>> 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.