Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Flash Flooding Hampers Rescue Efforts in Ida's Wake; Hurricane Ida Overtops Levees Causing Devasting Flooding; Hurricane Ida Slams Louisiana Hospitals Packed with COVID Patients; U.S. Winds Down Evacuation 24 Hours Before Deadline; Taliban Condemns U.S. Airstrike Against ISIS-K. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired August 30, 2021 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: So, the phone lines at the emergency operation center in St. Charles Parish are currently down. More than a million customers are without power. That's all of New Orleans without power this morning. A tree fell on a home in Prairieville killing the first victim of the storm.

The National Weather Service is warning the heavy rain in Laplace is causing flash flooding that has trapped residents. An official in Jefferson Parish said the dangerous conditions have prevented emergency crews from helping people who stayed behind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYNTHIA LEE SHENG, JEFFERSON PARISH RESIDENT (via phone): We've lost contact with Grand Isle. That's 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 are going through. And then closer up here, still outside the hurricane protection system, an area called Lafitte, and lower Lafitte, they are area of Crown Point, the water is rising. People are in their homes and we're getting reports of people with water up to their chests. They're asking to be rescued. So, a very, very dark situation and just can't get out yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JARRETT: In St. Bernard Parish, nearly develop dozen barges have broken loose in the storm threatening to damage the parish's water intake. The parish president saying he has never seen relentless winds like this in his lifetime.

ROMANS: And of course, CNN is on the ground in the Gulf. Let's get straight to meteorologist Derek Van Dam live in Houma, Louisiana. This has been quite a 24 hours for you, Derek. Tell us what you're seeing now.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Christine, without a doubt my team and I have endured some incredible things here. And we really think about the people who didn't have the luxury of reinforced building that we had here in Terrebonne Parish. It was a nightmare that unfolded before our eyes. It was like taking a direct hit from 50- mile-wide EF 3 tornado. Winds over 140 miles per hour for several hours. The wind was the major concern here. Storm surge along the immediate coastline but the wind is what got us.

You see, during a powerful cyclone like this is an eye. That's where we find the strongest winds. But there's typically a reprieve when the eye moves over a certain location. Houma, Louisiana was supposed to be that location. Instead, major hurricane Ida decided it pivoted right over this location and keep us in the brunt of the eye wall for the entire duration of the storm. It was scary. It was like white knuckle driving on the roadway in heavy traffic for hours at a time.

Literally my producers room on the third-floor building was shaking and swaying in the wind. We've got broken windows in some of the accommodations here. We had a natural gas leak. We have had trees falling over on some of the vehicles behind me in the parking lot. And this is just our first glimpse of what the devastation is across the Terrebonne Parish. Because of course, we're several hours from sunlight and daylight this morning.

The familiar hum of generators in the background of people trying desperately to use whatever electricity they can have. Of course, we don't have power here. We are running off the AC current from our suburban. And helicopters have flown around occasionally. There have been a few emergency personnel driving up-and-down the streets here but that's the only vehicles we've seen this morning on the roadways. Because you can imagine it's almost impossible to pass through the streets of Houma at the moment with the amount of true damage that we would anticipate with the winds that we endured yesterday.

While so much talk about here, so much reporting. There will be nonstop coverage of this storm as it continues to unfold here in the hours to come. Back to you -- Christine.

ROMANS: You know, and Derek, I think it's so important to remind people the dangerous part, honestly, is just beginning now, too, as people start to creep out maybe too soon. So, we should really warn people watch out for the generators. Watch out for flying debris. Watch out for things under the water. I mean, we've covered so many of these storms. We know there will be fatalities beyond here because of things that will happen next. Everyone be careful.

VAN DAM: Hard-toed shoes are a necessity right now as you venture outside. Because even just this morning as we walked outside of the hotel, there were overturned shingles, overturned wood with nails sticking through. I mean, that will quickly ruin your day if you step on that.

