The city of mcallen. Mcallen is a small city on the very southern tip of texas, right on the border of mexico. The first Abortion Clinic in texas opened there . 1973, and it served women in the Rio Grande Valley in that part of south texas for decades. Even as antiabortion republicans started to cement their control over the government in texas and year after year they devised ever more creative and draconian ways to make abortion as hard and as dangerous to get as possible in texas, that clinic in mcallen kept going. And republicans really did keep passing more and more restrictive laws, making it more impossible for clinics to stay open, making it more impossible for doctors to provide that service. In recent years Texas Republicans passed new Abortion Restrictions regularly, at least every two years with each new session of the republican dominated state legislature. And as a result of those restrictions, every couple of years, more clinics in texas would close. By The End of 2013, so 40 years after roe, that one clinic in mcallen, texas, was the last and only Abortion Clinic serving the entire Rio Grande Valley in texas. And i single out 2013 because thanks to the round of new restrictions that were enacted by Texas Republicans that year in 2013, that Mcallen Clinic finally after withstanding 40 years of restrictions, that Mcallen Clinic was no longer able to perform abortions. And so thanks to that 2013 law passed by Texas Republicans, the Rio Grande Valley, an area the size of connecticut with over A Million americans in it, had no Abortion Providers at all. That 2013 antiabortion law in texas is one that prompted something a plul effort that got a lot of attention at the time. It was an 11hour Standing Filibuster from Texas Democratic State Senator wendy davis. With that one woman filibuster, she did manage to block that Abortion Bill for a short time. Ultimately, Texas Republicans passed it. Again, this is back in 2013. And after that happened, seeing what effect that was having on clinics all over the beleaguered State Of Texas, we sent a producer from our show down to mcallen. Down to the whole Womens Health Clinic in mcallen, the last clinic serving that whole vast area of texas after it was blocked from performing abortions. What you were seeing with the cumulative restrictions is in 2011, there were 44 facilities in texas. In october of 2013, there were 44. So there was a reduction. Then in November Of 2013 when Hb 2 was in effect, it went to 22. Right . Thats where were at right now. Were also seeing more and more women take matters into their own hands, and, you know, this has been well publicized that people go over the border. The they get medication to self induce abortion. And sometimes they come to us afterward for an ultrasound to see if theyre still pregnant. Sometimes theyre actively bleeding so we refer them to where they can get a dnc. We saw an increase of selfinduction and even greater increase now. Its pretty much like preroe. This law didnt do anything to sprent the need for abortion. Right . And so we didnt change the amount of women in the community who are still going to need the service. We just blocked their access to getting it safely. And so its just you know, its obvious were going to have a public Health Problem on our hands, right . The law did not do anything to prevent the need for abortion. We didnt change the amount of wum in the community who are still going to need the service. We just blocked their access to getting it safely. That was the situation this is seven years ago. This is March 2014 at that clinic in mcallen, texas, that had stood for over 40 years. The founder of whole Womens Health, what she was telling us when we talked with her is that clinic she ran, The One that had been operating for decades, the very first Abortion Clinic to open in texas after roe versus wade, it was shutting down. Because of those restrictions passed in 2013 by the texas republican dominated legislature. She was finally being forced to close the doors of that clinic. When we spoke to Amy Miller of whole Womens Health in march of 2014, as she said, as of 2011, there had been 44 facilities in texas providing abortion. By 2014, it wasnt 44 anymore, it was half that. 22. She told us she was in the process right then of closing two of the five clinics she ran including that one in mcallen. By The End of that year, by The End of 2014 in the great State Of Texas, a state of 30 Million people, by The End of 2014, there were only eight clinics left in texas providing abortions. Cant say you didnt see this coming, right . Texas has been at the forefront of this for a long time. Wherever the antiabortion movement is going in this country, you can be sure that texas will get there first. Passing new and inventive ways to block women from accessing abortion. No feeling at the court saying what must past muster, what not, tweaking the law again. That meant a Twodecadelong Roller Coaster for Health Care providers. Clinics get shut down for weeks or months and then a court steps in and blocks whatever new texas republican law had led to that shutdown. Then thanks to that new Court Ruling blocking that new law, then they can reopen. But with the uncertainty that, you know, when its going to happen again, when they come up with a new way to shut us down. In texas, providers are handed scripts that they have to read. Scripts written by republican legislators that they are required by law to read to patients even if the doctor disagrees with them and thinks theyre giving the patient inaccurate information. Patients are forced to undergo a sonogram whether they want to or not, whether it is