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Hurricane Ian Devastates Parts Of Florida; Ian Makes Landfall Again On South Carolina; Many People In Florida Left Stranded After Hurricane Ian Knocked Out Bridges; Mayor Ken Welch Of St. Petersburg, Florida, Interviewed About Effects Of Hurricane Iran On His City; Man Describes How His Home, Business, And Possessions In Naples, Florida, Were Wrecked Due To Hurricane Ian; Part Of Historic Cherry Grove Pier In South Carolina Destroyed By Hurricane Ian; Investigation Underway Into Cause Of Leaks In Nord Stream Pipelines Supplying Gas From Russia To Europe; Mercy Chefs Provides Hot Meals To Those Suffering Through Natural Disasters Like Hurricane Ian; Buildings And Their Foundations Ripped From Ground In Fort Myers, Florida, By Hurricane Ian. Aired 2- 3p ET.

Aired October 01, 2022 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: -- President Carter is now the oldest living U.S. president in history. And this is the pair enjoying the Plains Peanut Festival, this image that you're seeing right there, getting to ride in the parade right there. "The Atlanta Journal- Constitution" reports that their appearance was a surprise to everybody.

And the car they're in, it was given to them last year as a 75th wedding anniversary gift from country legends Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. They are enjoying the droptop today, and we know they enjoyed it during the parade. It is similar to the car the couple rode off on for their honeymoon back in 1946. Happy birthday, Mr. President.

All right, hello again, everyone, and thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with a new update on the devastating toll hurricane Ian has taken on Florida. Officials now confirm at least 64 people were killed across the state. And as recovery efforts continue, the number is expected to rise. Governor Ron DeSantis at this hour giving a briefing on the storm response and recovery.

Hurricane Ian slamming into Florida as a category four storm, leveling entire communities. And today severe flooding is complicating rescue and recovery efforts. Let's go back again to Boris Sanchez who is anchoring our coverage from Fort Myers, Florida. Boris?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Fred. As you reported just a moment ago, the tragic news that the death toll has again climbed earlier today. It was sitting at 45 fatalities. Now CNN has confirmed from state officials that it has reached 64 people killed as a result of hurricane Ian. And those devastating nearly Category Five storm force winds,

obviously this is a difficult time for so many across the state of Florida. As you noted, search and rescue efforts are still under way. There are parts of the state here in the southwestern region that are inaccessible.

Southwest Florida is made up of thousands of different islands, and access has been cut off not only because bridges were demolished but because of rising waters that have not allowed crews to get to where they need to be. In fact, just a few hours ago we heard from a sheriff at North Port, Florida, telling us that overnight his team rescued more than 150 people overnight.

Keep in mind, this hurricane made landfall several days ago. Those folks were stranded for days. And fortunately, he tells us, that many of them were still in good condition and they were OK. Can't say the same about so many others as we anticipate the death toll will likely climb.

Of course, CNN is covering the story like no other network can. We're following the latest on the rescue and recovery efforts. We want to take you now live to Naples, Florida, where we find CNN's Brian Todd. And Brian, earlier today, you were sharing that as you were walking through that community, so much of the stuff that people had inside their homes wound up outside. And it looks like you're with a neighbor right now. And just from the looks of it, the water level reaches almost to your chest.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Boris. I wanted to start with this image because this is an apartment complex in the southern part of Naples. And this is the water level. I just talked to the gentlemen here who is the building manager, Matt, behind me. He said it took about 20 to 30 minutes for it to get to this level. Jeff Stankard is the resident. Jeff, thank you for joining us. Go ahead and just take us through and show us the damage and describe what happened here.

JEFF STANKARD, RESIDENT OF NAPLES, FLORIDA: Well, the water came up to about right here, 43 inches is what I'm told officially. So it hit countertops. Everything you see in here, hardwood floors damaged, everything in the pantries. The toilet is backed up we could tell when we got back in here the other day -- thing that was soaked --

TODD: And now you've got to clean out this mud in addition to everything else. This is just --

STANKARD: So we're looking to hire guys to come up in here and -- right under the T.V.

TODD: You were not here when this happened?

STANKARD: We were not here. We were out to our daughter's about -- east.

TODD: Can you just kind of give us a sense -- too many people who have lost everything. What are you going through now emotionally and everything, having lost all of this?

