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Death Toll Jumps To 65 In Hurricane-Ravaged Florida; Captain Rides Out Hurricane Ian On Storm-Tossed Boat; Craig Fugate, Former FEMA Director, Discusses The Damage From Hurricane Ian And The Cost; Putin Announces Illegal Annexations In Ukraine, Blasts West, As Russian Troops Withdraw From Key City In Eastern Ukraine; Florida Governor DeSantis Gives Update On Hurricane Ian Destruction. Aired 4- 5p ET
Aired October 01, 2022 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:37]
JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Fort Myers, Florida.
The death toll continues to rise in the awful aftermath of Hurricane Ian. At least 65 people just here in Florida did not survive the storm. Search and rescue efforts in many areas are ongoing. And nearly two million people in multiple states are without power. The sunshine here today revealing more and more damage, hour-by-hour. The hurricane and storm surge laid waste to entire towns, including Fort Myers Beach, robbing people of their homes and their livelihoods.
Rescue efforts will not be simple. In some areas it will take months even years for some of these areas to get back to normal. I can tell you for myself, I spent much of the day out there. And that is the case. It is going to take many, many weeks, months and years to get back to normal here. And about an hour south of here in Naples, Florida, officials say it will take months perhaps even longer to recover.
The city manager estimating that property damage could top $200 million while the city's fire chief says his department is having challenges with restoring power.
CNN's Brian Todd is in Naples for us.
Brian, I know you've been doing this hour after hour after hour. And I suspect everywhere you look, every corner you turn, next street you go down, you're just seeing more and more devastation. Tell us what you're seeing.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are, Jim. And that's a great way to describe it, seeing more and more devastation. Every street, every unit that we go to. And here's a different perspective that I'm about to show you about what it's like to try to recover your home if you can after this kind of flooding. This is an apartment unit, ground floor, here in Naples. It got flooded about a foot of water.
I'm going to walk back here because we've been talking to the people who've been doing contract work here at this apartment. Talking to the homeowners, talking to other people who are experts on what they have to do. So we've been showing you images of people piling their sofas and their beds, and everything that's ruined out on the curbs. That's just the first part. They have to do that first and they're going to clear this stuff out of the apartment. They've got to get everything out of here first.
But then a big part of trying to recover your unit if you can is to try to get rid of the mold. And here's what they've got to do here. They've got -- this is the water line. The water line went up to about here. They've got to cut the drywall out about a foot above the water line. Then they have to spray this area with this stuff. This is an anti-microbial disinfectant. They've got to spray it to see -- just to let it dry. And that takes several days.
Then they've got to come back and assess where there's mold that has built up in here or maybe up higher. At that point, you've got to assess whether this place is even inhabitable or not. So again it's not just, you know, getting rid of your possessions, getting rid of everything that was ruined and then kind of starting over and moving on.
Just look at what you've got to do just to see if there's mold in your apartment or house to try to get rid of that, if it's even salvageable after that because mold is a killer after these events, especially in places like south Florida, where there's a humidity and the salt water in the air and everything like that.
Jim, you mentioned the $200 million in personal property damage. That is a figure that was cited by officials here in Naples as to the personal property damage. They believe the city damage itself, city- owned property, that could be about $20 million. But when you talk about that $200 million figure, this is what you're talking about. This is what -- house after house, apartment after apartment here in Naples, they've got to do this kind of thing.
Again, it's not just excavating your place and getting your stuff out, you've got to go deep into the walls, do this treatment, see if there's mold, and even then, maybe it's not salvageable. You might just have to knock all this stuff out and start over. So it is a daunting, daunting task -- Jim.
ACOSTA: All right, Brian Todd. Thank you very much for that.
Right now, we want to go to our next guest. We have several guests here for you on hand. One of my next guests was evacuated, though, off of his houseboat during all of this, along with his dogs and pet rabbit after the storm hit.
Sid Cleaves, and one of the Good Samaritans who helped him, (INAUDIBLE), they join me now.
