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Mandatory Evacuations Underway as Dorian Heads to U.S.; Millions Under Mandatory Evacuations Along East Coast; Texas Shooter Previously Failed Gun Purchase Background Check. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired September 02, 2019 - 15:30   ET

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

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VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT AND ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN's special live coverage of Hurricane Dorian. I'm Victor Blackwell here in Jensen Beach on Hutchinson Island. A Barrier Island here on the east coast of Florida. The wind has picked up. This area is under a hurricane warning and a mandatory evacuation.

The beach behind me virtually deserted as there were dozens of people here earlier but have now decided to get off of this beach, to leave this area. We know that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has recently had a conversation just a short time ago with President Trump. According to the Governor's office, the President reaffirmed the federal government support and full resources for the state as Hurricane Dorian will eventually get closer to the state of Florida.

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We know according to the National Hurricane Center that it is moving at just one mile per hour. And these affects, the deteriorating conditions, will get worse eventually. Let's head about 30 miles north of here to Vero Beach. My colleague, Miguel Marquez, is watching the conditions there. Miguel, what are you seeing?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, sounds like much the same. We're about 20 miles north of you on the Barrier Island here at Vero Beach. Nd this is the Atlantic now. Just very big waves and that sustained wind that's been going on now for several hours. We also get sort of gusts of rain, big sort of bands of rain that come through. If you look over this way, you can see just out on the Atlantic how -- what some of those rain bands, that looks like it's probably headed your way if it's not already there right now. What those rain bands look like.

People here are also evacuating, but there is a lot of confusion, a lot of uncertainty and a lot of trepidation here because people don't really know what to expect. This has been such a slow-moving storm, the tracks have changed so much, it may come very close to Vero Beach. We're under hurricane watch here, as well. But people aren't quite sure what to expect. One thing that may happen, in about 24 hours, maybe the worst of it in

this area that's also meant to coincide with what they call a king tide here, the moon and the earth are in such a position that the highest tides of the year happen to be happening right now as the storm surge will also come in. And that could make life very difficult for people, not only are the wind conditions going to be bad, but the storm surge could be deadly -- Victor.

BLACKWELL: Yes, Miguel, officials here worried about that preparation fatigue day after day of here it comes, it's coming. And then at some point, they let their guard down at the time when they certainly should not. Miguel Marquez for us there in Vero Beach. Thank you.

Now, there are several areas here beyond where I'm standing that are under mandatory evacuation, including those communities of mobile homes, the manufactured homes. They usually show the strength of a storm first. Well, I spoke with a couple earlier today who are still deciding if they're going to if they're going to leave or not. You're going to hear their reasoning in just a moment.

Stay with us, CNN special live coverage of Hurricane Dorian continues in a moment.

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BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Welcome back to CNN's special live coverage of Hurricane Dorian.

Right now a strong category-four storm moving across the islands of the Bahamas at a walker's pace, just one mile per hour, we've been told by the government there to expect catastrophic damage. Some of the videos, the pictures we've seen on social media so far confirm just that.

We also know that there has been one death attributed to this hurricane. Unfortunately from what we're hearing, that number may increase. But the storm still pummeling that community -- that country for now another hour after 24 to 30 hours of the storm there. Back here in Florida, though, they're not expecting damage that significant, but still a hurricane warning where we are. Expecting flooding, storm surge to damage the communities here along the Barrier Islands.

And there are mandatory evacuations for several communities, especially those communities of mobile homes, of manufactured homes, which often show the strength of a storm first. This morning I spoke with a couple, Jack and Violet Honey, that's their names, in Port St. Lucie in an almost deserted mobile home community. Still hadn't decided if they were going to make the move. Here's part of the conversation.

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BLACKWELL: You're sitting here and Dorian is about 100 miles off the coast.

JACK HONEY, PORT ST. LUCIE RESIDENT: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Have you made the decision to stay or go?

JACK HONEY: No, I'm going to depend on what the storm does. If the storm comes closer, we're leaving. If it turns and goes towards north, we're going to stick it out.

BLACKWELL: Do you think it will be too late to make that move when you see the change in direction?

JACK HONEY: Personally, no, I don't.

BLACKWELL: Are you prepared to move?

JACK HONEY: Yes, car is packed. The only thing I'm going to put in the car is the wife and the cat and we're out of here. Very quick.

BLACKWELL: Where would you go?

JACK HONEY: West. Probably over near Punta Gorda, which is southwest which the storm has not come near yet.

VIOLET HONEY, PORT ST. LUCIE RESIDENT: I have a gut feeling that everything is going to be all right.

BLACKWELL: How many people in this community have you been driving around, have you seen that are out walking the dogs who are staying?

