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Hurricane Ida Makes Landfall In Louisiana; Fall Of Afghanistan; Multiple Rockets Fired In Attack On Kabul Airport. Aired 11p-12a ET

Aired August 29, 2021 - 23:00   ET

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

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Have a good week.

[23:00:14]

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN HOST: Hello everyone. Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes and we are following the breaking news in Louisiana with a damage from Hurricane Ida, one of the strongest storms to ever hit the state is quickly becoming clearer.

Right now all of New Orleans Parish, which includes the city of New Orleans, is without power, in the dark. Statewide almost a million customers with no electricity. There is now a flash flood emergency for New Orleans a major city now totally in the dark.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The entirety of Orleans Parish went out. Now there still isolated places with the generators and the turbans are still working to operate the pumps. But the entire parish of Orleans went out in terms of the power that's being provided there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, the first deaths from this hurricane was reported in just the last hour, a person killed by a falling tree. Ida made landfall Sunday as a powerful Category 4 storm slamming ashore on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall. It has now as of as we speak, we can do a Category 2 but the winds, the flash flooding, the storm surges are all still major concerns.

There are also worries for the folks in Grand Isle, a small barrier island, which has completely lost contact with local authorities.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CYNTHIA LEE SHENG, PRESIDENT, JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA: We've lost contact with Grand Isle so we that is the island right on the Gulf of Mexico that I've been very, very concerned about. We lost contact with them. We've not been able to reach them so I don't know what they're going through.

And then closer up here, it's still outside the hurricane protection system, an area called Lafitte and lower Lafitte, Barataria Crown Point. The water is rising. People are in their homes and we're getting reports of people with water up to their chest they're asking to be rescued.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And CNN is covering this story of course from all angles we got Brian Todd in New Orleans we got Ed Lavandera in Baton Rouge and Pedram Javaheri is at the extreme weather center in Atlanta. Brian, want to start with you. The power is out. The waters are rising. How bad is a beam where you are?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael, it's been pretty bad for the last several hours and this little bit of the past few hours and the next several hours are very concerning period here in New Orleans because it's been pitch black. The streets are pitch black with darkness, no power. I can step to the side here and a photojournalist Jake Shire (ph) will zoom into Bourbon Street here in New Orleans that is in complete darkness.

The only reason you see light on those buildings is because Jake or photojournalist has been able to throw a light from an independent power source onto those buildings there where you can illuminate part of Bourbon Street here but you can see it is total darkness.

Now, the good news here is at least in the French Quarter, the flooding has not been too bad because the French Quarter is at a higher level of ground than much of the city but you've got flash flood emergencies in many, many areas of New Orleans at least 20 different neighborhoods, most of them on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain, where these are lower lying neighborhoods. So flash flood emergencies, at least until midnight, there is some flooding going on.

Now this is flooding due to basically a catastrophic rainfall event. This is not necessarily due to storm surge, because as far as the storm surge is concerned, according to people with the Louisiana hurricane written, there was a there's a system that basically protects, it's the hurricane protection system here in Louisiana.

We've been talking with officials from that system. And they've told us that the levees, the flood gates, the surge gates with they're all close, they're holding very, very well. They've been heavily fortified since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Those levees and gates are holding very, very well. They do not expect them to fail. And so that -- that's the good news tonight.

But the bad news is the rain is still pounding it. And we're still getting some flooding here in New Orleans. And there's a flash flood emergency, at least until midnight, local time here in New Orleans.

Now you talk about the darkness here. And the fact that anybody who has power is going to be using a generator. That's a kind of a point of danger as well, because officials told us that last year when Hurricane Laura came through here, when they lost 25 people due to that hurricane, nine of those deaths were attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning. People not using their generators properly and they're malfunctioning on them. So they're warning people if you're going to use a generator, you've got to know how to use it. Follow the manufacturer's instructions. Don't bring those generators in your homes. That's part of the problem.