ROMANS: All right, Derek, thank you so much for that and keep us posted -- Laura.

JARRETT: All right, so typically, the ninth named storm of the hurricane season forms around September 15th. So, this 2021 season about three weeks ahead of schedule with the monster Ida. We'll go to meteorologist Pedram Javaheri who is tracking this storm for us. So, Pedram, what should we expect over the next 24 hours?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We're still seeing tropical storm force winds with the particular hurricane force with the particular storm. Incredibly 13 hours removed from landfall maintaining that hurricane intensity. The center now crossing into southern Mississippi.

[04:35:00]

I think a lot of rainfall, maybe another 6 to 8 inches is going to be in store across this region in an area that's been so hard-hit in the last, of course, couple of months. And it made landfall as category 4 150 miles per hour sustained winds. And wish that said, we know over a million customers without power from Mississippi on into portions of Louisiana. A million customers, not a million people, so we're looking at generally about three to four people per customer so about 3 to 4 million people without power across the two states. And it really speaks to the intensity of the storm.

You notice this, the rainfall estimated totals exceeding about a foot or so just around the northern portion of New Orleans there, northwest of New Orleans. And we know the levy systems across the state already really becoming a stressed at this hour. Several of them have failed across the state of Louisiana. About 300 levy systems dot the landscape. You stretch the levy system in the mileage of the levies themselves and it stretches about 3,200 miles. You can take it from say New York City all the way to Los Angeles and beyond. That is kind of the amount of coverage of levies that dot this landscape. So, this amount of rainfall certainly going to put strain on the levies in this region.

And notice the system here as it moves across the state of Mississippi on Monday, we expect the heavy rainfall to push north and east of this region and potentially through the Tennessee Valley come Tuesday into Wednesday. And then finally picks up a little bit of forward speed and moves out of here. But you noted when we typically see the ninth named storm. And you know what's interesting, Laura, is that of these storms, the "I" letter storm is the most retired letter of any storm in any national hurricane center database. And you take a look, we've had Irma. We've had Ike, Irene, Isabel, Ivan, all of these "I" letter storms. Incredible, and of course it looks like this particular one in Ida is going down record books as well as another retired storm. And you off into the Atlantic, we have our letter "J" Julian and "K" Kate in the works in the coming several days as well.

JARRETT: Yes, and I know we're about to get another update soon at the top of the 5:00 a.m. hour. So we will come back shortly. Pedram, thank you.

ROMANS: All right, hurricane Ida battering Louisiana as COVID fills the state's hospital system. More than 2,500 people in Louisiana have been hospitalized with COVID in recent days -- 2,500. And now those same hospitals, they're going to have to deal with the aftermath of this epic storm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LT. GEN. RUSSEL L. HONORE (RET), FORMER COMMANDER, JOINT TASK FORCE KATRINA: We had a long night ahead of us and we'll just keep our fingers crossed and people need to hunker down. And those who figured out how they want to help, one of the organization they can help is the Red Cross. They've sent 500 people in, as well as the Cajun Navy and dozens of boats that come in from other states and Catholic Charities. They're going to play a big role in taking care of people in days to come as we have to move people to shelters. And with compounded with the shelters, Jim, because our shelters can't hold as many people because we have such a big COVID outbreak here because the people refuse to take the shot and the hospitals are full.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: And joining us now is Alan Levine, chairman and chief executive of Ballard Health, and the former secretary of health for both Florida and Louisiana. Someone very familiar with emergency services during a hurricane. Thank you for your time this morning. You know, Louisiana hospitals have had enough on their hands in recent weeks. And now hurricane Ida complicates everything that much more. What's status of the hospitals and their patients?

ALAN LEVINE, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, BALLARD HEALTH: Well, you know before a hurricane typically a hospital before the coast will try to evacuate or discharge patients. That was made obviously more complicated by the fact they had almost 2,500 patients in Louisiana hospitals with COVID which obviously couldn't be discharged. So, these hospitals that were stressed have gone into this in a very unique situation.

