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Bracing for Hurricane Sandy; Storm Changes Campaign Plans; Coast Guard Prepares for Sandy; Cubans Describe Sandy's Horror; High Tech Tracking of Hurricane Sandy; Hurricane Pounding Outer Banks
Aired October 28, 2012 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN CNAHHOR: Chad Myers is going to help me out throughout the hour here. We're going to be here obviously until this is over. We may be on the air live here from this vantage point until midnight so Chad Myers, thank you very much.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You're welcome.
LEMON: I just want to tell our viewers. Listen, Chad is not playing around; the officials who have come out, not playing around with information.
Before we go to Kill Devil Hills and George Howell, I just want to say the wires that are coming in -- this is just the advisory wires, people. And Chad right now the advisory wires is telling us President Obama is going to return to the White House following in this event in Orlando -- his event in Orlando on Monday to monitor Hurricane Sandy.
And then so we're not sure if he's going to make any more campaign events. That's how serious this is. And then as you go down it gives all of the listings. Anything that's coming in moment by moment, the U.S. government has nonemergency federal workers granted administrative leave on Monday due to hurricane. They really want people to get out.
President Obama declared a state of emergency for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a result of Hurricane -- Hurricane Sandy. U.S. federal offices in D.C. closed. Philadelphia, the Southeast Pennsylvania Transit Authority, SEPTA as it's called there from living there I know, will suspend all services effective at the end of the Sunday service due to Hurricane Sandy.
Listen, they're not playing around, if you're in any of these areas, you need to listen to what your officials are telling you. George Howell is in one area that is about to be devastated by this I'm sure because we can see it coming ashore, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.
George, you have been out there all day. Tell me how the weather has intensified.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Don, I can tell you right now we are actually getting a break in the wind. The winds are dying down a bit, but they are also shifting. We can tell that's happening and that strong rain is backing off, but this storm continues to move to the north and it is changing hour by hour.
Here within the last few hours we've been in touch with emergency management officials here in Dare County just to find out what they're dealing with. They're dealing with the flooding that's happening throughout the tidal water area, flooding along rivers, flooding near the coast also, and they're keeping an eye, Don, on the storm surge.
Now as this storm continues to move north, that's the problem because it will push water, push water along to the coast, push water into the sound, and cause flooding in places that typically flood and maybe even surprise some people. So officials are keeping a very close eye on what happens even as the storm moves out of this area.
LEMON: All right. George Howell, stand by, don't go anywhere. Alison Kosik is standing by in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Sandra Endo is in Ocean City, Maryland as well. We have our teams throughout this -- all throughout the eastern seaboard.
We're going to start with Sandra. You saw Alison there but let's start with Sandra. We're going to begin with you. Sandra, we understand the Mayor there ordering everyone who lives there, everyone, downtown at least, to get out within the hour?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Don. The mandatory evacuation order has been effect -- in effect all day long. And that deadline is fast approaching. He wants everyone in the downtown Ocean City area to leave town. There's a voluntary evacuation order for low-lying areas as well and non-residents have to get out of town as well.
Route 50, the way into -- or one of the ways into Ocean City is already shut down and here is why. Take a look at the waves behind me. It's not even high tide yet and they are fierce and the high tide combined with the length of this storm is the combination that local officials are really, really afraid of.
So they're taking every precaution and as residents are taking precautions gearing up, bracing for this storm, CNN is also making sure that we're doing this safe. I'm here with two photographers. Eddie Gross is on the ground with me and he's also fighting this wind and the rain that we've been feeling all day long.
Up there, I just want to show you in the balconies, another photographer, Dave Rough, who is also hunkered down bracing himself along the wall here and these are the conditions that a lot of us are working under to make sure that we stay safe out here in the field.
But again, residents here obviously preparing for the worst, Don and making sure that they're boarding up their homes, boarding up their businesses and keep in mind --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Right.
ENDO: -- we're already feeling the effects of Hurricane Sandy and it's all -- you know, it's not even expected to hit here in more than 24 hours.
LEMON: Listen, Sandra, don't go anywhere. I have Chad, I know you have to run and you've got to do other reports for other parts of this network, but stand by just for a moment here. I'm not sure who is up on the balcony, Dave Rough or what have you but take that shot.
You mentioned earlier -- if we can get that balcony shot back -- you mentioned earlier that the last time you spoke to Sandra, Chad, that the beach was there and now it's gone. And it appears that it's getting even smaller if it can disappear any more. The water may come up to that level where she is sooner when they get that surge.
MYERS: Oh I think so, I'm not sure how far that is above mean sea level but the problem is where at high tide when you're talk about a full moon. Full moons are already high and this is going to be high and low, a big series of them within 36 hours. We're going to get three or four high tides up and down, up and down and this water is just going to push right into that area.
