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Blizzard Heads out to Sea; Helicopters Search for Accused Killer; First Lady Attends Murdered Girl's Funeral; Buzz at the 55th Grammy Awards; Snow, Winds, Waves in Cape Cod; Protecting Pets from the Storm; Threat Posed by Christopher Dorner

Aired February 09, 2013 - 13:00   ET

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

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: It is 1:00 p.m. on the East Coast, 10:00 a.m. out West. And for those of you just tuning in, thanks so much for being here with us today. I'm Deborah Feyerick. And here are the top stories we're following for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Well, bye-bye blizzard. That huge blizzard that came and conquered parts of the northeast is headed out to sea right now. It left a very white powdery calling card. People across the region are digging out today. Connecticut, not Boston, as predicted, was hit hardest with some cities getting more than three feet of snow. Sixty- five thousand customers across the region, they are without power. We're live in the storm zone and lots of reports straight ahead.

And in Chicago, First Lady Michelle Obama is attending the funeral of the 15-year-old honor student and band majorette who was killed about a mile from the Obamas' family home. Hadiya Pendleton was shot and killed while she and friends were trying to escape rain by seeking shelter in a children's park. The shooting happened just days after the teenager who always had a smile performed at the president's inauguration. A $40,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.

And he's considered armed and very violent. In Los Angeles, police are heading back up into the air using helicopters to find the ex-cop they accuse of killing three people already. One of them is a police officer who Dorner allegedly ambushed. Billboards are up all over the place showing Christopher Dorner's face. He says that he wants revenge on those who unfairly, in his opinion, cost him his job.

We're going to show you exclusive video of Dorner during his days at the police academy.

And police at the Grammys, they will be on guard not only for the safety of celebrities but for their own safety as well. That's because of Dorner's threats. The show will go on. Those attending are under a warning. By the way, their own warning to be careful but also to dress appropriately and not show too much skin. Well, at least that's what the network is asking. A new name and suddenly a Grammy favorite, singer Frank Ocean, well, he has racked up six nominations including new Artist of the Year and also Album of the Year.

Now back to the blizzard. Forecasters say the storm system will linger on across Providence, Rhode island, and Boston today. Now most of the heavy snow will taper off later this afternoon. We're now hearing that there are five deaths linked to the storm in New York, Connecticut, and Ontario, Canada.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people across the region, they are shivering in the cold right now. They are without power when the massive storm hit.

Take a look at this. Almost 650,000 customers in the region right now without power. Most of them in Massachusetts. About 400,000 of them. Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut and Maine, they also had a lot of outages.

Some cities in Connecticut also got lots of snow with a few locations getting more than 30 inches, some actually nearing 40. Portland, Maine, got 29.3 inches of snow, breaking the all -- the old all-time record of 27.1 inches in 1979, and Boston's Logan International Airport, well, it got almost 22 inches of snow. It's going to take a lot of digging out before any planes get off the ground there.

But all airports are open in New York. Commercial flights will be running on a delayed schedule because those that aren't at the airport will have to come in from somewhere.

And a total of nearly 4,800 flights, well, they've been canceled. United Airlines canceled the maximum number followed by Delta with 1200, U.S. Airways, JetBlue, and American Airlines.

And as the blizzard heads slowly out to sea, I'd like to show you some amazing video from Connecticut. Watch this. Well, this is a time lapse video posted on YouTube by Jeff FOX. OK. The snow sort of gently falling there. He set his camera at the door of his deck and let it capture one frame per minute starting at 6:07 a.m. yesterday morning. Well, he stopped it a little after 11:00 p.m. not because the snow was over but because the snow went way over the lens. And you can see it there. What a great way to record it. Poor camera getting hit with the storm.

Our Ashleigh Banfield is standing in all that snow -- speaking of things that are being hit by the storm, and people, of course.

Ashleigh, what is the situation out there? Because you have been out there and we just -- it is -- you look cold. I got to tell you. You look really, really cold.

(LAUGHTER)

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know what, I'm Canadian so I dress for it and the sun is out, Deb Feyerick, so I actually feel like I'm at a ski resort right now. If I squint.

(LAUGHTER)

Here's the truth. I lived what that time-lapse photographing just showed. I've been living that right here from last night. And then I lived the drive on 95 to get to Fairfield, Connecticut, where I am right now, from near Stanford. That should only take about 20 minutes. Took an hour 45. We were parked because people are breaking the travel bans. And it's just not a smart idea.

The governor of Connecticut has now said this travel ban is in effect until I say so. It doesn't mean it's lifted because the sun came out. We still have problems. We still have people unable to maneuver in this gas station. In fact, the gas station operator couldn't make it into work so the guy from the night shift is still running it. He's going to shut it down at 2:00 because he said he just can't handle it all himself.

