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Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield

More on Conditions Across the Northeast; Blizzard Conditions Continue in Some Areas

Aired January 27, 2015 - 12:30   ET

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

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR LEGAL VIEW: Here is Plum Island in Massachusetts as well. We've been showing you these pictures because lest you think this blizzard is over, 58 million people have been affected by this and there are millions of people who are still stuck in the ugliest of it. This camera position is just north of Plum Island and if we stop for a moment you could hear the wind gusts that come through there.

So this image that we're showing you and these sounds are coming from just North of Scituate. The pictures we just showed you a moment ago where that coastal flooding have in fact become a reality for the people there. So this area that you're looking at is not far from where our Alexandra Field is setting up for her live report in a moment.

And again 4 million people are facing this problem right now. The worst of some of the weather not expected to be over until tomorrow. So this has become a very fierce storm and a very long storm. And one of the local reporters who was out there this morning described it in such a perfect way. He said, "I've never seen the sea roiling and boiling quite like this. That seeing a snow and wave storm together is really something behold." It's one thing on television. It's another thing if you lived in that area.

Also want to talk about another spot in Massachusetts the town of Worcester, Massachusetts. That was a bad wake up call, 25 inches of snow this morning when they woke up and it is still coming down and coming down fast. Joseph Petty is the mayor and he joins me live now by phone.

We're looking at some pictures and obviously there's a snow blower going through, but it look like a bit of a whiteout. You are not that far from Boston and yet you're still dealing with a heck of a lot more than the city of Boston has to deal with. Do you have the kind of resources to handle this like Boston does?

JOSEPH PETTY, (D) MAYOR, WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS: Oh, yeah, we can handle the (inaudible)yes. We handle the storms pretty well here. Unfortunately, we've had a lot of practice a couple years ago we were no names, no capital, no United States and then one winter season.

BANFIELD: Wow.

PETTY: And we have a problem with Public Works as Commissioner Paul Mosley does a great job and the work just get out there. Been out there for over 24 hours now and (inaudible) the roads and plowing.

The only concern we have in the Worcester is probably we have to give them a break sooner or later, probably on evening time, take a few hours off and come back and hit the roads again.

But (inaudible) most the streets they put on (ph) -- a couple of drive by for all the streets of Worcester and hope they continue do so, the (inaudible) is probably of course do a great job in Worcester. We're well-prepared we have a good management team here.

BANFIELD: So Mayor Petty I really sympathize with your guys out there having to keep up with it because at the rate the snow is falling just, you know, in the city of New York there was this -- there was this remarkable, you know, army that was deployed 2,400 people for each shift, each 12 hours shift had 2,400 people.

Are you -- When you give you guys a rest are you going to be able to keep those routes open for emergency vehicles are going to be safe?

PETTY: Yeah, of course we're going to be safe. Right now, you know, we have about 25 inches on the ground. We've started maybe up to 36, probably another five or six inches this afternoon. Come eating time it should hopefully dissipate the snow to stop and just feeling with the winds.

The biggest problem we have now is the wind putting the snow back on the street after we plow him. And usually about 35-50 miles an hour winds, so they're supposed to slow down tonight also.

BANFIELD: So you're still feeling those 50 mile an hour gust, mayor -- 50 mile an hour in the city of Worcester?

PETTY: Yeah, 35 to 50 I'm certain passed this morning...

BANFIELD: Wow

PETTY: ... and so it's been causing the snow to come back on to the streets after we plow them. But we have -- I'm sorry.

BANFIELD: Go ahead, go ahead.

PETTY: No, but we have a good team out there, they're going to keep on working high, we're going to -- the guys stays on as they can. We'll give them a break this evening and we'll be back out and sweep again, so.

BANFIELD: I want to just to ask you about another Breaking Story not to suggest that you'll have seen or heard of this information. But just in case you may have something to add to it that the situation on the coast of Massachusetts at Scituate, Massachusetts.

PETTY: Yeah.

BANFIELD: We've shown some incredible flooding pictures the -- one of our correspondents just happened upon at the coastal flooding has just sort rolled into it. At the moment we're showing our viewers some of the pictures in Boston, but I was wondering if, you know anything about the circumstance in Scituate and how they're going to handle the people who live there in that coastal flooding?

