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The Situation Room
Congress Investigates Katrina Response; President Bush Visits Disaster Zone; Katrina Chaos Exaggerated by Local Officials?
Aired September 27, 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 at one place simultaneously. Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States to bring you the day's top stories.
Happening now, it's 3:00 on Capitol Hill, where a congressional panel is looking into the response to the Katrina disaster. The former FEMA chief blames the failures on others, calling Louisiana state and local officials dysfunctional.
It's 2:00 Central along the Gulf Coast, where President Bush makes yet another trip to the disaster zone and tells Americans to just say no to unnecessary travel.
And, in New Orleans, top officials told chilling tales of murder and mayhem inside the mass shelters, but were they just tall tales?
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
The Gulf Coast today is taking stock after a second catastrophic storm. But, as some measure the wrath of Rita, others are finally heading back to the homes damaged by Katrina.
Here in Washington, the Congress wants to know what went wrong when Katrina struck. But the former FEMA director, Mike Brown, insists the blame is not his to shoulder.
Our Mary Snow is standing by live in New Orleans.
But let's go to Capitol Hill. Our congressional correspondent, Ed Henry, is standing by. Quite a little hearing going on there today, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf, five hours and counting. Michael Brown, in the hot seat, finally firing back at critics who have questioned his credentials and credibility, also lampooned his conduct at FEMA.
And as you know, Michael Brown used to oversee Arabian horse shows. And what a show he has put on today, dodging questions about his own conduct and also pointing the finger of blame directly at local and state officials. Rather than take any responsibility at all, instead, he said the biggest mistake he made was on that first Saturday, two days before Katrina hit, when, in his words, he failed to realize that -- quote -- "Louisiana was dysfunctional." That rankled even some Republicans. BLITZER: All right, hold on one second, Ed. I want to just interrupt for a second. I want to go right to the hearing.
Chris Shays, Republican from Connecticut, asking some tough questions of Mike Brown.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
REP. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS (R), CONNECTICUT: Mr. Brown, hold on one sec. You are under oath as saying you didn't get the money to implement what you learned from Hurricane Pam. And you're telling us that your numbers were depleted, your dollars were depleted, and you saw your department eviscerated. That's what you told this committee now.
MICHAEL BROWN, FORMER FEMA DIRECTOR: That's correct.
SHAYS: What is the point of telling this committee now? Why didn't you do that to Congress publicly and on the record before a disaster, so that then you would have had everything you needed to deal with this tragedy? Why didn't you do that?
BROWN: Well, first of all, ever since -- well, I shouldn't say "ever since," but I have not testified recently at any sort of appropriations hearing where I would have had that opportunity to do so. And so I have done that privately with members of Congress.
SHAYS: So then let me tell you what I feel. I feel like this is payback for you to be on the payroll. And I feel like you weren't fired because the bottom line was you had made these arguments privately. And so I'm left with the feeling like the administration feels they have to protect you because you warned them. But you didn't warn us.
BROWN: Well, you should come over here and sit in this chair and see how protected you feel; feel how it feels to be yanked out of where you were trying to do your damndest to make something work and told to go back home; and make the decision that you're going to quit because you're no longer effective, that you're no longer effective because the media is spreading lies about a resume...
SHAYS: No, because you didn't do a good job is why you were let go, because you were clueless about what was happening, and because you allowed the department to be eviscerated without publicly speaking out and making sure it didn't happen...
BROWN: Congressman, you make your choice about how to deal with it. And I made my choice about how to deal with it. And I think that you and I can just respectfully disagree.
However, I don't think that I'm clueless. I think I know exactly what I've been doing and what I've been trying to accomplish.
SHAYS: The bottom line is you told us you did not have the resources to implement Hurricane Pam, and you're telling us that FEMA did not have the people or the money to respond to Hurricane Katrina. And that's a pretty shocking thing to tell us.
Let me ask you: What do you think are the key background ingredients for director of FEMA? What do you need?
BROWN: Management skills.
SHAYS: What else?
BROWN: Organizational skills.
SHAYS: What else?
BROWN: You need to be able to lead people, put the right people in place, put good people around you that can really -- not "yes" people but people who are going to argue and give you the pros and cons of the decisions that you have to make, and then be willing to make those decisions and carry forward with it.
SHAYS: You took umbrage at a comment that I made that said you only gave two lessons learned in your opening statement and you said there were lots more. The first was that you would hold regular press briefings and not let the press do it on their timetable but you'd do it on yours. And the second is that you would do a better job of persuading the governor and mayor to work together. In other words, that's a big regret.
The second one sounds to me like a job interview where you ask someone, what is your biggest fault? And they say, I work too hard.