Sid, tell me just a little bit of what was going on. What were you going through? You had your dog and your pet rabbit with you, is that correct?
SID CLEAVES, FORT MYERS RESIDENT: Yes.
ACOSTA: And then you had to be rescued. You needed some help I guess. Tell us what happened.
CLEAVES: Actually --
ACOSTA: Yes.
CLEAVES: Actually everything was fine.
ACOSTA: OK.
[16:05:01]
CLEAVES: And we were riding the storm until the big boat, bigger than that one there, slammed in the back of my boat. And then, I said, what was that? It jolted us up. And I came out of the hatch and I looked and seen a big boat sideways banging against my boat.
EDWEDGE MORETA, FORT MYERS RESIDENT: Yes, the boats were just banging along each other.
CLEAVES: So I thought the home might be -- you know, I was just worried about my animals. You know, because if it had a problem, I could get off. But my animals are the most important thing in my mind.
ACOSTA: And we have the animals here. This is your pet rabbit.
CLEAVES: Yes. Mr. Grace.
ACOSTA: Mr. Grace. And your dog is over there off-camera. But --
CLEAVES: That's Hope.
ACOSTA: But tell us a little bit about the destructive power of this hurricane and what you were going through but to see all of these the big boats tossed on to land like this is just incredible.
CLEAVES: Everything was fine. Everything was fine. Rodney here rode the whole storm out on his boat. The whole storm. I rode it until I got hit by that big boat. And then I came up and I was worried about my boat being compromised, took the dogs out, and when I took them out, they didn't want to come up. So I had to pull -- they were up here, I had to pull them and drop them into my arms. The water was already up to my waist on the docks down here, the figure docks.
So I was like feeling -- trying to feel because you couldn't see where you were walking. I was afraid I would fall in the water with the dogs. So once I got up to the top here -- here to the top, it was clear and I ran across the street with my dogs, and wonderful people like this right here were waiting -- they came and met me half way, took the leash and let me go back to get some more.
ACOSTA: And Edwedge, you were just looking out your window and watching all of this?
MORETA: Yes. Yes.
ACOSTA: What were you seeing? What did you think?
MORETA: It was sad because all the boats were coming apart off of, you know, the docks. There was things flying everywhere. And all the boats were just kind of swarming around and coming closer and closer together. And that was before the surge. So we thought it was bad during that and then once the surge came in, the water just kept getting higher and higher, and the boats were just banging. It was loud and scary.
CLEAVES: Very fast.
MORETA: Yes.
ACOSTA: And my producer, Alex, has the dog, who he also survived this ordeal. Alex, can you bring the dog over? My producer Alex is bringing the dog over. And who is this?
CLEAVES: This is Hope.
ACOSTA: This is Hope. Hi, hope. How are you? You're so cute. What a beautiful dog. Now we can't -- maybe we can't see her. Oh, there she is. There -- can you see her? Right here. There's Hope right there. There she is.
MORETA: Good girl.
ACOSTA: She is a good girl. And she rode out the storm?
MORETA: Yes.
ACOSTA: And she made it through some of this, is that right?
CLEAVES: Until we got hit. The surge was already on its way in. Like I said it was already up to my waist. We thought we're going to be OK until that big boat hit us.
MORETA: Yes.
CLEAVES: And --
MORETA: He was brave. He kept wanting to go out. It was dark. The water was so high and he's like, got to go get Rodney. I got to go get Rodney.
ACOSTA: And Rodney, you were in the middle of this. What was it like? If you can step in just a little bit, tell me just a little bit. What was it like?
RODNEY, FORT MYERS RESIDENT: I have been through six hurricanes and that was the worst because it was the longest.
ACOSTA: It was the longest.
RODNEY: Yes. The wind was from the east, that direction. And it was really bad in here. It went around behind the building. And the south wind protected us. It came around that side of that building.
CLEAVES: And that killed us.
ACOSTA: Like holy hell.
RODNEY: Yes.
ACOSTA: Yes.
RODNEY: I've been in six hurricanes and this is the worst I've been because of the length of the thing. The water was all the way up to that wall.
