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New Day Saturday

Effects of Barry Already Being Felt in Louisiana; DoJ Wins City Grant Lawsuit; ICE Raids Examined; Interview with Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms; Hong Kong Protests Continue; Helping Animals During Severe Weather. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired July 13, 2019 - 08:00   ET

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

SAVIDGE: Spirit Airlines is joining Delta now in canceling their flights into and out of New Orleans airport today as Tropical Storm Barry intensifies and moves closer to the gulf coast. But the rain is already coming down. Over a foot could fall in some areas with storm surge rising as high as 6 feet of winds, holding at 65 miles per hour. Some highways were already swamped and the numbers keep going up. Over 60,000 customers now have lost power.

PAUL: Now Louisiana is threatening. Take a look at some of the pictures that are coming in. Floodgates are closed, all of them, and several emergency preparedness officials are warning of possible tornadoes as this storm passes. Mississippi's governor has joined Louisiana's now in declaring a state of emergency. We want to begin our live coverage on the gulf coast with CNN anchor and national correspondent, Erica Hill who is live in Lafayette, Louisiana. And Erica, I know that this storm is supposed to hit just south of where you are. So what are you experiencing at the moment? I know that it has been on again/off again for you.

ERICA HILL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's really what we've been seeing so far this morning Christi. Good morning to the both of you. We've been seeing on again off again, it's a little quieter now. The rain, the winds, not very strong at this point because this is such a slow-moving storm for us but you can definitely sense that it is coming. We also just got the latest update from the National Hurricane Center and for more on that, I want to turn to CNN Meteorologist Allison Chinchar who has those latest details for us. Allison.

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, just coming in minutes ago, it has increased even more from where it was just a few hours ago. Winds now up to 70 miles per hour. Keep in mind four miles per hour per more would make it a category 1 hurricane. So we're very close, very, very close, we're just not there. The question is, will we get there before it makes landfall? The National Hurricane Center saying yes, there is still time for this to increase to a Category 1 hurricane. How much time? Well, actually quite a bit. The storm is still 50 miles offshore and its only moving at 5 miles per hour per hour. That puts landfall maybe perhaps just under the next ten hours. So in those next several hours, that will be the key is can it absorb that warm temperatures or the warm water that is beneath it in the Gulf of Mexico allowing it to intensify more. And their thought process is that yes, there is going to be enough time. Hurricane hunters are out. They have picked up that measured wind of

around 72 miles an hour. So give or take, that is why you've seen the winds being up to 70 miles per hour for this particular storm. The track still maintains its original thing. We expect landfall today across Louisiana, and then it will continue further north from there. Rain is still going to be the main concern with this storm. And I want to emphasize to people who perhaps live in Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama and say we really haven't had that much rain yet though. This isn't a big storm.

The bulk of the rain with this particular tropical storm is south based, meaning it's in the southern half of the storm. You have yet to see the heaviest rainfall with this particular storm. It's really going to start to ramp up after the storm makes its landfall. You will have some outer bands out ahead of time. But the bulk of the rain should arrive after the center of the circulation of the storm makes landfall. That's when you're going to see the heavy rain pick up. That's when you're going to start to see severe storms as well. We've already had a tornado warning so far this morning, but more are likely to come.

Widespread amounts of rain of 5 to 10 inches, not just in Louisiana, but across portions of Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee. But there are going to be some spots where you see the pink color that could pick up over a foot of rain. And that pink color extends even as far north into Tennessee. So again folks, this is not just going to be a localized problem for folks along the gulf.

The other concern are the rivers. There are three rivers that run in and around the city of Baton Rouge, and all three of them are expected to get to major flood stage. One of them actually expected to break its all-time record crest of 34.5 feet. By the time this is all said and done but that's going to be days from now because that is a delayed effect especially as slow moving as this system is.

Severe weather is also going to be a concern here too, Erica, especially where you see the yellow color here, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, even Biloxi, Mississippi, -- damaging winds, large hail and, yes, tornadoes. Ad I mentioned, we've already had one tornado warning so far this morning, but the bulk of that convection or the bulk of those severe storms have really yet to arrive. So we do expect multiple more tornado warnings as we go through the rest of today.

