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Post-Tropical Cyclone Ian Barrels through the Carolinas; Parts of Florida Destroyed after Ian's Rampage; Putin Engages in Nuclear Saber Rattling; Burkina Faso Coup. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired October 01, 2022 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from the United States and all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak.
We begin this hour in the U.S. Where post tropical cyclone Ian is barreling through the Carolinas with high winds, heavy rain and the threat of floods. The storm has been downgraded from a hurricane. But it still poses a threat as it makes its way inland.
It has already caused considerable damage in South Carolina, where it made landfall on Friday.
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HARRAK (voice-over): In this video, you can see the storm ripping through a pier in North Myrtle Beach, causing part of it to collapse. It also submerged this neighborhood with a storm surge that was several feet high. So far there have been no reported deaths in South Carolina.
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HARRAK: But in Florida, at least 45 people have lost their lives. And we're getting a clearer picture of the damage the storm has left behind. Entire neighborhoods that once were brimming with life are now flattened fields littered with debris.
This is footage from Ft. Myers Beach, where one woman's struggle to survive was captured in a phone call.
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HOPE LABRIOLA, HURRICANE SURVIVOR: I am up to my neck in water.
LISBETH WHELAN, FRIEND: OK, all right.
LABRIOLA: I am so cold.
WHELAN: Hopie, I'm losing you. I can't hear you. LABRIOLA: I love you.
WHELAN: I love you.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HARRAK: Well, thankfully, the woman you heard there was later rescued. So far the Coast Guard said it has saved more than 275 people in Florida. And the U.S. president is offering more help.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've directed that every possible action be taken to save lives and get help to survivors because every single minute counts.
It's not just a crisis for Florida. It's an American crisis. My message to the people of South Carolina is simple. Please listen to all the warnings and directions from local officials and follow their instructions.
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HARRAK: Now about 2 million customers in four states are still without power. In Florida, some areas are slowly starting to restore electricity. But the process has been challenging.
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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): I would say that the biggest challenge with power restoration is going to be in those areas that bore the brunt of that category 4-plus, almost category 5 impact, where it may have uprooted some of the existing infrastructure.
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HARRAK: We get more details now from CNN's Brian Todd in Florida.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing left, zero.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The full extent of Hurricane Ian's destruction now coming fully into view.
Aerial damage assessments showing coastal Florida neighborhoods with roofs torn off, homes flattened, house after house either flooded or wiped out, some buildings with nothing left but the concrete slab, remote locations like Pine Island and Sanibel Island cut off from the mainland.
These before and after images showing just how hard Sanibel was hit.
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): So the only way to access that is either by sea or by air.
TODD: So far, more than 700 people rescued, the governor says.
This car in Orange County was filled with water, up to the seats when the passengers were rescued. The Coast Guard making rescues by air from flooded communities along the coast. Here, a rescuer is lowered into the water, finds a woman in a house surrounded by water.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Make sure you have a bag with a dry pair of clothes, with IDs, cell phones, wallets.
TODD: A basket is lowered, she climbs in, clutches her pet crate and she and her pet are hoisted to safety. Volunteers pitching in as well, using boats to evacuate survivors stranded by the floodwaters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The surge was higher than nine feet.
TODD: Harrowing stories from the deluge still emerging, including from the survivor who took this video.
RADU MARGINEAN, NAPLES RESIDENT: Initially, the water pushed me up the stairs and then it sucked me back down, as well. I got completely submerged underwater, all above my head.
TODD: Among residents returning to survey the damage, distress and determination.
How do you feel about all of this?
A.J. BLACK, OWNER, OSTERIA CAPRI: I feel it was time for a remodel.
TODD: That's a good outlook.
Can you rebuild?
BLACK: Yes.
TODD: Even inland, in places like Orlando, floodwater still high today.
[02:05:00]
DESANTIS: What we saw in Central Florida was more standing water than what we saw in Southwest Florida, where the big storm surge came in.
TODD: Authorities warning residents of lingering dangers.
What's the biggest danger that the community is facing right now?
CHIEF PETE DIMARIA, NAPLES FIRE DEPARTMENT: We have multiple, multiple dangers out there, downed power lines that might be reenergized. Just try to stay home, try to stay safe and call us if you need us.
TODD: The death toll now over 40, more than a million customers still without power. Some could take days or weeks to restore.
And the figures on property losses remain staggering. According to the property analytics firm CoreLogic, Hurricane Ian could have caused as much as $47 billion in insured losses. That could make it the most expensive hurricane in the history of the state of Florida -- Brian Todd, CNN, Naples, Florida.
