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North Carolina Prepares for Hurricane Irene; New York Braces for Irene; Hurricane Tips for New Yorkers; The Road Ahead in Libya; Hospitals Prepare for Irene; Irene Rearranges Music, Professional Sports and College Event Calendars

Aired August 26, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from the Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Want to get you up to speed for Friday, August 26th.

Hurricane Irene is driving fast and furious toward the North Carolina coast today with 110-mile-an-hour winds. The storm will go on a climb up the East Coast, impacting perhaps a fifth of the nation's population. North Carolina's Outer Banks will begin to feel Irene's winds by nightfall, and its full fury will bear down by Saturday afternoon. This dangerous storm is the size of Texas, so it's going to be felt far inland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: The window for preparation is quickly closing. So if you are in the projected path of this storm, please listen to your state or local officials. Please listen to emergency radio or television. If you are told to evacuate, please do so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Irene could make a direct hit on New York City. Already, the mayor has ordered several hospitals and nursing homes to move patients to higher ground. A broader evacuation may come later today. This animation shows Irene's surge could easily overwhelm Manhattan's tunnels and subway system. The city may shut down both.

Now, experts say New Yorkers need to take this hurricane seriously.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What's your biggest concern?

PROF. NICHOLAS K. COCH, QUEENS COLLEGE: The New Yorker.

SNOW: Why?

COCH: Because they don't listen. You can always tell a New Yorker, but you can't tell them very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MALVEAUX: President Obama is going to discuss Hurricane Irene and the extreme threat that this storm presents. He's going to speak from his vacation home on Martha's Vineyard. That is happening about a half hour from now, 11:30 Eastern. CNN NEWSROOM is going to have live coverage of the president's statement.

And more than a dozen states could get high winds, heavy rain or storm surge. We've got reporters and live crews up and down the East Coast, from the Carolinas to New England, to bring you the very latest.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MALVEAUX: Along North Carolina's Outer Banks, evacuations are now in full swing. Want to take a look at this map. Kill Devil Hills sits right in the middle of the danger zone. The town is famous for the Wright brothers' first flight.

Well, CNN's Reynolds Wolf is in Kill Devil Hills.

Reynolds, what are you seeing? Are there any signs that Irene is on its way?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS CORRESPONDENT: None whatsoever. I mean, with the exception of the surf that's been enhanced, it could be any other day in August. I mean, it's simply beautiful out here.

It's a very warm day for the time being. You would think that you would have families scattered up and down this coastline, but it is just deserted, except for one lone red flag you see right there, which basically means no swimming. Oh, scratch that. I do see some people way off in the distance, but still, when you compare it to what you would normally have this time of the year, it is just ridiculous.

They have had, of course, the mandatory evacuations in Dare County. Currituck, which is just to the north, has also undergone through the same measures. And we're talking about a major evacuation when you talk about just Dare County and just the Outer Banks alone.

This place, usually visited by 250,000 people on just your average summer day. In terms of residents here that live up and down here, that are permanent residents year round, about 57,000.

Mandatory evacuations for them began at 8:00 this morning. I can tell you that for many people, the evacuations began even earlier this week, when they knew there was a chance that this storm may come calling. Many people just high-tailed it back to the mainland, farther to the north, which of course would put them back in harm's way, or farther back to the west, which certainly is probably your best scenario altogether.

But they are bracing for it. They are getting ready.

On the drive in just yesterday, you could see businesses, all kinds of mom-and-pop places, even some larger supermarkets that are all boarding up, getting ready for what was about to be unleashed on this area. And you have to remember, this is just a barrier island that stretches some 200 miles, juts out in the Atlantic, protects the mainland of North Carolina. And true to form, as a barrier island, they catch the brunt of tropical systems that coming rolling through here.

It's the number two place in North America for tropical situations. And I'm telling you, this one, sure as Jacqui mentioned moments ago, looks like it's going to draw a bead right here on the Outer Banks.

Back to you.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thanks, Reynolds.