HILL: We'll be watching for those as well. Allison Chinchar with the latest for us. In terms of that update that we got at 8:00 a.m., we also know that the storm is now 50 miles west/southwest of Morgan City and that is where CNN's Natasha Chen is. Morgan City is in St. Mary's Parish which is an area of significant focus, Natasha, because there is so much concern about flooding there and the conditions that are frankly ripe for significant flooding.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know they brought in about 60 members of the National Guard to help them out. All the police are on double shifts. We just saw a patrol car go by and actually one of those high water vehicles also driving by just to check on things right now. [08:05:00]

And of course as you've been talking about, the rain is expected to come a little bit later, but right now, we are getting a lot of those tropical storm wind gusts at the moment. You can see that the flooding is happening already with the river. It has been this way for quite some time. So they are concerned about adding water from the rainfall on top of this. This is an area where people are supposed to be walking about by the seawall, you can see some benches over there and trash cans submerged in the water. And we are at the top of a stairwell here where the bottom steps, they are covered in the water at the moment.

So yes, flooding is a concern. If this rain comes all at once in a concentrated way, the mayor says the streets will all be flooded. But they did bring in extra pumps yesterday for a total of seven pumps that they think will do the trick as long as there is long enough of a break in between these waves of these rain bands. So that is what we're hoping for Erica is breaks in between the heavy rain. Don't know if we'll get it though.

HILL: We'll keep our fingers crossed for that one. All right, Natasha, thank you.

I also just want to update you on some information just coming in to CNN. We are learning about a Coast Guard rescue in Terrebonne Parish. Coast Guard and state officials working to assist in that rescue so we'll keep an eye on that for you as well. We often talk on these disasters about people evacuating. Where do they go, what do they bring? For so many people the most important thing that they're bringing with them along with the humans in their household are their pets. What happens to pets during a storm? We're going to talk directly with the head of the SPCA here in Louisiana for a better sense of how they are handling it and how different shelters and hotels are making those accommodations. So that's coming up a little bit later in the hour. Christi, Martin.

SAVIDGE: That's such an important issue to many people. One of the reasons they don't evacuate.

PAUL: Yes. Yes, people have stayed just because they wanted to take care of their pets, you're right. Erica, thank you so much. We appreciate it and to some of the other news now, we're about 24 hours away from President Trump's immigration raids that are taking place in nine different cities starting tomorrow morning. Hundreds of people are protesting now. The president says thousands of immigrant families are on edge and we're going to talk more about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:10:00]

PAUL: Well President Trump did scored a victory in the courts yesterday. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the Department of Justice can give preference to certain U.S. cities that would use grant money on illegal immigration. There's a panel of judges that argued that DOJ did not pressure an applicant to cooperate on immigration matters, rather they only encouraged participation.

SAVIDGE: It all stems from a lawsuit from the city of Los Angeles and it claimed the city did not receive funding from a grant program after it chose to focus on building trust between communities and law enforcement agencies with no mention of illegal immigration because of its policy as a sanctuary city. I want to get to CNN White House reporter Sarah Westwood. And Sarah, a big win for the president and it is a win in a court he hasn't seen many in. So how is the White House reacting?

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Martin the White House taking a victory lap on this rare win in the Ninth Circuit Court of the Appeals which the president has repeatedly attacked as left-leaning. This court ruling that the Department of Justice is within its rights to withhold money from this discretionary grant from cities that are refusing to corporate with federal immigration authorities. The White House praising this decision in a statement saying in part, "This reverses a lawless decision that enabled sanctuary city policies," that's the initial injunction that was levied by a California judge overturned by the Ninth Circuit also saying that they're happy money will no longer to what they called an open assault on law-abiding people.

Now the City of Los Angeles had sued the Trump Administration over the $3 million they did not get from this community policing grant arguing that this withholding of the money was an infringement on its autonomy, on its own ability to make its own rules but the court sided with the Trump Administration which argued that cooperation with federal immigration authorities was just one of several areas of criteria that the justice department judged these various cities on when deciding when to hand out these grants.

Now keep in mind that this ruling is taking place against the backdrop of these upcoming immigration raids, some of them in sanctuary cities have promised not to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, Martin and Christi.

SAVIDGE: That definitely is on the minds of many. Sarah Westwood, thank you very much.

PAUL: Thanks Sarah.

SAVIDGE: Meanwhile protests breaking out overnight. People across the country took to the streets Friday protesting President Trump's order for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct raids on migrant families.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We must stop this now. The time is now. We cannot wait for another death at our border; we cannot wait for another death at the detention center.