I believe where she is, is high enough, but I would say there's going to be over wash certainly into the parking lots.
LEMON: All right, stand by, Chad.
I need you to help me out with Alison Kosik, Asbury Park, New Jersey. We're going to go now. I understand evacuations are being recommended for residents in flood-prone areas there.
We heard from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Alison, he said don't try to be a hero tomorrow. If you haven't gotten out, you need to get out within the next five to six hours. They're not messing around there. What are you hearing?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. A lot of people are heeding the warnings Don that we've talked to you today. They are getting out of these -- these mandatory evacuated areas. You know what? They believe this could be the real deal, an appetizer, so a taste of it today at least in the Seabright area, that's a little bit north of where we are right now.
It was high tide earlier this morning and they saw one of their rivers come up over its banks and they saw the flooding potential that could happen there. and that's before the main course happens tomorrow when Hurricane Sandy is expected to come ashore when there's expected to be that storm surge of four to eight feet of a flood coming over right around where we're standing, below where we're standing.
So you know, we are seeing a lot of people heed the warnings. We also saw a lot of people boarding up their businesses, especially in Seabright, putting up sandbags. I spoke with one store owner who is only been in business for two months and she's worried and hoping for the best.
LEMON: Ok. We don't have that. Thank you. Hey, thank you very much, Alison.
Do we still have George Howell? Is George still up in Kill Devil Hills?
HOWELL: I'm here.
DOBBS: Yes George, what can you show us?
HOWELL: I'm here.
LEMON: I'm standing here and talking to Chad and he says probably where you are is the best -- those are the best pictures where we're going to actually see the force of this storm as it comes through right at this moment.
What are you feeling there? Now you said there was a reprieve for a little bit there but that's only temporary, it comes and it goes?
HOWELL: It does, Don. You know, the storm just changes hour by hour and right now we're getting a bit of a break. But I'm sure Chad can kind of explain what's happening. And I'd be curious to understand, you know, what he's seeing from the radar because we're feeling the winds shift here.
Initially it was coming in this way, it was hitting my face, my eye. Now it's coming in a little more from this direction, so you get the sense that the storm is changing. That's something also that these emergency officials, as I mentioned in the last report. They're keeping very close -- they're paying a close attention to that because that will affect how much water and where water goes on the sound side here of the Outer Banks.
That's very important because the big thing around here is flooding, Don. And another thing about what's happening here, we've been watching North Carolina these 40-plus states that has declared states of emergency. This is a taste of what's to come as this storm moves in and merges with that cold front. It is a messy situation and it's definitely a good idea right now, you know, if you're in those northern states, to take precautions to get out of the way of the storm. Just prepare for it.
LEMON: Yes. Thank you, George. Chad just went in as you were saying that, was checking some of the models. I'm not sure what you were doing there.
MYERS: I was zooming in it on the radar in Kill Devil Hills. Because literally every time a storm -- a piece of yellow on the radar will come in, his winds will pick up. When it goes back down to green, which is non-convective, which is just rain, the wind will slow down. This is going to be going on for 36 solid hours, one band comes on and then it stops. Another band comes on and then it stops.
And it's frustrating when you're out there trying to do a live shot and you say, man, I really got some great shots, it's really windy now.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Yes. MYERS: And then the truck goes down because the wind is so big that you actually lose the satellite dish. You got a big eight-foot dish pointed at the satellite in space.
LEMON: Right.
MYERS: And it starts to shake and you lose the shot just like you driving under the -- a bridge with your Sirius XM Radio. You don't get a signal anymore.
LEMON: Right, right.
MYERS: So that's where going through.
LEMON: Into a covered parking lot. It happens all the time.
MYERS: Yes.
LEMON: I'm just looking at it here at the advisory wires because I would like to -- I like to speak directly to the viewer because a lot of people are getting in touch with me on social media. If you need to get in touch with me it's a @donlemonCNN and Chad Myers.
MYERS: @ChadMyersCNN.
LEMON: @ChadMyresCNN. So if you have any questions, people are -- are telling me that they're watching us in the airport. We're at the airport network, so I want to speak directly to those viewers. We're going to check in with you and we have some pictures of security lines I think it's at LaGuardia. We're going to try to get those on the air for you and try to figure out what's happening with the airports because it's going to get worse.
MYERS: They're not going to be open for much longer.
LEMON: Yes. All right. Ok.
So from travel to shutdowns, the storm throwing a big monkey wrench also in the race for the White House affecting politics as well. The battleground states in Hurricane Sandy's path, which candidate does the storm help? Which one does it hurt?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Ok. Look at that, my goodness. That's Atlantic City where you can see -- see that big, see that building on the left of your screen just above the CNN -- it says Sandy now, the animated thing that's changing? It says Caesar's. That's where Caesar's Casino is. And you're looking down the boardwalk there and to the left, obviously land, to the right ocean and right down that -- those lights that you see streaking down, that's the Atlantic City boardwalk.
