Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Idalia Makes Landfall As Cat Three Hurricane, Now At Cat One. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired August 30, 2023 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And they're going to think it's OK to go out but you just have to wait. You have to wait for authorities to assess the conditions on the road and make sure it's OK to get to the other place you may want to get to. And then along the coast itself where the storm surge is still very much a problem, you need to stay hunker down. We still don't even really know some of the damage in those areas. Boris, Rahel, it really will be you know a fascinating perilous few more hours here.

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS ANCHOR: Yes, absolutely. John Berman, live for us there in Tallahassee, thank you. We should say that Hurricane Idalia weakening to a Category One, but it had been as strong as a Category Four. It weakened a bit now to category one. But we know that this is still very early into the storm's path as it moves now into Georgia. We continue to watch of course Hurricane Idalia as it makes its way across Florida and into South Georgia.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, we have a live look at Tybee Island, Georgia. There, a lot of rain headed that way. A lot of wind activity. Tornadic activity as well. The latest on this dangerous storm, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:35:42]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you see how it's like OK, it's doable right now. Any second now it could get -- it can explode and kind of take your breath away. Here we go. It's coming back here.

Yes. Lie down. Yes, you feel it too. Even under here, I mean in sideways. Here we go. When you have been in this situation before, you got to laugh, right? But -- wow. And that's like --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Yes, sometimes all you can do is laugh and then duck for cover. That was from our affiliate WFTS in Pinellas County earlier this morning. The wind is so powerful. That reporter was trying to stand up and you saw it toward the end there, he was getting blown away. SOLOMON: Yes, he gave it his best effort.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

SOLOMON: I mean you could tell he was really trying to sort of stand firm there but ultimately sort of gave way with the winds. It gives you a sense of how strong the winds are. Let's get back to John Berman, our colleague in Tallahassee.

John, you know, when we saw Derek Van Dam earlier in Tampa, he was saying that between the heavy rain and the wind, it sort of felt like it was like stinging his face. I mean, tell us more about sort of how it feels where you are and what conditions are like where you are in Tallahassee.

BERMAN: Feels wet. Feels very, very wet, where I am. It's been raining steadily you know for five, six hours right now. Heavily for much of that time.

You can see little streams of water flowing down the roadways here. We haven't had a chance to get out and have a look around. Brian Todd has spoken to emergency management officials here who do say there's a lot of tree damage in the area. Trees down. Some roads, impassable.

There are a lot -- there's a lot of freshwater flooding in this part of Florida. The rivers and streams flowing over their banks in some cases and flowing down into the Gulf even as there is a storm surge pushing off from there. So, you could get situations where people are clear from the storm surge and then six, seven even, you know, hours and then maybe even a day later you get freshwater flooding coming down. So, this is going to be just a very trying time for this part of the state for several days.

The rain itself six, four, six, 10 inches in some areas. The hurricane, Hurricane Idalia is now a category one storm. It's over Georgia now. It's moved into Georgia and moving to the Atlantic there.

Right now, the damage it will be causing from the heavy rain and also tree damage. You drive through this part of Florida and then into Georgia, you just see these great big trees everywhere. And as the roofs get inundated with water and the wind does blow, that will be a serious threat if you -- I was here for hurricane Michael, further out in the panhandle, then -- further out in the panhandle.

And after that storm hit, when you went up into the highways to try to get out of the region there were just these great big trees across the highways there. So, tree damage can be a real problem for the -- for the recovery teams to get where they need to go as they move about the state. They are beginning to try to assess some of the damage around here. That's a different situation than along the Gulf Coast. I'm about 20 miles from the water here.

All right, I now understand we have Sheriff Michael Prendergast from Citrus County. Sheriff, if you can hear me, give me the situation in Citrus County. MIKE PRENDERGAST, SHERIFF, CITRUS COUNTY, FLORIDA: So, I can barely hear you because it's pretty loud right now. We're getting some gale- force winds still passing through the county remnants of Hurricane Idalia. I'm standing at the sign where the Plantation Inn is. It's a historic hotel. It's been here since I was a kid.

We're right here at the intersection of southeast U.S. Highway 19. Ford ion trail. Unfortunately, there's water over this roadway. And off to my left here, going down U.S. Highway 19, which is the major North-South thoroughfare from all the way down to South Florida all the way up to really the state line with Georgia.

[11:40:10]

And this road has shut down in major portions of my county right now due to the storm surge that we're seeing. And I was talking with my colonel here, Colonel Vitt, a little bit ago talking about what she saw back in 1993 with a no-name storm, you all saw in 2016 with Hurricane Hermine. And we're seeing flood values increasing to the levels that will probably exceed both of those storms. Ironically, where I'm standing right now could potentially be under six feet of water by the time we get the high tide in about five hours from now.

BERMAN: So, it's going to get worse. Sheriff, if you can hear me, that's incredibly descriptive and helpful I think to a lot of people who may want to try to move around in the next few hours. Where you are standing could be under even more water in the coming hours.