STANKARD: Yes. It's --

SANCHEZ: Unfortunately, it appears THAT we are having trouble with Brian Todd's signal there.

[14:05:02]

And two quick points I want to make to our viewers. The system that Brian is using to go live is something called a live view. It uses cell service essentially to link up the image that he is sending to us. And the fact that we're having difficulty with that signal is something that we have heard repeated by rescue crews. Officials sharing with us that one of the biggest challenges they are facing is communication and a lack of the access to cell service that is complicating their efforts.

And secondly is what he showed us right at the top, the fact that the water level, according to neighbors, rose almost up to Brian's chest within 20 to 30 minutes. It is hard to imagine responding to those conditions for so many in this region that didn't expect almost a category five storm to be knocking at their door, especially because the storm shifted eastward just hours before making landfall.

We want to take you now to another area that saw an enormous surge of water, and that is Arcadia, Florida, near where hurricane Ian made landfall. That's where we find CNN's Nadia Romero. And Nadia is standing on a highway that looks like a river right now where supplies have been coming in and out all day.

And Nadia, you were sharing with us that earlier today when supplies got shipped, almost as quickly as they were dropped off where you are, people picked them up. And clearly they are in need of very basic supplies, things like water.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, very basic necessities to just keep going. You can see behind me that people are in the water there. You can see people are in their airboats. They are making their way to the other side of this highway to get more of those supplies, water, fuel, MREs, just so that people can keep going.

Remember, the storm hit on Wednesday, so this could be day three for many people without electricity. So they are running out of water and they're running out of ways to feed their families.

And there is quite a crowd that's gathered here on highway 70 because they know this is where the drop-off site has been for the county, for the U.S. Army, for the Salvation Army. So all of these folks here are waiting for another round of donations to make their way here. We're told that they could be coming any minute now.

And they will drop them off right here on the highway. You can see another one of those airboats headed out now. And it's loud, but it's really music to your ears if you're here, because you know they are on their way to either pick up someone in need, or to pick up supplies that people here need. Despite everything that's going on, because, Boris, you mentioned just

how many people, more than 60 now that we know have died from hurricane Ian, there is still a concern that more people could die in the aftermath because there's no electricity, because they may not have access to medications or hospitals. On the other side of this highway is a hospital. The only way to get there is by boat. Boris?

SANCHEZ: You know things are tough when it's the sounds of an airboat, the dulcet tones of an airboat signifying relief. Nadia Romero from Arcadia, Florida, thank you so much for that report.

I want to turn it back over to Fredricka Whitfield. Fred, as you have heard in these reports, just an unprecedented level of destruction. Actually, we're not going to back to Fredricka Whitfield. We want to actually bring in the mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida, Ken Welch. Sorry about that, Fred. Ken Welch is joining us now. Mayor Welch, we are grateful that you are sharing part of your weekend with us.

It is a busy time for officials like yourself across the state of Florida. St. Petersburg, for those who don't know, is some 90 miles east of Fort Myers. You're on the eastern part of Florida. You said that your city was largely spared from the worst of the devastation. I'm wondering what your residents are dealing with today.

MAYOR KEN WELCH, ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA: Well, thank you, Boris. And we're northwest of Fort Myers, so I'm about 100 miles northwest of you. And we are feeling relieved. We were the bullseye -- no problem. We were the bullseye for Ian for much of the forecast.

And as folks know who have lived in Florida for a long time, these storms are unpredictable. And I think it's really highlighted our need to use the data, using information correctly, and look at that entire cone and not just the center track. And when the calls to evacuate come, we really have to heed it.

SANCHEZ: I may get my Floridian title revoked for not realizing that St. Petersburg was northwest of Fort Myers. I apologize for that, sir. I appreciate the correction.

You noted that cone of uncertainty for hurricane Ian was extremely widespread. As you well know, sir, a lot of Floridians see a category three storm and they often shrug.

[14:10:05]

They don't take it as seriously as something like a category four or category or five. I'm wondering how well you think folks were prepared across the person part of Florida for this level of devastation, for this size and strength of storm?

