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St. Lucie County Hit by Three Tornadoes in Less Than 25 Minutes; Biden Speaks on Impacts of Hurricane Milton; At Least Five People Killed in St. Lucie County Tornadoes; Just Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired October 10, 2024 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:09]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Thanks so much for joining us this afternoon on CNN News Central. I'm Boris Sanchez, coming to you live from Treasure Island, Florida, a state that's been badly battered by Hurricane Milton.

I'm joined live by my colleague, Brianna Keilar, who is in the nation's capital for us. And in just moments, we are expecting to hear from President Joe Biden, who will give us an update not only on the devastation from Hurricane Milton, but also on the recovery and what could be a long recovery ahead for residents here.

I actually want to show you some of the first images that we're getting from the barrier islands along the Gulf coast, including Anna Maria Island. These were the areas where there was the most concern about storm surge and flooding. Hurricane Milton was prognosticated to have up to 15 foot storm surge in some areas. Here where we are in Treasure Island, fortunately, I can report that that came in significantly lower than expected. Much of the damage that you see behind me is actually from Hurricane Helene from about two weeks ago, and yet there is still significant damage in the area. We are watching law enforcement help coordinate as residents get back to their homes and back to their businesses. Just across the street from us, we were watching business owners clearing out some shutters and trying to get back in as the process of rebuilding begins.

The expanse of the damage from Hurricane Milton is notable given that even before the storm made landfall on the western coast of Florida, we were seeing deadly tornadoes on the southeast coast, specifically in Port St. Lucie. In St. Lucie County, there are at least five people confirmed dead there. We have a reporter who is on the way, Brian Todd, who reported in the last hour that this was a devastating situation. We'll, of course, bring you details on that as we get it.

Meantime, as the recovery from Hurricane Milton begins, we are continuing to watch rescue operations that, as we've heard from officials, are still ongoing in some areas. This hurricane brought with it an enormous amount of rainfall. We're talking about upwards of a foot of rainfall in the span of a day. I actually want to take you straight to President Biden now, who is making remarks on Milton.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... the west coast of Florida, brought hurricane winds, heavy rains, including 10 to 20 inches of rain in the Tampa area overnight.

Storm surge measurements are still being taken, but 38 tornadoes ripped through 13 counties. Four deaths are reported thus far. It's too early to know the full account of the damage, though. But we know lifesaving measures did make a difference.

More than 80,000 people followed orders to safety shelter last night. And we have had search-and-rescue teams at the ready for any calls for help this morning. There are still very dangerous conditions in the state, and people should wait to be given the all-clear by the leaders before they go out.

We know from previous hurricanes that it's often the case that more lives are lost in the days following the storm than actually during the storm itself. Vice President Harris and I have been in constant contact with the state and local officials. And we're offering everything they need. I must have spoken to somewhere between 10 and 15 mayors and county executives and all the governors.

And, in fact, starting this morning, we are getting direct assessments from the storm from FEMA Director Criswell as well, also Florida Governor DeSantis, whom I had a chance to speak.

And the Vice President and I have just convened a meeting this morning with the leaders of the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, including NORTHCOM commander, who has responsibility for providing defense support to civilian authorities, and that apparently is going very well, as well as from the Coast Guard and from FEMA, we have received reports.

[14:05:06]

We're focused on what the American military can do like no one else can, provide emergency support for communities in need, and we're required by the governor and the federal -- and required by the governor in the affected states. I have spoken to all the governors, not today all of them, but I have spoken to all of them thus far, and how we can be ready to go in an instant when the call comes.

At my direction, the Defense Secretary Austin has provided a range of capabilities both to Florida for Hurricane Milton, as well as the states impacted by Hurricane Helene. And the more capabilities that are available, we assess the pressing needs, we can get whatever they need.

To the service men and women who are on the ground responding to these disasters, thank you. Thank you for your professionalism, your dedication to every mission you're given. And you're repeating it again. This is a whole-of-government effort. It also includes the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is providing mortgage relief for impacted homeowners.

As directed, FEMA is going to open disaster recovery centers all across the impacted communities right away, so there's one stop the residents can go to learn about the support they might need, and that -- it will be advertised where those places are.

Three million people are without power, but more than 40 million power line workers have come from around the country, from Canada to Florida, to restore power across the state. In addition, the Federal Aviation has authorized Florida Power & Light to fly large drones before other manned aircraft can get up in the sky to quickly assess the damage on the ground, so ground crews can restore power as quickly as possible.

The Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers are assessing how fast they can reopen the Port of Tampa to get fuel, food, water, and other basic goods flowing into the area again, and quickly.

Additionally, Vice President Harris and I said yesterday, and we will say it again, to anyone who seeks to take advantage of our fellow Americans' desperation, whether you're a company engaging in price gouging or a citizen trying to scam your neighbors, we will go after you and we will hold you accountable.

Now, not only that. Our fellow Americans are putting their lives on the line to do this dangerous work and received death penalties -- some received death penalties yesterday as a result of recklessly responsible and relentless disinformation. And outright lies have continued to flow.

Those who engage in such lies are undermining confidence in the rescue and recovery work that's opening and ongoing. As I speak, they're continuing. These lies are also harmful to those who most need help. Lives are on the line. People are in desperate situations. Have the decency to tell them the truth.

So, let me say this. To all the people impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, despite the misinformation and lies, the truth is, we're providing the resources needed to rescue, recover, and rebuild, and rebuild.

Let me close with this. I know recovery and rebuilding project can take a long and difficult time. But as long after the press and the cameras move on, I promise you, you have to pick up the pieces still, and I want you to know we will do everything in our power to help you put pieces back together and get all that you need.

May God bless you and may God bless our troops and our first responders, who are in many -- in some cases risking their lives to help. Thank you very much. I will be reporting again tomorrow. Thank you.

QUESTION: Mr. President, on FEMA funding, how much time does Congress have to act before FEMA or the SBA run out of money?

BIDEN: That's in discussion now. And I don't want to give you -- mislead you. I think, in terms of the SBA, it's pretty right at the edge right now. And I think the Congress should be coming back and moving on emergency needs immediately. And they're going to have to come back after the election as well, because this is going to be a long haul for total rebuilding.

It's going to take several billion dollars. It's not going to be a matter of just a little bit. But we're fighting now to make sure people have the emergency relief they need, the dollars just to be able to get a prescription filled, to get baby formula done, all of the -- that $750 as we're talking about, that Mr. Trump and every -- all those other people know, it's a lie to suggest that's all they're going to get.

That's bizarre. It's bizarre. They got to stop this. I mean, they are being so damn un-American with the way they're talking about this stuff. But there's going to be a need for significant amounts of money. We're already under way at trying to calculate what the costs will be, because you don't want to mislead anybody.

[14:10:01]

We want to make sure all the costs are able to be covered.

QUESTION: Have you spoken to Speaker Johnson about coming back before the election to vote?

BIDEN: No, I haven't.

QUESTION: Mr. President, are you calling on Congress to come back early?

BIDEN: I think Congress should move as rapidly as they can, particularly on the most immediate need, which is small business.

QUESTION: Mr. President, the Vice President said yesterday that FEMA has what it needs, there's enough resources, they don't need -- the Congress does not need to come back right --

(CROSSTALK)

BIDEN: FEMA has what it needs. That's different than SBA.

QUESTION: OK. So SBA -- they need to come back for the SBA?

BIDEN: Yeah, but they're going to need a lot more.

QUESTION: Mr. President, what did you -- what did Prime Minister Netanyahu tell you about his plans relating to retaliation?

BIDEN: He's coming over to help with the storm.

QUESTION: Mr. President, have you spoken with former President Trump at all -- BIDEN: Are you kidding me?

QUESTION: -- about misinformation?

BIDEN: Mr. President Trump, former President Trump, get a life, man. Help these people.

QUESTION: Will you hold him accountable? You said you were going to hold those accountable --

BIDEN: The public will hold him accountable. And you better, the press, hold him accountable, because you know the truth.

QUESTION: Will you be planning to speak with former President Trump?

BIDEN: No.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: We have been listening to President Joe Biden live at the White House. It's hard to make out what he just said. We've been listening to President Joe Biden live at the White House, answering questions from reporters and giving an update on the federal response to Hurricane Milton.

A number of specific lines stood out. First, President Biden saying, quote, "we will do everything we can to help you pick up the pieces in reference to folks who have lost everything here in the Sunshine State." The President talked about everything the federal government is doing to facilitate the work of helping residents get back on their feet and coordinating with local officials and state officials as well.

He talked about speaking with Governor Ron DeSantis of the state, the FEMA administrator as well, Dan Criswell. Also, President Biden called for Congress to come back as soon as possible, he said, to help allocate funds not only to FEMA but also to the small business administration. Though the president said he had not spoken to House Speaker Mike Johnson.