The other part of the problem, Michael, is that with the darkness.

[23:05:02]

You know, people in New Orleans and in these areas where the flash flooding is going on. Of course, it's so pitch black. You can't see very often how much the water levels are rising in your given -- in your house, in your community. So that's going to be a point of real worry in the next few hours until we see daylight. Michael.

HOLMES: All right, just hard to imagine how terrifying that would be for all of those people in the parish without power in the middle of all of this. Brian Todd in New Orleans, thanks so much.

Let's go do where Baton Rouge now and check in with CNN's Ed Lavandera. Ed, what have you been saying there?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the strongest rain bands have now started reaching Baton Rouge. And Michael it has taken most of the day for this hurricane to reach this far inland. And as that is as it has slowed down. That is also making it a much more treacherous situation because now you have a hurricane that is still very strong, doing its worst damage in some areas here in all darkness. And so that is terrifying.

And this storm and the brunt of this storm is essentially passing between New Orleans where Brian Todd is reporting from and where we are here in Baton Rouge. And it is an area that is filled with dozens of small communities. Low line. Officials here have been saying that this is one of the areas that they are most concerned about.

And Michael, this is a situation that it is not just a matter for these residents just to get through tonight and the worst of the initial brunt of the impact of this storm. This is an impact that they're concerned about over the course of the next several days. And that is because as this storm continues to push, essentially straight north, it is dumping lots of rain on the area and just north of it, and all of that flood water and rainwater is going to have to rush back down toward the Gulf of Mexico.

And residents here are nervous about the floodwaters that will be coming in the next day or two. So we -- in the areas that are being hardest hit at this hour between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. We spent the day there driving, talking to people visiting several different communities. And they said that one of the things that they're also most nervous about is that most storms usually weakened considerably by the time they get this far inland.

But this storm remains relatively strong, not a Category 4 as it was when it made landfall, but still stronger than many of these people are used to experiencing. And they also live in areas and communities with massive trees. And as you alluded to there off the top the first death has already been reported. The victim had a tree fall on their home. And that is very close to the area where we were driving through earlier today. And the area where the brunt of this storm is pounding right now.

And that is what many residents told us. They were very worried about where you know, we spoke with one family that had four or five different trees that were 75 to 100 feet tall. So you can imagine the nervousness that they're experiencing here this evening as these strong winds to continue to push forward. A tree collapsing on homes can be deadly, as we've already seen unfold here tonight, Michael.

HOLMES: All right, Ed, thanks so much. Ed Lavandera there in Baton Rouge for us. Let's go across now to Pedram Javaheri, meteorologist, who's joining us with the latest. Give us a sense, Pedram, of how this unfolded as it barreled in where it is a heading. And I mean it was smaller than Katrina but strong and crucially slow moving, wasn't it?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Very concerning. Yes. You know, the progression, the forward speed, the lack of movement after landfall, all of those going to play a significant role, Michael, in how this particular storm plays out, the damage that's going to be left behind.

You notice this, if it made landfall right now, at 105 miles per hour, it would be six miles per hour shy of being a major hurricane. You've got to keep in mind it's been a land for upwards of almost 10 hours. That's remarkable. You don't see that very often. This landscape, of course, very conducive to allowing systems to maintain intensity because of the southern tier of it. A lot of the bayou, a lot of the waterways, the marshland here, just essentially a continuation of the Gulf of Mexico very warm waters that are going to energize and continue fueling the storm system.

And of course, at left, some of the warmest water on our planet. Their water temperatures along the Gulf Coast, the northern tier of it closing in on 90 degrees here. So an incredible amount of warmth to fuel a storm system that is now tied with last year's hurricane Laura, the state's strongest storm, 150 mile per hour winds had landfall.

You notice the Storm Prediction Center for Sunday into Monday morning giving it a high risk a four out of four there for excessive rainfall risk and excessive flooding. That includes New Orleans and includes portions of Baton Rouge and the system making its closest approach to Baton Rouge at this hour.

