Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Storm Death Toll Jumps To 64 In Florida; Coast Guard Rescues More Than 275 People In Florida; Surge Of Traffic On I-75 As People Return Home After Fleeing Ian; Mayor John Tecklenburg (D), Charleston, SC Discusses Destruction Left By Hurricane Ian; Russian Forces Retreat From Donetsk Town A Day After Moscow's Annexation Of The Region; Lack Of Flood Disclosure Laws In 21 States Puts Home Buyers At Risk. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired October 01, 2022 - 13:00   ET

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

[13:00:02]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta. My colleague Boris Sanchez is in Fort Myers, Florida. We'll get to you, Boris, in a moment in this special CNN live coverage. And this just in the CNN we are learning the death toll from Hurricane Ian and in Florida has now jumped to at least 64. And it comes as rescue missions continue across the state.

Also, Florida officials say an evacuation for an area threatened by a potential levee break was successful. Sheriff's deputies going door to door overnight warning residents of a private community near Sarasota of this possible flooding threat. And if broken a wall of water 15 feet high could plunge into the neighborhood. It's just one of the many Gulf Coast communities still suffering from catastrophic flooding.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF SCOTT TITUS, NORTH PORT FIRE DEPARTMENT: It's been quite an operation. Some of our major thoroughfares have become impassable. Even as the water recedes, there's wash outs and so we've got a long, long recovery period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And all of this following Hurricane Ian's destructive path across Florida. It slammed into the Gulf Coast as a category four hurricane. Entire towns leveled. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to give an update on the situation later on in this hour. We'll take that for you live. All right, let's send it down to a Boris Sanchez and bring our coverage from Fort Myers, Florida. Boris.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And Fred, you just broke the news that we had been dreading all day. Initially when we got up this morning, officials had told us that the death toll from Hurricane Ian was hanging at around 45 fatalities and you just broke the news. 64 people killed by Hurricane Ian here in the state of Florida. And potentially more as officials get closer to areas that were cut off because of the storm and the damage caused by Hurricane Ian toppling bridges and closing down highways because of rising waters.

And of course just debris strewn everywhere. As you can see some of it behind me these large vessels just thrown around like toys by this very powerful nearly category five storm. Let's get you to CNN's team coverage tracking the latest developments on the ground everywhere that Hurricane Ian has impacted. We have team coverage looking at the latest on recovery efforts from Florida all the way to the Carolinas.

And into the northeast where this now post tropical cyclone is dumping water and wind. Let's go to Arcadia, Florida now because CNN's Nadia Romero is there. Supplies, Nadia, arriving in that area. That's supposed to be a busy highway behind you. And right now it looks like a river.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And that means that people can't get the resources that they need. Not only can they not visit friends and family and let them know they're OK but they can't get food, water, fuel. And that's why this site here on Highway 70 right on the edge of what now looks like a river is so important. This is a drop off site now for DeSoto County Sheriff's Office, Lafayette County Sheriff's Office.

We have the U.S. Army here with the National Guard. We have the Salvation Army and other groups that have come to bring MREs. To bring water, to bring chips. To bring anything that can help people survive. Remember the storm came on Wednesday. It is hot here in Florida, it is humid here. People have been without power for three days now. They're running out of those supplies. And some people are running out of hope at this moment.

So when you see the Calvary show up, when you see people and uniforms bringing you free food, free water. It's such a sigh of relief for so many people here. And we spoke with one woman who told us what it meant to her to know that so many people care.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDA CAMPBELL, ARCADIA, FLORIDA RESIDENT: Wonderful, wonderful because when it went to Hurricane Charley, it's the same thing. Everybody stuck together. These airboats are going out and taking people into town. I mean, they're being family and they're taking people and it's been going for a while now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: And so this is what you'll see here in this neighborhood because you can't get through Highway 70. So, you have people that will bring their boats and they will transport people say you need to get to the other side. On the other side of this river is a hospital. There are stores, there's shopping, there's a gas station. So not only are they transporting goods, but they're transporting people as well.