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HARRAK: Well, Ian made its second U.S. landfall near Georgetown, South Carolina, Friday as a category 1 hurricane.
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HARRAK (voice-over): Power is being restored to impacted areas as officials assess the damage. Nearly 80,000 homes and businesses are still without electricity throughout South Carolina.
Shelters where people took refuge from the storm in Charleston County are set to close Saturday afternoon. While the storm has weakened, as it moves further inland, the governors of South and North Carolina are warning that risks still remain.
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HARRAK: Dr. Benjamin Abo is an EMS physician. He joins us now from Ft. Myers in Florida.
Sir, thank you very much for your time. It must be, well, an exhausting couple of days for you.
Tell us, when did you arrive?
What have you witnessed?
DR. BENJAMIN ABO, EMS PHYSICIAN AND MEDICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, it's been a very rough couple of several days here, both as a disaster physician and also as a medical director out here.
HARRAK: Now can you tell us a little more about what the state of the hospital is in the affected areas?
And if people in those affected areas have any access to health care services?
ABO: From what I've been told when we do our recon and information, distilling everything out, they're still providing care as needed for everybody. But we are having problems with water and water pressure throughout the region.
And so what has been going on behind the scenes is figuring out the best places for people to go to, spreading it out through Collier County, Broward County, et cetera.
HARRAK: Is there enough help for people who need it?
ABO: All the help is here for people as they need it. Absolutely. It might be a little difficult to get it to them. But it is there and we're getting to them quickly.
HARRAK: What toll does an extreme weather event like Hurricane Ian take on people's overall health?
I understand this isn't your first big natural disaster where you've been dispatched.
HARRAK: Unfortunately, this is not my first rodeo. The storms and things like this bring out plenty of injuries, traumatic injuries like fractures and lacerations and illnesses. At the same time, hurricanes don't make our normal co-morbidities wait.
So people are still giving birth, being in labor or they have their emphysema issues, heart attacks, everything else. None of that really takes a break.
So we have these injuries when people are trying to board their houses up or respond afterwards on top of everything else. At the same time, this also is a big time for snake and spiders and things like that on top of everything else.
HARRAK: On top of everything else.
What are some of the main health hazards and the immediate aftermath of such a potent storm?
ABO: The immediate aftermath -- and we're talking, the afterwards, beyond the drownings and the collapses, is basically, traumatic injuries. We're talking about broken bones, lacerations, some major bleeding. That can easily go on when you're walking on unsteady things or things can fall on you as well.
As well as people can be washed away. They think that water is standing still when really, it is flowing pretty quickly. And that can be extremely dangerous, whether by foot or in a car. It doesn't take many inches for an entire car to be just swept away.
And that can lead to other issues. Beyond that, then it starts getting into the respiratory issues, GI illnesses and everything else.
HARRAK: What is your main message for people who are still in the affected areas, the hardhit regions?
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HARRAK: How can they best keep themselves and their loved ones healthy and safe?
ABO: The best thing people can do if they're still in these affected areas is listen to the local emergency disaster teams. It is, don't become a liability. We're here to help you. And we're here for you.
But at the same time, we're trying to help evacuate you for a reason. And we would rather evacuate you than have to rescue you.
HARRAK: Dr. Ben Abo, EMS emergency physician, thank you for your time. ABO: Thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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HARRAK: Russia is pushing ahead with its plans to annex nearly a fifth of Ukraine. But as soon as the annexation ceremony in Moscow was done, widespread condemnation was quick to follow. That's ahead.
Plus, we'll have continuing coverage of Ian's impact on the eastern U.S.
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HARRAK: Russia is moving ahead with its plan to carry out the largest forced annexation in Europe since World War II.
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HARRAK (voice-over): At a large ceremony in Moscow on Friday, president Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of close to one- fifth of Ukraine. The move follows so-called referenda in four partially occupied regions, which the West dismissed as shams.
As soon as Mr. Putin signed the annexation documents, Western nations made it clear, the move will not be recognized. The U.S. and Britain and other G7 members are already pushing for new sanctions on Moscow.
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HARRAK: The diplomatic tensions later spilled over into the U.N. Security Council. Moscow vetoed a resolution that condemned the referenda and called for Russian forces to leave Ukraine. No other country vetoed against the measure. In response, U.S. President Joe Biden is giving the Russian leader a stern warning.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, the United States is never going to recognize this. And quite frankly, the world's not going to recognize it, either. He can't seize his neighbor's territory and get away with it. It's as simple as that.
America's fully prepared, with our NATO allies, to defend every single inch of NATO territory, every single inch. So Mr. Putin, don't misunderstand what I'm saying: every inch.