medically necessary or not, they must do it. A simple and safe procedure is turned by law into a two or Threedayormorethanthat Odyssey for both providers and patients with new arcane deliberately expensive procedures mandated by the state government. And then sometimes those burdensome requirements are struck down by the courts and providers and women that want this service, patients in texas get some Relief. , and providers and women that want this service, patients in texas get some Relief. Sometimes that happens. In fact, that is what happened to that 2013 Texas Law. That brought texas from 44 clinics down to 8. That law that shut down all these Texas Clinics. That draconian restriction, The One they passed in 2013, it got struck down. The United States Supreme Court struck it down. It took three years, but those restrictions were ultimately blocked by the highest court in the land. Amy miller has talked to us many times about the heartbreak of having to turn people away. Today at the United States Supreme Court, she definitively won her case. Ms miller, congratulations on this ruling today. Thank you so much, rachael. I have been looking forward to the day i get to talk to you about this for a few years. Tell me what this means for your organization, clinics, what does the future look like . This is fantastic. I mean, on so many levels its a win. It shows that when you stand up to bully politicians, you can win. That you can stand up to a government as powerful as the State Of Texas. And we illustrated the Harm And Burden this Law Put forward for women all throughout the State Of Texas. And we got Relief not only for women in texas but for many states across the country. That was june 2016. Three years after that draconian Texas Law had gone into effect, The One filibustered by wendy davis, The One that shuddered that clinic in mcallen and shuddered so many other clinics in the state. The one that left texas with only eight clinics for a state of 30 Million people. They passed that law in 2013. Three years later the supreme court struck down most of that law. A 53 decision in the United States Supreme Court. They ruled that the premise of that law that it would protect Womens Health by denying them access to abortion, the supreme court ruled that premise was basically a sham. Justice Stephen Breyer said in part, in that opinion, we have found nothing in Texass Record of evidence that shows that the new law advanced texas legitimate interests in protecting Womens Health. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote a short concurrence of her own in which she said, quote, laws like hb2, the law in texas at the time, laws like this that do little or nothing for health, that theyd rather stru impediments to abortion, cannot survive judicial inspection. Thanks to that united states supreme Court Ruling in 2016, a bunch of Texas Abortion Clin ukz were able to stay open or reopen after having been shut h i can tell you that the whole Womens Health Clinic in mcallen, texas, did reopen and it is open and offering services right now today. But even on that day in 2016 when we talked to miss miller, you could hear the elation with that win from her, even on that day when the supreme court issued that definitive ruling which was a victory for women who want that service in texas and for the providers who are willing to provide it to them, even that day there were ominous signs looming. I mentioned earlier that was a 53 decision. Wait, 5 Plus 3 is eight. In this case there were eight. Antonin scalia died a few months before. And there was nobody on the court yet filling his seat. Because republicans in the united States Senate were at that point months into their on obstructed blockade of President Obamas supreme Court Nominee Merrick garland. Republicans decided they would keep that supreme Court Seat Vacancy in the hope that a republican president would win the president ial election in 2016. Some republicans said if a republican didnt win the election in 2016, they might just keep that seat on court vacant another few years anyway, however many years it took to get a republican in the White House so that a republican pinted judge would hold that seat. They would do anything, they would break any Rule Or Norm or precedent to get a conservative republican appointed justice in that vacant seat. And honestly, to get an antiabortion justice in that vacant seat. And, of course, they didnt have to hold that Seat Open for more than a year. Donald trump won the election in 2016. And they let him fill that seat they held open for a year so as to deny President Obama the right to fill it. That was on the abortion, and he got a chance, and trump got to replace anthony kennedy. Why did he retire . Then in the final months of trumps presidency, he replaced at one of the five justices filling the seat of the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, The One that written law is one in texas cannot survive judicial inspection. As he proceeded to fill the court with a conservative antiabortion justices, after he explicitly prompted he would only appoint justices who would overturn roe versus wade, Abortion Providers and activists and even just concerned observers could see what was happening, right . People were raising the alarm that roe versus wade was in imminent danger. The right to legal abortion in this country really was coming under threat. And some people didnt believe it or they said they didnt believe it. Susan collins and Lisa Murkowski said they were sure, convinced that all the Trump Nominees to the supreme court certainly recognize roe versus wade as settled precedent. They would never mess