PRENDERGAST: Absolutely. The National Weather Service forecasted anywhere between eight and 11 feet of water where I am standing right now. And we've already seen quite a bit of water intrusion out here.

Some of the major East-West roads along our coastal area are completely shut down now due to water coming over the roads and making them impassable. Plus, two, we've got some lakes that have been knocked out due to either water intrusion or forced into lightning strikes that are moving all across our community right now. We've already had three tornado watches here in Citrus County since early this morning.

So, we've got a long, long way ahead of us. Many hours of frustration, of course dealing with storm surge and the aftereffects of this storm. And we're going to be out here for a long time today, well into the darkness tonight and again tomorrow morning as we try to affect some recoveries.

And unfortunately, just about a mile and a half from here up the highway, I ran into a gentleman who was on duty at one of our local gas stations. And he got a phone call from his friends that he had three foot of water in his house. And we're going to get more reports like that throughout the rest of the day.

BERMAN: I expect you will get more reports like that through the rest of the day. So where you are, you're talking about this inundation of water now -- I mean you could get 10 feet or more you're saying. That, I imagined a storm surge, right? The flooding that you're seeing is still the effect of the storm surge. What are you getting in terms of freshwater, rivers, and streams?

PRENDERGAST: Well, the irony of this is we're along the Gulf Coast on the Gulf of Mexico, OK, right up against the Gulf. And we have seven rivers in our county. A lot of them are very beautiful. Lots of great things to do when the normal -- the normal tides come and go.

These rivers are great. They're fun to swim in. And folks come to scallop and enjoy all the recreational activities over here.

This is very dirty water. This is water that is washed up from the Gulf of Mexico has taken the water from our rivers, our base, it's pushed it off from our springs out here now. It's intermingled with other kinds of debris from the highways and a lot of things that you just don't want to be walking around in right now. So, it's very dirty and dangerous water to be in.

BERMAN: What's your message to the people, you know, not just in Citrus County, but the other counties along the coast right now? What's your message to them if they're at home lucky enough to have the power to be watching this?

PRENDERGAST: Well, here's the thing that I -- my message is. The worst of the storm is not over for any of us along the west coast of the state of Florida. While the hurricane made landfall, several hours go up to our north, its effects are going to continue to play out north of us for a long time to come.

But this storm surge is going to be a continuing event well into the hours of darkness tonight. So, please don't venture out into it. We've got downed power lines. As I said earlier, we've had three tornado warnings and we've had loads of other challenges across our community.

And the other thing I'll tell you is if they're storm water out here that you see that is surged into our major roads or even our side streets in places like Crystal River, down the road in Homosassa or down further in Chassahowitzka down near our county line, don't get out on that water because it is salt water mixed in with a lot of other things. And it's going to destroy your vehicles. And then it's going to give you a costly repair bill whenever you get past the storm and you try to figure out what's going to be the next move for you.

BERMAN: These are such important warnings, Sheriff, and I hope people are listening to them. And you are going to have to deal with property damage and infrastructure issues for some time not just for several hours. Up until this point, have you heard of any deaths or injuries or people who are stranded?

All right, I do just think I did lose the sheriff from Citrus County. But he gave such helpful information, such helpful information to people who are thinking about trying to get out and move around soon.

[11:45:05]

He's on Highway 19, which I was on overnight, which is such an important thoroughfare all the way up the coast into Georgia itself. He says there are parts of that that are impassable. He also says some of the East-West roads that take you out to the towns along the Gulf Coast, they are impassable. Water up over them in some places.

And the sheriff, it is his understanding and he is telling people it is going to get even worse potentially over the next several hours. And it's dirty water, it is water from the Gulf that's pushed into these beautiful rivers and streams and inundated them and it's a very dangerous situation. People really need to be careful over the next few hours even as the skies do brighten.

And as the storm itself is now over Georgia, Hurricane Idalia is now a category one storm moving over Georgia, a threat for tree damage, freshwater flooding, and rain. But the storm surge issues along the Gulf Coast 20 miles south of where I am, still a very big problem, Boris, Rahel, and could get even worse.

SOLOMON: Yes, John, there was so much information in that interview. Notable that he said that that all of that water, that dirty water, not just dangerous as you say, John, but also could create property damage if in fact, you drive through that.

SANCHEZ: Absolutely.

SOLOMON: Making the point, don't venture out. The worst is not over just yet. John Berman, live for us in Tallahassee. John, will check back with you in just a moment. Thank you, John.

SANCHEZ: Still to come. We are monitoring the latest on Hurricane Idalia's path and how much a super moon will intensify the storm's impact. Some bad timing compounding the issues folks are facing. We're back in just moments. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:51:05]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. As we continue to follow Hurricane Idalia, we have just learned some really sad news.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

SOLOMON: We are learning that two people have been killed in weather- related car accidents. As we understand this has happened in the Gainesville area. We've been following Hurricane Idalia all morning long. Again, this news just coming into us that two people have been killed in weather-related car accidents.

