>> Sreenivasan: FOR AN UPDATE
ON THE RECOVERY EFFORTS AFTER
HURRICANE IDA'S DEVASTATION IN
LOUISIANA, NEWSHOUR COMMUNITIES
CORRESPONDENT ROBY CHAVEZ JOINED
US FROM NEW ORLEANS EARLIER
TODAY.
ROBY, LAST TIME WE SPOKE WITH
YOU, YOU WERE PREPARING FOR IDA,
AND HERE YOU ARE NOW IN THE
AFTERMATH.
WHAT'S THE LAST FEW DAYS BEEN
LIKE?
>> WELL, LOOK, IT'S BEEN A TOUGH
WEEK, YOU KNOW.
NO POWER, NO WATER, NO FOOD.
IT'S BEEN VERY, VERY TOUGH FOR A
LOT OF PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY OUR
FOLKS WHO ARE ON FIXED INCOME
AND LOW INCOME.
YOU KNOW, PRESIDENT BIDEN CAME
TO TOWN YESTERDAY.
THAT BROUGHT SOME SMILES TO
FOLKS.
AND HE DID WHAT HE ALWAYS DOES;
HE WAS A CONSOLER IN CHIEF.
HE SPENT SEVERAL HOURS ON THE
GROUND, HANDHOLDING WITH FOLKS,
LISTENING TO THEM.
HE ALSO BROUGHT SOME GOOD NEWS.
HE TOLD THEM THAT FEMA WAS GOING
TO PAY FOR THEIR HOTELS IF THEY
HAD TO GO OUT OF TOWN.
HE ALSO GAVE A WARNING TO
INSURANCE COMPANIES, SAYING,
"DON'T HIDE BEHIND THE FINE
PRINT, JUST PAY OFF THOSE CLAIMS
AS THEY COME."
ALSO BROUGHT RELIEF TO THE
20,000 LINEMEN THAT ARE IN TOWN
TRYING TO FIX THE POWER HERE IN
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA.
THEY HAVE BEEN LIVING IN HOTELS
WITHOUT WATER AND WITHOUT
ELECTRICITY.
SO, THEY'RE GOING TO PUT THEM UP
NOW IN A CRUISE SHIP AND SET UP
OTHER SHELTERS.
AND SO, THAT IMPORTANT WORK CAN
CONTINUE.
>> Sreenivasan: ROBY, WHERE ARE
YOU JOINING US FROM?
WHAT'’’S BEHIND YOU, THERE?
>> WELL, WE'RE IN THE GREATER
NEW ORLEANS AREA, AND THIS IS A
STRIP MALL, AND YOU CAN SEE SOME
OF THE DESTRUCTION HERE.
IT LITERALLY RIPPED THE WHOLE
SIDE OF THIS BUILDING DOWN.
WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF THAT KIND
OF DESTRUCTION-- THOUSANDS OF
POWER POLES DOWN ON TOP OF
HOMES, SOME OF THESE
300-YEAR-OLD TREES DOWN.
AND SO, THERE'S A LOT TO BE
CLEARED OUT OF THE ROADS, WHICH
IS MAKING IT CHALLENGING FOR
SOME OF THE WORKERS WHO ARE
WORKING ON RESTORING THE POWER.
>> Sreenivasan: WHAT'S THE FUEL
SITUATION LIKE?
I MEAN, GETTING THESE POWER
LINES UP MEANS THAT THERE HAVE
TO BE GENERATORS IN THE INTERIM,
OR EVEN HOW THESE LINE TRUCKS
CAN GET TO THE PLACES THEY NEED
TO GET TO.
>> YEAH, THAT IS PROBABLY THE
MOST DIFFICULT SITUATION RIGHT
NOW, WITHOUT POWER, IS TO KIND
OF GET FUEL IN THIS AREA.
YOU KNOW, THERE WERE SOME
SIX OF THE 16 REFINERIES WENT
DOWN DURING THE STORM, AND
THAT'’’S CAUSING A HUGE SHORTAGE.
GASBUDDY DID A CALCULATION JUST
HERE IN NEW ORLEANS.
SOME 67% OF THE GAS STATIONS ARE
SHUT DOWN.
AND AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, FOLKS
ARE WAKING UP VERY EARLY IN THE
MORNING TO STAND IN THESE LINES.
IT'’’S BEEN VERY, VERY HOT.
THREE OR FOUR DAYS OF HEAT
ADVISORIES, FEELING LIKE 105
DEGREES.
TEMPERS HAVE FLARED.
THERE HAVE BEEN FIGHTS AT GAS
STATIONS.
