Are you guys watching Aaron Brown on CNN?

[Catherine Vincent]

He has a reporter on the phone, Jeanne Meserve, and she is reporting the devastation and she is practically crying. You can hear it in her voice. I think all of that destruction overwhelmed her. She just said people were yelling for help and the reporters couldn't go out to help these people because it was too dangerous.

[bicentennial_baby]

1. that was intense...

:wow:

[Catherine Vincent]

4. It was.

This is all so sad.

[steve2470]

2. yeah horrible, i also read about dogs being electrocuted nt

[auntAgonist]

9. her voice broke as she spoke of that too .

[MissB]

3. Her last name is Meserve.

[Catherine Vincent]

6. Thanks. I'll edit my post.

[auntAgonist]

5. Jeanne Meserve ...

has me in tears. She sounds exhausted and devastated.
She said too that one photographer has been working with a broken foot all day with no rest.

such a horrible shame for those people.

[tjdee]

7. What's her problem? She should just meet Bush in San Diego.

It's nice out there.

[Pithy Cherub]

12. No. This time Jeanne was a reporter for the AGES.

She was sobbing and me too about the electrical wires being down, electrocutions, people being made to wait, the lack of boats, amputees, bodies and that is not even the worst of it - the water is rising again. I am sobbing. She was real and authentic and had no shame for sobbing on air - on CNN who I have bee railing against all day...

[Missy Vixen]

19. The worst part for me

was her description of the dog wrapped in live electrical wire.

Real tears from a real member of the press, obviously devastated by what she saw today.

:cry:

Julie

[FreedomAngel82]

33. Oh gosh

The poor dog. :cry:

[steve2470]

20. I've never had any doubts about her. She seems to be a real pro nt

[tjdee]

21. I believe that--but Bush isn't sobbing or anything.

He was yucking it up selling his stupid ass SS nonsense, had some cake with John McCain, and is now in a very ritzy California hotel.

:grr:

I missed Ms. Meserve's report, unfortunately. I hope someone can put it up for us. It is just so infuriating that we are hearing reports like that, Hugo friggin Chavez is offering us water and fuel...

And Bush is off playing Marie Antoinette somewhere. Just disgusting.

[tuvor]

28. "And Bush is off playing Marie Antoinette somewhere."

Someone needs to photoshop that image.

[WiseButAngrySara]

43. "What, they've no bread?!!! Why let them eat cake!".....n/t

[Cleita]

44. I think Louis XVI, or XVII (I can't remeber)

is a more appropriate image. He was the king. Marie was just an airhead although I think she could have done more like Mrs. Bush could if she tried.

[tjdee]

48. Yup....

but we had the cake pic so.... (see below)

[jbnow]

59. Actually some did eat cake

They showed a restaurant worker bring a huge tray of food to people and I saw some big cakes on it. The NO restaurant had lost electricity so they wanted their food eaten rather then just rotting.

That was nice.

I hate bush more every day.

[tjdee]

45. Well, here it is:

KeepItReal had the Marie reference first, here's that thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x3934866
And here's the picture:

[mountainvue]

32. I know. I find it hard to believe that more could not have

been done to help these people. Apparently things are deteriorating inside the Superdome as well.

[FreedomAngel82]

Why isn't Bush getting help from Chavez??

Ugh. I wish we had a real president. :cry:

[tjdee]

39. I think Hugo just made the offer a bit ago...

It's over in LBN.

So it remains to be seen whether Bush accepts the help--I'm thinking he won't, because it would bruise his ego and hurt Pat Robertson's feelings. :eyes:

I don't even know if we know yet whether we need help with fuel (well, we can always use help).

[Pithy Cherub]

37. The audio was absolutely riveting in its horror.

Aaron commented on the 15 minutes - no commercials while she spoke. Bush's name has never come up but that reporter, Jeanne Meserve showed more compassion in 15 minutes than Bush ever has and the people heard her!

[TomInTib]

8. Blew me away

did you catch the sign-off?
I would pay $ for a copy of that segment.

Wow

[Catherine Vincent]

13. I think Aaron wanted to go to a commercial break because

he was getting misty eyed.

[TomInTib]

17. I think you are right

and this from the guy who was steel during 9/11.

[Catt03]

34. Saw that

his voice was cracking and very emotional. Did a great job with the interview with Meserve

[mountainvue]

14. I know. It was that good. n/t

[MeDeMax]

30. it will be on again at 1am eastern

if you get it at 10pm eastern.

[sundog]

10. saw that

sad :(

[mountainvue]

11. Yes. Their cameraman has been

working with a broken foot since 9 am. She also commented on how people in the poor neighborhoods had no way to get out and they were basically trapped there.
She was especially upset at hearing people hollering for help in the darkness and being unable to do anything about it. This is one of the most honest accounts I have heard yet.

[The Backlash Cometh]

16. Any sign of our national guard yet?

[Roxy66]

29. I know...I keep thinking all the coppters will start dropping officers

down on ropes

[mountainvue]

57. Yes. About 3000 of them are watching it on tv

from somewhere in the middle east.

[The Backlash Cometh]

60. 3000 more people who have been converted to Sheehan's side.

