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Hurricane Update from Destin; Florida Governor Gives Storm Update; Michael Bloomberg Changes Parties. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired October 10, 2018 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:32:12] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, John Berman, live in Panama City Beach, Florida, right along the water's edge here. Not sure how much longer I'll be able to stand here. The water now is sweeping up. You can see the foam washing up right to where I'm standing right now.

The storm surge is a problem, not just here in Panama City Beach, east of here to Apalachicola. And they're watching this west of here as well.

I want to check in with Erica Hill, live in Destin, Florida. You may know it as a beautiful vacation destination, about 40 miles west of here.

Erica, what are you seeing this morning?

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, well, we're starting to see the water really rise where we are as well, John. And we're expecting a storm surge here of five to eight feet. I know you were just saying, when you were speaking with those two women, you hear the names coming up, Opal is one of them. That is what people talk about here in Destin. They remember what happened in 1995. And they've also looked at what's been happening over the last few hurricanes.

The sheriff's office telling me here that people actually were heeding the evacuation warnings and listening better than they have over the course of the last three storms. That is good news, obviously. Long lines on Monday at the gas station. That was good news.

What they're doing this morning, I'm told from the sheriff's office and also the mayor who I checked in with, no new developments overnight, but they're continuing to check on folks. And instead of going house to house in an area like this, they go boat to boat in Destin Harbor. And yesterday the marine sergeant found one man who was planning to ride out the storm on his sailboat. They're actually heading back out there this morning to check on him, see if he still plans to do that, John, especially he after he saw it strengthen to a category four overnight.

Otherwise, we can tell you folks here, same thing, hunker down. The window, as we know, as we heard from the governor, to leave, closing. People need to stay where they are and stay put. We are expecting to see a significant amount of water and wind here as

well. This is a major tourist destination. That doesn't mean just the beaches, but also fishing, which is a life blood here. Charter fishing boats. About half of the charter fishing boats from this area have already made their way west of me to Orange Beach, Alabama. So that's just over the state line from Florida for folks who aren't familiar with the area. And the reason these guys are staying on their boats is because this is their livelihood. They tell me they have to be there if something happens to their boat. You will not see them, though, tied up on the docks or near any of these pylons because, again, back in Opal, what happened is they came and found -- a lot of people found their boats had been impaled by being tossed around on top of these pylons, John.

BERMAN: Tough, tough decisions for so many people. Obviously people want to take care of their livelihoods, their boats are everything, but their lives also so crucial. And in some cases you see people make these decisions, Erica. We just spoke to some people here, these two women, a short time ago who have chosen to stay to take care of people. But they made that choice when this was the category two storm. Now that this is a category four storm with 145 miles per hour winds, you know, the decision has different ramifications. I'm wondering if you're seeing that and hearing that from the people in Destin.

[08:35:12] HILL: You know, those are some of the stories that we are hearing. And the fact that, as we heard from the county sheriff, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, that they have seen a better response to this evacuation order than they have to the previous three. They say that's a good sign that people recognize this is a serious storm. Even the old-timers.

You know, there are so many people -- and you and I have covered enough of this -- that you meet people here who have been in these communities, they've lived through these storms and they say, I can weather it. But as you point out, this is not like a storm that the panhandle has seen before.

In fact, just a quick story. One of the sheriffs, Captain Nick (ph), telling me yesterday there was a gentlemen who -- sort just sort of -- just a little bit south of me is Holiday Isle, who decided to ride out Opal there in 1995. He made it, barely. They could barely get to him to check on him. And then he later told the captain that was the worst decision I've ever made in my life. I will never do something like that again. And, again, that was Opal. This is not what we're going to see this time around.

BERMAN: You know, it's so interesting you bring up Opal. Even Hurricane Florence a few weeks ago could serve as an important warning for people. Sometimes people see storms like that and they choose not to say because they see what happened to the people that stayed there. We're hearing that some down here in Panama City Beach as well.

Erica Hill in Destin, thanks very much. Be safe there. We know you're going to ride this storm out over in that city. Appreciate it. We're waiting to hear from Governor Rick Scott. We're getting a news

conference from Florida Emergency Management very shortly to get a sense of how they are prepared for this storm. The most powerful storm to hit the Florida panhandle in recorded history.

Stay with CNN, our special live coverage continues right after this.

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[08:40:43] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BERMAN: A live briefing now from Florida Governor Rick Scott on Hurricane Michael.

Let's listen.