And again you keep in mind when it comes to this sort of landscape, this is called the brown ocean effect when you look at an area that has saturated waterways and soil as well that fuel storms allows them to maintain this intensity. And that's what's concerning in this particular area of the U.S. with landfalling storms.

[23:10:03]

Peak winds upwards of 150 miles per hour with saturated soils 60 to 70 miles per hour are enough to bring trees down. We know upwards of a million customers now without power across the state of Louisiana. You can take the tremendous amount of winds with this incredible amount of moisture that has already been on the ground that is responsible for this. But notice this, flood warnings, Michael, still in place meaning flooding is imminent or occurring. So continue marching northward into the overnight hours. And it becomes that much more dangerous when people go to bed and the waters continue to rise across this region, Michael.

HOLMES: Yes, I think it was already the second wettest year on record for much of that area so ground was already wet. Pedram Javaheri, thanks for the update there. Extraordinary stuff.

All right, we're going to take a break. When we come back, after Katrina, Louisiana poured billions of dollars into flood control. We're going to see how well those defenses are holding up as they face their toughest test yet.

And in Afghanistan, the U.S. targets an imminent threat to Kabul airport as it rushes evacuations ahead of this week's withdrawal deadline.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:15:33]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are staring down the eye of a monster Category 4 hurricane and it is unleashing his fury on Houma, Louisiana as we speak.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now one big question those coastal communities are facing right now is how well the state's network of levees and flood walls will hold up against this storm. The government invested billions of dollars in shoring up Louisiana's flood protection systems after they failed, of course during Hurricane Katrina, leading to the devastation we all witnessed.

Well, so far, the levees do appear to be holding. But we are seeing dangerous flooding in St. Bernard Parish, south east of New Orleans. And the National Weather Service reporting water has overtopped at least one levee in Plaquemines Parish ship to the south.

Now, for more, I'm joined by Nicholas Cali. He's the Regional Director for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority. And thanks for being with us. As we said a lot of money was spent on Katrina, after Katrina disaster on these defenses. Briefly, what were they designed to do? And how well are they holding up?

NICHOLAS CALI, DIRECTOR, REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA FLOOD PROTECTION AUTHORITY: Thank you for having me. Yes, the federal government invested $14.7 billion in the flood protection system in South Louisiana for just this reason. And so far they are performing as designs.

I'll admit that they're being tested. We're being pushed. This is a monster storm, accredit the National Weather Service, because they were right the whole time that they told us what was going to happen. So we were able to prepare for it the right way. And the levees are doing the flood walls, the pump stations, all of these components in this complex system that New Orleans is doing exactly what it was supposed to do.

HOLMES: Right. I think this has been a record wet year for Louisiana, New Orleans, second wettest on record. And now this massive amount of rain, the storm surge on top of that, just how much water can the pumping system handle.

CALI: So what we do is the perimeter defense. But one of our components is the West Closure Complex. It's the largest pump station in the world. We don't use it very often, but it has a peak capacity of 19,140 cubic feet per second. So you're talking about roughly eight and a half million gallons per minute.

And what that does is allow us to rapidly remove water from inside the system, so that the municipal drainage can keep up with the street drainage. It's a complicated system of checks and balances, so to speak. But what it does when we have to run it, and this is only the second time the flood authorities ever had to run this thing for a storm event. It allows us to give a level of protection that the federal government designed and provided us.

HOLMES: It's a stunning amount of water to be able to pump it, absolutely extraordinary. I did read that the authority managers, I think it's 80 miles of levees, the flood walls, the structures, I think there's 70 or 68 gates, three pumping stations. Just how expensive and complicated is the system?

CALI: The system was very complicated. The West Closure alone was 1.1 billion. Like I said the entire system of Greater New Orleans was 14.7. And with the authority on the West Bank manages is about three and a half billion dollars worth of infrastructure. So we -- it's a lot to manage, 80 miles of levees and floodwalls, 68 gates, the Mississippi River the hurricane protection levees.

