fema has launched risk rating 2.0.ema worked with a variety of organizations to incorporate more data and led variables to determine actual risk of property will be updated variable. in theory, this will address some of the cost issues that have liked the program. this coincides with long-overdue mapping efforts. it goes without saying there have been enormous technological advancements in mapping and modeling since the program inception. more advanced tools enable much more active predictive maps then we see today. in conclusion, i want to thank you for inviting me to testify today. nfip and related disasters are critical not just for budget impacts but for society as a whole. the goal must be to enable industry to become more resilient, face list risk -- faceless risk, and mitigate future damage of climate change. >> thank you, chairman brown. i am senior fellow and editor-in-chief at the international center for law and economics. and speaking to you from florida, which is a strong case study in how the nfip affects

is fema spread too thin? the reason i ask is will fema be able to respond as hurricane season bears down on the gulf coast? i represent southwest texas and hurricane season is coming. will fema be able to handle that with the responsibility i believe they also have the southern border? mr. izzard: i certainly understand that question, sir. we believe our independence -- we will continue to conduct oversight to ensure that we address issues that arrive. i don't know whether they are spread too thin or how they function, but we will certainly address any gaps that do arise as a result of how they play out these programs. rep. nehls: thank you and i look forward to hearing back from you and thank you for your candid nature. madame chair: the gentleman yields back. ms. titus is never recognized for five minutes. >> good morning. >> you are muted. madame chair: i believe your microphone is muted. >> is that better? madame chair: we can hear you now. >> i am adjusting this to mr. currie. early on in the pandemic th

is fema spread too thin? will fema be able to respond as hurricane season bears down on the gulf coast? i represent southwest houston, southwest texas and hurricane season is coming. will fema be able to handle that with the responsibility i believe they have at the southern border? mr. izzard: i certainly understand that question and i appreciate it. we will continue to conduct our oversight work to ensure the issues that arise, we will address those. i don't know that we would opine on whether they are spread too thin, but we will address any gaps that do arise. rep. nehls: i yelled back. >> missed titus is recognized for five minutes. i believe your microphone is muted. rep. titus: is that better? excuse me. i am addressing this to mr. cur rie. there were several reports alleging orders for supplies were getting redirected. the chairman and i raised concerns with the former administrator and it seemed the former president's son-in-law was heavily involved in some of the coordination efforts under fema. one

we should know a fema spokesperson before the president was speaking did say that fema is sending 200 ambulances, 139,000 tarps, 3.5 million meals and 2.5 million liters of water to the gulf region for people who are dealing with the aftermath of hurricane ida. of course, it's still wreaking havoc across the area. we're going to take a break and come back and see how things are developing with the storm after a quick break. we'll be right back. or bring a friend and you both get a month for $5. so the more people you roll with, the more you save. visible. unlimited data as low as $25 a month. or bring a friend and you both get a month for $5. [whispered] air wick. do you want more control of your fragrance? the air wick scented oil warmer has five settings, not three, for better frangrance control than febreze plug. take control of your fragrance with air wick. subway®... has so much new it didn't fit in our last ad. like the new deli-style oven-roasted turkey. and new hickory-smoked bacon. it's the eat fresh refresh™ at subway®. there's so much new we don't even have time for this gu

we had fema embedded before the storm. they haven't laughed. one disaster or emergency after another. they are doing really well. we look forward to visiting with the administrator, who i think is going to be able to come down tomorrow, mr. president. this is going to be a long haul. we are going to need assistance with a housing program, we are putting together preliminary information this week that could potentially drive and appropriation. i will work through cedric on that to make sure we can get the program up and running as soon as possible. i want to finish with the most important thing, we are still in a lifesaving phase here doing search and rescue. roads, highways into most of the affected area were completely clogged with debris, downed power lines, trees. we are making good progress, we started search-and-rescue this morning in daylight. we dispatch those forces. we already had search and rescue teams from 16 states in louisiana as of yesterday. it started moving to the affected areas at 3:00 this morning, 6:00 they were doing searc

the president just arriving at fema for another briefing after he was briefed yesterday by fema now onf what is actually going on on the ground. here's what we know. they have deployed about 2500 fema officials. now, 2,000 of those were already on the ground helping with covid relief efforts. they sent an additional 500. they are trying to provide as much as they can in the way of freshwater, generators, other resources as well as staff and personnel. but as we have discussed alex, the challenge here is that they are not just dealing with a standard hurricane evacuation and supply isue here. they are trying to mitigate the tread is of covid in an area that has seen its most devastating situation yet in terms of covid deaths. many people asked to evacuate are being asked to go into congregate areas, not a place where you want to send anyone in a state experiencing a surge in covid. the administration is working with fema to make sure that all the supplies, the standard supplies, in addition to masks and sanitation equipment as well are getting into the hands of the people who need it as

