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Millions Suffering In Texas As Power And Water Crisis Grows; Freezing Weather And Power Outages Impacting Vaccine Rollout; Millions Of Women Have Left U.S. Workforce During Coronavirus Pandemic. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired February 18, 2021 - 07:30   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:33:27]

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, millions of people are struggling to stay warm in Texas as the power and water catastrophe there grows. I know this -- my sister and her family are among them.

Well, the Lemus family, in San Antonio -- they lost power on Monday. They just finally got it back after days in the dark and the cold. And joining me now are Eder and Claudia Lemus. Good morning to both of you. Thanks so much for joining us today.

CLAUDIA LEMUS, TEXAS FAMILY STRUGGLING WITHOUT HEAT AND POWER FOR DAYS (via Cisco Webex): Thank you for having us.

EDER LEMUS, TEXAS FAMILY STRUGGLING WITHOUT HEAT AND POWER FOR DAYS (via Cisco Webex): Thank you.

SCIUTTO: So, I was so happy to hear you got power back. You've got three young kids, five, 10, and 13 -- about the age of my kids, I should note -- and I can't imagine going through that with them. I mean, you had to be worried. Tell us how you're doing now.

C. LEMUS: Well, luckily, we were really scared that the power was going to go back off after it came back last night.

But we've been doing OK as far as just keeping them warm with keeping a fire going, although that was a little bit of a hassle to try to get it going. Just bundling up -- multiple layers during the day and multiple blankets at night. Running the stove burners to help with the heat. Trying to keep them busy. It's been a challenge.

SCIUTTO: I'm sure. And be careful, right? I mean, because there have been some issues, right, with people with carbon monoxide poisoning, you know --

C. LEMUS: Right.

SCIUTTO: -- when they try to heat in any way possible.

Tell us about food. You sent us some images of the lines you had to go through just to go to the grocery store. Are you able to get enough food?

[07:35:00]

C. LEMUS: We're able to get enough to get by. We're not able to get like what we necessarily wanted.

E. LEMUS: Yes.

C. LEMUS: But the grocery stores -- most of them shut down. And then when we tried a few that are open you have to stand in line for 20-30 minutes at a time, and then you just go in and get whatever is available because the shelves are empty.

SCIUTTO: Yes. I wonder, you know, who's coming to help, right? I mean, you know, this is a failure at a statewide level, right, just to keep the lights on, right? Keep the heat on, keep the clean water coming in because that's an issue as well with the water treatment plants shut down.

Who's coming to help you? I mean, do you see anybody out there who is kind of taking care of people right now?

E. LEMUS: So we contacted CPS Energy to try to get some answers -- to try to figure out a timeline or something along the lines of when are we going to get energy back. And their call center is no longer operational to try to conserve energy and they've got the message on the Web site.

I mean, there's nobody that you can talk to. You typically just work with an automated system and then you leave a message and -- or you let them know that you don't have any light. And then somehow, like that's supposed to go somewhere. But there's nobody, really, that's contacting us or letting us know any word if you're due to get light back at this time, and so it's been very frustrating, to say the least.

C. LEMUS: Right.

SCIUTTO: Oh, it's got to be. I mean, it's got to be. I can imagine.

Claudia, you're a high school teacher. You sent us some pictures from parents of your students and what they're going through. Listen, school is already a challenge, right, in the middle of the pandemic, you know. So many people trying to learn from home.

C. LEMUS: Yes.

SCIUTTO: What's it been like for not just your kids but the ones you teach?

C. LEMUS: Well, I mean, it's been heartbreaking to hear some of what they have been going through. I've been trying to keep in touch with a lot of them through this app of mine that I have and keeping them updated with school closures and just checking up on them. But I know some of them have been reaching out to their teachers

letting them know they don't have any power, they don't have any water. They're worried about whether we're expecting them to turn -- to be turning in work. So I'm trying to support them and let them know no, take care of yourself first. We'll figure this out next week.

But it's been -- it's been hard. It's been really hard across the board.

SCIUTTO: Yes, it's got to be.