Now the additional challenge for them is I think what we can expect as we go into today and we start seeing the damage and surveying the damage that has been done to the hospitals, we'll probably see some additional evacuations. Prior to the storm, some patients were evacuated to northern Louisiana and other parts that are not in the direct path of the storm.

But I think we need to prepare ourselves to see some real devastation today. And these hospitals, particularly the staffs that were already fatigued before, I think they're going to be hit pretty hard. I will say, I spoke to the secretary of health earlier this morning, and she shared with me they are doing some things in the state to try to minimize the ERs from getting overrun. For instance, people that have ongoing oxygen needs that they call 2-1-1. They had set up oxygen exchanges throughout the state, again trying to keep the burden off the hospitals.

JARRETT: Yes, whether they can call that number at this point I think might be one of the challenges. So, Alan, how in the world do you avoid a COVID outbreak? Or I guess how do you make sure it doesn't get even worse. It's already not good with the movement and mixing of the residents in the coming days. How do you avoid the worst?

LEVINE: Well, that's going a big challenge. Obviously, as you go into cities like New Orleans and other places on the coast that have no electricity, there's going to be a need for sheltering.

[04:40:00]

And as people get sheltered, as you heard I think the Lieutenant Governor say, sheltering is a bit of a challenge because of you have to do social distancing. Obviously, the state has a mask mandate which they need to have to prevent the spread. This is going to be a challenge.

And, of course, at a time when the hospitals really don't need the additional strain for more cases. So as much as it's important to I would say stay put right now. Search and rescue is coming but there's going to be a need for sheltering. I know the governor has talked about trying to get hotel rooms and other things to get less congregate sheltering, which I think is going to be important. There's going to be a lot of people who are going to need some sheltering.

ROMANS: Yes, you know, I rode out hurricane Gustav in a Red Cross shelter, you know, I think it was LSU dormitory shelter with thousands and thousands of people. I can't even imagine that right now in the era of COVID. You know, it's people stacked in bunk beds, I mean in big rooms. That's, obviously, not going to work here. You worked alongside FEMA during the storms in the past. What steps will be taken post Ida to help with the destruction on the ground and the victims, do you think?

LEVINE: Well, that work already began both at the state level and at the federal level. There are search and rescue teams that are already staged. There's disaster medical assistance teams that are staged. And I think as soon as it's daylight and there's a chance to do assessment of where the needs are, you'll see these search and rescue teams fan out. Obviously, they have staged water, ice, food. Hospitals have at least five to ten days of fuel for their generators and they're clearly going to need that as there's no electricity and likely won't be for a while.

So, I think FEMA is generally very good at prestaging. And they're available at the discretion of the state. They'll be directed by the governor and his agencies as to where the needs are based on local needs. I think right now I think people just need to prepare for I think to see some real devastation when the sunrises this morning.

JARRETT: All right, Alan Levine, chairman and CEO of Ballad Health. Thank you for getting up with us. We appreciate it.

ROMANS: Our other top story this morning, the U.S. launches a second strike targeting ISIS-K. Why the Taliban, their sworn enemy, is condemning the strikes. Next.

[04:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JARRETT: Welcome back. A stoic President Biden at Dover Air Force Base watching over the flag-draped remains of 13 service-members who were killed in Afghanistan last week. Mr. Biden is hoping to be the last U.S. president to attend a dignified transfer of war dead from that country. The 13 dead among the 6,000 troops that the president deployed to assist in this massive air lift evacuation. Nick Paton Walsh joins us live again from Qatar. Nick, what is the status of the evacuation effort this morning? I mean, we're talking about over 117,000 people so far. Where do things stand?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the last numbers suggested that the last 12-hour period which have been, at some point, I think on Saturday heading into Sunday saw about 900 people being taken off of the part evacuation that was reported by U.S. officials. So that shows an enormous . Tampering off. And I think it's fair to say, we're in the end of that evacuation phase. The U.S. has been clear that they will take people off until the last minute, if they could. But that window is exceptionally small now.