(END VIDEO)

SAVIDGE: You could imagine this morning thousands of families are on edge as those raids are set to begin tomorrow.

PAUL: They are targeting nine cities across the country. A U.S. official says they are focusing on families who already have court orders to be removed. Now while the Trump Administration and I.C.E. say they are focusing on those who, quote, "pose a threat," thousands of undocumented immigrants are really living in fear ahead of these raids. Here's CNN's Sara Sidner.

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This undocumented father says he's never felt this much stress and fear in his 15 years living and working in the United States. What did you think when you heard that the raids would be happening again?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (by interpretation of Sidner) It's very stressful. It's like you have a disease that's killing you, like cancer, something that makes you feel desperation, he says.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police. Open the door.

SIDNER: Fear and desperation are exploding in immigrant communities across the country after the Trump Administration announced raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents set to begin this weekend.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (by interpretation of Sidner) Psychologically, you live in fear. You live thinking that any day, any moment, you will get a knock on the door.

SIDNER: He lays out his documents to show he pays his taxes. He's worked hard as a repairman to achieve the American dream.

Do you think the president has achieved his goal of making people who are here undocumented want to leave?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (by interpretation of Sidner) Yes, he's achieved that.

There are many people who don't have a choice, he says.

[08:15:00]

He knows the life built with his wife together in California could be wiped away with a knock on the door from an I.C.E. agent. He says he left El Salvador for economic reasons after his first wife died in childbirth and he could not make enough money to provide for his three children there. He entered the U.S. illegally via the Rio Grande in 2005, missed a court date and the court ordered his deportation. He said that is his only crime. He's been trying to remedy it through the courts which includes making scheduled visits with I.C.E. which leaves him even more vulnerable. At his church...

ADA VAILENTE, PASTOR: I'm putting myself, my church at risk.

SIDNER: His pastors made clear they're willing to face the consequences of helping the undocumented.

A. VALIENTE: This is what we need to do. We need to walk beside our vulnerable.

SIDNER: Their church is a member of a network of churches preparing emergency shelter for people to go into hiding in the short term and if need be, indefinitely.

MELVIN VALIENTE, PASTOR: We have a higher law, the law of love, compassion, and the law of God.

SIDNER: A Trump Administration official says that there are about a million people that have deportation orders similar to the gentleman that we spoke with and that thousands of people that have those orders will be targets of I.C.E. But he's clear that he says those folks have gone through the judicial system here, and that I.C.E. agents are only following the law. Sara Sidner, CNN, Los Angeles.

PAUL: Well, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, has said to immigrants that you are not alone, that you have rights. She's joining us next to talk more about these raids that are happening in less than 24 hours now. Stay close.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:20:00]

PAUL: So glad to have you here with us. I'm Christi Paul.

SAVIDGE: And I'm Martin Savidge in for Victor Blackwell. I.C.E. raids are set to begin tomorrow. Thousands of families, as we know, are on edge.

PAUL: They're going to target nine cities across the country. Atlanta is one of those cities. And joining us now, Atlanta Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms. Good morning to you Mayor.

KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS, MAYOR OF ATLANTA: Good morning.

PAUL: Thank you so much for being with us. I - I know that you have said to the immigrant communities here in Atlanta that you have rights, that you are not alone. How else are you reassuring people and what are you doing - are you doing something to give them a safe space tomorrow?

BOTTOMS: We've been putting out messaging via social media explaining where - things that we ask that people do. We're asking people, you are in fear of deportation to please stay in on Sunday to travel in groups to the extent that someone comes to your door, please don't open the door unless they have a warrant and just some things that you would do with anyone when you are advising them of their due process rights. But this really is unchartered territory for cities because we don't have any coordination and we wouldn't coordinate in any type of round up but just the common courtesy of giving us a little more information on where these raids might be targeted, would go a long way in helping us prepare our public safety personnel for any calls that they might receive.

SAVIDGE: So you're saying that you've had no contact, say from federal authorities to give you at least a courtesy heads up of this is what to expect in your city?

BOTTOMS: We learned via Twitter, the way we learn other important things from this president so there was no coordination and it's unfortunate because we've had great coordination in the past with our federal partners to put on large events like the Super Bowl and we've had a responsible relationship but unfortunately in dealing with things that quite often come from the White House, they are inexplicable and irresponsible at best.