ACOSTA: Wow.
MORETA: It was high.
ACOSTA: Across the street?
MORETA: Yes.
ALEX: Across the whole street. The whole thing. Everything.
ACOSTA: And so that's what picked these boats up and pushed them on to the dry land.
CLEAVES: What was, you had some boats that either they weren't tied down well enough or the cleats that they were hooked to came loose. Whatever the reason, there was one boat, a houseboat over there that was -- that broke free, was like banging all the other boats and breaking them, too.
ACOSTA: Did you guys have a sense as to how bad this storm was going to be?
MORETA: No.
ACOSTA: Did you get enough advance warning, do you think?
RODNEY: Yes, I know.
CLEAVES: We knew. We knew.
ACOSTA: You knew.
MORETA: We knew --
RODNEY: I've been through a lot of them and (INAUDIBLE) storm. The tail boat and the other tied to me broke free and then both came around and pour out four of my life line (INAUDIBLE). That was the only damage. The first time (INAUDIBLE). A lot of raining.
ACOSTA: Can we show -- can we show her one more time? Show Hope one more time? Bring her over here. Hope, come on. Can you go up here again? Can you go up here? There we go. There's Hope. There's Hope. She made it. She made it safe and sound. You're looking good. Beautiful dog. You don't have to bark. You don't need to get worried. You're OK. Yes. What was it like for her going through all this?
CLEAVES: She's scared.
MORETA: Really scared. Very scared.
ACOSTA: It's hard on the pets.
CLEAVES: It's like she knew what was happening. She was comfortable on the boat. But when I decided to take her off the boat, that's when she was freaking out.
ACOSTA: And she's used to being on the boat.
CLEAVES: Yes. She's perfectly calm on the boat.
ACOSTA: That's her home. Yes.
CLEAVES: Everything was fine until, like I said until we got hit by the big boat.
MORETA: And then when we got her, we were like whose dog is it? We don't know and we couldn't find Sid so we're like running around trying to find Sid. But she was just --
ACOSTA: Unbelievable.
MORETA: She knew exactly who she was. As soon as we brought him inside, that's when she knew it.
CLEAVES: And if I can make one comment.
ACOSTA: Yes.
[16:10:02]
CLEAVES: That road didn't exist. It was like part of the river.
MORETA: It was a river.
CLEAVES: It was waves and white caps on top of it. The wind was blowing so hard, it made a spray. It's like needles in your face and your eyes. You couldn't see. The wind just about knock you over and the storm surge, it was impossible to get to Rodney. Six of us were trying, and the water was much higher. It was probably up to our shoulders.
ACOSTA: Well, Rodney, Ian, Edwedge, Hope, Mr. Grace, thank you all very much for telling us your stories. I think I just heard from the control room that Governor Ron DeSantis is having a press conference right now. Let's go to that live and we'll get back to you with the rest of this in just a moment.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R), FLORIDA: They followed it very closely. I know Kevin Guthrie is touched with all the EM directors locally, working on kind of what we're seeing with different modeling. And at the end of the day, a storm that's going to hit 150 miles north of you is something that -- and I said there'd be impacts all across the Gulf Coast. And I said Sunday, even if it goes to north Florida, it's a big storm. You can see impacts in Naples and some of those areas.
But that's a different type of impact than what we ended up seeing. And so I think that they worked very quickly to provide people shelter, provide people the opportunity to do that. And I know many of them did take them up. But I would also just point out, you had people evacuating from Tampa to southwest Florida. I mean, that happened because of how they were following the track of the storm.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Two major concerns of people, they think running water and electricity. Do you have any information on whether the restoring of water will be expected?
DESANTIS: So what we've done on the water, they identified the break I think the day after the storm. They requested the state enlist federal support. So we got the Army Corps of Engineers. I think that they made the request at like 3:00 in the morning on Thursday. Army Corps was here from Jacksonville Thursday afternoon. That's a six-hour drive under good conditions as you guys know. So they're there, they're working with not just the county water utility but some of the other municipal utilities to be able to do that.
