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Hurricane Dorian Stalls Over Bahamas, Still Category 4; President Trump Unsure He's "Even Heard Of A Category 5" Hurricane; Death Toll Climbs To Eight, Dozens Missing, In Dive Boat Fire. Aired 9-10p ET
Aired September 02, 2019 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[21:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, ANDERSON COOPER 360: Good evening. Chris Cuomo is off tonight.
Topping the special hour of 360, Hurricane Dorian stalled over the Bahamas, still doing enormous damage to a chain of islands, very little way of getting help in, and no hope for now of anyone getting out, or even finding higher ground. At least five are dead on the Abaco's Islands in the Bahamas. And again, the storm has not budged.
Our Meteorologist Tom Sater starts it off with a - the latest on the forecast. So, what is Dorian doing now and how long can it possibly stay over the - the Bahamas?
TOM SATER, AMS CNN METEOROLOGIST: You can obviously out-walk this. It's stationary. I think another 12 hours, Anderson.
On Saturday, the European model, one that's pretty good at handling these things, had the system move in near Shreveport and stall Monday morning, it did that, and will continue into Tuesday morning, so there's no reason to believe it's going to, you know, leave the area.
It's been wobbling. Freeport's been just out of the eyewalls. And the winds in the last hour, the latest advisory, drops wind gusts down to 165. I know that doesn't sound like much. It was over 200.
But I think we really need to start preparing ourselves for the images we're going to see out of this, the devastation, and the aerial views. I know there's five fatalities. But that number is going to go up and go up and go up.
British Royal Navy's already got a ship on the way. And U.S. Coast Guard has landed, where it made landfall. But that eye is mean, and it's nasty, and it continues just to pummel this area, most likely changing the coastline of Grand Bahama Islands.
Yesterday, Anderson, this red line, the Hurricane Hunter flying through, but look, it also went well to the north because it's been trying to calculate these steering currents, high pressure, which was over the north of it, and pushing it toward Florida, has now moved away. But this is what we've been waiting for. Change in the color palette here, so if we broaden out, you're going to see what we call a little shortwave trough.
See that little - that light color that kind of a yellow-green? That is a trough that is now moving across the Tennessee Valley into the Southeast. And we expect that, for the most part, these winds will help create a lift, and that's what we've been waiting on.
COOPER: Yes. It's so awesome that the U.S. Coast Guard has been able to get to Abaco Island.
I talked to somebody there earlier who said they have seen the - the helicopters landing. I think they said near the hospital. And there were some reports they've been able to take out some injured people, also some - some people who are pregnant. Now, they do such amazing work--
SATER: Right.
COOPER: --in hurricanes like they did in - in Harvey, of course, and they did the same in - in - in Katrina. Florida is already feeling the effects of some of the - the outer bands.
SATER: Yes.
COOPER: Any sense of when the Florida coast is going to see the worst - worst of it, even if it doesn't necessarily go make a direct hit?
SATER: Well, right now, the center is about a 100 miles away. I think as we get into Wednesday morning, the closest approach could be 35 miles around Cape Canaveral. By then, will drop to a Category 3, but that's still considered a major hurricane.
And those winds, even though it's 35 miles from the Coast, we could still have a landfall in this cone of uncertainty into the Carolinas. That'll be the next concern. But the hurricane winds, Anderson, go outward 45 miles.
So, even if it's 35, 45, we're going to feel the effects. The tropical storm force winds are out a 140, 150, so that's going to be enough to cause some problems. But I just want to tell you, I mean, I know that you covered Super Typhoon Haiyan. I were - you were in Tacloban.
COOPER: Yes.
SATER: This storm is stronger than that.
COOPER: Wow!
SATER: And you know what it looked like when you were - yes. 6,000 people died over that.
But we're looking at a shrinking area of hurricane winds on the coast now. This yesterday, in Orange, was a little bit wider, maybe 15 miles long or wide that is, it's shrinking somewhat. But even everywhere in this orange and yellow could still see some scattered power outages. I wouldn't be surprised by tomorrow there's a tornado watch for half of the state.
[21:05:00] And again, if you think the men and women of the National Hurricane City have been busy, look at this, Anderson, there's five. They're monitoring five.
COOPER: Wow!
SATER: Right now, most of these, not a big concern. There is one off the coast of Africa we'll be watching, but that's still over a week away.
COOPER: Wow! That's incredible.
SATER: That's been a crazy storm.
COOPER: Yes. Tom, appreciate it. Thank you very much. We'll check in with you, as needed.