I mean, your second regret is basically putting huge blame on the governor and the mayor. I'm interested to know if you have any regrets that show something that you failed to do because you were at fault.
BROWN: I think this record speaks for itself. I've told you about the mistakes.
SHAYS: No, I want you to say to me what -- not blaming someone else for not getting someone else to do what you wanted them to do, not blaming the press because you didn't do press conferences the way you should have done. But what about what you did? What mistakes did you make that relate to you?
BROWN: I told you -- I said, just literally less than five minutes ago, that I should have called for the military at least 24 hours earlier.
SHAYS: Why only 24 hours earlier?
BROWN: Because once I got on the ground in Baton Rouge...
SHAYS: And when was that?
BROWN: That was Sunday afternoon. And once I saw what that was like, and I had that gut feel, that instinctive feel which you have from knowing how to manage people and know what's going on, that it's not going to work, in hindsight I should have done it right then. SHAYS: I'll just conclude by saying, you know, I think when everyone in the local and state level is overwhelmed, as they were, I think the American people expect that the federal government will step in and add their collective resource -- in other words, the local community only has so much, the state only has so much, but the federal government has a collective resource and a huge expertise.
And what I've learned from this hearing is that you saw huge liabilities, huge areas where there was a void. And you felt that you didn't have the right to fill the void.
And my view is -- I think one of the answers I would have given to what you need as a FEMA director, I would have said that you need someone who takes charge, who is willing to step into the breach. And if they've overstepped, they'll take the criticism, because they're saving lives and helping people. I would have felt that was another part of that answer.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
REP. TOM DAVIS (R-VA), CHAIRMAN, SELECT COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE THE PREPARATION FOR AND RESPONSE TO HURRICANE KATRINA : Thank you very much.
Mr. Jefferson has one quick request he wants to make. I may ask a unanimous consent, but I want to recognize him.
REP. WILLIAM JEFFERSON (D-LA): I want to ask unanimous consent that I submit for the record these letters that are requesting information from various entities in the agencies, including from Mr. Chertoff, from Mr. Strock, Mr. Card...
DAVIS: Mr. Rumsfeld, I see; Mr. Leavitt of the Department of Health and Human Services is in there; the governor of Louisiana
BLITZER: All right, we're going to break away from this hearing, a very, very testy hearing. It's been going on now for five hours on Capitol Hill, the former FEMA director, Michael Brown, being grilled by members of this committee and a couple Democrats who have come in as well.
Let me go back to Ed Henry. He's standing by on Capitol Hill.
This has been rather difficult for Michael Brown to explain his responsibilities. He clearly feels he's being made a scapegoat. And he's also blaming Mayor Nagin in New Orleans and Governor Blanco in Louisiana for the most serious problems that emerged right as Katrina was unfolding.
HENRY: Right, and a very heavy charge there from Republican Congressman Chris shays, basically suggesting that, as you know, CNN first reported last week that Michael Brown is still on the federal payroll, even though he resigned, Chris Shays suggesting there that Michael Brown is toeing the line now and shifting the blame to local and state officials because he's still on the federal payroll, a heavy charge there. But also, as you noted, Wolf, this -- this effort to shift the blame to local and state officials, earlier today, there was another tense exchange where Chris Shays basically goaded Michael Brown and said, Rudy Giuliani would never pass the buck like this.
Tough talk, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Ed Henry, stand by. We're going to get back to you.
I want to bring in Mary Snow. She's in New Orleans getting reaction to Michael Brown's testimony. What are you picking up, Mary?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, just minutes ago, the mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, came by. And he was asked about Michael Brown's comments today, particularly about the comments that the city was dysfunctional. He is saying that it is still too early to play the blame game.
And specifically questioned about the city being dysfunctional, here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR RAY NAGIN (D), NEW ORLEANS: Well, I don't know what he's referring to. We were hit with a Category 5 hurricane. I don't know what else to say.
QUESTION: But was it dysfunctional?
NAGIN: We were saving lives. We were rescuing people. We were trying to evacuate. It was very hectic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: And Wolf, Mayor Nagin also adding -- quote -- in terms of Michael Brown, "I feel sorry for him" and that he's trying to deflect attention and that saying, obviously, Mr. Brown is maybe under a lot of pressure.
And that's just the latest reaction to Michael Brown's comments, this as the city of New Orleans tries to rebuild. And we're on Canal Street and Main Street, with -- just lined with businesses. Business owners are starting to come back in to try to assess their damage and get the city back up and going.
Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Mary, stand by. I want to get back to you as well.
Only moments ago, the president addressed some of these issues. He's on his seventh visit to the Gulf region. He was earlier today in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He is speaking together with the governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I talked to some of these parish presidents and mayors of the affected area. I came down to make sure that things are going the best they possibly can go.