These pictures, of course, courtesy of our affiliate there, WPVI. Look at this camera moving around, so you have to imagine that it's very, very windy there. You heard Alison Kosik, who is in Asbury Park, talking about gaming in that area. Very big business and they're going to have to shut it down. So a lot of folks are probably going to lose some money, but of course Chris Christie saying "Get out, be safe."
To New York City now as we move away from Atlantic City, New Jersey. LaGuardia Airport, that is from a CNN editor/producer, Natalie Yarborough e-mailed those to me that picture and another one.
This is a security line at LaGuardia. Can you imagine? And that's just LaGuardia. I wonder what Hartsfield is like and airports all along the East Coast, and once those big airports like LaGuardia start backing up, you know it's a domino effect.
If you're sitting there watching us, sorry about that. Chad Myers said airports probably not going to stay open much longer along the Eastern Seaboard. So you have a very limited time to get out, and if your flight hasn't left, you haven't boarded, you should be making some alternative plans because you probably won't be going anywhere for the time -- you're there for the time being. Sorry about that bit of information but at least you can sit here and watch me and I will keep you updated.
We're keeping a close watch on Hurricane Sandy for you. Want to tell you that Jim Acosta -- we have a live picture -- Jim Acosta is in Maryland. There he is -- excuse me, Marion, Ohio, traveling with the Romney campaign.
Give us a quick update. This has really changed the plans for Mitt Romney and for President Barack Obama but what are you hearing from the Romney camp?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, I'll tell you right now the Romney campaign is feeling very optimistic, not only looking at those national polls with our latest CNN poll of polls. Mitt Romney leading nationally over the President, but in Ohio our latest CNN/ORC, even though it shows the President with a healthy lead there, it is still within the margin of error and Mitt Romney has made some serious catch-up.
There was another poll that came out a consortium of Ohio newspapers that shows the race tied in this state. So the Romney campaign is feeling pretty good right now but I have to tell you Don, the x factor in everything right now from now until Election Day, the last nine days of this race, all hinges on Hurricane Sandy at this point.
An election that was already uncertain and unpredictable is now only more so. Just in the last hour, Don, we can tell you the President has gone ahead and canceled an event he had scheduled here in Ohio in the town of Youngstown, Ohio for tomorrow.
President Clinton and Vice President Biden are still going to be there. The President is not going to be there. He has an event tomorrow morning in Florida but he's not going to Ohio. He's going back to the White House.
As for Mitt Romney, we're watching his campaign very closely as well. He has a campaign event here in Ohio tomorrow morning after this event here with Paul Ryan in a few moments. And then he goes off to Wisconsin and Iowa, two states that should be protected from Hurricane Sandy for the time being.
But, Don, I have to tell you, a lot of this is very interesting to watch because we're all sort of wondering how is this hurricane going to affect the race? Which candidate will it affect more? Will it affect the President because it will be taking him off the campaign trail? He won't be able to campaign quite as much. Or will it make him perhaps appear more presidential because he'll be looking at storm damage and that sort of thing?
The Romney campaign was asked about that earlier today. They did not want to speculate but the Obama campaign is also concerned about it, Don, because of how this storm could put a damper on early voting. That has, according to conventional wisdom, been an advantage for the President. So we'll have to see how this shakes out.
But as you can see, just in the last hour, one campaign event canceled by the President and both campaigns have said, Don, they're looking -- they're working with local law enforcement authorities as first responders state by state to determine whether or not they should proceed with campaign events.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Hey Jim. Jim, can you -- someone was talking to me as you were saying something. You said the President's canceled an event and who -- is someone coming in his place? You mentioned former President Clinton and someone else. Can you repeat what you said?
ACOSTA: That's right. In Youngstown, Ohio, tomorrow the President has canceled an event there but according to the notes that have been given out to the press from the Obama campaign, Vice President Joe Biden and President Clinton will still be at that campaign event.
So the President has that event in Florida, then he goes back to the White House. And it just goes to show you how this is really happening in real-time right now. Instead of these events being planned out days in advance, now it's sort of, you know, as each hour goes by, things are changing. That's why it's going to pay to keep a close eye on this storm and on the campaign schedule, Don.
LEMON: Well, you can see -- thank you, Jim -- you can see the people there are still excited even with the storm coming in Marion, Ohio, where there's a Romney event and our Jim Acosta is on board.
Hey can we -- thank you, Jim -- I just want to sort of reiterate what Jim said. Come behind me if you can show this. I want to show our viewers and take you inside. This is how we do it, right? To the right here on this side, this is my rundown so I sort of know what's going on and I kind of go by that wherever it takes me.