PAUL: Well the president has said and the administration has said, these raids are targeted at people who have already gone through the process. Their cases have been adjudicated and they have been ordered to leave and they have not done so. So a lot of people might look at that and say what is the harm if they are following the rule of law and these people have actually gone through the process.

BOTTOMS: I think when you are in a situation where we are now where we are discussing a humanitarian crisis with the separation of families when we clearly don't have a handle on how we are detaining our immigrants who are in these deportation centers. It really makes no sense that we would publically and at this time even disrupt the system even more. While we have very real problems that still have not been addressed. So we aren't by and large talking about people who have any criminal or violent past. We're talking about people who are the Trump Administration is talking about people who have deportation orders so what's the difference in doing this today, publically creating this anxiety or waiting until we at least deal with the issues that we're having at the border in these detention centers.

SAVIDGE: We talked about this earlier in the day about how it's looked upon that this is more a publicity stunt maybe a means of the president trying to show he's being tough on immigration to his base. Do you think it's that?

BOTTOMS: I absolutely think its that and it's at the expense of innocent children and families. And it's creating anxiety and chaos that is unfortunate and what's most unfortunate is that its coming from the President of the United States. When I was here last time I brought - a few weeks ago I brought my two youngest kids with me. When I left my eight-year-old son asked me if he was born in America.

And when I reassured him, I said, "Of course you are." And he looked at his brother and he said, "Well was he born here?" Because he is afraid that our family will be separated so it's not just anxiety that's being created in the immigrant community, this is impacting our children. If people who have care and concern and compassion for others and you would think that as a father, as the leader of this nation that the president would have some care and concern and compassion and we don't see it and it's frustrating.

[08:25:00]

PAUL: I want to listen here together to a woman in this area who Dianne Gallagher, a CNN's Dianee Gallagher interviewed. This is a woman who - who is employed in a nail salon. She is here illegally at the moment. She is a mother of children here. Let's listen to what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (through interpreter) We work hard and honorably. We are not doing anything wrong. We came to this country to find a better life. And I have my children which I'm trying to raise and here we are just trying to work honorably.

(END VIDEO)

PAUL: So when we see that, and there was another woman that Rosa Flores talked to who has been here for 20 years, she is still here illegally, but her four children have been born here in the U.S. so they're U.S. citizens. Is Atlanta doing anything to help the immigrant population here get legal status?

I mean it's more than this just this shouldn't be happening. Since the federal government and Congress can't seem to come up with some sort of idea of how to fix this, I mean we've been in gridlock over these laws for 33 years in Congress. It now seems to fall on cities. Is the city of Atlanta doing anything to help these people understand what their rights are and forward the process for them to become legal?

BOTTOMS: So we are doing quite a bit in Atlanta. We have an entire department entitled "Welcoming Atlanta" and its sole responsibility is to assist our immigrant community. And we are working with pro bono attorneys to provide legal representation but the fact is that the immigration court that's in downtown Atlanta has one of the highest deportation rates in the entire country. So while we're doing all that we can on our end, we're working against an administration who has no care and concern for our communities.

PAUL: How long does it -- do you know how long it takes for someone to become a legal citizen?

BOTTOMS: I know that it is a lengthy process.

PAUL: It is.

BOTTOMS: It can be a lengthy process. And I think that if we allow people to go through that process and allow people to at least have a chance to receive legal status, and not lock them up and literally throw away the key, then I think -- what we have to avoid in our cities is driving people underground. We have school that will be starting soon in Georgia. I would imagine a lot of people in the immigrant community will not enroll their children in school. They won't show up for work. They won't report crimes in the community and this is completely counter to what is productive for cities and communities across the country.

SAVIDGE: Yes and tomorrow it begins and it will be a very anxious day in city and many others. Atlanta Mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, thank you very much for coming in and joining us this morning.

BOTTOMS: Thank you for having me. PAUL: Ms. Mayor, thank you. Good to have you here.

NOW Vice President Mike Pence is defending those I.C.E. deportation raids.

SAVIDGE: He sat down with CNN's Pamela Brown after touring two border facilities. That was yesterday. He says the raids are a way to enforce U.S. laws and stem the flow of the illegal immigration. Here is some of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is important to ask you about the I.C.E. raid on Sunday that the president talked about. Who exactly will agents be targeting?

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I can't speak about the timing...

BROWN: The president said Sunday today.

PENCE: ... of a law enforcement activity. And but let me -- let me say that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has continuously been doing their job over the course of this administration. But the upcoming efforts are going to focus exclusively on individuals who have been fully adjudicated and ordered by a judge to be deported.