And so it's a full time job. We start preparing for hurricane season on the last day of hurricane season. We start preparing for the next one. We do that every year. My team report flawlessly. The levees have done their job, but they are pushed to the limit. Because this is a record setting storm at every aspect imaginable.

But we have a great support network. We have a partners at the federal level with the Corps of Engineers at the state level of Governor Edwards. And everybody down has been nothing but supportive. And so we're doing our job to keep the citizens safe.

HOLMES: Well, it was an extraordinary amount of money after Katrina, but it's being really tested. It's good news to hear that things are working as they would resign. Nicholas Cali going to leave it there in New Orleans. Stay safe. Appreciate your time.

CALI: Thank you so much. Y'all stay safe. Bye.

[23:20:06] HOLMES: Well, the U.S. says an airstrike in the Afghan capital has taken out what they call an imminent threat to the Kabul airport as the clock winds down on Tuesday's deadline for all U.S. troops to withdraw. No more boots on the ground.

And I'll show you some video here. This is from social media shows people gathered the aftermath of Sunday's airstrike. A U.S. official says the vehicle targeted contain they say a suicide bomber. But the U.S. military says secondary explosions from the vehicle may have caused civilian casualties and that has been reported.

Now, this action comes just days after 13 U.S. service members were killed out in that attack outside Kabul airport more than 170 Afghans killed as well. U.S. President Joe Biden traveling to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, where the bodies of those service members were returned to the US.

CNN's Anna Coren is following developments from Hong Kong and White House reporter Jasmine Wright joining us now from Washington. We begin with you though, Anna. Another U.S. strike in Kabul, what more do we know about it the casualties and at this late point, how many more Americans and Afghans are going to be able to get out as part of the evacuation before it's over?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael, we've got some breaking news for you explosions were heard in Kabul in the last hour. We don't know if this was a rocket attack from a vehicle aimed at the airport repelled by the airport's defense system. Or if this was a another drone strike by the U.S. military. We are still waiting for those details. But certainly explosions heard in Kabul about an hour ago.

In relation to that drone strike that took place yesterday in Kabul that we just saw the images on, the Pentagon is saying that it took out an ISIS threat that this was a vehicle containing a one to three people with suicide vests, that were going to go to the airport and create more, more bloodshed, more carnage.

As you can see, it wasn't just one vehicle. There's another vehicle that was affected as well. And nine civilians have been killed, we believe up to six children involved.

So once again, still working on those details. But as far as the Pentagon is concerned, they took out what was a very specified threat, this obviously in relation to the suicide bombing at the airport last Thursday, which claims more than 180 lives.

The US then responded the following day a drone attack in Jalalabad in Nangahar province, once again, taking out ISIS targets. But as we get closer, you know, we are now hours away, Michael, from U.S. troops pulling out. So the threat level, you know, at the extreme high.

HOLMES: Yes, and that their most vulnerable as they evacuated as well. Jasmine Wright in D.C. let's turn to you. It was as we said a somber day for the U.S. as the return of the bodies of the service members killed were returned what's called a dignified transfer. Tell us why that happened. JASMINE WRIGHT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, Michael, it was a sad day today. President Biden watched on from the Dover Air Base in anguish on his face, even though he was wearing a mask and his movements. As he stood for this dignified transfer, we saw him at times, put his hand over his heart and close his eyes as those transfer cases were carried off that C 17 military airplay on to those mortuary vehicles really acknowledging the sadness of this day bowing his head, sometimes looking like he was in prayer. We know that he's a deeply religious man.

We know that this moment is significant because this is his first time as commander in chief standing for what for this solemn movement really, that has happened on his watch. And we know that that moment -- that that feeling of anguish that as we watched the video and you could hear in that silence is something that has perpetuated over the last few days since Thursday, when we first heard of that suicide blast that left 13 us service members dead, it has really permeated the air at the White House.