Millions of New Yorkers are also getting ready for Hurricane Irene. We're going to get a live report from city officials who are looking at the potential evacuation plans and the possibility of shutting down an entire transit system.

We also have some breaking news I'm going to bring to you here. This is a report from KETV, reporting that an Amtrak train carrying 175 passengers has derailed in southwest Nebraska.

We are getting reports from a spokesperson who says that this was around 8:00 a.m. Mountain Time, near Max, which is about 40 miles west or southwest of McCook. That spokesperson saying he's gotten no reports of any serious injuries, but was uncertain about whether anyone on board was hurt.

It appears that the train struck a vehicle on the tracks. Don't know what kind of vehicle was hit. But once again, just recapping, it is a breaking news story out of Nebraska. An Amtrak train derailed, carrying about 175 passengers.

This is in southwest Nebraska. So far, no reports of serious injuries. We are just getting this. If we get any more information, of course we will get back to you on what the conditions of those passengers are.

A car bomb rips into a United Nations office building in Nigeria's capital today. Officials say at least 18 people are dead, more are wounded. The explosion punched a hole in the building and caused a wall to collapse. It's not clear who is responsible for that blast.

Developments in Libya. Fighters loyal to Moammar Gadhafi have been shelling rebels who hold Tripoli's airport. At least one plane burned. CNN's Arwa Damon got a look inside the airport's control tower.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We have to stay a bit low because the rebels say there is a sniper who has been shooting at them. But we wanted to show you this -- that smoldering airplane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And they've been rumored for years, a maze of secret tunnels underneath Tripoli. Moammar Gadhafi apparently built them as an escape route. CNN's Sara Sidner went underground and says, yes, the tunnels are real.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just to get an idea of how big it is, this is a golf cart, and obviously it can fit all the way down these corridors. So I'm sure it was used, because this place is so big, to get back and forth. Unbelievable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: One other note on Libya. NATO says that is now scrambling to account for Gadhafi's surface-to-air missiles. Now, he had thousands of those.

And Dow stocks tumbled 200 points today on news from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. Right now the Dow has recovered. It is at 34 points up. Investors hoped that Bernanke would announce a short-term stimulus today to give the economy another kick in the pants. Well, instead, Bernanke said that the decision would wait until a Fed meeting in late September.

Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we are covering as well.

Even if New York City is spared a direct hit from Hurricane Irene, there could be serious flood and wind damage. We're going to look at why scientists are very concerned.

And President Obama is giving a statement about the hurricane. That's going to happen in just a few minutes. We're going to bring that to you live.

Also, how you should prepare if you're in the hurricane's path.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we know is we're going to have a lot of outages. You know, this isn't a mammoth storm, like to be a mammoth storm in terms of lots of death and destruction, but what it is going to do is be very disruptive. And people really have to be in a position to camp out in their house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Then, if evacuations are ordered, how do millions of people get out? Where do they go?

And later, what a hospital in North Carolina's Outer Banks is doing to protect its patients.

Also, Gadhafi's troops aren't giving up the fight for Tripoli. We're going to have the latest on the search for the Libyan dictator who's on the run.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: It is not often that New York has to brace for a hurricane, and experts are warning even if Manhattan is spared a direct hit, well, the storm surge could cause considerable damage.

Our CNN's Mary Snow, she's following all of this in New York for us.

Mary, I understand that some folks are starting to evacuate already. Is that right?

SNOW: That is right, Suzanne. Some hospitals in areas that are considered at risk have begun evacuations. That was on the mayor's order. And right now, what they are looking at is some hospitals and nursing homes in areas that seem susceptible to flooding, that are in low-lying areas.

Now, one area of concern is here in lower Manhattan, where I'm standing. You wouldn't see there are a lot of hurricane concerns right now. Right behind me you'll see so many tourists lining up to take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty.

But, you know, even talking about a direct hit on New York is so rare, this doesn't happen in New York. And that's why some experts have been sounding the alarm. They say even if New York is spared a direct hit, there could still be significant flooding.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): If anyone is worried about a hurricane hitting New York, it's coastal geology professor Nicholas Coch. And to understand why, he took us to Southampton, New York.