WELCH: I can tell you in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, we were prepared. We have 24 cities in the county, and when the county called the evacuation, we were all supportive of that, because we know what devastation these storms can bring. And we are especially vulnerable in Pinellas County and St. Petersburg as a peninsula. But really all of coastal Florida is in that same boat. I think there

are some object lessons here in terms of the power of these storms, how we need to deal with the information when there is an incoming storm, but also how we need to build our infrastructure going forward and how we grow as a state in terms of where we invest new growth and given the reality of climate change.

SANCHEZ: Well, let's dig into that, because what we have heard from climate scientists is that this storm dumped so much water on this part of Florida in part because of climate change. So how best do you think the state of Florida and the country in general should adapt to what is quickly becoming a new reality in responding to these kinds of disasters?

WELCH: Well, one of the object lessons and the good things that came out of this tragedy is that you've seen folks at the local level, state, federal level working together based on the science and the impact. There was a lot of debate about climate change over the past few years. But what I'm seeing now is the legislature, the governor, and certainly local officials and certainly the Biden administration all working together to support the infrastructure, to provide the aid that we need right now.

And I think going forward we are going to invest, make our capital investments and our growth planning with the knowledge of what climate change means to the state of Florida going forward. It's going to be a different climate than it was when I was growing up. We need to make the investments for my daughters and the generations to follow so that we have a resilient state.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it is going to be a difficult shift for many, but clearly a necessary one as we see the effects of hurricane Ian. Mayor Ken Welch, thank you again so much for the time.

WELCH: Thank you. Appreciate it. Take care.

SANCHEZ: Of course.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gave an update on the storm response just moments ago, and we want to share with you some of what the governor had to say. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RON DESANTIS, (R) FLORIDA: We are appreciative of the folks who have come from all over the country to assist with this. And we're going to continue to do it.

As of right now, you've got about 73 percent of Lee County without power and 77 percent of Charlotte County without power. The county that has the most without power is currently Hardee County, and that is 88 percent without power. We have moved 1.6 million gallons of fuel into southwest Florida to support the response. I'm looking at some of these gas stations. Some of them are very busy.

Some of them have generators to be able to run. Some of them may have electricity. Others, the fuel is pouring in. It's just they may not have the electricity to operate their pumps. And so that's going to be the issue. As more people come online, you're going to have more of that. But we've got a lot of fuel that are here earmarked for whatever needs that people have.

We have over 1,300 people on the ground for the Florida Department of Transportation, 1,300 miles of roadway have been cleared. I think people heard that yesterday you had a lot of river flooding in Charlotte County. FDOT had to close I-75 for a 12-mile stretch. And so they are constantly monitoring that. Obviously, that will open as soon as it can. But as of this morning, they were still doing the detours around the flood impact.

There's also other areas where we may expect additional flooding. And it was interesting, I was touring central Florida with some of the aerial tours. There was more standing water in central Florida than there was here in southwest Florida, even though they're a couple hundred miles away from the initial impact of the storm and the storm surge. Just had a lot of water, with some of the rivers and inlets overflowing.

So it's creating a lot of problems really all across the state. If that impacts bridges, if that impacts roads, then obviously FDOT needs to maintain safe. All major ports are now open for fueling, and the fuel is going to be coming in, and we're really happy about that. We now have a mobile command unit in Lee County and in Charlotte County and in Hardee County to help them with their emergency efforts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:15:00]

SANCHEZ: And that was Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just moments ago outlining the steps that are going to be necessary to help get Floridians across the state back on their feet. And you can actually play a role in that. There are a lot of folks that need a helping hand right now. And if you can, there is a way to help them. We want to empower you to do that. Go to CNN.com/Impact right now for more information on how you can help people impacted by hurricane Ian.

And still to come on CNN, we're going to take you live to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where a local landmark, as you can see here, that was built in the 50s has fallen partially into the sea. Stay with CNN Newsroom. We're back in minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to the CNN Newsroom. I'm Boris Sanchez coming to you live from Fort Myers in southwest Florida where we're getting details on the devastating toll that hurricane Ian has taken on the sunshine state.

[14:20:05]

Officials now confirming that at least 64 people were killed across the state of Florida. As we take a look at aerial views of Naples, you can see entire buildings just razed from the ground.