[Hatalles]

15. Jeanne Meserve

[Roxy66]

23. I am so disappointed I missed her account.....I just love that woman

[Not_Giving_Up]

18. I was listening (my back is to the TV)

She is overwhelmed by the destruction that she has seen, and was told that was she saw was not the worst, which overwhelmed her even more.

[FreedomAngel82]

38. Wow, there's worse then that?

I couldn't even imagine.

[Lex]

22. Meserve heard people dying, yelling for help, couldn't get to them.

No one there to help them.

At least one member of her crew is injured.

She must be horrified, tired, and wrenched by all this.

[Eloriel]

24. Where was she? State, city? n/t

[markus]

53. In the Ninth Ward, where boats were being launched off I 10

if I read the video clearly. And she described people being transfered to what I presume is (what I still know as) the L&N line embankment, tho' it may be some other railroad now.

This area took it much worse than Betsy from the sound of it, as did St. Bernard. New Orleans East didn't do very well either. Basically all of the areas exposed to the heaviest storm surge up the MRGO are completely innundated.

[Stephanie]

55. She's in a suburb or New Orleans- she wasn't really sure where

She estimated it was about 5 miles from downtown.

[MeDeMax]

25. will be on again at 1:00 AM eastern

Larry King comes on at 9pm & midnight, so NewsNight should be on at 10pm & 1am.

Program your VCR if you like...

[Catherine Vincent]

50. Thanks. I'll do that.

[Whoa_Nelly]

26. Was completely drawn into the emotion

What Jeanne Merserve is reporting is just a small bit of what is happening to many people. Tomorrow is going to tell us even more the tale.

I keep thinking about those who can't chop a hole through their roof, no electricity, live wires, gas lines still spewing. I cannot evn imagine the horror and fright these people and their families are going through.

I feel helpless.

Jeanne's accounting made it clear that there are many who are suffering through utter misery that could end their lives.

[FreedomAngel82]

27. Oh gosh

:cry:

[Roxy66]

31. Aaron is about to cry

[Cleita]

35. The reporters can't help?

Are they afraid of losing their jobs or their souls?

I remember years ago when an apartment fire was being reported on the local news and a little kitty got to a window but couldn't get out because of the screen. The reporter actually climbed up the burning building and rescued the little kitty. He didn't get fired. He even got some kind of award for it from the Humane Society.

So is that they really can't help or CNN says they can't? Please explain?

[Lex]

42. They literally could not get to these people.

It's not like they were refusing to help them.

Sounds like it was all the CNN crew could do to survive this themselves!

[Cleita]

47. I was wrong then. I just don't watch CNN.

They have refused to present the real truth about so many things that I am very suspicious.

[Catherine Vincent]

54. I'm sorry. #42 explained why the reporters couldn't help.

I was in a rush when I posted this thread.

[tjdee]

49. They said it was unsafe for them to help, and it's dark now.

One of them just said that gas was leaking into the water (?) and that it was unsafe to get those people, so they'll probably be on their roof all night. He also mentioned the dogs wrapped up in power lines....people running out of air stuck inside their attics/roofs that they couldn't get to just because they can't see anything at this point.

OH WELL!

[Hell Hath No Fury]

51. Unless they had a boat there wasn't...

...a damn thing they could do -- that was the big problem today. The location she was reporting from most of the day had only two rescue boats available, and there were serious problems getting those boats up and over a set of RR tracks for each trip they took. From one report I saw, she indicated that a CNN crew member was helping to get the boats past the tracks, but that was little help for the HUGE problem she was witnessing.

I think that is why she broke down -- the utter helplessness/hopelessness of the situation. Authorities haven't been able to access a majority of the areas hit because of the flooding and a total lack of equipment to get in.

[Stephanie]

56. Her cameraman was helping to get the rescue boats that were stuck

they were stuck on something and he was in the water helping them - but she said the rescue workers can't really move in yet because of darkness, live wires, gas leaking, and so much debris, i.e. cars and things, under the water - they need to get the flat bottomed boats in there, but can't until it's light out.

[WiseButAngrySara]

36. I couldn't believe it...very moving. I've heard her report before, and

she has always been cool, calm, objective and seemingly non-emotional. This is sadder than we had anticipated I think...

[Catherine Vincent]

40. I wonder if this segment will repeat later tonight or if

crooksandliars will capture it? I'd like to see it again because I missed a part of it.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

41. okay, I'm gonna say it- FLAME AWAY

Where was she on the march to Baghdad?

WHere was Aaron?

I'm horribly devastated over this tradgedy in New Orleans.

Seems we only cry for our own.

[Lex]

46. The press agreed to be monitored on the invasion of Iraq.

Not so on this story.

[Stephanie]

52. yes I just posted the same - she was crying

she was distraught that the people were screaming for help and nobody could reach them, she couldn't help them. Her cameraman broke his foot and kept working, her other crewmember was out rescuing the rescue boats or something, she sounds absolutely destroyed.

[yowzayowzayowza]

58. FYI: Some Video Available

A portion of her report is available on CNN.com video as the story: "Water rises to eaves of houses" ... only 2:37 from 8:39pm