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Don Lemon Tonight

Harvey Will Make Second Landfall. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired August 30, 2017 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:19] DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Here's our breaking news. Tropical Storm Harvey threatens a second landfall in a matter of hours in a region already inundated with life-threatening floods. A curfew in Houston just an hour away.

This is CNN TONIGHT. I'm Don Lemon.

Ten thousand people are in shelters tonight in Houston but the devastation of this storm is far from over. Harvey could dump an additional 15 inches of rain on Louisiana and Texas, bringing more catastrophic flooding before making landfall again in the next few hours somewhere along the Texas-Louisiana border.

CNN's Paul Vercammen, live for us in Houston along the interstate. Paul -- you're first up tonight with this -- first up at this hour.

I understand that you're with volunteer rescue organizers. What's going on?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, just as we speak right now, Don, I'm actually standing on Interstate 10, and we will call them the Texas armada. These are volunteers. They've all come together because they've heard that there are people down in this neighborhood.

This is Green's Bayou. And they understand now that it is flooded out. And (inaudible) Rodriguez is one of the men who organized this.

So you're going to go ahead and once again as you've done all -- it seems like a week almost now -- jump right into the middle of this and try to get in there and rescue folks.

PAUL RODRIGUEZ, VOLUNTEER RESCUE: That's what I'm trying to do is just rescue whoever's out here. I mean I haven't had a chance to rest the way I want to rest. But you know what? When I was in my neighborhood which is North Green River and Mesa, you know, I came with a big rig helping people out on the way. Helped my grandmother and many others that hopped on the truck.

As I was getting people out, I bumped into this man right here with a boat. There's nobody else was out there. There was no fire department, no police department. There was no helicopter. There was nobody there. The water was rising so fast. You know what I'm saying.

God only sent this man and his other buddy. There was only two boats. VERCAMMEN: Let me jump in right now. So Don, if you can get the

sense for it, one man's got a truck. Another man, this is Bubba Bedry (ph), he's got a boat. And I understand, if I'm not mistaken, you've probably rescued within the last 30 hours how many people?

BUBBA BEDRY, VOLUNTEER RESCUE: Three hundred to 400.

VERCAMMEN: 300 to 400. Describe the expressions on some of their faces?

BEDRY: They were crying when they had seen me. I would drive through the neighborhood, they just, people come out crying just wanting help.

VERCAMMEN: How do you feel when you see that somebody is saved?

BEDRY: It's just relief. When this was all going on, I didn't feel nothing. I just felt like I had to get more people out. Just kept going and kept going.

VERCAMMEN: All right -- Bubba. Let me try to explain more of that.

So Don -- right now, as we've been speaking about this, they've organized behind me and they're basically going to launch their entire makeshift flotilla. Many of these people had never met other people in this group before but they started using social media, talking to each other and they found that there's a need to jump in right here.

And yet another one of these volunteers, Tom Vickers -- tell us what your strategy is right now.

TOM VICKERS, VOLUNTEER RESCUE: Right now, we're going to go in and we're going to basically go door to door. We're going to look at see what we can do to help anybody here.

So we're basically -- Paul Rodriguez is going to lead us through here. We're going to see basically everywhere we could go, anybody needs help. We're going to load them on the boat. We're going to bring them back here and get them over to a shelter.

VERCAMMEN: What does it say about you Texans and you know, we lovingly call you the Texas armada, that you got together and you put together this makeshift crew in the blackness here on Interstate 10 at this time of night?

VICKERS: This is what Texans do. We help each other out. We got the call. You got people from all over the state that came down from Dallas, from San Antonio, from all over Houston, everywhere in between coming down here with their boats to help out. That's what we do.

VERCAMMEN: Well, we don't know how this is going to turn out. We hope that there's nobody trapped down there. But we're glad to know that somebody like you, a volunteer and all your friends we can see in this picture frame are more than willing to stay up around the clock and make sure everybody's safe.

I'm going to throw it back to you now -- Don. LEMON: That was great. Tell those guys I said "thank you". That was

amazing. That was amazing -- Paul Vercammen. We really appreciate them. Those are real American heroes right there.

Paul Vercammen -- we'll get back to you.

I want to get to CNN's Martin Savidge, live for us. Martin is in Sugar Land, Texas. Martin -- I see a whole lot of water behind you.