COCH: This is actually where the 1938 hurricane broke through and made Shinnecock Bay a branch of the ocean.

SNOW: Coch says most New Yorkers forget that it was here that a powerful Category 3 hurricane made landfall in 1938. It was called the Long Island Express, and it caused widespread damage even in New York City, some 70 miles away.

(on camera): Even if New York City is spared a direct hit --

COCH: That's right. It's going to have massive flooding, yes.

SNOW (voice-over): For years, Coch has been sounding the alarm about how vulnerable New York City is because of its topography. He says storm surges could trigger massive flooding in low-lying areas, particularly lower Manhattan.

Consider this simulation done by NOAA showing what a Category 2 hurricane could do to a tunnel linking Brooklyn and Manhattan. Donald Cresitello, with the Army Corps of Engineers, mapped out some worst- case scenarios. A Category 1 hurricane, for example, could flood the subway station at the southern tip of Manhattan with three-and-a-half feet of water. A Category 2 storm, he says, could put JFK Airport under five- and-a-half feet of water.

DONALD E. CRESITELLO, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEER: If a storm were to occur, it could be catastrophic given the population density in the northeast.

SNOW: High winds are also a big concern, and city officials have evacuation plans at the ready. Despite all the preparations, Coch says it's not the hurricane he's most worried about.

(on camera): What's your biggest concern?

COCH: The New Yorker.

SNOW: Why?

COCH: Because they don't listen. You can always tell a New Yorker, but you can't tell them very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Oh, Mary, you know, that's kind of a dig on New Yorkers there. But I certainly hope people are going to be preparing for this.

I understand that the New York Transit Authority says it's going to suspend the subway and bus service on Saturday. Is that true? Is that a first?

SNOW: It may do that. And if it did, that would be a first. I believe that would be the first time the entire system would be shutdown.

And really, you know, the subways are a big concern for flooding. And what the NTA chairman is saying is that the real worry is that if there are winds higher than 39 miles per hour, that it really couldn't guarantee safety if it got to that level. So there will be a decision made on whether or not to shut down the entire system.

And it would take about eight hours to do just that. Millions of people take subways and buses, so that would be really a huge undertaking.

MALVEAUX: That's extraordinary. Mary, thanks. Keep us posted. Let us know what's going on over there.

You know, many New Yorkers, they have no idea of what to do if a hurricane hits. So we want to get some advice for folks. Stephen Flynn, he's president of the Center for National Policy and homeland security expert. He is also author of the best-selling book "The Edge of Disaster."

And he's joining us from Washington. So, Stephen, if you're a New Yorker, if you live in a high-rise, should you evacuate? What should you do?

STEPHEN FLYNN, AUTHOR, "THE EDGE OF DISASTER": Well, probably not. One is -- the biggest challenge -- that's what you heard -- is really water, rising water. And so it's the New Yorkers that are in the areas that are low lying that are at most risk of the storm surge, waters inundating them.

Folks in the towers are in pretty good shape. We're not talking about winds that are really going to put most of these buildings under stress.

However, at the height of the storm, a general good idea is, you don't want to be near windows. So, if you can see out a window, you're in the wrong place. You want to go into a place, an inner room, and ride it out there.

MALVEAUX: And I understand that if you're above the 10th to 15th floors, stay inside. Is that correct?

FLYNN: Yes. Again, it's really a -- generally, yes. If we're talking about a Category 1 or less -- and almost certainly we are -- New York gets a lot of wind in the wintertime as well. So New Yorkers know how to deal with this.

But it's better for you to stay inside and stay in an inner space, is probably the best idea. And again, it's folks going on and finding out if they live in a place that's exposed for flooding, and they can do that by going to the Office of Emergency Management's Web site. Put in their address, they'll find whether they're in an exposed area. And then it's a good idea to think about where I would go if the water comes up and make sure they have a go pack (ph), that kind of thing.