And all these people, presumably with somewhere really critical they got to be, keep floating the ban and skidding around and then getting stuck right here, you know, a couple inches of snow and then requiring people to dig them out and push them out as well.

Also, I'll let you know that the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, has been kind enough to send snowplows throughout New England as well. Obviously, New York has been spared the worst of this. Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, with all these travel bans, and some of those deaths, as well, reported, Deb, as you mentioned, there's a lot of trouble here. And a lot of people are still stuck.

Power lines are buried. Utility crews can't even find some of those lines. And we still have, you know, the statistic of 650 people -- 650,000 people who ultimately lost power because of this blizzard.

It's sunny and lovely now and the snow has stopped but the wind gusts in Connecticut I can tell you are upwards of 40 miles an hour so they kick up a ton of snow and they continue to cause drifts. So the plows may be out, but the snow keeps coming and drifting. So that's why the travel bans are still in place.

I want to bring up Indra Petersons who's in Boston.

Indra, I've been watching you and your live shots from early yesterday as you watch the snow come in and the visibility go away. You were doing your yardstick measuring. How is it now? Are you getting the same sunshine that we have next door in Connecticut?

INDRA PETERSONS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Let me see if I see the sun. I'm not really seeing the sun peek through just yet. But you can tell this is nothing like we saw in these overnight hours. The situation out generally lightening up. (INAUDIBLE) will tell you whether or not we're in between these two bans, a little bit of a dry stop between another ban that I believe is a little bit farther inland.

But either way, I think the big focus right now is having a fun. I mean, there's so many people out here having a blast. People are running in shorts, they're making some snow angels here behind me. We see people sledding. Everyone is walking their dogs. And I even have the Pace family here with me this morning or afternoon, and you know what, you guys tell me, are you loving this? Tell me in your own words. What do you think?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The snow so far has been really fun.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. It's been really fun.

PETERSONS: We were just sitting, literally we're all waiting here freezing, and the girls were so cute they just sat down in the snow. That's how you know the difference in age. They are loving this.

You guys are going to have a snowball fight later between the sisters maybe?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

PETERSON: A snowball fight, Maya (ph)? I think Maya might have waited too long. Just a second ago she was so adorable making snowballs. We were going to have a little snowball fight. But I think she's dealing what the rest of us are dealing. Some of that cold wind out here this morning.

How do you guys feel? Do you feel like the city is prepared? Was this the biggest blizzard you've seen? Tell me in your own words.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They did a really good job, very thorough. They've just been working all day. It's been fantastic.

PETERSONS: And you guys felt -- you guys were prepared for the storm?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We stayed inside. It was great.

(LAUGHTER)

PETERSONS: Until now, right?

Well, I want to keep you guys updated. We do still have 415,000 people here without power. We do still have, you know, until 4:00 today, you got to stay off the roads because the governor just tweeted, he's going to lift that at 4:00 p.m. We are waiting to hear whether or not public transportation will still remain close throughout the day. We haven't heard a word on that just yet.

BANFIELD: All right, Indra. You know, thank you. I'm glad that you showed the kids out playing because in some places obviously like where you are that'd be fun. Where I am, where the winds are gusting and the boughs are still real heavy, I'm not so sure that I would -- I would have my kids outside at this point.

I have two little kids in Connecticut. If you're watching, boys, stay inside with your dad because those boughs can break and we can have lots of -- hey, check it out over here if we can. It's just scoot over here. There you go. That's what's happening live right now. All throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, you name it. So many people without power, these utility companies are making their way around where they can, where it's plowed, and also where people who shouldn't be clogging up the roads aren't clogging up the roads.

These guys got to get to where they're going. A lot of them from out of state. Already mentioned that the -- that the New York governor has been sending plows from out of state. Well, we've also been getting utility company workers from out of state coming in to help the roughly 650,000 people who ultimately did lose their power at some point during this storm. Not as many here in Connecticut. We're -- I think at last look it was about 39,000.

There were a lot more but they've been establishing things very, very quickly which has been -- which has been very lucky for us here. But that said, again, I can't state this enough. There with Indra -- you know, with the fun in Massachusetts and here I am in Connecticut suggesting these winds are really, really dangerous because those trees snap so quickly and take those power lines down.

Chad Myers, you and I have these conversations ad nauseam about the dangers even when it doesn't look like it's dangerous. Please, could you reiterate why the governor has a travel ban and why you have to be careful outside?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and there's something else that I haven't heard anybody else address. For a while yesterday we had freezing fog, so on these limbs of these pine trees and whatever, there's a layer of ice. Maybe might hard to see but it's kind of black ice. So these limbs are really heavy. They don't even want to stay up. And then all of a sudden the wind starts to move those limbs around and they do -- they fall down quite a bit.