People are having to evacuate with the clothes on their backs and now folks are having to brace for more flooding. Is the flooding over in your area? Are they expecting another round? What are you seeing?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not by a long slot. No. There could be another round of heavy flooding because they anticipate that not until maybe Thursday in this area will the rivers really begin to crest. And they're going to be keeping an eye not just on the rivers but the reservoirs, as well. They've had problems with overflow.

[00:05:02] This community here has about, it's hard to say how many homes in particular. Hundreds -- let's just leave it at that.

River Stone is the name of it. And it is one of those planned communities but the water goes all the way back. I don't know how far you can see the light goes there. But it goes about a mile and a half to the Brazos River. And it is all flooded in the background there.

Now most of the families got out in a similar way I guess to what Paul was showing you there. You had the pros that showed up -- the state and local fire departments and water trained rescue people, but then you had the civilians. Those who just showed up with a boat or high profile truck or some people just got a high lift kind of truck.

They drove in. They floated in. But they went in and they rescued hundreds of families that had become trapped. There was a mandatory evacuation order that had been put in place here but it went in too late. By the time it was in effect, most of the escape routes had been cut off.

So you had a lot of families especially people with young children that were trapped overnight in their homes. The boats were there. The teams ready first thing in the morning and they ran pretty much all day.

The good news is just about everybody is out who wanted to get out. And the rain has stopped. And though there is a long way to go here, the fact that it's not raining is a real bonus to this community.

LEMON: When you said it stopped, I started saying for now. For now. We shall see.

SAVIDGE: Yes.

LEMON: Martin Savidge -- thank you, sir.

I want to get to Katy, Texas now and that's where we find Alex Marquardt, CNN's Alex Marquardt. Alex -- you were with a rescue and came across people who are still choosing to ride out the storm. What are you seeing tonight?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right -- Don.

Well, the big change tonight was just what Marty was talking about. This break in that incredible rain has all but stopped. There is a bit of a light misting right now. But this break is very welcome by everyone here in Houston.

We have been in this west Houston neighborhood the entire day and we have seen boat after boat of people being rescued coming right down here and getting off on this dry ground and heading to the security of shelters or friends and family.

But as you're saying, you're absolutely right. There are a lot of people who are taking the chance to stay back there. There are a number of subdivisions back there. We were back there on several boats this afternoon. We were speaking with people who were telling us they want to stay in their homes until things are absolutely critical.

And you can understand that feeling of wanting to stay in your house. And they're saying they don't want to go anywhere until they see those floodwaters creeping in. It's unclear right now what's going to happen with the level of this floodwater right here.

We've all been talking about these two reservoirs that are in Houston that the Army Corps of Engineers have started releasing waters from. And the closest one to here is called Addicks and that has severely impacted the areas around it including this one.

So I was speaking with an officer from the local fire department earlier who was saying that he's disappointed that a lot of people back there are not taking the chance now to get out when it is relatively safe. If these flood awards rise, it could obviously make things a lot more dangerous.

We were out there this afternoon with two cousins who had come up from Rockport, Texas which, as you know Don, is one of the hardest hit areas after Hurricane Harvey. I was asking these cousins, well what made do you this now especially after your home had just been hit so severely.

One of the cousins was telling me well, our families are ok. Our homes are ok. The worst is passed down there. We wanted to come up and help out especially because they had these boats, these swamp or air boats that frankly are better for navigating the waters.

So on top of these armadas as Paul called them of civilian and volunteer rescuers we've also seen an immense turnout of local authorities -- police, fire, county, the National Guard -- this is really an all hands on deck response to this storm -- Don?

LEMON: All right. Alex -- thank you very much. And it's better. Those boats are flat -- they're shallow and they're flat bottomed boats. It's better if you have a flat bottomed boat out there. You're exactly right.

I want to bring in now -- thank you, Alex -- I want to bring in now Anike Allen (ph). Anike Allen was trapped in her Houston home tonight. And she joins us via phone.

So you're in a one-story home. You have no power. Are you ok? What's going on?

ANIKE ALLEN, HOUSTON RESIDENT: Right now, I'm currently outside because this is the best place to get service on my cell phone. But contrary to I think the subdivision across the street, we're doing ok.

It's difficult at night, of course, because we can't see anything. The water is starting to recede here, but we're very concerned (ph) if it's going to come back or if we'll be able to actually drive out of the subdivision tomorrow.