And what I -- and we have National Guard engineers available to help the Corps if they need it. And I know General Eifert has a lot of folks there. So at the end of the day, troubleshooting that is really significant because once you get that going, you know, everything else can really come to life. Even some of the power, you can do the generators but you need that running water just for basic sanitation. So we're happy that the Army Corps responded very quickly. That they're on it diagnosing it and offering a solution as soon as possible.
You know, the fuel as I mentioned in my comments, you know, there's fuel available, it's coming in from the ports. The gas stations that have power or generators typically are offering gas. I think there's just a lot of gas stations that are offline from that. And so the pumps aren't going to work if you don't have the electricity. So I think it's probably more of a power issue than it is a fuel supply issue.
And now that all our ports are open, you're going to see more fuel coming in. In addition to all the fuel we have staged here. We've got more fuel staged here than we've probably ever had for a storm before.
OK. We'll be back tomorrow. We'll see you, guys.
ACOSTA: And that was Governor Ron DeSantis holding a press conference just a few moments ago. Laying out the latest in terms of the cost to the people of the state of Florida both in dollars and in lives. This state is just devastated after what Hurricane Ian did to this part of the state of Florida. And we have more, all of this, coming up in just a few moments. We'll talk about the staggering early price tag for rebuilding parts of Florida that have been devastated by Hurricane Ian. That's next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:17:59]
ACOSTA: Earlier today, I witnessed some massive destruction on a boat ride with some of the volunteer rescuers in this area including the Cajun Navy. Here's a look at the scene Matlacha, an area in Lee County, where most of Florida's storm deaths occurred. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: What do they have going on over here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some boats here, they had restaurants. A lot of -- also a lot of like people that work not only (INAUDIBLE). Pretty much -- a lot of restaurants.
ACOSTA: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People that do shrimping, fishing, right here. There's like four or five buildings all the way. There's buildings the whole way. They're just gone.
ACOSTA: You heard there were stories that there were bodies in some of the canals?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard a story in the news that somebody was slammed out of their house (INAUDIBLE) beach. On their second story window, the water is still going.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Way across to that bridge.
ACOSTA: That's the road right there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the road. That's the road.
ACOSTA: And it's gone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
ACOSTA: This area is pretty typical of the destruction around here. There's a bridge that's intact just about a block from here, maybe a quarter mile, nothing more than that. But the road leading to that bridge is completely washed out so the island that's on the other side of that bridge is cut off right now.
WHITNEY HALL, MATLACHA RESIDENT: Just the sight of it. The people that text me, hey, your house is gone. Your house is gone. And I came out here yesterday, they let me on. He stayed right there.
ACOSTA: You stayed?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
ACOSTA: And what was that like? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's bad, man. You know, it's bad. It was just --
there was, the water came up really, really quick. People on this side of the road were gone in an instant. It was like watching paper into a paper shredder.
ACOSTA: They found one of your neighbors?
HALL: Yes. Yes. They found like I think three bodies so far in the water. At least. I know there's more. But I mean, who knows? I mean, look. Who knows? Who knows?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[16:20:10]
ACOSTA: Those are some of the residents there in hard-hit Matlacha, Florida, just a short drive from here. I spoke with them earlier this morning and they were talking about some of their neighbors did not survive Hurricane Ian. Of course, we're going to get the latest from that devastated area of southwest Florida, as this information comes in. But in the meantime, there have been countless rescues, people who did get out alive for the last several days.
The U.S. Coast Guard tells us they've rescued more than 450 people and more than 100 pets. Take a look at this incredible rescue right now. A Coast Guard air crew pulling a man from his boat after it got stranded in a flooded area near Sanibel.
Let's bring in Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson, operational commander, leading the Coast Guard's response to Ian.
Admiral, thanks so much for joining us. I can't imagine the scope of this task right now. Are you able to get your arms around how large the problem is at this point? Or is that just unfolding hour by hour?