Look at the numbers, Ashleigh. And you and I were texting last night about 2:00 in the morning because you were in Greenwich, didn't get a lot of snow. Didn't get really a big ban. So where do you need to go? I said just go east anywhere, toward Milford, toward New Haven, toward Bridgeport, we're now over three three feet of snow. And at least the snow is done.

I've heard a lot of people complain that we didn't get 25 or 30 inches in Boston. Let me tell you this. You got 35 inches worth of moisture. But for a while it wasn't a snowflake. It was little ice pellet. And ice pellets didn't pile up as much. Now when you move that 21 inches of snow today you're going to feel like you're moving 35 inches of snow so you have to be careful. That is heart attack snow for sure up in New York, Stony Brook and Islip, now over two feet of snow.

It's all there. It's still -- it's still there. Even Central Park had picked up now finally 12 inches of snow in the city proper -- Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: All right, Chad. Thank you. I'm just watching as people come in and out of this gas station. They're having a really tough time. Just take a look over here, this guy pulling out. Usually what happens is they try to make it out, they hit these accumulative, like, mounds of snow that have either drifted or been shove around by other drivers and then they just start losing it, they lose traction.

And I'll tell you what, they can't keep a straight line with their cars. So even we in this location here at a gas station really close to the front doors keep having to step out of the way of vehicles that don't seem to be able to maintain control.

And it's for that reason, Chad Myers, that we saw several wrecks, one after the other after the other along 95. People spent their nights in their cars last night, many of them, and on Long Island, 100 vehicles plus also abandoned. People spending their nights in those cars as well.

That can be lethal, folks. So we do know about five -- I'm just going to watch this car as he comes in. That's a little itty bitty car without a lot of traction so I'm just going to watch myself.

(LAUGHTER)

It's every man for himself in this blizzard, folks. Whoa. OK. And that's probably going to be a tough spot for him to get out of. I just keep watching this happen over and over.

Deb Feyerick, I just don't know how to say it loud enough to anybody who's watching. If you do not need to be out, please let the utility people do their jobs and the snowplows. There are several thousand of them throughout these states trying to get things cleared so that we can all function as a society once again.

We cannot to-do that with cars like this, clogging everything up.

FEYERICK: Yes, you know, and the good thing is, though, Ashleigh, is the fact that it's a weekend. Probably a lot of people just -- they don't really have anywhere to go. They can actually stay at home and just sort of enjoy family time or just enjoy some quiet time as well.

I do want to read you, Nick Kristof, you'll appreciate this, the columnist for "The New York Times," he just tweeted out. He says, "We never get around to getting a snowblower figuring we rely on our kids but one shoveler is in college, another in a gap year so we only have one at home to exploit."

So that just tells you about what's going on for people who shoveling shoveling snow. And for older people, Ashleigh, and you know this well.

BANFIELD: You know what then?

FEYERICK: You've got to be careful when you're older because it is pretty -- it's very grueling.

BANFIELD: Yes.

FEYERICK: I used to do it as a kid. BANFIELD: Yes. I am so glad you just said that. Deb, when I got home last night about midnight after doing the reporting all evening long there was -- there was two feet of snow piling up in my -- in my walkways. And I realized if I don't do this now it will be three or four feet of drifted snow tomorrow and I will not be able to and it will become dangerous because it is an exhausting thing to do to shovel that much snow over and over. And it's not the kind of exercise we're used to.

So growing up in Canada I remember oftentimes hearing about heart attacks people who just went out to shovel their walks and didn't think they were overexerting but they are. So excellent advice, watch it, be careful, do it slowly and do it gradually.

FEYERICK: Absolutely. All right, Ashleigh Banfield, thanks so much. We'll be back with you in just a little while.

BANFIELD: Sure.

FEYERICK: Well, we're going to move now to the West Coast. Police will use helicopters to try to find a fugitive, accused killer Christopher Dorner who used to be one of their own, a former Los Angeles police officer. In fact, he now blames many in law enforcement for the loss of his job. And he's vowing revenge. Dorner is accused of already killing three people.

Nick Valencia is live at Los Angeles Police headquarters.

And, Nick, police right now have to be really nervous and tense. This man is trained, he's got counterinsurgency training, survival, he knows how to do it. And he's also patient. He's been -- he was -- he's been off the force for three years and he's been planning this.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Deb, it's not just police officers that are nervous. You get the sense of lingering sentiment of anxiety throughout all of southern California, especially here, right here behind me. We're at the LAPD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles.

