ABC News - Hurricane Katrina aftermath - 2005-08-31

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] store today.

[0:01] >> Chaos in New Orleans. A live report from

[0:03] Louisiana at 11.

[0:09] >> Exodus and anarchy.

[0:14] >> At a new ground zero, New Orleans. With

[0:17] food and water gone, desperation takes

[0:20] over. We want

[0:25] >> with looting and shooting. Is it too

[0:27] dangerous to go in and help? What

[0:30] happens to those left behind?

[0:32] >> No food, no water, helicopters flying

[0:35] overhead. It's ridiculous.

[0:37] >> Plus, the new face of American refugees

[0:40] on foot, by airlift, by bus. From the

[0:44] Super Dome to Houston's Astrodome.

[0:47] >> We've been on our OWN FOR 4 DAYS.

[0:50] Leaving chaos behind, trying to find

[0:53] hope. Tonight, getting out alive in the

[0:58] path of Katrina.

[1:04] Good evening and welcome to this special

[1:06] edition of Prime Time. I'm Elizabeth

[1:08] Vargas and I'm reporting live from Gulf

[1:10] Court, Mississippi, some 80 devastated

[1:13] miles from the city of New Orleans. A

[1:15] city on the brink, perhaps even over the

[1:18] brink. I am live tonight in front of one

[1:20] of the what the locals are calling here

[1:22] the last house standing on what was once

[1:24] known as Gulport's Gold Coast. You can

[1:27] see here the wind simply ripped away

[1:28] this roof. There's a staircase up in the

[1:31] corner that was sheared directly in

[1:32] half. Brick walls here once from a

[1:35] lovely lovely million-doll home been

[1:37] tossed around like they weigh absolutely

[1:40] nothing. And of course buried in the

[1:42] rubble are momentos from happier times.

[1:44] photos of little little league games,

[1:46] Christmas lights, momentos of people who

[1:48] lived here and near here. But as bad as

[1:51] things are here, they are so much worse

[1:53] today in New Orleans. The mayor there

[1:55] issued a desperate SOS. A local minister

[1:58] said, quote, "We're out here like pure

[2:01] animals. We have no help, no food, no

[2:04] water, no power, and now for the first

[2:07] time, reports of people literally dying

[2:09] in the streets." My colleague Bob

[2:11] Woodruff is there in the heart of it in

[2:12] the French Quarter in New Orleans with

[2:14] the very latest. Bob,

[2:17] >> good evening. Elizabeth, it is dark and

[2:19] quiet here in the French Quarter

[2:20] tonight. I just got back from the Super

[2:22] Dome where people are once again lining

[2:23] up to take buses to get out of the city.

[2:26] They have been living in conditions for

[2:28] the last 4 days that most Americans have

[2:30] never seen in their lives. There are

[2:31] many people here still trapped in their

[2:34] homes, but the security situation seems

[2:36] to be slowly getting under control.

[2:39] We won't help. We won't help.

[2:42] >> Today, it seemed as if all of New

[2:44] Orleans was calling out for someone,

[2:46] anyone to come to the rescue.

[2:48] >> We need help.

[2:51] >> Here outside the convention center, it

[2:53] was a grim and shocking scene. Thousands

[2:56] gathered with no food, water, or

[2:58] medicine.

[2:59] >> Nobody came out of this. We'll see how

[3:01] we move.

[3:02] >> New Orleans is hot. We can't take this.

[3:04] We've been out here for three days, and

[3:07] we've been asking for help. Just two

[3:09] days without

[3:09] >> I can't see how a bus can't pick

[3:11] somebody up.

[3:12] >> People are dying on the streets.

[3:14] Refugees are desperate to flee the hell

[3:16] that New Orleans has become. But they

[3:19] found it's almost impossible to get out.

[3:21] There are too many people, too few

[3:23] evacuation vehicles.

[3:25] >> No food, no water, helicopters flying

[3:27] overhead. It's ridiculous.

[3:29] >> Here at the Superdome, a huge crowd of

[3:31] 50 to 60,000 people overwhelmed the

[3:33] buses waiting to transport them to the

[3:35] Astrodome in Houston. Government

[3:37] officials say they hear the anguished

[3:39] cries, but they're doing all they can.

[3:41] >> We totally understand what it's like to

[3:43] be sitting on top of a roof or to be

[3:45] sitting in a shelter where it's hot,

[3:47] where you're worried about when you're

[3:48] going to be picked up, where you're

[3:50] thirsty, where you're hungry, where

[3:52] you're afraid for yourself. You're

[3:53] afraid for members of your family. This

[3:55] is a personal tragedy for everybody

[3:57] that's involved.

[3:58] >> But as the hours and days pass by, the

[4:00] situation grows ever more critical for

[4:02] those stranded in the city. There are an

[4:04] awful lot of people who have chronic

[4:07] illnesses that are in big trouble

[4:10] because they can't get access to medical

[4:12] care or medications. But on top of that,

[4:14] dehydration can really put somebody into

[4:16] shock and we can lose lives from that

[4:19] reason alone.

[4:20] >> Search and rescue teams are also working

[4:22] around the clock to evacuate the most

[4:24] desperate cases. A dramatic scene

[4:27] unfolded at this hospital where a lack

[4:29] of food and water created a life and

[4:30] death situation.

[4:32] >> We had moved these patients up here.

[4:34] uh thinking that we were going to have

[4:35] this rapid fire evacuation with choppers

[4:38] jumping down etc already all lined up

[4:40] all triaged and then the feds apparently

[4:43] pulled the plug.

[4:44] >> Finally, the rescue helicopters arrived

[4:46] to evacuate the sick.

[4:48] >> But we have hope now. We're going to

[4:49] make it. We're going to make it.

[4:51] >> Meanwhile, New Orleans continued its

[4:53] slide into anarchy and lawlessness.

[4:55] 1,400 National Guard troops a day will

[4:58] reinforce the thousands already here.

[5:00] It's a city that's come to resemble a

[5:02] war zone.

[5:03] >> There was a skirmish between one of our

[5:04] MPs and an individual in the dark. Uh

[5:08] the fight for the weapon. The weapon

[5:09] went off and got one of our our

[5:11] guardsman in the leg.

[5:12] >> These scenes of chaos and desperation

[5:15] are something even hardened disaster

[5:17] relief workers never imagined they'd see

[5:19] on the streets of a major American city.

[5:22] I am, as many of my colleagues are,

[5:24] absolutely stunned that we have

[5:27] Americans, even in the face of this kind

[5:29] of disaster, who are literally dying of

[5:32] thirst right now, waving in desperation

[5:34] from rooftops, and we're unable to get

[5:36] to them. It's it's untenable and it's

[5:38] it's really unforgivable.

[5:43] >> I noticed a much greater military

[5:45] presence in New Orleans tonight.

[5:46] military choppers and armored vehicles

[5:48] in much greater numbers that we'd seen

[5:50] in the past and other nights. Uh slowly

[5:53] but surely, this ratio of the police to

[5:55] the police is getting greater. They

[5:57] still have a long way to go. One of the

[5:59] most volatile scenes in all of New

[6:01] Orleans today was at the convention

[6:03] center where up to 20,000 people went

[6:06] for shelter and some of them ended up

[6:07] dead or dying. ABC's David Mir spent

[6:10] quite a bit of time there today and I

[6:12] know David that this is one of the most

[6:14] horrific scenes I think in all of New

[6:15] Orleans

[6:15] >> that I've ever seen. Absolutely. In

[6:17] fact, many of these evacuees, Bob,

[6:18] continue to live this true nightmare

[6:20] this evening. In fact, many of them went

[6:22] to the convention center after having

[6:23] survived Hurricane Katrina. But few of

[6:25] them ever imagined that surviving the

[6:27] shelter would be even more of a

[6:29] challenge.

