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Hurricane Irene on Collision Course With Eastern Seaboard; Hospital Evacuations Under Way in New York; New Jersey Under State of Emergency Ahead of Hurricane Irene; Fed Chairman Waits; Evacuation Tips; Inside Gadhafi's Secret Tunnels

Aired August 26, 2011 - 11:59   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour; I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Want to get you up to speed.

Hurricane Irene is on a collision course with the Eastern Seaboard. The massive storm is going to target North Carolina's Outer Banks, that is happening late tonight into tomorrow.

Then Irene takes aim at the major population centers in the Northeast. We are talking top winds right now are at 105 miles an hour.

Irene rolled across the Bahamas yesterday. The brunt of the storm blew east of the Island's larger towns, Nassau and Freeport, but devastation on the southernmost islands was significant. U.S. officials say you better prepare now.

(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 on Sunday. Several hospitals and nursing homes already moving patients to higher ground. And the mayor could expand evacuation orders. That, later today. He may also shut New York's subway system, which could flood under Iran's surge.

Now, experts warn New Yorkers, get ready.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICHOLAS COCH, QUEENS COLLEGE, CUNY: The New Yorker thinks they have been tested by everything, but very few New Yorkers have been in the eye of a hurricane and know how uncontrollable the energy is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Just a few minutes ago, President Obama interrupted his vacation on Martha's Vineyard to urge Americans to take this hurricane seriously.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So we're talking about more than a dozen states that could get high winds, heavy rain, or storm surge from Hurricane Irene. We've got reporters, live crews up and down the East Coast, from the Carolinas to New England, to bring you the very latest.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MALVEAUX: Well, along North Carolina's Outer Banks, evacuations are now in full swing.

CNN's John Zarrella, he's at Atlantic Beach, North Carolina.

John give us a sense. Are we seeing signs of what is headed that way yet? How are folks reacting?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, we've actually seen the winds start to pick up just a little bit. We're getting a little bit of a drizzle right now.

How are folks reacting? Well, here at the tavern, it's still open, but you can see they've got sandbags here, they started to get the wood ready, they're prepared for the storm. And let's take a look down here.

What's interesting, Suzanne, about this part of North Carolina, it kind of sticks out. So the beach, which we're going to take you to right now, is actually a south-facing beach. So, as the storm comes up, and hopefully off to the right of us, to the east of us, the winds will start to pick up.

Of course, we could take a direct hit from the center of the storm. But look what they've done here, Suzanne.

They've put these wooden barriers up. These are the cuts- throughs for people to get out onto the beach.

And you can see, we're pretty much at sea level right here. Out there is the ocean. We've seen it start to increase a little bit, see the wind pick up.

Take a look at this building over here. They've got this all shuttered up already, sandbags here. They left the windows uncovered because they say they're double-pane glass here.

But all this is an evacuation area. People are supposed to get off this barrier island. You see a little bit of rain starting to fall now. But there's a lot of folks still here, a lot of folks still hanging around.

Many that we've talked to say they're staying, they're riding it out. People that aren't riding it out, Suzanne, there was supposed to be a wedding here tomorrow. That has been canceled. There's about $500 worth of flowers inside there. They're getting ruined, and that wedding had to be rescheduled.

They do about 100 weddings here on the beach every year. So this one had to be canceled.

But we're starting to see the effects. The wind is starting to pick up.

You can see over here in the distance, that right there, that tower, that lifeguard stand there, that was pulled off the beach, up to this part of the beach, from way down low this morning by the municipal workers who have also been out here all morning picking up any of the loose garbage cans so that they're not flying around in the event of the storm.

But again, we talked to the Salvation Army a little while ago. They're going to start serving food at the shelter starting at about 8:00 tonight, when those shelters start to open. So they are prepared, they are hear, and those are not on the island, but just over the bridge in Morehead City.

But people here, Suzanne, taking this very, very seriously. A lot of them saying they are worried this could be the worst storm to hit this area since the 1950s, when Hurricane Hazel --

MALVEAUX: Wow.

ZARRELLA: Yes, when Hurricane Hazel came ashore in this area, and that was a very damaging storm.

And, you know, one quick point, Suzanne. Inland flooding is the number one killer in hurricanes now. Not so much storm surge any longer. Because of the early warning systems, people are able to evacuate the coastal areas.