PETTY: You know, I have been following that. I mean, we've been hearing that every year they put in for coastal flooding Massachusetts. I know east of Worscester and the snow is a little heavier, a little bit wetter so it's a more concern. I know that the floods -- the water has been rising pretty high, the waves are coming higher on Scituate area and on the coast of Boston area causing a lot of damage and a lot of flooding.

So I'm sure that they're going to be on National Guards -- might as well been (ph) the National Guard on this way there to help out the residents there and (inaudiblle) to do.

BANFIELD: So hard to believe that could be worse if you're dealing with 25 inches of snow in Worcester. But next to where to you, just between you in Boston framing on, they had 30. Have you been in touched with the mayor there or they're handling it OK, or do you feel like you sort of dodged a bullet at 25?

PETTY: Like I've said before we're use to it. We handle it pretty well here in Worcester, we do a great job. And then we're going to come through this pretty good. By tomorrow morning, the roads should be cleared and hopefully see what happens, see if we can get to work.

The most important thing is people (inaudible) and stay off the roads in Worcester (inaudible) that's the most important thing to do.

BANFIELD: Well mayor -- go ahead.

PETTY: We've had no power (inaudible) either.

BANFIELD: Well, thank God for that because that was going to be such a massive concern for so many people along the Eastern sea port.

Mayor Joseph Petty, thank you so much. We appreciate it. We're all thinking about you and all your guys out there who definitely need a break after this. And I hope you guys get through it OK.

A couple of just update for you. Those bans on travel on the highway, they've been lifted in many places, but not everywhere. For instance, New Jersey and New York clears the bell in terms of travel. But in Massachusetts, there are still places that are still very dangerous. Rhode Island is still a problem as well. For some of the folks who are there, it's still in effect in Rhode Island.

Brooke Baldwin, I don't know when she sleeps because she's been basically -- we've been using you as a yard stick. I'm so sorry to say this yesterday, Brooke. I saw you when you when you were standing on blank ground, night bare ground. And I can see its pretty much up to your knees now. Give me the story in Boston and how it looks from your perspective.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, you got it. That was so mindful of you. One of my favorite Canadians. And I'm wondering, you know, you're probably used to this kind of thing. But here we are. We are in Boston. We're in the Boston Harbor part of the city, the North ends over here. And you can see we're sort of trudging through it.

So it's just about almost to my knees. And I was out and told about 1:00 in the morning, when we try to walk semi-gracefully. And you can see, this was once a sidewalk, clearly no longer. It's so incredibly quiet out. People really haven't hitting the travel ban that went into effect

At midnight, last night, we did hear that the travel ban for four counties in Western Mass that's over. But, you know, they're not getting what we're seeing here.

We're hearing -- the latest new totals we have for the City of Boston, Ashleigh 18 inches. But, I mean, this stuff hasn't stopped. I think I heard the governor saying, you know, we've been in this for 12 hours now, and its still continuing.

We could see another five inches, maybe, 10 more inches, and before it's all said and done. One other part of the story, I think you were talking about that sea wall that it collapsed down on the south shore in Marshfield (inaudible). That's the other big story. They are off the grid. 13,000 people, no power.

So when you think about that, you can go at the hospitals running on some auxiliary power. We have heard about a blizzard baby hopefully doing OK born at 3:53 in the morning.

BANFIELD: Oh, wow.

BALDWIN: So, you know what? The physicians, nurses they're working. We're working. But they're the most important people, and that's why you have to get off the roads, right? You know that. We -- They have to get out to the hospital. And in that case, help birth the baby. Ashleigh back to you.

BANFIELD: Well, welcome to winter Georgia girl. I love seeing you like that. That's like a night stay in June in Winnipeg, Canada where I'm from. But we'll keep coming back to you to see how things change there...

BALDWIN: This is my official hazing.

BANFIELD: It is indeed. The CNN's hazing is unusual to say the very least. Stay warm out there. She's doing a fantastic job working up throughout the night as well. Brooke Baldwin reporting live for us.

I want to go Alexandra Field right now, who's live in the Massachusetts down at Scituate while we were bringing you those pictures earlier.