with that. Lets not be melodramatic. Legal abortion is safe in this country in a permanent way. Well here we are. You ever wondered where youd be and what youd be doing, what it would be like for you when roe versus wade came to an end in America And Abortion started to be banned in america . Well, wherever you were today and whatever you were doing today and whatever it was like for you today, thats your answer. Id like to take a moment to share with you all what the final hours of legal Abortion Care looked like in texas last night. Whole Womans Health has staff and physicians providing abortions in texas until 11 56 is the time we finished our last abortion in ft. Worth last night. Our Waiting Rooms were filled with patients and their Loved Ones in all four of our clinics yesterday. We had a physician who has worked with us for decades in tears as he tried to complete the abortions for all the folks who were waiting in our ft. Worth Waiting Room. Marva sadler who is the plaintiff in this case was on site also in ft. Worth working with our physician to see every single patient. She called me at 10 00 p. M. , 27 patients left in the Waiting Room and both she and the doctor were crying and just asking me, what can we do . How can we be sure we can see all these folks . Keep in mind the antiabortion protesters were outside this entire time, from the moment we opened up at 8 00 until we closed at midnight. And once it got dark, they got giant shining lights and shined the lights on the parking lot. We were under surveillance. This is not abstract. This is real for our team. Amy Ham Hagstrom Miller of whole Womens Health, describing the final hours of legal Abortion Care in texas as of last night. They provide services to patients up until 11 56 p. M. The law went into effect in midnight. As of last night, roe versus wade is now a dead letter. Its inoperable in the State Of Texas at least. A whole Womens Health is among the texas Reproductive Health Providers and advocates that pleaded with the supreme court to issue an Emergency Injunction last night to stop this new Texas Law from taking effect, this new Texas Law that makes abortion effectively illegal. But the supreme court just didnt respond. They did nothing. They sat silent, let the new Texas Ban Go Into Effect and in so doing as of right now, they essentially let the protections of roe versus wade come to an end. The law in effect in texas right now bans abortion after about six weeks, most women do not even know theyre pregnant before six weeks, something like 85 to 90 of abortions take place after six weeks. This outlaws 90 abortions. There is no exception for rape or incest. But what that means is that a woman who is forcibly impregnated by a rapist, that woman will be forced to bear the Rapists Child against her will. See, because conservatives like small government and freedom, the thing that really sets this law apart, the thing that is actually designed to make it difficult to challenge in court is the sort of dystopian innovation that maybe only the State Of Texas could come up with since theyve been working for 20 years now on finding constitutional workarounds to make abortion expensive, unnecessarily dangerous, and unnecessarily hard to get. They created this weird Vigilante System whereby anybody in the country, any nut anywhere has standing automatically to sue anybody in texas who abets a woman getting an abortion. They can use texas courts to sue not only a doctor who does an Abortion But Anybody who works in any capacity at a clinic where an abortion is provided and anybody who drives you to the clinic for your appointment including a Taxi Driver or an uber driver, a Rape Council Letter who advises you on your options, religious adviser, priest, somebody in your faith who talks with you about your decision. Anybody who loans you money for the procedure, somebody who gives you a place to sleep in town in the town where your appointment is if the clinic is far away from your home and you have to travel for it. The way the law is written, a random person anywhere in the country with no connection to your abortion and having shown no injury from you having had an abortion, that person can sue anybody who not only assisted, abetted you getting the abortion, they could even sue somebody for intending to help someone getting an abortion. Intent is enough. So whats that mean . If you you this good thoughts about a Womans Chance of getting an abortion your in the bullseye because you intend to maybe help her even if you dont . Thats the way this law is enforced. Civil enforcement. They designed it this way to evade the federal court system. This is unconstitutional under the protections of roe versus wade. It doesnt encourage people to hunt down people getting abortions and suing everybody around them. It pays them do it. If a person, again, any random person anywhere in the country brings one of these lawsuits and they win one of these lawsuits, again, could be against the uber driver, the court in texas will hit the person who was sued with a 10,000 penalty that they have to pay to the random person who sued them. Plus that persons legal fees they have to pay. It turns every antiabortion zealot into a bounty hunter. For them its a riskfree, Getrichquick Scheme for hunting women in texas and anybody who dares help them. And if a doctor or a clinic employees the person gets sued, the state gets to use that as all the pretext they need to immediately shut that clinic down. When amy Hagstrom Miller described those antiabortion protesters shining Bright Lights into the clinics, describing her staff as being under surveillance, thats because as of