And we want to go back to Brian Todd, who is in Naples for us right now. Brian, we lost your signal a few moments ago, but we're back now. And you're with a resident who is getting a first look at their home after leaving for the hurricane.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Boris. Jeff Stankard lost his apartment back here. And this, again, is a look at the waterline. It took only about 20 or 30 minutes to get to that point. And let's walk back and talk to Jeff to get a sense of what he lost while we show you what some of the other residents lost.

Jeff was just helping people take this really bed out and place it here. And kook at all this stuff here. OK, Jeff, we're back, and we appreciate your patience with our dropping cellphone signal. Actually, first, can you point out what among these items is yours?

JEFF STANKARD, RESIDENT OF NAPLES, FLORIDA: Sure. This is our dining room chairs, our bar area chairs, our dining room table, the pedestal of it. Our vanity drawers. This is some neighbor's artwork. This is my great, great-grandmother's rocking chair.

TODD: Oh, no.

STANKARD: Yes. This is a picture that my mom had given us.

TODD: Can you salvage anything? Maybe the chair?

STANKARD: Maybe the chair. But people are saying we have raw sewage backup and everything, so it's gross. It's nasty. Here's my desk. Glass top and here, the thing is rusting away immediately.

TODD: Now, I was asking you this, I think, when our signal dropped. Just give me your emotional take on what it is like to lose this.

STANKARD: It's, it's tough. You start asking yourself a lot of questions about what you want to do next and where do you go, and do you rebuild it?

TODD: What do you think? Do you want to stay, rebuild?

STANKARD: We love Naples. We have been coming for 30 years. I'm not the boss. I've got to talk to my wife about whether we want to stay or not.

(LAUGHTER)

TODD: Of course.

STANKARD: But it's a great community. We are two blocks from the beach. We're a block off Fifth Avenue. We've got Third Street shops here. So it was a fantastic place to live.

TODD: And you've not only lost everything in your home but maybe part of your business. Explain that. STANKARD: Yes. Our business, we had just started a men's swimwear

company, board shorts, called OLSSA Outdoor. And so we were just getting it going. We were just up in Fort Myers are, Sarasota, Venice, and those towns, calling on shop owners at surf shops. And they're all right there close to the beach. I don't know if they made it or not.

TODD: I'm sorry to hear that. I've been trying to convey this to viewers, but it's better coming from you than me. Give us a sense of the emotional state, you've lost every single thing, your sense of where do I go from here?

STANKARD: Yes. You're in shock. I guess we're still at that stage of what it all is to you. Business suits gone. So it probably doesn't always hit you until after, hey, I have to go to put a suit on. Hey, I don't have a tie. I asked my brother to lend me one, or something like that. It's just -- everything. I'm looking down at one of my business cards. Little things like that. Like, oh, we're going to have to reorder those. It's everything. It's the electric toothbrush you had, gone.

TOOD: We've got to toss back, but thank you for sharing your story. It's great to meet you. Really, you have our heartfelt condolences, and we hope that you can start over as soon as possible.

STANKARD: Good luck to everyone else out there. Thank you.

TOOD: There you, Jeff.

There you have it, Boris. Look at that, the sense of loss. Where do you go from here? He just explained it better than I ever could.

SANCHEZ: Yes, it's almost like he had his entire life picked up and dumped out into the street. And even as difficult as that is for Jeff, we have to remember that so many other folks, what they lost was far more than just property, than physical belongings. Brian Todd, thank you for that excellent reporting from Naples, Florida.

We are getting more information now on some storm-related deaths in North Carolina. There were three people killed there in weather- related car crashes, a fourth apparently dying from something we see happen far too often during these kinds of storms, carbon monoxide poisoning after they ran a generator in a closed garage, something that we often hear from officials. They warn people about because it happens too frequently during these kinds of storms.

Let's take you to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, now, because CNN's Nick Valencia is there. So far, Nick, no deaths reported in that state, but extensive damage, including the pier you're on, Cherry Grove Pier, a chunk of it falling into the ocean. That is a historic part, a relic of that community.

[14:25:16]

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What a great characterization. It's the beloved part of this community, a relic indeed, Boris. And we are joined by the manager, Edgar Stephens. Edgar, you actually saw this pier collapse. You were just a few hundred yards away.

EDGAR STEPHENS, MANAGER, CHERRY GROVE PIER: Correct. I was at the pier house. And it buckled a little bit, and then all of a sudden it just flipped over sideways, and it went down the beach, and it was gone.