Again, wherever the storm goes next, whenever it may hit, this is already the worst hurricane they have ever seen in the Bahamas. As Tom said, five confirmed dead. Unfortunately, that number likely to grow. Experience shows that - that the confirmed fatalities were all on the Abaco Islands.
Now, Sharon Rolle has an apartment there. I spoke to her by phone just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Sharon, how are you and - and those around you doing right now?
SHARON ROLLE, BAHAMAS RESIDENT: I think everyone here is pretty much in shock. It's utter disgusting everywhere we look. So, everyone's kind of happy that we're alive. But it's just the realization of, you know, the aftermath, it's awful.
COOPER: Have you been riding this out in your home?
ROLLE: Yes. When it started, my friend, Kenny and I decided to stay. And she decided to stay with me. So, we rode it out in our home. And last night, we decided to take on a bit of water, so we were a bit panicked, but not so much until this morning, when we kind of woke up in about 10 inches of sewer water.
COOPER: That's not a great way to wake up. I - I - I'm watching the video that you shot. It looks like it - is that you going out during the eye?
ROLLE: No. That is - that is the aftermath, actually. During the eye, we stayed inside the house. Even though it was really calm, we were pretty much stuck in because we had about four inches of water on the outside, four feet of water on the outside, and we weren't able to get the door open. So, we stayed inside for the most part.
COOPER: What are - what kind of damage have you seen?
ROLLE: Houses are completely destroyed. Persons, houses aren't even on the post (ph). We have a lot of fatalities. Unfortunately, one of my neighbor passed away as well throughout the storm. So, the realization of the disaster with not just home, as in lives being taken away is, you know, it's just scary.
COOPER: I - is it - do you have - did you actually - have you seen your neighbor? Have they been able to - to take your neighbor and - and bring her to a facility?
ROLLE: I am not a 100 percent certain. When we came across our neighbor's house, they told her that - they told us that they passed away. But we are not certain if anybody came to rescue or take them - the bodies from the home. The home isn't there anymore. So, we don't - we don't know.
COOPER: Have you seen rescue personnel, equipment, are there police around?
ROLLE: We have a lot of Bahamians, a lot of persons that live in the Bahamas that but - well in Abaco that are actually on the streets now with their tractors and trucks and rescuing.
My friend and I actually got rescued this morning because we were taking on a whole lot of water. So, our neighbor actually heard us in the window, and him is a - a little guy, and then he brought his friend, Nico (ph), who - house we're staying at now. So, we had to come through the window to, you know, get out of drowning, pretty much.
COOPER: And I - I heard that - that you said that bodies across the way are - are floating. Have you actually--
ROLLE: Yes.
COOPER: --seen people?
ROLLE: No, we have - I haven't personally, but my - the person that we're with and my neighbor said they have seen them. We have not gone that far. It's too scary.
COOPER: But your neighbor has seen people, who have died, floating in the water?
ROLLE: Yes, correct.
COOPER: What happens now? I mean what - what is the plan?
ROLLE: We - honestly, I - I can't say. We could only hope and wish for the best. Hopefully, we have someone that's coming to at least assist with the aftermath, at least providing with food, water, drinks or anything just to, you know, be able to live civilly for a second. But we have hardly any communication with the outside. So, we don't really know what's going on. Services have been down for quite a while. So, we - we can't say what's happening after this, so what's even happening now, except for what's around us.
COOPER: And how are your supplies in terms of water, food?
[21:10:00] ROLLE: It's low. But we kind of do the best that we can. It's - and with my neighbor, and he has a few kids here as well, and a few pets, so we're trying to make good of the provisions that we have, and the provisions that we've pooled together thus far.
COOPER: Is there anything else, I mean, any message you want to send to people who are watching this about what you - what you need, what the island needs?
ROLLE: I would just wish and ask is whoever is watching this, if they're ever able to assist with anything, the smallest thing, just to help Abaco reboot itself back, you know, we're an island that is sustainable. But I think after this devastation, it's going to be a lot of help that we'll need, around the world and, you know, just to help us bounce back to civilization.
COOPER: Sharon, I understand that you - there are - there are U.S. Coast Guard helicopters around. Have you seen those?
ROLLE: Yes. Yes. We have seen them. We are seeing a few feet away in RPT (ph) we're still like two corners away from the hospital, so we've seen a few Coast Guards that landed, and we witnessed them, I think, putting persons in there.
For the most part, I think that they are taking out the injured persons. We don't know. We have no information on why they're here or who - persons they're taking out. But we have seen them. And they're still circling around as well.
COOPER: Well Sharon, I wish you strength and - and be careful in the days ahead, and we'll keep in touch with you.