[6:31] There's been so much talk about the

[6:32] stories of survival in the Super Dome.

[6:34] We spent the night there when the

[6:35] hurricane hit. There was a real fear the

[6:38] entire roof would collapse and then no

[6:39] power, no water, and food would run out.

[6:42] And tonight, there are still evacuees

[6:44] there waiting to get out. But across

[6:46] town, there's another major shelter

[6:48] where thousands of evacuees were also

[6:49] sent and told they'd be safe. And as we

[6:52] approached the New Orleans Convention

[6:54] Center today, we knew immediately this

[6:56] was a scene of desperation.

[6:58] >> We need help.

[7:00] >> There are 20,000 evacuees here and

[7:03] they're on their own. We could not find

[7:04] any authorities. There was nothing to

[7:06] eat or drink, no water and no power.

[7:09] Police say there have been rapes and

[7:10] beatings and now people are dying.

[7:13] There's no way to know how many. Two

[7:14] bodies were left outside.

[7:16] >> I SAW FIVE PEOPLE DIED and so five

[7:20] people died since I've been here on the

[7:21] street.

[7:22] >> And the people here fear there will soon

[7:24] be many more.

[7:25] >> We ain't got nothing. You got to steal

[7:27] from each other so we can survive and

[7:29] feed our children.

[7:30] >> It's been hard. Just seeing people die.

[7:33] I just can't take it.

[7:34] >> Come on. Yo. Y I got I got I got my

[7:37] babies down. All the people down every

[7:40] day running and I got to look at all and

[7:42] I'm tired of see I never been in a

[7:44] situation like this before.

[7:47] >> We entered the convention center through

[7:49] the back and were approached by this

[7:50] woman, Jean Brown.

[7:52] >> I'm so tired. It's just they're just

[7:55] falling out and getting sick and we have

[7:57] no help. We have there unsanitary

[8:00] bathrooms. There's no water running in

[8:02] here and there's people in droves trying

[8:05] to get help.

[8:06] >> She was searching the hallways for food.

[8:08] Not for herself, she says, but for

[8:10] others who are near death.

[8:12] >> It's three people and they gone into

[8:14] diabetic shock because they haven't had

[8:16] nothing to eat since Monday and then

[8:18] just snack food and I got to do

[8:21] something to help them.

[8:23] >> As we walked down a darkened hallway, we

[8:25] found a pantry with boxes of orange

[8:27] juice. We had to climb behind metal

[8:29] fencing to get to them. It was a start.

[8:32] She searched an already looted kitchen

[8:34] looking for anything. She found orange

[8:36] juice and packets of sugar.

[8:37] >> I don't want to die like this.

[8:39] >> This woman said she's been without

[8:40] insulin for 3 days. And as we began to

[8:43] talk to her, she collapsed.

[8:48] >> We need insulin. DO WE HAVE REGULAR

[8:50] INSULIN?

[8:51] >> As family members tapped the young

[8:52] woman's face,

[8:53] >> that's insulin.

[8:54] >> They found insulin somewhere in the

[8:56] crowd. And the only nurse at the

[8:58] convention center, herself, an evacuee,

[9:00] went to work.

[9:01] >> Right there. There you go. Hit it.

[9:03] >> The woman is okay for now. And the

[9:06] nurse, Cindy Davis, is exhausted.

[9:08] >> I have a patient with me. I picked up a

[9:11] couple of extra elderly people I've been

[9:12] trying to take care of, but we need

[9:14] help.

[9:16] >> Today, in what he called an SOS, the

[9:19] mayor of this city said they've run out

[9:20] of resources for the convention center

[9:22] and said, "We need buses." The evacuees

[9:25] were told the buses were coming three

[9:26] days ago and they're still not here.

[9:30] >> And incredibly, there's been no

[9:32] reassurance from the mayor's office

[9:33] tonight that those buses are indeed

[9:35] coming, that there will be enough buses,

[9:37] in fact, if they do arrive. And

[9:39] Elizabeth mentioned that SOS earlier,

[9:40] Bob, from the mayor. And also in that,

[9:42] they actually encouraged some of these

[9:43] evacuees to leave the convention center

[9:46] and go up to the West Bank Expressway

[9:48] where the National Guard troops have

[9:49] been fing people who were flooded out of

[9:51] their homes and waiting on the

[9:52] expressway for help. Um, is there any

[9:54] evidence though that the the people

[9:56] there know that that's the case and that

[9:58] they can walk out of here if they want?

[10:00] >> Well, that's the real concern and having

[10:01] spent the day there, there are no TVs,

[10:03] no radios, there's no way to get the

[10:05] message out there. And what we were most

[10:07] struck by today is that there are no

[10:09] authorities down there. There's nobody

[10:10] leading the way. It's it's lawless. And

[10:12] particularly at nightfall, as you know,

[10:14] uh it turns quite chaotic down there. It

[10:16] seems to me that until they get rid of

[10:18] all of the people out of these shelters,

[10:20] the Super Dome and the convention

[10:22] center, the police will never really

[10:24] fully have this city under control.

[10:25] >> No. And it's it's really turned into a

[10:27] case of survival. These people don't

[10:29] have food or water and and they're

[10:31] turning quite desperate as people can

[10:33] imagine they would.

[10:34] >> The the woman in your piece who

[10:36] collapsed, you said that she was okay at

[10:37] the end. Do we have any idea whether

[10:39] she's going to be able to get the meds

[10:41] that she needs to survive long term? She

[10:43] got the insulin shot at the moment but

[10:45] does not have any meds with her. So

[10:46] that's the question. She was able to get

[10:48] what she needed today. It was it was

[10:50] still almost too late but but there's no

[10:53] guarantee. The only woman that we found

[10:55] who had any kind of medical history was

[10:56] the nurse and she herself was an

[10:58] evacuee.

[10:59] >> Remarkable story. And Elizabeth, before

[11:01] we turn it back over to you in

[11:02] Mississippi, I just want to show you one

[11:03] last shot here in New Orleans. People

[11:06] are still in the hotels. Not only have

[11:08] they not been evacuated from their homes

[11:10] and the hospitals and the shelters, they

[11:12] are still here living in hotels. Back to

[11:15] you, Elizabeth.

[11:17] >> All right, Bob Woodruff and David Mure

[11:19] reporting live from the heart of the

[11:20] devastation in New Orleans. Amid all the

[11:23] cries for help for the basics of food, w

[11:26] water, and shelter, there are growing

[11:28] cries of frustration and anger at the

[11:31] federal government. Why is it taking so

[11:33] long for the government to step in?

[11:36] Tonight, the United States Senate is

[11:37] convening an emergency session in the

[11:39] nation's capital, trying to figure out

[11:41] how they can better help the people in

[11:43] this devastated Gulf region. But at a

[11:46] time when more than ever, life is

[11:48] measured in minutes and hours, it does

[11:49] seem to be taking quite a while.

[11:52] Throughout the disaster zone, 90,000

[11:55] square miles, there were calls for help.