, fema headquarters.we'll have live coverage of that once it begins. joining us, john ram, director of homeland security for saint bern around parish. what are you bracing for with landfall? >> what we're looking for, we have constant threat of wind damage coming in, surge is the biggest factor now that we are looking at, outside of the levee protection system, part of the system for new orleans. expecting 7 to 11 feet of storm surge in lower saint bernard. we are fully prepared to accept that and we should be fine inside the levee system. inside that system, looking at wind damage, sustained winds between 74 and 95 miles per hour, occasionally higher hurricane gust winds later tonight and tomorrow morning. >> are you confident in the levee system that's been reconstructed since katrina? >> yes, we have been in contact with the coastal protection restoration authority and south louisiana flood plan authority. work they've done with corp of engineers, rebuilding the system, reengineering it, amount of effo

i am the fema administrator. i a. really quickly, this is the national response coordination center we have 22 federal interagency partners that have been gathered here since earlier in the week to support the planning efforts and preparedness efforts for the louisiana and mississippi as well as any other state that might be impacted by hurricane ida. as you know it did make landfall as a very strong category four hurricane just a few hours ago, and we are expecting catastrophic impacts from this. i have spoken to both the mayor of new orleans as well as the governor of louisiana just a few hours ago, and we have teams embedded with them so we could respond quickly as soon as we know with the impacts are. we should start to see some of those impacts and i but we will not have the real picture until tomorrow, and that we can start with the resources and. pres. biden: thank you. well, folks, you've got your hands full, but you've done an incredible job so far in prepping for this. you know, jill and i are just getting b

fema's response is designed to be supplemental in nature, fema tries to fill the gap on the outside. over 16 different national search and rescue teams in and around the area. obviously the target is getting to those coastal communities that experienced the storm surge and the maximum radius winds. but they don't push everything forward to where it comes on land, they also anticipate you're going to see copious amounts of rainfall along mississippi, alabama and into tennessee. so they have to strategically place their resources to help states and local governments respond. >> again, not to belabor the point, but it wasn't lost on a lot of folks that this is a storm that struck 16 years to the day that katrina pummeled new orleans and the surrounding areas. lessons from the response to that storm 16 years ago, brock, what were they, and how were those lessons employed this time around? you mentioned the pre-positioning of resources. that would seem to be one of the biggest. >> so we learned a lot of lessons in response capability, but we also understood that it can't just be fema. eve

as you may have heard, the fema administrator will be in louisiana tomorrow. i look forward explaining -- to extending the situation and the needs we have that they can assist with. i hope to also visit several of the affected parishes tomorrow. we are putting that schedule together as we speak. there are more than 5000 national guardsmen activated and responding to this disaster. more are on the way from sister states. we have known since before the hurricane hit that additional assistance would be needed in terms of soldiers of different military occupational specialties such as mps and engineers and so forth, and i can tell you, we have received commitments from 13 additional states, and these soldiers from his other states will start ling into louisiana within the next couple of days. the national guard search-and-rescue assets are already engaged, and the engagement area is about 29 parishes. they have got 195 high water vehicles, 79 boats and 39 helicopters conducting search and rescue since very early this morning. one of the numbers i got earlier today