ROLLE: Yes, thank you so much. Take care.
COOPER: All right, thank you, Sharon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Sharon Rolle. As we said, Freeport is now getting hit. Last hour, we talked to our Pat - Patrick Oppmann. He was outside. And the worst of it, he's now moved inside. I want to check in with him.
I know you've been in the thick of it for hours now. What's it like?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it comes and it goes. There's this eerie stillness. Right now, you can probably hear our generator. That's the only reason we have power, one of the few that have power here tonight on this island. You look out it's just a sea of darkness. The winds died down, but it's not going to last, Anderson. Just the last few hours, we had some of the worst winds we've had in nearly 24 hours of this storm coming in.
And you just wonder what it's been like for the people tonight who are riding this out in their homes, where the water is coming up. They are in the dark. They don't have communications, and it is going to be a long, unimaginable night for the hundreds, if not thousands, of people who are stuck in their homes.
COOPER: Yes. I mean with water coming in like this, in the dark, it is - it's really just terrifying. How - I mean, are there shelters for people to go to?
OPPMANN: There are. And actually I'm going to - I'm going to bring in Sarah Kirkby. Thank you for joining us.
SARAH KIRKBY, LOST HOME IN FREEPORT, BAHAMAS: You're welcome.
OPPMANN: You've had a - a tough day. When I met you downstairs, an hour ago, you were soaking wet. I think you were carrying a dog.
KIRKBY: Yes, yes, I was.
OPPMANN: There was a woman who've broken her hip that you were helping.
KIRKBY: Yes.
OPPMANN: You lost your home tonight. Tell me about that.
KIRKBY: I did. It was about 5:30. I think you and I just looked at the phone when I was showing you the pictures. It - we live in Yahola (ph), and I kind of thought we were going to be OK.
It's normally gotten pretty high, but never that high. The roof was fine. We were holding really well. But when the water started to come in, it surged like we just didn't expect it. And it went really fast. And luckily, we all had bags ready to go.
My friend, Victoria, was really fabulous. She was like, no, you know, we're going, and we either have to make that decision or get up on the roof. We didn't have an ax. So, we didn't know how we'd get up on the roof. I have a metal roof.
OPPMANN: You - you thought about chopping a hole--
KIRKBY: Yes.
OPPMANN: --in the roof--
KIRKBY: It--
OPPMANN: --to get out? KIRKBY: Well because we were with some older people, we didn't know, and the water was coming fast. We thought the cars probably wouldn't start. We had been close to the house, probably should have put them up on the hill, all the probablys came at you.
But we managed to get into my car because I've reversed it in, so we got in the back trunk, shoved everybody over, grabbed two--
OPPMANN: How - how high was the water at this point?
KIRKBY: The water got--
OPPMANN: You said you couldn't open the door when you--
KIRKBY: We couldn't open the doors. So, we were waist - probably to our hips. But luckily, the back was up a little bit. And then we kind of just shoved everybody in.
The car wouldn't start. So I said, "Let's push it." So, we took the brake off, started pushing it, and I live in like a cul-de-sac, and so we pushed it out, and went basically to the road.
But, by that point, I wanted to go back and get the dogs. I was a bit freaked out. So, my housekeeper and her boyfriend, we - the housekeeper drove the car, and we had my mom who's 80, her best friend, he's 75, and Victoria, they stayed in the car with the two dogs we did grab.
We went back and got two that swam back out to the car, and then we made it to the road, and then we had help come and get us. And when they came, they went back and got the other two dogs.
Unfortunately, we left some cats behind. So, we're all struggling a little bit with that. We're hoping that the cats are pretty good about staying up, so they'll have climbed into the attic space. That's what we're hoping for.
OPPMANN: You've gone through many hurricanes in your life.
KIRKBY: Yes.
OPPMANN: This is a - a part of life for Bahamians.
KIRKBY: Yes.
[21:15:00] OPPMANN: How many people do you think are, like you were tonight, watching the water come up, and realizing that this is not the typical hurricane that you've had to deal with? This is something that no one has had to deal with, a powerful Category 4, 5 storm--
KIRKBY: Yes.
OPPMANN: --that has just parked itself over this island.
KIRKBY: Been through Frances, Jeanne, Andrew, Matthew, don't take my stuff for the Andrew, and we've always survived, we've always made it through. You know, it's we've had some dangerous points.
There's been a lot of things that they've changed about the island, so there has been flooding that we - we weren't used to before. Everybody has generators now. We weren't prepared I - we were prepared because we saw what was happening in Abaco, I think, everyone got scared, but there's nothing you can do at that point.
