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CNN'S KYRA PHILLIPS TALKS TO LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE ABOUT THE MILITARY EFFORT TO RESTORE THE CHAOS IN NEW ORLEANS |
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by CNN.com September 2, 2005 (Transcribed from the Video at CNN.com by Tara Carreon, american-buddha.com) VOICE OF LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE, CMDR. FIRST U.S. ARMY
There's been a big effort, and it is a hard process to collect the necessary food and water we needed. Again, we are issuing water from bottles and individual packets of food, and if you ever have 20,000 people come to supper, you know what I'm talking about. And if it was easy, it would have been done already. But we've been a victim of the high water, which restricts our routes. The people have been concentrated because of the high water, and it just makes it difficult. This would have been done if it was simple, as I said earlier. I've just been, I'm at the corner of Notre Dame and Convention Center, and we're here now with the first push of water and food, and we'll download our trucks, and we're going to go back and pick up the next load. So shortly, we'll start issuing water and food, and then we'll bring the helicopters in and start the medical evacuation of those that need to be taken to the hospitals immediately. Q. Sir, when I talked to you yesterday, you had just gotten off your Seahawk helicopter, you were just getting close to the area to assess what's taking place, and what you needed. When you and I talked yesterday, I asked you about the dead bodies. I asked you about the people that were dying. As you are there now at that exact location, at the Convention Center, can you give me some type of situation report? Are people still dying? Are you having to attend to the dead, as well as trying save those that are still alive? A. Yes. I would best describe it: there are people who were ill before, and people who were on medication before, have gotten worse. We are about to start the medivac. We've got three, two major medivac operations going now at the Superdome. We're still ferrying people there. We are doing medivac operations at a couple of the hospitals. And we are working the intersection of the causeway and I-10. There's about 7,000 people there, and we are going in and picking up those that are sick, and moving them to the hospital. And we will start that operation at the Convention Center shortly. The air reconnaisance is ongoing, the location is being picked, and we are clearing the area so we can bring the helicopters in. And then we'll bring the, start taking them out immediately. In the meantime, we're pulling forward the medics, EMT folks, who can run that center, and that center will be continuous here once we get started. Over. A. Well, I mean, there's criminal activity all over America. And the mood here, of the people, are they are anxious to get out of here. They would rather be home. And we are going to take them from here, and get them to a place where they can have more of a normal life, with a place to sleep, and with some degree of comfort. But the people, by and large, again, I'm standing at the corner of Notre Dame and Convention, and there have been some criminal activity happen, but by and large, these are families that are just waiting to get out of here. And they are frustrated. I would too. I get frustrated at the cash register counter when the paper run out. This is not an instant solution. And it's hard work, and they are frustrated. And in a way, we are too. But we're doing our best. We got the resources started, and we're going to continue to flow them now we're at the Convention Center. Over. Q. Once they get in those buses, sir, where will they head to? Where exactly will you have the victims going once they are on the buses and out of New Orleans? A. Well, you know, we're remaining a flow to the Houston Convention Center, there's an operation going to Dallas, and one going to San Antonio. And as we speak, there is a capacity being built to meet the requirement. Over. Q. You know, there's been some criticisms, sir, about not having enough men and women in-country to respond to this situation quick enough. Do you think the war on terrorism is affecting your troop count? A. Okay. Look, you know I've heard that a lot about the vast majority out-of-country, and reserves. Yes, a lot of them have been deployed. But we only have 90,000 of a full force of 400,000 deployed. The difference is, that they are scattered all over the United States. So it's not about not having enough, it's about getting them here in time. I mean, you know when the storm hit land, we got troops here from as far away as Oklahoma, Texas, Pennsylvania, Vermont, that arrived here in the last 24 hours. So that's pretty easy. I mean, if you wanted to put them on flight tomorrow, it would take you a while to get there. It's time and space. And all you can ask of our troops is, they have jobs, they were formed up quickly, and they're here. We got troops flowing in from Alabama, Kansas, I mean, just about every state we are bringing troops in. So it's working, it just takes time to get here. Over. Q. Sir, I know you're one helluva soldier, and you have extremely strong character. I also know that this is your hometown, and this is where you grew up. Have you had a chance to talk with the children, to talk with the families? Have you been able to interact and look them in the eye and say, "Look, we're here, and don't give up"? A. Well, no, not to the extent. I've had some warm greetings with people on the street this morning who are happy that we're here, and an equal number that's frustrated that it took us so long. But, for the record, I actually come from Point Coupee Parish, a place called Lakeland, Louisiana, near New Roads, Louisiana, as we say in Louisiana, but my daughter lives up here in New Orleans, as I told you, and I have a lot of relatives here, that is a fact. Over. Q. Have you been able to see any of them while you are there, sir? A. Uh, no, the priority is on this mission, of getting these people out of here. Q. Absolutely. Sir, we sure appreciate your time. Once again, I also, while I have you here, and as we look at these pictures of your troops coming in with supplies, we've been talking about various organizations, we've received so many phone calls and emails from people that want to help, you're there, you see what you need now, you're bringing in certain supplies, for those that want to help, what is it that they can do? A. Well, I think the President, if you could help, get that word out, has made it quite clear that the source of where the contributions are going to go to. I won't directly quote that, but I'm sure you could pull that from the clippings, and I think that's the message we want to get out to America, that there's places for a lot of people to help in just about every community in Louisiana, north of Baton Rouge, and in Mississippi. A lot of people left New Orleans and went to Jackson, Mississippi, and there's a large crowd of people in Jackson, Mississippi, which, oh, by the way, does not have light and water, and we're having to help them also, that evacuated from New Orleans. So there's a lot of people evacuated from New Orleans who went north in what is a traditional storm line, and now they are stuck there and it's an equal problem. But our number one task is to deal with the concentration of people in New Orleans, as well as those that are isolated, and we're going to get after it and I know it is frustrating, we all feel it, we're right here, and these are Americans, these are our people, this is the purpose for which we were born, as an army to protect our nation and our people, this is what we are committed to, we all raised our right hand to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and this storm has been like an enemy, but it's nothing we could control. Over. Q. Final question, sir. Do you have a time line? Can you tell me, days, weeks, when you're going to have everybody out of there, everybody tended to? A. You know, this is going to be a continuing process. This is just phase one. The evacuations of those where we can properly take care of, we're in the rescue phase of this right now, there's a long, long, big, government work to do to make this right following this storm, and that's going to take some time, and I would be hesitant to speculate. Over. Q. General Russel Honore, we wish you the best, sir. We are counting on you, you hear? A. Well, it's not about me, it's about the first responders, and all the government workers, all the branches of service, and the great work of our National Guard, both air and ground forces, throughout the United States, it's about our great Coast Guard, policemen, chief ___, chief of police of New Orleans, is the battle captain of this operation, he's making it happen, about pulling together the law enforcement peace, there are a lot of folks here that are operating right on the edge but we're going to make it happen because it's for the right cause.
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