VALENCIA: You said you're just now processing it. This is significant. It pales in comparison to loss of life, of course. But this is a beloved part of this community. It's heart-wrenching, you were saying.

STEPHENS: It is. It definitely is. We have a tremendous following here in the North Myrtle Beach community and all down the eastern seaboard. We are a destination, not just a fishing pier. We have families coming down every summer visiting us, coming out to fish and enjoying themselves.

VALENCIA: What do you think of when you look at this? About 100 feet, is that right, is missing of this pier?

STEPHENS: About 100 feet that's actually gone, missing. We probably have another 100 feet that has to be repaired, and probably 30, 40 pylons have got to be replaced.

VALENCIA: Has this ever been damaged before? Locals were telling us that it had been damaged in two previous hurricanes, but you're the official here.

STEPHENS: Yes, it has been damaged before. In 1989 Hugo took it down completely. Then we had another storm come through, took off the end of it, washed it up the beach. We did salvage the gazebo on the end, had it put back on back in the mid-80s, early 90s. And it's been an ongoing process. Living at the coast here, we do suffer these types of things. But the family, the Prince family which owns the pier is dedicated to rebuilding this pier and being a significant part of the community.

VALENCIA: One of four piers in the Grand Strand, that's what they call this area, that were damaged. How long is it going to take to rebuild, do you think?

STEPHENS: We're looking right now, it's just a process. With all the damage in Florida, everybody is scrambling to go get in line to get pylons, wood, everybody gets in line to get your pieces of plywood, the pier pylons, things of that nature. It looks like we'll be six to seven months of getting everything back up to par to where it should be.

VALENCIA: Six to seven months of looking at this and having that reminder of what happened here. Edgar Stephens, thank you so much. We're really sorry for what happened to your beloved pier here.

Boris, they are -- they're so grateful, though, that this is only the most significant damage that we're seeing around here. It pales in comparison to what we are seeing in Florida. That is not lost on the local residents here. There is, of course, cleanup happening, some light debris on the streets. People are still without power, but that is expected to be restored by tomorrow afternoon according to the local emergency management. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Glad to hear that news. Nick Valencia from North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, thank you so much, Nick.

And we want to send it back to Fredricka Whitfield who is live for us in studio. Fred, obviously the effects of this storm will be felt, as you heard there, in the Carolinas for several months, here in Florida potentially for years as so many folks lost so much.

WHITFIELD: Right, Boris. It's going to be a very slow process because, remember, even before Ian there was already great supply -- shortage issue of supplies and transporting them. So even now, it's going to take a long time before you can get everything you need in order to rebuild anything, let alone a pier or a piece of property. And that after the damage assessment. Boris, thank you so much. We'll check back with you.

Still ahead, fingers are being pointed after a critic gas pipeline suffered a massive leak in the Baltic Sea. We'll bring you the latest on the investigation next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:33:15]

WHITFIELD: New questions emerging about the damage of the Nord Stream pipeline. Sources tell CNN that European security officials observed Russian naval ships near the area of the leak. Officials believe it was likely caused by underwater explosions. Here's CNN's Nic Robertson.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It looks like a boiling cauldron, the busy Baltic Sea bursting with gas from ruptured Russian Nord Stream reinforced pipelines. More than an inch of steel coated in places and approximately four inches of concrete, not easy to break.

JOHN BRENNAN, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: These pipelines are only about 200 feet or so of water. Russia does have an undersea capability to easily lay explosive devices by those pipelines.

ROBERTSON: Denmark's foreign minister uncharacteristically cautious about Russian ships seen in the area days prior.

JEPPE KOFOD, DENMARK'S FOREIGN MINISTER: I don't want to go into speculation --

ROBERTSON: Unity among allies about not blaming Russia without evidence.

NED PRICE, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We're not going to get ahead of the investigation. ROBERTSON: Danish and German warships deployed to secure the area. Norway putting its nearby energy infrastructure on heighten alert, too, as Sweden begins an investigation.

The Kremlin announcing its own preliminary investigation into possible international terrorism.

ANDREY KORTUNOV, DIRECTOR GENERAL RUSSIAN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS COUNCIL: Here in Moscow, of course, many people say that we should look at who might benefit from this incident. And, of course, they point at the United States, which might find it easier to sell its gas to Europe.