We are seeing emergency response crews here in DeSoto County, just outside of Sarasota kind of on your way if you're trying to get to Sarasota to Fort Myers. And we're seeing neighbors coming out helping people with their own boats, air boats and other vehicles to try to help people out. Finally some relief but just as soon as cases of water show up they very quickly end just as soon as those boxes that are filled with MREs.

They're picked up. We're told it'll take another hour before they can get another shipment of food and water to this site. Boris?

[13:05:09]

SANCHEZ: Nadia Romero reporting from Arcadia, Florida. It underscores the tremendous amount of need, not just where you are but all over the state of Florida as far south as Fort Myers Beach into Naples and Orlando, and obviously into the Carolinas. We want to take you to Naples right now though, because that's where we find CNN's Brian Todd. He has been tracking the storm since shortly after it made landfall and has been giving us a closer look at some of the damage on the ground.

And Brian, behind you it looks like a neighborhood that was turned upside down by this hurricane.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely it is, Boris. It turned upside down as a good phrase. Last hour, we showed you an apartment complex where they piled a lot of debris and their possessions out on the curb. That pile was rough -- that was fairly small compared to what you're about to see here. Look at this house here. They've lost just about everything. I don't know exactly how big this house is inside.

But it looks like everything that was inside is now outside. Look at the devastation here and you've got to pile all your belongings here for someone to come and pick it up. There's a gentleman, there's a contractor in there taking down drywall from about eye level down because the water was so high and the damage was so extensive. Come on over here. We'll just show you some of what they've had to pile on here.

Look at this. Beds, nightstands. Looks like a washing machine over here. You've got a fridge, let's get -- let's see, lots of tables, lots of chairs. Look at this, you've got to just bring everything that you own out into the open and pile it on here. And you have nothing. And then you're going to -- you got to start over. I'm going to relay something that our photo journalist Orlando Ruiz told me about this because he's from Puerto Rico.

His family went through Hurricane Maria five years ago, and they just went through Fiona, just a couple of weeks ago. When you're talking about people who have lost everything like this, and you got to pile everything out and start over again. He talked about his aunt who went through the hurricane five years ago, Hurricane Maria. He said that basically she was faced with a situation not unlike this one.

She was under stress for about a year. And it changed everything about her life. And she's not been the same really since then. This is kind of what people go through. Imagine, again, I don't want to, you know, beat a dead horse here. But imagine if this is you, if this is your house, and you've got to put every single thing that you own out on a curb for anyone to come and pick through or for crews to come and take away whenever they can because you don't know when that's going to be.

And then you've got to gut your house and then see what the insurance can pay for and all of that. You talk about starting over, Boris. Look at this. Look at the extreme nature of what it's like to start over after a hurricane like this.

SANCHEZ: It is so hard to think about, Brian, especially in the context of so many folks that come here to Florida to retire, to essentially spend their golden years enjoying all the things that they've worked so hard for their entire lives. And now to see it out on the curb, I also quickly wanted to note, Brian, you were mentioning Orly -- Orlando, the photographer, I did want to remind our viewers that right now in Puerto Rico, a lot of folks there are still without power from Hurricane Fiona and that was two weeks ago.

There are millions without power here in Florida. And still many without power on that island that we should remember is a part of the United States. Brian Todd, reporting from Naples, Florida. Our regards to Orly as well. Fred, I just want to send it back to you real quick, noting that there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of getting a clearer picture on how these areas that were cut off because of hurricane and have been affected.

So while we report that the death toll has jumped to 64 that number sadly may still climb.

WHITFIELD: Yes, lots of hardship. And really it is just the beginning to survey the damage and the death. Thank you so much to all of you. Appreciate it. We'll check back with you, Boris momentarily.