First of all, I want to compliment local folks for the heroic effort they made to save life. I understand there's a lot of frustrations with the people who left this part of the country. People who are scattered around want to come back and see their homes. And they want to come back to the communities they love.
But it's very important for them to understand that now is not the time to come back, until they get the utilities up and running and until they can get the sewer systems running, until they can get some water people can drink. I heard loud and clear from -- from the parish presidents and the mayors that, you know, people are getting frustrated.
And I understand that frustration. But I think it's very important to listen to the governors and the governor and the local folks about the conditions at home. People are working hard to get the utilities up and they're working hard to get fuel here for people. And this area is going to rebuild and it's going to grow again.
Those who have been displaced and those in the affected areas know that they can call a FEMA number to get a $2,000 check for each family. And that will help you in your time away from your home. So, please call and register.
Last night, we made the decision that the people affected by Rita will be treated the same way, with a $2,000 check, as those treated -- those affected by Katrina.
And so, anyway, Governor, thanks for having me.
Senators and Congressmen, thank you for coming. I particularly want to thank these parish presidents and mayors for their -- if you look at them, you see -- if you look in their eyes, you see people who have been through a lot. And they are showing strong leadership. And I admire their -- I admire -- I admire the stand and the courage they take.
Governor, if you would like to say something.
GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO (D), LOUISIANA: Well, Mr. President, first, let me say thank you for joining us today. As you understand...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: All right, we're going to break away.
The president, Kathleen Blanco, the governor of Louisiana, speaking to reporters after touring this area, the president, at least, for the seventh time since the start of Katrina. That's now more than a month ago.
Let's check in with our Jack Cafferty. He's watching all of this, as he does every day. Hi, Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: How you doing? Is that what they call a photo-op, that thing we just saw, Wolf?
BLITZER: That's correct.
CAFFERTY: OK. I just wanted to make sure.
BLITZER: They have people standing behind him that they want to stand behind him.
CAFFERTY: And all of -- and it's all politicians. They're all...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Well, some real -- real people, too.
CAFFERTY: Oh, they have a real person or two?
BLITZER: Yes, they have real people. They always have real people there, too.
CAFFERTY: But they're -- it's probably by invitation only, I mean, a real person, but only if you're invited.
Former FEMA Director Michael Brown did say in his testimony today that he is not -- quote -- "a superhero," which is something that I had already figured out all by myself. What I didn't know was, according to Brown, the whole Katrina fiasco was the fault of local lawmakers. I also didn't know Brown is still on the payroll. Brown said yesterday that he's being paid for about a month as a consultant to FEMA.
So, help me out here. The guy who resigned in disgrace after bungling the response to Katrina is being paid taxpayer money by the government to be a consultant. Yes, that makes sense, right?
All right. We want you to put yourself in the shoes of the congressmen at Brown's hearings today. Here's the question: What would you have asked former FEMA Director Michael Brown? CaffertyFile -- one word -- @CNN.com.
You can't make this stuff up, Wolf.
BLITZER: I think you're going to get a lot of e-mail on this question, Jack.
(LAUGHTER)
CAFFERTY: I think -- I think so.
BLITZER: All right, stand by. Thank you very much, Jack Cafferty, in New York.
Still to come here in THE SITUATION ROOM, what really happened inside the Superdome during those critical days right after Katrina? Reports of rape and violence, well, apparently they were exaggerated. Even the mayor and the police chief repeated those claims. Did they get it wrong? I will ask a National Guardsman who was there inside the Superdome.
Plus, sending help after Hurricane Rita. We will talk to the man in charge of the job, Lieutenant General Robert Clark.
And, a little bit later, President Bush gets yet another firsthand look at Rita's wrath. He's being more hands-on in the region, but will it help his poll numbers nationwide? We will take a closer look.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: They seemed to symbolize the horror that befell New Orleans, widespread stories of rapes, murders, mob rule inside the Superdome and the Convention Center. But for the most part, were they just stories? At least, that's the version, according to the commander of the troops who secured one of those sites.
Joining us now from New Orleans is Colonel Thomas Beron of the Louisiana National Guard. Colonel, thanks very much for joining us.
You were inside the Superdome during those critical days; is that right?
COL. THOMAS BERON, LOUISIANA NATIONAL GUARD: I was, Wolf. We got there the night of the -- of the hurricane on Monday night and stayed until everyone had left the Superdome and we had secured it.
BLITZER: So, what was going on inside in terms of murders, rapes, violence, mob action, if you will?