I think food is becoming a little scarce in our community. So we're looking for ways out so that we can get food and power.

[00:10:01] LEMON: So no power.

ALLEN: No power.

LEMON: And there's still water. You said it's starting to recede but then there's going to be more rain. Your house hasn't been flooded but you say you still can't get out of the neighborhood because the neighborhood is flooded?

ALLEN: Right. We're in Sheldon, which is a small community in northeast Houston. And although the water's receding here, I'm literally looking at the neighborhood across the street. I can see them air-flighting someone out of their home.

So it's water off of what we call CQ Boulevard (ph). It's almost like a lake has formed within the community.

LEMON: You were a college student in New Orleans when Katrina hit and you had to evacuate then.

ALLEN: I was.

LEMON: Do you -- can you compare the two? Are they different storms? Is this one worse?

ALLEN: I don't know if I can say which one is worse, but my perspective is different now. I was able to escape New Orleans although it was the last minute.

And now, I'm trapped inside without power. I don't really know what's going on, on the outside. So I don't -- I'm uncertain. So that's a little bit scary.

I don't know what's going to happen until daybreak versus Katrina, I was able to get out of the city. It took us maybe eight to ten hours to go from New Orleans to Lafayette and we were able to go home. So we were able to be of help in a different light.

We feel a little bit helpless on the inside here in Houston right now.

LEMON: And you have kids, right?

ALLEN: I don't have kids. But I'm with my friend, and he has three young nieces. And they're with us.

LEMON: How are they doing? Are they scared?

ALLEN: The first night the lights went out they were a little bit panicked. They're getting a little weary being in the house. Not, you know, really knowing what's going on. They see the helicopters.

They were actually able to get the neighbor behind us was life lighted today for medical reasons. And so they're wondering are we next? What's going to happen? There's just a lot of uncertainty.

LEMON: Anike, good luck to you, ok. We appreciate you joining us. And keep us updated on what's going on with you.

ALLEN: Thank you -- Don.

LEMON: Thank you very much.

When we come back, more stories from the flood zone as the storm is about to make a second landfall in just a matter of hours.

[00:12:34] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Incredible as this may sound, it's true. Harvey has dumped more than four feet of rain in and around Houston. And it's not done yet.

I want to check in now with CNN meteorologist Karen Maginnis. Hi -- Karen. Karen is down in the CNN Weather Center. This is really just unbelievable -- Karen.

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is.

LEMON: Yes, go on. When is that second landfall, is that happening now? Is that happening soon?

MAGINNIS: It actually is going to take place during the early morning hours, maybe between 5:00 to 7:00 a.m. Local time. But that will be kind of the snowballing of what will happen along this extreme southwestern coast of Louisiana.

Already, Don, in some areas right around Beaumont, Port Arthur, we have seen close to 18 inches. There could be an additional eight to twelve inches once it does sweep through this region that is very low lying, very vulnerable and has really become developed over the years.

But you can see right around Lake Charles -- that's where we've seen kind of that bull's eye of precipitation. But even though the center of Harvey is still offshore, as it crosses land it is going to move and pick up speed.

Houston, I think the good news is that your rainfall for the most part has ended. Yes, you may see a couple of showers here and there. But now it has shifted more so into the Sabine Pass area and moving up towards Shreveport eventually headed up towards the Tennessee River Valley in the next couple of days.

Now it's not going to be a tropical storm intensity but it is going to have that rain shield associated with it. So as we head towards the weekend up towards Memphis and Nashville, eventually Louisville, Don -- it looks like they see the remnants of what has been this horrible Harvey that has just inundated Houston with in some cases almost 50 inches of rainfall.

LEMON: Wow. And I know you said it but just to reiterate. You said the second landfall in the early morning hours, correct? And where do you think it's going to hit? How is it going to do it?

MAGINNIS: It looks like it may be around that Sabine Pass area right along the border between Louisiana and Texas. Beaumont, Port Arthur -- they have really been hit very hard.

There's also going to be between a two and five-foot storm surge they can expect there.

LEMON: Wow.

MAGINNIS: And as you well know, this is a very low lying area. There are lots of oil fields and refineries and that sort of thing in this area and a lot of people living on this beautiful coastline that is very vulnerable. So anything in the way of storm surge and additional eight to twelve inches of rain -- that's devastating for them.