So you folks living inland, be real, real careful, because that is and has been for the last decade or more the number one killer in hurricanes, inland flooding -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Wow, great warnings. Thank you so much. I'm sorry about that wedding, too, that has been delayed, but better to be safe then and marry just a little bit later. So --

ZARRELLA: And they will have a good memory of why it was delayed.

MALVEAUX: OK. Thank you, John. Appreciate it.

Well, an Amtrak train plowed into a farm vehicle in southwestern Nebraska today. Now, the train, with 178 people on board, derailed. At least three people were taken to a hospital. Their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening. The train was headed to Chicago.

Libyans inside Moammar Gadhafi's compound brought down his golden fist sculpture today. The fist gripped a U.S. war jet. Gadhafi had it made to show his defiance at a U.S. bombing raid in 1986.

Now, fighters loyal to Gadhafi, they are shelling rebels who hold Tripoli's airport. At least one plane went up in flames. And CNN can confirm that Gadhafi's long-rumored tunnels underneath Tripoli, they actually exist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just to give you 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: Britain says that its war jets bombed a Gadhafi bunker. That happened today. That, in the hometown of Sirte. As for Gadhafi, he remains out of sight.

Investigators might find more bodies inside a casino in Monterrey, Mexico, today. Fifty-three people are known dead after men rushed the building, sprayed gasoline everywhere, then set off an inferno. Reports that a grenade exploded cannot be confirmed.

Well, some of the Americans killed when the Taliban shot down their helicopter in Afghanistan will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. That is happening today.

Thirty U.S. troops lost their lives in that attack. The military did not specify how many would be buried at Arlington today. The August 6th attack also killed eight Afghans.

Dow stocks tumbled 200 points today on news from Fed chair Ben Bernanke. Right now, the Dow has recovered. Let's see -- it's up by 172 points or so.

Investors had hoped that Bernanke would announce a new short-term stimulus today to give the economy another kick in the pants. Instead, Bernanke said that a decision would wait until a Fed meeting in late September.

And here's a rundown of some of the stories that we are covering over the next hour.

First, hospitals in New York already moving patients to higher ground. We're going to go live to a hospital in Brooklyn.

And New Jersey residents are boarding up their windows and gassing up their tanks ahead of the largest storm to hit the Eastern Seaboard in years. And later, the search for Gadhafi reveals miles of secret tunnels under Tripoli. Our Sara Sidner takes us through them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Some evacuations ahead of Hurricane Irene have already begun in New York. There are hospitals that have started transferring patients to vacant beds at medical centers on higher ground.

Michael Herzenberg from New York 1, he joins us from Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn.

And hey, Michael, the main concern for these hospitals, what are they dealing with here?

MICHAEL HERZENBERG, REPORTER, NEW YORK 1: Well, they're dealing with critical patients a lot of times. There are 241 patients in total, 24 of them are critical.

I talked to one emergency medical technician who said, "This is insane." I talked to a doctor from ICU who said this is the last thing he wants to do but, of course, he has no choice.

Take a look. There are some ambulances out here still waiting. Most are loading up in the back of the building.

The evacuation started at 8:00 a.m. The hospital expects to be closed and finished by 8:00 p.m., which was mandated by the mayor. They are no longer taking new patients now.

The process of moving critical patients can be dangerous, although hospital officials do say there are no problems yet. All of the 241 patients except the 14 are going to other hospitals and facilities in Brooklyn. Those 14 though are going to a mental health facility.

They started the process of assessing the patients and their needs last night, as well as looking into the beds that would be available at the other facilities. We're told medical staff is accompanying a lot of these individual patients to the new facilities so that they can help them comfort the patients, as well as help when they get them to the new facilities. Also --

MALVEAUX: And Michael --

HERZENBERG: Yes?

MALVEAUX: -- let me ask you, too -- one of the things, the main concerns that we keep hearing about is the loss of power. What are they doing about that? Are they preparing for backup generators? What happens if the hospital loses electricity?

HERZENBERG: Well, they aren't going to be open, of course, but there is going to be a skeleton staff here at this facility throughout the hurricane to prepare to reopen the hospital in the event that there is no actual damage and they can get things up and running as soon as possible.

Also, a maintenance crew will be here to protect the facility the best they can. This facility is two feet above sea level, and the emergency generators, we're told, are actually on the ground floor, which probably isn't the best place for them.

