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Hurricane Michael Now a Monstrous Category 4 Storm. Aired 7- 7:30a ET

Aired October 10, 2018 - 07:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Wednesday, October 10, 7 a.m. in the east.

I'm John Berman in Panama City Beach, Florida. Alisyn Camerota is in New York. This is our special live coverage of Hurricane Michael. You can see the outer bands of this hurricane passing over where I am right now in Panama City Beach.

This is where the eye is expected to make landfall several hours from now. And if you're just waking up, this is the news.

This storm is getting stronger. Historically stronger. This will be the most powerful storm ever to make landfall on the Florida Panhandle. No Category 4 storm has ever landed on these shores, and that is what is now forecast.

Overnight this storm strengthened. Maximum sustained winds now of 140 miles per hour, and it's still getting stronger. We just spoke to the flight director of the National Hurricane Center up there in the sky. The pressure is dropping, and that means there is more room for this storm to get even more powerful before it makes landfall.

The storm surge expected to be some nine feet where I am in Panama City Beach. What does that mean? That means the area I'm standing in right now will be covered with water several hours from now.

And this isn't even the worst of the storm surge. About 30, 40 miles east of here, they're expecting 13 feet or higher. That could simply be devastating.

Some 2 million people live in counties that are under evacuation orders in Florida. And that's just Florida. This storm should be of major concern to Georgia and the Carolinas. It will hit southwest Georgia as a hurricane, packing winds over 75 miles per hour when it gets there. So the path of devastation will be long, and it will be broad.

As I said, just beginning to feel the effects of the outer bands here, what has been raining. Sometimes very hard. The wind beginning to pick up a little. Let's get a sense of what we expect to see over the next few hours.

We are getting frequent updates from the National Hurricane Center. Our Chad Myers has the latest forecast -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's hard to believe, John, that in less than six hours, you'll have wind gusts of 140. I know you're wet, but it's just -- this is what we go through here.

Outer bands bringing you 20, 30, 40, and then all of a sudden that eyewall, that inner eyewall ten miles wide, one way or the other, that's where the big winds are. But this is much a wider storm than that. Clouds go all the way from New Orleans to Tampa. There's the eye on radar.

Now, there's a tornado watch. Some of these storms will rotate as they come onshore and put down some smaller tornadoes, EF-1, maybe EF- 2s.

But there is the eye. It is headed toward Panama City. We will see where it goes. It's moving at 11 miles per hour. Right now it's about 90 miles away.

But like you said, this goes over Tallahassee as a very damaging storm. And that's where the college is, the capital. Lots of trees are going to fall down there, in the same story here as the 75 mile per hour storm over South Georgia.

Trees coming down, power lines coming down. A major outage going on here. Millions maybe, people without power. And that could be for weeks, because there are so many people that are going to be without power you can't get all of those back up.

So if the eye actually does go right over Panama City, right over you, looks like Port St. Joe, Apalachicola, the Windmark area down here, all the way toward Apalachicola Bay, really, that's where the heaviest surge will be. And then on up towards St. Marks. I'm very worried about that little town there, beautiful little town right on Apalachicola. Apalachicola Bay.

There's Tallahassee with the -- there could be 5,000 of these pine trees down in Tallahassee, and the same story all across parts of Georgia. This is the white area of 100-miles-per-hour sustained or more. So that comes onshore all of Florida, right on through Albany, Georgia. If you've evacuated to Macon, you're going to see winds maybe to 70 miles per hour.

And then on up to the Carolinas, where it's completely saturated from Florence. Trees will be falling down there, as well, making more power outages. So these crews be stretched out.

There's your hurricane warning right now. It's all the way up into Georgia. Here are your expected power outages. Millions likely with this storm, and the damage is going to be wind. The damage is going to be surge. There will be some inland flooding but it's moving quickly, unlike Florence that just stopped -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Chad Myers for us in the Weather Center. Chad, thank you very much.

We've been looking at the ocean behind us. The water levels are already about 2 1/2 feet higher than normal and rising over the next several hours as the storm surge starts to take effect. As Chad said, the greatest area of greatest concern for storm surge, Apalachicola, about 60 miles from where I am. At this moment, Derek Van Dam is there.

Derek, what are you seeing?

[07:05:03] DEREK VAN DAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John, this is Highway 98 running through Apalachicola. This is one of two routes to get in or out of the city, and basically, a virtual ghost town here.

This location, this way is actually where the water is expected to rise. So the ocean and some of the river and canals are directly behind me.

Earlier this morning, we had to move to a safer location. Our earlier live shot, we were only at four feet above sea level; and my crew and I decided with the strengthening of major Hurricane Michael, it was no longer safe to stay in that position, so we moved to higher ground. We're at about 14 feet above sea level.