And I wanted to mention, Eder, that you're a military family, right -- work for the military.

E. LEMUS: That's right.

SCIUTTO: Did you find yourselves just amazed to be going through this in America in the 21st century, right? I mean, this is -- this is real human suffering on an immense scale. Basic things -- food, water, heating.

E. LEMUS: Yes. I mean, it all became real, honestly, like on Monday when we started losing power very erratically, too. And I think they called it rolling outages.

C. LEMUS: Right.

E. LEMUS: But honestly, these were just outages. I don't know why they're calling it rolling outages because it just happened so erratically and we just never knew when the lights were going to come back on. And then when they -- you know, they left or we lost light again, it was so deflating. It's hard to -- it just felt like hey --

C. LEMUS: It's -- yes.

E. LEMUS: -- there's no more heat, so now we've got to get ready --

C. LEMUS: Depressing.

E. LEMUS: Yes.

C. LEMUS: And also, we have -- we've lived all over the states being a military family.

E. LEMUS: Yes.

C. LEMUS: We heard about snow coming. We never thought it was going to be like this. We never anticipated to have to have the challenges.

We lived in Virginia where they have a lot of snow. We lived abroad in Korea where they have a lot of snow. And we just -- we never anticipated the city to come to such a standstill because of this.

SCIUTTO: Yes, city and the state.

Well, it's so good to talk to you. We wish you the best of luck. We're glad --

C. LEMUS: Yes.

SCIUTTO: -- the heat's back on. We hope it stays on.

And good luck to your kids, too. They're cutie pies. So you're very lucky.

C. LEMUS: Thank you.

E. LEMUS: Thank you.

SCIUTTO: All right.

Well, for more information about how you can help Texas winter storm victims like the Lemuses, go to cnn.com/impact. A lot of ways to help there.

The winter weather is having a big impact on something else, the coronavirus vaccine rollout. How will that affect the already short supply of the vaccines in many places across the country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:43:46]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: The dangerous winter storms sweeping the country are making it harder for people to get coronavirus vaccines. Nineteen states are postponing or canceling vaccinations because they are not getting their new doses because of these winter storms.

So joining us is Michael Osterholm. He's the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

Professor, thanks so much for being here. What are the complications? Is this about distribution? Is this about administering it -- people can't show up? I mean, how complicated are these storms making it?

MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE RESEARCH AND POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: Well, good morning, Alisyn.

Actually, it's all of the above are all part of the challenge right now getting vaccines in these areas that are affected by weather. We all are -- our hearts go out to the pain and suffering that they're experiencing.

I'm not so concerned about that, though, in the sense that the biggest challenge we had up and to the cold weather was not enough vaccine, to begin with. So this vaccine will get into the system. It will get caught up in the course of the next two weeks.

The challenge we have right now is that there's about 22 million Americans who have received their first dose, waiting for their second dose, and there's no second doses as such, except for the new production of a vaccine that's coming out which is about two million doses a day. So if we didn't vaccinate anybody with new first doses over the course of the next 10 to 14 days, all we -- all we could do is second doses. That's the challenge we have right now.

[07:45:08]

SCIUTTO: So the Biden administration is saying by the summer -- by July, I believe President Biden said --- 600 million doses. So enough for 300 million Americans. You know, in effect, that they are speeding up production. There is some evidence of that, right, based on what the companies are saying.

Do you find that goal realistic, particularly now that we have this interruption of the winter weather?

OSTERHOLM: You know, Jim, I do. Don't confuse the fact at this point that the weather is going to slow down production. That is still happening. It's just when it gets into people's arms which will be slightly delayed.

My big concern right now is the fact that it's the time in which these doses will arrive. I think July is a very realistic goal. I commend the administration for what they're doing to get as much vaccine here as soon as possible.

But if you, obviously, are following what's happening with these viruses, particularly this U.K. variant we call B117, this very likely in the next five to 14 weeks is going to cause a major surge of cases in this country.

And our own work has shown that despite the fact that this surge is about to hit us -- and it's going to be devastating, very likely -- is that over 30 million Americans over the age of 65 will not have access to vaccine in these next 12 to 14 weeks. That's a real challenge.