But I want to share some information with you that we just got in. New information confirmed to me by the Los Angeles Police Department. If you remember the predawn incident on Thursday morning where two women were delivering newspapers near a house that was being protected by the LAPD, LAPD officers, at least six officers, opened fire against these two women, mistaking them for Christopher Dorner. They were driving a blue pickup truck. They mistook that truck for Dorner's truck.

Well, those officers involved in that shooting death have been put on paid administrative leave. That just in to the CNN NEWSROOM. Maggie Carranza, 47 years old, and her 71-year-old mother, Emma Hernandez, were the victims of that shooting. Both were injured in that shooting, both are expected to survive. That's just the latest information on the investigation. So, again, six officers involved in that shooting put on paid administrative leave -- Deb. FEYERICK: They're out there because they're hunting somebody who is hunting them. And right now it appears that he's got control of the so-called battlefield.

All right, Nick Valencia, we're going to be checking in with you a little -- in a little while for the latest. Thanks so much.

And after shooting death one mile from their family home, Michelle Obama is at the funeral of Hadiya Pendleton. We'll take you there live as the first lady and a Chicago community say farewell to yet another child killed by gun violence.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: First Lady Michelle Obama is saying farewell to a child full of hope and promise. She's attending the funeral of Hadiya Pendleton. The 15-year-old band majorette, honor student and athlete was shot dead in Chicago just days after marching in the president's inauguration parade.

It's also where she was killed that has drawn attention. She and friends tried to escape rain by seeking shelter under an overhang in a park. That city park just blocks north of the Obamas' family home in the Kenwood neighborhood.

CNN's Athena Jones is on the South Side of Chicago at the funeral.

And, Athena, the first lady's presence clearly increases the amount of attention on this case. It focuses on the tragedy of what's happening in Chicago right now. What's happening?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can tell you that crowds began lining up here to get into the sanctuary hours ago. The service is now under way. And, yes, this is personal in some ways for the first family because Chicago is the first lady's hometown, it's the president's adopted hometown. You've also got other Chicagoans from the White House who are here, senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, Education Secretary Arne Duncan. We're told Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is also here.

This killing, this tragic killing of a -- of a child who wasn't in the wrong -- hanging out with the wrong crowd. She urged friends to stay away from gangs and stay on the straight and narrow. It has -- it's focused the nation's attention during this debate over gun violence. I can tell you that during this service here we had -- we already saw a young person speak to this idea that she was a bystander. She said it's sad that in Chicago you have to watch your front while watching your back.

I can tell you that the first lady met with about 30 of young Hadiya Pendleton's friends and classmates before the service and then had a private meeting with her family as well. And in the funeral program it has Hadiya Pendleton's entire bio, it talks about her favorite foods -- Chinese, cheeseburgers, Fig Newtons, said that she wanted to go to college and major in journalism or pharmacology. And it includes a copy of a handwritten note from the president himself and it says that they are going to work as hard as they can to put an end to this senseless gun violence. And he says that we realize our words can't soothe you but we're going to stay and work on this.

FEYERICK: Yes.

JONES: Deb?

FEYERICK: And you know you have to wonder whether, in fact, the first lady is sort of thinking about her own daughters who are roughly the same age as this young girl. Police do believe this is gang related but they haven't found anybody yet.

JONES: That's right. No developments in the case. We know that the reward money has risen to $40,000 but still no arrest. This is certainly a case that's getting -- going to be getting a lot of attention not just today but going forward. And about those young children, many of these classmates -- many of the pews in this relatively small sanctuary are being -- are being filled by her friends and classmates in addition to family members.

And so there's a lot of tears, a lot of Kleenex, and a lot of young people who are concerned about gun violence in this city -- Deb.

FEYERICK: Tragic and unnecessary. Athena Jones, thank you so much. We appreciate it.

Well, former Illinois congressman, Jesse Jackson Jr., he signed a plea deal with federal prosecutors. The son of the well-known civil rights leader was under investigation for misusing campaign funds. Jackson resigned from Congress last year after taking an extended medical leave.

Well, your favorite singers are getting ready for the biggest night in music, the 55th Grammy Awards. It is the hottest night for fashion as well. And we're taking you to Los Angeles.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: If you're one of nearly a half million people who've had your identity stolen, well, you know how hard it is to get your life back. Good news, the IRS is vowing to do more to help you and it's a serious problem but it's getting a lot of laughs in the movie "Identity Theft."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You missed your court date in Florida three days ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never even been to Florida.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Full mug shot. This is the criminal who stole your identity. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boy, he's -- is that a woman?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sandy Bigelow Patterson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Well, the IRS says that the number of people who reported having their Social Security number stolen, it shot up to more than 80 percent last year. Victims normally have to wait more than six months to speak to various IRS employees about the issue. And they're hoping to make it a little easier for those folks.