REAR ADM. BRENDAN MCPHERSON, SEVENTH DISTRICT COMMANDER, U.S. COAST GUARD: Well, we're starting to, Jim. I mean, we're in our third day here of Coast Guard search and rescue operations. We've had helicopters blanketing that area since just hours after the storm pass through there a couple of days ago now. The good news is, you know, we're starting to find that the people that we're encountering are not in need of immediate medical assistance. But many of them are stranded and they need to get out.
So we're working with the state. They have a very aggressive plan to get people off of the Sanibel Island and other areas. And we'll probably look at doing that more from the land side and with boats than we will with helicopters in the coming days. But rest assured we're out there, we're going to continue doing our operations until we're satisfied nobody else needs rescuing.
ACOSTA: And oftentimes Coast Guard rescuers are the first people these storm victims encounter after hours and hours of being alone. What is that experience like when they recount those stories to your rescuers?
MCPHERSON: Yes, you're right, Jim. Oftentimes the Coast Guard is the first ones on scene. And we saw that in this case as well. And I've talked to a number of our rescuers or rescue swimmers that come down from these helicopters. Get these people, put them in baskets and bring them up to safety. And it's really just a heart-wrenching operation. And generally, the victims, the survivors are just thrilled to see the Coast Guard, the rescuers.
And frankly, we're thrilled to see the people who survive. And so there's a quick bond that's made there. And in many cases, we find that bond lasts many days, months, and years after that. And oftentimes we'll try and connect some of those rescuers with the rescued.
ACOSTA: And Admiral, one of the things that I heard from people in the hard-hit area of Matlacha, which is just a tiny little coastal community not too far from here, is -- they just feel like they did not get a sufficient warning as to how powerful this storm was, that it was coming this way, that it was not going to Tampa. A lot of the residents I spoke with said they thought that it was heading towards Tampa. And then it was all of a sudden, it was coming in this direction.
Now I understand there were weather forecasters on CNN and multiple other outlets who were warning in real time know this thing is making a right turn, you need to be prepared. What is your reaction to that? I'm sure your rescuers have heard that because we're hearing it from people that they were somewhat caught off guard and taken by surprise as to how things escalated so quickly for people in some of these areas in southwest Florida.
MCPHERSON: Yes, Jim. You know, that's a good question. So I think there was plenty of warning. I mean, people were warned about the potential of the storm track and the magnitude of it. But I also understand, this was a massive storm. You know, and it was very difficult to predict because it was sort of paralleling that west coast and nobody knew for sure when it was going to take that right turn. You know, earlier in the time there was prediction it might go further north of Tampa or even further north.
So I understand that. I mean, you know, in the future I think we all just need to think about those predictions, as good as they are, they're not perfect. And in any case it doesn't matter at this point. We're focused on making sure that people are in a safe place, reunited with their family and (INAUDIBLE) could getting the services they need to recover.
ACOSTA: You're absolutely right about that. And hats off to all of your rescuers. Thanks so much what you're doing, all the rescuers who were out there. Coast Guard, local law enforcement. People who've sent rescuers from across the country.
As you know, Admiral, you're running into folks who were just coming from all parts of the United States to lend a hand. And everybody down here, I know from talking to them, a lot of the folks down here are just so grateful.
Admiral Brendan McPherson, thanks so much for your time. We appreciate it.
MCPHERSON: Yes. Thank you, Jim.
ACOSTA: All right. And it's not only first responders making heroic rescues these last few days. Take a look at this.
[16:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A hurricane is to Americans what cyclones are to Australians, is it not? But this one is as big as Florida. That is massive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep going. Keep going.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It's an enormous, an enormous storm here. No, fine. We're just helping some people through the water here. That's our camera operator, Glen Ellis, out there. I think you can see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Cameraman Glen Elis, you hear him being referred to there in that video. It was filming in Naples, Florida, when he spotted a family struggling in the floodwaters from Hurricane Ian. Just remarkable work here as you saw. He dropped the camera to rush over and help them. The reporter picked up the camera. Continued his report. And then thanked his colleague when he returned.