MALVEAUX: And Stephen, if you lose power and water in a high- rise, what should you do?

FLYNN: Well, it's almost the same as everybody else, though it's a little more challenging when you're in a high-rise and the elevators may be down. But you need to camp out in your house.

You have to imagine that you are going on a camping trip for three days and you don't have water available, you don't have power available. What would you want to have?

And when you're -- in advance of something like -- hurricanes, we get a lot of warning, happily. You have a couple of days here, and time is your ally.

As soon as things start going badly, or the disaster unfolds, now time is your enemy. So folks spending some time now getting informed and doing some preparations in advance to essentially say, can I camp out in my home with my family and be comfortable? That's key right now. MALVEAUX: Right. And what do we expect is going to happen with the subway and the tunnels? How long is it even going to take for the water to be cleared out if they flood?

FLYNN: Well, it's based on a number of these scenarios here. But a significant inundation that has a direct hit -- and again, we don't know whether this is going to happen -- could put a lot of water up in the streets of Manhattan, particularly the downtown area, Battery Park, and even along the Hudson and east Riverside.

And that water is going to go -- travel the direction of gravity. It's going to go down, and it's going to fill up those subway stations.

So those pumps in those subway stations, they take rain. But that's another issue. We're talking, if it's slow moving, up to 10 inches of rain.

So there's going to be a lot of water. And, you know, the good news about New Yorkers, they are really quite resilient. The bad news is the infrastructure is getting old and frail. And when it is stressed, things are going to break, things are going to be disrupted.

MALVEAUX: Right. Sure. And the airports, are they threatened to go under water as well? Where do they put those planes?

FLYNN: Yes, those are scenarios around the Category 2 level. You can put Kennedy Airport under water. You can do the same -- 2.5, depending on where it hits -- you can do the same up at LaGuardia.

So, the problem is, of course, immediately. Now, there's no planes that are going to be flying, but there is going to be some substantial damage to those airfields. And that's going to be a real challenge.

That disrupts the national -- and of course with Kennedy, international -- air traffic system. The bottom line is, we have got a lot of people packed in a small piece of real estate, and it's an island. And it's surrounded by water.

And just as we think about in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and down on the Gulf Coast, water comes up. People have got to get out of the way. Well, that is a lot harder to do in a place like New York City or Long Island.

MALVEAUX: All right. Stephen, thanks. We wish you the very best this weekend, as well as many people who might be dealing with this. It seems rather serious.

Thanks, Stephen.

Well, even if you're not in the storm's path, travel throughout the country is going to be impacted by this storm. We're checking the airports, the rails, the roads, everything.

And President Obama is also tracking Hurricane Irene as he wraps up his vacation. We expect a statement from the president live very shortly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: You don't even have to be on the East Coast to feel the impact of Hurricane Irene. If you're traveling by plane or train this weekend, you're going to see this first hand. Some flights have already been canceled along the East Coast. And across the country, delays are expected.

Some Amtrak routes are not going to be running. Highways could be packed.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MALVEAUX: And if you're evacuating from Hurricane Irene, there are some things that you're going to need to take with you in your car. So, in the next hour, we're going to get a checklist from Lauren Fix. She is the "Car Coach."

We also expect a statement from President Obama on Hurricane Irene shortly.

I want to talk to Dan Lothian, our White House correspondent, who is traveling with the president.

Dan, first of all, what do we expect the president to say? What do we expect for him to address?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the president will tell us what the administration is doing, what the federal government is doing to stay one step ahead of this hurricane.

The president, by the way, did receive a briefing this morning, or had a conference call with his top emergency officials, including those from the DHS, also from FEMA and other officials. They want to make sure that they are properly coordinating with the federal government, state and local officials to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.

This president, certainly aware of the criticism that can come if the federal government is not on top of natural disasters. So that's what the president is trying to do.