[11:58] >> WE WANT

[12:00] HELP. As the day began, as FEMA was

[12:03] pouring supplies, search and rescue

[12:05] teams, and medical care into the region,

[12:08] Diane Sawyer asked President Bush about

[12:10] the pace of the response.

[12:11] >> Well, there's a lot of food on its way

[12:13] and a lot of water on the way. And

[12:15] there's a lot of boats and choppers

[12:17] headed that way. Our boats and choppers

[12:19] headed that way. It just takes a while

[12:20] to float them.

[12:21] >> With thousands stranded and many now

[12:24] dying, criticism mounted that the

[12:26] federal government has not done enough.

[12:28] All 22 departments and agencies within

[12:31] DHS, all 28 that make up the emergency

[12:35] support functions are doing every single

[12:37] thing that they can and meeting every

[12:39] single request. Part of the relief

[12:41] effort, thousands more National Guard

[12:43] troops, Navy ships to provide medical

[12:46] support and humanitarian relief,

[12:49] millions of MREs, meals ready to eat,

[12:52] and by tonight, a possible deal with

[12:54] Carnival Cruise Lines to use its ships

[12:57] for emergency shelter. The head of

[12:59] Homeland Security in New Orleans

[13:01] criticized FEMA's response, calling it a

[13:04] national disgrace. Terry Eert said, "We

[13:07] can send massive amounts of aid to

[13:08] tsunami victims, but we can't bail out

[13:11] the city of New Orleans, but on the

[13:13] ground tonight, there is little relief

[13:15] in sight.

[13:16] >> I don't want to highlight like this.

[13:20] >> Help sick people, the women and children

[13:23] back there, and people here should know

[13:25] that outside the state."

[13:30] No one can argue, however, with the

[13:32] donations from corporations and private

[13:34] individuals. $93 million have been

[13:37] donated in the three days since the

[13:39] hurricane hit here. You compare that to

[13:41] the money raised after the tsunami. $30

[13:43] million raised in three days after the

[13:45] tsunami. Most of that money going to the

[13:48] Red Cross. I'm joined right now by

[13:50] Senator Mary Landro from the Democrat

[13:52] from Louisiana. And Senator, there's

[13:53] been a lot of criticism, as you have

[13:55] heard, of the federal response, the

[13:56] emergency response to this. You yourself

[13:58] saw the area. You called it an

[14:00] unprecedented catastrophe, but you've

[14:02] also heard the head of Homeland Security

[14:05] Louisiana call this a national disgrace.

[14:07] What is your reaction to how the federal

[14:09] government has responded?

[14:12] >> Elizabeth, first of all, New Orleans is

[14:13] my hometown and I want to say that I

[14:15] know that people are suffering. I myself

[14:18] have held in my arms babies, old people,

[14:22] black and white, crippled and aabled for

[14:25] the last three days. The people of New

[14:27] Orleans are suffering desperately. So

[14:31] are the people of St. Bernard Parish and

[14:33] St. Tam Parish and Plaqueman Parish and

[14:37] places all throughout Louisiana. We are

[14:41] anxious for federal help, more military

[14:44] resources. The work of the Senate is

[14:47] underway. We thank the president for his

[14:50] attention, but we need as much help as

[14:52] possible, particularly for security and

[14:55] for military support. I cannot tell you,

[14:58] Elizabeth, how hard the local officials

[15:01] are struggling at this moment. Mayors

[15:04] are near breaking points. Parish

[15:06] presidents are near breaking points. It

[15:09] is so important to step up the time

[15:12] frame here. Whatever the senators in

[15:15] Washington can do, I'm here. I'm not

[15:17] leaving. Whatever the senators who are

[15:20] in Washington can do, whatever the

[15:22] president can do, please get us help as

[15:24] soon as you can.

[15:27] >> Senator, as we traveled throughout the

[15:29] region today, we were listening on talk

[15:30] radio, people calling in saying, "Why

[15:32] isn't the military here?" Do you agree

[15:35] once again with that assessment of one

[15:36] official in Louisiana that this has been

[15:38] a national disgrace the way the

[15:39] government has responded?

[15:42] Yes, it it doesn't seem like this could

[15:44] possibly happen in the United States of

[15:46] America. These scenes are hard to

[15:49] fathom. For the people that are

[15:51] suffering that can hear me, you're not

[15:53] alone. Many people are suffering all

[15:56] over the region. We understand it. We

[16:00] are trying to get federal help as soon

[16:02] as we can, military help and otherwise.

[16:06] Please, for the leaders that are in

[16:07] control of these situations or trying to

[16:10] control them locally, please stay strong

[16:13] as we move through this night into the

[16:15] days ahead. The United States is a great

[16:17] country and these resources will come

[16:20] together.

[16:23] All right, Senator Mary Landro from

[16:25] Louisiana, thank you so much putting

[16:27] into words how difficult it is for all

[16:28] the people in Louisiana and throughout

[16:30] the Gulf Coast here in Mississippi as

[16:32] well. When we come back, what must have

[16:35] seemed like the promised land. People

[16:37] finally reaching safe shelter at

[16:39] Houston's Astrodome. John Kenyonus is

[16:42] there live, greeting evacuees from New

[16:43] Orleans as they literally get off the

[16:45] bus.

[16:50] >> ABC Prime Time in the path of Katrina

[16:53] will continue.

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[19:51] >> There's nothing up there. I don't

[19:53] believe a mind like can just shut down.

[19:55] >> Based on the Puliter Prize winner,

[19:57] Wneith Paltro, Jake Gyllenhaal, and

[20:00] Anthony Hopkins.

[20:01] >> How long have you known about this?

[20:03] >> Proof. Rated PG-13 in theaters

[20:05] everywhere. Friday, September 16th.

[20:08] >> Tomorrow morning, America reaches out,

[20:10] helping the survivors of Katrina's fury

[20:12] on a special Good Morning America. and

[20:14] meastar Kanye West performs in a live

[20:16] concert event benefiting the relief

[20:18] effort. To find out how you can help and

[20:20] really make a difference, watch Good

[20:21] Morning America tomorrow.

[20:28] >> I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING DOWN HERE.

[20:33] >> LOST, the new season premieres

[20:34] Wednesday, September 21st, 98 central,

[20:37] only on ABC.

[20:42] ABC Prime Time continues now from

[20:45] Houston. John Quinones.

[20:49] I am outside Houston's Astradome where

[20:52] bus loads of refugees have been arriving

[20:54] all day long. There are now some 5,000

[20:57] evacuees inside that huge arena. This is

[21:00] going to be the home very far away from

[21:02] home for those being evacuated from New

[21:04] Orleans Super Dome. And as as makeshift

[21:07] as it is, it must seem like salvation

[21:10] compared to what they've left behind.

[21:13] >> WE WANT

[21:16] ALL these

[21:16] >> people you see down.

[21:20] >> As tempers frayed, hot, tired, and

[21:23] hungry refugees in New Orleans begged

[21:25] for help.

[21:26] >> Take everybody. Take all the elderly

[21:28] people.

[21:29] >> Sometimes plaintively, more often

[21:31] angrily.

[21:32] >> WHERE THE POLICEMAN AT? WHERE THE MAN

[21:34] GOD HAD TO CONTROL ALL THIS?

[21:37] >> But even as National Guard troops poured

[21:39] into the city to try to keep the lid on

[21:41] violence, outrage, looting, and

[21:43] lawlessness threatened to derail the

[21:46] most necessary action of all, getting

[21:48] people out.