So, a surge of traffic on Interstate 75 as folks tried to get back home after evacuating ahead of Hurricane Ian. Just take a look at these images. Some people may be seeing the devastation to their homes and communities for the first time after they get through that log jam on the highways and roads. Officials say Ian could cost an estimated $47 billion in damages.

I want to bring in now Juliette Kayyem. She is a former deputy Homeland Security official. So good to see you, Juliette. So -- I mean recovery. This is going to be a very long and arduous, expensive process. So have you stayed in federal officials even begin to help people understand what rebuilding is going to look like? What's it going to take?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Yes. So there actually is a process I should be clear as you're pointing out and Boris's.

[13:10:05]

You -- we're still on the response stage, people are still being discovered and rescued and of course the fatality rate will get higher as we know. So, you -- we're in this some sort of 72-hour period where search and rescue is continuing. And then you begin to pivot to recovery. And that's a -- it's a traumatic moment for communities because people that are lost were -- are like unlikely to be found. And this process now sort of shifts a little bit where there's a lot of community effort. And there's a focus primarily at the outset on speed of getting what we call essential functions or essential services in order. That is going to be supply chain, electricity, water, all this sort of basic stuff that make a society run. Everything else can wait. The things reopening, schools reopening.

And so, you're seeing, as we heard from Florida officials, what's a surge of resources, mutual aid, compacts, get people in from around the country who can fix things and that recovery starts. The longer term recovery, rebuilding homes. What can people afford, should they move back to the same areas will be months ahead.

WHITFIELD: Right. And -- but for now even, you know, and one of the officials did say right now they are in recovery phase. And while people or those who are able to assess their damage right now, others who were in the traffic hoping to get back to their properties, we just, you know, saw from Brian Todd and Boris how people who are at their properties, they're putting all their belongings, you know, out on the street whether it be in some cases to dry out or simply that is, you know, part of the damage and someone else is going to collect the damage, and they're going to try to start over.

So how do folks need to be looking at? So there is a plan in place, you know, for rebuilding --

KAYYEM: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- to help people. So what is going to be -- I guess, the next stage in the most immediate after someone has helped you or you alone have pushed all of the debris, you know, out to the street, then what?

KAYYEM: It's such a great -- it's a great -- so it's followed under the national recovery framework, not to get too technical about it. So, what we're going to have is both public and private resources being delivered to communities that need it. Now, this is a big area that will be competition between big cities and smaller areas. And what does that mean? It means, as I said, sort of the essential functions have to get up and running.

So, we worry -- in recovery stage, we worry less about debris removal right now than getting the technicians and others in, who can get the electricity running, get people back into their homes because that's what you want. For people who cannot get back into their homes, this is now the, you know, the sheltering era, short term sheltering for these families. That's -- a lot of it supported by public funds, disaster relief funds to move them to transitional or long-term housing depending on how much needs to be fixed.

And then you're going to have the longer term question. So this is why it takes so long, which is some of these communities may not be survivable or livable again. And so, there are conversations about what's called managed retreat, which is you use the disaster relief funds to move people to safer areas so that they're no longer in threat simply because we know there's going to be more hurricanes. So it's immediate short -- medium term and long term with a whole bunch of different disciplines working together to move things. But the plate -- I have to be honest with, you know, the debris is just going to be there for a while, that is sort of the least important in some ways. What you want to get is the -- is the essential functions moving again.

WHITFIELD: So, what is that assessment process like when the federal government tries to make a determination about whether this exemplifies the vulnerability of this coastal community or these coastal communities and that perhaps no one will be able to rebuild in some of these areas because of that? What is that process, that assessment process?

KAYYEM: So, part of it -- we have some example. So, it's not like this is out of the blue, after Hurricane Sandy, another -- a number of initiatives were made in which the state and localities work together to essentially help people move back from the seashore. So, this is the -- so it's not like it's unique and that's going to begin to happen. It can't be forced. But on the other hand, a lot of these funds, a lot of these people will not be able to get insured again if they go back to their community.