WE'VE EVEN HAD ONE SHOOTING,
WHERE A PERSON WAS KILLED.
WE'RE HOPING BY MID-NEXT WEEK,
A LOT OF THE POWER WILL COME
BACK ON.
THAT SHOULD ALLEVIATE SOME OF
THE PROBLEMS.
>> Sreenivasan: HAVE PEOPLE WHO
HAD AN OPTION TO LEAVE, LEFT,
CONSIDERING THAT, AS YOU POINT
OUT, SOUTHERN LOUISIANA IN THE
MIDDLE OF SUMMER CAN ALREADY BE
HOT AND STICKY, BUT ESPECIALLY
BAD WITHOUT ANY AIR CONDITIONING
OR POWER FOR IT?
>> YOU KNOW, THE BIG CONCERN IS
THE ELDERLY AND THOSE FOLKS ON
FIXED INCOMES AND LOW INCOMES.
THEY JUST DON'T HAVE THE MONEY
TO GO.
SO, THAT FEMA SUPPORT WILL
CERTAINLY HELP FOLKS KIND OF
GET THROUGH THIS TRANSITION
PERIOD UNTIL THE WATER IS ON AND
THE POWER IS ON.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME SENIORS
IN HIGH RISES HERE IN NEW
ORLEANS WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING
AND WITHOUT WATER.
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAD TO GO
IN AND-- AND HELP THEM OUT.
SO, IT'S GOING TO BE A-- A TOUGH
TIME.
WE EXPECT THAT NEW ORLEANS AREA
WILL GET POWER ON VERY SHORTLY.
BUT WE'RE ALONG THE COAST IN
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA, LAFOURCHE,
TERREBONNE, GRAND ISLE, SOME
62% OF THE HOMES DOWN THERE ARE
DESTROYED.
AND SO, THEY'RE NOT EXACTLY SURE
WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO GO OR HOW
THEY'’’RE GOING TO REBUILD.
>> Sreenivasan: ROBY, WHEN
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE
ELDERLY, WHAT ABOUT THE NURSING
HOMES IN THE REGION WHO HAVE
ALSO LOST POWER?
WHAT HAVE THEY BEEN DOING?
>> YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE EXTREME
CHALLENGES DURING THIS HURRICANE
WAS TO MOVE SOME OF THOSE FOLKS
IN NURSING HOMES TO A SAFE AREA.
WELL, SOME 800 FOLKS WERE HOUSED
IN A MASS SHELTER, IN DEPLORABLE
CONDITIONS.
THIS WEEK, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT
WENT IN, SHUT IT DOWN, AND HAD
TO TRANSPORT A LOT OF THOSE
FOLKS FROM-- ALL OF THE FOLKS TO
A DIFFERENT FACILITY.
AND SO, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE
EXTREME CHALLENGES THAT FOLKS
ARE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO KEEP
AN EYE ON, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE
WHO HAVE SOME MEDICAL
CHALLENGES.
>> Sreenivasan: I KNOW LAST WEEK
WE SPOKE BRIEFLY ABOUT YOUR
RELATIVES.
HOW DID THEY FARE THROUGH THIS?
>> ME, LIKE EVERYONE ELSE,
BECAUSE I LIVE HERE, SPENT A
COUPLE OF DAYS WITHOUT PHONE,
WITHOUT THE INTERNET, WITHOUT
ANY WAY TO COMMUNICATE,
COMPLETELY SHUT OFF.
AND SO, I DIDN'T HEAR FROM MY
FAMILY UNTIL MID-WEEK WHEN I WAS
ABLE TO GO DOWN THERE ACTUALLY
WITH A CREW TO DO SOME SHOOTING.
THEY'RE DOING WELL, THEY'RE
SAFE, THEIR HOUSE IS INTACT.
BUT A LOT OF THEIR NEIGHBORS ARE
HURTING.
YOU KNOW, THE HARD PART IS, YOU
KNOW, THIS IS AN AREA IN
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA THAT KIND OF
STAYS THE SAME, AND THAT BRINGS
SOME COMFORT WHEN YOU GO HOME,
YOU KNOW?
NOTHING CHANGES.
AND WHEN YOU GET TIRED OF KIND
OF THE BUSY CITY LIFE, YOU CAN
GO HOME AND KIND OF JUST RELAX,
AND EVERYTHING STAYS THE SAME.
IT CERTAINLY DOESN'T LOOK LIKE
THAT ANYMORE.
>> Sreenivasan: NEWSHOUR'S
ROBY CHAVEZ JOINING US FROM
NEW ORLEANS TONIGHT.
THANKS SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU, HARI.