from fema are not currently needed in our state.couraged our fema counterparts to release those individuals over to louisiana to help with those search and rescue. >> good. >> as well as i have directed my general, as we progress over the next 8 to 10 hours, he has already reached out to his counterpart in louisiana, and we're going to be sending men and women in uniform from mississippi to help in louisiana. ba because that's who we are. we've got, again, about 20 hours ahead of us of lots and lots of rain, but all things considered, because the storm slowed up so considerably, we're seeing more rain, more water but a lot less wind, which is certainly helpful. >> well, thanks an awful lot, gov, and again, thanks for your generosity and sending some of those search and rescue teams to louisiana. and is mayor cantrell on? mayor cantrell, are you on? i don't think she was able to get connected. >> i don't think so, mr. president. but we have cynthia lee. >> oh, okay. >> parish president from jefferson parish, which includes grand isle

the former head of fema joins me next.head of fema joine xt subway® has so much new it didn't fit in our last ad. like the new app with customization, curbside pickup and delivery. there's so much new, we don't even have time to show you who's holding this phone. bet you don't treat brady this way. come on, man! you clearly haven't seen the other ads. it's the eat fresh refresh™ at subway®. we gave new zzzquil pure zzzs restorative herbal sleep you clearly haven't seen the other ads. to people who were tired of being tired. i've never slept like this before. i've never woken up like this before. crafted with clinically studied plant-based ingredients that work naturally with your body. for restorative sleep like never before. does your deodorant keep you fresh all day? we put dove men deodorant to the test with nelson, a volunteer that puts care into everything he does. it really protects my skin. it's comfortable and lasts a long time. dove men, 48h freshness with triple action moisturizers. we are hoping things will pick

i cannot think of anyone better to lead the operation than criswell of fema. -- chris well of fema. she was one of the key federal officials leading a response to superstorm sandy. she knows this area well. she knows what is needed better than anyone. i talked with the administrator and each of the governors in the state to be affected. i urged them to take advantage of the assistance fema can offer in advance and committed to do everything we can to support their communities through the storm and afterwards. fema has repositioned resources in the region to speed up our ability to respond including food, and lifesaving communications equipment and generators. vibrations are in place to address significant power outages -- preparations are in place to address significant power outages. thousands of additional line crews and a vegetation clearing crews from other states are already heading towards the impacted states in new england. ready to serve and move in as soon as feasible. they will repair damaged lines and restart electrical service as fast as possible. we want to think these

two hours ago, we are standing by for a live update by the way from president biden who is visiting femaeadquarters in washington, also louisiana governor john bel edwards is also expected to give a briefing from baton rouge. you're looking at live pictures there in the french quarter where you can debris on the streets there on south peters. we are going to cover both of those events for you. meanwhile, the national weather service warns the damage from ida could be, quote, catastrophic. hello, welcome to "fox news live." i'm arthel neville. eric: hi, thank you for joining us with the late breaking news. i'm eric shawn. hurricane ida came ashore just before noon local time as a category 4 monster, sustained winds just under category 5, 150 miles per hour. thousands of gulf coast residents have already evacuated, thank goodness, after the warnings the storm could be as bad to make rescues impossible. arthel: and all of this, 16 years to the day after hurricane katrina made landfall in louisiana as a category 3, bringing scenes of devastation in new orleans and the gulf coast that quite f

>> fema is going to start sending teams in.e rescue teams but they will send teams in the next few days to find people, and if they are not registered or could not get registered, they will get them registered and it's another way of getting to people so we are not waiting for them to find fema, and fema will look for them. >> people that left their homes before the storm, many of them want to get back to their houses to assess the damage and figure out what has gone down and what they need to do to recover. the message from so many officials along with you is do not return now, now is not the time. how do you get that message out and why? >> a big reason is if you are going back in, and some people will, and you need to bring all your supplies because you are going back into an area where there's no power or water and you are likely to see that for sometime. it's better if you can stay out and give the teams a chance, one, to complete search and rescue, and two, as the utility crews and department transportation get rid of the

i'm here at the fema director's on, fema director is on, and i'm here with my if senior add visor andnd what i'm going to do is make a brief statement here and then tell you what we're doing, but then hear from all of you, if that's okay. i know you're busy as the devil. i know you've got a lot to manage in your states, but the fact is that i want to hear from you, we both want to hear from you. and we know hurricane ida had potential to cause mass if i have, massive -- massive, massive damage, and that's exactly what we saw. we already know there's been at least one con firmed -- confirmed death, and that number's likely to grow. and i've got, we've got a million people in louisiana without power. and for a time, ida caused the mississippi river to literally change its direction. and some folks are still dealing with the storm surge and flash flooding. and there are roads that are impassable due to debris and downed power lines, and we need people to continue to shelter in place if it's safe for them to do so. and for those who have lost their homes, you know, states working with the