GOV. RICK SCOTT (R), FLORIDA: This is the worst storm that the Florida panhandle has seen in more than 100 years. Again, this is the worst storm that our Florida panhandle has seen in a century.

Hurricane Michael is upon us, and now is the time to seek refuge. Hurricane Michael has already taken lives in Central America. And the eye of this storm will make landfall on Florida's panhandle in just a few hours.

We'd expect conditions across the panhandle to begin deteriorating rapidly. We have spent the past few days traveling the areas of the state that Michael will impact warning people to evacuate.

Now the storm is here. It is not safe to travel across the panhandle. If you are in a coastal area, do not leave your house. The time to evacuate in coastal areas has come and gone. Listen to local officials. If you're an inland county, you may have on last chance to seek shelter, but only do so if local officials say it's safe. Again, if you made the choice not to evacuate, please find a place to shelter, seek a place of refuge. But if it is not safe to leave your home, don't leave. The worst thing you can do now is leave and put yourself and your family in danger.

Now we are focused on the response and recovery from this storm. We have 54 shelters open across the panhandle and big bend. More will open depending on need. As soon as Michael passes, we will have a massive wave of response and support coming down and around the panhandle. We'll have more than 1,000 search and rescue personnel deploying immediately after Michael passes. We now have 3,500 National Guard members activated and staged. These soldiers are absolutely ready to help. And 135 Fish and Wildlife commission officers are ready for deployment and will respond with a variety of specialized equipment, including shallow draft boats, ATVs, air boats and 4-wheel drive vehicles.

The Florida Highway Patrol has prepositioned 100 troopers and has nearly 300 troopers available for deployment across the panhandle. They have transitioned to 12 hour shifts as part of the response.

Law enforcement will also be manning bridges to make sure that when conditions become too dangerous, the bridges are closed. Listen to these officers. Law enforcement and our National Guard around our state are heroes and so many will be leaving their families and placing themselves in danger during this storm to help others. We are so grateful for their dedication.

The Florida Department of Transportation has dozens of crews staged to push down from the north and clear roads so even more supplies and rescue personnel can get to impact areas. Right now, the Florida Department of Transportation is closely monitoring U.S. Highway 98, as well as all bridges.

Engineering plans are being developed to rebuild vital areas of highway. We will work around the clock to make sure that roads and bridges re-open as quickly as possible.

We have trucks loaded with tons of food, water and other critical supplies ready to move in. We will deploy medical assistance teams, and we have hospital augmentation teams to make sure the medically needy are safe and receiving care.

The Florida Department of Health currently has three special needs shelter augmentation teams with 22 staff in place. We have 18 ambulance strike teams with 90 ambulances. We have three federal disaster medical assistance teams with 105 staff, five disaster management assistance strike teams with 35 staff, three disaster management assistant team task forces with 42 staff.

The Florida Department of Health has also contracted with the International Medical Corp to obtain additional resources for assistance, including 50 nurses, two hospital emergency department teams, and one emergency hospital. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration is in contact with health care facilities to ensure they have the resources they need.

[08:45:13] You've heard me say all week how important it is to get the lights back on after this storm. There are 19,000 personnel staged to begin utility restoration, and we will be posting power outage numbers from every utility. Getting power back on is absolutely critical to our recovery and response effort, and it is a top priority.

We have also focused on keeping all communication lines open, and we will not -- and we are not seeing any communication outages right now. We're also thankfully not seeing any widespread fuel shortages or outages.

Following the storm, we will have resources available to quickly make sure fuel is moving to where it is need. The state emergency response team has been holding regular calls with a fuel industry and ports in Florida to ensure they can get gas to all areas safely. Floridians can download the app Gas Buddy to check where fuel is available.

President Trump has approved the pre-landfall disaster request we made on Monday. And that will help with resources and response. I just spoke with the president, who again offered all available federal resources. We continue being in constant contact with FEMA and their team in the

state emergency operations center. That includes experts from Homeland Security, the EPA, the Department of Defense, Health and Human Services and the Army Corps of Engineers.

Along our coast, communities are going to be -- are going to see unimaginable devastation. Think about the devastation we've seen before with storms like Hurricane Irma. The panhandle and big bend will see winds in excess of 145 miles per hour. Think about that, 145 miles per hour.

Again, Hurricane Michael is forecast to be the most destructive storm to hit the Florida panhandle in a century. The storm will bring torrential rain to most of the panhandle and big bend, which means flooding will be a major issue. Expect to see 12 inches of rain in some areas of the panhandle. So, think about that, a foot of rain in some parts of the panhandle.