[21:49] >> You on the bus and those two little

[21:51] babies, THEM LITTLE BOYS back there that

[21:53] are sick, I want them on the bus.

[21:55] Beginning last night and into today,

[21:58] buses started transporting the 25,000

[22:01] people who have been trapped in the

[22:02] Superdome in New Orleans to the

[22:05] Astrodome in Houston. But at a staging

[22:08] area on Interstate 10, where many of the

[22:10] sickest and most frail were brought to

[22:12] catch buses, health and hope are

[22:15] failing.

[22:16] >> There's no coordination right now. You

[22:18] look at what we see. It's total chaos

[22:19] right now. But the chaos in New Orleans

[22:22] is just one indicator of the scale of

[22:24] Katrina's devastation. With phone

[22:26] systems down, ports destroyed, the rail

[22:29] system compromised, airports damaged,

[22:32] major and minor roads impassible, and

[22:35] thousands of people stranded across

[22:37] hundreds of miles. This evacuation is

[22:40] the most difficult in US history. At the

[22:43] New Orleans Convention Center, the

[22:44] situation is dire. There are dead lying

[22:48] amongst trash and debris. The living are

[22:51] without food, water, or medical care.

[22:53] And the rescue they've been expecting

[22:55] for days has yet to arrive. This

[22:58] afternoon, after the mayor gave

[23:00] permission for the stranded to flee,

[23:03] desperate refugees swarmed across a

[23:05] bridge to the west bank of the city,

[23:07] looking for any relief from the squalor.

[23:10] Still, the federal government takes

[23:12] pains to reassure everyone that the

[23:14] evacuation is progressing smoothly.

[23:16] >> The fact of the matter is the Superdome

[23:18] is secure. We have had 200 buses that

[23:21] have already left and the governor has

[23:23] ordered 500 school buses from around the

[23:25] state that are on the way.

[23:27] >> Those evacuated so far today are just a

[23:29] small percentage of the refugees who

[23:31] must be moved. Still, the arrival in a

[23:35] clean stadium is bittersweet. Well, we

[23:38] were so glad to get here to take a bath

[23:40] >> and to get some f most of all.

[23:43] >> Bill White is the mayor of Houston. How

[23:45] long can you keep them there?

[23:48] >> You know, we don't have a set timetable.

[23:50] It really depends on how quickly we can

[23:53] get in place alternatives for their

[23:55] transition elsewhere.

[23:58] Optimistically, the mayor says the

[23:59] refugees will be here only a matter of

[24:02] weeks, but just in case, the Astradome

[24:04] has been booked for the rest of the

[24:07] year.

[24:10] One of those fortunate enough to make it

[24:12] on this journey to Houston did it under

[24:14] the toughest of conditions, battling not

[24:16] just the hurricane's aftermath, but

[24:19] battling cancer. She made it with only

[24:21] the clothes on her back, but she made it

[24:24] after a harrowing rescue. And she was

[24:26] not the only one.

[24:29] >> They're not on a roof. Everybody's on a

[24:30] balcony.

[24:31] >> Yeah.

[24:32] >> By day, Coast Guard teams continue to

[24:34] sweep the city, plucking stranded

[24:37] residents from their island rooftops.

[24:39] >> Survivor coming up.

[24:41] >> For the poor, the sick, the elderly, and

[24:44] especially the children, the massive

[24:46] evacuation of New Orleans is happening

[24:48] slowly, painstakingly, one by one.

[24:53] >> Everybody all right? Stand by.

[24:56] By night, hospital airlift teams work

[24:58] from a staging area at Baton Rouge

[25:01] airport transporting precious cargo out

[25:04] of New Orleans to safety.

[25:07] >> There's 15 critical patients at New

[25:09] Orleans Children's that we're helping to

[25:10] coordinate get to get out of New Orleans

[25:13] and to get them over to Texas Children's

[25:15] in Houston.

[25:16] >> Conditions are difficult and cannot be

[25:18] rushed.

[25:19] >> You ready? Okay, we're ready.

[25:21] >> We are transporting them however we can.

[25:23] We're taking some in car seats. were

[25:25] taken some in stretchers.

[25:27] >> This baby checked out a little bit.

[25:28] >> This infant, Jaden, just one week old,

[25:32] arrived bundled in a cardboard box.

[25:35] These children are gravely ill.

[25:38] 11-year-old Hassina desperately needs

[25:40] donated blood, but along the Gulf Coast

[25:43] right now, none is available.

[25:45] >> Well, she has uh brain cancer and she's

[25:48] kind of like in critical condition right

[25:51] now and they had to evacuate the

[25:53] hospital.

[25:55] and it's just chaotic over there.

[25:58] >> Her mother, Katina, has left four other

[26:01] children in New Orleans while her

[26:03] daughter's life hangs in the balance.

[26:05] >> They told me that, you know, she was

[26:07] really like a thin line between life and

[26:10] death right now. And I have other

[26:12] children, my home, you know, and I worry

[26:15] about my family and, you know, but I can

[26:18] only take one problem at a time. Working

[26:21] in cramped quarters, the teams carefully

[26:24] monitor each child, ventilating by hand

[26:27] to keep oxygen flowing into their young

[26:29] lungs. But these choppers are not just

[26:32] carrying patients out. They're also

[26:34] loaded with expensive medical equipment.

[26:37] >> The hospitals are worried that as soon

[26:39] as the staff leaves that the hospitals

[26:41] will be looted and there won't be

[26:42] anything left. So, they're telling us to

[26:43] take their equipment. At least they'll

[26:44] get it back in three or six months.

[26:46] Before the night is over, operations

[26:48] will be halted at least once because of

[26:51] shots fired at rescue helicopters.

[26:54] >> Never seen anything like this. And I've

[26:56] been a flight nurse for 11 years.

[26:59] >> These kids are headed to the same place

[27:01] as so many other evacuees, but most of

[27:04] them are alone.

[27:06] >> It may be days before their families are

[27:09] reunited in Houston. But as we know,

[27:12] Hina is one of the lucky ones. She

[27:14] arrived here in Houston this morning

[27:16] with her mother.

[27:18] >> My daughter is in critical condition and

[27:20] I have nothing. It's just where do you

[27:23] start to rebuild here?

[27:24] >> The family has lost everything but the

[27:27] clothes they were wearing.

[27:29] >> I just got this teddy bear for her. A

[27:32] lady just gave me this to give to her.

[27:35] >> Hey honey bunny,

[27:38] >> I got a teddy bear for you. The little

[27:41] girl's father, who was not allowed on

[27:43] the medevac flight, had to outrun

[27:45] carjackers as he left New Orleans,

[27:48] witnessing, he says, horrific scenes as

[27:51] he fled.

[27:53] >> Women were being raped.

[27:54] >> Raped literally. Yeah, man.

[27:56] >> What did you see?

[27:57] >> Guns.

[27:58] >> They had guns, but they was literally

[28:00] just grabbing them, you know, pushing

[28:02] them in the house.

[28:03] >> As we spoke with him today, Hina opened

[28:06] her eyes for the first time in days.

[28:08] >> I said, "Hey, baby, I see you. over to

[28:10] him a little more. Huh? You all right?

[28:12] Huh? Hey.

[28:13] >> Her father says that makes everything he

[28:16] went through to get here worthwhile.

[28:19] >> I'm blessed to be here. I'm glad to be

[28:21] here. But most important of all, I'm

[28:23] blessed. Some people didn't make it out

[28:25] of New Orleans. Well, you know, I didn't

[28:26] lose everything because like I told you,

[28:28] I'm blessed. My babies, look at her

[28:31] eyes. They open. That's a blessing, man.