People got out. But you can't get out if the, you know, airport is closed. I had a lot of friends who I went to college with, and high school, they're calling me, and I'm like, you know, we can't go.
And you want to protect your home at the same time, and you kind of think you're going to be OK, and you've done this before because I'll be honest, this is usually the OK part. It's the after that you have to be able to cope with more, so.
OPPMANN: I - I know you're going through a lot tonight. I just want to say I'm - I'm so sorry--
KIRKBY: Yes.
OPPMANN: --you've lost so much. You're not alone.
KIRKBY: No.
OPPMANN: And we're going to be hearing more stories in the days to come, Anderson, of people who have literally lost everything. Thank God you're alive because I know other people just haven't been as lucky, weren't able to get out of their homes as quickly as you were tonight.
KIRKBY: Yes.
OPPMANN: We're glad you're OK. Back to you, Anderson.
COOPER: Yes.
OPPMANN: Back to you, Anderson.
COOPER: Patrick, thank you so much, and please thank Sarah for us. It's just it's unbelievable what so many people right now are going through.
Also, in Freeport, Sam Teicher joins us now. Sam runs a business on the island, focused on saving coral reefs. Sam, we understand that the parts of Downtown, Freeport are underwater. What are conditions like where you are?
SAM TEICHER, LIVES IN FREEPORT, BAHAMAS, FOUNDER & CHIEF REEF OFFICER OF CORAL VITA: Thanks for sharing this story, Anderson. People of the Bahamas really are going to need help.
We are fortunately on the South side of Freeport. I'm at my house on a canal, two stories, concrete, hurricane windows. We have a few friends sheltering with us, few kids. My friend and colleague Joe is here as well. We're waiting till 11:00 because that's when high tide is supposed to
come. That's going to definitely be a - a key moment to see if the storm surge reaches us, because at this point we - we definitely have been some of the luckier people in Grand Bahama.
We've been dealing with pretty strong winds. It's - it's felt like it rains been (ph) rumbling by all day, but haven't been dealing with things like Sarah, who you just heard from, is a friend of ours.
We've been seeing videos of people fleeing into attics, stories, people going on the rooftops, people missing, jet skis being deployed to try and navigate canals and even roads, try and get to go out. So, we're - we're fortunately, for now, in - in a good spot, but definitely feeling for a lot of people on this island.
COOPER: Yes. I mean some - some of the video that we're seeing right now, I'm not sure if it was video that you sent, I mean it looks like we're looking at--
TEICHER: That's my front yard.
COOPER: --at sea water. But it's, you know, it's - it's an area of flooding. I mean it looks like the sea is basically just now on the land in some places.
TEICHER: In some places, yes. We happen to be with the - the storm passing to the North, the South side hasn't been hit as hard. But Downtown three-fourth had it's - you got buildings, you know, that - I think that's the police headquarters right there that you're showing.
COOPER: Right.
TEICHER: That's sort of the main Downtown area of Freeport. Lots of people have evacuated. The - the power engineer who came up our coral farm hunkered down. He had to evacuate from this building. We were talking with him.
And we're watching the canal right now. Thus far, it hasn't come up to us to where our coral farm is. Just 10 minutes' drive to the East, it's on a different canal system, and there were reports of a 20-foot storm surge earlier. So, we only can guess what that situation is like.
COOPER: And - and obviously, I mean the immediate concern is, you know, people saving lives, recovering those who - who haven't made it, getting help to those, longer-term, and one of the things you focus on, is - is the coral reefs. I mean the - the, you know, the reefs are in trouble as it is. What does a storm like this do to the coral reefs?
TEICHER: Yes. Well the - the immediate priority 100 percent is helping the people of the Bahamas. We're helping organize a relief fund as are people like Jose Andres, MC Kitchen, so we're going to need supplies, medicine, aid, diapers, water, boats, helicopters, anything you name it. But work here with - we started a coral farm. We started a company called Coral Vita that grows corals to restore dying reefs. It's pretty outrageous you even have to say that that we're in a situation in the world where half the world's reefs are dead. We're on track to lose 90 percent by 2050. And that's without things
like swarms or - from hurricanes ripping through them. So, I have my - my colleague, friend, Joe, here as well. I don't know if you can see him.
JOE OLIVER, FREEPORT FARM MANAGER: Good evening, Anderson. How are you doing?
COOPER: Hey.
TEICHER: This is - this is Joe. We're - we're by candlelight here.
[21:20:00] OLIVER: Sorry, I'm hiding in the back.
TEICHER: Joe, this is his sixth hurricane, hasn't been through anything like this before. The reefs are definitely going to be decimated.