the administrator and her team at fema is working on getting more of those into the area. we are in close contact with local providers to see what they need. the private pirate -- the private providers we don't control but we are trying to minimize the amount of time to get power back up. we have been working with the electric sector throughout the night and all day today to assess and understand the full extent of the damage. to accelerate the process, i have asked the federal aviation administration to work today with louisiana and mississippi electric companies to authorize the use of surveillance drones to assess the damage day energy infrastructure. while i'm sure those flights do not disrupt aerial search-and-rescue operations. i will also ask the pentagon and the department of homeland security to immediately make available any satellite imagery that can assist in assessing the damage in your states and cities. local utilities will soon begin restoration work, including prioritizing getting transmission lines into new orleans and get them back up and running. a lot

president, as well as security met fema earlier today, that the search and rescue teams from fema andot currently needed in our state. believe our state and local access can meet the needs, so we have encouraged our female counterparts to release those individuals over to louisiana to help with those surgeon rescues i have directed, as we progress over the next 8-10 hours, he has reached out to his counterpart in louisiana and will be sending men and women from uniformed to mississippi to help in louisiana, because that is who they are. so we have got, again, about 20 hours ahead of us of wind and lots and lots of rain, but all things considered, because the storm slowed up so considerably, we are seeing more rain and more water but a lot less wind, which is certainly helpful. >> president biden: will thanks an awful lot, gov. again, thanks for your generosity in sending some of those search and rescue teams louisiana. his mayor cantrell on? are you on? i don't think she was able to get connected. >> i don't think so, mr. president. but we have cynthia lee sheng, the parish president

let's talk about this with fema administrator.trat administrator, thank you for being with me. this report is not we're approaching the point of no return. we are there. the impact could last for centuries. your reaction to that and what is this administration, what can corporations here in the u.s. do to slow that trend? >> thanks so much for having me. climate change is the crisis we're facing now. we are already seeing the impacts. more severe weather. more frequent storms. the disturbing part is it's not going to get any better. we need to think about what are the future risks we'll be facing as a result of the changing climate and where fema's role comes in is to help reduce the impact. president biden offered $5 billion to help state and local communities develop projects to fight this climate change and develop those projects to reduce their impacts. >> it's not just the individual house. these are going to states and municipaliti municipalities. you want them to think big and on a community level. what are you hoping they

flood insurance are not in mandatory fema flood zones they buy it voluntarily. for equality in the program but to keep the program afloat financially. fema funds have been decimated by the number of disasters hitting areas where homeowners have no flood insurance. kelly? >> diana, more and more homeowners outside of fema's traditional flood map zones keep getting hit. why not change the map >> the maps are updated every five years that's congressionally mandated. this fall, fema is making a push to overhaul the zones and now it has the backing of the administration, which, of course, it did not have before kelly? >> diana, thank you so much tonight. diana olick. >>> the school season has started in many parts of the country and positive covid cases are rising, a 5% increase over the prior two weeks. president biden called out republican governors for banning masks in schools. >> the cdc says masks are critical, especially for those who are not yet vaccinated, like our children, under the age of 12 so, let's put politics aside let's follow the educators and the s

that was president joe biden at fema headquarters right now. it looks like he's going to the podium. >> thank you, thank you. there's no group of americans who know how dangerous it is more than you guys. you've done everything you can, but i tell you what, we'll be looking at additional levee systems. thank you so much. >> so the president offered to take a question, somebody asked about afghanistan, he said i'm not going to talk about afghanistan right now, but the president getting a briefing on hurricane ida, saying the devastation is likely to be immense, and he said this isn't just new orleans, this rain track will be widespread. he said ones that storm clears, he commits the country's full might to sending in help, recoveries, rescue, whatever it might look like. he also warned it could take week to restore power in some areas. our crew, if you were watching earlier, had to divert. there was a tree blocking the roadway. of course the governor of louisiana has said stay off the roadways. we want to get right now to ken graham, director at

