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New Video of Water Park, Homes Destroyed by Tornado; Category 2 Hurricane Dorian Closes in on The Carolinas; Trump Shows Falsified Map of Trajectory to Back False Claims; Survivors in Bahamas Tell CNN, It Was 36-Hour Horror Movie. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired September 05, 2019 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN HOST: -- are always just really comforting for everybody including yours, so thank you very much for sharing.

PAUL MUSCO, OWNS WATERPARK DESTROYED BY TORNADO (via telephone): Absolutely

CAMEROTA: Sharing the story of your loss and how you will rebuild with us.

MUSCO: Thank you for having me on.

CAMEROTA: Thank you. So in South Carolina, 1400 members of the National Guard have now been activated before the arrival of Dorian, they staged these high-water vehicles throughout the region so that they would be able to help out afterwards. Debris removal teams are in place we are told to help the first responders when they can go in. And aviation assets are also able to help with transportation and search and rescue missions.

So Major General Van McCarty is an Adjunct General for the South Carolina National Guard. There are already tornados and street flooding in some areas. Of course, so, General, tell us what your plan is? Where are you headed now?

MAJOR GENERAL VAN MCCARTY, ADJUNCT GENERAL, SOUTH CAROLINA NATIONAL GUARD (via Skype): Well, first of all, thank you for allowing us to share our situation here. And our hearts go out to that's been affected this storm, certainly those on the Bahama. But, for South Carolina, right now, there is guarded optimism that we're going to be spared from the brunt of Hurricane Dorian, as it's moving up the coastline of South Carolina.

We're getting reports from the southern part of the state that the damage was not as great as we had originally anticipated. At this time we're not reporting any storm related fatalities but yet the storm still is tracking along the coast of South Carolina and will continue to do so through the afternoon and through the early evening of tonight.

So we still -- our message to those that are in the affected area is to remain hunkered down where you're at. Take those basic precautions that our Governor has been advising he people, as we see the storm leave the area, we still will have floodwaters, our soldiers and airmen and members of our state guard along with the other first responders here in South Carolina are prepositioned as you identified with the assets to be able to go in and provide evacuation of those individuals that may be stranded by the high water. We have the high- water vehicles that we have available.

And we have debris teams to assist local authorities to be able to get into those affected areas. And we have aircraft that are a part of and work with our state Fire Marshal Office and along with other special training units that provide aerial search and rescue with helicopters that can go in and remove people from high risk areas. So we're prepared and we are fully ready to make those type of evacuation rescues as necessary.

But right now we're continuing to monitor the storm. A lot of our personnel are still into shelters, and we'll wait to be cleared to be able to go into those areas and begin to assess the damage and perform those basic life and safety checks that our people will be doing here over the next couple hours and a few days.

CAMEROTA: And General, just explain to us how it works. Because at one point more than 800,000 people in South Carolina were under these mandatory evacuation orders, but it's estimated that you know fewer than half complied. So what happens? If somebody needs help right now, they call 911 and then you're activated?

MCCARTY: Well, that is part of what we briefed early on in the storm process, and the numbers that you indicated there are pretty consistent with what we've had in previous storms, some people just choose not to evacuate or may be in a positions that that they cannot evacuate. But we advise them to take the necessary precautions. But if something does come up and they're able to reach us through 911 or other emergency means. If it is deemed safe to be able to go out and make those rescues, we will do so, but there would be conditions when you have either tropical force or hurricane force winds that would make those type of operations very risky if at all, able to execute them.

So at this point there could be situations where people could be stranded and in need of help that we would just may not be able to reach them. But certainly as soon as that opportunity allows, then we would go in as quickly as possible and evacuate them from the danger.

CAMEROTA: Well, Major General Van McCarty, thank you for all that you and the National Guard do to keep the rest of us safe. We really appreciate you being here.

MCCARTY: Thank you, we appreciate that.

CAMEROTA: All right. Up next, President Trump again defending his use of these doctored maps showing a false hurricane projection. We'll take you through the timeline of this bizarre episode in the midst of an emergency.

[15:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: It's been theater of the absurd at the White House this week as the deadly hurricane has threatened the southeast. I'm sure by now you've seen this doctored map that President Trump tried to pass off as official from the Oval Office. I hope I'm not the only one who can see that black circle seemingly drawn in there with magic marker. Because I can see that clearly.

That circle was not part of the original official projection. And we know that because the very same map was seen last Thursday during the briefing for President Trump but for some reason after his briefing, President trump wanted to include Alabama in the danger zone.

