Storm Newborns: Hope Amid Despair

Hospitals in New Orleans are running on empty.

With power out, and backup generators straining to carry the load, the most critically ill patients have been evacuated, and others will follow soon.

But, as The Early Show National Correspondent Tracy Smith found out, there are some small miracles to be thankful for. Keyword: small.

Babies are coming into the world there, Hurricane Katrina or not.

Smith describes one hospital as an "island in an ocean of despair."

"We are functioning. Access is a problem, and we are at capacity," says Ochsner Hospital CEO Pat Quinlan.

While so much of New Orleans has been swallowed by water, Ochsner sits eight feet above sea level, which means it, and its patients, have been spared.

"Many people in our crew right now have lost their homes. They're gone. And they're not focusing on that. They're focusing on, 'I'm gonna take care of patients, take care of my colleagues, and we're gonna get through this.' This is our home, right here. We're fine."

Beaty Kailey was born Monday, but originally, her mother had chosen a different name: Katrina.

Not anymore.The world she came into is a very different place than it was just a few days ago. Looters roam the streets here. The Parrish president has declared marshal law, and some people have taken the law into their hands.

To be safe, the hospital is on lockdown. Staffers and administrators are there 24/7.

Ochsner has two working generators, not enough electricity for air conditioning, but enough to keep people alive.

"All the training paid off. All the preparation paid off," says Dr. Cliff Van Meter.

But getting to Ochsner is a problem. Streets to the hospital from the heart of New Orleans are now streams, stopping just about everyone who tries to cross. Rescue efforts are ongoing.

One official of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told rescuers, "Don't worry about the dead bodies. Only worry about the live bodies."

Officials have asked for assistance from anyone with a boat. They estimate hundreds, even thousands of people may be stranded, running out of food and water.

And just as they did in the days following 9-11, rescue teams from all over the country have come to the Katrina-ravaged areas to help.

One young mother and her baby had to be rescued by a boat after she evacuated to a hotel, and then when into labor.

"What are you gonna tell this little guy about how he was born?" Smith asked the mother.

"He came at the wrong time," was the response.

They're the lucky ones, for now at least.

Staffers say they can see the waters surrounding the hospital getting higher.

How long will conditions stay like this?

"Until it ends," Ochsner CEO Quinlan responded. "That's the attitude. Until it ends."