So, there's private insurance which basically has abandoned most of these places. Then there's a public insurance system, the National Flood Insurance Program which is quite expensive, because these are dangerous areas. So about 80 percent of the people in the evacuation zones were uninsured. That means they're going to be relying on charity or special grants or other funds. That's an opportunity actually if their homes are destroyed to say let's rethink this because there will be more hurricanes.

[13:15:04]

WHITFIELD: Yes. And I know it's hard for a lot of people to understand. Wait a minute. Why would you be surrounded by water and be uninsured? Because home insurance, flood insurance, wind insurance can be four times, three to four times the price --

KAYYEM: Four times.

WHITFIELD: -- you know, in Florida than it is in any other part of the country. So, some people are just simply priced out of being able to be insured, Juliette. We're going to -- we're going to leave it there.

KAYYEM: Yes. Can I say something?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

KAYYEM: Oh, sorry?

WHITFIELD: Go ahead. Real quick.

KAYYEM: I was just going to say these are also -- these are also communities of color and poor communities of minority communities. And we put them at risk unless we begin to take seriously with them that they need to protect themselves. We can't leave communities, vulnerable communities at risk as we have. It's a to climate change that is often because of richer communities.

And so, it just must be said that we --that this also has racial and economic necessity at this stage to protect these communities.

WHITFIELD: All right. Great points. Juliet Kayyem, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

And don't forget, for more information on how you can help victims of Hurricane Ian, go to cnn.com/impact.

All right. Still to come. While many residents evacuated ahead of Hurricane Ian, others decided to hunker down. You'll hear from a captain who rode out the storm on his boat when he says it was like the moment that storm hit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:20:32]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. As we continue to follow the path of damage in Florida from Hurricane Ian, there are still states in the storm's path as it moves through the Mid-Atlantic and northeast. Meteorologist Britley Ritz is following the storm's track and the CNN Center. So, Britley, this storm has a lot of power and punch still.

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it definitely still has some power to it. It's now transitioning to more of mid-latitude features, which just means there's an area of low pressure with a few fronts attached to it. And what it's doing now that it's hit land, it's weakened significantly but we're talking about flooding rains and strong winds. Right now winds have died down at about 25 miles per hour at their max.

And we're still dealing with flooding concerns. Flood watches for West Virginia and parts of Virginia and coastal flooding from Jersey all the way down into Wilmington. And some of these coastal flood warnings we could be inundated with around a foot to two feet. And so, just remember, turn around, don't drown. I know it sounds like a silly saying but it really can save your life.

Twelve inches of moving water will take your vehicle and move it on down the road. So remember that. Heavy rain already falling once again across the Mid-Atlantic stretching up across much of the New England coastline. Look at this. The island, yes. Finally starting to quiet down with the rain chances but moving on up into Newport still tapping into some heavier steadier rain and we can pick up another one to two inches on top of it.

This again continues on throughout the rest of the night. But into Sunday, our rain chances will finally start to taper back a bit. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Oh boy. All right. There's hope. Britley Ritz, thank you so much. Hurricane Ian's force and destruction coming as a shock to so many Floridians who have weathered powerful storms before. So many they're opting to hunker down at home as Ian unleashed life- threatening rains and wind. But one man decided to hunker down, making the stunning decision to ride out the storm on his boat. CNNs Randi Kaye has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Have you ever seen a storm like this?

MIKE STACZEK, FLORIDA BOAT CAPTAIN: No, not this big. See the other hurricanes but nothing like this.

KAYE (voice over): When Hurricane Ian hit Fort Myers Beach boat captain Mike Staczek was in for the ride of his life.

STACZEK: It was surreal. It was very surreal.

KAYE: Mike had decided to ride out the storm on his boat docked at this Fort Myers Beach marina. It is made of steel and has a generator so we thought it would be safer than home. Mike showed me video of what he saw as the hurricane gained strength.