And it is one of the reasons why President Biden is really sticking close to that August 31st deadline because he does not want to see more U.S. service members return to this country and these transfer cases. So this was a significant day and a very sad day for the president and for the country really, Michael.

HOLMES: All right. Our thanks to our Jasmine Wright, also Anna Coren in Hong Kong, thanks so much. And still to come here on the program. We're going to speak to an extreme storm chaser about the devastation he's witnessed so far from Hurricane Ida. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:29:32]

HOLMES: While the power is out and the water rising in much of southern Louisiana as hurricane Ida turns deeper into the state. This time as a Category 2 storm it slammed ashore Sunday as a Cat 4 and it's proving to be every bit as devastating as first feared.

The first storm related death has been reported this was near Baton Rouge. I mean hurricane force winds, heavy rain and flash flooding. Nearly a million customers have without power at the moment, and people in Jefferson Parish State, water in their homes is coming up to their chests is what the sheriff of Lafourche Parish told CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRAIFG WEBRE, LAFOURCHE PARISH SHERIFF: We're still getting a lot of wind gust. And we still are not able to be able to respond to any calls for service, even if we had -- would want to every road is impassable. During the brief reprieve of the eye I was able to travel a couple of miles at the zigzag down power lines and trees and debris and roofs. And there's no way at night with a parish completely dark that we could get on the highway and safely respond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now just south of New Orleans, the situation in Jefferson Parish is apparently the period writing rapidly. The parish president Cynthia Lee Sheng spoke to CNN's Pamela Brown earlier and gave a pretty disturbing update about the rising waters there.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CYNTHIA LEE SHENG, PRESIDENT, JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA: Right now my concern is we've lost contact with Grande Isle so we -- that is the island right on the Gulf of Mexico that has been very, very concerned about. We lost contact with them. We've not been able to reach them, so I don't know what they're going through.

And then closer up here, it's still outside the hurricane protection system, an area called Lafitte and Lower Lafitte, Barataria, Crown Point the water is rising. People are in their homes, and we're getting reports of people with water up to their chest. They're asking to be rescued. So very, very dark situation and we just can't get out yet.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: That is dire. What else are you hearing from people calling in? I mean, that is horrific.

SHENG: It is horrific. We're almost -- the electrical grid is just almost out where we're probably at 95 percent out of electricity. We were a very large transmission tower came down. That said a lot of our community. So we're getting reports of roof damage, roofs, you know, trees down, tree roots pulling up in damaging water mains, so now our water pressure is going down.

So, you know, we are also responding to an assisted actually a condominium where there's some elderly people who are living there and their roof partially collapsed. We're trying to get them out to a church across the street. So it is very, very busy here and we're -- we just can't respond yet.

BROWN: Right. I mean, so what are you doing in these cases, when you get a call like that with these senior citizens or the person who has, you know, water up to their chest, or what can you do?

SHENG: Well, people just, you know, I got a text from a friend of mine and she said a tree fell on her neighbor's house. She wants the neighbors to come to her house, but she said she can't walk outside right now. So it's just the winds are so heavy, so high right now, we just can't get out. We were able to get one of the Fire Chiefs over to the Assisted Living Center to see what it's like. It's not a dire situation, but they do have water in the building that's on the first floor. There is some type of collapse that's having water intrusion. So the real situation I think is very dire is the water that is rising in the areas of Lower Lafitte.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now fears grow for the many Afghan allies that will likely be left behind when the U.S. completes its withdrawal this week. I'll speak with a retired colonel about that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:37:55]

HOLMES: Now a quick update for you on some breaking news. We're getting reports of unidentified explosions that have happened in Kabul, Afghanistan. We don't know yet what might have caused the blast, but CNN is working to get more information.

Now all of this comes just two days out from the deadline for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. No more boots on the ground. And there is an urgent push of course to get as many people evacuated as possible before that deadline hits.