CAMEROTA: As you know, I am very conscious when you sound the alarm of -- that you predict that there will be a new surge.

So let me just show everybody where we are right now with the cases coming down. You can see that there's been this huge peak and now, the cases have come down during the seven-day moving average. I mean, that is such a comforting graphic. And then the people hospitalized follows the same curve.

But when we talk to you -- and we first talked to you on January 28th -- and I track what you say and the calendar here. And you said back then that it would be somewhere between six and 14 weeks that we would have before we would see the uptick in the new surge. So that would put us around March 11th when we would start to see the numbers reverse and go back up.

Are you still -- is that still the timeline? Are we still on track for mid-March to start seeing that, you think?

OSTERHOLM: It is, and unfortunately, what we're already seeing now is the rapid increase in these B117 isolates actually in our communities. We are now doubling the number of these variants identified every 10 days in this country. And when you're doubling two to four to eight to 16, those aren't very big numbers. When you start doubling 2,000 to 4,000 to 8,000 to 16,000, those get to be real numbers.

And so, we're actually following the very same track that our colleagues in Europe and the Middle East have followed in terms of tracking first, the presence of the virus; second, the beginning of the virus to increase in the communities.

And in some ways, this lull right now, while surely it's welcomed everywhere in terms of reduced cases, hospitalizations, and deaths -- is lulling us into a sense of security that we just can't afford. Right now, we're loosening up everything at a time when this virus is just starting to take off. And so, we've done everything we possibly can to give this as much a free ride in our communities as anybody could imagine.

SCIUTTO: So, Dr. Fauci and others say that the vaccine is doing well against these variants -- better against the U.K. variant than the South African variant, but doing decently well. And I wonder if you find that too sanguine a view. I mean, can the vaccines control the new outbreaks of the new variants?

OSTERHOLM: Absolutely. The fact is that the vaccines we have right now are working very effectively against this B117 or U.K. strain. That's the good news. More challenging with regard to the one from South Africa. But the point is the one we're concerned about is the one from the U.K.

The challenge we have is how much vaccine can we get into people as quickly as possible before this surge occurs. And so, again, I come back and reiterate that this summer could be a very different situation.

But right now, I'm concerned about this period that Alisyn just laid out. Look on the map and look at mid-May -- I mean, excuse me, mid- March and see what it does for the first part of May. That's, to me, the challenge we have right now.

SCIUTTO: And the advice is consistent -- you and others, right? Don't let up now. Keep wearing the mask --

OSTERHOLM: Yes.

SCIUTTO: -- and social distancing. Let's not act like, you know, back in 2019.

OSTERHOLM: Exactly.

SCIUTTO: Michael Osterholm, always good to have you on.

OSTERHOLM: Thank you very much.

SCIUTTO: We do now want to remember some of the more than 490,000 -- can you believe that -- 490,000 Americans lost to coronavirus. Here are some of them. Sixty-year-old Freddy Valles was band director at a middle school in El Paso, Texas for nearly 40 years. His family says he not only taught his students how to play instruments but more importantly, he taught them confidence, discipline, and core values. He also played trumpet in several local bands. He leaves behind a wife and three children.

[07:50:07]

Deputy Nicholas Howell did not quite make it to his second anniversary with the sheriff's office in Henry County, Georgia. Among those paying their respects at his recent funeral was NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal who has a home in Henry County. Howell's wife says the father of five -- father of five was a fighter, a provider, and a protector. He was just 36 years old.

That's the cost of this. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: Since the pandemic began last year, women have been dropping out of the U.S. workforce in droves. Two and a half million women have left their jobs. Why and what's being done to help.

CNN's Vanessa Yurkevich is here with more. What have you learned, Vanessa?

VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

Well, the President of the United States going so far as to call this exodus of women from the workforce a national emergency.

[07:55:05]

And we spoke to women from across the country who all told us the same thing. The job market simply isn't designed to support working mothers during this pandemic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YURKEVICH (voice-over): It was supposed to be one of the happiest times of her life --

BROOKE GASAWAY, UNEMPLOYED MOTHER: Want to play our favorite game?