BROWN: What about families?

PENCE: These will be individuals who are facing a deportation order, and the priority that Homeland Security and I.C.E. will be placing will be on those individuals who have also committed other crimes in this country and represent a threat to our communities.

BROWN: So not just crossing the border illegally but other crimes?

PENCE: The focus and the priority will be on individuals who have also committed other crimes, but it's very clear in my conversations with Immigration Customs Enforcement officials and DHS, that every individual who will be apprehended in this upcoming effort has already been ordered out of the country by a judge, facing a legal deportation order. And we expect Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to act on deportation orders and remove people from this country that our courts have said should no longer be here.

BROWN: But are you concerned families will be separated? Will families be separated?

PENCE: People will be separated from this country who our courts have ordered to be deported.

[08:30:00]

BROWN: So families could be separated? PENCE: But I want to be - I want to be clear on this Pamela. The priority is going to be on individuals who have committed crimes in this country, people who -- members of MS-13, and people who have engaged in violent acts in this country in many cases. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement will be moving against those individuals and deporting them under the law and under a lawful order by a judge that they be deported. That's what the American people expect us to do. We have to have border security, but we also have to have interior enforcement.

BROWN: But what happens if a child is at daycare or at summer camp, the parent is arrested. Is that child going to go home to an empty house? What's going to happen?

PENCE: Pamela, I - I am very confident that the American people recognize that the way forward to deal with this crisis of illegal immigration is to enforce our laws. And in enforcing court-ordered deportation orders is exactly what we have Immigration and Customs Enforcement to do. The American people expect us to secure our border. They expect us to enforce our laws and put the interests of Americans first.

(END VIDEO)

SAVIDGE: All right, we're going to break away and show you something that is happening right now in Hong Kong. There were protests earlier today in which there was a confrontation with authorities, there was some pepper spray but now we're seeing something very different. It's pretty clear authorities here have upped their game here -wise. You can see officers, they're there in riot gear with their riot shields and they appear to be bracing for what potentially could be a showdown with protesters.

There had been protests that have been occurring in Hong Kong for weeks now. This is occurring right in the area where Hong Kong, the territory interfaces with the mainland. And again, we're just watching this as it develops, but it is quite clear that the posture of the authorities now has changed and it looks much more serious and they appear to be much more determined when confronting these protesters. Again, you are looking at these live images as it is happening. We'll have more on this after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:35:00]

PAUL: Happening right now, take a look at this, violence clashes between Hong Kong police and protesters. This is near Hong Kong's border with mainland china.

SAVIDGE: Today's standoff caps two months of protests that have seen as many as 2 million people march through the streets of the Chinese territory. CNN's Matt Rivers joins us now from Hong Kong. And Matt, what are you seeing? It is looking pretty tense.

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was very tense. It has started to calm down here Martin and Christi, but unfortunately we saw, you know, a scene that has been often repeated over the last two months or so -- protesters scuffling with police. We saw it really starting late afternoon here after the initial protest march was relatively peaceful. The scuffles began with police and what ended up happening was that the police let the protesters kind of mill about for a couple hours and as you see, let's zoom in on the police there, they are in full riot gear and they basically came in and moved out anybody who was left.

A lot of the protesters had started to voluntarily leave, but these police certainly were not going to take any chances at least at this point. We saw pepper spray used earlier in the day and this is just what is going on in Hong Kong. Really over the last two months, we've seen it consistently and today was another example of that. There will be more protests tomorrow and look, what protesters are after are a number of different things. Probably four or five things that really top the list, but the overall theme of all these protests has been that these protesters are nervous about what they see as encroachment from mainland China.

They do not want Beijing to continue to try to take away the democratic style freedoms that Hong Kong has enjoyed for decades now and that is what they fear is happening. So each protest generally last a different theme. Today's theme was centered here in this border community between Hong Kong and the mainland of China, but the broader theme continues. And I think that these protests are going to continue. There will be more protests tomorrow, more protests the following weekend and you can easily see violent scenes like we saw today continue over the next weeks and months.

PAUL: Yes, it doesn't sound like it is dissipating too much. I can hear it behind you there Matt. Matt, take good care. Matt Rivers for us there. Thank you, Matt.

SAVIDGE: And in other international news, two Americans are among 26 people that were killed after militants attacked a popular heavily- fortified hotel in southern Somalia.