But we have -- in a time where we have seen records set all around Houston and all around that metro area this is just another iteration for Harvey as it -- we couldn't say good-bye to it fast enough. And fortunately, it's going to pick up speed and start to move more quickly.

LEMON: Karen -- I got to ask you because people are always concerned about New Orleans, right. I think -- did New Orleans dodge a bullet? My mom is in Baton Rouge and she said starting to get more rain now -- that was a little bit ago. But I think -- did they dodge a bullet, Baton Rouge and New Orleans?

MAGINNI: I think they're not completely out of it. But I think that the center of this core of precipitation really is much more focused.

Elsewhere, what you're looking at across Louisiana and into Mississippi are just isolated areas. So yes, the rain may be brief and heavy. But it's not going to be lingering like it has been over the last 24 hours in that coastal region of Galveston, Lake Charles, and generally speaking that particular area. Shreveport I think yes, the rainfall is going to be heavy there, as well. [00:20:05] So Harvey still has the capability of producing quite a bit of damage. But Houston has seen the worst but now it shifts over right along that Texas-Louisiana border, that ArkLaTex region, as well.

For New Orleans, it looks like occasional showers expected for them. There is going to be a little bit of a heavy surf. I know we're always concerned about the turbines and the pumps working properly there. But in this particular situation, I think it's more isolated than what we've seen -- that broader perspective.

LEMON: Yes. Fingers crossed. Thank you -- Karen. I appreciate that.

MAGINNIS: Thanks.

Tonight officials in Texas saying that between 9,000 and 10,000 people have been rescued in Houston and its surrounding region.

Back with me now on the phone a second night, Chad Peterek (ph). He came into the flood zone to help with rescues. Thank you for joining us again. How many people do you think you rescued today -- Chad?

CHAD PETEREK, VOLUNTEER RESCUE: Not as many today -- Don. You know, the amount of people that were out on the water today are in the flooded areas was pretty overwhelming which was a great thing, you know, for the cause. But it made for I guess longer trips into areas you know, not finding people as fast which is a great thing.

I would say we probably rescued around 40 to 50 people. We worked the Barker-Cyprus area around Katy, a lot around apartment complexes. It was pretty hectic, pretty busy down there at the end of the Barker- Cyprus road.

Once we kind of felt that there was plenty of help there, we moved around. We actually drove all the way down into Missouri City (ph) and went into the (inaudible) plantation and found a few people left there and helped out there. There were some border agents there and they pretty much had it covered.

So after that, we came back up into Fort Ben County and worked the area around Westheimer Parkway (ph) and Frey road (ph) and there was only a few victims left in there that need to be rescued. And I talked to a couple of firemen. They said the Fort Ben County is pretty well taken care of.

Right now it sounds like we all need to head east. That's where our plan is tomorrow. We're going to give it one more day and you know, more if needed and see what happens.

LEMON: Chad -- looking at this video, I think you shot it on Monday. But you are moving along at a pretty good clip there. This is in -- and you're going through -- this isn't a river you're going through. This is the streets of Corpus Christi, right?

PETEREK: Not Corpus Christi -- that's actually in Katy, I believe. LEMON: That was Katy?

PETEREK: Yes. I'm not too sure which one you have. I'm not seeing it right now. But --

LEMON: It's Monday's video.

PETEREK: But yes, you know, and another thing too right now is also the rivers. I mean even all the way back to the Guadeloupe River in Victoria. You have the Colorado River, San Bernard's and Brazos Rivers that are almost crest or out of banks. And I've been down towards the coast and further east they're going to be in trouble, you know.

We're going to have -- we're going to stick it out. We've got a couple more friends that are coming up in the Corpus Christi area. And we're going to continue to offer aid if needed.

LEMON: So can I ask you, you talked about it a little bit. You touched on it. But can you tell me more? Because you tried to go to a different location today; you were turned away because they already had enough boats. So where are you going to go tomorrow?

PETEREK: We're going to head east of here. I'm actually housed in the Pecan Grove (ph) area which is in Richmond tonight. We're going to work our way to the east and when I say east, probably on I-10.

The thing is a lot of these roads aren't -- you can't drive through them, you know, even on 59. There's some roads that are blocked still with high water. We're going to see where we can make it through and see if there's any need.

Hopefully, we can you know, get through to the areas of where there's people that need us, you know, people that need to be rescued.

LEMON: Chad Peterek -- thank you, sir.