On this side, these are the advisory wires. This advisory wire is saying what Jim is saying. President Obama has -- let's move down here. President Obama declared a state of emergency for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Then it says the President on Monday will return to the White House following an event in Orlando, Florida to monitor Hurricane Sandy. That's according to a release from the White House.
This is all just coming in. As we look here, the Metro in Washington, D.C., closed on Monday due to Hurricane Sandy. Unclear when the service will be restored. That's according to the transit authorities. They don't know in a city as big as Washington, D.C., when they're going to get their mass transit back up.
A lot of people don't even have cars. So there's nowhere to go unless you're going to walk in that weather.
And then here is a new thing just coming in. President Obama has declared a state of emergency in the state of New York ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy that's according to a release from the White House.
And as I close this, I'm sure there are more that will come through. So you're getting the very latest as I'm getting it so don't worry about that rundown that I showed you on the right side of the screen -- not going to go by that. As soon as I get new information, I'm going to bring it to you as fast as I can so you're going to get it here first on CNN and accurate, by the way.
But, again, state of emergency for New York; you heard there's one for New Jersey. Washington, D.C., the transportation shut down, same thing in New York and the same thing all over the Eastern Seaboard. This is serious, so pay attention, everyone.
With the storm headed to the most populous area in the U.S., the Coast Guard is preparing for search and rescue missions. Let's hope they don't have to do that if you guys listen. We're talking with Admiral Dan Abel -- there he is -- right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Live pictures now, Ocean City, Maryland where you have been seeing our Sandra Endo there. Look at that surf coming in. Look at that coming in. And that's just the beginning here.
I want to bring you guys back inside here and show you what we're doing and the information that we're getting. Come on. Bring this camera in here. Let me show you. This is obviously -- like I said -- this is a rundown. This is where I get the information. We're going by that somewhat as the information comes in.
I have been told I may have been given this -- may have given this short shrift. President Obama declared a state of emergency in the state of New York ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy. That's according to a release from the White House. That's coming across from the advisory wires.
I have been told by the very knowledgeable General Russel Honore that I may have given that short shrift because that's a big deal.
GENERAL RUSSEL HONORE, U.S. ARMY (RET.): That is a big deal. Don, only a handful of times in history of the use of the Stafford Act, which authorizes a president to commit to the governors when he made declaration, that the Stafford Act will be used to reimburse some of their expenses. It was done for Hurricane Andrew first time, done for Hurricane Katrina second, and then President Obama used it for Hurricane Isaac to help the people of Louisiana and Mississippi prepare for Isaac just a few months.
But this is a big deal --
LEMON: Big deal.
HONORE: -- that the President made this announcement before the hurricane arrived.
LEMON: All right. Stand by, General, because I need to get to Boston. He's in Boston, Coast Guard Admiral Dan Abel, he's standing by. Because, believe it or not, some people maybe -- you know, they're going to ride out the storm and we want to talk about -- it's going to be a search and rescue if people ride out the storm.
So Admiral, what's the best -- what are people doing -- what's the best thing people can do to keep safe right now so that you don't have to deal with search and rescue?
ADMIRAL DAN ABEL, COAST GUARD: Right, Don. Well, the first thing is folks should already have their boats secured and the waterfront secured and it's time to seek safe haven. At this point if you have got a boat in the water, it's time to leave it where it is and it's time to go ashore.
We've worked a couple of cases this weekend with kayakers trying to enjoy the surf, or surfers; even a guy on a dingy going out to his mooring buoy, underestimated the weather. Ended up hanging on to the mooring buoy with a cell phone, no life jacket, called for assistance and we were able to rescue him.
But the seas are too treacherous at this point to make preparations. It's time to stay on land at this point.
LEMON: I want to show some video because our viewers may remember this incident. It's from Hurricane Irene. The Coast Guard and fire and rescue teams had to swim out into the rough, into the rough water to rescue a couple -- there it is -- a couple who had lived on their boat. How does the Coast Guard prepare for search and rescue missions during Sandy? Go on, continue.
ABEL: Well, you know, certainly your Coast Guard is ready all the time to do those cases. First thing, of course, with preparation, you know, we tell the public, it's time to stay away. You know, we try to minimize folks that are, you know, storm chasers or sightseers in heavy weather.
Standing on the rocks, going out on the riffraff of a break water is not a safe place to be. It's time to be prudent when you're around the water. The winds and the seas are unpredictable and you need to stay ashore. LEMON: At this point, I asked General Russel Honore the same thing, I only have about 20 seconds if you can answer, are we making the right decisions here and do you think people are heeding the warnings?
ABEL: Yes, I think so. We've been working this since the middle of last week. With flights offshore, warning ships offshore. They've done the right thing. They've taken safe harbor, they've moved ashore. We've actually kind of shepherded them along with one of our larger cutters to keep them in safe harbor.