And putting aside the ecological tragedy of losing an incredible ecosystem like reefs in a situation like this, a healthy coral reef produces wave energy on an average of 97 percent. So, we're talking about saving people's lives by having healthy ecosystem.
COOPER: Yes.
TEICHER: We're talking about also food, the fish that come from these ecosystems, and jobs, which are going to be essential as people here are trying to rebuild. So, we're going to be helping rebuild these coral reefs.
We're also hopefully going to be seeing a lot of people around the world looking at this moment, a clear present danger of things like climate change.
You can't necessarily directly link climate change to this storm, but when you have warmer oceans, it causes warmer storms. I mean that's from, you know, fourth grade science.
And this is the type of thing where we're going to see more intense, more frequent storms, and we need our leaders immediately to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to stem the - the flow of climate change, adopting things like the Green New Deal, you name it.
But what matters most also at that same time is we're going to need to figure out how to protect and restore these ecosystems that, in the end, take care of all of us, that provide food, clothes and shelter.
COOPER: Yes.
TEICHER: Because Earth is a living being. And ultimately, it takes care of us. And we need to start taking care of the Tundras, the rainforests that are on fire. COOPER: Yes.
TEICHER: All these things - because we're going to suffer the consequences like we're seeing right now with--
COOPER: Yes.
TEICHER: --with crazy storms and storms--
COOPER: Well it's--
TEICHER: --that are just growing out now.
COOPER: Yes. Same as the wetlands in, you know, in Louisiana that that--
TEICHER: Exactly.
COOPER: --you know, were - are being decimated as well.
Sam Teicher, I appreciate what you do long-term. And - and I'm sorry for what you're going through right now. And, you know, we'll - I hope it - we get help to - to all those in need right now because lives are being lost. Sam Teicher, appreciate it. Take care.
We're going to look at the storm preparation--
TEICHER: Take care, Anderson.
COOPER: --in Florida, next, as well as something pretty surprising that President Trump said about this and other hurricanes.
Later, the death toll rising, while the search for survivors continues in a boat fire, off the California coast, more than two dozen people still unaccounted for, unbelievable pictures, horrible.
The warning signs, leading up, also, to the shooting rampage in Texas, and the victims of it, including a wounded 17-month old little girl. We'll tell you where she is tonight and how she's doing.
[21:25:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Hurricane Dorian is now stalled over the Bahamas, still a Cat 4 storm, not going anywhere right now. The hope, obviously, is for the wind patterns to shift, and get it moving again, away from the islands, and away from Florida.
That said, once it does get going, it means that Florida's Atlantic Coast could be next. Mandatory evacuation orders are now in effect for parts or all of the 11 counties in the state.
Our Brian Todd joins us now from Stuart, Florida. So, what are conditions like where you are, Brian?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, it's gotten a lot rougher in the last couple of hours as the outer bands from the storm have really intensified here in Stuart.
We're going to show you the - the waves from the storm surge. This is the St. Lucie River. The waves are just slapping up against the seawall. Take a look at this. They're really starting to get a rough here and starting to spray us a little bit.
And here's one of the conditions that we did not see a couple of hours ago. You see a little bit of flooding manifesting itself just kind of coming over the seawall, the walkways here, this was not evident earlier today.
So, it's of course not that drastic right now, but this is one of the things that officials here are worried about. The storm surge may be four to seven feet above normal, flooding these low-lying areas, there are a lot of homes around here that are as low as we are right now, they are in danger of flooding.
And this is - what's interesting here is this is a confluence of three major bodies of water, the St. Lucie River, the Indian River Lagoon just over here, and the Atlantic Ocean comes in just kind of over my right shoulder over here, three large bodies of water just kind of converging here in this one spot, all of which are affected by the - the storm surge that was building up at the Bahamas.
You have also, Anderson, got Barrier Islands behind me, Hutchinson Island and Jupiter Island, about 30,000 people total live on those islands, not all of them have evacuated. It's getting to be pretty much too late in the process for them to evacuate.
The bridges are going to be closed. They've told us that once that happens they're not going to be able to get to these people, you know, during and even after the storm, maybe for a couple of days.
And on Hutchinson Island, which is just over my shoulder here, they have cut off the water. So, the people who've stayed there, Anderson, are not only going to be maybe isolated and cut off for a couple of days.
They've got no running water, so that's - that's a calculation that they had to make. Hopefully, a lot of them have filled their bathtubs with water. That's what they tell you to do in these situations.
But you can see the surge here, getting intense, much more intense now in the later evening hours, and it's going to be like this, probably for at least the next 12 hours.