MALVEAUX: OK. Michael Herzenberg, thank you so much for joining us. Obviously, you'll give us the latest update as this gets closer to you.

Thanks again.

New Jersey is under a state of emergency ahead of Hurricane Irene.

Our CNN's Jason Carroll, he's live from Point Pleasant Beach.

Jason, set the scene for us where you are, what folks are dealing with now.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Very easy to do that, Suzanne. All you have to do is take a look at the beach out there. You can see that some folks are still coming out to the beach, and along here on the boardwalk, you can see some strollers.

This is really basically against what Governor Christie is asking. Governor Christie is saying that everyone who is not in town should not come here. And the reasons for that, obvious.

And, in fact, right now there is a mandatory evacuation for tourists, and at 3:00 today they are going to decide whether or not there should be a mandatory evacuation for residents. Obviously, a lot of concern about the boardwalk that's here.

I want to bring in one of our guests who can talk about that, can talk about the condition of the boardwalk, what is being done in terms of evacuations.

I want to bring in right now Marilou Halvorsen.

You're in charge of the boardwalk. What's being done right now to shore things up?

MARILOU HALVORSEN, JENKINSON'S BOARDWALK: Well, right now, we have been planning actually since yesterday. We've been taking all objects off the beach, lifeguard stands, the beach gates, things like that. We've been securing all of our rides, making sure that the animals in the aquarium, that we have backup generators for them, securing all the buildings, and really making sure that our employees are safe.

And like you said, really asking non-residents to please leave town. We love to have you, but now is not the time to be here.

CARROLL: Now is not the time. Now, I know you told me earlier, Marilou, that you plan on leaving tomorrow since you don't live in the area. Does it concern you at all that you see a lot of out-of-towners still coming in, still trying to catch the last-minute rays?

HALVORSEN: Well, yes, and I hope that they do heed the governor's message. And I think what the Office of Emergency Management in town just issued and sent us, it asked that we please encourage everyone to leave, the storm is moving a little quicker than they anticipated. So, really, yes, I mean, like I said before, as much as I love having our customers, it's for -- safety has got to be the number one priority here for the shore.

CARROLL: Safety always being first.

Any concerns at all about how the boardwalk will fare during the storm?

Because everyone that I talked to out here, Suzanne, can't to remember in any recent memory when a storm of this magnitude has hit this particular area.

HALVORSEN: No. Actually, not since I've been here. And I think back -- it was in the 1930s.

Obviously, buildings are a little bit more sturdy. We're doing everything that we can to secure our property. The boardwalk itself, with the storm surge, could probably take a pretty substantial hit, and really, until it's all over, you never know.

Sometimes it could take a turn. The winds at the west side, if it hits at high tide, that could be actually catastrophic for us. So it's how everything lines up.

CARROLL: Right.

Marilou Halvorsen, in charge of the boardwalk here.

We wish the best for you and all the residents. Also hoping -- thanks very much.

HALVORSEN: Thank you.

Also hoping, Suzanne, that people actually heed the warnings, because once again, I have talked to a number of folks who have been out here saying, well, we want to take advantage of the sun before it goes. But here is the situation.

You don't want everyone trying to leave town at the same time. That's one of the things that you want to avoid.

In order to try to alleviate some of the traffic in terms of getting out of this particular area, contra flow will be in effect. That's going to be starting at 6:00 tonight on Route 72, so all the traffic will be moving westward. That will certainly help with some of the flow.

Also, toll charges have been alleviated. So that will help as well in terms of keeping flow and traffic going in one direction. But once again, you don't want everyone heading out at the same time -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK. All right. Thank you, Jason.

Well, if you need more information on shelters or evacuation or tips on how to stay safe during Hurricane Irene, the Red Cross has a wealth of information. Their Web site, RedCross.org.

Inside Gadhafi's secret tunnels. Our Sara Sidner explores the elaborate underground system as rebels search for any signs of Gadhafi.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Parts of Long Island could be under water when Hurricane Irene slams into the Northeast.

Our CNN's Susan Candiotti, she is live from Smith Point Park. That is on the south shore of Long Island.

Susan, give us a sense. Are folks actually taking this seriously? Are they ready for what's about to hit here?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I get a sense, Suzanne, that people are.