[28:33] You know,

[28:33] >> but all a lot of kids are there. The

[28:35] material things, they could be replaced.

[28:38] this came. You know, I would give all

[28:40] that up anyway just to see what I'm

[28:41] seeing now.

[28:44] >> When we come back, we return to New

[28:46] Orleans and a very literal question of

[28:49] black and white.

[28:54] >> Gina Davis's Commanderin Chief premieres

[28:56] Tuesday, September 27th on ABC.

[28:59] >> Living with genital herpes can be a

[29:01] hassle. Whenever I had an outbreak, it

[29:04] felt like it took days out of my life.

[29:06] But then I talked to my doctor about

[29:07] Beltrax. Just one pill a day helped

[29:10] reduce the number of my outbreaks. And

[29:12] now I've been outbreak free for nearly a

[29:14] year.

[29:15] >> It's a brand new day.

[29:18] >> In a one-year clinical study among

[29:20] people with genital herpes who took

[29:21] Valtrax. At 6 months, over half were

[29:24] outbreak free. After one year, a third

[29:26] were outbreak free.

[29:28] >> Now my days are right where they belong.

[29:30] >> It's a brand new day.

[29:33] >> There is no cure for herpes. Even with

[29:35] treatment, it may be possible to spread

[29:36] herpes. Valres may not prevent all

[29:38] recurrences. To avoid a potentially

[29:40] serious complication, tell your doctor

[29:42] if your immune system is not normal

[29:44] because of bone marrow or kidney

[29:45] transplant or advanced HIV disease.

[29:48] Common side effects are headache,

[29:49] nausea, and abdominal pain. Ask your

[29:51] doctor if Daily Valtrax is right for

[29:53] you. My days are how I want them, and

[29:55] there's nothing better than that.

[29:56] >> It's a brand new day.

[30:01] Introducing the 2006 Chevy Impala

[30:05] with an available 303 horsepower small

[30:07] block V8. It's a whole new animal.

[30:20] doing in the road.

[30:21] >> I'm with the help desk. You're lost.

[30:23] You're headed to Fresno.

[30:25] >> Fresno, right?

[30:26] >> This is the road to Albuquerque.

[30:27] >> How'd you know we were lost?

[30:29] >> The boxes told me

[30:30] >> the boxes.

[30:31] >> RFID radio tags on the cargo. Helps

[30:34] track shipments.

[30:35] >> The boxes knew we were lost.

[30:37] >> Maybe the boxes should drive. Very

[30:40] funny.

[30:45] >> Want to stick it to grime? Scrubbing

[30:47] Bubbles foam stays where you spray. Stay

[30:51] just a little longer.

[30:54] >> Unlike trigger sprays, scrubbing bubbles

[30:56] clings to the surface. Its thick

[30:58] antibacterial foam concentrates on grime

[31:00] while it disinfects. Plus, it expands

[31:02] into tight spots you want clean.

[31:06] >> Scrubbing bubbles foam.

[31:10] >> We work hard so you don't have to. SC

[31:13] Johnson, a family company.

[31:15] >> FedEx Ground will get these to Cleveland

[31:16] on Wednesday.

[31:17] >> FedEx? Aren't they a little pricey?

[31:19] >> Ned, you're always wrong.

[31:21] >> How am I always wrong?

[31:22] >> Okay, let's review. Steelely Dan is not

[31:25] one person. We get fringe benefits, not

[31:27] French benefits. James Dean is an actor.

[31:30] Jimmy Dean makes sausage. And you know

[31:32] what, Ned? It's not the leaning tower of

[31:34] pizza.

[31:36] >> So FedEx isn't too expensive.

[31:40] We don't get French benefits.

[31:42] >> FedEx Ground. Reliability for less than

[31:44] you think.

[31:47] Introducing the 2006 Chevy Impala.

[31:50] You'll be amazed at what it can do. It's

[31:53] a whole new animal.

[32:02] >> In American history,

[32:03] >> president has had a stroke.

[32:05] >> There have been nine times when a vice

[32:07] president has taken over for a

[32:09] president. But the 10th time will be a

[32:12] first.

[32:12] >> What happens now? I take the oath sir.

[32:14] >> Madam vice president, we need you to

[32:16] resign.

[32:17] >> Your vice presidency was never intended

[32:19] to be a presidency. It was done as a

[32:21] stunt.

[32:22] >> You have a nation full of people. They

[32:23] believe in you and a president and a

[32:26] cabinet who don't.

[32:27] >> Why do you want to be president?

[32:30] >> I believe the people of America deserve

[32:32] to have a president.

[32:32] >> The answer is that you want the power to

[32:34] control the universe.

[32:36] >> That's not me.

[32:37] >> Well, that's the problem.

[32:38] >> I'm going to go out there

[32:40] and I'm going to take the oath of

[32:42] office.

[32:43] I will faithfully execute the office of

[32:45] President of the United States.

[32:47] >> Academy Award winner Gina Davis. Emmy

[32:50] Award winner Donald Sutherland.

[32:52] >> We can save this country. Save it from

[32:54] her.

[32:54] >> I know I can do this.

[32:56] >> Commander and Chief premieres Tuesday,

[32:58] September 27th at 98 central, only on

[33:00] ABC.

[33:05] >> New Orleans is normally a brightly lit

[33:07] city, but tonight, as you can see, it is

[33:08] dark and dangerous. The pictures out of

[33:11] New Orleans pretty much tell it all,

[33:13] although many have shied away from the

[33:15] issue to discuss the issue of race. Most

[33:18] of the victims of this hurricane have

[33:20] been the blacks and the poor. Brian Ross

[33:23] tonight on a question of race.

[33:29] >> Rep singer Master P comes from one of

[33:31] the now devastated New Orleans

[33:32] neighborhood.

[33:33] Good old kids in my neighborhood.

[33:37] >> People here were already left behind

[33:39] long before the hurricane hit.

[33:42] >> Many of them

[33:43] >> were people without automobiles.

[33:46] >> Uh people who couldn't afford a hotel

[33:48] room who may to a great extent had no

[33:51] choice uh but to remain. And that that

[33:55] means that the people who remain in New

[33:56] Orleans are disproportionately

[34:00] uh poor people, disproportionately

[34:02] African-Americans.

[34:03] >> We need help.

[34:05] >> If the majority of the folks left behind

[34:07] were white individuals, and most of the

[34:09] folks who were able to escape on their

[34:12] own were African-American, then I

[34:13] wouldn't be sitting here right now. This

[34:15] is a racial story.

[34:17] >> Damon Huitt is a civil rights lawyer

[34:19] with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. What

[34:22] was allowed to happen is that folks whom

[34:24] we knew would not be able to evacuate,

[34:27] whom we knew were not evacuating, uh

[34:29] were not provided for. Um folks who were

[34:32] been allowed to sit for 3 days without

[34:34] food, without water.

[34:36] >> And you really think that's because they

[34:37] are African-Ameans?

[34:38] >> It's it's it's very difficult to imagine

[34:41] this happening uh to folks who are not

[34:44] poor uh to folks who are not

[34:46] African-American. We knew this was going

[34:48] to happen, yet it was allowed to occur.

[34:51] And some civil rights leaders today

[34:52] question whether race was a factor in

[34:54] the growing emphasis being put on going

[34:57] after people who have been labeled

[34:58] looters.