COOPER: Yes. Brian Todd, stay safe, appreciate it.
I want to go next to Port St. Lucie, where the Mayor Greg Oravec is overseeing preparations. Mr. Mayor, thanks so much for being with us. What are conditions like in - in Port St. Lucie right now?
MAYOR GREG ORAVEC, PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA: In Port St. Lucie, we're not quite yet up to tropical storm force winds, Anderson, just below.
And, as you just heard, we're having those squall lines come up. And in those squalls, you get the gusts. But we're not to the thick of it yet. And unfortunately, this has been a long event. And this will be going on all the way through tomorrow afternoon.
COOPER: Yes. I mean it's a - it's a long event. It's a confusing event.
Obviously, you know, with forecasts changing the - the path of the storm, you know, a lot of different models for it, do you have any better sense of what to expect because I know the storm tracks have been hard to pin down?
ORAVEC: They have. And we've been, just like you, we've been watching now that the storm is on radar with such a - a clear signal. We're just watching it frame by frame. And it's just spinning there, just lashing the Bahamas.
[21:30:00] And I got to tell you, Anderson, watching and listening to the feed, as I waited to speak with you, and hearing the - the human tragedy continue to unfold in the Bahamas, that really is the - the real story.
And I just want to use this opportunity to say we're very mindful of what's going on in the Bahamas, and we're incredibly sorry to see our friends suffering.
COOPER: Yes.
ORAVEC: And once the danger has passed us, and if we're fortunate enough to remain relatively unscathed, I want to - want to call upon our community to reach out to our neighbors to the East.
COOPER: Yes.
ORAVEC: It should be easy, as you pointed out with - with that track, it should be easy for us to empathize because for the better part of the last week, we - we also thought we would be a direct landfall. It's the perfect time to practice the Golden Rule.
COOPER: Yes. You know, in - in past storms, has it been flooding, or - or wind that typically causes the most damage in your area, or both?
ORAVEC: Anderson, I think that we might have even spoken during Irma, and every storm is unique.
COOPER: Yes.
ORAVEC: You know, you have wet storms. You have wind storms. You have fast-movers. You have slow super-soakers. But what is happening to the Bahamas, you know, I'm a - I'm a native Floridian. I'm 44, went to University of Miami the same year that Andrew hit. That was my freshman year.
COOPER: Wow!
ORAVEC: I personally haven't seen anything like what's happening in the Bahamas right now. And we should all wish for Dorian to move north as quickly as possible and die at sea.
COOPER: Yes. Yes, I mean the - the idea of a, you know, Cat 4, Cat 5 storm sitting on an island like the Bahamas, you know, would one point, I think, 30 feet is the highest point on the - on - on - on - on the island on - in the Bahamas, that's an extraordinary thing. I mean I - I don't know that I've heard of that, a storm this size sitting on an island like that.
ORAVEC: No. And we, kind of, shared topography of course in - in Florida, and the Keys, and the - and the Bahamas. So again, it's - it's kind of - should be really easy for us to put ourselves in their shoes, and be for them, be there for them in their time of need.
And, you know, you - you made the point about the track, and it's true. You know, last night, I don't know who slept in Port St. Lucie because Dorian was a 100 miles away.
It was still moving West at five miles an hour, and you felt like a loaded gun was pointed at you, because if it didn't follow the track, if it didn't follow the imaginary lines drawn on a map, it would be here in, you know, in - in less than 30 hours, and the effects would be there much sooner.
So, you know, we just been watching it unfold since then, and it's certainly something that - that you and I probably haven't seen in our lifetime in person.
COOPER: And - and I mean, you know better than anybody. But, you know, I've - I've been to plenty of storms where you think it's going to hit one place and, you know, in the news business, you go there, and then the last second, it changes direction.
And - and that's, you know, it - it wreaks havoc in a - in another community that wasn't expecting it as much, and that's just one of the - the horrible things about these storms.
And then for an official like you to have to prepare for it, and - and try to get people to evacuate, and yet not be able to say a 100 percent, "Yes, it's going to hit here," it's a - it's a really difficult thing, and I appreciate all you're doing, Greg Oravec, thanks so much for being with us.
ORAVEC: Thank you.
COOPER: Dorian has already shown its fury as a Category 5 hurricane, at times. Want to tell you about the President's reaction to the question of why so many powerful storms lately, next.