Well, well, it's snow season for some parts of the country, it is award season for musical A-listers. Tomorrow musicians will line the red carpet for the Grammy Awards, and here to give us a sneak peek of what to expect, CNN's A.J. Hammer -- A.J.

A.J. HAMMER, ANCHOR, HLN'S SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Deb, it is the 55th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night. Now I want to get you prepared for music's biggest night of the year. So here today's top Grammy buzz makers. And first off, I got to talk about the Whitney controversy.

Now before the Grammys get started Whitney Houston is being celebrated at iconic music producer Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy party tonight, but don't expect her family to show up. Now of course Whitney was found dead just hours before that party last year. Whitney's mother is actually calling this tribute obscene, which is sort of hard to believe.

But when the Grammy Awards actually fire up on Sunday, don't call it a comeback for LL Cool J. Oh, no. He is presenting at the Grammy Awards for the second year in a row now and I can tell you LL is fired up and he is getting ready to nail his hosting gig. In fact, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT just caught up with the star rapper for a rare behind-the- scenes look at his big Grammy preps.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LL COOL J, GRAMMY HOST: We are actually having a tech run through, a technical run-through where we check out all the cues, make sure that the speeches are in the teleprompter for the various presenters aren't either too long or too short. We have stand-ins up on stage kind of just helping us run through it just to really get an idea of what's what. And we have three hours to do it. We just want to make sure that everything's running smoothly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: And you know LL Cool J will keep it running smoothly.

And I personally can't wait to see Ed's Elton moment. The Grammy nominated singer of the song "The A Team," you know the tune, his name is Ed Sheeran and he's teaming up with Elton John for what I know is going to be a show-stopping duet at the Grammy Awards. And I just spoke with Ed about what it's like to be center stage at the biggest music awards show in the world. Watch what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ED SHEERAN, GRAMMY NOMINATED ARTIST: It's quite nice to be accepted by the American industry in such a cool way. You know, it's not like -- it's not like any other awards show, is it? It's the biggest awards show on the planet. So to be able to be part of that, part of that kind of ilk of musicians is quite humbling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Yes, quite humbling indeed. The guy is 21 years old and he is just so stoked to be there tomorrow night.

FEYERICK: And, A.J., what is the deal with CBS now restricting what the artists can and cannot wear? Is that going overboard a little bit?

HAMMER: Well, you know, what's going to be very interesting is to see if this can actually work for them but it's getting a lot of Grammy-goers pretty fired up. CBS just reportedly sent out a notice to everybody who's scheduled to show up at the Grammy Awards. And the message is cover up. They're saying no breasts or butts on display, no sheer clothing, so I'm thinking at this point nobody can say they didn't get the memo but I'm also thinking that's only going to push some of these artists to push the envelope of fashion a little bit further.

FEYERICK: Thanks so much.

HAMMER: You got it, Deb.

FEYERICK: And stay here for more from A.J. Hammer and his "SHOWBIZ at the Grammys" special. That's at 2:30 Eastern here on CNN. Lots of music, lots of fashion.

And just ahead in our next hour, Bruno Mars opens up to our Piers Morgan about how his career almost ended when his first record label told him get lost.

And that blizzard is on the move leaving behind a big snowy mess. In fact here are some new pictures we're just getting in. Aerials from Long Island, we're giving you a bird's-eye view of the snow. We're live from the storm zones in Connecticut, Massachusetts right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Good afternoon, everybody. Thanks for joining us and spending part of your day here with us. I'm Deborah Feyerick. And the top stories we're following in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Police in Southern California are up against a man who describes himself as an enemy combatant raging a guerrilla war against the LAPD. Look at this exclusive video of Christopher Dorner training at the Police Academy. He says police turned against him when he accused a fellow officer of misconduct. He now blames police, vowing revenge on all those involved. Police say Dorner has already killed three people. Among them, a police officer in an ambush. He has a hit list with other names on it.

Our Nick Valencia reports several officers are being disciplined for a shooting related to the search for Dorner. They mistakenly wounded two women seen in a truck resembling the suspects that they believe that he was -- the truck was going to a house that was under surveillance.

First Lady Michelle Obama is attending the funeral of a 15-year- old brand majorette. Hadiya Pendleton was shot and killed one mile from the Obamas' Chicago home just days after marching in an inauguration parade. A $40,000 reward is being offered for information that could potentially lead to an arrest.

And now to Chile where police say at least 12 people died today when a bus carrying fans of a popular soccer team ran off the road and dropped nearly 100 feet into a ravine. Twenty-two others were injured. A police officer tells us the driver lost control of the bus.