[34:59] >> They have not been there trying to

[35:01] figure out how to find something to

[35:03] steal. They've been trying simply to

[35:04] stay alive.

[35:06] >> President Bush was asked about it by

[35:07] Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America

[35:10] today.

[35:11] >> Many of them going in have said, "We're

[35:12] only going in because we're desperate.

[35:14] We need shoes to walk around in because

[35:16] our feet are being cut. We need food for

[35:18] our children. What is justified?

[35:21] >> There ought to be zero tolerance of

[35:23] people breaking the law during uh an

[35:25] emergency such as this.

[35:26] >> This photograph distributed by the

[35:28] Associated Press described a black man

[35:30] in chest high water quote after looting

[35:32] a grocery store. This photograph

[35:35] distributed by another agency showed two

[35:38] whites quote after finding bread and

[35:40] soda from a local grocery store. The

[35:42] description has since been changed.

[35:44] >> Many times it's unconscious racism,

[35:46] right? But it still has a tremendous

[35:48] effect on everyone's psyches.

[35:50] >> In the great flood of 1927, blacks in

[35:52] New Orleans were rounded up at gunpoint

[35:54] and forced to work. Congressman William

[35:57] Jefferson's father saw it as a

[35:59] 16-year-old boy.

[36:00] >> And you actually use black people as

[36:02] sandbags uh uh uh back then. You they

[36:05] took every dangerous job there was to

[36:07] take to try and beat the water back.

[36:09] >> And once again, it is primarily

[36:11] African-Ameans who are bearing the brunt

[36:13] of the hurricane of 2005 in New Orleans.

[36:16] They make the city what it is. They're

[36:19] the soul. They're the spirit. They're

[36:22] the workers.

[36:26] >> They're the people who make the music.

[36:30] They're the people that make New Orleans

[36:32] what it is.

[36:34] >> Now, those are the people who are

[36:35] hurting. Those are the people who are

[36:37] hurting. And Brian, a great American

[36:39] city, is fighting for survival.

[36:43] I can move.

[36:44] >> When we come back, sick patients still

[36:46] stranded in the very hospitals that were

[36:48] supposed to help them. And in some

[36:50] cases, the gunman who won't let the help

[36:52] come in.

[37:04] >> A monster hit is coming to DVD.

[37:07] >> Sorry.

[37:07] >> Oh, I'm sorry.

[37:08] >> Charlie found the man of her dream.

[37:10] >> Will you marry me? But behind every

[37:11] great man,

[37:12] >> am I interrupting?

[37:13] >> Lurks his mother.

[37:16] >> This ought to be good.

[37:17] >> Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez on the

[37:18] comic dream team.

[37:20] >> Steak and kidney pie. Do you like it?

[37:24] >> Sick.

[37:25] >> Is that expensive?

[37:26] >> It was.

[37:28] >> Monster-in-law owned August 30th.

[37:31] >> I'm sorry. I thought it was air

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[38:05] This month, I will rack up a massive

[38:06] cell phone bill, talking about

[38:08] absolutely nothing.

[38:09] >> When my parents open next month's cell

[38:11] phone bill, they will cry.

[38:13] >> My calls will be monitored like a

[38:14] felons.

[38:15] >> My dad's patience with my cell phone

[38:17] bill will run out at a socially

[38:18] crippling time.

[38:20] >> Don't get schooled in wireless. Get Go

[38:22] Phone. Pay as you go with cash or pick

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[38:28] >> I will be grounded several times this

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[39:06] >> Tomorrow, a special 2020 in the path of

[39:09] Katrina. Unimaginable, deeply personal

[39:11] stories of courage, fear, and still

[39:14] somehow hope. Elizabeth Vargas is there

[39:16] with powerful human stories that touch

[39:18] all our lives on 2020. Tomorrow,

[39:22] >> Raiders, Patriots, next Thursday night,

[39:24] 8 Eastern, 5 Pacific on ABC.

[39:28] Prime Time in the path of Katrina

[39:31] continues after this from our ABC

[39:34] stations.

[39:39] Good evening, I'm Steve Dunn. Coming up

[39:40] at 11:00 here on K2 tonight, Oregon

[39:42] Governor Ted Kulingosski orders National

[39:44] Guard troops to the hurricane ravaged

[39:46] area. We'll have an update on how many

[39:48] are headed that way. And a huge fire in

[39:50] Forest Grove destroys a home, how

[39:52] firefighters kept the flames from

[39:54] spreading to a nearby stand of trees.

[39:56] Rod Hill

[39:56] >> still finding that chance of rain over

[39:57] the weekend. You know, so far it looked

[39:59] like the jetream is going to come right

[40:00] on top of us. That may be changing. What

[40:02] does that mean for your weekend plans

[40:04] tonight at 11?

[40:08] >> Since we introduced the Ford family

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[40:38] >> It's Carpet Carl. We're testing the

[40:39] impact resistance of our hardwood

[40:41] floors. Is this going to hurt?

[40:47] NEXT TIME we test carpets

[40:51] >> 503 carpets.

[40:55] >> Would you rather be proactive or sit

[40:58] around and wait? If we only use our

[41:01] voices, what a chorus we create. If we

[41:04] all join hands together, there'll be no

[41:06] task too large. We can only change the

[41:09] world if we take charge. We can only

[41:12] change the world if we take charge.

[41:15] We can only change the world if we take

[41:18] charge.

[41:24] Storms are lining up in time for the

[41:25] weekend at 11.

[41:32] ABC prime time. In the path of Katrina

[41:35] continues now from New York. Chris

[41:38] Cuomo.

[41:41] I'm standing outside the emergency room

[41:43] at Roosevelt Hospital in New York, part

[41:45] of an effort to bring a 150 member

[41:47] volunteer medical team to Louisiana.

[41:49] Now, the biggest obstacle that team will

[41:51] face will be getting to those in need.

[41:53] It's turning out in New Orleans that

[41:55] those in the hospitals, the elderly and

[41:57] the ill are often waiting the longest

[41:59] for help to arrive.

[42:02] >> It's getting kind of bad where we're

[42:03] using portal. There's no plumbing,

[42:05] there's no air, there's no running

[42:07] water. Words from a nurse at Charity

[42:10] Hospital in New Orleans, where there are

[42:11] as many as 250 patients still stranded

[42:15] in a sweltering 110 degree building.

[42:18] It's been 4 days and nights since

[42:20] Katrina hit and still no prescription

[42:22] for rescue.

[42:24] >> In the last three days or so, there have

[42:29] been only eight patients evacuated out

[42:32] of charity.

[42:34] >> Why?

[42:35] >> I have not a clue.

[42:37] We joined members of Arkansas's

[42:39] Children's Hospital who came to help

[42:41] medevac the most vulnerable. It is a

[42:44] site that cannot be believed.

[42:47] The Arkansas Samaritans traveled miles

[42:49] and hours to get here and come not a

[42:52] moment too soon. From early on in the

[42:54] day, the chopper zips from one battered

[42:57] building to the next, taking 25 elderly

[43:00] to safety. There are many thank yous, if

[43:03] only with a look, from those too weak to

[43:05] speak. Here

[43:07] at Two-Lane Hospital, they had evacuated

[43:09] their own patients, but now have over

[43:11] 200 from the surrounding area. With

[43:14] buildings flooded, no power for

[43:16] machines, water and food nearly gone,

[43:19] parking lots or triage centers. Time has

[43:22] become Katrina's final weapon.