PETEREK: You bet.

LEMON: One of the victims of the devastating flooding is a Houston police officer. Sergeant Steve Perez drowned on his way to work early Sunday morning in the aftermath of this devastating storm. He drove into an underpass and got caught in heavy floodwaters. Houston's police chief offering an emotional tribute to the officer today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ART ACEVEDO, HOUSTON POLICE CHIEF: We called for a dive team. We even used one of our -- what are we calling these people from Louisiana, God bless them -- our Cajun Navy. You know, Our American Cajun Navy.

They helped us look for him. So we couldn't find him. And once our dive team got there, it was too treacherous to go under and look for him. [00:25:06] So we made a decision to leave officers there waiting until the morning because as much as we wanted to recover him last night, we could not put more officers at risk for what we knew in our hearts was going to be a recovery mission.

This morning at 8:00 a.m., the dive team was out there again, which was their number one priority. And within 20 minutes, they found him.

But I'm heartened by two things. Number one, I got to learn that it's a family of faith that has faith in God. And when you have faith, there's hope. There's hope in eternal life and it gives us all collective strength in the Houston Police Department knowing that this family knows as much as they're hurting like our mayor, we say he's always preaching even when it's not Sunday, he preaches every day.

The wife told me she had asked him not to go in. And Steve is one of the sweetest people I've met in this department. I've only been here nine months, ok. We've got 6,500 employees and I knew who Steve Perez was because he was a sweet, gentle, public servant.

And she tells me, I told him not to go to work, really didn't want him to go. His father-in-law who was a Korean War veteran from the Army, combat veteran -- we told him not to go because the conditions were so bad. His response was, "We've got work to do."

And here's a man that didn't spend, you know, 20 minutes and then come back and say I tried. He spent close to two and a half hours because he has that in his DNA. And so I told his wife, let me ask you something, ma'am -- a personal thing. If the Lord was going to take him today, how do you think he would want to go -- laying in bed, watching all the disaster or doing what he's done for 34 years?

And the smile that overcame that woman's face, his beautiful wife, said it all. If it was his turn to go, she said, this is the way he would have wanted to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Officer Perez's colleagues remembering him today. He was a 34-year veteran of the Houston police force.

For ways you can help those affected by Hurricane Harvey, go to CNN.com/impact; CNN.com/impact.

Our breaking news tonight, the storm expected to make landfall a second time along the Texas-Louisiana border. In a matter of hours, the latest from the flood zone.

[00:27:42] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:30:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Our breaking news: Tropical Storm Harvey threatens a second landfall in a matter of hours in East Texas and Western Louisiana. It was 12 years ago today that Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and other parts of my home state. Joining me now on the phone is Colonel Ed Bush, the public affairs officer for the Louisiana National Guard.

Colonel, thank you. We appreciate your service. We thank you for joining us this evening here on CNN or this morning in the Eastern time zone.

Do you think you're ready?

COL. ED BUSH, LOUISIANA NATIONAL GUARD: Well, first of all, thank you for having me on. It's important, you know, what you're doing is part of what we're all trying to do. You know, you getting the message out to the rest of America and really the rest of the world, what happens down at ground zero level and how these people can best be helped and what goes on is just as important as what's going on out there.

So I appreciate the time and you having me on tonight.

LEMON: Thank you, Colonel.

Do you think you're ready?

BUSH: Well, that's the million dollar question. And if we're going to ask it simply, I guess we've certainly done everything we can to prepare. So I think we're about as ready as we can be. I was in New Orleans 12 years ago. I was in the Superdome, so, knock on wood, just when you say you're ready, nature has a way of throwing a twist at you.

So I certainly hope that's not the case and I certainly hope that, when the storm makes landfall tomorrow, it moves quickly through our state. And those places that do perhaps get flooded or get some rain, I hope those are areas where we've already leaned forward and we've prepositioned and put people in the right places.

That's our methodology to it. And we've paid attention to the storm for several days now. And by pushing people and Guardsmen and equipment and those resources that can best help, by pushing them into those areas where we think they can best be used, that has been the kind of the key for success for a while now. And I hope that holds true tomorrow.

LEMON: So what are you doing?

You said you're putting equipment in places would best be used. But what are you doing to prepare?

Because you said the minute you think you are, then Mother Nature does something. And you ever know.