STACZEK: So here's the one with the -- you'll see the building that collapsed over there. You'll get to see at the minute. You can see I was running the engine, holding the boat in place. It should be a minute, there's the building.

KAYE (on camera): Wow. It's just right in the water.

STACZEK: Yes.

KAYE (voice over): He tied the boat he was on to another large boat he owned, both weighed about 50 tons, he says, but even that was no match for Hurricane Ian.

At about 3:00 a.m., all of a sudden Mike was lifted up by the force of the water and the wind.

STACZEK: We didn't actually get dragged around until the very, very end.

KAYE (on camera): What was that feeling like being carried along as the storm was going?

STACZEK: Just really, we knew it was out of our control at that point. So, we just figured we knew -- we were happy we were blown inland, because we knew we'd wind up over land not out in water that we will be sinking and be in real danger. So, you just couldn't see anything.

The wind was howling and we knew we were in the parking lot. We didn't know where we were going to stop.

KAYE (voice over): In the end, after a wild 15 hours, Mike and his boats, which were still tied together, landed in a street. And while they aren't a total loss, Ian sure took a chunk out of this boat Mike used for his business, a floating hotel.

STACZEK: That's cabin six, actually. It was one of the nicest cabin. It had a private deck. And you're just looking at -- the wind did that, but that wasn't even from a hit. That was -- we were just watching the wind, as it got more and more, it started peeling the side back and pulled it right off.

KAYE (on camera): Pulled it right off.

STACZEK: Yes.

KAYE (voice over): Randi Kaye, CNN, Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still one of the lucky ones. Despite that experience. Coming up, as Ian made its relentless march north the City of Charleston, South Carolina was spared the brunt of the storm but the cleanup process still has just begun. The mayor will join us live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:29:08]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. After slamming into Florida and then South Carolina, Ian is now moving inland over North Carolina as a post tropical cyclone. Officials warn of the continued threat of heavy rain, wind and flooding as it makes its way even to the Mid-Atlantic and then the Northeast. It's all over the place. But in South Carolina, Ian hit as a category one hurricane. Homes are now flooded and two piers are partially collapsed.

Let's go to Charleston now where the city's mayor John Tecklenburg is joining me. Mayor, so good to see you. So, describe for us the situation what kind of damage or what has Ian been done to the Charleston area.

JOHN TECKLENBURG, MAYOR OF CHARLESTOWN: Well, thank you Fredricka. And by the way, welcome back to Charleston anytime you want to come over.

WHITFIELD: Thank you. I long overdue. It's time to get over there. Go ahead.

[13:30:00]

TECKLENBURG: Absolutely. We had the real weather here yesterday. In Charleston proper, it was high tropical storm-force winds, lots of rains, and the convergence of some storm surge and a high tide all at the same time.

So now a lot of water in our city and we closed dozens of streets. There were trees down.

I must tell you, compared to the images we've seen from Florida, which remind me of '89 here with Hurricane Hugo, we were blessed yesterday. We were really lucky. We dodged a bullet as they proverbially say.

And we've already been cleaning up, gotten those roads open, trees picked up. We're back in business. King Street is thriving even as we speak.

(CROSSTALK)

TECKLENBURG: Beautiful day in Charleston today.

WHITFIELD: That's all great news because sometimes it really doesn't take much to have flooding, you know, in downtown Charleston, especially the Battery Park area.

How did it fare as a result of Ian? We are looking at some of the images. We'll see a pier there, you know, off the coast, maybe in the Folly Beach area. And also saw some of the downtown Charleston properties that had high water on the streets.

But the Battery, Battery Park, that is an area that's usually very vulnerable. How did it do?

TECKLENBURG: Absolutely. Unlike Matthew and Irma, the water, we were expecting it to breach the low Battery but it did not.

We're in the midst, Fredricka, of an amazing rebuilding and elevation of the Battery wall, which is a beautiful project, which will further protect our city for about two feet down in that part of the city.

We need to do more, of course, but got a great project going on down there now.