eastern to discuss that. >> up next, fema set to overhaul insurance pricing this fall.l this affect homeowners? details when "power lunch" returns, as we look at climate consequences >> and now, the latest from tradingnation.cnbc.com and a word from our sponsor. >>> commit to energy, focus on innovation discover the next growth opportunities. climate technology all you need to know to invest in the >>> welcome back to "power lunch. a check on shares of tjx companies. the parent company of tjmax and homegoods and marshalls tracking for its best day since november after the parent company of those companies topped earnings and sales expectations in the latest fiscal quarter. if you look at that, it's a signal customers have been eager to return to stores after the lockdown in the u.s. on that note, the company says the start of the third quarter has been strong with comparable store sales at locations that are open up in the mid teens over the same period last year tyler, still looking for a bargain at tjx >> i think my wife is single handedly responsible for much of this

the fema administrator will travel to jackson, mississippi, that evening and tour the damage. the last update i wanted to provide to all of you is that as part of our all across government effort approach to preventing evictions, today, attorney general merrick garland is calling on the entire legal community to take immediate action to help prevent unnecessary evictions during this public health emergency. the attorney general's call to action asked major law firms, law school students and individual lawyers to work with courts, legal service providers, and nonprofits through services to ensure access to justice for vulnerable tenants. so far, over 40 major law school deans, including from harvard, yale, stanford, columbia, howard, ucla and more have comm committed students and law clinics and the legal services corporation, the american bar association and the national housing law project have joined the commitment to immediate action and on thursday, we will join a nationwide emergency rental assistance program training held by the association of pro bono counsel and law fi

we've deployed 500 fema emergency response personnel in texas and louisiana, in addition to 2,000 femarting our covid response in the region. and we've pre-positioned food, water, generators and other supplies in the area. power restoration and mobile communication support teams are also en route. we've also closely coordinated with electric utilities to restore power as soon as possible and to support your response and recovery efforts. and above all, i'm urging the people of the area to pay attention and be prepared. i want to say it again, pay attention and be prepared. have supplies for your household on hand. follow the guidance from local authorities. and if you have to move to shelter, make sure you wear a mask and try to keep some distance, because we're still facing the highly contagious delta variant as well. administrator, i'm going to turn this over to you in a moment here to give an update on the latest steps we're taking, and i want you to know what more -- i need to know everything you think we need to be able to do. if we haven't gotten the authority for it, tell me now

joining me now is fema administrators dee anne chriswell.the national hurricane center. what did you learn from that. >> good morning, med y. thanks for having me on. this is our standard briefing where we bring the interagency together to talk about preparations for the storm. the hurricane center just advised just what you just said, we're going to see hurricane-strength winds start today moving into the area with an impact in long island, connecticut. and there is still going to be a lot of lawful associated with the event. even if you're not on the coast you are seeing damaging rains more inland as well. >> and right now henri looks like it will hit the eastern part of the long island, a popular vacation spot in new york at this time of year. many people are in rental homes or hotels, not familiar with what should people in the path of the storm know to be prepared? and how can they prepare especially if they're they're not in normal homes? >> you are visiting and not familiar with the area, the best thing you can do is make sure you kno

i want to thank fema and everyone who is here.y recognize the communication challenges that we're having. because our residents may not be able to get on fema.gov or call anyone. if you're in your own without electricity. they're going to have boots on the ground to intake and get with our residents to get them the assistance that they need. american red cross is here. i can't thank you enough. the resources are ramping up now that communication is getting better. yesterday there was no communication. that is really making it difficult for us to reach our residents. i can't thank everyone enough for being here. if you have family that is somewhere else and you can communicate with them about what's going on on the ground, please do so. we are doing all of our assessments right now for water, utility assessments, damage assessments and once we have a good assessment on what our infrastructure is really looking like, we'll be able to give a better assessment on when we think water can be restored. we have activated all of our prepos