And out there in the snow for us in the northeast the storm heading out to sea, not Ashleigh Banfield. She's in Fairfield, Connecticut, keeping track of what that storm has left behind -- Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Deb, I want you to just look over my shoulder real quickly. You see that white truck with the orange? The utility truck right behind me? He is the last in a convoy of about 10. Let me just move out of the way of this guy. He's trying to get by. Just a second.

He is the last in a convoy of about 10 utility trucks that just turned the corner after sitting idle along a street over here for far longer than he should have. I talked to these crews -- they're leaving, I'm just watching because the traffic is skidding all over the place. These people should not be driving.

I talked to one of these -- two of these crew members from the utility trucks. They were from Florida. They have flown up here to lend their services, 16 hours on, eight hours off, 16 hours on, eight hours off. They met up with trucks from Michigan. We are in Connecticut. It is all hands on deck.

And here's the story they told me that blew me away. Though I shouldn't have been surprised. They said, ma'am, we can't move. We can't get to where we need to go to restore the power. We're stuck on this street because all those people who think they need to be somewhere and are defying the travel ban on 95, people like this behind me, have clogged up the freeway and we can't move.

So please, if you're watching, get off the roads. The utility equipment can't get to the power restoration. And there's 650,000 people who are without power when this storm began and as it's been progressing. Anyway, they're still sitting there. They can't move. They just turned a corner and they've been there for five minutes. They can't even move after they turned the corner to try to make an effort to get to where they're going.

Ali Velshi is in Cape Cod.

I -- you got to get me off the ledge, Velshi, on this one, because to see these guys working as hard as they are --

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: No, I know, Ashleigh. You're right.

(CROSSTALK)

Yes.

BANFIELD: Just crazy.

VELSHI: Let me tell you this --

BANFIELD: It's just crazy they keep on doing this.

VELSHI: Let me tell you what it's like up here, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Go ahead.

VELSHI: This storm is not anywhere over. What you've got, we don't have yet. We still -- this storm is very much over. In Massachusetts, it is a blizzard. The blizzard warning was supposed to end at 1:00 p.m. It's got extended to 3:00 p.m. I have visibility of less than two tenths of a mile where I am down to whiteout conditions. We've got 24 degrees here, winds at 25 miles an hour sustained gusting to 40.

This is very much still a blizzard. We have of that 500, 600 and whatever number you said of people out of power right now and that number may be changing, more than 300,000 of those customers are in Massachusetts, many of them here in Cape Cod, and it's getting worse because the snow continues to come down.

They are lifting the travel ban in Massachusetts. They're lifting it statewide at 4:00 p.m. They've already lifted it for Nantucket County and some areas around there, but for the rest of the county, they're lifting the travel ban but there are going to be a lot of people without power.

It is substantially, Ashley, substantially colder than it was last night. In fact, we went down for a couple of hours last night, and when we got back up this morning the door to our satellite truck was frozen shut. It took us an hour to open our own satellite truck. It's -- the conditions are still very, very poor around here.

People are going to start driving when that travel ban is lifted at 4:00 and we're going to run into exactly the same problems you're talking about, Ashleigh. If you get out and clog the roads as much as you want to, as much as you're getting cabin fever, be careful because there are emergency crews that need to get around and those bucket trucks need to get around to start helping people.

I also want to tell you one more thing, Ashleigh. I'm on the bottom coast of Cape Cod about halfway down. Go east to Chatham, 30 miles, take a left turn, start going up that northeast coast of Cape Cod, they've got some damage around there and there is some shoreline washed out. About 50 people were rescued after waves came crashing in. So Massachusetts is not out from under the gun.

You are absolutely right, Ashleigh. People should not be blocking emergency or rescue crews.

BANFIELD: Well, I'm just - I'm just mad. I got to be honest with you, not only that, just as I was wrapping up the toss to you, Ali, a group of young adults, shall I say, just started to joy ride around me, yelling, trying to get on TV and then, you know, spin out and do donuts.

VELSHI: Yes.

BANFIELD: So I mean, it's beyond, beyond. When you see this kind of thing. Lives are at stake. Ali, I got to tell you something else, we are just down from Exit 24 on I-95 in Fairfield, Connecticut.

VELSHI: Yes.

BANFIELD: There are people who've been stuck up there so long that they have gotten out of their cars, they have walked down to this gas station to get fuel and to get food. So that's where you start getting really dangerous.

VELSHI: Yes.

BANFIELD: If these winds keep up, it takes you down to like, you know, the low 10s and even close to zero in the windchill.

VELSHI: Yes.

BANFIELD: It is very, very cold. It looks sunny and beautiful but it's very cold. And these idiots who are causing potentially lethal situations for others, I just can't say it enough.

VELSHI: But remember, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: Please.

