Bush Pledges Help For Victims
Urges Evacuees To Stay Safe While Agencies Prepare For Recovery
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Play CBS Video Video FEMA's Katrina Plan Mike Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, spoke to The Early Show's Harry Smith about how the government will help Gulf Coast areas hit by Hurricane Katrina.
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Video New Orleans Takes Powerful Hit A city famous for close calls took a hard punch from Katrina, which left a trail of destruction but not to the extent some had feared. John Roberts reports from New Orleans.
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Video Katrina Hits Miss. Hardest For eight long hours, hurricane force winds and relentless rains pounded at the Mississippi Gulf Coast like nothing the area has seen in a generation. Jim Acosta reports from Biloxi, Miss.
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President Bush pledged extensive support for victims of Hurricane Katrina during a meeting in Mirage, Az. about prescription drug benefits for Medicare recipients. (AP)
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Members of the National Guard hand out ready-to-eat meals to some of the thousands of evacuees taking shelter at New Orleans' Superdome. (AP)
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Interactive Storm Tracker Follow all the storms of the 2009 season with satellite images, warnings and wind speed charts.
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Interactive Storm Season Track the latest storms, see how they form, get preparation tips and more.
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Interactive Katrina Hits Florida Hurricane Katrina socked the densely-populated South Florida coast.
With an array of relief services waiting in the wings, what exactly do city officials fear?
"Flooding, of course, is our main concern," Blanco told The Early Show's Hannah Storm. "It would create an untenable situation in the city if the levees are breached."
If levees don't stand up to the Category 4 storm, up to 25 feet of water — that's taller then most of the city's homes — could cover the basin area of town. Recovery could be a long-term ordeal. Brown says restoring electricity could become a "block to block, house to house" reconstruction effort. And some people may be without power for weeks.
"We're preparing for what could potentially be a strong environmental disaster, as those floodwaters bring in all that kind of waste, we have to be prepared to deal with that, too," Brown said.
Federal, state and local agencies say recovery could be a slow process.
Former Army Corps of Engineers commander Robert Flowers says he couldn't begin to estimate the billions of dollars in damage the storm is causing.
And Brown told CBS News he doesn't question Mr. Bush's dedication to the relief effort, and he is sure FEMA will be able to finance even a major recovery.
"I don't want to say our pockets are limitless, but I know president Bush and Congress support FEMA in a very great way," Brown said. "Our number one priority is to help victims, save their lives, protect property. Whatever resources we need, there's no question in my mind the president and congress will get those to us."
For years, forecasters have warned of the nightmare scenario a big storm could bring to New Orleans, a bowl of a city that is up to 10 feet below sea level in spots and relies on a network of levees, canals and pumps to keep dry from the Mississippi River on one side, Lake Pontchartrain on the other.
The fear was that flooding could overrun the levees and turn New Orleans into a toxic lake filled with chemicals and petroleum from refineries, as well as waste from ruined septic systems.
Governor Blanco said although the city is at tremendous risk right now, she is confident New Orleans can hold up to the storm with the help of federal agencies.
"Our people are sturdy people, strong people," Blanco said. "We've dealt with storms before. We know we're going to lose some property. There will be extensive damage but we will rebuild."
©MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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