and fema employees are deployed to louisiana, florida, alabama and texas and ready to supply what is needed. they have supplied over 34,000 meals and 37,000 tarps and generators and additional ambulances and air ambulances have been moved into the area. and seven assistance fema teams, and search and rescue teams have been activated with debris and subject matter experts. and health and human services is deploying a 250-bed shelter to alexandria, and the rotary wing aircraft positioned to help with rescue efforts. shelters are open in affected areas throughout the gulf coast across the states and they are implementing steps to prevent the spread of covid-19. the national guard has activated 200 personnel in mississippi, alabama and texas and louisiana to aid. and also, the army corps of engineers has deployed to provide temporary housing. and the storm has been down graded to tropical storm, and that is going to also result in more downed trees and power lines as it moves east. and ida is going to produce more flash flooding and tornadoes remain a threat. the secretary of homeland se

talk to me about what fema is doing right now azida moves into louisiana. >> well, fema for the pastf louisiana and mississippi have been prepositioning specialized teams and resources. search and rescue teams, for instance, incident management assistance teams, meals, water, tarps, cots, blankets, to be ready to support the population being affected by hurricane ida. this is a ferocious storm. it remains a serious life safety event for folks throughout southwestern mississippi, southeastern louisiana, and it's just getting started. as you can see in the videos you have been showing, the winds are up at the category-3 range, 130-mile-per-hour winds still. but there are other hazards that folks need to pay attention to here as well. flash flooding from 16 to 20 isolated areas of 24 inches of rain. and also the potential for tornadoes. now is the time for folks in the affected area to stay put, stay safe. and make sure that they're not ventuing out unnecessarily. >> president biden spoke this afternoon at fema headquarters. let's take a listen. >> the storm is a life-threatening storm.

app or call 821-fema. communications right now. we'll be bringing in teams that will be walking around your neighborhoods. they will be able to register you, as well. so if you haven't been registered or if you have questions about your registration, you can find someone wearing a fema shirt and they'll help you answer your questions and help you get registered already. we have been embedded with the state since the storm made landfall and we've had such great partnership with state and local officials in louisiana and the family that comes to be part of this response, and fema is just one small piece of that. we have brought in the coast guard. we have brought in the army corps of engineers, the department of defense, fish and wild life, many other federal agencies that are here on the ground that are supporting you. we staged a number of resources ahead of the storm and now we are moving those in to meet the needs and the requests from the local officials to help them address their immediate concerns. i'

j joining us is the administrator of fema. deanne we saw the president with you earlier this afternoon. i know you've been updating him on the latest as to how hurricane ida is just vicious in the way it's pummelling louisiana right now. give us a break ddown of what yr teams will be doing in the coming days and your thoughts on the storm. >> thank you, jim. thanks for giving me an opportunity to talk about what we're doing. i mean, it's a catastrophic event. it made landfall as a category 4. i believe it still has category 4 winds. it's not just the winds we're going to see and the coastal areas. this is going to have life threatening flooding from the intense rainfall we're going to see, the storm surge as well as the winds. what i worry about most is it's not just a coastal event. this is going to impact people in the path of this storm throughout louisiana and mississippi. even as the rain goes east, people need to be aware of their risk in comparison to this storm. >> is this storm exceeding expectations in terms of how d

6, and fema headquarters in washington. think they have done a superb job, what we call leaning forward. they have pre-positioned stocks in baton rouge, pre-positioned ambulance companies. they are working with the governor to determine what other assets may be needed, requested helicopters. i can tell you from looking at the number of helicopters, they may need a lot more. we ended up with over 200 helicopters after katrina in search and rescue. and but more will compas required. there is a quick line of communication between fema and the governor's office, and what they ask for, they will get. everybody is very responsive. big comply point in alexandria that fema is putting in with generators and ambulances and tarps in baton rouge. things are moving in the right direction. right now the unknown is where the most damage will happen and what is going to be the impact if the levees hold will determine the number of folks that need rescue. the hotels in new orleans are in a lot better shape than they used to be. most have ge

i can't think of any one bedroom lead this operation and then and chris, well a fema. she's had she before she headed a fema, she led the emergency response in new york city. and she was one of the key federal officials leading on a response to super charms, super storm sand. she knows this area very, very well knows was needed better than anyone. yesterday i talk with the administrator in each of the governors and the key states most likely to be effective. urge them to take advantage of the assistance female can offer in advance and committed to do everything we can to support their communities through the storm. and afterwards, theme has already pre position resources in the region to speed our ability to respond, including food, water, life saving communications equipment, as well as generators. in close cooperation with the electrical sector preparations are in place to address significant power outages and resources and supports is staged at the edge of this storm to be able to move quickly in to help thousands of additional wine crews and vegetation. clearing cr