He's been briefed over the last few days to sort of get a sense of what the track of the storm is and then what the federal government is doing. So, the president, over where he is vacationing on the compound, will be stepping to the microphones, we expect, in the next few minutes or so. His remarks, expected to last anywhere from five to 10 minutes -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Dan, I understand he had a conference call earlier today with FEMA, as well as Homeland Security and some other officials. What do we know about that?

LOTHIAN: Well, again, that is -- he got a sense of what is the latest in terms of what the federal government is doing to prepare for this hurricane. And again, the key is, what is the federal government doing in terms of coordinating with state and local officials?

That is where the breakdown typically happens in these events, where the federal government is doing something and not talking to local officials or state officials. So they want to make sure that this coordination is happening, and so the president --

MALVEAUX: OK.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I urge Americans to take it seriously, and provide an overview of our ongoing federal preparations for what's likely to be an extremely dangerous and costly storm.

I've just convened a conference call with senior members of my emergency response team and directed them to make sure that we are bringing all federal resources to bear and deploying them properly to cope not only with the storm, but also its aftermath. I have also spoken this morning with governors and mayors of major metropolitan areas along the Eastern Seaboard to let them know that this administration is in full support of their efforts to prepare for this storm, and stands ready to fully support their response efforts. And we will continue to stay in close contact with them.

I cannot stress this highly enough. If you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you have to take precautions now. Don't wait. Don't delay.

We all hope for the best, but we have to be prepared for the worst. All of us have to take this storm seriously. You need to listen to your state and local officials. And if you are given an evacuation order, please follow it.

Just to underscore this point, we ordered an aircraft carrier group out to sea to avoid this storm yesterday. So, if you're in the way of this hurricane, you should be preparing now.

If you aren't sure how to prepare your families or your home or your business for a hurricane, or any other emergency, then you can visit Ready.gov -- that's Ready.gov -- or Listo.gov. That's Listo.gov.

Now, since last weekend, FEMA's been deploying its incident management assistance teams to staging areas in communities up and down the coast.

FEMA has millions of liters of water, millions of meals and tens of thousands of cots and blankets, along with other supplies, pre- positioned along the eastern seaboard. And the American Red Cross has already begun preparing shelters in North Carolina and other states.

These resources are all being coordinated with our state and local partners, and they stand ready to be deployed as necessary.

But, again, if you are instructed to evacuate, please do so. It's going to take time for first responders to begin rescue operations and to get the resources we've pre-positioned to people in need. So the more you can do to be prepared now -- making a plan, make a supply kit, know your evacuation route, follow instructions of your local officials -- the quicker we can focus our resources after the storm on those who need help the most.

To sum up, all indications point to this being a historic hurricane, although we can't predict with perfect certainty the impact of Irene over the next few days. And the federal government has spent the better part of last week working closely with officials in communities that could be affected by this storm to see to it that we are prepared. So now is the time for residents of these communities, in the hours that remain, to do the same.

And FEMA and Craig Fugate, the director of FEMA, will be keeping people closely posted in the next 24 or 48 hours.

Thank you very much.

MALVEAUX: You just heard from President Obama saying to take the evacuations very seriously, to follow instructions, and to get an evacuation emergency kit together, a plan together to take this seriously.

Dan, I have two questions for you. First of all, when is the president's vacation wrapping up? Does he plan on changing his plans, perhaps, getting back to Washington and the White House sooner.

And, secondly, is there any threat of this hurricane heading in his direction at Martha's Vineyard?

LOTHIAN: Well, on the first point, no.

We have been asking that question now for the last few days, whether or not the president would change his departure here because of the storm, initially because of Libya, or now because of the storm. And the White House has said no changes at this point. The president still expected to leave Martha's Vineyard's tomorrow morning.

In terms of the island and whether or not it will be impacted, it all depends which models you look at. Certainly, at the very least, there will be high winds, perhaps some wave forces happening along the shoreline around this island. But, beyond that, it is unclear whether this island will get some direct hit or major damage will happen here on the island.