YURKEVICH (voice-over): -- but when Brooke Gasaway was five months pregnant with her son Luciano, she says she was laid off from her job.

GASAWAY: It was a lot of anxiety because I didn't know what was the best thing to do.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): Now that her son is six months old she's looking for work again, but the economy she's facing is still down nearly 10 million jobs since the pandemic began -- 5.3 million held by women. GASAWAY: At this moment, sometimes I am scared to say I'm a mom when

I'm applying. There's something about telling an employer that I'm going to be one of those people that's going to have to balance those two things.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): Two point five million women have left the workforce altogether, many who are mothers.

ALLISON ROBINSON, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER, THE MOM PROJECT: It is been on so many fronts such a challenging year for women. We have suffered more layoffs than men and we've seen our already fragile childcare and education infrastructure unravel.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): That very issue may have cost single mother Nicole Conner her job. She says she was fired because she could only work virtually. Her 7-year-old son Atticus is at home remote learning. She says they're surviving off food stamps and her student loans.

NICOLE CONNER, UNEMPLOYED MOTHER: I mean, I'm lucky that my bills are paid during this time, but it's a sad concept that I have to be -- consider myself lucky to be able to go into debt and make sure my bills are paid.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): Mother of four Michelle Mitchom is also looking for new work after she says she was laid off in July from a career in sales. The search has led her to apply for jobs she never considered before.

MICHELLE MITCHOM, UNEMPLOYED MOTHER: I have been applying for, I mean, any type of jobs. It doesn't matter if it's entry-level or if it's internships, if it's janitorial. If it's anything I've been applying.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): President Joe Biden is proposing giving $15 billion in grants to working families to pay for childcare as part of his stimulus plan.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It will enable parents, particularly women, to get back to work.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): And some companies, like Spotify, Google, and Facebook, are offering perks like additional paid family leave or remote work from anywhere. Accenture is committing to hire 150 moms as a start.

GASAWAY: This is where I apply to jobs, where my son takes naps.

YURKEVICH (voice-over): The pandemic giving new meaning to work-life balance for mothers.

YURKEVICH (on camera): How are you feeling about your future?

GASAWAY: I want to be something that makes my son proud and I think he would want me to continue pushing and continue trying to help other people and just be back in the workforce.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

YURKEVICH: And it's about the government policy changes and about corporate America's response, but it's more than that. It's about changing the culture around working mothers.

Brooke, who you just heard from there at the end, told me that she actually feels like as a mom, she's more efficient. That would be an asset for any job he applied to.

And, Alisyn, all of the mothers told us the same thing. They said that they wished that motherhood was actually an asset in this job market right now, not a hindrance -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: You want something done, give it to a busy mom. She will get that done.

Vanessa, I'm so glad that you keep shining a light on this -- on these stories. Thank you very much.

YURKEVICH: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: NEW DAY continues right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unlivable conditions in Texas. Flooding homes in bitter temperatures.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The bitter cold has now turned to heated anger over the catastrophic failure of the state's power grid.

GOV. GREG ABBOTT (R), TEXAS: Every source of power the state of Texas has access to has been compromised.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The awful winter storm crippling much of the nation now threatens to slow down the pace of vaccinations.

NICK WATT, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Across the Heartland, some vaccine locations are closed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: State leaders now say severe weather is slowing down their expected deliveries of vaccine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's having an impact on distribution and deliveries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

CAMEROTA: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY.

John Berman is off. Jim Sciutto joins me. Great to have you, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Always good to be next to you.

CAMEROTA: I mean, it's just incredible what we're seeing this morning. Millions of Texans are still suffering as the power and water catastrophe in the state continues.

Power crews are making some progress restoring the electricity. Overnight, they made a little bit of progress, but 600,000 customers are still without power in Texas. There are more rolling outages likely today, and these dangerous frigid conditions continue.

So, many Texas residents are dealing with burst pipes, as you can see in this home, and they are having to sleep in their.