WHITFIELD: Well, congratulations. That's quite the undertaking. I know it was long overdue. But thank goodness you had that under way.

How about the residents in Charleston? As you mentioned, 1989, some people remember what Hugo was all about, and that may have dictated what they did and didn't do for this storm.

But overall, how did residents fare? How did they respect this Ian when it was on the way?

TECKLENBURG: I've got to tell you, I'm so thankful to the citizens of Charleston and the low country. They really heeded our warnings to batten down the hatches, hunker down and stay inside.

Yesterday, it was like a ghost town, which is exactly what we wanted, right when the storm came through.

We had first responders ready to go and all our crews, but they didn't really have to go out because people were staying home like we asked them and stayed safe.

We had very few calls to make during the storm. So now we can just focus on the recovery and the cleanup.

So our citizens did great. Now they're all coming together to clean up their properties. In a funny kind of way, it really brought the community together.

WHITFIELD: That's fantastic. Good news.

Mayor Tecklenburg, always good to talk to you. I'll give you a call next time I'm in town because Charleston always still a home for me in my heart.

TECKLENBURG: Please do.

And I ask all Americans to please generously help those who have been impacted down in Florida, our neighbors down there, who were hit so bad.

WHITFIELD: Yes. We've got a site on CNN.com. Folks can find out exactly how they might be able to help a lot of folks who were impacted by Ian.

Thank you so much, Mayor. Good to see you.

TECKLENBURG: God bless. Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Thank you.

All right, straight ahead, just a day after Moscow's annexation of four Russian-occupied territories within Ukraine, a stunning development, Russian forces have retreated from a key eastern city in Ukraine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:37:54]

WHITFIELD: Ukraine today making one of its most-significant gains since it launched its successful counteroffensive, reclaiming key occupied territories.

Last month, the Russian military says its forces are retreating from a strategic Donetsk city one day after Moscow's annexation of the region.

As CNN's Matthew Chance explains, there is doubt whether the annexation has wide support in Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(CHEERING)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Victory will be ours," he says.

President Putin vowing success in Ukraine soon after announcing a significant escalation in his war.

(SHOUTING) CHANCE: The invited crowds yelled their support back.

But this carefully choreographed fervor is unlikely to be shared by many Russians still fleeing his call to arms.

Earlier, from the Kremlin, Putin dramatically raised the states, annexing four more Ukrainian regions after his sham referendums showed huge, unlikely support for Moscow's rules.

PUTIN (through translation): People living in Luhansk and Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia are becoming our citizens forever.

(APPLAUSE)

CHANCE: Putin said he wanted Kyiv to come to the negotiating table, but that the fate of the occupied regions was not up for debate.

PUTIN (through translation): The choice of the people in the four provinces, we are not going to discuss. Russia is not going to betray it.

CHANCE: His speech, framing Russia's land grab as part of an existential battle. Ukraine's western allies," he said, we're determined to weaken his country.

He declared any attack on the annexed areas would be an attack on Russia itself, vowing to use all of the means at his disposal if Ukraine tries to reclaim it.

(APPLAUSE)

CHANCE: The announcement met with beautiful applause from Russia's political elite. But behind their stony glares, they must know how much this war is costing.

[13:40:02]

On the battlefield, Russia is facing its worst setback since invading in February.

While, at home, there has been wide protests against the mobilization that Russia's meant to fight.

There's also the global condemnation. The U.S. imposing fresh sanctions against Russian officials with other Western allies following suit.

And in Ukraine, President Zelenskyy called Putin's move a farce. He said Ukraine would accelerate its request to join NATO.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): Today, here in Kyiv, in the heart of our country, we are taking a decisive step for the security of the entire community of free nations.

(SINGING) CHANCE: But in Red Square tonight, the stage-managed celebrations are meant to send a powerful message at home and abroad, that no matter the criticism or the consequences, Putin's Russia is determined to take this path.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Matthew Chance, thank you so much for that.

