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Many Evacuees in Shelters in Central Florida; Matthew Slams Florida: Forecasters Warn Of "Life-Threatening" Storm; Hurricane Matthew Kills Hundreds In Haiti; Obama Asks Americans to Help Haitians in NeedAbout 200 U.S. Military Personnel Now In Haiti; USS Mesa Verde in route to Haiti to Provide Relief; Clinton, Trump Prepare for Critical Debate. Aired 1:30-2pm ET
Aired October 07, 2016 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:00] ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: -- at the hotels in and around the Disney properties. Speaking of Disney, the most magical place on earth, behind me is one of the quietest places on earth today, because it is closed for the, only fourth time in its 45-year history, and each time it has been closed, it was because of hurricanes. The many people coming on vacation, that's not what they want to hear. We ran into a group of people from Wales, who were taking it easy, though. Listen to this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you like when you see all of these rain, and you see all of these -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're used to it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're used to it.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even though (INAUDIBLE) is going to be, like, we know tomorrow is going to be nice and Sunday is going to be lovely. So, we don't care. So - it's still warm, so it's fine. We're quite happy. We are quite happy.
KOSIK: But I want to kind of emphasize here, Disney World closing, it's kind of a monumental event here in Orlando. Disney World really doesn't close. We took a ride around a lot of the properties yesterday, kind of surreal to see this sort of ghost-town feel when you see the -- all the lights on, but not a person or a car in sight. It really is an amazing sight. We are hearing, though, Wolf, that Disney World is reopening tomorrow morning at 8:00. Animal Kingdom adding extra hours starting at 7:00 a.m. Wolf?
[13:31:19] WOLF BLITZER, CNN THE SITUATION ROOM HOST: All right. Good to hear that Alison, thank you very much.
And joining us on the phone right now is Florida senator Bill Nelson. He's in the Orlando area. Senator, thanks so much for joining us. Tell us what you've been experiencing over the last few hours, you're monitoring this hurricane?
[13:31:35] BILL NELSON, FLORIDA SENATOR: Well, Wolf, that -- a lot of that success that she just mentioned is because people complied with the orders, the mandatory orders to evacuate the barrier islands, the low-lying areas. The curfews, the people of Florida have been through a lot of tragedy, and they have responded again magnificently. You remember the tragedy of the Pulse Nightclub, how that brought the people of Orlando together. Now, as you look at the whole state, we've dodged the bullet in South Florida and Central Florida, but it's roaring north into North Florida, and the damage there is not going to be the wind, it's going to be the water surge.
BLITZER: So, where is it going to be the greatest danger right now? The Jacksonville area, is that what you're concerned about?
NELSON: Yes, there are a lot of low-lying areas on the marsh, adjacent to the St. John's River. Even on the inland waterway. And then as you get further north into the barrier islands, and Amelia Island, which is the northernmost island, there's a lot of marsh there. It's going to fill up with water. And as you get on up into Georgia and the Carolinas, they're going to get it as it tries to make that right turn, all of those counter-clockwise winds coming off the northeast to the northwest are going to hit the shore.
BLITZER: So, the danger is clearly by no means over in Florida, for example, Northern Florida, in Georgia, in South Carolina? This hurricane continues to threaten a lot of people?
NELSON: Indeed it does. I just hope that the folks in Georgia and the Carolinas have obeyed the mandatory evacuations like they have in Florida. And if they do, then there's going to be a lot less danger to life. Fortunately, a part of dodging this bullet is that the good Lord answered a lot of prayers, and took it down from a Category 4 to a Category 3. By the time it gets to Georgia, it looks like it might be a Category 2. And the difference between a 2 and a 4 is a huge magnitude, because of the destructive force of the wind and the ability to bring in the huge water surge at the beach.
BLITZER: But let's not mislead viewers out there, senator, even a hurricane Category 2 or a 1 for that matter, potentially poses enormous dangers and enormous risks.
NELSON: Particularly with regard to the water surge. And it doesn't just happen over the dune line on the beach. It fills up all of the tributaries coming in to rivers, it backs up in the marshes, and as a result, if there is destruction, significant destruction, you're going see a lot of that further north as it moves northward.
BLITZER: Bottom line, everyone should continue to heed the warnings from officials, if they tell you to evacuate, that's a good idea indeed. Senator Nelson, thanks as usual for joining us.
NELSON: Hey, Wolf, I'll give you one report. I've talked to head of the Kennedy Space Center, and everything was buttoned down there. The big question is, was there erosion of the beach which is right next to the two big launch pads at the Kennedy Space Center. We'll find out tomorrow.
BLITZER: Let's hope for the best. Senator Nelson, thank you so much. Hurricane Matthew kills hundreds of people in Haiti, leaves behind that nation's worst humanitarian crisis since it was devastated by an earthquake six years ago. Up next, we'll speak with Haiti's ambassador to the United States. I'll ask - I'll ask him how his country is coping, how the people there are dealing with this latest disaster, and what Haiti and Haitians urgently need. Stay with us.