[43:24] >> The problem is no water and no food. The

[43:28] charity situation is certainly dire.

[43:31] >> But what may be most difficult for them

[43:32] to deal with is the confusion. Despite

[43:35] numerous press conferences from

[43:37] officials promising their priority,

[43:39] >> medical personnel and local officials

[43:41] are helping hospital patients and

[43:43] people.

[43:45] >> They have waited and waited.

[43:47] >> Well, the military said they were going

[43:48] to send some helicopters to air back

[43:51] these patients and that hasn't happened

[43:52] yet.

[43:53] >> Any plans to drop off generators or

[43:55] supplies to you at least?

[43:57] >> Uh, I know of no plans to do that.

[44:02] Now, reports of gunfire are further

[44:04] complicating relief efforts. Helicopters

[44:06] have turned into targets.

[44:08] >> When we can't get proper security to

[44:10] help our people evacuate the hospitals,

[44:12] we just can't do it. It's too risky.

[44:15] We've had our our lives threatened.

[44:17] >> ABC's Nancy Weiner had been scheduled to

[44:20] survey New Orleans by air with Dr. Paul

[44:22] Pepe, who's overseeing a disaster

[44:24] medical team, but because of gunfire

[44:26] threats, they were unable to fly.

[44:28] Instead, they toured the makeshift mash

[44:31] unit being planned in a former Kmart

[44:33] department store in Baton Rouge.

[44:35] >> It's the first time I've ever built a a

[44:36] hospital in 24 hours. I envision that

[44:39] we'll have at least a lot of CS that are

[44:40] laid out here.

[44:42] >> As the day went on, we started getting

[44:43] reports of more medevac and supply

[44:45] trucks reaching some of the area

[44:47] hospitals, but much is still needed. For

[44:50] every patient who leaves, there are many

[44:52] more who remain.

[44:54] But there is always reason for hope.

[44:56] Yesterday, a toddler was medevaced from

[44:58] this hospital. He immediately had heart

[45:00] surgery in Houston. He survived.

[45:03] >> I mean, we survived three major heart

[45:05] surgeries. And to think that we had

[45:08] survived our last one and we're about to

[45:10] go through the worst storm in history of

[45:12] Louisiana

[45:14] that, you know, but God got us through

[45:17] the first three surgeries. We knew we

[45:19] were getting through this storm, huh?

[45:21] >> Yeah.

[45:24] At this hour, we're still receiving

[45:26] reports that doctors down there are

[45:27] having to move patients to higher floors

[45:29] to avoid looters. Officials say help is

[45:32] on the way, and for the people there,

[45:33] certainly every moment counts. The

[45:35] doctors there are absolutely good

[45:37] Samaritans. We go now to Ron Claybourne

[45:39] for another good Samaritan story out of

[45:41] New Orleans.

[45:44] >> I mean, I see y'all riding up. I figured

[45:46] maybe I could give him a ride down there

[45:47] or something.

[45:48] >> At the corner of Elaine Street in St.

[45:50] Charles in the uptown neighborhood of

[45:52] New Orleans, we came across this. Two

[45:55] frail elderly women in a boat being

[45:57] pulled by two men, strangers. The men

[46:00] pleaded with us to give the women a ride

[46:02] to a staging area where they could catch

[46:04] one of the buses taking refugees to

[46:06] Texas.

[46:07] >> I'm going to be one of the last ones to

[46:09] get out of here, but I'm going to help

[46:10] as many people as I can.

[46:12] >> They've been in there 4 days now.

[46:13] >> Yeah.

[46:14] >> Food. We loaded the women into our SUV

[46:17] along with their meager cargo, some

[46:19] water, a couple of bags of clothing, a

[46:21] wheelchair.

[46:22] >> Did you walk at all?

[46:24] >> We drove through flooded, muddy streets

[46:26] to Napoleon and St. Charles to where

[46:29] survivors were gathering. Tired, sagging

[46:32] figures.

[46:33] >> Okay, there's two ladies in our black

[46:34] car.

[46:35] >> Can Can they get picked up here?

[46:37] >> Yes. And there's also supposedly buses

[46:39] coming.

[46:39] >> That's what they're looking for. Okay,

[46:41] >> you sit right there, baby. The women

[46:43] said they have family in Texas. If only

[46:45] they can get there.

[46:46] >> I just wanted to get to the point where

[46:49] I can get to Houston

[46:52] for my children.

[46:53] >> Yeah, we're family.

[46:55] >> Yeah.

[46:55] >> And we stuck together.

[46:56] >> Then we met Denise Robboto who came with

[46:58] her four children after spending the

[47:00] last 3 days in a home deep in flood

[47:03] water.

[47:03] >> But George is where my whole family is.

[47:05] >> That's where you'd rather be.

[47:06] >> Rather be.

[47:07] >> But you just got to get out of here.

[47:08] >> Yeah, I got to get out. I really have to

[47:10] get out. My house is totally demolished.

[47:12] >> And this man, a diabetic. He says he

[47:15] doesn't care where he goes. He'll go

[47:16] anywhere he can get the medicine he

[47:18] needs to stay alive.

[47:20] >> I don't care where I'm going at. No,

[47:22] they got medical assistance

[47:24] >> for your diabetes.

[47:25] >> Yeah. Do you understand that?

[47:26] >> I understand.

[47:27] >> Okay. Thank you.

[47:27] >> Good luck.

[47:29] >> Another refugee, another life blown

[47:31] apart by Hurricane Katrina.

[47:33] >> No water, no electricity. The heat is

[47:36] unbearable.

[47:38] They are all leaving, but the men we

[47:41] first encountered rescuing the two

[47:42] elderly women, they stayed. When last we

[47:45] saw them, they were headed back down

[47:47] Elen Street to save someone else.

[47:51] Thanks, Ron. And it seems that the good

[47:53] Samaritans are getting some help. As you

[47:55] saw earlier in the show, the Senate

[47:56] convened. They just passed an emergency

[47:58] appropriations bill in the amount of

[48:00] $10.5 billion. We'll be right back.

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[48:37] >> Come in, mother bird. Mom has pulled a

[48:39] surprise present from the closet.

[48:40] >> It's a It's a What?

[48:42] >> It's Disney Pixar's Toy Story 10th

[48:44] anniversary to disc DVD with an all new

[48:46] game, deleted scenes, and more. Own it

[48:48] on DVD. Tuesday, September 6th.

[48:50] >> Mission accomplished.

[48:52] >> American Express. How may I help you,

[48:54] Mr. Giles?

[48:56] First date. Okay. Uh, how about the

[48:59] circus? I see. Fear of clowns. All

[49:02] right. What about the planetarium?

[49:04] >> She's nearsighted. Really? Well, you

[49:07] know, how about something close up?

[49:09] >> Sure. I have rows four and five

[49:10] available tonight.

[49:12] >> No, sir. No clowns.

[49:18] >> The American Express card, a world of

[49:20] service.

[49:23] >> Thank you, Bob. That was extraordinarily

[49:26] enlightening. And now I am honored to

[49:29] present our next speaker. She is a real

[49:32] class act, insightful, tenacious, and

[49:36] authority on our business. It is my

[49:38] privilege to introduce this special,

[49:41] special lady, Catherine Nolan.

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[50:38] >> Tonight on Night Line, the president

[50:40] says help is on the way, but it's late

[50:41] and it's insufficient. And New Orleans

[50:43] is descending into chaos. State of

[50:46] emergency.