[21:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: As millions along the East Coast brace for Hurricane Dorian, they know it's already reached Category 5 strength, at least once. Now, enter President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'm not sure that I've ever even heard of a Category 5. I knew it existed. And I've seen some Category 4s. You don't even see them that much. But a Category 5 is something that I don't know that I've ever even heard the term, other than I know it's there. That's the ultimate. And that's what we have, unfortunately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: OK. So, what makes what you just heard even more confusing or even weirder is that multiple Category 5 hurricanes have either hit or threatened to hit the United States during his Presidency.
Gary Tuchman has more on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In October 2018, Hurricane Michael hit Florida as a Category 5 storm with winds of 160 miles per hour.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST, CNN NEWSROOM: We have just now flown over Mexico Beach and it's gone. It's gone.
TUCHMAN: The winds and storm surge left massive damage along the Panhandle.
SCOTT BOUTWELL, SURVIVED HURRICANE MICHAEL IN MEXICO BEACH: When you think about it, you know, all of these - their lives are gone, you know, so how do you - how do you - what do you do?
TUCHMAN: 16 people were killed in the storm and $25 billion worth of damage.
In 2017, two Category 5 storms formed in the Atlantic. Hurricane Irma lasted from August 31st until September 11th, stretching for 650 miles devastating a string of Caribbean islands. 95 percent of buildings were damaged on Barbuda. And intense flooding affected islands all across the area.
Irma then hit Southwest Florida as a Category 4 on September 10th, moving slowly inland, and causing even more flooding in major cities throughout the Northeast.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: High tide hasn't even occurred yet and this water is still filling in this area. We've seen submerged vehicles. We've had dumpsters floating by us. We've had all kinds of debris. It's, frankly, it's just getting a little bit difficult to stand up in these conditions.
TUCHMAN: That same month, Hurricane Maria devastated Dominica as a Category 5 before moving on to Puerto Rico.
[21:40:00] It caused the worst blackout in U.S. history, leaving nearly all 3 million residents of the island without electricity, food, and drinking water for weeks after the storm. COOPER: There's a lot of frustration among first responders that I've spoken to who say look, they've been sitting around in - in some cases, wanting to get out, but there's a lack of organization. It's the disorganization that - that's - that's frustrating them.
TUCHMAN: The slow federal response left people on the island suffering for months. And the Puerto Rican government eventually released an approximate death toll of more than 2,900 residents.
Perhaps the most similar in scope to Dorian is Hurricane Matthew in 2016. It quickly formed into a Category 5 storm in September, but then moved very slowly, heading up the U.S. Coast, paralleling Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
It eventually made landfall as a Category 1 storm, but caused devastating flooding, and massive damage all along the coast, and also was responsible for 45 deaths in the U.S.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: The President has never heard of Category 5.
Breaking news ahead, far from the hurricane zone, massive search underway tonight for dozens of victims of a boat fire in the Pacific, off South - Southern California.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[21:45:00] COOPER: Eight people are now confirmed dead, 26 others are missing after a fire swept through a dive boat off Santa Cruz Island. Our Sara Sidner joins us now with the latest.
So, what have you heard about the - the search operation? And is there any sense of - of what caused this fire?
SARA SIDNER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Investigators are talking now to the five crew members who were able to escape this fire, and are alive, and they are now on shore. They are trying to interview them, get some details from them.
But there's also the - the - the wreckage that they need to get to. They will have to send dive teams down to try to get some of the evidence from the wreckage as well.
So far, they haven't released anything to the public as to where they are going with this investigation, whether there will be potentially a criminal investigation, they do not think that that is the case.
However, the investigation is still very much underway, and they do need to get to the wreckage, which is sunk to the bottom of the ocean, about 62 feet down, Anderson.
COOPER: So the - the five crew members, they survived, and I guess, including the Captain. Do we know how they made it off the boat while so many passengers didn't? Did any passengers that we know of make it off the boat?
SIDNER: So far, no passengers have been found alive. What we do know now, some sad news this afternoon, we initially heard that they had recovered four bodies. Those four bodies had been taken to the Coroner's Bureau here.
But this afternoon, they found four more bodies, but those bodies they have been unable to recover because they're also at the bottom of the ocean, on the ocean floor. They were able to see those bodies there. That leaves 26 Souls still unaccounted for.
Now, I do have to say that we haven't heard directly from those who survived, but we heard from someone on a boat named The Great Escape, of all names, who actually helped rescue some of those folks that were able to jump off, those five crew members.
They said that they heard banging on their boat. This happened somewhere around between 3:00 and 3:30 in the morning, so pitch dark. They were out there. The Great Escape was going through the channel there, and heard some banging, according to the two people on that boat, and were able to help rescue some of these folks.