ROBERTSON: It could be weeks before European investigators get a close look. And the pipes that recently stopped sending gas to Europe may never be fixed.

[14:35:05]

FIONA HILL, FORMER DEPUTY U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: There's no turning back on the gas issues, and it's not then going to be possible for Europe to continue to build up its gas reserves through the winter.

ROBERTSON: But even before knowing if Russia is responsible, assessments of what it means are being made.

BRENNAN: I do think it's a signal to Europe that Russia can reach beyond Ukraine's borders. So who knows what he might be planning next?

ROBERTSON: An emerging calculation, Putin is escalating ahead of proposing terms for peace.

HILL: He is now trying to exit the war in the same way that he entered it, with him being the person in charge and him framing the whole terms of any kind of negotiation.

ROBERTSON: And that's why the caution of calling Russia out. It's going to take global unity to get Putin to back down.

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Coming up, getting much needed food to those in Florida following hurricane Ian. We'll take you inside the effort to get water and meals to residents in that state.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:40:18]

WHITFIELD: As recovery efforts continue, many are stepping in to support those impacted by Ian. I want to bring in now Ann and Gary LeBlanc are the founders of Mercy Chefs, which serves professionally prepared meals for crisis victims and first responders. So good to see you all. Now, you're not Floridians, right? So tell me where you're from, and what got you, and how did you get to Fort Myers to help out?

GARY LEBLANC, FOUNDER, MERCY CHEFS: Well, we live in Virginia. I'm originally from New Orleans. We were in Puerto Rico working hurricane, and we kept track of this storm as it came in. And so we flew in three nights ago to our warehouse in Huntsville and started down with our team and our equipment, actually four nights ago now. And today is our third day serving beautiful hot meals here in Fort Myers.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. That is so generous and so beautiful. So then tell me about these meals you were able to serve the people. And I'm sure they are just so gracious and happy that you have arrived.

ANN LEBLANC, FOUNDER, MERCY CHEFS: They're very excited that we're here. We found there are so many stories, as I'm sure you're well aware. And yesterday we started feeding 3,000 meals twice a day to the hospitals, one of the hospital systems here that didn't have water or food available for the patients that they're working very desperately to get out of the hospital, but it just takes time. So standing in the gap, and then the teams. And they're loving our food, so.

WHITFIELD: Just looking at that shot of someone over that huge pot just stirring it, boy, that really did look good. And now you're all telling me you are from New Orleans as well. So I know you've got the best of the best that you're serving folks. What kind of difference do you think you are making by serving people there who, in some cases, lost everything. They've been cold because they've been in high water in the middle of the night a few nights ago. What are you serving and how do you know it is making a difference, an impact?

GARY LEBLANC: Well, we believe something amazing happens over a shared meal. We do it as friends and family, but to be here and do it for these folks, like you said, who have lost so very much. It was just a couple of nights ago we were sending hot meals from one of the shelters. They had been eating MREs the whole team.

As our hot meals got there, a bus came in with people that had been evacuated by the Coast Guard off Sanibel Island. They walked off the bus dripping wet to a hot meal. And if we hadn't gotten that meal over there, it would have just been snacks and drinks. And so we were so proud to be there in their time of need, in their crisis, and meet them with hope and love in the form of a meal.

WHITFIELD: That's amazing, Gary.

And then Ann, tell me about the logistics. How are you able to make this happen? As Gary was just explaining, folks who were still wet, perhaps they haven't had a chance to sleep, they haven't had a place to really bed down. And then here you pop up a kitchen with real fire, burning stoves to cook. Tell me logistically how you are able to do this. What does it take to make it happen?

ANN LEBLANC: Well, we have moved heaven and earth to get much of our equipment. We had two kitchens onsite. today, tomorrow, we will add another kitchen here. Multiple support truck, food purveyors that bring in refrigerated trucks for us to use the whole product. It's been a herculean effort. This is likely to be one of the largest deployments in Mercy Chefs

history. But there is hope in those boxes. It really just amazes me every time I have someone break down and cry because of something simple like a fresh meal with fresh vegetables, and it's hot and nutritious.