midnight, protesters no longer have to settle for just protesting and intimidating people. Theyre empowered by the State Of Texas to seek out lawbreakers and take them to court and get paid 10,000 for it if they succeed and not have to pay anything if they dont. Today the Editorial Board of the Austin Statesman washed that texans should be freaked out by this law regardless of their views on abortion. The american statesman writing, the intimidation is the point. Facing the prospect of costly and endless litigation, Abortion Providers who help women with this difficult decision will likely stand down, making abortion inaccessible for about 85 of the women seeking care. While abortion foes may be just fine with that outcome, we should worry about the legal blueprint that gets us here. Unable to outlaw a procedure that the courts say is protected, Texas Lawmakers blocked access by encouraging people to sue Each Other into oblivion. The states latest ban hands private citizens an extraordinary power to accomplish through extortion the shuttering of Abortion Services that lawmakers under the constitution could not shut down themselves. Such a corruption of the law should unnerve every texan. And indeed, most texans arent even in favor of the kind of drift against Abortion Laws that they have been experiencing over the past couple of decades, let alone the current essentially total ban that is now in effect. A university of Texas Poll of texas residents says something like a third, less than a third of texas residents wanted Texas Abortion laws to become more strict. Doesnt matter though. Theyve done it anyway. And the u. S. Supreme courts continued silence on this law in texas, you know, is unnerving for texans right now but unnerving for everybody. Americans have been bracing for the Trumpified Conservative Supreme Court to take up and perfect presumably overturn roe versus wade. But what were we expecting is a big case, right . A big national debate . We thought it would be that Mississippi Case they agreed to hear this fall most likely. That would at least mean oral arguments and reporters gather outside the court and a Ruling And Dissent and explanation. Instead, they just said nothing and let texas have their way. As if constitutional rights here are just not implicated. Is this really how it ends . Texas effectively Outlaws Abortion and the supreme court just says nothing . Lets it stand . Joining us now is amy Hagstrom Miller, the founder of whole Womens Health and has clinics in five states including the State Of Texas. I know you have not slept. This has been an incredibly intense time. Thank you for making time to be here tonight. Thank you so much for your thorough coverage, rachael. I appreciate it. Let me ask i know you said today that your clinics are all in compliance with the law. What does that mean . What can you still do for your patients . So today has been a rough day. All four of our Texas Clinics are open. We can provide abortions only until the point of embryonic cardiac activity, which is usually about six weeks. We are providing ultrasounds for folks and providing counsel. The vast majority of people who have come into our Clinics Today have had to be denied Abortion Care services. As you covered, the vast majority of people dont know theyre pregnant before six weeks and dont Access Abortion especially in the State Of Texas with all the restrictions you described, they are not able to even get to the clinic prior to the sixth week in pregnancy. And so today we did have folks come in who were providing ultrasounds and support. I mean, we had i think 55 patients on our schedule in ft. Worth. And only five patients are able to be seen under the new restrictions in texas. What do you think is going to happen in the short term . I think about the 50 of those 55 patients you just mentioned that had clinic Appointments Today in ft. Worth. For those who are able or for those who may not be personally able but can be helped will there effectively become a plin some sort of pipeline that tries to move texas women into other states where their rights are protected since in texas they Cant Access this service . So, rachael, this is not first time we have experienced an Abortion Ban in the State Of Texas. As you described, what happened to hb2 in 2013 and 2014 and then very recently, last year during the Pandemic Governor Abbott issued an executive order, which virtually banned abortion in the State Of Texas for more than three weeks. And what we see is the vast majority of people being forced to carry a pregnancy against their will. Most People Cant Travel out side of texas. Our patients are primarily patients parents already. Almost 70 of our patients are parenting. They have multiple jobs. Theyre juggling school and juggling childcare and especially in the context of this pandemic. Making a decision to travel out of state has multiple risks. So what weve seen is wondering if well be able to knock the law down, if well reopen, asking us to keep them on a call list, call them immediately. And we open the clinic at 5 00. I mean, its nuts. Right . And then some people are able to travel out of state. And there is some incredible organizing happening across the State Of Texas. In fact, all across the country. Trying to raise money for abortion funds to support people. Practical Support Networks to support people who are able to travel out of state for care. And then another group of our patients are likely to try to selfmanage their abortion and to take matters into their own hands and try to care for themselves as really pregnant people have done for centuries prior to the legalization of abortion