So give us the story from where you are. Those pictures behind you looks like just ugly.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, they are ugly. And this town, Scituate on the south shore, they've been taking a beating all morning. So this is the high tide whipped in on 4:00 to 5:00 in the morning.

This is the middle of Jericho Road. It's flooded. A couple of these -- you can see these houses are behind me, there are actually people who are in them. You see that one guy down at the end of the road walking around those trash bags on his feet, you see that other man who keeps coming out here on these steps.

These are people who have decided not to evacuate. But frankly, there wasn't an opportunity to because this house right here, the National Guard came through this morning, Ashleigh and the neighbor say that they watch people getting carried out of here. That's how high the water is. You can see down there under the house where this water had just dipped through.

I'm going to explain to you what's going on here. This street that got water on three sides. The issue is that the (inaudible) is down there. That's the seawall. This water breaks that seawall. It comes around the back of these homes here. It flooded in through these yards. The people who live in this house, they tell me that they watch the water actually come right up over this fence.

Their basement is flooded about four or five feet deep now. And then they say they came to these windows and they watch this water actually whip across the street. You can see some of these houses. That's how far up the water went.

There are some people who are trying to drive down the street right now. It isn't easy. This is the part of the street where the water has receded but it's this other end where you can see these people carrying a dog back to the house right now where you just cannot pass.

We have seen police come out here. They're in these high axle vehicles. That's the only way that you can get through the water here. We also saw some people with truck and loaders coming through. But they want to keep people largely off these roads because this is not over Ashleigh.

High-tide coming back here between 4:00 and 5:00 today so the people who live in these houses, they're keeping their eye down the road there.

Again, that's where the ocean is.

BANFIELD: Wow.

FIELD: That's the sea wall, that was breached and that is where they are expecting to see if the water whip through again today.

BANFIELD: I cannot believe what we're watching happen live. These people with garbage bags, is that wearing garbage bags on their feet and getting that dog out of there as we speak?

FIELD: Yeah, literally, anything that they can do, they -- here's a guy in a bicycle, this guy on his feet. We've been seeing them come through here a few times like that. And this is, I mean, that's the only way that you can get through here. You (inaudible) the car through that. You've got to do the best that you can so for -- and they take boots and garbage bags. That's the kind of improvisations that you have to do.

And Ash, I got to tell you, I've actually covered storms from this road before. This is a place where flooding happens. Again, there's water on three sides. You got the ocean there and the sea wall. So, this isn't abnormal, isn't an aberration to have flooding here when you get this coastal winds picking up and combining with the high tides.

What is an aberration is this kind of flooding. I spoke to some people who lived in the house from the street, they have lived here their entire lives and they say, they say frankly, they have never seen something like this year -- this amount of water coming into their home and whipping across the street into their neighbor's houses.

And then just I want to take a look another look at this water and just coming up underneath houses. You can see that they're built up. These are houses on stilts because obviously they know that this is an area that's prone to flooding but this is the kind of thing that people just -- they prepare for it but they can't believe it when they see it, Ash.

BANFIELD: Oh, just -- I mean, I hear you. You live on a coast and some people are prone to say, well, you know, what you're getting into and you live on the coast. And now, you just see it. And it's just so unbearably unfair.

Alexandra, as I'm looking at those waves behind you coming in and up the street, I'm not sure if it's a surge or if it's wind or a little of both? Can you just give me a feel for whether that's water pushing in or whether it's just that the waves on the top of the water that's already there?

FIELD: Yeah. That's the wind that we're seeing right now because the (inaudible), you know, we've this water sort of come forward and at some point, you actually felt through spray up on you when we get close to this and that is the big wind gust that have been whipping through. We've heard in the reports of wind that 50 miles per hour. So you can actually see some of this mist in the water coming up all here right now.

You get worried about the surge, though, of course when the high tide comes in. And that's why these people are expecting that they could see a repeat of what they saw this morning, that water coming up over this fence, Ashleigh, just want to show you, how high this fence is next to me. This is the water who is literally burying this fence and then going across that street there.

So that is what they are afraid will be repeated again around 4:00 or 5:00 this evening.