BUSH: That's the whole trick of it. Early on, whenever there's a storm in the Gulf, you immediately go to work. We keep very close relationships with the parishes. Year-round, whether there's a storm or not, and we have liaisons and the regular meetings with those parishes. So that dialogue stays pretty open and pretty (INAUDIBLE) all the time.

And as soon as it looks like there's going to be an incident, wherever that is, those parishes are able to raise their hand and say, hey, we think we might need some Guard help. And chances are we're already leaning forward. And we'll move Guardsmen and high-water vehicles and boats and preposition all of those things in places where we think we can best get at the impacted areas quickly.

And that's what we've done. We did that pretty early on in Southwest Louisiana and that allowed us to really get in there and make a difference in Lake Charles and some of those lower southwest parishes. And several hundred people last night, we were able to get them to dry land. And that went very well.

And then throughout the day today, we've definitely moved some assets along where we think the storm path is going to be tomorrow.

LEMON: Can I ask you this in the short time we have left?

Because I think it's important. Give us some advice.

BUSH: Absolutely.

LEMON: Advice to folks who are in the storm's path, Colonel.

BUSH: Well, certainly look to your left, look to your right and be aware of what's going on around you and be aware of your neighbors. Don't take unnecessary risks and be smart. Know that there's help out there and know how to reach that help and get to that help. I think that's some great advice.

It's tricky when people try to get out there and maybe take unnecessary risks.

[00:35:00]

BUSH: But we don't want people to put themselves in harm's way unnecessarily. There are plenty of people out there prepared to help out as needed. That's the key to success.

LEMON: That's good advice. You don't know what is in that floodwater. Floodwaters are very, very dangerous. And if you can avoid it at all, obviously, don't drive through it. Don't try to walk through it if possible.

BUSH: That's the best advice. It's so easy to underestimate the power of that water, and to chance it with your vehicle. And when that happens, now you've just doubled the risk and doubled the potential for harm.

LEMON: Yes. Colonel Ed Bush, Louisiana National Guard, thank you, sir.

BUSH: No, thank you. And God bless everyone in Texas. Again, as a Katrina veteran, I know these are hard times. And it's going to be a long road for them. Hopefully, the good Lord willing, Louisiana will stay safe as well.

LEMON: Thank you, Colonel.

BUSH: Thank you.

LEMON: When we come back, much more from the flood zone.

Plus a new threat from North Korea.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

LEMON: I want you to listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON (voice-over): That's the sound of sirens across Northern Japan after North Korea fired a missile over Japan at dawn. President Trump warning Pyongyang, that all options are on the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: CNN international correspondent Will Ripley is the only Western journalist in North Korea and he joins me now.

Will, hello to you. Thanks for joining us from Pyongyang. It's Wednesday afternoon there.

What's the latest?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don. The latest is --

[00:40:00]

RIPLEY: -- it took 24 hours but North Korea has finally announced this launch through their state media.

And the front page story is North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, all smiles after launching the Hwasong-12 missile, it's an intermediate range ballistic missile that I actually saw back in April, when I was reporting for your program from the parade, the military parade.

Remember, all of those missiles that were passing by behind me, the Hwasong-12 was unveiled at that point. It's believed to have a range of at least 2,300 miles and it's the exact same kind of missile that North Korea threatened to use, to launch toward Guam.

And one thing that the North Korean state media is now saying, which is particularly alarming, is that they plan to launch more missiles like this toward the Pacific and they're saying that this launch over Japan was essentially a prelude for future military options, to contain Guam. So even though President Trump and Secretary Tillerson had talked

about how North Korea had backed away from the Guam threat and they didn't launch this missile over Guam, but North Korea is now saying that they're still not ruling out that very frightening possibility.

LEMON: What's the reaction to the launch been like in Japan?

RIPLEY: You know, I have to say, Don, I've lived in Tokyo for four years. And it really hit home for me when I got a letter at my apartment building with a list of things to do in the event of a North Korean missile attack.

They put supplies, emergency supplies in the elevators of my building, not for earthquakes but in case there's a missile attack and a list of instructions posted in public areas.

This is a really frightening scenario, particularly for people who live in Japan, because they've seen missile after missile launched very close to their shores.

Just this year, there have been so many different cases, where missiles have come maybe within just a couple of hundred nautical miles of mainland Japan and now you've had a missile actually fly over an area with millions of people, who had to wake up to the sound of air raid sirens and get these very frightening messages on their phone, telling them to take cover in sturdy buildings because a North Korean missile was approaching.