As you pointed out, we are on Fire Island, which stretches about 30 miles. And we're to the eastern end of that, a barrier island. And there are only two ways on to Fire Island.

There are a couple ferries on either end. There is a road that's available only for -- bridges on either end, excuse me -- and a road that runs only for residents here.

As I say, that stretches here. And we don't have an evacuation order yet for people who live on the island or on the south shore of Long Island. We're still waiting to hear about that.

Of course, there are high dunes set up here to protect the shoreline. Conditions are beautiful out here today for people to take advantage of the nice waves and the high surf. But, of course, we're at least two days out from the expected impact of the storm.

Are people getting ready? Yes. I can tell you by going to the stores, that some of the shelves are emptying out of all the basics you would need -- bread, water, prescriptions, flashlights, batteries, this kind of thing, ATMs, cash, because one sure thing is expected. There's going to be a ton of rain, there's going to flooding in low- lying areas, and there are very likely to be power outages. So people do have to get prepared -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Susan, I notice there's somebody behind you there. I guess, are folks still hanging around, enjoying the surf a little bit before this hurricane?

CANDIOTTI: Well, they are taking in the sun and the surf while they can, because conditions are definitely going to change a couple of days from now. So this is a normal day at the beach out here, but not for long, because pretty soon we expect to find out that they will no longer allow people to come out here to the beach on those two bridges, or via the two ferries that come out here to Fire Island.

MALVEAUX: All right. Susan Candiotti, thank you so much.

Here in the United States, the storm surge from Hurricane Irene is a major concern for New York City. Chad Myers is going to show us what you need to know if you live in a high-rise.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here is a rundown of some of the stories that we are working on.

Next, riding out the hurricane in a New York skyscraper, why this monster storm's effects could be even worse the higher you are.

Then, a live report on how historic Annapolis, Maryland, is preparing for Irene.

And later, if you're forced to evacuate, what you have to have on hand inside your car.

And a lot of people live in those high-rises that you see in New York City, the skyline. And the impact of Hurricane Irene's winds could be different depending on how high up you live.

Chad Myers is here to explain that phenomenon.

Why is it more dangerous the higher you go?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Because there's less friction up above. Five hundred feet higher, the winds are actually higher than they are at the service because of the fraction of the ground. Trees, low-lying buildings kind of slow that wind at the surface down.

Now, in New York City, that's a little bit different because you get the funneling effect of the buildings. You get a wind tunnel through all of downtown, especially through midtown and especially through downtown.

So the issue is here. What do you do if you live on the 50th floor?

Well, the best thing to do is to go have a party with somebody that you know on the third floor. Get out of the way of those higher winds. In fact, if the winds are 80 at the surface, it can be 100 miles per hour, so 20 percent higher, up into the top of the building.

So what is the best thing to do? And for that matter, which way is the wind going to come?

Well, it can switch. The wind can come from the east, depending on if the storm is to your east. The wind can come from the other way if the storm is to your west. If you are in one of these skyscrapers, and you're in the building, people are asking me, should I open the windows? I don't even think that's going to matter whatsoever. If the window is going to break, it's going to break whether it's opened or whether it's closed.

The thing that I like to see you do is take the drapes and get them attached to the wall somehow. Tiny nails -- I don't know. I don't want you to get in trouble with your landlord, but I want you to think, if the window breaks, how would I stop that glass from going too far?

If the window breaks and the drape is just there, it's going to go -- and the glass is going to keep flying. If you can use that drape as kind of a catch fist a little bit to catch the window glass, if it breaks, and then fall to the floor, you would be a whole lot safer. That's the first thing you want to do.

And the next thing you want to do, you don't want to be down in the basement. Well, why not? Why wouldn't you want to be as low as you can? Because guess what's going to happen to the lowest floors if we really do get the storm surge here? They will be the first places flooded. And so if you have a $100,000 Porsche that you really like, don't park it in the basement. Park it somewhere else. Find somewhere else, maybe on the second or third floor you can pay a couple bucks to at least get it out of the way. Get it out of the way of water going down into your basement and flooding.

Another thing there. Glass is truly the biggest issue, and getting into your interior area. If you can see the windows, you can see outside, you are in the wrong place. You want to be, when this thing hits, when you are in the eye, you want to be in the closet, you want to be in the bathroom without windows. Somewhere where if windows break - and the buildings aren't going to fall down, honestly. But you could get hurt because the glass will hurt you more than anything else.