Again, prepare for major flooding from this storm. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting storm surge to be between nine and 13 feet. That means the water will come miles in shore and could easily rise over the roofs of houses. Much of the rest of the Gulf will see -- the Gulf Coast will see between two and six feet of storm surge, which is still life-threatening.

Remember, we can rebuild your house, but we cannot rebuild your life. Take this seriously. Keep your family safe. The state is not taking this storm lightly, and neither should any family in this state.

Our state will continue to do whatever it takes to make sure that every family and every visitor in Florida is safe after this storm. But I can't say enough, listen to local officials. Listen to local officials. You do not want to be the person who survives this storm just to put your life or your family's life at risk after it passes because you didn't listen to local officials.

During the storm, first responders cannot come out and save you. It's too dangerous. Now is the time to prioritize to keep your family safe. Do not take chances.

So, let's all be safe. Stay alert to weather updates. Watch this storm closely. Listen to local officials. We all have families. I'm a dad and I'm a grandfather. My family is the most important thing to me, and I cannot imagine anything happening to them. I don't want anything to happen to any family in this state.

During disasters, Floridians take care of each other. We've seen that time and time again. We saw this aftermath Hermine (ph), Matthew, Irma and Maria. Floridians are strong. Floridians are resilient. There's nothing our state can't recover from because there's no state that cares, loves or comes together like Florida.

Hurricane Michael cannot beat Florida. Visit floridadisaster.org for information on shelter and emergency assistance following this storm. You can visit fl511.com for current road conditions. Families can also call the state emergency -- BERMAN: All right, you've been listening to Florida Governor Rick Scott -- Rick Scott briefing people on Hurricane Michael due to make impact here on the Florida coast in the coming hours. Hurricane Michael, he notes, the most powerful storm to hit the Florida panhandle he says in a century. The fact is, no category four storm in recorded history has ever made landfall here.

[08:50:00] The governor reiterating, Alisyn, that the time to evacuate, if you're along the Florida coast here in the Gulf, has come and gone. The time to take refuge is now. And he did say, if you're inland, and that would be Tallahassee and other places, listen to your local officials, there may be a brief window for you to find a safer place, but be very, very careful. A dire warning indeed from the governor, Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely, John. I mean it's impossible to imagine a state being better prepared, as the governor laid out, but there's so much that's unknown. They just don't know what it will be like for Florida when 145 miles per hour winds and a storm surge of nine to 13 feet hit the coast.

John, please stay safe. We know that you're going to high tail it out of there as soon as possible. Thank you very much for all of the coverage and being our eyes and ears there this morning. Stay safe. We will check back with you, John.

Meanwhile, there's a lot of other news.

And new this morning, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is changing his party affiliation from independent to Democrat. He posted this picture of himself on Instagram re-registering, saying in part that he believes the country needs, quote, Democrats to provide the checks and balances our nation so badly needs. This comes just 27 days before the midterm elections.

Joining us now to discuss is former Clinton White House press secretary and CNN political commentator Joe Lockhart, and former George W. Bush political director and chairman of the American Conservative Union, Matt Schlapp.

Great to have both of you in studio this morning.

MATT SCHLAPP, CHAIRMAN, AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION: Good to be here.

CAMEROTA: Joe, is Michael Bloomberg running for president in 2020?

JOE LOCKHART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think Michael Bloomberg and a cast of about two dozen others are seriously considering it. And, you know, I think it's great that there's a variety of Democrats from people who are, you know, left -- on the left side of the party and people who are in the middle. It's going to give Democrats a bunch of viable, good choices.

CAMEROTA: Is this what it comes to, two billionaires from New York running against each other, Donald Trump and Mike Bloomberg? Is that what it takes to run for president now? SCHLAPP: Well, we did have a billionaire running against a near

billionaire last time, someone who's awfully wealthy. So it is amazing how New York seems to be dominating our politics. And I'm a Kansan, so it's troubling for me. But, you know, we'll see what the voters decide.

CAMEROTA: I think it's interesting that Mike Bloomberg has been all over the political spectrum. He's been a Democrat.

SCHLAPP: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Then he was a Republican for many years. As mayor he's been an independent. He's registering this morning as a Democrat. And what's interesting, I think, is that that sort of reflects where a lot of Americans are. Americans are not as polar extreme in the party as we sometimes think they are. More Americans identify as independents today than as Democrats or Republicans, meaning neither party works for most Americans.