BERON: Well, essentially, Wolf, none of that. Certainly, there was some pushing and shoving matches, the typical thing you would see of a lot of people uncomfortable in close proximity. But none of the other things, assaults, homicides, none of that occurred. It was simply fabrication or exaggeration.
BLITZER: When Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans was on the "Oprah" show on September 6, a few days later, he said -- and I'm quoting now -- he said: "Watching dead bodies, watching hooligans killing people, raping people, that's the tragedy. People were trying to give us babies that were dying."
That was a reference he was making not to the Convention Center, but to the Superdome. And what you're saying is, that was a myth.
BERON: Well, I don't want to speak for the mayor. He had a job to do. And -- but I certainly -- I was there the whole time and I didn't see any of that. And I don't believe that was going on at all. I think it was a tense time, Wolf. It was a time where the communication was difficult., where, because of the water, we were a little bit of an island. And he had a job to do. And I don't want to speak for the mayor, but...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: Well, without speaking for the -- about the mayor...
BERON: That may been a little...
(CROSSTALK)
BERON: ... exaggeration.
BLITZER: Without speaking about the mayor, what you're saying is...
BERON: Sure.
BLITZER: ... what you saw and your troops saw inside the Superdome was nothing along those lines?
BERON: No, that's correct, absolutely not.
BLITZER: But you have no firsthand knowledge of what was going on at the Convention Center, which, by all accounts, was a lot worse; is that right?
BERON: That's right. I never got to the Convention Center. I really focused on the Dome. That was the first place we landed by helicopter on the night of the hurricane. And again, I stayed there. I was in charge of security and food distribution until the Dome was emptied. And I didn't go to the Convention Center. But about, I don't know, halfway through, we -- we -- we put together a force under Colonel Jack Dibido (ph). And we went and secured the Convention Center.
BLITZER: Well, what did you find when you got there? What -- what -- from your own eyewitness experience?
BERON: At the Superdome?
BLITZER: No, at the Convention Center.
BERON: I mean -- well, again, I didn't go to the Convention Center. I gave some security forces from the Superdome, when we had that situation under control, and provided them to the force that went to the Convention Center. So, I really don't have any eyewitness account of that. Everything I got was sort of second-hand.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: So, you have no first-hand knowledge of what happened at the Convention Dome -- at the Convention Center?
BERON: Not at all.
BLITZER: But what was -- what did your troops tell you, though, when they got back? BERON: Well, I mean, they -- they -- really, the situation, because we hadn't had National Guard support and there wasn't security there, other than NOPD, for a good bit of the time, I think was -- was a little more chaotic, but, you know, I didn't get many reports other than that.
BLITZER: All right. Hold on one second, Colonel. We're getting a developing story.
BERON: Sure.
BLITZER: Listen to this.
I want to bring in CNN's Zain Verjee at the CNN Center. She is working on a story. What are you picking up, Zain?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNNHN ANCHOR: Wolf, the New Orleans Police chief, Eddie Compass, is retiring. That's what we are hearing. He's going to retire after a brief transition period.
We don't know the reason he is retiring. As you well know, he's been very, very public in the aftermath of Katrina in New Orleans. Just this day, he was saying only that 249 officers -- that's about 15 percent of the force -- could face a special tribunal, because they left their posts without permission during Hurricane Katrina and the storm's chaotic aftermath. He plans to assemble some sort of special tribunal with assistant chiefs to hear some of these cases and sort out some of the deserters that left their posts and just -- that added to the difficulties in the situation after Katrina.
But what we are hearing is that the New Orleans Police chief, Eddie Compass, is retiring. We will find out more information on why when we come back.
Wolf.
BLITZER: A developing story, indeed. Zain, thank you very much.
Let's go back to New Orleans. Colonel Thomas Beron of the Louisiana National Guard is speaking with us.
Let's go back to those critical days in the Superdome, right where you were. It was relatively, in other words, you're saying violent-free? Is that what you're saying?
BERON: It was, Wolf. We had -- we started with about 300 Guardsmen the first night. And then we escalated to a high of about 700. And we had fixed stations. We had roving patrols. And we tried to interact with the people.
Remember, Wolf, Louisiana National Guardsmen provided the bulk of this. And we live with these people. These are the people my kid goes to school with. These are the people that I work with. I mean, these were not inmates or prisoners. These were people we live with who we were trying to protect. So, you know, we had a very good relationship with the people who had taken shelter at the Dome. BLITZER: Was it a dysfunctional situation at the Dome during those days, based on what you saw?
BERON: Well, it was an uncomfortable situation, Wolf, no doubt about it. The power went out. And we were on emergency power. That means that the Superdome was dark. The emergency power provided a little light, but not a heck of a lot. There was no air-conditioning. After about two days, the water pressure went down, and so the toilets overflowed.