This is the reality of life in this region. It is a terrifying reality for people who are living out here.

And so every time that North Korea puts one of these missiles in the air, obviously, they're making a political statement to the United States. But they are also really scaring a lot of people, who think, especially in Japan, think back to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Japan's the only country that ever endured the horror of having nuclear weapons dropped on it. And now people are having to live, children are having to grow up with that fear once again.

LEMON: Yes, your word, terrifying, to say the least, well put. Thank you, Will Ripley. I appreciate that.

I want to bring in now CNN contributor Jean Lee, journalist and global fellow at the Wilson Center.

Jean, thank you so much. President Trump has warned that all options are on the table after North Korea's latest missile launch. That's an idea that Nikki Haley touched on as well. I want you to take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIKKI HALEY, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Well, first of all, what happened yesterday is absolutely unacceptable and irresponsible. The United States, along with Japan and South Korea, have called for an emergency Security Council meeting this afternoon.

We are going to talk about what else is left to do in North Korea. No country should have missiles flying over them, like those 130 million people in Japan. It's unacceptable. They have violated every single U.N. Security Council resolution we've had.

So I think something serious has to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, Jean, why is this launch so significant?

And what types of responses are we likely to see from Western leaders?

JEAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this particular missile launch is provocative because it did fly over Japanese territory. So directly provoking. And North Korea wants to punish Japan for siding with the United States and also making it clear that they have the capability now to send a missile, to target U.S. strategic assets and troops that are based in Japan, as well as in Guam, and to send that message very clearly.

But the real threat here is that it terrified all those people in Japan, who woke up to those sirens and made it very clear that there's a possibility now that Japan is going to have to act and may actually have to shoot down these missiles if they continue testing them over Japanese territory.

And certainly this missile went a lot farther than previous missiles. So showing that they're improving this technology and that they're testing the re-entry capability so they can get a nuclear warhead on this missile.

LEMON: And the second part of the question, response from Western leaders likely.

What do you think we're going to hear?

LEE: You know, options are so limited. Remember that the region is really bound by this cease-fire that was signed in 1953 at the end of the close of the Korean War.

And certainly what militaries that are poised here, what they don't want to do is to make a move that would result in some sort of conflict. Remember, we've got tens of thousands of troops just ready to strike and really bracing for another provocation. What we don't want is for this --

[00:45:00]

LEE: -- to erupt in a military conflict.

But certainly what we're hearing from China, which is always consistently calling for restraint and calm. They don't want a disaster on their doorstep. Certainly the people of South Korea, they have been living with this for decades. But any kind of conflict would mean the destruction of the Korean

Peninsula. And I should point out that North Korea does not frankly want the destruction of their country as well. So they know that they're going to push as far as they can. But what they don't want is to result in another Korean War on their side, either.

LEMON: Jean, this is the first time that North Korea has launched a missile over Japan.

Does this launch tell us anything new about North Korea's missile capability?

And what does this mean for Guam?

LEE: You know, North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, stated very clearly on New Year's Day that he was -- had the goal of building and weaponizing an intercontinental ballistic missile that was capable of striking the mainland U.S.

So we shouldn't be completely surprised. He's going to use every -- he's telling his people that he needs to build this weapon to protect North Korea from a military threat from the U.S. He's going to use every hint of aggression from the United States, whether it's the military war games that are happening now here in South Korea or rhetoric from President Trump, to justify and to speed up the development and construction of these nuclear weapons.

So what we're seeing now is that, no matter whether it's sanctions or threats, he's not going to be deterred. He's actually going to use sanctions and threats as more justification to continue building nuclear weapons, so clearly showing he will remain defiant and that he's telling his people that, despite the cost, that they need this to keep the country safe and intact.

LEMON: Jean Lee, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

When we come back, another story of neighbor helping neighbor in the flood zone. And this one might surprise you.

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[00:50:00]

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LEMON: Harvey set to make landfall again on the Texas-Louisiana border, people are doing whatever they can to help evacuees with money, supplies and even free haircuts. Joining me now from Houston, Texas, convention center is hair stylist Katie Richmond and barber Cedric Graham.

Hello, guys. How you doing?

(CROSSTALK) LEMON: You guys are great. This is great that you're doing this.