[15:40:00]

But since Alabama was not in the danger zone, someone in the White House decided to simply pretend that it could have been. President Trump has given that incorrect warning about Alabama on at least five separate occasions starting Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It may get a little piece of a great place, it's called Alabama, and Alabama could even be in for at least some very strong winds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: All right, well. the National Weather Service in Alabama tried to set the record straight. And allay any fears stating Alabama, quote, will not see any impacts from Dorian, end quote. Still, nearly every day so far this week the President has insisted he's right, despite all the corrections. CNN's Chris Cillizza joins me now and he is going to make perfect sense of all of this. Hi, Chris.

CHRIS CILLIZZA, CNN POLITICS REPORTER AND EDITOR AT LARGE: Theatre of the absurd is right. Hi, Alisyn. It's really remarkable stuff. So Sunday as you played, Donald Trump mentions Alabama in that briefing. Everyone, sort of,

what, OK.

People report Alabama not part of it, Donald Trump on Monday, this is Labor Day. I am going to run through these fast because it's literally taken 5 days. He has continued to reconstitute this story. He says, I suggested yesterday at FEMA that Alabama could possibly come into play, which was true. They made a big deal about this when in fact under certain original scenarios this in fact corrected Alabama could

have received some hurt.

OK, so, then we go to Donald Trump response, Stephanie Grissom trying to clean up the mess. At the briefing at Camp David, the President and others in attendance we're told there was a lot of uncertainty. Which is fine. But as the President, you don't necessarily say like, look out, fill in the blank state, because uncertainty doesn't mean it's coming to this place. Then we had Donald Trump with reporters, this is the map that you showed that everyone is now familiar with, with this line and by the way, Alisyn, I see it too. This line there, Donald Trump was asked about it, he said, there's this -- what's that there? He was asked about it, here's what he said about the origins of that Sharpie line.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That map that you showed us today looked like it almost had a Sharpie --

TRUMP: I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CILLIZZA: Who has a Sharpie that we know? Wait a minute. Is that the President's signature on his personalized Sharpie? It could happen. OK. Let's keep going because as I said the story doesn't stop there. Wednesday night, last night, after Donald Trump got these questions, he tweets this out. This was the originally projected path of the hurricane in its early stages.

Now, this is the spaghetti model. You can't see it in here, but it says literally on this, if this is not meant as a projection. By the way, it barely touches but this is not meant as a projection, if it's confusing, don't use it. Well, here's the President of the United States tweeting it out which is the opposite of don't use it. OK. We have more -- but wait, there's more.

OK. September 5th, welcome to today. Donald Trump in the way arrow against the hurricane was predicted that Dorian would go through Miami and West Palm Beach. Certain models strongly suggested that Alabama and Georgia would be hit as it made its way through Florida into the Gulf. By the way, not accurate. Instead it turned north in the path it took, read my full FEMA statement. What I said was accurate all fake news in order to demean.

Now, the important thing here, one important thing, Alisyn, one important thing, it's not true. There's just no truth to it, he said Alabama, and now he and his aides have spent five days trying to construct the story, literally construct with a drawing to make up and make it look like it's true, it's not. The broader point here is that as you just showed, as you've been talking about for this hour, and the hour previous and the hour before that, people's lives are in danger, there well being is in danger in the Carolinas. Maybe in parts of Virginia as the storm moves.

Donald Trump is focused on what? Trying to prove he was right about something. Whether he was right or wrong, Alabama is not in danger now. It was never in danger. But the point is, it's not in danger now, why is the President of the United States spending time on this? It's a remarkable thing and reveals a huge flaw I think in the way in which he approaches the presidency. Which is it's about him, it's about me not the we -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Well, I think that he has said he was trying to illustrate the cone of uncertainty and mission accomplished. I think we all feel we are in the cone of uncertainty.

CILLIZZA: That is he did that.

CAMEROTA: Chris Cillizza, thank you very much for taking us through it.

Now to this very upsetting story. The estranged husband of that missing mother from Connecticut has just been arrested for a second time. Hear what investigators have found in his car.

Plus, we'll take our focus back to the people who are suffering in the Bahamas, entrepreneur and TV personality Bethenny Frankel has already flown to the island. She was there on Monday to help coordinate relief supplies. So she's going to join us live with details on what we can all do now.

[15:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: The clock is ticking for those in the Bahamas waiting for crucial aid like food, water, baby supplies, batteries, and medicine. But heavy damage to the airport is, of course, complicating this entire situation. CNN's Patrick Oppmann got an exclusive look at what's left of the airport in Freeport.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jose is going to point the camera. Look at this. That's a wheel. This is the underside of a plane. This is what's left of the wing. You think of the force required to throw a plane from the runway into a terminal. If anybody was here, I don't know how they would have survived.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK. So much of the aid is making it through to the islands from international aid groups via private aircraft. And one of those organizations is called Be Strong Disaster Relief. It's founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Bethenny Frankel. You may know her from "The Real Housewives of New York City." And Bethenny Frankel joins us live right now. Bethenny, great to have you here.

