Late Better Than...

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Anderson Cooper brings CNN show 'late' to Nashville
Volunteerism gets attention

By Anita Wadhwani • The Tennessean • May 7, 2010


Anderson Cooper, right, prepares for the nightly broadcast of his show on CNN in Nashville. "I'm late to cover this story," he said.
(Anita Wadhwani / The Tennessean)
CNN newsman Anderson Cooper brought a team to Nashville on Thursday to give some "late" coverage to the flood.

The crew was at the corner of Harpeth Bend Drive and Beech Bend Drive in Bellevue preparing for a 9 p.m. live shot outside the gutted home of BettyBelle Nicks.

"He started walking up, and I said 'I know you. I love your mother,' " said Nicks, who was rescued from her roof along with her husband of one week, William Nicks, whose home two doors down was also flooded.

In a brief interview, Cooper said:

"I can't speak for all of national media, but I do think I'm late to cover this story," Cooper said.

"It's rare that you have a Gulf spill and a national terror attack at the same time ... it's left people not sure where to go.

"I don't like to compare disasters, because I don't want there to be a sliding scale of misery, but for this woman who has lost her house this is a terrible disaster and you have to respect that," Cooper said.

Asked if he'd seen anything different about Nashville's disaster compared to others, the popular broadcaster said:

"The thing that's different is that I've never seen so many people respond so quickly to help their neighbors."

In New Orleans following Katrina, "you didn't see this level of involvement, of churches and neighbor helping neighbor, until much later," Cooper said.

"It's incredible to see so many people helping. It's a great reflection on Nashville."