It was not a comfortable situation. And that, with the summer heat in New Orleans, made it so. And the other part is that we had about 10,000 to 12,000 people who took shelter in the -- in the Superdome during the hurricane, but about -- we think about 18,000 or 15,000 people came in the next few days afterward, where they were up on their roofs and waded to the Superdome.
So, we really had overcrowding. And then, to top that off, the Superdome roof started leaking. Initially, we had people in the studio -- in the stadium seats, like they were watching a football game. When the roof started leaking, we got afraid that the Superdome roof might collapse. So, we had to move people out of those seats and into the hallways. And that just made it more tough for those people inside, no question about it.
BLITZER: All right, well, Colonel, thank you very much for your service. Thanks for joining us here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
BERON: Sure.
BLITZER: Appreciate it very much. Good luck to you. Good luck to everyone in Louisiana.
We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, he's the man in charge of Task Force Rita. Coming up, Lieutenant General Robert Clark. He'll join us in THE SITUATION ROOM. I will ask him how things are going in Texas, just what it will take to clean up the huge mess from Rita.
And with energy supplies hard-hit by hurricanes, President Bush is asking you to conserve. But what's the president doing himself? We will tell you.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're standing by to hear from the mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, speaking to reporters. We will go to that as soon as we get that tape.
Meanwhile, the damage from Hurricane Rita isn't limited to homes and businesses. Some oil rigs also are being impacted.
Let's bring in CNN's Ali Velshi. He's joining us with the "Bottom Line" from New York. Hi, Ali. ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Wolf. How you doing?
One of the things we realized yesterday around this time is that the price of oil was starting to go up, after having come down, because part of that was there were some reports coming in of damage offshore. And I want to tell you that, according to the Department of Interior, which monitors this, 100 percent of the oil that comes in from the Gulf of Mexico is still offline. It is all shut down. We're getting more and more reports of both rigs and platforms that have been ripped from their moorings.
Now, what you're looking at here, this is a picture of the Noble Max Smith. This is the -- this is the rig that we were on, that we got evacuated from, if you recall some weeks ago, right before Hurricane Katrina, Wolf. That one has been -- it's one of four rigs that was blown off of its moorings.
Now, if you take a look, we have got some pictures of the stuff that holds these rigs down to their moorings. This is a pretty big unit. It's held down by cables that go out about two miles each, nine cables. And, I mean, I'm telling you, they are the size of me, two miles out into the ocean. And they're -- they are plugged down by those things. This -- this rig that we were on, that we were evacuated from, is one of the four that was blown right off its moorings.
Now, the Transocean Marianas, which is what you're looking at right now, this is by -- owned by Transocean, another exploration drilling company, this -- this rig goes 25,000 feet into the seabed. It's built to stand up to 100-foot-plus waves. The company has located the rig in some shallow waters in another part of the Gulf of Mexico, 140 miles away from where it is supposed to be.
So, there is damage coming in from the Gulf of Mexico. Obviously, this is a little harder to get to. They have to get their helicopters up there. Most of these rigs -- obviously, rigs and platforms have GPS on them, so that companies can know that something is wrong. But they have to go out and see it and see if it's OK and can be brought back.
So this is the kind of damage you're seeing. When you want to know why oil production is held off, it's because of things like that, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Ali. We'll be checking back with you soon. Thank you very much, Ali Velshi with the Bottom Line in New York.
Only moments ago the mayor of New Orleans spoke to reporters. Ray Nagin speaking together with the superintendent of New Orleans Police, Eddie Compass, who apparently is going to be resigning. Let's listen to Eddie Compass first.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUPT. EDDIE COMPASS, NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPARTMENT: Every man in leadership positions must know when it's time to hand over ranks to someone else. And this time in the next to 30 to 45 days, a transition period, I'll be retiring as superintendent of police and I will be going on in another direction God has for me. I wanted to -- I will to ask you to respect my privacy, respect my decision, and just respect my right to be by myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Eddie Compass, the superintendent of New Orleans Police, announcing just a few moments ago he is stepping down within the next 30 to 45 days. Didn't offer an explanation for that decision, but it does come on the same day, at least 24 hours after it was announced, that they would start these disciplinary hearings for so many members of the New Orleans Police force that simply abandoned their jobs or went AWOL for whatever reason as Hurricane Katrina was moving in to that beleaguered city.
We're expecting to hear from the mayor momentarily. In fact, let's listen to Mayor Ray Nagin right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAGIN: This is a sad day in the city of New Orleans, when you have a hero to make a decision such as this.