On Sunday, the White House said nearly 3,000 people were flown out of Kabul during a 12-hour period. But there are concerns U.S. citizens as well as Afghan allies are going to be left behind as criticism persists over how the withdrawal has been handled.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BEN SASSE (R-NE): Joe Biden put our forces at risk by having no plan for how to evacuate. We are absolutely at risk. And we are at worst because the President has been so unbelievably weak, abandoning Bagram base will be read about in military textbooks for decades as one of the stupidest military blunders ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Peter Mansoor is a retired U.S. Army Colonel and former aide to General David Petraeus. He joins me now from Columbus, Ohio. Good to see you, Colonel. We saw another U.S, counter terrorist strike on Sunday, potentially a car bomb or even. How much more difficult will that sort of counter terror operation be with no boots on the ground after this coming week?

COL. PETER MANSOOR, FMR. AIDE TO GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS: Well, it's going to be darn near I wouldn't say impossible, but you're going to have to launch sorties out of the Arabian Sea or drones from faraway bases, though, they'll have to be refueled multiple times to get over Afghan airspace. You're going to have to clear the airspace through Pakistan to get there.

So this is going to be a really hard, hard lift. And I think those strikes will be reserved for only the highest value of targets. Probably ISIS-K targets but we'll see going forward.

HOLMES: As we said in the intro, you're a key figure in Iraq during the surge. I was there during that period too.

[23:40:02]

I wanted your thoughts on, on the reality of thousands, tens of thousands, perhaps of Afghan war time allies, translators, and so on, who will not be evacuated? They're going to be at the mercy of the Taliban, who are not known for mercy. What are your thoughts on so many not getting out, given what they did for US?

MANSOOR: Well, it's really heartbreaking, you know, you hearken back to the end of the Vietnam War, where we were able to get some of our people out, but a lot of them didn't get out, and they ended up in reeducation camps. And some of them were killed.

You know, hopefully, things will be better here. The Taliban is making good noises. But, you know, you got to worry for them, because a number of them will not be treated well. And I think it's inevitable that some of them will be killed for their role in in the war.

HOLMES: The other thing is, we're leaving those people behind going back to, you know, Intel capabilities. We're leaving those people behind impact the U.S. ability to recruit human intelligence sources on the ground who are so vital, will there be a trust deficit going forward?

MANSOOR: I trust deficit for sure, as there was after Vietnam. I think in the long run, you know, the United States will recover. But Central Asia will become somewhat of a black hole for us and what we lack basis now, in Afghanistan, the neighboring countries are not exactly allies. You know, you're looking at Pakistan, and Iran and Tajikistan.

So this is going to be a really hard issue going forward how to conduct counter terror operations in that region. And we may lose visibility on what ISIS-K is actually up to. Might have to rely on the Taliban to battle them.

HOLMES: Yes. And al Qaeda, for that matter, which brings me to this. I mean, as things stand right now in that IO. I mean, you've got the Taliban, you've got al Qaeda, you got ISIS-K, you've got the Haqqani Network, warlords, you've got tribal and ethnic rivalries. What might Afghanistan look like in say, two years potentially?

MANSOOR: Well, it's a real dangerous stew, you know, for the regional powers there. Congratulations, you forced the United States out of the region. But be careful what you wish for, because now you've inherited a region that has a failing state, right, in the center of it. And it could be -- there could be refugee flows. There could be terrorist attacks emanating from Afghanistan, although I think the Taliban will probably try to tamp those down. But it's going to be a very unsettled area of the world for quite some time to come.

HOLMES: Yes. Peter Mansoor, thank you so much, really appreciate your expertise on this.

MANSOOR: My pleasure.

HOLMES: And back to that breaking news out of Kabul, where a U.S. official is telling CNN, those explosions were actually as many as five rockets that were fired at the airport. CNN's Alex Marquardt joins me now with the details. You have the reporting Alex, what have you heard?