Let's bring in Angela Stent. She is a senior fellow, Brookings Institution, and the author of "Putin's World: Russia Against the West and the Rest."

As Matthew Chance just characterized it -- so good to see you, Angela -- no matter what the consequences, Putin seems determined to take Russia on this path.

Is there anything that can really put Putin in check?

ANGELA STENT, SENIOR FELLOW, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION & AUTHOR: Well, if the Ukrainians keep advancing successfully as they've just done, as your reporter said, it's going to be more and more difficult for the Russian military to even hold on to what it has.

They don't even control the four areas that they've now annexed. So I think that's the only thing.

But of course, we have to weigh against that those threats we also heard from Putin yesterday that, if Mother Russia is attacked and that now includes these territories that impact Ukraine, then Russia could use any means possible.

And of course, we've had veiled threats about nuclear weapons, too.

WHITFIELD: Right. So that very strong message.

And really, you look at the videotape that was in Matthew's reporting, I mean, just the symbolism and the imagery of Putin in this grand room with all of these people.

But this great distance between he and these, you know, dignitaries or, you know, the Russian elite, as Matthew was explaining.

What is the psychology? What is going on there? And the strength of his messaging and then, seemingly, among the audiences that are cheering him on?

STENT: Well, you know, I watched the whole thing, including the 20 minutes that they all had to wait in that room until he came in.

And I -- compared to other speeches he's given, for instance, when he annexed Crimea, they actually didn't look very enthusiastic. They looked bored. They were kind of nervously looking around. They gave him, you know, the requisite applause.

But I think, for a lot of those people that are questioning, what is he doing, Russia is now not doing well in the war, it's lost much of its global economic position, it's completely -- it's a pariah, at least in the west, although in the rest of the world.

And he's leading a Russia that will be weakened and deglobalized. So you wonder how long they'll continue supporting this.

WHITFIELD: Right. All of this was happening -- we're looking at this video again -- while that Russian withdrawal was taking place in the very area where, you know, Putin had been boasting of this annexation.

But internally, what do you suppose he is thinking and feeling when his own folks are now surrounded by Ukrainian troops in the very area that he claimed he's annexing but then, you know, this show of weakness by retreating?

STENT: I think there's a dissonance there. He projected confidence yesterday. Somehow, I don't think he's accepted that he's actually losing. And we don't know how much he knows about the situation on the battlefield.

Although, he's now being criticized, wanting him to be tougher. And people openly criticizing the performance of the Russian military.

So this is why he's now enacted this partial mobilization that's going very badly. People are running away.

But I think he somehow thinks that if he has enough, if he pours enough troops in, he can reverse this. But I think he doesn't fully understand how ineffectively the Russian military has performed.

WHITFIELD: Still, it's very dangerous and volatile for everyone, right, because Putin said in his speech --

STENT: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- that there was a precedent for using nuclear weapons and he referenced the U.S. in Japan.

Here's the White House reaction to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I've been clear myself, President Biden has been clear, our administration has been clear that there's a risk.

Given all of the loose talk and the nuclear saber-rattling by Putin, that he would consider this and would have been equally clear about what the consequences would be.

[13:45:04]

We have communicated that directly to the Russians. We do not presently see indications about the limited use of nuclear weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: So, how seriously do you see Putin's threats?

STENT: I think you do have to take it very seriously. He would be breaking a taboo, a 77-year-old taboo, but you have to take it seriously. But I don't think you have to exaggerate it.

He's using this to try and intimidate everyone and to get the United States to tell THE Ukrainians to give up and sit down and cede all of this territory to Russia. That's why he's really doing it.

And it's not entirely clear whether he can just decide on his own to launch a tactical nuclear weapon there. There are other steps there. And I do think that the administration has sent very strong warnings to him.

But we can't discount it all together. And that leaves us, you know, in a more insecure position.

WHITFIELD: Angela Stent, thank you so much.