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[13:40:36] BLITZER: Before reaching the United States, Hurricane Matthew left a path of destruction through Haiti. Hundreds of people, hundreds of people are dead, hundreds of thousands are in need right now. President Obama urged all Americans to help.
BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. It has consistently been hit and battered by a lot of national disasters, to compound what is already great poverty there. We know that hundreds of people have lost their lives, and that there's been severe property damage, and they're going to need help rebuilding. So, I would ask all Americans to go to the American Red Cross and other philanthropic agencies to make sure that we're doing what we need to do to help people in need.
BLITZER: I'm joined now by Paul Altidor, he's Haiti's ambassador to the United States. Mr. Ambassador thanks so much for joining us.
[13:41:37] PAUL ALTIDOR, HAITI'S AMBASSADOR TO UNITED STATES: Thank you for having me.
BLITZER: My deepest condolences -- all of our deepest condolences. We know hundreds of people have been killed in this hurricane in Haiti. Do you have any late, late information about how many have been killed?
ALTIDOR: Sure. First, I would like to express also our sympathy to those being affected by the hurricane here in the Florida region as well. So, we fully understand what they're going through, having lived through it in the - in the past few days in Haiti. For now, we're in a process of assessing the extent of the damages caused by the hurricane in Haiti. Unfortunately, the toll continue to grow -- continues to rise, there's been hundreds. As of this morning, the official death number was about 300. We expect, unfortunately, that number to rise a little bit as now we begin to access communities, regions that were inaccessible because of the roads, because of the bridges that fell due to the hurricane. Now, we -- folks are actually being reached out to, so only one major area in the country, the Jeremie region, the (INAUDIBLE) region of the country in the south -- southern part of the country where communication is still an issue, but at least, the government in partnership with other organization are working diligently to ensure that what access is available, so people can reach their families, so people can actually evacuate certain areas, but also, we want to express the fact that some preventive measures were taken as well. As -
BLITZER: Because Haiti, as the President Obama said, one of the poorest countries around the world, and so many people don't live in sound, solid structures, and they are extremely vulnerable to a hurricane like this.
ALTIDOR: Well, keep in mind, this type of hurricane, the last time Haiti has seen a hurricane of this intensity was 1954. So, this is new territory for a lot of people in Haiti, even for the U.S. as well. In that sense, yes, our structures, our houses were an issue, but more importantly, we wanted to ensure that folks living in the coastal areas were -- actually moved away on time from --
BLITZER: So they evacuated?
ALTIDOR: In fact, there was a big -
BLITZER: So, with most of the deaths from the actual wind or from the water, the surges?
ALTIDOR: It's a little bit of both. Some cities were flooded, a lot of people live in coastal areas, some of them were not able to evacuate on time. Again, a few hours prior to the arrival of the hurricane, it was still unsure in the mind of certain how high, how big this hurricane was going to be, but a lot of measures were taken to evacuate a lot of people. Also, shelters were put in place in many communities to ensure that folks moved away from areas of dangers.
BLITZER: What do you need right now? What do the people of Haiti need from United States and from countries all over the world, and good people all over the world?
ALTIDOR: Well, first of all, I also - I want to thank the people of the United States, the U.S. government and other partners around the world who've expressed their solidarity, expressed their sympathy, in some cases show in interest in providing support to the country of Haiti. But I want to emphasize where unlike the earthquake, we want to be certain that there's not another disaster in terms of the way we manage the type of relief that's coming to Haiti. We know a lot of people want to go to Haiti, we know a lot of people who want to provide assistance to Haiti. We want to stress or make certain people understand that an assessment is being done. There are organizations on the ground, the government at the central level, at the municipality level, our NGOs on the ground with the experience, with the know-how, with the understanding of the complexities of communities, are doing those things. So we --
BLITZER: Because we know after the earthquake, there were volunteers, doctors, nurses, other specialists who just came into Haiti to try to help. You need them to come now?
ALTIDOR: As much as we may be in need of folks, we encourage people most and foremost to be in touch with organizations on the ground, we encourage folks to be in touch with the local municipalities. We at the Embassy of Haiti in D.C., we can provide that information, we have a hotline where people can seek information. So, yes, we -- as important as it's going to be for people to provide assistance at -- in some form, we are discouraging people from simply hopping on a plane not knowing. You need to be -- you need to be certain there's a support system in place for you, so that you can be more useful, you can be more efficient in the type of support you're providing to Haiti. And more importantly, there are folks who are willing to donate as well, we also encouraging people to actually look at - look on organizations, look on institutions, because at the end of the day, we want to be certain that this is a Haiti-led relief effort, we want the solidarity of the world, but we want to be certain that the Haitians, those who understand their communities, those who understand the realities in their communities, they lead that process in collaboration with the - with friends and partners around the world.