It's always I think being felt that the U.S. did not want to dice too much with the 31st of August deadline. That's the day that they said they would be out by. But it's not clear if it's the end of it or beginning of it that has been agreed with the Taliban at this stage. So, I think it's fair to say we're in the closing hours. There are a few C-17s coming in and out, as you can see on various flight trackers around that airport. But it's unclear quite what status there is on the ground with remaining troops there.

This is the most fraught moment, though, frankly. It was always when the numbers reduced, when they got smaller, that they ran a risk of being more vulnerable for an attack. Surely there must be great coordination with the Taliban who are certainly at the gates of the airport on the outside. Although as of 24 hours ago, not controlling the gates, according to the Pentagon.

But things exceptionally fluid and the security situation, I would say, pretty dire, frankly. Of course, there was Thursday's bomb attack that killed 13 U.S. service people and then on top of that, we just heard this morning five rockets, it seems, launched in the direction of Hamid Karzai International Airport. Intercepted by defenses there, which the U.S. as long had established and apparently causing no casualties. With initial reports suggesting ISIS-K may have been behind this.

But we're into a tight window here. One marked by a very defensive U.S. posture. They said that a strike yesterday, a drone strike was defensive and interrupted an imminent threat to their people at Hamid Karzai International Airport. Suggesting they hit a car bomb or suicide bomber in a compound not far from the airport.

Subsequent reporting, though, local journalists on the scene working for CNN have spoken to those there and said that there may have been a large number of casualties than the one suicide bomber the U.S. originally talked about. And while the U.S. first said there's no indications of civilian casualties, they have subsequently released an updated statement from CENTCOM. Suggesting that a powerful subsequent of explosions resulted from a destruction of a vehicle, the car, indicating that a large amount of explosive material inside may have caused additional casualties.

They say it's still unclear but importantly they say we will be deeply saddened by any potential loss of innocent life. Reporting from the scene suggesting there could be as much as 9 additional casualties including children. So, a stark moment there, certainly, but one now that forms the security situation over the very perilous hours ahead that mark the U.S.'s final moments in Afghanistan after 20 years.

ROMANS: And you know, Nick, the U.S. has now launched two air strikes against ISIS-K. One in retaliation for last week's attack and then this one, you're talking about to prevent another attack. Taliban does not like ISIS-K. Sworn enemies, actually. Rivals here. But the Taliban still condemning the U.S. air strikes. Explain.

WALSH: Yes, I mean, the Taliban's point has been stay out of our country to foreigners. That's what they've initially began the negotiations with. It was a demand for the foreign troops to leave. It looks very much like they will get that demand come the end of the Tuesday if not earlier.

[04:50:00]

And so, strikes on their territory is something which they have condemned and will continue to condemn.

But that said, it is, of course, the case that ISIS-K an offshoot of ISIS that seems to have had some assistance from the Syrian and Iraqi version of ISIS that often is formed by Pakistani jihadi movements across the borders that they have become essentially a competitor for the Taliban. The Taliban a kind old -- at times bureaucratically indulgent organization that now finds itself from a 20-year insurgency running Afghanistan. That doesn't necessarily appeal to the sort of the more slightly radical younger people you might find who are drawn toward ISIS-K.

And so, that sense of competition possibly for a recruitment base has caused them to be very much against each other and Taliban units to go after ISIS-K and essentially them to be in sort of death match here.

So, while always the jihadi movements inside Afghanistan are very complicated and fluid and it's not simply a case of wearing one badge or wearing another badge. Everybody seems to know each other and there's a lot of marbling going on there. It's totally true that we are in this bizarre position where the U.S. is striking a terror group who they say and Taliban accepts are their enemies. But at the same time, too, the Taliban are condemning the strikes. We're into the last hours of this confusing end of the U.S. war here and a deeply symbolic moment when those last U.S. troops leave the airport.