that's fema director deanne kriswell updating the president, coming to the president from fema's nationalexpected to hit 16 years to the day that hurricane katrina hit. they have new levees now in new orleans. hopefully, it will not hit there. if it does, perhaps they will have learned lessons and have the new technology to protect that coastline. jacqui: all right. and we heard just a very similar speech last sunday ahead of a storm in the northeast. speaks to the season that we're in. >>> sirhan sirhan, the man who assassinated robert f. kennedy in 1968, might soon go free after he was granted a if parole yesterday in california. final decision will come from the governor. christinacoleman spoke with douglas kennedy, one of his sons, and she joins us now with that story. >> reporter: douglas kennedy is one of just two of robert f. kennedy's surviving sons who actually support the release of their father's killer, sirhan sirhan. >> i believe that all prisoners who are no longer a threat to themselves or others should be released from prison. i do not believe prison should be used as a pu

that's just fema right now.tainly will be not just electricity and not just the wind damage, but possible loss of life. therefore teams ready to jump into action when it's safe. gas is another potential issue. you asked about preparations, people were trying to get out of the town yesterday. all of the gas stations were empty. i luckily found one place this morning where i could pop off. colonian pipeline, they shut down two lines from houston to greensboro, north carolina. other two lines from north carolina to new jersey remain operational. they say that will fuel supply in the southeast is fine because they have terminals a throughout the area, but also important to know type 12% of the refining capacity is in baton rouge and new orleans. this is an area so important to the country certainly as an economic engine and providing fuel for the rest of the united states, what impact this storm may or nay not have on is something to watch. we're expecting around 7:00, lindsey, to see this storm barreling right thro

and fema should open those lines up while people have power. louisiana that needs fema help and they don't have any electricity to apply for it. we have to fix that. we're using last century technology and techniques to get people the individual assistance which is money they need on survive on in the coming days and weeks. >> thank you so much for keeping us focused on what this will look like. baton rouge, louisiana is in the path of the storm. miguel, what are you seeing? >> reporter: they could be right in the target, the center of the storm. we're seeing the early outer bands. the winds over the last 30 minutes or so have begun to intense identify. we're now getting that sideways rain that is stinging your face. we're expecting the conditions to deteriorate over the next couple hours and overnight, to be in the brunt of the storm. the city did not have mandatory evacuations. there's a lot of people and we've seen them, hanging out and watching the storm. it starts to roll in. the conditions are slowly starting to change. there's growing co

president biden visited fema headquarters in washington as the agency prepared to dispatch emergency services and supplies. >> this will be a devastating, devastating hurricane. a life-threatening storm. >> reporter: we are in new orleans french quarter where powerful rains have been hitting this area nonstop since noon. the problem now, the rain, only more and more getting intense and flooding is increasing. >> reporter: this new orleans resident lives in a home that actor brad pitt helped rebuild exactly 16 years old. >> bolted all of way from the ceiling down to the pier and beams so it has room to sway in the wind. >> reporter: louisiana resident rick evans evacuated to houston before ida came to show. >> hopefully the ones left behind i hope they will be okay and i will be able to see them again. >> reporter: now, praying for those riding out the storm. >> reporter: now, there are close to a million people now in louisiana who are without power and utility workers are ready to start the work but they can not do that until the storm fully passes through the area. officials say it

go to disaster assistance.gov or the fema mobile app. folks, staff on the ground, going door to door to identify where there are needs, ensuring survivors have a chance to register for assistance. in addition, working closely with partners at the state and local level for points of distribution where individuals can go, get food and water, understand, communicate what their needs are, find assistance. >> and finally, there are places that right now you get drone footage, having trouble getting people there, talking about grand isle and other island areas of louisiana. how soon can you get people out there and how extensive is the damage you have been able to survey? >> yeah, it is pretty extensive. as you mentioned, those areas on the southern coast, lower portion of the parishes got the direct hit from a category four storm, very strong storm. folks are working their way out there, state and local folks have lead on search and rescue. we have over ten search and rescue teams in the area helping with that, with those efforts. we expect d