STENT: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: Still ahead, a jaw-dropping look at the devastation of Hurricane Ian. Pictures from before and after the storm in stark contrast. Almost too hard to comprehend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:50:44]

WHITFIELD: All right. Sometimes it's hard to believe what kind of damage a hurricane can do until you see before and after photos.

Take a look at these before and after aerial images showing Ian's destructive power when it barreled through Florida's gulf coast. It was a category 4 Hurricane.

So take a look at what remains of these businesses on Sanibel Island. And then take a look at the Blue Dolphin Cottages before and now after Hurricane Ian.

And right here, you're looking at what was the Sundial Beach Resort and Spa and now what's left after the storm.

Shalimar Cottages and Motel, well, they're gone too. Fourteen cottages and an entire motel building were simply wiped away. At least four cottages, or what remains of them, are sitting in the street.

Note the shoreline here near the Casa Belle Beach Resort. Before. Large scars appearing in the sands from surge eroding much of the beaches and dunes.

The only thing remaining of Eight Waterside buildings, which surround the center swimming pool, debris.

Most homes on Sanibel and Captiva Islands are still standing, though many appear to have roof damage in addition to storm surge and flood damage. Incredible.

So as those in the path of Hurricane Ian assess the damage to their homes, there are growing concerns over selling property and what sellers need to disclose to potential buyers.

CNN's Rene Marsh has more on the vulnerabilities that are putting many Americans at risk.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACKIE JONES, PROPERTY FREQUENTLY FLOODS: Even now on this bright sunny day is psychologically traumatic for me because on constant alert waiting, dreading the next rainfall.

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Jackie Jones moved into her Reidsville, Georgia, home four years ago, she had no idea rain in the forecast would also mean her property would flood.

Heavy rain caused this February 2020 flooding. And one month later, Jones says more rain caused more flooding.

JONES: The water was literally over three feet high. Up at the house, at the windowsills, where it got to, it was almost four feet.

MARSH: No one told Jones the biggest financial investment she was making her new home was prone to flooding.

FEMA maps say the risk is low. And her home state of Georgia does not have flood disclosure laws that require home sellers to reveal flood history.

JONES: If I had better information, up to date information, accurate information, I would not have purchased this house. So now I'm trapped in a 30-year mortgage I can't get out of.

MARSH: Jones is not alone. The Natural Resources Defense Council tracks state flood disclosure laws and says the majority of states either have inadequate laws or none at all.

Leaving homebuyers completely in the dark as climate change supercharges rainfall, storms and floods.

ROB MOORE, NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL: If you're buying a home in the majority of states, you're not going to be told up front about past flood damages.

MARSH: The Natural Resources Defense Council data shows a whopping 21 states, including flood-prone states like Florida and West Virginia, have no flood disclosure requirements.

One study estimates that homebuyers can incur tens of thousands of dollars over the course of their mortgage if they purchase a previously flooded home.

MOORE: We are talking about some of the most populous states in the nation that lack adequate disclosure laws. We're talking about Florida, states like New York and New Jersey.

MARSH: As climate change makes severe flooding more intense and more frequent, especially in low lying places like Florida, NRDC says there's even more urgency for federal flood disclosure laws.

Similar to the Lead Disclosure Act, which requires homeowners to tell buyers if there are lead hazards in a home.

In the meantime, real estate tech company, Redfin, is trying to fill the information void by making flood-risk data available with listings based on climate projections.

Information that would have protected Jackie Jones from unknowingly buying a flood-prone home.

[13:54:58]

JONES: If you don't know how you supposed to make informed decision, you can't. Something's got to change. Something's got to change.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:59:56]

WHITFIELD: Happy birthday. Former President Jimmy Carter turning 98 today. He is celebrating quietly at home with wife, Rosalynn, who is 95, by the way. And family and friends are all there as well.

President Carter is now the oldest living U.S. president in history.

And this is the pair enjoying the Plains Peanut Festival, those images that you're seeing right there.