[50:48] >> And tomorrow, frustration, anger, fear.

[50:52] Thousands trapped, chaos erupting on the

[50:54] streets. Don't miss World News Tonight

[50:56] with breaking reports and unforgettable

[50:58] survivor stories straight from the

[50:59] danger zone tomorrow on World News

[51:01] Tonight.

[51:05] From the corner, intercepted

[51:10] down the sideline. See you later.

[51:15] This is for the win. Good. Here's a play

[51:18] fake all day. Going to go deep now. Got

[51:21] it.

[51:24] >> Dr. Pepper College football kickoff

[51:26] weekend on ABC features a triple header

[51:28] Saturday with Notre Dame Pit in prime

[51:30] time and wraps up with a showdown

[51:32] between Miami and Florida State Monday

[51:34] night.

[51:37] >> This is not the time for social advances

[51:41] made for the sake of social advances.

[51:45] >> Meaning a woman in the Oval Office.

[51:49] Meaning a woman is the leader of the

[51:51] free world.

[51:53] >> The president of the United States.

[51:59] >> Command your ring sheet premieres

[52:01] Tuesday, September 27th, 98 central,

[52:03] only on ABC.

[52:06] >> This Labor Day for 4 days only,

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[52:38] >> Hurricane Katrina did not hit New

[52:40] Orleans with the force that was

[52:41] expected. So why then tonight is it

[52:44] almost a sunken city? Because when the

[52:47] leveies breached, the water rolled into

[52:49] the bowl that is New Orleans. Some are

[52:52] saying no one knew it could happen.

[52:54] Others are saying, "We've been expecting

[52:56] this tragedy might well happen. It was

[52:59] only a matter of time.

[53:10] You can see that New Orleans looks like

[53:12] bagged underwater. Uh, we have chaos in

[53:15] the streets. We have people who are

[53:16] desperate. They're hungry. They haven't

[53:18] slept. They taking desperate measures.

[53:20] >> I talked to the former Democratic

[53:22] Senator from Louisiana, John Bro,

[53:25] earlier today from Washington. Senator

[53:27] Bro has been warning that New Orleans

[53:29] levies needed to be strengthened for

[53:32] years. Senator, I want to read you

[53:34] something that President Bush said in an

[53:36] interview earlier today. He said, "I

[53:40] don't think anybody anticipated the

[53:42] breach of the levies."

[53:44] >> Well, I think no one expects it to

[53:46] breach. Uh, but it is clear that many,

[53:49] many people on many, many occasions,

[53:52] both in academic circles and in

[53:54] political circles, talked about what

[53:55] would happen under the existing

[53:57] structure if a category four or five

[53:59] hurricane ever hit New Orleans.

[54:01] >> So, is the president illinformed or is

[54:03] he saying something I'm not

[54:04] understanding here?

[54:05] >> The warnings were there. The dire

[54:07] predictions were not just being

[54:09] discussed on Capitol Hill. They were on

[54:11] the front pages.

[54:12] >> In your opinion, did the levies have to

[54:15] breach New Orleans?

[54:17] >> Well, of course not. I mean, we've

[54:18] talked about it. We've said it in

[54:20] speeches on the floor of the Congress

[54:21] that we needed to be better prepared and

[54:24] yet the funding was not there.

[54:26] >> When it comes to Louisiana and the levy

[54:28] system, there are a lot of things that

[54:29] could have been done and and the funding

[54:32] was not made available. Michael Parker

[54:34] is a former Republican congressman from

[54:37] Mississippi who served as the civilian

[54:39] head of the Army Corps of Engineers

[54:41] until 2002. We have seen in the last 4

[54:45] days in a matter of 72 hours we saw a

[54:48] modern city move from being totally 21st

[54:51] century into the third world. And that

[54:55] is a sad sad commentary. And it's all

[54:57] because of the disintegration of

[55:00] infrastructure. and repairing the

[55:02] infrastructure would have meant spending

[55:03] more money to make the levies higher,

[55:06] restructure weakened areas, even build

[55:08] entirely new levies.

[55:10] >> It was not something that could have

[55:11] been done in the last five, six, seven

[55:13] years. It had to be something done just

[55:14] like our grandparents and our parents

[55:16] did for us. They had to plan for the

[55:18] future and not be so self-centered that

[55:21] they would look at nothing except

[55:24] self-gratification on on what is good

[55:26] for us today. They had to look to the

[55:28] future and and we have not done that as

[55:31] a society.

[55:33] >> Ivor Vanhen knows how hard it is to get

[55:36] money from Washington.

[55:37] >> All our research has shown that this

[55:39] would happen.

[55:40] >> A professor at Louisiana State

[55:42] University, he has studied the impact of

[55:44] hurricanes on New Orleans and says there

[55:47] is no question that investing in the

[55:49] levies and wetlands could have made the

[55:51] city safer. Certainly a lot of

[55:53] politicians have told me, "Look, Iva,

[55:57] why spend the money on something that

[55:59] could never happen?" Unfortunately, it

[56:01] did happen.

[56:02] >> And that makes this year's proposed

[56:04] record cut to the Army Corps of

[56:06] Engineers budget in New Orleans all the

[56:09] more glaring, down 20% or 71.2 million.

[56:15] For years, you and other representatives

[56:18] from Louisiana begged for more money.

[56:20] and almost every single year in the last

[56:23] decade anyway were turned down.

[56:25] >> Well, it's true. I mean, they were said,

[56:26] "No, we can't uh fund what you are

[56:29] requesting because we have other

[56:30] obligations." And it's very clear that

[56:33] when you're spending a billion dollars a

[56:35] day in essence in Iraq, that that means

[56:37] that that money is not available here in

[56:40] this country. And that's what we're

[56:41] facing.

[56:42] >> And now we're in a situation where we're

[56:44] having to play catchup,

[56:45] >> which is going to be a very expensive

[56:46] position to be in. It's going to be much

[56:48] more expensive than anything that that

[56:50] we've done in a long, long time.

[56:53] >> We will return to the Gulf Coast in just

[56:56] a moment.

[56:59] >> Up next, a live report from the

[57:00] hurricane region as the National Guard

[57:02] tries to restore order. National Guard

[57:05] troops from Oregon are headed that way

[57:06] after getting the call from the

[57:07] governor. And a local woman escapes New

[57:10] Orleans and arrives at PDX.

[57:16] Einer always found a way of getting into

[57:18] trouble.

[57:19] >> I'm going to be your new waiter.

[57:21] >> Jean was looking for a way out of it.

[57:23] >> It's a police report. He was my

[57:24] boyfriend.

[57:25] >> Now they're just trying to settle some

[57:27] unfinished business.

[57:28] >> Is her being here going to ruin you?

[57:30] >> Robert Redford.

[57:31] >> I want to know what killed my boy.

[57:33] >> Jennifer Lopez.

[57:34] >> I killed him. Is that what you want to

[57:36] hear?

[57:36] >> And Morgan Freeman.

[57:37] >> They call him accidents because it's

[57:38] nobody's fault. My son's dead. My

[57:40] granddaughter's not. And neither were

[57:42] you.

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[59:20] As we say good night, we want to leave

[59:21] you with some of the indelible images of

[59:24] the last 24 hours. I'm Elizabeth Vargas,

[59:27] and for all of us at Prime Time, our

[59:29] thoughts and prayers are with the people

[59:31] of the Gulf Coast tonight. Good night.