It just goes to show you when members of the media come down here. They are often confronted with situations like this. You've seen our own CNN crews come to the rescue of folks in difficult situations like this. And it's just a remarkable moment there.
We'll have more on all of this as we take a quick break. All of this on the other side of the break. We'll be right back. Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:30:37]
ACOSTA: One of the indelible images of Hurricane Ian, the number of boats of all types tossed into places that they shouldn't be. And some of them still attached to pieces of docks and moorings and just ripping them apart left and right.
CNN's Randi Kaye spoke to one Florida man who rode out the storm on a houseboat that was washed inland.
(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 cabins. 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Our thanks to the terrific Randi Kaye for that report.
And the latest estimates suggests that Hurricane Ian may cost as much as $47 billion insured losses, making it the most expensive storm in the state's history.
Joining me is the former FEMA administrator and the director of the Florida Emergency Management Agency, Craig Fugate.
He oversaw Florida's response to four historic hurricanes in 2004, the big four in '04, I remember them being called. And at the federal level, oversaw a record 87 disasters in 2011 with the Obama administration.
Craig, it's great to see you.
You may not remember me but I remember you. I remember covering you dealing with these storms back in the day. I was here for Hurricane Charlie back in '04. And you dealt with that calamity, as well.
How does this storm stack up? It just -- Ian just seems like on a different level compared to what we saw back in those days.
CRAIG FUGATE, FORMER FEMA DIRECTOR: Yes, I describe this as the southwest Florida Hurricane Andrew. It's going to change the area. It going to change how we build. And we're going to learn lessons and do things differently.
This was the storm surge. When we had Charlie, that was a 10-mile-wide tornado.
This storm surge was so massive. And again, a lot of the damage we're seeing, we tend to think of the wind damage. This was primarily where you're at, just the wave action and surge going in and tearing everything out.
ACOSTA: The storm surge, when it gets to this level, you can have a tremendous loss of life and a tremendous loss of property.
And I have to ask you, Craig, if you're with FEMA right now -- and I know you don't want to armchair quarterback what they're doing -- you're deployed to Fort Myers Beach or Sanibel Island, where I was at earlier today, absolutely devastated, hardly anything left, where do you begin?
We're hearing a lot about people would like to get the cell phone service going again. The gas lines are long. What goes through your mind?
FUGATE: Well, it's what's happening. You're going through the search and rescue. You're starting to transition the areas you've already searching. And now, where are people going to live? [16:34:57]
And because we've got so much destruction there, FEMA has already been working with the state before the storm hit on what it would look like for temporary house. Now, they have some idea of the impacts, what it's going to take the provide people short-term assistance.
That's part of what the president turned on at the governor's request. What we call individual assistance. That program does provide assistance to people to get hotels and motels and have a place to stay.
And this is really rescue and get people safe and then start getting debris picked up. Getting those boats salvaged and off the road. Getting utilities back up. That's going to take time.
So one of the more immediate things will be providing temporary housing to people, so they can get somewhere safe while the recovery is taking place.
ACOSTA: That's a great point. I mean, it's the basics at his point.
We just had the captain of one of the sailboats behind me, who was on with us earlier, just a short while ago, and he was saying it would be great if the city could provide us with a Port-a-John.
I mean, it's those kinds of basic, you know, just out here at the marina, they don't have everywhere to go the bathroom. Not to put the things in those kinds of terms but that's as basic as it gets.
Craig, a lot of these storm victims aren't insured completely because maybe they had a roof that was more than 10 years old. They may be underinsured in some cases.
What options do they have?
FUGATE: They're the folks that FEMA primarily is geared for. Again, if you've got insurance, FEMA is not your first step. It will be your insurance agent.
But for people that didn't have insurance, flood insurance or were underinsured, that's where the federal government, your tax dollars, are designed to help people begin recovery.
It's not designed to make them whole. But it is the initial assistance they will need. As they start looking at what long-term recovery looks at and what other federal assistance may be needed for long-term recovery.
