" and "criticism," keywords, you find something remarkable. "Katrina" and "heroism," 200,000 hits. "Katrina" and "criticism," 3.7 million hits. So this is a story that has focused a lot of critical media coverage on government at all levels.
BLITZER: And there's been a different treatment of the president of the United States as a result as well.
SESNO: Totally different. The gloves are off. The sheen is off. The commander in chief image is off. Instead, this is a president who is portrayed as being on the defensive, tone deaf and slow. Fair? Partially perhaps. There are lots of other people who will be blamed.
The other big difference is that this story is still unfolding. We are still in the information stage of this story because we don't know how many dead there are. We don't know how vast the destruction is. So there's going to be a long, long time for the story to sink in and the investigations to come back even more critically.
BLITZER: Good food for thought. Frank Sesno, thanks very much. We'll talk about this a lot in the coming weeks and months, I presume.
Jack Cafferty has been going through your email on the question of the hour. He's joining us now live from New York with the "Cafferty File."
Before you do that, Jack, let me read to you what Michael Brown has told the Associated Press. He said this -- asked about the decision earlier that he's going to come back to Washington and not be the man on charge on the scene in Louisiana, he said, "I'm going to go home and walk my dog and hug my wife and maybe get a good Mexican meal and a stiff margarita and a full night's sleep. And then I'm going to go right back to FEMA and continue to do all I can to help those victims." Then he added this. "This story is not about me. This story is about the worst disaster of the history of our country that stretched every government to its limit and now we have to help these victims."
All right, go ahead, Jack. Pick it up.
CAFFERTY: I wonder if he'll put that in his resume, too.
I was listening to Frank Sesno, Wolf. And I think one of the reasons there's been so much criticism of the response to Hurricane Katrina is that it has jumped into the public consciousness as a glaring example of the kind of government inefficiency and failure that we all think on some level exists almost everywhere.
Whether you go to traffic court, whether you try to appeal your property taxes, whether you try and collect your veterans' benefits, there is this sense that government ain't getting the job done. And all of a sudden comes Katrina and it's like, well, there's the proof of what we've all been suspicious of all along.
An investigation by "Time" magazine suggesting that FEMA Director Michael Brown who is going to go home and have a margarita now that he doesn't have to worry about the people who are dying in New Orleans, may have lied about his background.
In light of his failures, in conjunction with Katrina, his lack of qualifications and lying on his resume, here's the question. Should FEMA Director Michael Brown be fired? We're not getting a lot of emails saying no, he's a great guy and they ought to promote him.
Kevin in Carrollton, Virginia, "Although I generally think you should be fired, I must wholly agree with you this time. Michael Brown should never have been given a chance to resign but instead should be arrested."
Laura in Edgewater, Maryland, "Yes, 1,000 times yes. Brown should be fired. He's the best example of incompetent cronyism that has become the hallmark of the Bush administration. His incompetence has cost hundreds if not thousands of lives." But he's going to have a margarita when he gets home, that's good."
Christine, "That piece you did on the FEMA director speaks to just how easy it is in the information age to obtain information on any individual's personal or personnel record. Jack, now you need to write a piece on the procedure and background checks that must not have been performed on him prior to his appointment as FEMA director."
Bam! As Emeril Lagasse would say.
Dennis knows "some hysterical reporting and unverified facts do not constitute a valid reason for being fired in any situation. What if someone started looking into your background and bio and found discrepancies and immediately demanded your firing."
Gavin in Maryville, Indiana. "Michael brown should be allowed to stay on, but only if FEMA is changed to the "Failure to Effectively Manage Anything."
And Cal writes, "Arabian horses everywhere are once again living in fear, knowing that Michael Brown is coming back to manage them."
Wolf?
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Jack Cafferty. We'll be checking back in a few moments.
The debate is getting testier about whether some Katrina victims died because they are poor and black. Still coming up, the always outspoken Democratic Party chairman, Governor Howard Dean on what he calls some ugly truths. He'll be here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: It's about time for the closing bell on Wall Street. Millions of Americans outside the hurricane zone could soon feel the effects of Katrina with a predicted surge in natural gas prices. So let's get a little more on all of this.
Ali Velshi is in New York. Ali?
VELSHI: Hey, Wolf. I want to pull the camera out and take a look at this. It doesn't look like anything else. It's one of those things I always have around. It smells like something. It's heating oil. It's actually red in color. It's not as dark as it looks on TV. Thirty one percent more for all of you Americans who use this to heat your homes.
And that's not going to be the tough part. The tough part is if you use natural gas to heat your homes, dry your clothes, cook your food, whatever the case is, you are looking at a bill -- I mentioned this yesterday -- the Department of Energy says 71 percent more than you paid last winter.
Why? Because there's a lot of natural gas that comes from the Gulf of Mexico. About half of it that we use comes from the Gulf of Mexico and 40 percent of that is still shut down. It's also expected to be a colder winter this year. As a result, we're looking at more for gas.
Let's take a look at what natural gas gets used for. I can't show it to you because you can't see it, but let's take a look at what it gets used for.
You'll see that big bunch there. The yellow block is residential uses. The big blue part, pie is industrial uses. It makes -- you need it to make steel, you need it to generate electricity, electrical power. That's the big red part of the pie. This is going to affect everybody, whether or not you use natural gas to cool or air condition your home, Wolf.
BLITZER: So that's going to be a nice chunk of change. Let's talk a little bit about what's happening on Wall Street, Ali.
VELSHI: Right now, oil down once again, $64, roughly, per barrel and that's helping stock markets do better. We're looking at a Dow closing about three quarters of a percent higher, 76 points higher to 10,671. The NASDAQ is closing about 8 points higher to 2,175. Those numbers will settle in over the course of the next half hour or so. We'll bring you any significant changes, Wolf.
BLITZER: So it ends on an up note, at least for the time being. Ali, thank you very much, Ali Velshi in New York.
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