The threats here we know are the storm surge. Just take a moment and look at the map of Florida. Check out the Big Bend location. Notice that it makes the shape of a "C." It's almost like a catcher's glove or a catcher's mitt.

Well, think about the impacts of a hurricane barreling towards that "C." It's pushing all of the water from the Gulf of Mexico water into that little cup. And that's going to deposit that water in the form of a storm surge.

And if the forecast holds true as expected, nine to 13 feet right where I'm standing, that will bring water into some of these lower levels of the households that are across this area. Many businesses boarded up. We've just had our lights flicker on and off. We believe that maybe only a couple of hours before they go off for good.

Chad was talking about the potential for 5,000 downed trees and power lines across the area. We're surrounded in Apalachicola by a national forest. So if you think about it, with these trees coming down, it's going to be virtually impossible to navigate the roadways well after Hurricane Michael departs the area.

John, back to you.

BERMAN: All right. Derek van Dam over in Apalachicola making a good decision to get to slightly higher ground there. We, too, here are making that same decision. We'll stay where we are until about 9 a.m. Eastern time. Then, we'll move a little bit inland, because it just won't be safe enough here at water's edge.

Joining me now is Brock Long, FEMA administrator. Mr. Long, thanks so much for being with us. Give me a sense of what

you are seeing with this storm? We woke up to the news that it had strengthened to a Category 4, perhaps catastrophic storm.

What are your concerns this morning?

BROCK LONG, EMA ADMINISTRATOR: Unfortunately, this is a hurricane of the worst kind. A rapidly intensifying storm which gives people very little time to prepare.

It always -- it also gives them a shorter window to evacuate. But what we're going to see is devastating storm surge. Thirteen feet of the -- so watch the ocean, rise 13 feet, devastating action on top of that, coupled with winds that are above typical building codes.

And because of the forward movement, the decent forward movement it has, you're going to see a hurricane stay intact through southwest and central Georgia. And then you're going to see rainfall through South and North Carolina, you know, and dumping four to six inches of rain in rivers that are already saturated and haven't really received much from Florence a couple weeks ago.

BERMAN: So I know you've been in touch with city, local and state leaders. Do you believe that enough people have heeded the warnings to evacuate in the areas that could be most vulnerable?

LONG: That was the biggest concern that we had yesterday. Maybe John can provide us some intel where he stands. And we truly hope that people have heeded the warnings. This is nothing to play around with.

And the problem is -- is that, you know, we typically base these evacuations on storm surge inundation, and those who stick around and experience storm surge are less likely to live to tell about it. And that's unfortunate. The window to evacuate and get out of town, out of harm's way, is coming to a rapid close as this system is coming on shore.

BERMAN: Governor Rick Scott of Florida tweeted moments ago that the time to evacuate has come and gone; seek refuge immediately. What do you make of that warning, sir?

LONG: Well, he's correct. Last night the governor leaned very far forward and used the new wireless emergency alert capabilities that we put forward to send out a blast message to everybody: get out. And, you know, they proactively did that last night to make sure that we reinforce the message, and he's correct.

I mean, the bridges are going to be start to be shut down because of sustained winds. And the ability to evacuate is going to come to a close. So if you're -- if you're stranded on a barrier island with no way to get off, you need to elevate and try to get into a facility that you think can withstand the winds.

BERMAN: Now you have staged resources to take action, but of course, that action can't be taken until after this storm mostly passes through, but what kind of resources are you bringing to bear? LONG: So we've already pre-staged the last 48 hours. We spent time

prestaging not only incident management teams and embedding them with the state agencies and local agencies, but most importantly, we've moved disaster medical assistance teams into place, a large amount of commodities. The state of Florida has robust capabilities, as well, that we're backfilling. And that's the way the system should work.

[07:10:08] So we continue to move things forward. We're battening down the hatches. We don't want to put our people in harm's way. But once the storm passes and the elements of the storm allow us, we're going to start with search and rescue. Life safety and search and rescue is going to be priority No. 1. And so what that takes is crews getting in, opening up the roadway arteries so that we can get search and rescue teams teams in, as well as airlift into those areas.

BERMAN: Now, you asked me what I've seen here. I think all the tourists are gone from Panama City Beach. Some locals. The city manager told me that about half of the 12,000 locals, he thinks, have chosen to stay. They'll ride out this storm the best they can.

But the fact is once this storm passes over Florida, and the most powerful storm ever to pass over the Panhandle, it still has work to do. It will head over Tallahassee into southwest Georgia.

Do you think southwest Georgia is ready for this?

LONG: We've been in coordination with the state of Georgia, as well, and here again, it's not just prepositioning for the Florida Panhandle where most of the devastation will be, but we've been working with the state of Georgia, as well, to preposition teams to be able to handle that.

The problem with Georgia is going to be a lot of vegetative debris from the inland winds, which is going to take out the power lines. So you know, I believe Chad, your forecaster, set the expectation correctly. The power is going to be off for several weeks.