fema needs to change that.e rules, because when people had power, they could have requested assistance from fema and have a case number. right now we have about 700,000 people tomorrow without power or who are evacuated someplace trying to get online after the governor requested individual assistance. that needs to be fixed. >> right. lieutenant general russel honore, we appreciate you making time. thank you very much. >>> let's get to dr. patel, the chief medical officer in new orleans. as we mentioned, a number of the medical centers are dealing with the same power outages everyone else is dealing with. so we want to speak to you this evening. how are y'all doing? do you have any power? are you operating on generators? what's the situation where you are? >> thanks for having me. we are operating on generation power. we had a planned switchover this morning, and we have generator capacity that can cover us through this storm. we can operate fully on generator capacity for about three weeks continuously. >> tal

fema administrator deanne criswell. >>> i'm anne-marie green." . >>> i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." age is just a number. and mine's unlisted. try boost® high protein with 20 grams of protein for muscle health. versus 16 grams in ensure high protein. boost® high protein also has key nutrients for immune support. boost® high protein. hi. so you're the scientist here. does my aveeno® daily moisturizer really make my dry skin healthier in one day? it's true jen. this prebiotic oat formula moisturizes to help prevent dry skin. impressive! aveeno® healthy. it's our nature.™ try the body wash, too. this may look like a regular movie night. but if you're a kid with diabetes, it's more. it's our nature.™ it's the simple act of enjoying time with friends, knowing you understand your glucose levels. ♪ ever since i got this little guy, i felt like i was just constantly cleaning up his hair. then, i got my paws on the swiffer sweeper. it's a game changer. these heavy-duty dry cloths pick up a crazy amount of hair. this is all you. we

you are the ranking republican overseeing fema operations.ma ready for the aftermath of this storm. >> i've got to tell you, i've been in touch with my colleagues in louisiana and they are in it. really, really in a tough spot. and i'm frustrated because earlier in march i had asked point blank secretary mayorkas with all of the considerations that we have at hand, global pandemic, a surge at the southwest border and a very, very busy hurricane season, would fema be prepared. he reassured me repeatedly they had all the resources necessary, yet we were caught a little flat-footed in preparation for this particular region for this storm. we're still in the middle of it. there's a lot of power outages, storm linger as a tropical storm so we're waiting to see really what the damage is looking now as we get on the backside of the storm but we will be ready. as i said before, if this administration won't respond, congress sure as hell will so we will be in touch with our colleagues, moving through this storm. we will make sure that we have people r

more damage means more financial support for the state from fema, with limited places to rent. tiffany knows she may have to move out of plumas county. for now she's hoping help is on the way for her and her neighbors. >> i just want to know that the people in my community are safe and that we've got a plan. >> meanwhile, crews gaining the upper hand on the fire burning near tahoe. the river fire, that's now 78% contained. it's burned more than 2600 county. plaster and ne cal fire says it is working to remove hazard trees from roads and structures to help residents return home. for more information on how you can help victims of the california wildfires, you can head to our website. it is kpix.com. >>> let's check the local weather conditions. paul, we are kind of still dealing with the same thing here. >> we are dealing with the fire threat that could shape up tomorrow night into early thursday with the potential for some dry lightning. it's an outside chance. in the short-term all we are going to seize low cloud cover and some fog overnight, not spreading too far inland, so c

seven fema incident management teams and 17 urban search-and-rescue teams have been activated. the department of health and human services is deploying a 250 bed federal medical shelter to louisiana. u.s. coast guard has aircraft. shelters are open in affected areas throat the gulf coast across the impacted states and their implement inc. steps to prevent the spread of covid-19. the national guard has activated more than 5200 personnel in louisiana, mississippi, texas, and alabama to support efforts. again, we are working closely with state and local officials, even though the storm has been downgraded to a tropical storm. imaging wind gusts continue to be a threat -- damaging wind gusts continue to be a threat. ida will continue to produce heavy rainfall, flash and urban flooding, and tornadoes remain a threat. finally, our secretary of homeland security will travel to baton rouge on wednesday morning and meet with the governor to survey damage. the ministry are also travel to mississippi on wednesday to meet with the governor and tour the damage. the last thing i want to go o