in this country. And honestly, you know, what option has the state left people . So these are the cut of things that we are talking to patients about. We are hearing from our patients. Another thing i just want to point out is that our staff are being really forced to be agents of the state here. Our staff are the folks who are put put in the position of informing the public of this law and enforcing this law. And they are looking right into the eyes of these women and these pregnant folks as they do this, and seeing their anguish and seeing Thash Pain and this is a staff that is there because they want to help people. Theyre highly trained medical professionals who are at the ready to provide the Service And Today theyre not allowed to. Yet, they have to deliver this news and sit with people as they reckon with being denied an abortion and try to figure out what the next steps are going to be. Amy miller is the Founder And Ceo of whole Womens Health, which is an independent Abortion Provider in the State Of Texas. Amy, we dont know when were going to hear from the supreme court or what were going to hear from the supreme court. We dont know whats going to be the short Term Dissemination of this law. We would love you to come back and tell us what this means on the ground in texas. We have a lot more coverage on this tonight. The we would love to have you back in coming days. Thank you so much, rachael. I appreciate it. All right. As she just mentioned there, she described some incredible organization happening in texas and raising support for people that may have to leave the huge State Of Texas if they are able to get Abortion Care. There is a lot more to that side of the store you. The work to get over, under, and around this ban and all the others luke it that are now sure to follow in quick succession, you know, from people running, you know, underground Abortion Accesstype lines to the folks arranging transportation and practical support for women trying to get across State Lines if need be, the Activist Suit of this, theyve been preparing for this for a long time. Some of what theyve been preparing to do is now as of today in effect. That part of the storty is going to blow your mind. And weve got more on that ahead. Stay with us. Stay with us wow. So sudden. Um, were not about to have the we need Life Insurance Conversation again, are we . 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Chunk texas was a desert when it came to being able to safely access legal Abortion Services. Particularly for west texans, people in the panhandle up north, the nearest Abortion Clinic could be 250 miles from where you live. That means a four or Fivehour Drive if you have a car. Texas republicans made sure that Abortion Procedures in Texas Cant just happen in one day. They have to be a multiday affair. So multiply the cost to account for that as well. There is an organization in texas that was founded specifically to overcome that deliberate hurdle put in the face put in the way of women trying to Access Abortion services. It is called fund Texas Choice. One of their employees described it in a 2016 interview as saying, im an abortion travel agent. They dont pay for abortions themselves. Theyre paying for women to get to where they need to get to access the service. She talked about wiring women gas money. Wiring it because even though venmo is faster, a lot of the clients dont have bank accounts. She talked about booking flights, booking bus tickets, booking hotel rooms, regularly studying Greyhound Bus routes. For now Year Fund Texas Choice has done that kind of very granular personal logistical work to help texas women get where they need to go. Actually get to the few places in that state where they can still exercise their constitutional right to get an abortion if they needed one. Up until now, only about 30 of the clients of fund Texas Choice needed to leave the State Of Texas in order to get an abortion. As of today, with the United States Supreme Court allowing procedure in the state, that number is likely to go way, way up. And, of course, people who work for organizations like this who help women who are seeking this service, theyre in the absolute bulls aye in terms of having this new law target. Theyll essentially offer 10,000 bounty to anybody in the country who wants to try to sue somebody who helps a woman Access Abortion services in the State Of Texas if they end up getting an abortion past six weeks of gestation. In other words, the hurdles that organizations like this have to overcome just got 1,000 tombs higher while they were 1,000 tombs more needed than ever. Joining us now is anna raponi, coexecutive director of fund Texas Choice. I appreciate you being here. This is a difficult time. Hello. What do you think will happen with this new law going into Effect Today . What will that effect in terms of your organizations work . We are here. Were not leaving. The message is clear. Were going to continue fighting and were going to continue doing the work. But to be fair, the impact of this law is real. And weve already felt it today. We had a Client Cry because there was no cardiac fetal Activity And Today there was and she had to wait 24 hours. So she was told she cant get her abortion. Now she needs time to process that. So were going to be here. We supported her getting to her Clinic Appointment yesterday. Getting there today and we will support her wherever she needs to go when she decides that she needs to get an Abortion And Work with the clinic to do so. The way this law is structured, weve all sort of become fast mini experts on the way that Texas Republicans devised this so as to