And so, Suzanne, I know you have lived -- I live on the tenth floor. Even here in Atlanta, and the winds are significantly higher as you go up the hill. And at the 17th floor on top of my building, the winds are going twice as much as they are down at the bottom.

MALVEUAX: Yes, I used to live in a high-rise in New York a little while ago. And also too, Chad, I understand one of the worries is if you have patio furniture that's out and about, you've either got to take it in or tie it down in some way take because it could go flying off.

MYERS: You know what people do in Florida with a hurricane? What they do is they take their lawn furniture and they throw the lawn furniture in the pool. And it sinks to the bottom of the pool and it can't go anywhere because it's in the bottom of the water. So, yes, take everything away that could become a projectile. Either to you or the building next door.

The biggest problem is going to be those buildings with rocks on top. They have - you have the tar and then the stones on top of that. The stones are going to turn into projectiles. The same thing happened here at CNN when the building next door in the tornado back a couple years ago picked up those stones and threw those stones into all of the windows at CNN. Broke out 500 window because those tiny stones, this big, smaller than marbles, turned into flying bullets and broke the windows.

MALVEAUX: You got to be so careful about that stuff. Yes.

And I understand, Chad, you have an emergency kit here and some things you just might need over the next couple days. What is the most important thing you have to have?

MYERS: Water. That's it. You can you survive without food, you can survive power, but cannot survive very long without water. It is going to get very hot.

MALVEAUX: And people forget that if the power goes out, you don't have those pumps to pump the water up, you don't have any water.

MYERS: And if you're on the fiftieth floor, are you going to walk all the way down and all the way back up the stairwell to go get water from a store that's trying to be open? No.

And that's the thing, you don't want to be 50. You have a great view, and it's nice, but you want to be as low as you can. Find a neighbor down there you really like and hang out a little.

MALVEAUX: Tell us about this here.

MYERS: You will not have power so you won't have lights. A battery-operated light. And I've heard some people say you need a battery-operated TV. Well, that used to be really great when we had channels 2 through 13. I don't think they work very well now.

Get yourself a radio. Get yourself a NOAA weather radio. Those are the best things you can get.

MALVEAUX: Best way to communicate.

MYERS: And this is -- these are fruit juices, but water will be just fine. And all you have to do is empty a couple containers, dump the water out in the sink or the milk out in the sink. Shake it out, rinse it out, put it in your fridge. Turn the freezer at least all the way down to as cold as it will go. And that's if the power goes out for a few hours, that stuff will stay frozen. Because it's 10 degrees below zero, and not 20 above zero. I know 20 above is still frozen, but it won't last as long. It'll melt sooner. That will keep you going.

MALVEAUX: And you obviously need a first aid kit. Anything that might be handy.

MYERS: Let's not focus on the high-rise right now. Let's just focus on the regular person on the beach, a couple things happen. Bugs get very angry after a hurricane, and they want to bite you. So, bug spray. The sun is brutal after a hurricane because the air is coming down and - you can go outside and see how brutal the sun is here. We're away from the hurricane, the sun is just beating down. That will happen the day after.

And poison ivy is everywhere. So, if you are a poison ivy hater like I am, get some poison ivy cream. Because it just blows around, and that poison ivy oil gets on everything. And I have been covered with it. Covering Charlie and Gene.

MALVEAUX: That's yucky. All right. Not pleasant. Thank you so much, Chad. Appreciate it. All great information.

Events up and down the East Coast are being cancelled ahead of Hurricane Irene. We will tell you what is happening to the Martin Luther King Memorial dedication in Washington.

(COMMERCIAL BRAEK)

MALVEAUX: We go live to New Jersey. New Jersey governor Chris Christie is holding a press conference to talk about some of the preparations to make for the hurricane. Let's listen in a little bit.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Also, on Routes 277 and 347 at Cape May, they will be closed to eastbound traffic. And the use of all lanes will move westward beginning tonight at 6:00 p.m. as well. So, tonight at 6 p.m., 47 and 347 to Cape May will be counterflow to be entirely westbound, so for people getting off of the barrier islands in Cape May County.