I have known Eddie Compass most of my life. He's a good man. He's a man who has had some significant accomplishments as the superintendent of police. He's a man who helped to guide this city through one of the toughest times it's ever had and that was during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He's a man who is loved by many.
We will miss him, but in a way I understand where he is. It's kind of like Jim Brown, who is a great football player, won championships, won the rushing title, did great things on the field. And at the height of his career when he had done and accomplished what most people only dream of, he decided to retire on top. You have to respect someone who makes that kind of decision.
My heart goes out to the chief and his family. I'm sure his wife is probably doing a dance right now, but I wish him nothing but the best. I trust that he's going to make a lot of money after he leaves the city of New Orleans and hopefully he will at least send me a Christmas card every now and then.
He leaves the department in pretty good shape. He leaves the department with a significant amount of leadership that I have no doubt will step up to the plate. Although this is a sad day for the city of New Orleans, it's a good day for the Compass family. And I trust and I hope that their future will indeed be bright.
Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: All right, the mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, the superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, Eddie Compass, Eddie Compass announcing today he's retiring, leaving the police force in New Orleans during this difficult period within the next 30 to 45 days. He just said it was a good idea, a good time for him to do so at this time. Didn't offer a specific explanation. The mayor did not either. He wished Eddie Compass all the best. We'll continue to monitor this developing story for you, our viewers.
We're also monitoring lots of other developments, the vice admiral of the U.S. Coast Guard in charge of what is happening on the ground in Louisiana and Mississippi, Thad Allen. He's speaking with reporters. We'll hear what he has to say.
We'll also check in with the man who is in charge of Task Force Rita, Lieutenant General Robert Clark. He's standing by to join us with the latest on the recovery effort in Texas.
Plus, what would you have asked the former FEMA director, Michael Brown, who's being grilled by members of Congress on Capitol Hill today? Jack Cafferty will be back with your answers. That's coming up. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: One of the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina involves the mobilization of U.S. military forces for disaster relief. Joining us now is the commander of Task Force Rita, Lieutenant General Robert Clark. He's at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio,
Texas. General, thanks very much for joining us. How is it coming along in Texas, your area of responsibility in the aftermath of Rita?
LT. GEN. ROBERT CLARK, JOINT TASK FOR RITA: Wolf, I think it's coming along pretty well. The nine counties in east Texas that suffered the most damage are the priority counties that the state emergency operations folks are working very hard.
We are working in support of the state and Governor Perry and FEMA, and it's coming together but there is trauma out there. There's a lot of hard work left to do. And we'll just continue to get after it as best we can.
BLITZER: How many military personnel are under your command right now dealing with this crisis in eastern Texas?
CLARK: Wolf, we have about 650 altogether in the joint task force that are actually committed. And then if there are additional troops required, either from -- in the Gulf off Naval vessels or elsewhere, those forces would be assigned to us by the NORTHCOM, Northern Command commander, Admiral Keating and be committed in the area of concern, but about 650 right now.
BLITZER: Is there still search and rescue operations under way, or do you think everyone is accounted for, basically?
CLARK: I think we've pretty much accounted for those who were displaced or stranded as a result of the storm. We did a pretty clean sweep through the entire affected area with our search and rescue aircraft. And following that we transitioned to response to individual incidents, and there have been some number of those that have gone on.
The heat index in Beaumont right now is about 106 degrees, so heat is an enemy as we continue on with this operation. And we're concerned about that. But we have picked up a few people, responded to a few calls of people that have needed assistance.
BLITZER: I assume you've been up there General, to Beaumont, Port Arthur, some of the other devastated communities in that part of Texas. What's it like?
CLARK: Well, if you want -- if you compare it to Katrina, the term I would use is the damage is minor. But if it's your house or your hometown, it's significant. And I took a tour of the area, as you suggested, and in fact, I spent about seven hours in a helicopter flying over and focusing on the damage that was done all across the eastern portion of the state, even flew up the Sabine River to check the water level for potential flooding.
And you see along the coast and in Galveston and in Beaumont and in other areas pretty extensive damage, although not devastating damage, to businesses, to homes and so forth. And, of course, that's traumatic for the folks who live there. You also see power lines down and power right now is a very significant problem in east Texas.
And so the Corps of Engineers and the state officials and the energy -- corporate officials in the state of Texas are all pulling together, trying to work that power situation, because that has implications for water pumping and all kinds of other ancillary issues.
BLITZER: General Clark, good luck to you. Good luck to all the men and women working with you. Appreciate it very much. Thanks for joining us.
CLARK: My pleasure.
BLITZER: The pictures are devastating. We've been seeing them now for the past several days, especially those taken from high in the skies. Thousands of photos after Hurricane Rita are now on the Internet.