Katie, I'm going to talk to you first because I understand that you wanted to give back so you're there at the convention center. You're giving free haircuts.

Why did you decide to do it this way, to help out this way?

KATIE RICHMOND, HAIR STYLIST: Well, it's what we're familiar with. And it was actually Ced's idea. It was a great idea. We just wanted to bring a sense of normalcy to people here. And you can just see the difference, once they sat in the chair, it's like they forgot about their problems for just a second. So it's just the way we know how to give back.

So, Ced, your idea, right?

How did you come up with it?

You know, you just, on the fly, said, you know what, this is how I could help out?

CEDRIC GRAHAM, BARBER: Not necessarily. Just being in the House, watching social media and just seeing a lot of people repost things. I repost and I just wanted to come up with something that I could do to give back.

A lot of celebrities and a lot of people were doing donations. I started a GoFundMe to help also.

I just figured, you know what, I am already a talent myself, so why not give my talent to a good use by donating free haircuts to people?

Because, at the end of the day, haircuts change lives and it uplifts people and it boosts the self-esteem. So anybody in any down feeling, then I figured this would be the best way to uplift them.

LEMON: OK, what are people telling you, Cedric, what are they telling you?

How are they doing?

GRAHAM: A lot of them, they enjoyed it. A hear a lot of comedy came, once I started cutting hair, and a lot of stories started rolling and the talk turned from about, you know, being in shelters to being just, you know, kicking it and trying to get a haircut. And a lot of time barber shop talk is the best talk.

LEMON: The best.

GRAHAM: So it was good to turn a corner of the convention center into a barber shop and I appreciate the opportunity and I appreciate the love out here.

LEMON: Katie, is your house and your business, are they OK? RICHMOND: Yes, luckily we've had very minimal damage to the area. The street that we're actually on, no flooding at all. So I'm very thankful about that.

LEMON: What else do you think people need in shelters?

I mean, Cedric said, it sort of took their mind off their troubles to just get a haircut because it's kind of -- you know, it's a normal thing, you start having barber shop talk.

What else do you think people need in shelters, Katie?

RICHMOND: That sense of everyday. Like you are taken out of your home, you're put into a place that's unknown to you and you just want to feel something that feels familiar to you, even if it is just getting a haircut, it's something that you normally do. And it just -- it feels good. So I think just getting back to things that you usually do is what's needed here.

LEMON: What kind of stories are you hearing?

I asked Cedric, I'll ask you.

RICHMOND: Like he said, barber shop talk is -- it's different.

But you know, we've heard a lot --

LEMON: People talking a lot of mess, right.

RICHMOND: -- stories -- yes, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

RICHMOND: Yes. But you know, just people coming together and seeing people from different parts of towns, talking and -- like they've known each other for years. So it just -- it feels good to see people come together at a time of need. So...

LEMON: Cedric, I think it's interesting when you look --

(CROSSTALK)

GRAHAM: -- situation like this happen.

LEMON: Go ahead. Finish your thought.

GRAHAM: I'm saying it shows true character when situations like this happen and you see the best come out of people. Sometimes you see the worst. But a lot of times when your back's against the wall, that true character comes out.

So it really showed a lot on our parts and others to just -- to come out and show appreciation and show us giving back and to see the return that we got was really, really mind-blowing.

LEMON: Yes. I think what's interesting now is that there's been so much politics and talk about everything. People don't care about politics, they don't care about race, everyone is just helping out, like you guys are doing.

Thank you so much. I think you're doing a great thing. we really appreciate it and good luck to you. OK?

[00:55:00]

RICHMOND: Thank you.

GRAHAM: Thank you.

LEMON: SO before we leave you tonight, I want to update you on a hurricane survivor we first spoke to last night, Claudio Lozano (ph) and his family. They were rescued just as their neighborhood was going underwater. They were first time homebuyers who lost everything. But their realtor, Uriel Rodriguez (ph), saw that interview and decided to do something to help them.

He picked up the Lozano family at the shelter and brought them to his home, giving them shelter and food and helping them with insurance paperwork. And that makes him a hero for a family in need.

And for ways that you can help anyone who is affected by Hurricane Harvey, go to cnn.com/impact.

That's it for us tonight. Thank you so much for watching. Thank you so much for watching. I'll be right back here tomorrow. Our live coverage continues next with George Howell in Houston and John Vause in Los Angeles, I'm Don Lemon, good night.