And they said that one of the things that really struck them was that this fire seemed to happen so quickly, and got so ferocious, so fast, there didn't seem time to try and save those who were sleeping in the lower part of the boat, Anderson.
COOPER: Yes. Sara Sidner, thank you, a lot to learn on this still. Thank you.
One of those wounded in the mass shooting in Texas over the weekend, a 17-month old girl. That's her on the left. Coming up, we'll let you know about her condition, where she is tonight, and what comes next.
[21:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: We told you earlier in the program about the mass shooting in West Texas, where a lone gunman killed seven, wounded more than two dozen. Among the wounded was a 17-year old girl, Anderson Davis is her name.
An update now from Haylee Wilkerson, who - who looks after Anderson, in preschool.
Haylee, I understand that Anderson had surgery yesterday. How's she doing?
HAYLEE WILKERSON, PRESCHOOL TEACHER FOR ANDERSON DAVIS: She's doing really good.
You know, she's just like a little 17-month old girl. She doesn't even realize what happened to her. She's up. She's being playful. She is, you know, running around, and doesn't even realize that, you know, she got hit yesterday.
COOPER: I mean that's amazing. WILKERSON: Her--
COOPER: Considering the - I mean the extent of her injuries, that could be an incredibly traumatic experience.
WILKERSON: Oh yes, Sir, by all means. You know, I have kids of my own, and it hits my Mom Heart really closely, just to know that it could have been any of my own kids or, you know, anybody that was down that road. And it just happened to hit Anderson.
COOPER: Do you - exactly what or exactly how this happened to her?
WILKERSON: All I know is that they were driving down the 42nd Street, and they were at a light in front of Twin Peaks, and the shooter drove by them, and was just firing off rounds.
As they were firing off rounds, Anderson was in the crossfire. It hit Anderson, it missed her twin brother, but hit Anderson, and it went through her - her tongue, her bottom lip, and she had some shrapnel in her right chest.
COOPER: Was it one bullet?
WILKERSON: Yes. It was just one.
COOPER: So the one bullet, it - it went through first her - her mouth, I said your - her - her - her tongue or teeth, and - and then her - her bottom lip?
WILKERSON: Yes. And then it exited out, and then she had some bullet fragments in her right chest.
COOPER: Wow! Were they able to - I know they've - they worked on the - the tongue and - and the mouth. They've closed that up, correct?
WILKERSON: Yes, Sir, they did. They got all that they could out of her chest. And there was one piece left. But it was just too small to get. And her body will push that out eventually.
COOPER: Wow! And what about - her teeth, and I - I guess, need to be fixed at some point?
WILKERSON: Yes, Sir. So, they got referred to, you know, to an oral surgeon, and an oral surgeon will go in and correct her - her teeth.
COOPER: Wow!
WILKERSON: Her top and bottom front teeth.
COOPER: What - what's Anderson like? Well I mean what - what kind of child--
WILKERSON: You know, she's a fun-loving. She's 17-months old. She loves her little brother. She loves, you know, playing, and running around, and playing with friends. And I assume that she's acting just like that now. COOPER: She is so precious. I mean I know you're in contact with her parents. How are they holding up with all this?
WILKERSON: Whenever I spoke to her mother before I created the GoFundMe account, you know, I just didn't want to invade on their privacy. You know, she was just in complete shock.
[21:55:00] I don't really want to say disbelief because I mean she saw it with her own eyes, she was there. You know, she was just trying to process everything. I mean, how do you process--
COOPER: Yes.
WILKERSON: --something that happened like that so fast? And it just - it's just going to take time for them to heal completely--
COOPER: Well--
WILKERSON: --if at all.
COOPER: I mean something like that, I mean literally bullet comes out of nowhere, you - you just don't expect that - that sort of thing.
I know the - the - the GoFundMe is for - for medical bills, the - the flight they had to take, the oral surgeon. I know donations are still pouring. I think you started hoping to raise $20,000. Then you met that. And now, I think it's close to $200,000.
WILKERSON: Yes, Sir. So, whenever I started it, I did put it at $20,000. You know, nobody knew who this little girl was that got hit or even if who knew - no one knew who actually got hit. And so, after I created it, you know, within 15 minutes, we had $20,000.
COOPER: There's a lot of people in need at this hour. Haylee Wilkerson, I really appreciate it, thanks for all you've done.
WILKERSON: Yes, Sir. Thank you so much.
COOPER: And a quick apology, the lovely little girl would be a happy, healthy 17-year old ultra-soon. But for now, she's 17-months old, not years, as I said to introduce. But it is great that she's doing so well.
More news coming on Hurricane Dorian, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