Our Internet reporter Abbi Tatton is checking the situation online. She is joining us now live. What are you picking up, Abbi?
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, the site is noaa.gov, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. What they did on Sunday is fly high over the region, as you said, and take over a thousand photographs of the devastated area along the Texas- Louisiana coastline. They're at the site.
There's a map here allowing you to zoom in on the area that you want to look at. And we can do that right now. Sabine Pass in Texas, very near to where the storm made landfall. Clicking on one of these boxes allows you to see up close and zoom in on some of the devastation right there. Further east along into the path of the storm, again. Now to Cameron, Louisiana, a town of around 2,000 people, where estimates put 80 percent of the buildings devastated. Zooming in there, you can see the extent of the damage.
You can also see places that escaped relatively unscathed. We were all worried about Galveston, Texas, the middle of last week -- worried that this island city would get the brunt of this storm. But if you zoom in on that right now, you can see, with all the pristine swimming pools, this is one area that did escape from Hurricane Rita, compared to some of the others.
Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Abbi, very interesting. Thanks very much.
The former FEMA director, by the way, he's still being grilled on Capitol Hill. What would you ask Michael Brown if you had the chance? Jack Cafferty has your answers to his e-mail question of the hour. He's standing by.
And is the country ready for a woman president? We're about to get one, at least on television. What do polls say about reality? Is the American -- are the American people ready for a woman president?
Stay with us.
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BLITZER: We're standing by to hear from Mayor Ray Nagin in New Orleans once again. We'll go there shortly. In the meantime, our Zain Verjee is joining us from the CNN Center in Atlanta with a closer look at some other stories making news right now. Hi, Zain.
VERJEE: Hi, Wolf.
New information on that bus fire that killed 24 elderly Hurricane Rita evacuees last week in Dallas. Records show that the bus operator, Global Limo, had a deficient federal driver safety rate for its last evaluation in August. Investigators say that the fiery accident began in a wheel well and was fueled by oxygen canisters belonging to the nursing home patients.
In Iraq, officials are praising the killing of Abu Azzam. Azzam is described as al Qaeda's second most dangerous operative in Iraq, and is blamed for a recent rise in violence in Baghdad since April. Officials say he was killed in raids in southeast Baghdad over the weekend.
This week, the government is ending its test program that allowed frequent air travelers to bypass extra security checks in exchange for background checks. The TSA says it's gathered enough information to see if the sophisticated security technology used actually works in an airport. Ten thousand travelers are enrolled. A version of the program will continue at Orlando's airport.
And in London, Wolf, they're back again, climbing buildings with boldness and ease. A member of Fathers for Justice perched himself on top of Britain's House of Parliament today. The man unrolled a flag reading "Does Blair Care?" Essentially that was aimed at the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Fathers for Justice has previously scaled Queen Elizabeth's London home. The group itself campaigns for the right of separated fathers to see their children.
Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Zain, quick question before I let you go. Abu Azzam, the al Qaeda number two in Iraq, how much of a setback is this for Abu Musab Al Zarqawi and his guys?
VERJEE: Well, it's -- you know, Wolf, it's really not clear the extent to which is going to affect the insurgency. Iraqi and U.S. officials are saying this was really significant. We got the number two guy here. And this man, Abu Azzam, was responsible for al Qaeda activity in Iraq, for a string of recent car bombings. So they say it's going to be a huge setback for the insurgency. But, Wolf, attacks still continue -- even this day, a suicide bombing in Iraq, targeting police recruits.
BLITZER: Zain, we'll get back to you soon. Thank you very much.
He's taking the heat for the bungled response to Hurricane Katrina. So what would you ask the embattled former FEMA boss if you could? It's the question this hour. Jack Cafferty has your answers. He's standing by.
Plus, he's calling on Americans to conserve. But is the president setting a good example? We'll explain, we'll ask.
Stay with us.
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BLITZER: Jack Cafferty has been going through your e-mail. He's joining us once again from New York. What are you picking up, Jack?
CAFFERTY: Former FEMA Director Michael Brown was on Capitol Hill today, kind of making a fool of himself defending his role in the response to Hurricane Katrina, putting most of the blame on local officials while drawing a check as a consultant to the federal government after being asked to leave the scene of Katrina and eventually resigning from his post as the head of FEMA. But the government took him on as a consultant.
Anyway, the question is this. What would you ask former FEMA Director Michael Brown if you were one of those on the panel?
Richard in Mississauga, Ontario: "At the time you were offered your previous position at FEMA, exactly what, other than your fecklessness, your unctuous and smarmy manner and your broad political connections made you feel you were qualified to hold this position?"
And some of these are even nasty. Cindy in West Chester, Pennsylvania: "How can you sleep at night knowing people suffered and died due to your inept leadership and lack of expertise?"