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, good evening, Michael. Yes, that's right. A U.S. official is telling CNN that just recently five rockets, as many as five were fired at Hamad Karzai international --

HOLMES: Again, it seems we've lost Alex Marquardt there. The details are scarce. But the reporting is that as many as five of these rockets were fired at the Hamid Karzai airport in Kabul International Airport, and we're engaged by U.S. Defense Systems there at the airport.

Still very light on the details as they say, a fluid situation. We'll bring you more details as we get them.

All right, quick break, when we come back, hurricane Ida may be losing steam the damage though far from over, more on the storms movement and what's in store when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[23:48:26]

HOLMES: Hurricane Ida thankfully is weakening now a Category 2 storm, but the first death from the storm has been reported the result of a fallen tree on a home in Louisiana. The entire city of New Orleans is in darkness, imagine that the entire city. A flash flood emergency has been declared for the South Shore area of the city. Nearly a million customers in Louisiana and Mississippi now without power.

Now along with the high winds, the torrential rains and pounding surf in coastal areas, Ida has forced the shutdown of more than 95 percent of the Gulf of Mexico's oil production as well.

Now I want to bring in Tim Kerner Jr. He's the mayor of Jean Lafitte in Louisiana near the coast. And just some harrowing stories coming from where you are. What is the town and surrounding area experiencing?

MAYOR TIM KERNER, JEAN LAFITTE, LOUISIANA: I'm so sorry. I had emergency alert happening on my phone (INAUDIBLE) the question.

HOLMES: I was saying that there have been some harrowing stories coming from where you are. What has been the situation in the town and surrounding areas?

KERNER: Yes. This is the effects of the water and the wind has been totally devastating. And the aftermath, I mean the whole process has just been catastrophic to the people of Jean Lafitte, Crown Point, Lower Lafitte, all of south east Louisiana at this point. We have a bunch of people trapped that we can't get to one being the wind. We can't put boats in the water.

[23:50:00]

It's just too rough. It'd be life threatening for the person operating the boat at this time. And we tried to do high water trucks. We don't -- we can't get through the water. We had our -- our main bridge going to a big portion of our community of 1,500 people. Now, most of them evacuate. We have about 300 people, 200 people are still there. So took out that bridge, and now we can't get to them by vehicle and --

HOLMES: The whole bridge was taken out.

KERNER: The whole bridge was taken out. It's just -- our levees were top, a counter surge levees were top that was within the head of the school system, the government buildings and hundreds of homes that this never happened before. And all the outside areas were just hit so hard. I mean --

HOLMES: Has there ever been a storm there that has overtopped a levee?

KERNER: Yes, yes, there's some sort of overtopping flyway, overtop all the levees, but this was our highest one. But we've suffered flooding before. We suffered storms before, but I've never seen one like this in my life. And it just hit us in the worst way possible. And it was such a massive storm that it just totally devastated.

HOLMES: And these reports of people on their roof, you're hearing them?

KERNER: Yes. No, we have everybody -- we have numbers out there that people are contacting. We have people that are directly messaging me. We have -- we are collecting a database right now. We're keep trying to find ways since both of the (INAUDIBLE) close to us. We have two boats trying right now to get through it, through actually neighborhoods. So they could up that water and try to not flip it over.

And we are we are collecting as many boats as possible. And putting them on standby as soon as this weather breaks we'll send them out. And we're going to get to those people. And we're going to make sure we get as many boats as possible.

HOLMES: Are you worried about what tomorrow will bring when the sun comes up?

KERNER: You know, one thing and one -- the only positive thing today is that the water seem to stop and there's no indication it's going to go up anymore, it will drop. So, you know, at first, when we started getting calls that people were in attics, and that water still popping up. You know, that really breaks you home when you those people you can't get to those people.

But luckily, 30 minutes later, right after I heard a bunch of those -- to those people having to do that the water had stopped and I talked to agencies throughout the state CPRA, another (INAUDIBLE) and they are -- no indication that without a doubt it's going to start to drop now.