But again what the Coast Guard is doing is part of a whole of government campaign to make sure that people ashore, at sea, in the coastal region are all ready for the storm. It's going to be the seas of a nor'easter and the winds of a hurricane. It's a massive storm from Chincoteague, Virginia to Chatham, Massachusetts. You're going to have hurricane-force gusts.
LEMON: Thank you very much, Coast Guard Admiral Dan Abel. Appreciate you joining us in this very busy time.
So listen, I'm getting information -- are you talking to me? Someone was talking to me. I just want to say that I hear you. Janine Stepka (ph) in Delaware, you said please let us know what's happening here. All we hear about is Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Maryland. I hear you. Thank you for writing me and I'm going to tell you when we come back.
So people aren't that worried about a Category 1 storm, they should be, but just look at what, you know, the same storm has already done in Cuba. Now some families have no home to return to. That's next and Janine Stepka, the answer to your question when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. There is a projected path you're looking at. Man, this thing is -- it's threatening to be a monster.
Chad Myers is here, our meteorologist, of course. Chad. And he's going to talk to us about the path.
MYERS: Yes.
LEMON: So, Chad, quickly, I wanted to -- I wanted to talk to Janine (INAUDIBLE). She said, I want to know what's going on in Delaware. I can tell you just from the information I've gotten. So she tweeted me and I'm answering you. Straight to the viewer now. So Governor Markell declared a limited state of emergency, meaning it doesn't order driving bans or business closures. He ordered the evacuation of all coastal communities and flood prone areas in southern Delaware by Sunday night. Shelter will be open beginning Sunday afternoon.
Markell said, and to help prevent flooding, he says residents should clear storm drains and sweep up any leaves so that they won't clog drains. That is the situation from my end in Delaware where you said you told her you'd update it so --
MYERS: I don't see how you sweep leaves when it's raining cats and dogs and blowing 50. But that's OK.
LEMON: I said, Chad, come on here and helped me out with Delaware. I promised this viewer that we're going to get to Delaware. He said, you promised so you tell her. Go ahead.
MYERS: Let's go, let's go. I'll take you minute by minute or hour by hour what we expect here. And it's all about the wind direction for you and it's all about the wind direction that is going to move when the storm travels from east to west. Onshore flow here in Boston. Onshore flow piling up water all the way through and down to New Jersey.
Now, for Delaware, it is windy, but most of the wind is from the north. Not piling a lot of water up here but it is raining in Delaware all the way down to the Delmarva and still this green, light green, that's 40 to 50. The dark green here through Kill Devil Hills and Cape Hatteras, that's 50 to 60 miles per hour right now. Then I'll zoom in and get a little bit closer. This is 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.
We'll go back to Delaware. Delaware, your winds are north, but they have now increased to 60 to 70 miles per hour, and then these big red areas here that'll be coming onshore, Atlantic City, all the way up to Sea Bright, seaside, that's a 70-mile-per-hour wind gust. There's the center. It's a big center. There's not really an eye. Doesn't have a category 5 hurricane wind in the middle, but it's a giant storm.
Notice, there's 40-mile-per-hour winds in Maine, there's 40-mile-per- hour winds in North Carolina. It's a huge area.
Now we'll put it ahead and move it onshore. This is when all of that wind blows into New York City. This is when we're concerned with the storm surge, all the water trying to pile up the rivers and into the sound. And then Atlantic City, you kind of get right into the eye, the winds calm down and then for Delaware, your friend right there, the winds actually blow offshore. But there's still --
LEMON: There's a live shot from Atlantic City earlier right at the boardwalk?
MYERS: I did.
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: With scissors on it. Yes. I could see that. There it is again.
LEMON: There it is. Goodness.
MYERS: All right. Got it. It's blowing. That could be -- that could be right in the middle of where we think the eye will be.
LEMON: Yes.
MYERS: And it's the center. Obviously it won't be called an eye when it's there because it won't be a hurricane when it comes on land. It will become a hybrid storm. The superstorm and I'll describe how that happens in the next hour.
LEMON: All right. Thank you, Chad Myers.
Chad Myers and I have been doing our own thing up here and I appreciate you guys on social media saying you like the behind-the- scenes. We'll do more of it. I just asked, we can have live time here because it hasn't hit us yet. So the damage is not quite done here. I asked my producer where we're going. And I'm sure she wanted to respond and say, you got yourself into this mess, why don't you go where you want to go.
But for now we're going to go and talk about the damage that has already been done by this massive hurricane. For people who don't believe this is a dangerous storm, just take a look at what's already been done here. At least 60 people were killed when it wreaked havoc in the Caribbean last week, and at least one neighborhood in Cuba may never be the same again.