There will be no traffic southbound on the Garden State Parkway. South of exit 98, beginning at 8:00 tonight, traffic will be rerouted to 195 West. There is no reason for everybody to be traveling after 8:00 tonight, we're leaving it until 8:00 for folks who are commuting home from work today. But after 8:00 tonight there's no reason for anybody to be traveling south of exit 98 on the Garden State Parkway. And so, that will be closed. The hard close at 8:00 tonight southbound on the Garden State Parkway.

As part of this process, all the ramps will be tightly controlled and additional personnel will be used to ensure folks' safety.

Also with regard to New Jersey transit, Aces and Meadowland Services have already been suspended beginning at noon tomorrow; all rail service will be suspended.

Addtionally with regards to Atlantic City, coordination with my office, the Division of Gaming Enforcement, the Casino Association of New Jersey, all gaming activity will be suspended as of noon tomorrow.

Security surveillance and maintenance operations and personnel have been ramped up and coordinated to ensure that the necessary resources to protect and secure the casino properties are in place. In addition, there will be no eastbound flow into Atlantic City after 6:00 this evening. So, if for some reason you were going to dinner in Atlantic City for dinner tonight, forget it. Go someplace else. But no further eastbound flow into Atlantic City after 6 p.m. tonight. Same times we're dealing with 47 to 347 in Cape May County, and Route 72 in Ocean County.

Guests are being told that they need to be out of the hotels and the casinos by noon tomorrow. However guests who find themselves stranded due to travel or logistical reasons will be permitted to stay, and we will have an orderly way of moving them out.

There's a lot of other activities taking place in other departments as well. Let me go through that for a second. Motor Vehichle Commission offices in Atlantic, Cumberland -

(END LIVE COVERAGE)

MALVEAUX: You are listening to the governor of New Jersey essentially saying things will be shutting down and closing in his state, including some hotels, casinos as well as the railways, and that traffic will be rerouted out of that area.

Well, a ceremony to dedicate the new Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial in Washington this weekend has been postponed because of Hurricane Irene. The ceremony had been planned to coincide with the 48th anniversary of the march on Washington, when the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. The King memorial opened to the public on Monday and includes a 30-foot granite sculpture of the civil rights leader. The organizers have not announced a new date yet for the dedication.

As outer bands from Hurricane Irene close in on North Carolina's coast, farther north, towns in Maryland are preparing for the storm. Our CNN's Athena Jones is joining us from Annapolis.

Athena, good to see you. How are folks reacting? Business and homeowners, are they ready for what they will be hit with?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are trying to get ready. You know, this morning we spoke with the mayor of Annapolis, Josh Cohen, and he said right now city officials are predicting a two- to-three foot storm surge. We understand that could be changing as they track the storm any minute now as you get more updates.

But let me tell you, this is a flood-prone area. It's a low- lying area. And I've talked to residents around here who've said that even when the high tide comes in, which is only about a foot in Annapolis, you can see some of the areas around here are flooding. And as you look around, you see a lot of traffic. There's been a lot of activity as people come into town to try and get supplies, to get prepared.

You see these businesses around here. These are businesses that would have seen several feet of water after Hurricane Isabel in 2003. And so a lot of people say they've learned their lesson, they're not taking a chance. And when we spoke to the mayor this morning, he had something to say about the businesses here, too. So, let's listen to that for a second.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH COHEN, MAYOR OF ANNAPOLIS, MARLYAND: A lot of businesses are going to sustain some flooding damage if we get to see this storm surge. The city makes sandbags available at several locations already. You've been seeing the residents and business owners taking sandbags. And tomorrow morning every one of these businesses will have sandbags piled in front of the door to minimize some of the damage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: And you know, back to that point of sandbags, we have seen several bags of sandbags pull up at different point here along this square in downtown Annapolis. And you've seen a mad rush for them as soon as they arrive. People swinging by in their cars, people standing by and waiting for several minutes.

Earlier this morning they were coming by, say, every 20 minutes, and then it took another hour for another truck to arrive. As soon as it arrived you had people swarming the truck, pulling off these really heavy sandbags, some of them breaking. Everybody trying to stock up in the trucks and trunks to protect businesses and their homes. Some say they did not do it last time and they are going to do it this time. They are not going to gamble. Back to you.

MALVEAUX: All right. Athena, been out to dinner there in Annapolis many times. Looks like people are taking it very seriously this time around. So, thanks again. We appreciate it. Good to see you.