He was asked if he spoke to former President Donald Trump. The President there talking extensively about what he sees as disinformation and false claims that have been made by the former President about the federal response specifically to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and Georgia and other southeastern states. The President there in response to Trump saying, quote, "get a life, man. Help these people.:

I want to get reaction now from Florida's Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez, who we spoke to yesterday, who's obviously been tracking the storm closely. First, Lieutenant Governor, I just want to ask for your response to what you heard there from President Biden, both about his coordination with local officials and some of the political stuff between him and the former President over disinformation.

JEANETTE NUNEZ, FLORIDA'S LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: Well, certainly, as I said yesterday, the governor has been very focused on making sure we have all the things we need from the federal government, Helene, and then now, of course, Milton. So we've been working very closely with our FEMA director. And the Governor has not been able -- he has not lacked for anything from the federal government.

And so as it relates to some of those comments, again, I think we need to focus on recovery, leave our personal feelings about individual candidates, the former President as well. I don't think there needs to be a time to have that sort of rancor. What we need to focus on is getting Floridians the relief that they deserve and that they need right now.

SANCHEZ: And also accounting for those folks that may have fared worse during Hurricane Milton. Lieutenant Governor, I just got an update moments ago that you now have eight confirmed dead as a result of the hurricane. We know at least five of those were in St. Lucie County as a result of tornadoes there.

Do you have any other information you can offer on the three others that were killed?

NUNEZ: No, I don't have additional information on that. What I will say is that those five that you referenced due to the tornadoes, those have been confirmed. We expect, as the day wanes on, as we continue to get into that rebuilding and recovery process, we may see additional fatalities above and beyond that because as we know, a lot of the fatalities occur post-storm, people driving through flooded streets, people using generators inside their home. And so that's sort of been our focus now on messaging, making sure people understand the hazards that exist when they begin that process of recovery, rebuilding. So we want to make sure people are mindful of that.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, there are all kinds of hazards out there that could create issues quickly. Lieutenant Governor, before we let you go, I'm just curious, obviously, you're in the initial stages of serving the damage, but which areas would you say you are most concerned about? Are there any areas that are currently inaccessible for rescue crews?

NUNEZ: Well, as you know, we started conducting search and rescue early in the midnight hours.

[14:15:07]

It is my understanding that that has all been done. There may be some additional rescue operations. But at this point, we're feeling good about that. But now, we have to, of course, get law enforcement and FDOT or Department of Transportation to start clearing roads, making sure that streets, if they're impenetrable, if they're impossible, that they can opened those up, inspecting bridges, inspecting streets. And so we'll have a long haul ahead of us. But we're confident, given all the resources and all the personnel that the governor has staged, that we'll be able to get through that pretty quickly.

I will say, of course, the area of direct impact, the Sarasota area. And the west coast, had some significant flooding and damage, hurricane winds, hurricane force winds. And then, of course, on the east coast, we're going to continue to monitor because even the St. Johns River, they're concerned with increased flooding with that river. So we'll be monitoring that for the next 24 hours, 48 hours. So the impact -- although Milton is gone, the impact is far from (inaudible).

SANCHEZ: Yeah, no question about that. And, Lieutenant Governor, if there's anything we can do to help expedite the process of recovery, any message you want put out there, please let us know. Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez of Florida, thank you so much for joining us.

NUNEZ: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: As we've been reporting throughout the day, the damage from Hurricane Milton is being felt all across the state of Florida as you just heard with those confirmed fatalities on the southeastern part of the state even before Hurricane Milton made landfall on the western coast. I want to go live now further south on the western coast to Carlos Suarez, who is in Fort Myers for us.

Carlos, I understand there were some rescue operations underway there earlier. What can you tell us about what you're seeing now and where things stand?

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Boris. So we are now on Fort Myers beach at the town here just reopened to residents a few hours ago. And there is a long line of cars of residents trying to get back onto the barrier island.

We sat in traffic for about an hour at the foot of the bridge that connects the barrier island and the mainland because that's where law enforcement is checking for identification so that only residents are the ones that are able to get onto Fort Myers beach. We'll walk a little bit here so you can see some of the damage that we have encountered in our time here. I'll point out that a lot of this was destroyed by Hurricane Ian two years ago. And so some of this really has not been touched since. But as you can imagine, yesterday's five and a half, almost six foot storm surge only added to some of the damages and the destruction, the misery out here.