Here's CNN's Patrick Oppmann. He is in Santiago de Cuba.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The day we meet Christopher he turned 3 months old, a happy and lucky baby. Lucky to have survived the hurricane that laid waste to his hometown of Santiago de Cuba. His mother Yunayka tells us Hurricane Sandy took everything from them.
YUNAYKA JUSTE, LOST HOME TO HURRICANE (Through Translator): The roof started coming off. My house is made of wood. And then a tree fell and collapsed on the front of the house.
OPPMANN (on camera): Yunayka takes us to see where her home was. When Yunayka's house came crashing down around her, her neighbors had to come in and pull her out from underneath the rubble and underneath this tree. She says if they hadn't, she and her baby probably wouldn't have survived the storm.
(Voice-over): But the storm left holes in her roof, and she, her baby, and her mother are now homeless.
JUSTE (Through Translator): I don't have the money to fix my home. I am hoping for help from the government. Where am I going to live with my baby? In the street?
OPPMANN: It is a question you hear all around Santiago, where Sandy's punishing winds stripped government propaganda from buildings, blocked streets with telephone poles, left a 1950s Buick needing a new windshield.
The storm here killed at least nine people and damaged thousands of homes. Nearly everyone is hard hit, 9-year-old Kaitlyn tells me --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Through Translator): My house is OK, but the house upstairs is gone. We lost a lot of homes in this neighborhood.
OPPMANN: You can't escape the destruction.
(On camera): Walk around Santiago de Cuba and all you'll hear is the sound of people trying to make their homes livable again. Ask anybody where the worst damage is and they'll say everywhere.
(Voice-over): Cuban authorities have told residents to funnel their pain into efforts to rebuild. But as night comes in the city still left without electricity, Yunayka and baby Christopher go to sleep in a neighbor's house. They don't know where they will sleep tomorrow. And it's clear that the pain inflicted by a hurricane will be felt here for some time to come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. Patrick Oppmann joins us now live from Santiago de Cuba.
And, Patrick, what message do Cubans have more Americans who are in Sandy's path?
OPPMANN: I think the nightscape behind me says it all, Don. This is a city of about 500,000 people. You wouldn't know it because the power is completely off for the third night in a row. There's no power, there's no water. There are on many, many houses, literally thousands of houses, no roofs. People here would tell American do not underestimate the storm. They certainly did not underestimated here because it has changed the city perhaps forever and they're still reeling with the impacts of this very powerful storm -- Don.
LEMON: Challenges? A lot of them, I'm sure, people face ahead of them in Cuba that Americans are going to face some of them, but they've got even bigger challenges than we have here.
Do we still have Patrick? OK. Problem --
OPPMANN: Sorry, Don, a little delay there. Absolutely. You know, just the hotel next to us which is one of the few places that has a generator, we saw people lined up all day long today to charge their cell phones or basic necessities but they don't know when the power is going to come back on. They know they're getting help from the government little by little but every street here when we arrived was full of trees. And these are trees that have survived many hurricanes. They didn't survive Sandy. So this is not a storm to underestimate. People here have experience with storms and they were overwhelmed by the power of Hurricane Sandy -- Don.
LEMON: All right. Patrick Oppmann, thank you very much. We really appreciate it.
Thank you, guys, for what you're sending on social media. We're going to have more of it. We'll just continue to go along here as we get new information.
Janine (INAUDIBLE), Delaware, you're quite welcome and thank you for the thank you note. I just want to read one thing that is on the advisory that just came across here. We talk about the magnitude of the storm, how many people are affected. Mass transportation out in these huge metropolitan areas. This is from the Washington, D.C., area.
Now try to fathom this. Three major public transportation systems have been closed ahead of Hurricane Sandy. This is from Mass Transit Department in Washington, D.C. The systems transport an average of nine 9,731,737 commuters a day. That is according to average ridership numbers provided by the local transportation authorities.
So that's Washington, D.C. That's how many people there, and, of course, there's New York City, which is part of the mass transportation, and that's Washington, D.C., New York City, and also Philadelphia. So that's included for all of those regions. That's a lot of folks.
Many of you at home are watching the news coverage right now and you're waiting for Sandy to hit, but there are several ways that you can keep track of this superstorm. Some high-tech tips for you right on the other side of the break.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Since the apartheid time, Kliptown has not changed. There's no electricity. People are living in shacks. Growing up in Kliptown makes you feel like you don't have control over your life. Many children drop out of school because they don't have school uniforms and textbooks. I realized that the only way that Kliptown could change was through education.
I'm Thulani Madondo, and I'm helping educate the children so that we can change Kliptown together. We help the children by paying for their school books, school uniforms. Our main focus is our tutoring program that we run four days a week. As young people who were born and raised here, we know the challenges of this community. We also do a number of activities. We've got to come together for fun while we also come together for academics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This program gave me a chance to go to the university. They actually paid for my fees. That's why I also come back and help out here. A little can go a long way.