avoid whats happened to all the other Abortion Bans they tried to pass and other republican states tried to pass, trying to avoid federal Court Scrutiny and that seems to have worked in the short run so that supreme court allowed this to go into effect. Understanding now legally worked in order to evade Court Scrutiny. And to avoid the protections of roe is one thing. But the other side of it, the practical side is people that work to facilitate texas women getting to their appointments, getting to the clinic, getting to a place where they can Access Abortion services, the way this law is structured, it puts a bullseye on you guys and anybody that helps in any way and makes you the targets of civil suits, which will effectively be the way this law is imposed. How do you contend with that . You know, we have done a lot of thinking ever since the law was passed. And weve talked to lawyers. Weve talked we read the law ourselves. Our understanding is that if you aid and abet someone getting an abortion in texas, thats where youre really implicated. And so we intend to comply with the law. Does that mean Someone Cant sue us if we help someone get across State Lines to another state . No. But we do believe well win if fight long term, and we believe were going we believe the work needs to be done. So here it may be that we will get sued. But were going to continue fighting. Were going to continue being there for our clients and making sure that they know that texans can get access even if that means they have to leave texas. And even though there is a possibility of lawsuits against us. Because the reality is the cruelty is the point and they want to intimidate us. Were here to say that were not going to be intimidated and continue to fight so long as we can. And just a big picture here. People looking at this from across the country right now. I think the assumption is that if this works in texas, its worked for day one, that other republican states will very quickly pass other laws like this and it may be neighboring states to texas as well. Is what youre expecting to happen as long as this holds, that essentially theres going to become maybe a nationally funded effort To Spirit Women Out of states in which abortion is illegal, effectively illegal like in texas to have private donors around the Country Fund women leaving and going to states where their rights are still protected . That sounds like thats i mean, i feel like i can see i imagined the move you about. This. I never imagined it would be in my lifetime. Yeah. I mean, just speaking from today, we have seen an increase in private donations and anonymous donations. I think thats going to happen. I think folks are going to see this is a problem. Theyre going to work to make sure that pregnant folks can leave the state so that they can get access. I dont think thats not a reality. I think that reality is we see it today. And can i see it happening across the entire south . Yes. And i think thats what is scary, right . Is that we could see this effectively Banning Abortion all across the south. Luckily there is organizations in texas that are doing the work, grassroots work on the grourngsd but then there is also organizations like this all across the nation that are here to support pregnant folks regardless of where they live and regardless of what they make just to make sure they can access the care they need and that its safe and equitable. Coexecutive director of fund Texas Choice which finds itself in remarkable crosshairs tonight. Thank you for helping us understand and please stay in touch with us in the days ahead. This is going to be a wild ride. Thank you. Thank you. We have more ahead tonight. Stay with us. E have more ahead. Stay with us you know how some carriers give you so little for your old or busted phone, you just end up living with it . I dont think so. Verizon lets you trade in your broken phone for a shiny new one. You break it. We upgrade it. You dunk it . Crash it . Yikes. 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It is a town destroyed by ida. Roughly 800 people have been rescued so far in st. John the baptist parish. That accounts for all the rescues statewide. The theyre under 10 feet of water in some places in st. John. Now, you may have heard that roughly 11,000 homes and businesses got their power restored today in new orleans. Thats true. Thats good. But nearly A Million homes and businesses still dont have power, including the entirety of st. John the baptist parish. The Parish President said it could be a month until the electricity comes back on. The majority of the parish remains without running water. There is a Boil Water Advisory for the entire parish if you can get water. The parish is under a curfew from 7 00 p. M. To 8 00 p. M. The situation in laplace is dire and isnt getting better soon. Not just Power And Water and cell phone service, sut also emergency services. Here is the headline from nbc. Trapped residents in laplace, louisiana, plead for aid. Please help me. People are being told they cant be rescued for several hours. The sheriff did not mince words when he talked about people trying to take advantage of this situation. For the criminal element, if you decide to come to st. John parish, my jail is empty, and youre going to be in there by yourself. Were not having it. Let me saw this. 911 connections are very scarce and very hard to come by. Most of the Residents Cant call us, which means theyre probably going to take matters into their own hands. You may be The One needing 911. My jail is empty. If you come here to loot is basically what hes saying, you may be The One needing 911. He went on