Stocks did a flip-flop today after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke spoke. We're going to tell you what he said about the economy.

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MALVEAUX: The markets are reacting after a much anticipated speech from the Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke. The bottom line is that he is not going to make any stimulus moves for now. Alison Kosik, she joins us from the New York Stock Exchange with some details.

Alison, what did he say?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: OK. So, you're right. You know, Ben Bernanke, he didn't come out and offer a stimulus, but what he did do is leave the door open to something. Nothing really specific. You know, he did say the Fed has a range of tools that could be used to support the economy. He says that the Fed is going to continue to discuss those tools at next month's meeting, which happened to be changed from one to two days. This happening in September.

Now, what Bernanke did do, Suzanne, is kind of say that the Fed is really going to do all it can for the economy. But, you know what, it's Congress that has to do its part now without messing it up, referring to the whole debt mess, the whole debt debate mess. Traders say it's almost as if Bernanke is trying to buy time until President Obama's major speech on jobs. That's expected to happen after Labor Day. Maybe the Fed, Bernanke, didn't want to steal the president's thunder.

Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Was Wall Street expecting more from the Fed chair?

KOSIK: You know what, economists in general, they did not expect another stimulus. And people that I talked with, they didn't expect anything either. You know, we saw the market drop sharply right after this speech began. The Dow fell as much as 220 points. Obviously it's come back. The Dow up 122 points.

You know, the market is basically acknowledging it didn't get what it wanted, but Bernanke left the door open. That's kind of why you're seeing a rally here also on the expectation of what President Obama may come out with after Labor Day.

Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK, Alison, thank you very much.

But with Hurricane Irene on the way, a lot of people are going to take the advice of emergency officials. They're going to get out of the way. That's what they should be doing. We have tips on what you should take with you.

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MALVEAUX: Well, even with all the advanced warning today's weather technology can give us, a lot of people, they're still waiting until the last minute to evacuate before the hurricane strikes. And that, of course, can be very dangerous. Lauren Fix, she is the national automotive correspondent for "The Car Coach" and she joins us via Skype from Buffalo, New York, with tips on how to make that trip safer.

Lauren, I love the fact that your last name is Fix. It's so appropriate for this time.

LAUREN FIX, "THE CAR COACH" CORRESPONDENT: I married the right guy, I guess.

MALVEAUX: Well, yes, I guess that's right.

If you're evacuating out of a flood zone, what do you need to do? What do you need to put in your car to make this journey successful? In the short term and the long term, what do you need? FIX: The first thing you don't know is, as a matter of fact, I'm driving into New York City, so I'm doing the exact same thing. I'm bringing a self-enclosed battery jumper cables. You know they come -- where you don't need another vehicle to jump it.

MALVEAUX: Right.

FIX: You can buy those at any auto parts store or mass merchandiser. They're around $60 to $80.

MALVEAUX: OK.

FIX: Also a tire inflation product. The last thing you're going to want to be doing as you're trying to exit in rush hour traffic is to have a flat because you've got construction, you've got everything else going on down there (INAUDIBLE). So any type of tire inflation product. I'll look for something that's water soluble. Believe it or not, that's a better choice.

Of course, an emergency kit and a lot of protein bars, if you've got those. Raisins or nuts, unless you've got allergies. I'm always grabbing apples and different types of fruits so I have something with me because if you're stuck, you're not going to be cooking on the side of the road and more than likely you will be waiting on the side of the road. So make sure to have rain gear. It is going to rain like you've never seen it rain.

And you're going to need work gloves, some basic tools. And, of course, you want to have flashlights and extra batteries and cell phone chargers. You can use your vehicle to charge your cell phone, even your laptop. So keep those type of things in mind as well. You want to carry that full emergency kit.

MALVEAUX: And if you come across a flooded area, what should you do? How do you react if there's water all around you? Should you drive through it?

FIX: No, you never want to drive through it. One of the key things is, people think, well, I drive down this road every day and if it's flooded, I know the road. What you don't know is if there's a manhole cover that has lifted up, because six inches of water is all it takes to make your car float. It could actually cause damage to your vehicle. You could drive into a pothole or a construction area. So if the road is flooded, just find another route.

MALVEAUX: Is there like a certain measurement where you know it's safe to drive, like if it's just say six inches or one foot -- or how do you know when you can actually get through that water? Is there any guidance on that?