But I do know that the ones responsible for getting the power back on have been prepositioning to be able to get the power back on, and you get the power back on have been prestaging crews from multiple states all over the United States, as well, to be able to move in quickly and try to do what they can to get the power back on. To restore the power, you solve a large portion of the problems that are typically seen after a disaster.

BERMAN: That's exactly right. And I think the expectations need to be set different for this storm than Hurricane Florence just a few weeks ago. That was a storm surge and a flooding event. This is a wind -- largely a wind event for the storm surge hit, and that could bring limbs down. You can see millions of people without power for some time. Isn't that true?

LONG: That is true. Absolutely. That's why we asked people to --

BERMAN: I know you're intending --

LONG: -- prepare, get serious.

BERMAN: And hopefully, they've been paying attention, although this storm got much stronger very quickly. I think a lot of people weren't even paying attention to it four or five days ago. They had to take action very quickly.

I know you plan to meet with the president later today. What do you intend to tell him?

LONG: Well, we -- I've been speaking with the president regularly. I briefed him and Secretary Nielsen yesterday and will continue to do so. He largely -- his message to me is protect people. Do what you can to help people.

And proactively, we approved a -- the president approved a pre- disaster emergency for the state of Florida to free up all resources so that we can bring the full firepower of the federal government down. So we're ready to go, and he continues to remain very engaged.

BERMAN: All right. FEMA administrator Brock Long, thanks so much for being with us. We'll let you get back to work. You have a lot of work left to do over the next 24 to 48 hours. We appreciate it.

LONG: Thank you. Be safe.

BERMAN: Alisyn, again -- thank you, we're going to try. Alisyn, we heard from Brock Long right there. But I think one of the most extraordinary things was that tweet we read out loud from Florida Governor Rick Scott, who we are going to speak to later this hour, who says, "The time to evacuate has come and gone. Take refuge immediately." A stern warning from the Florida governor.

CAMEROTA: I always find those warnings chilling when you realize that the window of opportunity is over, the bridges are closed, and first responders can no longer come out and get you. And then, you know, even if you have second thoughts, it's too late. And so that's why we do what we do --

BERMAN: Right.

CAMEROTA: -- and try to cover it before the -- before it makes landfall to sound the alarm for everybody to get out.

But John, I'm so struck when you talked to Brock Long about how their hands have been full for the last two years. I mean, between Hurricane Harvey that we covered in Houston; between Irma, between of course, Hurricane Maria and the devastation that it brought to Puerto Rico. As you know, Hurricane Florence just a couple of weeks ago. I mean, they just have not been able to get a break with these hurricanes being worse than what we've seen in the past, being more catastrophic. They just -- I mean, I think that he said something like he has 3,000 people deployed. They'll need every one of those.

BERMAN: That's right. I mean, this is going to be such a big wind event with the limbs coming down. And as we said, the temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico about two degrees higher than normal, which leads to that intensification, which does contribute to the storm getting much, much stronger.

And one of the things the scientists have said is that the storms are more powerful because of the warming waters. It's something to watch. It's something to be concerned about, long-term. The immediate concern is this storm, which is just hours away from making landfall. It's going to get very bad very quickly.

We're going to speak to more local officials. Our special live coverage of Hurricane Michael continues after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:19:00] BERMAN: I'm John Berman, live in Panama City Beach, Florida. You can see the rain falling, the outer bands of Hurricane Michael passing over. The wind has just picked up a little bit. That rain is starting to sting a little bit when it hits your face.

The center of the storm expected to pass over Panama City Beach a few hours from now. The most powerful storm ever to hit the Florida Panhandle, a Category 4 storm. But when it hits the coast, it won't be finished. It is headed inland. It will pass over Tallahassee and into Georgia, still as a very powerful hurricane.

And joining me now is the mayor of Tallahassee, Andrew Gillum.

Mr. Mayor, thank you so much for joining us. When you woke up to the news -- that's assuming you got any sleep, but when you heard the news this morning that this has become a Category 4 storm, your reaction?

MAYOR ANDREW GILLUM, TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA: Yes, I mean, it was extremely sobering for a lot of us. Obviously, my community over the last 3 1/2 years is actually far too practice at some of these storms. We went 30 years without so much as a real thunderstorm, let alone Hurricane Hermine followed by Irma. And now we're dealing with the potential impact of -- of the impending impact of Michael.

What we're trying to communicate right now to our folks is, "You made your decision. It's time to hunker down and ride out this storm." We are confident that we're going to be able to recover as a community, but people have to make the decisions right now to keep themselves and their families as safe as they possibly can.

This will be the strongest storm we've seen in our area in over a century. That's not to be taken lightly, considering that we're a city that has such significant tree cover. Those trees will come down, and we want to make sure that people are safe.