ROMANS: And then all those people in Kabul right now and all over Afghanistan. Some people who are in hiding because they're afraid of what the future brings. This is the next chapter, I'm afraid, will not any prettier than this one. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you so much.

JARRETT: Thanks, Nick.

All right, meantime France has been able to evacuate nearly 3,000 people from Afghanistan. CNN gained special access to one group of evacuees brought to safety in Paris through the tireless work of a former refugee. CNN's Melissa Bell has their incredible story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The very last French evacuation out of Kabul. It left without incident but for those on board, Afghans that NATO promised to help, it had been a frantic fight to find someone who could get them into the airport.

An angel who might be on the other side of the world. Reza Jafari has barely slept since Kabul fell. It's 6:00 a.m. in the little corner of Afghanistan that he's created in northern Paris. From here he normally helps Afghan asylum seekers arriving in France. But he tells me that the chaos of Kabul led him to jump into a new role of and unofficial crisis coordinator.

Through WhatsApp groups, a map of Kabul airport and pin locations, Reza Jafari connected from Paris those eligible for evacuation who sent him pictures of themselves and their locations to help connect them with French officials on the other side of the fence. French diplomatic sources have confirmed his crucial role in helping people like Zahra Hussaini who spent three days outside the airport. Reza explains that she wasn't well. She'd sent this photo saying that she might die if she didn't get help.

Group WhatsApp messages upon which life and death hangs. CNN has changed the names for security reasons.

My parents are out, asks one desperate woman, please help them. In another, Abdul disappeared, said one person stuck outside. We are alone in the canal. Abdul is inside replies a French official.

The canal marks the spot where the meetings happen near Abbey gate, the site of Thursday's suicide attack. Those who reached the other side, says Reza, are saved. By Monday afternoon, Zahra Hussaini's group crossed the canal, met their contact, and reached safety.

Reza's journey has brought him to this door. He knows all too well the heart ache and hope of finding refuge. It's his connection to those he's helped. Thank God the two escaped hell, he says, but there are other friends who are still stuck.

Zahra Hussaini says, she can't believe that she knew war as a young girl and still now as an old woman. She says she's happy to be released from the pressure of the Taliban but so sad to have left her homeland, her children, her friends, and her beloved Afghanistan.

Mixed emotions that are shared by the evacuees and the man who helped bring a group of strangers to safety. With the images on their phones still etched indelibly on their minds.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[04:55:00]

ROMANS: Amazing. There's this #digitaldunkirk, where people inside Kabul, inside the country, in Qatar, in Germany, in the United States everyone are sharing pictures and videos trying to put people together and get people out. It's been remarkable.

More on the breaking news coverage on hurricane Ida and on Afghanistan is next.

Plus, a big endorsement for vaccine mandates in schools.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROMANS: All right, hurricane Ida targeting the heart of America's energy industry. More than 95 percent of the Gulf of Mexico oil production shut down in the face of one of the largest storms to ever land here. Six refineries in New Orleans areas shut down. About 1.7 million barrels a day of refinery capacity from those three refineries in the Baton Rouge area including Exxon has scaled back. Disruption here could mean higher gas prices for drivers. Gas prices rose 46 cents the week after hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. They stayed high for two months. Today the average price of a gallon of regular gas is currently $3.14.

JARRETT: Happening in the backdrop of this monster storm, of course, is COVID. And now Dr. Anthony Fauci lending his support for vaccine mandates in schools. He acknowledges there's going to be strong pushback but the nation's top infectious disease specialist said the benefit to risk ratio makes it a no brainer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I believe that mandating vaccines for children to appear in school is a good idea.

This is not something new. We have mandates in many places in schools, particularly public schools, that have, in fact, you want a child to come in. We've done it for decades and decades requiring polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis, so this would not be something new.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: How transmissible is the delta variant? Well, there's an elementary school in Marin County, California.