LOCKHART: Yes, and I think that's indicative of the polarization of our politics. You know, the problem is the loudest voices, the squeakiest wheels, are on the extreme, whether they be on the right or rather the left. And I think Bloomberg is an example of somebody who likes to get things done. And, you know, he ran as a Republican first in New York because he was never going to get the Democratic nomination. He governed as a centrist. And, you know, I think most people gave -- gave him great accolades. And now he believes that the place where he can make the most impact is within the Democratic Party.

CAMEROTA: So could he get the nomination today given where the Democrats are?

LOCKHART: I -- yes, I think trying to predict where the Democrats are right now is -- is folly.

SCHLAPP: I can predict. I can predict.

CAMEROTA: What?

SCHLAPP: Look, if you look at the -- I was just looking at the Gallup numbers yesterday. Fifty-seven percent of Democrats are comfortable with the term socialism. There's no question. You can say that both parties, you know, are the home for extreme on the right and the left. But that's a really -- that's a real change in the Democratic Party from just 20 years ago. And I think that's why you see Cory Booker and Kamala Harris and these people, and Elizabeth Warren, taking very, very, you know, government controlling positions on issues.

CAMEROTA: I guess I just don't know what that means. I mean how are they defining it? Are they saying -- meaning health care for all or are they meaning public education?

SCHLAPP: Yes.

CAMEROTA: Like, what are they meaning when they say this? SCHLAPP: Yes, basically it's -- you know, it was 14 percent back in

the 1940s. This was a term that was just not popular in America. It's a term that's more and more popular obviously with Democrats. But the Democrats are in a little bit of a fight here, right? And some of the Republicans as well. And I do think more and more Americans are saying, you know, I want to do my own thing. Why do I have to be associated with a party? I do think that's a trend. I think social media is a part of that. You follow someone when you want to, unfollow them when you don't.

CAMEROTA: Yes.

SCHLAPP: And people just aren't joiners like they used to be.

CAMEROTA: Oh, listen, I agree with this. I mean I have a voter panel coming up later this week and it's amazing how many people are using an ala carte system of -- they like this part of the platform and they like this and they're cobbling their own platform together.

But let's look at the polls. You brought up the polls, Matt, let's look at those.

SCHLAPP: Yes.

CAMEROTA: So this is for generic, for Congress, OK, who you would most likely vote for, for Congress. But it's generic, a Democrat or a Republican. And at the moment, 54 percent of the respondents say they would go Democratic, 41 percent Republican.

So, going into the midterms, does that give you some concern?

[08:55:01] SCHLAPP: Yes, a lot of concern. I read the poll last night. This poll is a little more skewed, Democrat by six points, than some of the other polls I've read. This might be the worst case scenario. If this is right, if your scientific analysis in your poll is right and there's a 13 point generic ballot for the Dems come Election Day, it's going to be a disaster of a House side anyway.

I don't think it's that bad. As a matter of fact, I think the key thing -- two key things in your poll. The first thing is, 48 percent thought that Kavanaugh was the victim of a smear campaign and that Kavanaugh -- the campaign against Kavanaugh has given our side, my side, the motivation that roughly equates now to where Democrats are. And, interestingly enough in your poll, even though people favor Democrats more than Republicans, they're not hopeful that Democrats will actually take over majorities, which I thought was an interesting part of the poll.

CAMEROTA: And there's a couple of other things. Obviously Kavanaugh has a low approval rating. But women see this all differently, right? So women would vote Democratic -- 63 percent of women would go in that direction versus their only 33 percent Republicans. So that is a problem, obviously, for the midterms and for President Trump.

LOCKHART: Yes. About an hour before the poll came out, I tweeted that I didn't think the Kavanaugh victory would age well. And I think that poll indicates that.

You have the lowest ranking an approval Supreme Court nominee since they've been polling. You have the lowest job approval for a president going into the midterms in history. And you've got the country -- that poll says that independents and Democrats have united against what Trump stands for. And that could be a disaster for Republicans.

CAMEROTA: OK. We have 27 days to wait to see what happens.

SCHLAPP: And I don't agree with that.

CAMEROTA: I know that. OK, noted.

Matt Schlapp, Joe Lockhart, thank you for the conversation.

All right, CNN's breaking news coverage of Hurricane Michael will continue right after this very quick break.

Stick with us.

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[09:00:05] JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm Jim Sciutto.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and all around the world this morning as we track this monster storm that is not just the strongest hurricane to hit