ACOSTA: All right. Former FEMA administrator, Craig Fugate, thanks for the expertise. We appreciate it.
FUGATE: Thanks for having me.
ACOSTA: Coming up -- thank you, Craig. Coming up, Vladimir Putin's brazen move, signing a decree annexing four parts of Ukraine, it's the largest land grab in Europe since World War II.
And, yes, we're following the desperate situation here in southwest Florida. But you can't take your eyes off of the unfolding situation in Ukraine. We'll talk about that next.
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ACOSTA: We'll stay on top of the storm recovery efforts here in Florida.
But an ominous appeal coming from an ally of Vladimir Putin. He's urging the Russian leader to use low-yield nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
This comes after Russian troops withdrew from the city of Lyman in eastern Ukraine ass Ukrainian forces advanced. You can see Ukrainian troops putting up a flag at the city's entrance.
Friday, Putin illegally annexed four territories, including the Donetsk region where Lyman is.
And more now from CNN's Nick Paton Walsh.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Jim, a startling development for Russia. They had to admit, through their Ministry of Defense, they have withdrawn troops from the key strategic town of Lyman that has essentially been encircled by Ukrainian troops over the past days.
But the mere fact that Moscow has had to admit they're taking troops out of it, a master of 24 hours after Vladimir Putin stood in front of his elite in the Kremlin and declare, where I am standing and in many other areas of Ukraine, as essentially part of Russia, in Russia's world view.
Well, that's a startling condemnation of how distant from reality the Kremlin's view of that war and the speech in Moscow really is.
We don't know how many Russian troops may be left behind in Lyman. There have been suggestions that hundreds are taken as prisoner of war. And that situation remains very fluid.
But the fall of Lyman, certainly from admission from the Ministry of Defense, potentially sets off a series of domino issues for Russia's presence across the Luhansk and Donetsk areas, both of which have been declared Russian territory by Vladimir Putin on Friday.
We saw ourselves, as we traveled down toward Lyman a number of days ago, exactly how ferocious the Ukrainian advance has been and the destruction left from the fighting there and how much territory has been taken back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATON WALSH (voice-over): Hidden but unstoppable. Ukraine's not bragged much about its march south from Kharkiv toward the prize of Donetsk. But every rooftop or tree line suggests they've just been too busy advancing.
Day by day, reducing how much of occupied Ukraine Moscow has this day falsely declared Russian territory, with the ultimate goal, encircling the vital railway town of Lyman at hand.
No quarter given, all the way through the forest, to the monastery town of Sviatohirsk.
(on camera) The drive to this point, probably the most depressing two hours we spent on the road for the whole six months of this war, just laying bear the utter ferocity of the fighting.
But also, too, the speed of Ukraine's advance to this town, which itself is shocking.
Eight years ago, at the start of the conflict, I lived on and off here for six months and just learned to appreciate its normality, its peace among the middle of the pines here. That is just gone.
(voice-over): It is the most fragile who remained when Russia moved in. Anna is one of nine people left in her block. She almost did not make it.
ANNA, SVIATOHIRSK RESIDENT (through translation): The scariest was when the Russians one night were in a firefight in my courtyard.
I was in the doorway and tried to hold a steel door shut but a soldier pulled the door, so I jumped down and fell in the basement. He tore open the door, shot his gun into the darkness and missed me.
[16:45:02]
PATON WALSH: Some seek survival in their god here, whose monastery looks down on the mess.
Lubya asked me if they will come back, the Russians. "They made such a mess of their new post office," she says.
On her shirt, a lock of hair from her local beloved priest killed by shelling in June.
"I've attached it as a protective amulet," she says. "Tell me, can I leave here now?"
Even the carcasses here still rocked by shelling.
(BELL TOLL)
PATON WALSH: But when the church bells finally rang again two days ago, they brought Ludmila (ph) to tears.
"It rang and I heard it," she says, "and I listened and it got louder."
They are not out of the church basement, where they hid from the bombs and still tried to live.
(on camera): She saying, it's cold down here and you can feel that. Seven months on the ground.