BANFIELD: Right. Of course, so yeah, because the high tide, you know, happens again at 5:00. So is that what they're expecting or are they waning now, is the situation waning or is it just as bad hence the need for the National Guard and the fire departments come out and rescue these people?

FIELD: Yeah. Nobody here thinks that they are by any means in the clear and that's why you saw the National Guard comes in to pick up the people who have decided to stay in this house.

Look. And some people have decided they want to weather this out in their homes or not but the National Guard did get people out of here to leave. There are people on the street who say that they are comfortable staying, this is actually a spot, Ashleigh, where they do have electricity which is not the case for all of Scituate.

Last night, they actually decided to cut power to huge parts of the town here because they wanted to prevent a problem where you could have an electrical fire and where you would have flooding that emergency vehicles couldn't get to the fire. This is the problem that this community has seen before back in 2012. A big storm came through here in North. Wind gust carried flames, four houses were lost firefighters simply couldn't get to.

When you see these kind of conditions, they decided if they wanted to take some precaution or parameter steps, that's why they cut power, but right here, this house where these people have weathered the storm, they said they have power. They got five people inside. They have a cat. They tell me they're not going anywhere but they already have a lot of clean ups to do in that basement, 4 or 5 feet worth of flooding and they do know, they have been warned. The police keep coming through here.

That when the high tide comes, they are going to see that water come up from the ocean down there, whip around these houses and push through this way. There's a (inaudible) from the sea wall up across this road. You got more water here. On the other side of the street, you can see some of the winds sort of picking up off the water there. But that isn't really where the flood is come from the flooding, of course, comes from the sea, right down there comes up right over the sea wall.

People who live down there on the beach, they're the ones who will be able to see that water rushing up over that sea wall again, Ash.

BANFIELD: Oh man, those pictures are incredible. I keep thinking every so often, you're going to have to move. It feels like the water is actually chasing you.

Alexandra, I'm going to set a quick break in. But when we come back, I'd love to get that power story from you again on what the circumstances are for those people there because it is cold. I could just see it in you how cold it is. And if you're in a circumstance like that and that 5:00 flood high tide comes in again and you are not getting out of there, it's going to be one very, very cold night for those who may not have power.

So, quick break, we're going to come back to Alexandra Field with this Breaking News in Scituate, Massachusetts where there's in a breach and the flood waters are racing into those streets. The National Guard evacuating some of the people from those homes, others digging in and saying, they are not leaving.

We are back in just a moment live on CNN.

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BANFIELD: And once again, some of the live pictures that we are getting from Plum Island, Massachusetts. Folks who live there, they're probably doing the same thing our camera man just did to his lens, and that is wiping away their windows because you can see them all whited out from the remarkable blizzard conditions and that storm surge, those waves that are roiling and crashing on the shore and invariably delivering a very cold, icy mist onto those homes.

Take a look as we widen out, that is an angry sea, folks. That is just an ugly, messy winter storm right there and even during the course of this broadcast, not even an hour we're watching that surge as it comes up.

High tide is expected about four hours and 10 minutes from now and there is a concern for still 4 million people along the Eastern -- the North Eastern seaboard who are in either a warning or an advisory for flooding conditions along the coast.

Our Alexandra Field is about 75 miles south of the picture that you just saw and the warnings have become a reality. Look at those pictures on your screen and all those people trying to get out or at least -- maybe it even looks like having some fun. It looks like they are actually are going to splatter (inaudible).

But this is not a -- look, a down power line, good Lord. That is a big concern.

Alexandra Field is in Scituate, Massachusetts right in that coastal flooding area. She's been watching people evacuate actually with garbage bags on their feet. And that power line, did that just come down since we last spoke to you before the break?

FIELD: Yeah. The wind is whipping through here so we are seeing things trying to move around and come down.

I just talked to those guys. They just walked down the streets next to me. They're taking the sleds over to the beach which just sounds like a crazy idea, I think, to a lot of people out here because it is so windy even though the water has receded, it won't whip through here again until high tide. Just -- the flood have been. This was into the wind and that close to the water, it seems (inaudible) but a lot of people have -- they live out here, they have seen storms come through here before, they know -- they have a couple of hours before the high tide comes in.