VELSHI: It's nuts.

BANFIELD: Yes.

VELSHI: And remember, it's not sunny and beautiful up in Massachusetts. So those convoys that you're talking about, some of them have been coming in from the south and from states west to try and get aid. So remember that it's -- when it clears up around you, you feel like joy riding, there are vehicles that need to get into parts of Maine and parts of Massachusetts, parts of Connecticut and Rhode Island. They need those roads empty. BANFIELD: Yes. And the plows can't move when you get stuck and you're jackknifed and you're blocking 95. The plows can't get beyond a traffic log either.

I want to jump over -- Ali, great, stay warm up there. I know it's been pretty brutal in the wind there as well. Deb Feyerick is standing by.

Deb, I just don't know -- I don't know how else to report this other than the National Guard is out. They are actually pulling plows that are getting stuck. We're also hearing flood warnings in Massachusetts as well. Ali was just talking about the danger there. So this is still a very dangerous situation. For that reason, the travel bans are still in effect.

FEYERICK: Yes. I think a lot of people just tend to underestimate just how serious it is out there, even with all the warnings, even with all the bans that are in place. Once the sun comes out, people also want to sort of move outside to see what's going on.

And by the way, I'm pretty sure that Ali Velshi is just frozen in place on the beach there because I don't even know how he continues to stand out there in the freezing --

BANFIELD: He's working up a summer vacation plans right now, Feyerick. You know what he's doing, he's getting his summer rental planning right now.

(CROSSTALK)

FEYERICK: That's exactly right.

BANFIELD: His first line.

FEYERICK: That's right. He's getting -- he's getting the jump on that. All right. Ashleigh Banfield, thanks so much.

And while trying to keep warm, you don't want to forget some of the smallest members of your family. Protection for your pets from the cold and snow coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: So I told you before about some very kind crew members who are trying to work with the public utilities to get power back. And look who showed up. It's Kevin Hoffman, that nice young man from Florida. Just be careful behind you with these sliding cars. This nice young man from Florida who's come all the way to Connecticut to help restore power.

And you can't drive around because?

KEVIN HOFFMAN, IBEW: U.S. 1 is totally closed. There's nothing -- it's just like a dead end right there.

BANFIELD: And the traffic on 95, is that hampering everything?

HOFFMAN: Yes. We have 50 more miles to go and we just at a dead stop. We've been here two hours.

BANFIELD: And are you so frustrated with the notion that these are just people who shouldn't be on the road?

HOFFMAN: It's like this right here. I mean --

BANFIELD: Who, look out.

HOFFMAN: You know.

BANFIELD: Just (INAUDIBLE), if you could just show what we're looking at right here. See this? This is the reason.

HOFFMAN: We --

BANFIELD: That Kevin and his crew members can't get to where they need to go to restore power, because people like this have two- wheel drive and are making it -- what are you going to do?

HOFFMAN: We've already pulled out six or seven cars just out in the middle of the road, just -- just because we were pulled over and they were stuck in this -- in the median. And we -- just so we can get our trucks around but --

BANFIELD: And you're from Florida.

HOFFMAN: Yes, ma'am. This is a culture shock to me. You know?

BANFIELD: Do you know how to drive in this kind of snow?

HOFFMAN: We try. We leave enough room. That's for sure.

BANFIELD: All right, Kevin is dressed -- Kevin is dressed like he's in Florida. So I want you to get back inside.

HOFFMAN: Yes, ma'am.

BANFIELD: And get something warm to drink while you guys wait to do your jobs.

HOFFMAN: Thank you very much.

BANFIELD: And I apologize for my fellow New Englanders.

HOFFMAN: I just hope everybody is OK. That's just the main thing. We're here.

BANFIELD: Yes.

HOFFMAN: Representing the IBEW and we're --

BANFIELD: And you can't do what you came to do.

HOFFMAN: Trying to get -- trying to do our job. Yes.

BANFIELD: And you're in Michigan trucks, right?

HOFFMAN: Michigan truck, yes, ma'am.

BANFIELD: Michigan gear. Well, thank you for your 16 hours on and then your eight hours off and 16 hours on.

HOFFMAN: Yes, ma'am.

BANFIELD: And I'm sorry so much of it is spent sitting there in traffic.

HOFFMAN: Yes.

BANFIELD: All right. Kevin, go get warm. Thank you for that.

So --

(LAUGHTER)

So there you go. I told you now, he's told you, I don't know if it's going to make any difference, but there's something else that is critical when it comes to weather like that. And it is the temperatures. The temperatures and your pets.

Look, we can dress for this and we can feel it and we can say I need to get inside but your pets can't. Jessica Gentile is one of those people who knows all too well that pets need to be looked after. She's joining me from New York.