SANCHEZ: Notably, Gainesville is not near the coast. It's Central Florida. And so, it gives you an idea of just how far-reaching the impacts of this storm are.

SOLOMON: Yes.

SANCHEZ: One that has a very broad impact across the southeast. SOLOMON: Absolutely. We will continue to follow that, of course. But also, some parts of the Tampa area are seeing water recede but officials are warning the water is going to rise again in the next hour. Reporter Trevor Pettiford from our affiliate Bay News Nine is in Gulfport.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TREVOR PETTIFORD, BAY NEWS NINE REPORTER: Yes. Actually, we've been seeing things improve here along Beach Boulevard here. This is the main thoroughfare that takes you into Gulfport.

When we last saw you, we saw water -- we were walking in water here. The water has since receded back some. We've lost a good six inches of that much.

But that's not to say the worst isn't over with yet because we're still expecting the high, tide that king tide can come in about 12:20 this afternoon. That's according to public information officers that I've talked here with the city of Gulfport. And they're expecting this water to rise three feet before it's all said and done.

Which means this whole area that I'm walking in now is expected to be covered by water. We've talked to some of the residents here. Now, we're also talking to members of the community emergency response team.

With me is Linda Craig. She's one of the people here in Gulfport. Just tell me what you're seeing what you're telling people and what you're seeing people doing right now.

LINDA CRAIG, COMMUNITY EMERGENCE RESPONSE TEAM: Well, right now, we're just trying to get out the word to keep people out of the water.

PETTIFORD: Yes.

CRAIG: As you can see, there's snakes and ants in their sewage that backs up in the water and it's just not safe. It's very dangerous for people. So, if you don't have to come out and you don't have property you need to take a look at or something, just try and stay home. Not get out. You know we have first responders and people that are out there and they risked their lives to come out and do this.

PETTIFORD: Right.

CRAIG: So, we just want people to stay safe and stay at home right now. The majority of the waterfront on Shore Boulevard is underwater.

PETTIFORD: Yes.

CRAIG: So, we're trying to keep people from the waterfront.

PETTIFORD: Yes. And we know right there that Maddie was open for a brief time but police ended up closing them there.

CRAIG: Right. PETTIFORD: But all the other businesses are closed. Are you hearing any power outages in the area or are you --

CRAIG: Not anything that's been available to us at this point, No.

PETTIFORD: OK.

CRAIG: Yes. So --

PETTIFORD: OK. Well, thank you out there.

CRAIG: We've been doing good.

PETTIFORD: Well, that's good to hear. Thank you out here for doing your work.

CRAIG: Thank you, Trevor.

PETTIFORD: Thank you very much.

CRAIG: Thank you. Thank you.

PETTIFORD: Now, we're also keeping a monitor on the situation here as far as where -- how far this water will go up. I'm staying in touch with officials here at the city of Gulfport. They're monitoring the situation.

They've been blocking off roads around here all day long. And like I said, although we're seeing the water recede here, at this point, we've seen it go down about five inches or so. We're expecting the high tide to come in about 12:20 and we're expecting to see a surge of at least three feet here. That's according to Gulfport City officials.

So, we're going to keep an eye on that. And as soon as we get more information, we'll of course bring it to you. We're now re-live in Gulfport. I'm Trevor Pettiford --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Our thanks to Trevor for that report. And it's just another indication that even though the storm has moved on to Georgia, there are still a lot of dangers lurking. Whether it's power lines or storm surge or high tide that is yet to fully develop, it is a troubling position that a lot of people are in.

SOLOMON: Yes. And we want to show you and go back to this video because I think it just sort of really illustrates how brutal and powerful this storm was. So, this is in Keaton Beach in Perry, close to where -- actually exactly where Idalia made landfall a few hours ago at 7:45 this morning.

You see the roof of this home was just completely torn off. You can see inside of this home. You can see the mattress there against the door. You can see the bedroom there. We have seen flooding come up to the porch. And you take a look at this video and you see the trees there, just sort of whipping in the wind, just really gives you a sense at some points how powerful and honestly vicious the storm was.

[11:55:14]

SANCHEZ: Yes, absolutely. And as we've heard from key officials all morning, including Senator Marco Rubio, and Governor Ron DeSantis, this is the kind of storm that will change the landscape. As we look at another impressive video, the powerful winds knocking over the overhang area of a gas station. This is in Perry, Florida.

This wasn't even an area that saw the strongest winds. The wind gusts reported at the airport there, hovering around 85 miles an hour. Remember, Idalia hit the Big Bend area of Florida as a category three, nearly 125 miles an hour. Very strong wind. Very powerful storm surge. Clearly, the Carolinas and Georgia, those areas have to hunker down because we've already seen the kind of damage this storm can create.

SOLOMON: Absolutely. And thank you for joining us today. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "INSIDE POLITICS" is coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)