Nonetheless, people here are preparing. We saw yesterday that they were pulling boats out of the water. They were selling hurricane supplies, selling a lot of wood so that people could board up their windows. So they're certainly taking it seriously here, but the White House believing that the president can still leave tomorrow morning, get into Washington and avoid any of the major effects of Hurricane Irene.

MALVEAUX: All right, Dan Lothian -- thank you, Dan. Good to see you.

We are getting new information now on the Amtrak train that derailed in Nebraska. We are going to have more information on that right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Want to give you the latest on this breaking news story.

This is about an Amtrak train that has derailed in Nebraska. I just want to read the very latest. This is from an Amtrak spokesperson, who says that it happened about 8:50 this morning Central time. And it was a farm vehicle that was on the railway that was obstructing this Amtrak train.

This was in Benkelman, Nebraska. That is near the Nebraska- Kansas border. They say that there are no reports of life-threatening injuries. There were an estimated 170 passengers on board, as well as a train crew. There are a small number of passengers that have been taken to a local hospital. They described this, the spokesperson, as the trains, the locomotives leaving the rails, the tracks, along with three railcars. The remainder of the train is upright and in line.

This is train six, we understand, train six. It is an eastbound train. It left from Emeryville, California, to Chicago, departed the San Francisco Bay area just two days ago. Passengers are being taken from the scene, we understand, to a nearby high school to be cared for and to be transported to their destinations, ultimately.

But Amtrak managers and representatives, we are told, are en route to the scene. But again we don't have any information that there are serious or life-threatening injuries. But we do know that 178 people involved in this trail derailment -- train derailment.

And fighters loyal to Moammar Gadhafi are firing rockets and mortars at the Tripoli Airport. We are going to go live to Libya for the latest on the fierce fighting about the airport. Our CNN's Arwa Damon, she is there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Now to the latest on Libya. We are getting word of more battles that are taking place today as rebel forces fight to clear Tripoli neighborhoods, Gadhafi holdouts.

Now, the rebels are also stepping up the hunt for Gadhafi. And they are battling to secure an area that is east of Tripoli's airport, which is controlled by fighters who are loyal to Gadhafi.

CNN's Arwa Damon, she is joining us live from that airport.

Arwa, tell us what is going on where you are.

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, we just saw an ammunition supply convoy driving in, going straight to the eastern part of the airport, where there has been this intense artillery back and forth.

Yesterday, a number of aircraft were hit. The barrage was really relentless. We're talking artillery, incoming Grad rockets and heavy machine gun fire. The rebels have been struggling in terms of trying to defend this vital location. One of them was marveling at the fact that Gadhafi loyalists still had so much ammunition at their disposal, given the number of weapons caches that they themselves have found and the targets that have been struck by NATO.

And senior commanders here, Suzanne, continue to believe that the fighting around here is so intense, the assault by Gadhafi loyalists so intense and ferocious, and they say that that is because they believe that Gadhafi still is somewhere to the east of this airport location.

It is becoming very frustrating for them, because they are so bogged down in trying to defend this position. It is preventing them from going out there, clearing the villages of Gadhafi loyalists and more importantly searching for Gadhafi himself. The main challenge has been that the Gadhafi loyalist firing positions are inside the villages.

They are using the villages for cover. And that is preventing the rebels from really striking at those positions, and of course it is preventing NATO from really striking at those positions as well.

MALVEAUX: And, Arwa, we have been watching these dramatic pictures of that plane that was hit by some of those Gadhafi loyalists who have been shooting and essentially the firefights that have been going back and forth at your location.

Have things gotten better or worse since you hunkered down there?

DAMON: Well, it tends to intensify towards dusk, actually, right around sunset, when fighters would be breaking their fast. It is, after all, the holy month of Ramadan.

It was pretty intense on and off at certain points during the day. Overnight last night, I mean, this location was pounded nonstop. That is when those aircrafts were hit. The night before, there was another aircraft that was hit as well. So it tends to ebb and flow. But it really picks up at sunset and after dark. And the fighters here say that they're making gains on some fronts, but by and large, they are really stuck in this artillery back-and-forth.