Ashleigh, I want to see some of the damage that happened though when the tide came through here (inaudible) since 4:00 or 5:00. So, look at this, just (inaudible) someone said that -- really (inaudible) for the winds here, this degree that's washed up here, we've got a (inaudible) around here, pieces of wood that sort of -- mostly (inaudible) and somewhere this pine and a big piece of glass that came down here.

So, this is a really dangerous situation earlier this morning when that water was coming through. I want to keep reorienting people and point out that the ocean is down at the end of the road. It's where those guys are taking those sleds to go get on the beach. You can really barely make them out there.

The water came over the sea wall. It came between the houses in this neighborhood. It sort of funneled through here in a circular direction as the people out here are telling me.

I mean, actually, we can see it's still there with the wind picking it up and bringing it out onto the street. But, Ashleigh, we're only seeing (inaudible) form of what's going on in this neighborhood. This is a street that is surrounded by water with the ocean on one end and you got water on both sides here.

What happened when the storm came through, when the high tide came in, combined with those wind gusts and this very fast wind, that water came all the way around back here. We're going to as far as we can here, we're covered on a cable, so. I want to take you as far as we can get, but you can see this corner here, that's a creek behind me that is covered in water.

There's water in the yard here. This is a house that's on a corner. The water actually goes across the street behind us. So this is really an entire neighborhood here that is sitting underwater. And I keep pointing out the fact that a lot of those houses are built up. You can see that they are -- they're upon these stilts here because they do get water coming through here. They do get flood in. These are houses that are built with that line.

But what I keep hearing from the people in this neighborhood and on this block is that they have not seen the water come through here quite like this before. Very tough to get around.

Here's the guy, Ashleigh who is kind to, but for the most part, I'll be surprised if he goes through that water. For the most part, we've only seen high axle vehicles, police vehicles making their way through there. And of course the National Guard which actually came through and rescued people who are in the house just where this car is making the turn right here. You really -- You can't go further.

This road is...

BANFIELD: Oh my gosh. I'm just watching...

FIELD: ... the water right now, but also...

BANFIELD: Alexandra, I'm just watching your shot right now with a guy puts on his, you know, puts on the breaks and reverses out of there. I am so glad that they made that decision to back away. It is a meteorologist chief warning in flooding is do not drive through it because you have no idea. It may look like an inch of water, but you have no idea whether it is or whether there's a bridge or whether there is something a wheel can go off and then that's, you know, that's what topples cars and drowns people. It can be really dangerous. I'm glad that they made that choice. And I can imagine how icy it is where you are as well.

Alexander, just remind me about the first image we saw when we came to you live a moment ago and it was that downed power line. I think it's off to the right of you. So the concern clearly would be that there is any power being delivered to anyone in that area as those people minutes ago just walked in the water next to it.

Do all of those houses that are supplied by power, are they all out of power now? Have they cut the power line -- the power to those lines now completely?

FIELD: No. These are actually people -- we just spoke to people at -- in this house right next to me. They still have power. They have high power throughout this storm. They're actually thankful to that because they're able to see in there with their lights on and they're staying warm.

But, in the even that this storm coming, the town decided they work with the -- with National Grid, they just died. This actually cut the power to a number of neighborhoods in order to prevent a problem, an electrical fire and flooding which would prevent first responders from getting to help and rescue people.

And Ashleigh we keep going back to the very ugly inside history the fact that this town lost four homes during a fire where the flames were just carried by the wind that was back in 2012 in March and then the (inaudible) came through. They could not save those houses. Nobody wants a problem like that again.

But some of these houses do still have power. I'm seeing an outdoor light on at one of these houses. And then again these neighbors who I suppose to tell me that they have power, but you kind of keep an eye on these things. Look...

BANFIELD: Wow.

FIELD: ... the police are out here, the National Guard are out here. They cannot be ever at once.

BANFIELD: Yeah.

FIELD: And they kept just warning people not to drive through the water like you just saw, Ashleigh. And they kept on warning everyone about the downed power lines, but you've got to just be aware. This is why people are being told to stay inside or just get out of their houses.

BANFIELD: All right. I got to cut it there Alexander. Great job out there. Thank you so much. CNN's going to continue our live reporting of this situation and also the rest of Eastern seaboard.

My colleague Wolf starts right after this quick break.

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