MADONDO: What subjects do you need to study. Math and science. And English. Exactly, yes.
I did not go to university, but being able to help them, I feel excited.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am going to be an accountant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to be a lawyer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I'm going to be a nurse.
MADONDO: The work that we're doing here is bringing change. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know, if there is one good thing about this storm is that you can get, you know, evacuation information, all kinds of information through a lot of different sources. I'm going to tell you how you can do that online. But this is -- we're downstairs in the CNN NEWSROOM. Usually not this busy on a Sunday night. But we brought some people in. There's our Nick Valencia, he works on the desk. You've also seen him on the air.
Tom Lott (ph) is here. One of the managers. And Devon, I'm sorry, I had your e-mail up on the air. Now he's getting random e-mails from people all over everywhere. Stop e-mailing Devon, guys.
So you can get, you know, evacuation orders, information through several different outlets, of course. TV news conferences, Twitter feeds. A lot of moving parts. So we want to go to CNN's Laurie Segall standing by for us in New York to tell us what she's doing and how you can get some helpful information.
What do you have for us, Laurie.
LAURIE SEGALL, CNNMONEY TECH REPORTER: Sure, you know, a lot of people going to NYC.gov to get an evacuation zone map but a lot of people are going there so people are having trouble accessing the site. So I would say go to WNYC, this is really important if you're in the New York area, here in the northeast region, and you can really look at the different zones. See what zone you're in.
I went to it earlier. You could see these red zones, these orange zones, yellow zones, and how close and whether or not you should evacuate.
You know, you're taking a look at it right now. You see earlier Mayor Bloomberg actually issued a mandatory evacuation for those red zones. And you can see them right there. Easy to find out where you are. Literally you go to the top of that page right there, type in your home address, and it will tell you what zone you're in.
I tried it earlier, Don. Apparently I am in the yellow zone. So I'm not too concerned but it's the kind of thing where you need that information and it also shows you where these evacuation centers are so you can actually go, find out if you need to evacuate and you can find out places to go.
That's really, really important tool, especially since as you said there are so many moving parts right now at this storm.
LEMON: All right. I don't have return but I can only see it here from this monitor. See the yellow parts that you were pointing out there, Laurie.
SEGALL: Sure.
LEMON: Tell us about -- I have been telling people about mass transportation. Very rarely in these large cities do they shut down, especially subway trains for events.
SEGALL: I know.
LEMON: It's very rare. What about mass transportation information?
SEGALL: Sure. I mean, just now at 7:00 p.m. the subways were shut down. You have 9:00 p.m., you have the buses that are being shut down, but WNIC, they also have a great thing that's called the transit tracker. You can go and you can look on their site. You can see every single thing being shut down.
You're looking at it right now, Don. It shows you when the subways are shut down, when New Jersey transit is shut down, and the airports, all of that information. So anything you might need to know if you're evacuating, any of that information is all right there and they're updating you live by the second. So that's a really, really important tool.
You know, another one I really like and, you know, there's an app for everything, right, Don? We all know there's going to be the hurricane app, right? But I do think it's great. This is the one I tried out that I would actually suggest. It's $1.99, it's available on the iPhone, and it allows you to view interactive maps. You can see different maps, wind, satellite maps, threat level. You can read the latest headlines. It pulls data from the National Hurricane Center and you can also see audio and video updates and you can receive all this information via text.
You don't even have to open up the app. I would definitely suggest this one if you're going to kind of splurge and download some of this, and you really want to track it by the minute. These are all really interesting tools that you can use right now.
LEMON: Laurie Segall, thank you very much. Hey, the good thing about being down in the NEWSROOM, you can hear what we call here in the NEWSROOM the 911, when I think I heard that Air Force One, am I correct, just landed in Orlando. Did you guys hear that 911? Air Force One. Our affiliate, WESH, there should be pictures coming in. Do we have it? We don't have it? We do have it.
OK. Courtesy of our affiliate WESH. You just heard the 911 and you heard the president is going to do an event tomorrow in Orlando and then he is going to go back to the White House, get information, but Air Force One just landing in Orlando.
Our Josh Levs, this is -- I'm in his territory, Josh. I've taken over your space here. They said go down to the NEWSROOM.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Make yourself comfortable.
LEMON: The NEWSROOM is filled on a Sunday night. We're so happy to have all of you folks here.
LEVS: Yes.
LEMON: Josh is going to tell us how this is impacting the rest of the country, travel, trade, commerce, this -- all of it, right?
LEVS: All of it.
LEMON: Yes.
LEVS: Yes, all of it in a couple of minutes.
LEMON: Don't go away. We'll be right back.