MALVEAUX: All right, Arwa, Arwa Damon, excellent reporting. Please be safe.

When we come back, the rebels in Libya now say that they need money, and lots of it. So, we are going to tell you what is going on with the billions of dollars now in frozen assets.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: So Libyan rebels are sending a message to the rest of the world, we need money, and they're pleading for countries to free up billions of Libyan assets that were frozen at the start of the war. Well, the U.N. voted yesterday to release $1.5 billion. The rebels say they need even more money to make sure their country is safe and stable.

Joining us to talk about the challenges facing Libya's transitional government is Nicholas Burns, he is former U.S. under- secretary of state for political affairs.

Nicholas, great to see you.

The U.N. agrees to release $1.5 billion. Rebels say they need more money. Do you think there is a risk here now in releasing too much money before there is even a stable government in place?

NICHOLAS BURNS, FORMER U.S. UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS: I think there is very little risk, Suzanne, in releasing the $1.5 billion, because it is essentially going to the companies and the U.N. agencies that are providing emergency humanitarian assistance to the Libyan people.

Their Libyan people have been living in a state of warfare for the last six months. Their cities are destroyed. There is a shortage of food, a shortage of electricity. And so, that 1.5 billion will go not to the transitional government, to the rebels, but actually straight to those international aid agencies and companies who provide help.

The bigger question here is the one that you focused on. There is about $100 billion in frozen Libyan funds that could be unfrozen in the next couple of days or weeks. But I think we won't see that happen until there's an effective government is in place in Tripoli to replace the Gadhafi government, a rebel transitional government, and that government has demonstrated its credibility, its effectiveness and people would feel that they have confidence in that government to extend that much money to them.

MALVEAUX: Nick, is it fair to say that -- I don't think NATO or the United States necessarily trusts the National Transition Council just quite yet -- that they don't have that credibility that they need to release the rest of that money?

BURNS: I think that is probably true. The rebels have made an impression on a lot of international governments, including our own. You have seen some assistance, some recognition by the U.S. and other countries, but they are not yet a member state of the U.N., they don't have a functioning government in Tripoli. We don't know if a rebel alliance, a rebel army can quickly transform themselves into a government that will have the kind of credibility needed for the international community to extend this type of support.

MALVEAUX: And, Nick, there's something that's rather alarming. Already, Amnesty International is reporting that there are revenge killings that are taking place, right? That rebels are going after these Gadhafi loyalists that have given up the fight.

How do you prevent this from devolving into either a tribal or a civil war on the ground?

BURNS: Well, it's very important. President Obama said the other day it is important that the government, the new government not seek retribution. He was absolutely right to say that.

There are reports, Suzanne, of human rights violations and massacres by the Gadhafi forces, and now there are some unsubstantiated reports -- I think we should be careful to say -- that the rebel army may have also engaged in extrajudicial killings.

We just don't know the truth, but obviously that's one of the issues that the U.S. and Europe and some of the other countries involved are going to want to look at very carefully before they rush too quickly to embrace this new government.

MALVEAUX: is there anything that the U.S. or NATO can do to actually prevent that from happening, or does it look like that's inevitable, that you're going to have killing on both sides?

BURNS: Well, you've heard repeated calls by the U.S. and NATO governments this week on the rebel forces and their leadership not to engage in retribution and summary executions.

There is no question that the majority of the people in the rebel council don't want to see that happen. But there's a big unwieldy, not very well-trained army out there fighting Gadhafi. And so, this kind of thing is possible in warfare. It's got to be looked at very, very carefully in the weeks ahead.

MALVEAUX: All right, Nicholas Burns. Thanks, Nick. Good to see you.

BURNS: Thank you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: It's the only hospital along North Carolina's Outer Banks. We're going to talk live with the hospital president about what they are doing to prepare for Hurricane Irene.

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MALVEAUX: One big concern is how Hurricane Irene is going to affect hospitals along the Coast. In New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that vulnerable, they've got to be moved by 8:00 this evening.