PAUL: Now this happened about 300 miles south of the capital of Mogadishu. Officials there say that it started when a suicide bomber detonated a car filled with explosives at the gate of the hotel and then gunmen forced their way inside the building and started shooting. That started a siege that lasted for almost 12 hours. Somali forces battled those attackers killing them all inside the hotel.

Al-shabaab, an Al-Qaeda linked group has claimed responsibility for this attack saying it targeted the hotel because lawmakers and candidates were meeting there ahead of a regional election.

Federal prosecutors say Jeffrey Epstein, the multimillionaire charged with sex trafficking, paid $350,000 to two people who could potentially testify against him in a trial.

SAVIDGE: The hedge fund manager is accused of operating a sex trafficking ring involving underage girls between the years of 2002 and 2005. This week Epstein pleaded not guilty to the charges. According to court documents, he began making the payments in November of last year that was after "The Miami Herald" published an article on him in the 2008 non-prosecution agreement he reached with Florida. Both the individuals were named as possible co-conspirators in that non-prosecution agreement.

PAUL: Well lawmakers are going to get more time to question Robert Mueller after agreeing to delay the former special counsel's public testimony.

SAVIDGE: Mueller was scheduled to appear in back to back sessions before the House Judiciary and the House Intelligence Committees. That was set to July 17, but some lawmakers complained about the limited time of testimony which would have shut out half the panel for asking questions of Mueller.

[08:40:00]

Both sessions are now scheduled for Wednesday and that will be on July 24.

Up next as Tropical Storm Barry bears down on the gulf coast, it is not just people who are at risk, it's their pets as well. The Chief Executive of the Louisiana SPCA joins us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SAVIDGE: The storm is spinning off the gulf coast and the water is coming down.

PAUL: Talking of course about Tropical Storm Barry which is just on the edge of being hurricane; 70 miles per hour now. Officials in St. Mary's Parish say they are expecting 10 to 20 inches of rain over the next three days. This is a slow - I mean it is crawling, this storm.

[08:45:00]

More than 60,000 customers already do not have power across the state and we now have gotten word of a first rescue underway right now south of New Orleans in Terrebonne Parish. So far four people and a cat have been rescued by the Coast Guard.

SAVIDGE: Let's go to CNN's Erica Hill who is in Lafayette, Louisiana and has been following developments with the storm, Erica.

HILL: And it is these floods and the potential rescues that could come. The rescue calls that have a lot of people concerned and as we just heard, four people and a cat rescued. It is not just the people we have to be concerned about, but pets as well. We have seen this so many times that people refuse to leave their homes because understandably they are concerned that they may not be able to bring their pets with them. These are family members as we know.

Joining us now is Ana Zorrilla who is the CEO of the SPCA here in Louisiana and as we talk about whether or not - whether - how I should say people to make the decision to evacuate when it comes to pets, we know that there have been significant changes which allow for people to bring their pets. You say one of your biggest concerns though right now is the flooding. Something like what we're seeing just learning from the Coast Guard, this cat having to be rescued with its humans. That this flooding and the rescuing of animals, how do you handle that? How do you - how do you help the first responders as well?

ANA ZORRILLA, CEO OF LOUISIANA SPCA: So Erica, preparation is critical and that is our first message to pet owners out there is before the storm impact hits, make sure that you and your pets are ready. So there are some basic things that people can do like making sure that you have on a collar on your pet, an I.D. tag, and a microchip and what is so important about the microchips is making sure that your information is current in that pet's registration.

And so you can go to any veterinarian, any animal shelter, have your pet scanned, get your microchip number and call the company to make sure that your phone number is correct and accurate in case you and your pet get separated, that you can get back together. We can get you reunited. But as you said, the flood waters are really are a major concern throughout south Louisiana right now and pet safety. And so making sure people are prepared, that they have a plan, and should they need to evacuate, that they can move very quickly and take their pets so not leaving any pets behind.

HILL: And also being able to transport those pets safely, making sure that you have a way, a carrier for a cat or small dog for example or even a crate for a larger dog. Those obviously are going to come in handy in moments like this.