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LEMON: Welcome back, everyone, to CNN's coverage of Hurricane Sandy. And we're going to be here for you. As I told you before the break, we just got the call that President Obama, Air Force One has landed, have landed, both of them, obviously, in Orlando. These pictures courtesy of our affiliate, WESH, W-E-S-H. Air Force One now landed. Wheels down in Orlando.
And as we got the advisory wire a little bit earlier saying the president would arrive there tonight, do the event tomorrow in Orlando and then go back to Washington to the White House to watch these events unfold as it -- as it relates to Hurricane Sandy.
And there you see in the middle of your screen, behind these smaller planes, Air Force One, the airplane that carries the president, the leader of the free world, around -- arriving in Orlando, Florida.
Let's go further up the coast now from Florida and go to Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, where our George Howell has spent all day tracking this storm, standing out in the elements right now.
George, you said that there was a lull when we spoke to you last but then it would increase, at least the winds and the rain. What are they doing -- what's happening right now?
HOWELL: So, Don, those strong winds, they definitely have the strong winds back here in the Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, area. But we have seen the rain subside a bit, less of the heavy rain, the sideways rain that we have been seeing, less of that sand coming through. But again, just an indication of how close this storm is getting to us, how it's passing this area, and officials actually expect these conditions, Don, to continue to deteriorate through the night.
These wind gusts that we've had out here, 40 to 50 miles per hour. They say it could get worse through the night, it's going to be more of a wind situation here. And that's what we're dealing with right here along the outer banks.
And also, Don, they're also worried about the storm surge. That's the big thing, because it caused flooding during Hurricane Irene when it came through. Storm surge on the Atlantic side, anywhere from four to six feet. In this area south of us could be seven feet of storm surge.
And then let's talk about the sound side, the other side here. As this storm continues to change directions from the east, from the north, and then the west, pushing water in different areas, and that water comes back it could cause flooding on the sound side anywhere from three to five feet.
Those are big problems, we're already seeing water over this Coastal Highway 12, it's the -- the main way in and out here of the outer banks. So some people are cut off until the storm system moves out of this area.
LEMON: All right. George Howell, thank you. Stay safe.
We will get back to George Howell, of course, getting pelted in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.
Don lemon here, I'm in the CNN NEWSROOM. As I have been telling you guys, we don't usually have these many people in the NEWSROOM on the weekend and we're glad to have you, but we're here for a very serious matter. We're talking about -- we see George Howell talking about the lives that could be potentially lost if people don't do what emergency officials are telling them to do, and that is to get out, right? Or to make sure you're in a high enough place that you're not affected by this.
And we're going to talk about -- that's lives. But we're going to talk about planes, trains, automobiles.
LEVS: Yes.
LEMON: What's going to happen in some very big cities on the eastern seaboard. There's no mass transportation. You cannot get anywhere. Josh Levs will update you next as we look at these live pictures from Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. And then this is New York City we're looking at now? There it is, New York City. You see it there.
And then let's put up now, the president has arrived in Orlando and there is Air Force One on the tarmac at the airport in Orlando. Don't go away. Lots of coverage live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM, coming up.
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LEMON: You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. We are following the breaking developments when it comes to Hurricane Sandy. This is Ocean City, Maryland. You're looking at the surf there. And you can see the waves are coming in. The wind is starting to pick up.
We have the latest advisory coming from our Chad Myers just moments away, right at the top of the hour, so make sure you stand by.
Also, we want to tell you, the president of the United States landing now in Orlando, Florida. Air Force One on the tarmac. They had just opened the doors. I'm looking up, I'm looking at the picture there, and the president should be stepping off soon. He has an event there tomorrow and then he's headed back to the White House where he will monitor those developments coming from Sandy.
There is the president of the United States, walking down -- deplaning now and walking down the steps of Air Force One as he gets into the limo. But again, he is there for an event, canceling other events that are happening tomorrow and a little bit later on in the week.
He also canceled some events that happened yesterday, day before because of the storm. Mitt Romney campaign doing the same as well. This has really thrown a monkey wrench into the campaigns because the -- the swing states in Virginia, on the east coast, at least one of them, they needed Florida, they have to do a little bit of shuffling there. Florida is out of the way, but swing states, and they need those. And Ohio, of course, the state that they need to win. Ohio is going to be affected by this not as severely as the states on the east coast but it's going to be affected as well. There the president of the United States is landing.
So the president has his transportation at least working here. The impact of this hurricane reaching far beyond the coast. We're going to talk about the effect on transportation --
LEVS: Yes.
LEMON: -- for people who don't have their own planes. A lot of people now really don't have -- they can't get around. I lived in the northeast a long time. I didn't have a car when I lived there because all you need to do is take a train, hail a taxi.
LEVS: Not anymore.
LEMON: Not anymore. Not anymore.
LEVS: Yes. And shutdown all over the place. We have a brand new figure for you this hour. What we've done is taken a look into --
(CROSSTALK)