Give me a bit of a feel, Jessica, for what you do for a living and why when the weather turns like this you need to get your message out.

DR. JESSICA GENTILE, VETERINARY MEDICINE: Hi, Ashleigh. Thanks for having me. It looks like you're getting a workout there.

It's really important, I'm a veterinarian. I work at a specialty hospital. We see 24-hour emergency cases. And this is the time of year where animals are very, very susceptible to the effects of cold. They can get frostbite, they can get injured while they're out in the snow. They can get lost. So it's really important that we take care of our four-legged friends. Bring them inside. Keep them warm.

BANFIELD: So here's the other question I have for you. People who think that pets have fur, are they warm? I mean, come on, how long can a pet be outside really? Is this the kind of thing where you should be letting them out, closing the door and waiting for them to bark to come back in? Or should they just, you know, go outside, stay with them and bring them back in right away?

GENTILE: Yes, I mean, you're right. They do have fur but that fur gets wet very quickly and their feet are bare. So imagine going out in the storm with no shocks or shoes on. It would be crazy. So what we need to do is watch our pets, as soon as they show any signs of shivering or frostbite, which looks like redness or white patches on the tips of the years or the nose, we need to bring them in right away.

BANFIELD: I'm sorry. I'm just watching behind me as you're speaking because I'm in a live location and I am off the actual roadway.

(LAUGHTER)

GENTILE: And you're diving out of the way.

BANFIELD: But people keep --

(LAUGHTER)

People keep skidding, yes, they skid off the roadway into where we are. So we're making our own tracks and they keep taking it.

GENTILE: Yes.

BANFIELD: Jessica, thank you for your advice. And I hope everyone is listening. That's -- it's good to know that there's an advocate -- just take a look at what I'm looking at again here, folks. Please? I mean, this is one after another. And the wind keeps howling.

Jessica Gentile, thank you for your advice.

Please, everyone, keep your pets safe and please, everyone, do not do what this person is doing. We're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: A massive manhunt is underway in Southern California. Police are using all available resources to catch an ex-police officer accused of three murders. The challenge? Christopher Dorner is not only a former cop, he was also a Navy security with security clearance. Intelligence clearance. He's armed, he's dangerous, and he knows how police and tactical units think.

So we've asked Aaron Cohen, a national security expert and founder of IMS Security, to join us.

First of all, this is a man who can disappear as easily as he appeared. How hard is it going to be for police to catch him?

AARON COHEN, NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERT: Well, it's very difficult. Obviously, we've been on -- they've been on the case going after Dorner for almost a week now and the reason why is because he had a significant amount of time to plan what it was that he wanted to do. And so regardless of where he may have wound up, the fact is is that this is a huge country. There's millions of people here. And there's just millions of acres of land. So it's not that easy to become -- or not that hard to become, I should say, invisible if you really want to. FEYERICK: And what's so fascinating is this is a man who has made it very clear in his writing that he is not afraid to die. As a matter of fact, he says, quote, "When the truth comes out, the killing stops." And he's alluding to what he sees as lies made against him while he was on the police force.

How much more dangerous does he become because he's got nothing to lose?

COHEN: You know, you're right. Deb, he has nothing to lose. He stated in this manifesto, you know, which I'm looking at right now, it's very thorough. He uses a lot of terminology from his -- from his Navy training or from his military training about how like any other jihadist or any other type of terrorist, the fact that he's willing to die makes him the most dangerous, and that is true.

And that is why law enforcement is treating him like a domestic terrorist as they should. But I do want to say that it's important to keep in mind that the officers who are on his list up until now with the exception of the people that he's already murdered who have security in place are being adequately protected. There's hundreds of law enforcement personnel on the ground right now who are using every interdiction method to get this guy.

And I just think it's important for people out there to know that he doesn't represent the police agencies and these departments in terms of being one of the elite. He's just not. He's in fact looked at as almost a Boy Scout by the law enforcement community. And the fact that he's a washout or a burnout and the fact that he was an adequate police officer who clearly has gripes here and never really spent more than two or three years with the LAPD is really what makes him the most dangerous because, you know, he's just nothing more than a giant bedroom commando with weapons.

And that's what makes him dangerous, it's the fact that he has this thing to prove and that's what makes this delusion of his such a potentially lethal capability.

FEYERICK: Yes, absolutely. Right now, obviously, though, because they don't know where he is, clearly he's got a bit of the upper hand.

All right. Aaron, thanks so much for joining us. Great insights today.

We're going to be going to a break. We've got lots more when we come back. See you then.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: It's big, it's fast, and it's speeding towards earth. A giant asteroid is on its way. What kind of trouble could it mean for us?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)