What's happening right now is a lot of these construction crews are trying to remove some of this debris. There is a line of dump trucks that line -- Estero Boulevard, which is kind of the main boulevard that connects Fort Myers beach that heads north and south. And what they're doing is they're placing all of this sand, all of this debris onto these dump trucks in an effort just to clear some of the roads out here.

This here was redone after Hurricane Ian. And now look -- what it looks like now. Again, yesterday, we were talking about a storm surge of about five and a half to about six feet. Now, the forecast originally was calling for about 8 feet to 12 feet of a storm surge. So that number was well under what the forecast was. And that is to the relief of a lot of folks that we talked to who said, look, we thought this was going to be a whole lot worse during Hurricane Ian, Boris. The storm surge out here was 15 feet, so you can imagine the concern that folks had with that being the case this time around. Luckily, we're talking about five and a half, maybe six feet. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Yeah. For those that were spared the worst of Hurricane Milton, there is a sense of relief, no doubt. Carlos Suarez, live for us in Fort Myers beach, thank you so much for that update.

We're going to take a quick break. Stay with CNN News Central. We're going to bring you the latest from Florida when we come back.

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[14:28:50]

KEILAR: The head of the National Hurricane center says the deadly tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton were supercharged. More than 100 tornado warnings were issued. Four people died in tornadoes ahead of the hurricane in St. Lucie County in Florida, according to officials there.

And climate experts say, Hurricane Milton and other storms are getting even stronger because they are drawing power from the record warm waters in the Gulf, all part of climate change. Joining us now is climate scientist Michael Mann. He is the author of Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth's Past Can Help Us Survive The Climate Crisis. He's also a presidential distinguished professor of earth and environmental science. Michael, thanks for being with us. Tell us, you know, we see the succession of these two storms, Helene, then Milton. We see these tornadoes in a very rare number, unprecedented. How are you seeing climate change in this moment?

MICHAEL MANN, CLIMATE SCIENTIST: Yeah. Thanks, Brianna. It's good to be with you. And there's no question. We're seeing it in so many different ways, right? With Helene, the unprecedented flooding that we saw in the Appalachians over a large part of the southeastern U.S., that was amped up by climate change.

[14:25:03]

Warmer oceans means that there's more evaporation of water into -- moisture in the atmosphere. And that moisture, the condensation of that moisture, is actually what gives off what we call latent heating. It's the energy that actually intensifies these storms. So there's more evaporation of moisture into the atmosphere that provides more energy to intensify these storms. But it also means that there is more moisture within those storms that can be turned into flooding rains. And that's what we saw with Helene.

Now, with Milton, of course, we saw a dramatic storm surge because the more, you know, the stronger those winds. And this was a very large storm. So when you have extremely strong winds extending over a large area and built up over several days, it may have only struck the western coast of Florida as a Cat 3 hurricane, but it was spinning as an extremely strong Cat 5 storm for a number of days. And that means that it built up a very large storm surge. That storm surge was sort of baked in even days before. Now, fortunately, it didn't make landfall in such a way as to flood Tampa Bay. There was only about a six-foot storm surge there. But we've heard reports of 12, 13, 14-foot storm surge further south in Sarasota, a devastating storm surge.

And it all comes down to this. More heat from the ocean, stronger storms, bigger storm surge, more flooding rains. And that's what we're seeing this fall.

KEILAR: So Michael, insurance companies are leaving these areas, right? They're looking at this. And insurance prices, if you can ensure your home, are going up. What does that pretend for how we approach rebuilding these communities as a country?

MANN: Yeah, you know, it's interesting. It's something that I saw down in 2020. I was down in Australia doing a sabbatical when they experienced what they -- they now call the black summer, this summer of unprecedented heat and drought and wildfires unlike anything they had seen before. And one of the things that happened, there are large areas now in Australia that aren't insurable anymore because they're just too fire prone. Insurers don't want to insure them. It's not a good bet for them. And I said at the time, and it applied to Australia, that the first stage to uninhabitability is uninsurability. If you can't insure a home in a region, you're not going to want to live there.

And we're seeing the same thing now on our coasts here with these battering storms, one after the next. Insurers are going to pull out because it simply isn't, you know, it's too much of a risk for them. You know, it's not a good bet for them to insure these homes. And again, the first stage to uninhabitability is uninsurability. And that's what we're seeing now along our coasts here in the United States.

KEILAR: Yeah. And we look at this damage and we see why. Michael Mann, always great to have your input. Thank you so much.

MANN: Thank you.

KEILAR: So next, we'll have a live look for the first time from St. Lucie County, where at least five people have died after a swarm of tornadoes there.

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