BLITZER: And millions of people will want to help, I am sure. Mr. Ambassador, thanks so much for joining us. Good luck --
ALTIDOR: Thank you for having me.
BLITZER: -- to all the people of Haiti.
ALTIDOR: Thank you.
BLITZER: Paul Altidor, he's Haiti's Ambassador to the United States, and here's important information for you, for ways you can help those affected by Hurricane Matthew, not only in Haiti but elsewhere, go to CNN.COM/IMPACT, and you'll be able to impact your world. As Hurricane Matthew causes more damage, a crucial moment in the president's campaign is now just two days away. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, they're getting ready to go head-to-head in the second Presidential Debate. We'll talk about what's at stake, how the two candidates are preparing for this critical town hall. Stay with us.
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[13:51:53] BLITZER: Live pictures coming in from Tybee Island in Georgia right now, updating the "BREAKING NEWS" this hour. A Hurricane Matthew slamming the eastern coast of Florida. Take a look at some of these live pictures. We got these live pictures from Tybee Island in Georgia right now. President Obama warns that Hurricane Matthew is still a very, very dangerous storm. The Florida's Governor says the worst may be yet to come for his state. Georgia and South Carolina, they are very much in the storm's path right now. Here are some other late-breaking developments involving Hurricane Matthew. It's located about 90 miles right now southeast of Jacksonville, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour. Forecasters say the storm surge along the Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina Coast, could reach nine to eleven feet, that's a major concern in low-lying areas like Jacksonville as well as the historic cities of Savannah and Charleston. Utility crews in Florida are dealing with massive power outages, more than 800,000 customers right now without electricity that number could go up. Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security, have just briefed Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on the hurricane's impact and the federal government's response. The response neither candidate is out there on the campaign trail today. We're told they're both preparing for the Presidential Debate, just two days away, Sunday night. Many saw Trump's last-minute town hall last night as a practice of sorts for Sunday, but Trump insists it was not, and the pre-screened questions seemed to prove that. Listen.
HOWIE CARR, TOWN HALL HOST AND TRUMP SUPPORTER: After the first debate, the media and even some within the party suggested that you should have gone after Hillary more. Did you hold back and do you plan on criticizing her more this weekend? What would you say to convince Hispanics who are deceived by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and the biased media to vote for you? When you become President and you -- can you assure the American people that you are going to clean house from the top at the FBI, Justice Department, State Department, and the V.A.? And then what order would you start?
BLITZER: I want to bring in Mark Preston, the Executive Editor for CNN Politics, he's already in St. Louis where Sunday night's debate will take place. So Mark, listening to those questions that were posed to Donald Trump last night, do you think that town hall really helped him prepare for Sunday's debate because the questions from people at that debate are going to be obviously very different.
[13:54:27] MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Yeah, no doubt, Wolf. I mean, look, the only question he didn't get last night is, "Why, Donald Trump, are you such a great person? And we're looking forward you to becoming the next president." Look, we were told going into this town hall that his campaign setup, that it was going to be a practice of sorts to get him used to being able to interact with the audience. I don't think we necessarily saw that last night. He did interact a little bit, made some jokes, but we didn't see that personal connection that you really need to do in these town hall settings. There is so much on the line, Wolf, for Donald Trump on Sunday night in this debate that's going to be moderated by Anderson Cooper and Martha Raddatz. He did so poorly in the previous debate, he needs to make up ground. I don't think that last night was a really the testing ground that he needs heading into Sunday, Wolf.
BLITZER: Based on what we're hearing, Mark, is he doing the practices, you know, sort of having those mock rehearsals, if you will, with stand-ins that Hillary Clinton, for example, has been doing?
PRESTON: So what I've been told as well as Sara Murray, who's traveling with the Trump campaign, is that he is taking questions from Reince Priebus, the Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Chris Christie, who ran against him for the republican nomination and really tried to base his campaign around town halls is doing the follow-ups, trying to ask him hard follow-ups, but certainly not the traditional sense where you have the candidate in a mock situation up against somebody playing Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump doesn't like to do that. In fact, today he met with his national security round table and talked to them. Tomorrow, we're going to see him in Wisconsin at an event that has been really created by Reince Priebus. He'll be with speaker Paul Ryan in Wisconsin, one day before the debate. Wolf?
BLITZER: Reince Priebus is from Wisconsin, so is Paul Ryan. All right. I'll see you in St. Louis. Thanks so much for that, Mark Preston. That's it for me. I'll be back 5:00 p.m. Eastern in THE SITUATION ROOM. Our coverage of Hurricane Matthew continues with Victor Blackwell, he's on the ground. That starts right after a quick break.
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