Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
CNN
September 16, 2008
CNN Newsroom, 11:00 AM
HEIDI COLLINS: Well, the U.S. military is responding to Hurricane Ike. Our Barbara Starr is the only reporter to get a look at the devastation now with a top commander in charge of the recovery effort. It's a CNN exclusive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: CNN is the only network traveling with the top U.S. military commander touring southern Texas to assess recovery efforts from Hurricane Ike.
GEN. VICTOR E. RENUART, CMDR. U.S. NORTHERN COMMAND: The numbers of rescues is beginning to draw down and the shift is beginning to occur to the recovery, reconstitution, the resiliency phase, if you will.
STARR: Troops are continuing days later to use helicopters and high-water vehicles to get to people stranded by the storm who now want to get out. But much of the effort is now focused on making sure food, water and supplies get to these stricken areas.
The military response to Ike is much different than the response to Katrina. This time, it's precision warfare against Mother Nature.
RENUART: That's what we're trying to do here. Not bomb anybody, but certainly apply that kind of precision response so that the person who needs the ice gets the ice, the people who need shelter get shelter, the people that need to be moved get moved.
STARR: The biggest difference, there are 6,000 active duty and National Guard troops here, compared to 75,000 in Katrina. Then, commanders say they relied on mass force and it wasn't effective. Now, they have more precision information on what is needed and where it needs to go.
This military relief operation could now go on for weeks as southern Texas continues to try and rebuild. Barbara Starr, CNN, Arlington Field, Texas. (END VIDEOTAPE)
September 16, 2008
CNN Newsroom, 11:00 AM
HEIDI COLLINS: Well, the U.S. military is responding to Hurricane Ike. Our Barbara Starr is the only reporter to get a look at the devastation now with a top commander in charge of the recovery effort. It's a CNN exclusive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: CNN is the only network traveling with the top U.S. military commander touring southern Texas to assess recovery efforts from Hurricane Ike.
GEN. VICTOR E. RENUART, CMDR. U.S. NORTHERN COMMAND: The numbers of rescues is beginning to draw down and the shift is beginning to occur to the recovery, reconstitution, the resiliency phase, if you will.
STARR: Troops are continuing days later to use helicopters and high-water vehicles to get to people stranded by the storm who now want to get out. But much of the effort is now focused on making sure food, water and supplies get to these stricken areas.
The military response to Ike is much different than the response to Katrina. This time, it's precision warfare against Mother Nature.
RENUART: That's what we're trying to do here. Not bomb anybody, but certainly apply that kind of precision response so that the person who needs the ice gets the ice, the people who need shelter get shelter, the people that need to be moved get moved.
STARR: The biggest difference, there are 6,000 active duty and National Guard troops here, compared to 75,000 in Katrina. Then, commanders say they relied on mass force and it wasn't effective. Now, they have more precision information on what is needed and where it needs to go.
This military relief operation could now go on for weeks as southern Texas continues to try and rebuild. Barbara Starr, CNN, Arlington Field, Texas. (END VIDEOTAPE)