FIX: Well, anything over six inches of water, you really cannot see the ground below it. So if you can't see the ground clearly, (INAUDIBLE) a little tiny bit of water, just find a different route. You don't want to take a risk, because once you're in that water, you can't turn around and say, well, I'll just back out of it. Besides the fact that you've got someone behind you. If your vehicle gets stuck in that water and you do have to call 911, you will be waiting. Plus the fact you're going to be involved in the expenses of the brakes and the electrical system, the exhaust system that's going to have to be replaced.

MALVEAUX: Yes, Lauren, that was my last question there. What do you do if you're stuck in your car and there's water all around? I mean you said, yes, call 911. Is there anything else that you've got to do?

FIX: You have a very short window of time to get out of that vehicle. If that situation does come up, the first thing you want to keep in mind is, you want to take off your seat belt, and if you need to get out, water starts getting into the cabin where you sit, that's a problem. Do not open the door. What you want to do is, if you can roll down the window, do it. If you can't, you may have to kick the window out. That would be a side window, never a front window. Your front window is safety glass and it has plastic in it. You can't kick that out very easily. The side windows are -- will shatter into little pieces because they're tempered. So if you can do that.

If the vehicle starts filling with water, it will always go nose first in because of the engine and the weight. So if it's really deep and you didn't know that, the nose of the car will drop first. You will have to climb to the back of the car and kick the rear glass out and exit that way.

This is not a fun situation. The smartest thing to do is just avoid deep water. Find another route. If you're coming from the suburbs, bring a GPS and find an alternative route if the road is flooded.

MALVEAUX: Lauren, excellent advice. Thank you so much. Hope everything works out for you this weekend. Thanks again, Lauren.

Well, inside Gadhafi's secret tunnels. Our Sara Sidner explores the elaborate underground system as rebels search for any signs of Gadhafi.

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MALVEAUX: This just in to CNN. We have learned that President Obama is going to be leaving Martha's Vineyard early to avoid Hurricane Irene. The president is leaving early. Originally he was supposed to leave tomorrow afternoon, but he, obviously, is trying to avoid some of the big problems, the transportation problems, and hunker down in Washington, D.C., at the White House. That is also where the hurricane is expected to hit.

But the president will be leaving later this evening as opposed to tomorrow because of that hurricane. And the president, earlier today, warning folks to take this very seriously. The president trying to set an example for many others.

Well, rebels in Tripoli are searching an elaborate system of underground passageways. They are looking for any signs of Libya's fugitive dictator, Moammar Gadhafi. CNN's Sara Sidner, she goes inside, got a look at Gadhafi's network of secret tunnels that are beneath the city.

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SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We don't know what we might encounter in here and it's very, very dark, but this is Gadhafi's inner sanctum. Let me take off my hat here. There's no reason to have this on because these are really thick walls.

Check out this massive door with this incredibly sturdy lock. You can also see the communications here. I mean this is set up like a survival bunker. And that's exactly, I think, what the plan was.

This is incredible. I mean there is literally a city under here. But you can see -- wow! Obviously NATO bombed just there. You can see that there's a huge hole in the roof. But, actually, if we were to pop our heads out there, there's dirt there.

This is part of the TV studio. He even has professional videotapes there. So you're seeing the professional tapes here. So, obviously, these are where some of his messages are recorded. And there is tons of them. I mean, look, 90-minute ones. This whole place is filled with some of Gadhafi's recordings. It would be interesting to see what's on them.

Where we're going now, supposedly, takes us to the house of resistance where you'll see a sign of Gadhafi's fist, like this, right in front of the home. It's a very famous place. Everyone knows it. But the guards are getting spooked that are with us. The opposition says let's get -- let's get out of here.

They believe these tunnels go all the way to the airport and all the way to the Rixos Hotel, they just have not had the time to go all the way through them. 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 to -- because this place is so big, to get back and forth.

This is how you get out on this section. It will be interesting to see where this leads to.

And we have popped up just in front of the house of resistance.

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MALVEAUX: She is unbelievable. Our Sara Sidner. She's going to join Fredricka Whitfield live in the next hour to talk more about what she found. Our CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Fredricka Whitfield.

Hey, Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to you, Suzanne. All right, see you later and see you throughout the weekend because it's going to be a busy one.