HOLMES: Just terrifying, just terrifying and an entire bridge taken out by I think it was a runaway ship. We're going to leave it there. Mayor Tim Kerner, really appreciate your time there in Jean Lafitte. We'll stay in touch.

KERNER: All right, thank you.

HOLMES: Incredible stories there and they will be many more of those in the hours ahead. Now tracking the dangerous hurricane for us, meteorologist Pedram Javaheri, what a day it's been.

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: My goodness, you know, going on 11 hours, Michael, since the landfall of this storm system, and still at this hour on satellite imagery, all quadrants of this storm as impressive as it gets, as organized and as symmetrical as it gets. Really impressive for any storm even once it moves out of the ocean and makes landfall within that initial hour.

But for 11 plus hours this is as incredible as the storm gets here with the organization moving just about 40 or so miles east of Baton Rouge in the past hour. We know wind gusts between 70 to 90 miles per hour already being felt inland in between 30 and 40 miles away from the center of the storm.

Near the center winds wonder five miles per hour and that is six miles per hour shy of a major hurricane. Again, more than 11 hours overland here. And you'll notice the organization, I wouldn't be surprised Michael that this storm system here maintains hurricane intensity into the early morning hours, maybe until say two three in the morning. An incredible storm system still causing plenty of damage in route.

HOLMES: Yes, absolutely extraordinary. Pedram, thanks so much for your work there, keeping us updated, though. Appreciate that. Now, going back to this breaking news out of Kabul where we've heard about rockets being fired at the airport. CNN Alex Marquardt has the reporting. We got him back on the line now. What do you know, Alex?

MARQUARDT: Well, good to be back with you Michael. What we -- what appears to be happening as things getting more dangerous in Kabul in these final hours of the U.S. draw down. That deadline, of course, is on Tuesday, August 31. What we know is that as many as five rockets have been fired in the last few hours at Hamid Karzai International Airport. That would be Monday, local time in Kabul. And just before midnight here on the East Coast, the United States that's according to us official.

[23:55:14]

Now, the U.S. official also says that what's known as the C-RAM defense system, which has been installed the airport engaged with those rockets. Now what that system is designed to do is essentially just shoot down incoming rocket artillery or mortar fire. That's what the RAM in fact stands for.

And so that engaged with those rockets, presumably taking them out because the same sources telling us that there are no reports of casualties at this time.

The source Michael did not say who they believe to be behind these rockets being fired at the airport. But of course, all eyes are going to be on the terrorist group, ISIS-K. They are the ones who carried out that horrific attack on Thursday at the Abbey Gate of the airport that left scores of Afghans dead as well as 13 American service members.

And since then, Michael, we have seen two retaliatory attacks airstrikes by American drones against ISIS-K, both in Nangarhar Province, just to the south east of Kabul, as well as in Kabul itself today. That strike today hit a vehicle that CENTCOM Central Command says belongs to ISIS-K, and was carrying explosives.

Now, CNN has also reported via journalists on the ground that at least nine civilians were also killed in that strike by the American drone. Now, CENTCOM says it is looking into those reports of civilian casualties and said that perhaps it was because of all the explosives in the vehicle that that civilian death toll rose so quickly.

Michael, these are going to be of U.S. officials say the most dangerous hours of this evacuation of this drawdown. U.S. officials all the way up to President Biden have said that they do expect attacks by ISIS-K in these final days, even if this was a successful drone strike against the group today. By no means, the U.S. officials believe that the threat from the group has been eliminated. And if they are indeed behind these five rockets tonight that would just go to show that they are still a very prominent force in Kabul, in these final hours before the U.S. fully pulls out, Michael.

HOLMES: Yes, yes, yes, exactly. If they want to attack Americans, they have a limited time frame. Alex Marquardt, appreciate the reporting. Thanks so much.

MARQUARDT: Thank you.

HOLMES: All right. And thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. I will be back though after the break with more on our Breaking News.

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