BERMAN: Those beautiful oak canopies. In normal times, they're so pretty to look at. In a situation like this, they can be so very, very dangerous.

Again, Tallahassee about 100 miles -- about 100-mile drive from where I am on the coast, but could still hit as a very powerful hurricane. The governor of Florida, Rick Scott, just issued a warning, saying the time to evacuate is over; take refuge immediately.

Do you agree with that warning?

GILLUM: Yes, I agree. And we're echoing the same message here in our own community. Now Tallahassee, obviously, because we are one of the larger metropolitan areas, nearest to many of the evacuated areas, we're also now taking in a number of people who have come from the coast.

Obviously, we're going to do the best we can to accommodate them that are here. And then for those in our community, if you're living in an area that is heavily treed, and you're not so certain about your safety and security, please find the safest space that you can in your home.

This will be a day-long event. We expect for hurricane-former winds, certainly tropical-storm-form winds to begin to enter our area around 8 a.m. That will continue over the duration of the day. And we don't want people to -- just because these things come in bands, to decide that it's all, you know, clear and then leave their homes.

Do not leave your homes. Don't leave your safety until you've been given notice by your local government. And unfortunately, there will be too many downed trees and power lines. We're going to have to clear those before people take to the streets.

Our first response is going to be the safety and security and life- saving mission following the passage of the storm.

BERMAN: And what do people know along those lines? What do people need to know about first responders? How long will they be able to operate under these conditions?

GILLUM: Yes, so first responders, we have tried to communicate to our citizens that they are their best first responders. Once the winds pick up beyond 35 miles per hour, it is no longer safe to dispatch our first responders. They will have to stand down until the conditions are clear.

Please don't make decisions to get into your car and get on the road and put yourself in a life-compromising incident that then forces us to put our first responders in harm's way.

Our best advice would be to stay in your homes, stay wherever it is that you've chosen to ride out this storm, until you've been given notice. Our first obligation will be to clear streets to hospitals, clear the roads so that we can get our emergency vehicles passage in order to get to folks to save -- to save critical life.

The comforts and convenience will return. Our emphasis right now is insuring that we don't lose any precious life during this storm event.

CAMEROTA: OK. Thank you. As you can see, Mr. Mayor, John Berman's shot has frozen. It's amazing that, actually, technology has worked as well as it has, given the winds and the rain that John has been confronting down there. It's just -- it's going to be very scary.

And I think that you've been sounding the alarm, as have we, but the idea of 145-mile-per-hour winds that are going to be slamming into the Panhandle, you know, I've covered hurricanes with wind gusts of 100, and it's terrifying, and you watch street signs blowing out and glass flying around. And so your message today to all Floridians is what?

GILLUM: Well, it is obviously, take heed to these warnings. We're not -- I know how it goes, because I've watched these storms from the comfort of my own living room before and said, "Oh, well, it won't be that bad." Do not make that calculation. It will be that bad, and it will be worse than what we've experienced in this part of our state in over a century.

Take shelter where you are. Make sure that you check on your neighbors once it is safe. As I said before, we'll get our communities back up and going. We can rebuild homes. We can rebuild buildings and street signs and light poles. What we cannot do is we can't replace a lost life. And therefore, you've got to take this seriously. Keep yourself and your family protected through this storm. And obviously, we'll be in place to get to you as soon as conditions clear.

CAMEROTA: Yes, but who knows when that will be? And we are hearing that there will be outages, power outages, for a very long time.

[07:25:08] Mr. Mayor, mayor of Tallahassee, Andrew Gillum, thank you very much for taking time on this very busy morning to talk to NEW DAY. Stay safe.

GILLUM: Of course. God bless and be safe.

CAMEROTA: Coming up in just minutes, we will have Florida Governor Rick Scott on. He will talk about the -- he'll talk about what he wants for the whole state. But we will also talk to the National Hurricane Center director, Ken Graham. He'll give us an update on the forecast, the timing of all of this. We'll also have Senator Bill Nelson about how Florida is bracing for Hurricane Michael. So a very busy morning here.

Also, a very big name, making a big change; and it could be a window into his plans for 2020. Michael Bloomberg's big decision this morning, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: OK. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is changing parties. He posted a picture on Instagram this morning, telling his followers that he is registering as a Democrat, after spending years as an independent and years as a Republican.

What does any of this mean? Let's discuss with CNN political analyst David Gregory; White House reporter for "The New York Times" and CNN political analyst Julie Hirschfield Davis; and foreign policy analyst and former director of communications for the U.S. mission to the U.N., Jonathan Wachtel.

We were going to talk about Nikki Haley, and we are going to. But then this news broke. So David Gregory, here's Michael Bloomberg's message this morning.

"At key points in U.S. history, one of the two parties has served as a bulwark against those who threaten our Constitution. Two years ago, at the Democratic convention, I warned of those threats. "