to caution local residents against Contractor Fraud in addition to cautioning what he called the criminal element about not coming to st. John parish right now. The whole state of louisiana is bad, but st. John the baptist parish is under a significant amount of water. The president is going to join us live next. Water. The president is going to join us live next this is going to be a marathon and not a sprint. This is going to be very difficult, worst disaster that weve all seen in st. Johns parish, and its going to take a long time. Worst disaster we have seen. How are things in the Parish Tonight . Joining us is jaclyn hotard. She sounded the alarm last night. President hotard, i really appreciate you making time at such a difficult, difficult time for your parish. Thanks for being here tonight. Thank you, rachel, for having me. Can you give us an update on the situation in your parish and with your residents right now . As you mentioned, it is a dire situation for our parish. We are under a Boil Water Advisory, however, id like to let residents know that you will see the Pressure Build a little bit and then you may lose a little bit while we get all of our infrastructure up and running. We have set up point of Distribution Sites on both sides of our river where weve been distributing ice, mres and water to our residents, over 1,300 groupings of those items. We also have fema that is going to begin going into our neighborhoods because weve been seriously challenged with communication, so individuals are not able to register for assistance. The American Red Cross is mobilizing 60 Feeding Sites in the neighborhoods that have been affected. Its only been about 72 hours since the Category 4 Storm Made Landfall and stayed over st. John parish for almost eight hours. So were hopeful and moving along. How habited is the parish right now . How many people do you expect evacuated either before or, god forbid, trying to get out during the storm . How many people are in communities right now . Is there concern people may still need 72 hours later, may still need rescuing from anywhere inside the parish . Weve had our sheriffs office, fire department, and the national guard in all of our neighborhoods rescuing people that needed to be rescued. And even some people, once the conditions became so uncomfortable, theres no electricity, no water, and obviously its very hot in southwest louisiana, residents asked to be rescued at that point, even though it was just a rescuing from that uncomfortable situation. I dont have a good feel on how many residents are still in the parish because were still doing damage assessments. We do have some residents ive seen already gutting out their homes, putting tarps on their roofs. So theyre looking forward to getting back and building back, and that is very reassuring. You know, last night around this time we spoke with the Jefferson Parish Director of emergency manhattan management, and he told us a lot of the same things that youre describing right now. And he said in pretty stark terms, as far as hes concerned in jefferson parish, much of it is uninhabitable right now and that while people want to get back, the devastation is so considerable, its going to take a long time before anybody can think about restoration and rebuilding. I have to put that to you in those same terms. Do you feel like in st. John the baptist parish right now youre essentially in those same circumstances, or do you feel like you might be any better along . No, were in the same circumstances. The biggest issue is electricity. Ive met with our energy representatives. All of our substations in st. John parish, energy substations, have been damaged. So before we can even begin to see electricity brought to homes, every substation has to be repaired. That is going to take a huge effort, and that is going to take a large amount of time. So without electricity, you cant fully rebuild. So i would agree with that assessment. This is a long road ahead of us before we can get to some areas being habitable again. Jaclyn hotard, the president of st. John the baptist parish in louisiana, a beautiful and beloved part of that state undergoing such Trial And Tribulation right now. Good luck to you and your team. Please stay in touch with us. Please let us know and the country what needs to be done about this. Thanks so much, rachel. Well be right back. Stay with us. Rachel. Well be right back stay with us multiflex, huh . Wow. It becomes a step. Mom, dads flexing again. Thats not all. You can extend the bed for longer stuff. Is he still. Still flexing. Thats right and, it becomes a workspace. You can put your laptop here. Im sending an imaginay email. Hey dad, dinner hey look who stopped by daddys office. Wait, you work here . The Chevy Silverado with the available multiflex tailgate. Find new flexibility. Find new roads. Chevrolet. All right. That is going to do it for us tonight. The hits just keep on coming. Well see you again tomorrow, which we expect to be a totally normal calm news day. Well just do feelsgood stories, right . Way too early is up next. Good morning. It is a State Of Emergency in parts of the northeast as remember najts of Hurricane Ida Cause Flash Flooding and tornadoes. The question is are these weather events the new normal . Plus, the supreme court refuses to block a controversial Texas Law Banning Abortions at six weeks. With the law facing several challenges, the question is what is next in this legal fight. And a new warning about extremists preparing for a rally at the u. S. Capitol later this month. The question is how are federal officials and police preparing . It is way too early for this