(voice-over): Anxious to not show their faces, their plight down here is their private tragedy, one says.
Ludmila's (ph) disabled son was injured in the shelling and taken to hospital, she tells me. She last saw him alive but that is all she knows down here.
There is a little salvation here, only ruin turning to Russia. There is no letup in Ukraine's advances.
All of Moscow's intimate annexation, the absurd claim that this land is actually now Russian territory.
The land here a testimony to how the collision between this right and that wrong shreds the very thing both covet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PATON WALSH: Now, we're in a very strange moment for the Kremlin because they're now seeing their elite bicker publicly over social media.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the president or the leader of Chechnya, one of Russia's many republics, and someone believed to be close to Vladimir Putin, took to Telegram social media and openly named and shamed the commander of Lyman, the guy who essentially allowed this withdrawal to happen.
And he said the Russian response should be to use low-yield nuclear weapons.
He doesn't set policy. But as Russia continues to lose through its conventional military on the battlefield here, Jim, this backdrop of nuclear threats continues. And it's deeply troubling -- Jim?
ACOSTA: Nick, thank you very much for that.
Coming up, CNN's Bill Weir rides along with the volunteer rescue crew, the Cajun Navy. Find out what they found on a Florida island cut off from the mainland. That's next.
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ACOSTA: And we quickly want to go to a press conference right now from Governor Ron DeSantis here in Florida on the latest on the devastation here in southeast Florida. Let's go to that now.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): -- really significant. I was able to meet with a resident that their entire home was under water and they had to flee.
So we're sensitive about not just the areas that are on the news all the time, but all the other areas throughout Florida.
So this whole thing right here, this emergency vehicle, we dispatched to Hardee County before the hurricane even hit because they were having problems with their EOC.
So we wanted to make sure that they had the ability to conduct emergency operations should that need a rise.
You know, it was interesting, like Sunday, I don't think that Hardee was even in the cone. And then it kind of shifted and people were trying to figure out.
But bottom line is you had this here. You had a lot of great people that were on the scene helping. And you've done a lot of work rescues here in Hardee big time. And that has been very helpful for a lot of the residents to be brought to safety.
You have residents here who are gone through a lot of hurricanes. This one had more water than any of those hurricanes by far. And so it was a situation where you really had life-threatening flooding going on in some of the neighborhoods right here in this part of Florida.
So we are looking, we understand that they are working on connectivity. We understand they're working cellphone service. We understand they're working on getting the electrical back.
We wanted to be helpful as best we could, so we're working with Elon Musk and he's got the Starlink satellite. So he has been repositioning those to be over this part of Florida.
And we're able to give -- I guess it comes from there to hear and then you can get the Internet off here with this device. So these are really important things.
So we've been able to bring these for use here in Hardee County by the country personnel and however else they want to use it.
We're also getting probably another about 120 over the next 24 hours, and we'll provide some here. But you can put those in different parts of the community and people can then connect in they are in close enough proximity to one of these devices.
So it's coming from the space to here and then onto your device. If you can't get the connectivity straight to your device from the satellite unless you have these things.
These things are very, very important and we're happy to be able to bring that here. And hopefully, that will assist with some of the connectivity issues. I know people are working really hard to get all of the services back
online. But in the intermediary period, we want to make sure that you have the support here.
So I want to thank everybody who has been involved in this effort. We have people down here in Hardee County, from all over the state helping out.
Of course, we've had Florida Highway Patrol from the state. But you have your local sheriff, your local police, first responders. It's been very important.
[16:55:01]
And then the support that they have gotten from people. There's people from Oregon here in Hardee County helping out on this effort.
And so it is really, as much as you hate having to see this and go through it, people do come together and they step up. And they have been doing that here in a big, big way.
So we're proud of the resilience that we've seen here in Hardee County. And --
ACOSTA: And there is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis holding a news conference here in Fort Myers, Florida.
For more information on how you can help the victims of Hurricane Ian, go to CNN.com/impact.
And we'll be right back.
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