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CNN Live At Daybreak

Hurricane Isabel: Calm Before the Storm

Aired September 17, 2003 - 06:40   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's talk more about Hurricane Isabel. She's about 450 miles offshore, expected to hit the North Carolina coast probably around noon on Thursday. That's according to Chad, of course, give or take an hour or two, we don't know. But we do know that parts of North Carolina look like a ghost town. People have packed up the beach blankets and they have hit the highways.
So let's go live to Atlantic Beach on the outer banks of North Carolina and News 14's Katie Marzullo.

Good morning again -- Katie.

KATIE MARZULLO, NEWS 14 CAROLINA-TV REPORTER: Good morning, Carol. You're right, a lot of folks beat the rush and have been already emptying out since Monday. But today is the official day.

We're here on the Atlantic Beach side of the Atlantic Beach Bridge. Let me get out of the way. Take a look for yourself. Starting in just a half hour, at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time, everyone will be heading outbound, the direction you're looking, which is west toward Moorhead City and beyond, that is because at 7:00 a.m. those mandatory evacuations here in Atlantic Beach begin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATIE MARZULLO, NEWS 14 CAROLINA-TV REPORTER (voice-over): There are those who head toward the water when a hurricane approaches. They are called surfers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because it's always the greatest whenever there's a hurricane here. I mean you don't catch much around here, it's the East Coast.

MARZULLO: But most head inland to safety.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mother is on her way down from Raleigh right now to pick up my children and take them to Raleigh so that they are not here. But I work down at the -- down at the Ramada. And I'm -- right at this moment I'm scheduled to work. So I'm not really sure whether I'm leaving the island or not leaving the island.

MARZULLO: Emergency officials are mandating residents evacuate, but they really can't make people leave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd like to sit it out. I think it would be exciting to sit it out, but not in a ground level apartment. MARZULLO: It's simply their best advice based on what they know is coming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This possibly will only be a two when it gets here, but that still has a potential for damage and the potential to kill people. So we know we're going to be dealing with no electricity, flooded roads, blocked roads.

MARZULLO: All the residents we spoke with are heeding the advice and heading out, but some sooner than others.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well I mean if they are evacuating people, you know you probably need to leave, but we'll wait until then.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARZULLO: Again, the evacuation officially begins at 7:00, which gives residents 12 hours to get out of town. That is when this bridge closes down to limited access, restricted access only, which means just residents and those residents who have a reentry pass, they can come and go from the island. But again, they are doing that at their own risk -- Carol.

COSTELLO: OK, Katie, Chad and I are curious, where are you going to go when the storm hits?

MARZULLO: Well, we're going to go to the other side of the bridge. Because as close as we can stay, but they are evacuating our hotel, which is in Atlantic Beach on the coast, and we have restricted access. The marked media vehicles can come and go, too, but we'll be camped out, for the most part, on the other side.

COSTELLO: All right, Katie, thank you. You be careful. We appreciate it.

MARZULLO: We will.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired September 17, 2003 - 06:40   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's talk more about Hurricane Isabel. She's about 450 miles offshore, expected to hit the North Carolina coast probably around noon on Thursday. That's according to Chad, of course, give or take an hour or two, we don't know. But we do know that parts of North Carolina look like a ghost town. People have packed up the beach blankets and they have hit the highways.
So let's go live to Atlantic Beach on the outer banks of North Carolina and News 14's Katie Marzullo.

Good morning again -- Katie.

KATIE MARZULLO, NEWS 14 CAROLINA-TV REPORTER: Good morning, Carol. You're right, a lot of folks beat the rush and have been already emptying out since Monday. But today is the official day.

We're here on the Atlantic Beach side of the Atlantic Beach Bridge. Let me get out of the way. Take a look for yourself. Starting in just a half hour, at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time, everyone will be heading outbound, the direction you're looking, which is west toward Moorhead City and beyond, that is because at 7:00 a.m. those mandatory evacuations here in Atlantic Beach begin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATIE MARZULLO, NEWS 14 CAROLINA-TV REPORTER (voice-over): There are those who head toward the water when a hurricane approaches. They are called surfers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because it's always the greatest whenever there's a hurricane here. I mean you don't catch much around here, it's the East Coast.

MARZULLO: But most head inland to safety.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mother is on her way down from Raleigh right now to pick up my children and take them to Raleigh so that they are not here. But I work down at the -- down at the Ramada. And I'm -- right at this moment I'm scheduled to work. So I'm not really sure whether I'm leaving the island or not leaving the island.

MARZULLO: Emergency officials are mandating residents evacuate, but they really can't make people leave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd like to sit it out. I think it would be exciting to sit it out, but not in a ground level apartment. MARZULLO: It's simply their best advice based on what they know is coming.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This possibly will only be a two when it gets here, but that still has a potential for damage and the potential to kill people. So we know we're going to be dealing with no electricity, flooded roads, blocked roads.

MARZULLO: All the residents we spoke with are heeding the advice and heading out, but some sooner than others.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well I mean if they are evacuating people, you know you probably need to leave, but we'll wait until then.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARZULLO: Again, the evacuation officially begins at 7:00, which gives residents 12 hours to get out of town. That is when this bridge closes down to limited access, restricted access only, which means just residents and those residents who have a reentry pass, they can come and go from the island. But again, they are doing that at their own risk -- Carol.

COSTELLO: OK, Katie, Chad and I are curious, where are you going to go when the storm hits?

MARZULLO: Well, we're going to go to the other side of the bridge. Because as close as we can stay, but they are evacuating our hotel, which is in Atlantic Beach on the coast, and we have restricted access. The marked media vehicles can come and go, too, but we'll be camped out, for the most part, on the other side.

COSTELLO: All right, Katie, thank you. You be careful. We appreciate it.

MARZULLO: We will.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com