Now along North Carolina's coast hospitals are also taking precautions. Ronnie Sloan is the president of The Outer Banks Hospital, he joins us via Skype from Nagshead, North Carolina.

And, Doctor, I understand that you are the only hospital serving the Outer Banks. Are you guys ready?

RONNIE SLOAN, PRESIDENT, THE OUTER BANKS HOSPITAL: Well, we indeed are, Suzanne. We're fortunate that this hospital is a lot newer than most hospitals in the nation today. It was actually built nine years ago, and the hospital was built to withstand the kind of hurricanes that are coming through here in a couple hours. Our pylons are about 45 feet in the ground, we have complete metal shutters for all of our windows.

And we have been preparing for this storm since it was built, but more recently since Tuesday, we enacted our disaster plan, and we are getting food, water and supplies, putting our A-team in place for staffing, having a B-team, which is a backup team.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

SLOAN: We started evacuating patients just the last couple of days to have the first new in-house patients today and are prepared to handle all the emergencies throughout the storm and the immediate aftermath of the storm.

MALVEAUX: And Mr. Sloan, tell us what kind of potential problems are you expecting, the kinds of patients that you might be receiving over the next 24 hours, the types of injuries?

SLOAN: We really expect things more in the aftermath of the storm, chainsaw injuries, nail impalements, folks who are exacerbating themselves by trying to work on their house or cut tress out of the way, so maybe heart conditions and those kind of things. During the hunkering down of the storm itself, we really don't expect to see any of the patients during the hurricane-force winds.

MALVEAUX: And if you need to get to the hospital and you can't get to the hospital, what should you do? What advice would you give folks who might be in distress?

SLOAN: Yes, I'm going to just go back and underline what our local emergency management officials are saying, as well as the president said earlier, and I would urge all the residents of the county to heed the mandatory evacuations and leave the county now.

There is no guarantee after the storm that our roads will be passable and that communication will even be available to call emergency medical help. Emergency medical are staying on the island in different locations to help respond. The issue will be of how are you going to let them know you are in need.

MALVEAUX: Are you actually in a location where you might have to evacuate patients yourself? If you need to move or medevac patients, are you able -- are you in a position to do that?

SLOAN: We believe during the storm we have no concern. We are built on the highest portion of Nagshead and the Outer Banks. Again, the hospital is fortified, even if we receive water in our first floor, our second and third floor will have no issues.

We are fortunate enough to have relationships with the university health system and medical center in Greenville (ph), North Carolina as well as Chesapeake Regional in Chesapeake, Virginia, who have helicopters and those types of things who will come in and help get patients out as needed immediately after the storm as well bring in supplies or additional staff, if we need them.

MALVEAUX: All right, well, Ronnie Sloan, I understand that you are going to be sleeping on a cot yourself over the next couple days, so we wish you the very best. We certainly hope that everyone remains safe.

Thank you very much, again, Ronnie Sloan.

SLOAN: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: If you live along the U.S. East Coast and have tickets, right, perhaps to a ballgame, a concert, well, you've got to be prepared to make some other plans. We are going to give you a rundown of some of the events that have either been moved or cancelled because of the hurricane.

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MALVEAUX: The threat of Hurricane Irene has rearranged weekend event calendars up and down the East Coast. Sunday's planned dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington, that has been postponed.

The Dave Matthews Band is rescheduling Saturday and Sunday concerts in New York.

Columbia, New York Universities have pushed back their students' move-in dates.

The Silopanna Music Festival is cancelled, that's in Maryland.

The NFL pre-season game between the Giants and the Jets, well, that has been pushed up to 2:00 in the afternoon on Saturday in New Jersey.

Now in Pennsylvania, the Phillies game against the Marlins, that has been pushed up to Saturday.

And in Massachusetts, Kenny Chesney concert, that was moved from Sunday to Friday.

And the Boston Red Sox game moved their Sunday game with the Oakland Athletics to Saturday.