ZORRILLA: Absolutely. We always encourage people to practice putting their pet in and out of a crate, get them comfortable with it so that in that moment of stress your pet is not stressed out as well. The other thing is to think about where can you go with your pet. So a lot of hotels are pet friendly or in times of emergencies will waive their pet fees but you need to call in advance or find out. And then a lot of the human shelters, so when the rescues begin to happen, now have, you know, federally-mandated to have some kind of plan for pets. So a lot of the shelters in Louisiana do have a separate holding area for pets so that people and pets can both get to safety, which is critically important.

HILL: I know you have Sparky there with you keeping you company this morning. When you are working with some of the first responders, do you talk about the preparation? There's the personal preparation for families, for people who have pets obviously, and then there is the other part in terms of first responders. Is there a certain coordination and training that goes on with the SPCA and some local first responders to maybe help them as they're going out there. They may encounter a dog. They may encounter a cat. Do you work with them to help -- help them put that pet at ease and bring the pet to safety?

ZORRILLA: Absolutely. So in the city of New Orleans, the Louisiana SPCA does provide that animal rescue and response effort and throughout the state of Louisiana, there are other agencies like us that are trained and that do have that emergency certification to be able to go out and do the animal rescue, whether that is in water or whether that is on the land. And then we work very closely with those first responders. So EMS, the Coast Guard, you know, all those different agencies coordinating to make sure that animals that are in danger or at risk are being rescued and what is really important is that we're tracking where they are being rescued from and any information about their owner because ultimately our goal is to get pets back with people if they are separated.

We certainly know that in the past there have been lots of great volunteer efforts, but we do want to encourage people if you feel like there is a pet that is in danger, an animal in need, to call the local agency that is doing the rescue work.

[08:50:00]

So usually there is -- whether that is the mayor's office or the governor's office, there is usually a coordinating government agency to make sure that those efforts can be organized and that the pets do go back to their owners.

HILL: It's important work and we appreciate everything you are doing. Thanks for taking some time for us and give Sparky an extra little scratch behind the ears for me. Ana, thank you.

ZORRILLA: I will.

HILL: Christi and Martin, we're in a little bit of a break right now from the rain, but as we know that is not going to last. This slow- moving storm as you both just mentioned, picking up intensity as we learned in the last hour and people here really bracing for what is about to be a very long day and night well into Sunday as well for right now then we'll toss it back to the both of you in Atlanta.

PAUL: Yes, Sunday and Monday as we understand it. Erica, thank you so much, doing such a great job out there. We're going to be back in a moment. Stay close.

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PAUL: Many sweet moments when the Los Angeles Angels honored their late teammate. It was an unforgettable night.

SAVIDGE: Yes, if you haven't seen this, well fortunately Vince is here and you will.

VINCE CELLINI: Yes, that's why I'm here and all of this came together in an amazing tribute. It was really fairy tale stuff. All the emotions on display last night in Anaheim as Angels play their first home game since the July 1 death of their beloved teammate, Tyler Skaggs. On the eve of what would have been Skagg's 28th birthday, the entire team took the field wearing his number 45. Then after a 45 second moment of silence, his mother Debbie delivered a perfect strike with the ceremonial first pitch and this really set the stage for one of the most impressive inspired performances of the season against the Mariners.

[08:55:00] All star slugger Mike Trout got things started; a mammoth 454 foot home run in a 7 run first inning as the Angels simply could do no wrong in this game. Pitchers Taylor Cole and Felix Pena teamed up to throw a no hitter in a 13-0 victory -- a no hitter. And according to stats, the last time there was a combined no-hitter in the state of California, July 13th, 1991, the same day Tyler Skaggs was born. After celebrating the final out, the Angels removed their jerseys, placed them on the mound in tribute one by one.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

MIKE TROUT, ANGELS TEAMMATE: Tonight was an honor of him and he was definitely -- definitely looking over us tonight and he's - he's probably, you know up there, you know, saying we're nasty and just what an unbelievable game to be a part of. Like I said, I'm speechless. I can't -- this is the best way possible to honor him tonight.

(END VIDEO)

CELLINI: Yes, that just gives you chills, just an incredible evening. And also we want to mention, just minutes away, Serena Williams and Simona Halep for the Wimbledon women's final and that's coming up and we'll be covering that for you as well.

PAUL: All right. Sounds good. Thank you Vince.

CELLINI: It's tough.

PAUL: Yes, I know it is. You got a good gig there. Thank you Vince.

SAVIDGE: Stay with CNN for more of our live special coverage of Tropical Storm Barry.

PAUL: Yes, Smerconish though is up next after a quick break. We'll see you back here in an hour.

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