BETHENNY FRANKEL, GOING TO BAHAMAS IN AID MISSION: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: So how have your teams been able to get to the hardest hit areas on the ground here?

FRANKEL: While the hurricane was still happening, we were already talking with the Bahamian officials and the government to try to work with them, because it's really their plan. And in the beginning, it was just the Coast Guard allowed in. They've selected a few approved partners to work with them on relief and sea planes. We have ex-Navy SEALs that are going in with rafts, these amphibious vehicles. They have dirt bikes and we're going in with generators and chainsaws to kind of -- that's the first level of relief. People are so generous and worried about clothing and different types

of aid, which we are also doing in Miami, but in the Bahamas, our main focus is finding out where people are. Their coordinates, who needs medical attention immediately? How to get people out? So, that's what's going on there. By sea, we will be barging all of our relief. Like we did in Puerto Rico, in Miami, we have a warehouse and we are amassing the nation's relief. Thousands and thousands of pounds of relief to send there on barges, because unlike Puerto Rico, we can send boats there. But that's sort of -- so it's like a three-tiered process of what's going on, land, air, and sea.

CAMEROTA: Have your teams shared with you what they've seen in Abaco islands?

FRANKEL: Well, yes. We have exclusive photos. I'll be there tomorrow morning. When I was in Miami, set to go, that was when the air was still closed for anybody to fly in. Now there are certain people they're allowing into the hardest hit areas. We are one of them. So it's devastation. It's a catastrophe, and we were in Puerto Rico very early and this is worse than Puerto Rico.

CAMEROTA: Is that right?

FRANKEL: It's just a very different type of topography and the disaster is very different. It's decimated. I mean, it's just complete -- not the entire Bahamas. I mean, the Bahamas has many places that haven't been affected. It's not a place to not visit in the future, to not vacation. So people are getting confused, like the whole Bahamas has been destroyed, and that's not the case. But the really terribly affected areas are completely destroyed. And it's horrendous.

CAMEROTA: I mean, Patrick Oppmann's report, where we saw the airport completely destroyed. The only reason that your teams can get in is because they're on sea planes.

FRANKEL: Because they're on seaplanes, because we're with the Navy, Marines, literally trained for this exact purpose. You can't -- everyone's offering me planes, because I was the plane girl during Puerto Rico. But you can't -- there's nowhere to land a plane. So we're also working on places, finding airstrips, finding places to land planes on Abaco and the other really hard-hit islands.

CAMEROTA: And so for people who know you just as a TV personality, catch them up on how you've gotten involved in disaster relief, why you're leading these charges?

FRANKEL: I've been to Guatemala and Mexico and Texas and I was very involved in Puerto Rico. It is -- it takes a type of person who's very organized and knows how to execute and stay calm and connect people and disseminate information, find good, trusting partners. A person with means who pays for my own way all the time. So I pay for everything, so I can say that 100 percent goes to the relief effort. And it's giving people empowerment.

And I'll tell you that we're up to over $750,000 in three days, all from small donations. It's a relief of and for the people. I have had $10, $20 donations. No real big donations. This is literally people on financial aid that, you know, are just happy they have a roof over their head. That's the most beautiful part about it, that everyone is really finally saying, it really does make a difference if I give $10, $15. And I never even thought that it did. I always thought, we want you to give $15, but we really want you to get $15,000. But now I'm realizing, every minute, it's $1,000. It's amazing, it's very expensive to send these missions there.

CAMEROTA: It's really nice that people are opening their wallets and being so generous in this time of need. So Bethenny Frankel, please keep us posted. Let us know from your visit there what happens and thanks so much.

FRANKEL: Thank you and thank your audience for spreading the word. Because that's really what's working, spreading the word.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely. Thank you. Great to see you.

FRANKEL: Thank you.

[15:55:00]

CAMEROTA: OK, next we'll go back to Charleston, South Carolina, where you can see the flooding, you can see live wires sparking fires in the street as Dorian is moving up the Carolinas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: OK. We are getting new details in the case of that Connecticut missing mom. She's been missing since May and now her estranged husband has been arrested for a second time, charged with fabricating physical evidence. His arrest comes after police pieced together surveillance video showing him driving an employee's truck, a blood-like substance that contained his wife's DNA was found in that vehicle. We will continue to follow that case. All right, thanks so much for watching. "THE LEAD" with my friend, Jake Tapper up next.

[16:00:00]