VIOLET HONEY: I don't know. It seems like quite a few if you go by the automobiles under the car ports, who are staying. I don't know. I really haven't been out talking to anybody.

BLACKWELL: St. Lucie County says that you know in a manufactured home like this you are under a mandatory evacuation, you've got to get out.

VIOLET HONEY: Right. Right.

BLACKWELL: You hear that and think what?

VIOLET HONEY: Well, maybe we should think about it. But I leave it up to him because he makes good decisions.

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BLACKWELL: Jack and Violet Honey there, quite relaxed as this monster storm is just 100 miles off this coast. They're in Port St. Lucie. Let's bring in the Mayor of Port St. Lucie. Mayor Greg Oravec. Mr. Mayor, thanks so much for being with us. I hope you were able to hear the Honeys there and their decision to stay in the mobile home what's your message to them and other families that have decided to stay?

MAYOR GREG ORAVEC, PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA (via telephone): It's better to be safe than sorry. And that's a saying for a reason.

BLACKWELL: I'm sorry. I -- I don't know if I'm having difficulty, Mr. Mayor. But are you suggesting they stay or suggesting they leave?

ORAVEC: No, it's better to be safe than sorry. So absolutely -- absolutely suggesting that people err on the side of caution, especially with something that's as unknowable as the actual track of a storm like Dorian.

BLACKWELL: Yes. It has been fickle over the last several days. And the latest forecast is that it will not make landfall here in Florida. But still have a significant impact on the east coast. In this context of being more safe than sorry, we know that there are shelters that are open there in St. Lucie County. What do you know about the members of people who have decided to take up that offer of a safe space with the uncertainty of the storm?

ORAVEC: I think a number of people who have medical and special needs have -- has taken the opportunity to find refuge in a safe place. And you have to understand that the people of St. Lucie County have been through a number of storms in recent memory, and they have learned whether or not their home is safe for an event like this the hard way. From just a couple of years ago, many in our community have lived through Frances and Jeanne, two hurricanes in one month's time.

BLACKWELL: Yes, Frances and Jeanne in 2004, that came ashore here on the Treasure Coast. But also Matthew back in 2016 that came up alongside the Florida east coast. But we know that there has been significant population growth in just the last couple of years. There are plenty of people in your community who have never lived through a hurricane or a storm like this. What's your message to them?

ORAVEC: Well, you're 100 percent right. And honestly, that's why when we talk about preparation, we ask our residents after you're ready, please look to your neighbors and help our vulnerable population who are seniors and our -- and our new residents. And I think to a large extent the people of Port St. Lucie did that.

And I mean, let's be candid, I think our community got as ready as it could. And I think that you heard the public official definitely asking people not to let their guard down because we were dealing with a storm that's historic. I mean, it -- we haven't seen many monsters like Dorian before. It's going to be one of the most -- going to go in the record books obviously. So the public officials saw that coming, and they wanted people to take it seriously.

And for us, we'd much rather have people wondering why we asked them to be ready and they be ready than to have to deal with something like they've dealt with in the Bahamas. Just terrible.

BLACKWELL: Yes. At some point you'd rather be ready, as you said, and not need to. But rather safe than sorry is the message. Mayor Greg Oravec of the city of Port St. Lucie, thank you so much for spending a few minutes of us. We'll be right back with more coverage of Hurricane Dorian here on CNN.

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BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: Breaking news out of Texas. We have just learned that the gunman responsible for that mass shooting spree over the weekend had previously failed a gun purchase background check. He killed seven people, injured 23 before police killed him during an intense gunfight Saturday afternoon. Let's go to CNN's Scott McLean who is there in Odessa. Scott, what else do we know?

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brooke, we know this 36-year-old suspect was fired from his job at a trucking company on Saturday. What we found out today though was that that firing got quite ugly to the point where both he and his employer called 911 because of this dispute. Now, before police actually showed up to respond, the shooter had actually left.

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About 15 minutes before the first shots were fired, he actually called the FBI's national tip line, and it is not the first time that he had done that. He had left a rambling nonsensical voicemail about the so- called hardships that he had gone through. The trooper that pulled him over 15 minutes later for this routine everyday traffic stop did not know about the issue, about his firing, and that law enforcement actually wanted to contact him.

The FBI talked about the house they just finished searching, they said it was reflective of his mind. Small, dirty and really showed you the downward spiral that he was on. The FBI said that this case was unique because the shooter was mobile but in virtually every other way it fits a lot the same descriptions of these mass shooters -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Scott McLean, thank you for those new details. We'll stay on that. Also of course we're covering the breaking story that this hurricane category four Hurricane Dorian. Quick break. We're back after this.

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