WHITFIELD: Food is everything, Gary. That just warms the soul through and through. As you mentioned, you're from the New Orleans area. And obviously, you all were inspired to do this after hurricane Katrina. How did it all come together for you?

GARY LEBLANC: We were living in Virginia when Katrina hit New Orleans. It's my hometown. I lost my grandmother. My daughter lost a home. All my friends were affected. So I went back and volunteered with other organizations. And I appreciated that they were feeding people the best they could.

[14:45:00]

But I believe there was a better way. I believed I had an obligation to do something to feed a higher quality of meal to people that had lost everything. So that was the birth of Mercy Chefs, to go and do hand-crafted chef-prepared meals and serve them with love to people that are having, really, the worst day of their lives.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. And then how do you compare what you all have seen there after Ian. You were just in Puerto Rico as a result of Fiona, and you know how devastated the New Orleans area was after Katrina.

ANN LEBLANC: It's really one of the worst disasters we've ever seen. You see the topography of Sanibel Island, and it's basically gone. We're serving search and rescue crews, and the stories they're telling, it's just heartbreaking the loss of life that's happened here. And we're humbled to be able to serve.

WHITFIELD: Ann and Gary LeBlanc, you all are amazing, and I know folks are really grateful to see you there in Florida, and the folks in Puerto Rico were, I'm sure, very grateful to see you as well when you were there now just days ago. Thank you so much for what you're doing.

ANN LEBLANC: Thank you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thank you.

So coming up, the Fort Myers area in southwest Florida was one of the hardest hit by hurricane Ian. A CNN team was able to fly above the destruction left behind in Lee County, Florida. You'll see all of that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:51:04]

WHITFIELD: All right, a dramatic rescue in Naples, Florida, caught on video after a cameraman in the middle of a live report drops everything to help a family struggling in rising floodwaters from hurricane Ian.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep going. Keep going.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you OK?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an enormous storm, an enormous storm. I'm fine. We're just helping some people through the water here. That's our camera operator, Glen (ph) Ellis (ph), out there, I think you can see trying to help people who are wading away from their homes. We've spoken to a couple of them, and they tell, they tell us already that their houses have been lost in the water.

They're flooded right through, and they've had to abandon them. They've just had no other way of doing it. They're trying to get out. And obviously what we've got here is relatively high ground. So we're lucky enough to be able to talk to you. And this is a place where people in Naples, Florida, are now coming to try to get away from the water essentially.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow, incredible. Obviously, the waters were rising so fast, and he just dropped everything to help out.

So hurricane Ian is likely the largest natural disaster in Florida's history. And the places hardest hit, the barrier islands along the southwest coast. One local official saying 90 percent of Fort Myers Beach is simple gone.

CNN's John Berman was able to jump on a helicopter with the Lee County Sheriff to get a look at the devastation.

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JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All that debris is littered everywhere. These were buildings. This was a building right there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were buildings, restaurants, and what used to be the Fort Myers pier.

BERMAN: How far back does the sand go?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It goes straight through to the bayside.

The empty spots that you see there were homes.

BERMAN: I'm sorry. So these -- these, on this beach here, there used to be homes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to see the empty lots right here. As you see, those lots right there, those were homes. Those were hotels. Those were real property, two, three, four, five stories high, washed away.

BERMAN: The buildings just ripped off of their foundations and just swept backwards

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right. When you look to the right side here, there's boats thrown into the mangroves. Vehicles inside the waters submerged.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a car in a canal right there too. You can see that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is, like, Mexico Beach.

BERMAN: Look at that. I can see the foundation of where those houses were right there.

How many rescues have you done today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have done dozens. As you can see, look to the front of our -- these are major, major boats thrown into the mangroves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where?

BERMAN: Boats up in the mangroves right there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not just one. Dozens thrown everywhere.

BERMAN: How long will it take to get this back?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I look at this, this is not a quick fix. This is not six months. This is long term. This is long term. You're talking about not refurbishing structures.

[14:55:02]

You're talking about no structure left. You're talking about foundations, concrete, you're talking about homes that were thrown into the bay. This is a long-term fix, and it's lifechanging.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The coastline there has been redefined -- redesigned completely by mother nature.

All right, thank you so much for joining me today. I'm forward. The CNN Newsroom continues with Jim Acosta live in Fort Myers, Florida, right after this.

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