Brett in Atlanta, Georgia: "As to Mr. Brown's statement, 'I think I do a pretty darn good job,' I would ask him to explain what more would have to occur for him to feel that he'd failed at his job?"
Toni in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: "Mr. Brown, why are you accepting taxpayer money after failing us so badly? Would you answers to Congress be any different if you were not still being paid?"
And Les in Knoxville Tennessee: "What breed of horse did you ride and what color? How fast could it go?"
BLITZER: Did you ever notice, Jack, that we get a lot of e-mail from our good viewers in Canada?
CAFFERTY: We have a huge audience in Canada. That's true. I don't know what the reason is for that, but we must compliment them on their good taste.
BLITZER: I love those Canadians.
CAFFERTY: Yes, absolutely.
BLITZER: OK, thanks, Jack. We'll get back to you in a few minutes.
Still to come, back-to-back hurricanes, and consumer confidence. Are buyers wary? Ali Velshi has some eye-opening numbers.
Also a woman in the Oval Office? We'll find out tonight if TV viewers like the idea, but what about voters?
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
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BLITZER: You're in THE SITUATION ROOM now. It's almost time for the markets to close, the closing bell. Let's check in with our Ali Velshi. He's in New York and he's got all the latest. Some interesting news developing you're picking up, Ali.
VELSHI: Yes. You know, it's the Conference Board's Household Survey. And this is about consumer sentiment. This is an interesting survey because it's a fairly thorough measure of how people across the country are feeling. And not a lot of surprises except to say this number that came out today is the biggest monthly drop in consumer sentiment in 15 years. It's pretty serious. This is a combination of high energy prices and the job losses that we have seen.
Now, if Katrina hadn't happened and Rita hadn't happened, one of the things we would have been reporting a little more on, Wolf, is the fact that there have been a lot of announced layoffs in the last month. There's some sense that at least in some sectors of the economy, things might be slowing down.
Add to that the barrage of pictures of maybe the 200,000 or more people directly out of work because of Katrina and others who will be affected by it, and the consumer, Wolf, starts to think that maybe things aren't as great as they have been. Let me give you some numbers here. Of this survey, 20 percent of households expect business conditions to worsen in the next six months. This is bad news as we get into a holiday shopping season. Only 10 percent of households expect business conditions to improve.
Here's the big one. Twenty-five percent of households say jobs are hard to get. These are numbers that when people worry about their jobs and what they pay for energy, they worry about their own job and they spend less. When people start spending less, businesses start laying off. And that becomes your cycle. So, it's a worrisome number right now.
That, of course, has got markets struggling a little bit today. But it's obvious, Wolf, we have seen these numbers go up, particularly gas prices and energy prices. It make as lot of sense that people would be worried.
BLITZER: So, put me in the mind of the Federal Reserve. The chairman, Alan Greenspan, he sees this. He's got to think about interest rates which clearly have an enormous impact on consumers out there. How does this usually play out?
VELSHI: Well, usually it plays out as you might expect, it'd be sitting there saying, hey, we need to worry about this a bit. But Alan Greenspan just made a speech a little while ago saying, you know, the U.S. economy is very flexible.
One of the things about the U.S. economy is while it's a big sort of lumbering beast that tends to go in one direction and slowly turn, the ability to adjust interest rates and stimulate the economy, either with tax cuts or investments makes it a very flexible economy. He and the Fed are not worried. They still feel that this economy -- we're on the right track.
These consumer confidence numbers are often an indicator of what could come. And I'll tell you one of the other things that worries people in the first world is in a country like America, Wolf, when you see the things that you see for instance in Houston. Rita is gone. We keep talking how there wasn't too much, particularly in Houston, but Entergy, the power company has instituted rolling blackouts to control that. Now, this is a big city. You don't expect that kind of thing to be happening.
All these things make people worry about, you know, are we safe? Is the economy safe? Is another storm going to set us back too far?
BLITZER: You can think maybe it happens elsewhere, but in Texas where there's so much energy, you'd think they weren't going to have the rolling black-outs. You're taking a look at the markets. We're getting ready to see the markets close right now, Dow and the NASDAQ. What is going on?
VELSHI: Oil has pulled back about 75 cents to $65.07 a barrel. The Dow is closing right now. Looks to be about 12.5 points higher at 10,456. Over on the right side, NASDAQ closing 5 points lower, 2,117. We'll keep an eye on those numbers to see if they change significantly as they settle in, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Ali. Thanks very much. It's 4:00 p.m. here in Washington, and you're in THE SITUATION ROOM where news and information from around the world arrive in one place, simultaneously.
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