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HARRAK: Nada Bashir is keeping an eye on developments in Russia and Ukraine.
How are these events being perceived?
Let start with the international reaction to President Putin doubling down.
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As you can imagine, as you heard from President Biden, there has been widespread condemnation from the international community.
This move to annex Ukrainian territory did not come as a surprise, as you outlined there. We saw the sham referenda held over the weekend and the results announced earlier this week.
This came as no surprise, of course. That was seen to be by members of the international community a pretext for potential annexation. We've heard the warnings from members of the international community, particularly here in the West over the last few days.
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BASHIR: Now of course, as we see President Putin doubling down, the annexation formally proclaimed by the Russian Federation yesterday, we are seeing members of the international community condemning it, vowing not to recognize these annexed territories as Russian territory. Many describing this as illegal under international law.
Let me walk you through some of the reaction we've had so far. From the NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg describing this as the most serious escalation since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.
He said that President Putin will not succeed in deterring support for Ukraine. That was the message from Europe leaders and in the Baltic States. European Commission president Ursula van der Leyen said yesterday, describing this as illegal and also saying, this won't change anything.
Certainly European Union will maintain its support for the Ukraine armed forces. And as you heard from President Biden, we are expecting new sanctions from the U.S. and also from the United Kingdom.
HARRAK: How has the Ukrainian president responded?
BASHIR: As you can imagine, there has been a firm response from him on what was anticipated as the annexation taking place yesterday. We heard from Zelenskyy warning President Putin not to attempt to annex any Ukrainian territory.
We also heard from other members of the Ukrainian government, vowing to ensure that the Ukrainian armed forces were able to pull back that territory, that they will not give up any Ukrainian sovereign territory.
What was key from the message we heard from President Zelenskyy yesterday was that Ukraine is doubling down, launching a fast track bid to join the NATO alliance. Take a listen.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): 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.
Security has no alternatives. So determination is needed to guarantee it. We are taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine's application for accelerated accession to NATO.
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BASHIR: What we heard from the NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg confirming the alliance's support for Ukraine, he did say that decision would depend, of course, on NATO's member states. But no firm commitment there from the secretary general.
But as we've heard across the board, there is clearly overwhelming support for Ukraine. As we heard from President Biden a little while ago, President Biden affirming they will defend every inch of NATO territory.
HARRAK: Nada Bashir, thanks so much.
Now coming up, the latest on the coup in Burkina Faso. We'll find out who is in charge now just months after the last military takeover.
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HARRAK: Welcome back to our viewers in the U.S., Canada and around the world. I'm Laila Harrak and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
The loss of life and property from Hurricane Ian is so staggering along Florida's Gulf Coast that no one can yet quantify how devastating it truly is. Countless vacation homes, hotels, businesses, boats and vehicles were pulverized by the category 4 storm.
One analysis predicts the uninsured losses -- or the insured losses in the state will be nearly $50 billion. Tragically, Florida's death toll continues to climb as search and rescue teams look for more victims.
Ian is now a post tropical cyclone after making landfall in South Carolina on Friday. So far, at least 45 storm-related fatalities have been confirmed in Florida. But officials fear the final tally will be much higher. The U.S. Coast Guard says many people are still stranded by deep water.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we are finding is many of the people are not critically injured and they are not in immediate distress but they are stranded. They are stuck on islands, either manmade islands that have been in there for some time, surrounded by water, but more importantly, those areas where islands were before.
And now they are surrounded by waters.
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HARRAK: Well, after making landfall near Ft. Myers, the storm has swept across central Florida and dumped enormous amounts of rain. Residents in an Orlando neighborhood say they often get standing water after heavy rain. But the situation there now is more than they can handle. CNN's Ryan Young has their story.
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RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is really the situation in Orlando. Neighbors are frustrated by what they see. Look all around. You can see the flooding that has taken over this neighborhood.
We got on this boat because neighbors are helping neighbors. They're trying to get out and see if they needed to get on a boat. Some of them had to be rescued yesterday. That was emergency service, firefighters, that was the National Guard.
But a day later, they're wondering, where is the help from the government?
They're hoping more people will come into this neighborhood to provide them critical need. Obviously they need power, they need to get to their medicine and they need to assess the damage to their homes.
Now these folks are no stranger to this sort of situation. In fact, over and over again, after every hurricane, their streets flood but not normally this high.
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YOUNG: We've seen homes with the doors wide open, people coming back to rescue their pets. As we talked to several people, some of the pets did not make it. And this has been heartbreaking for them. Nobody wanted to leave their loved ones or their pets behind.
There are some older people who live in this neighborhood. They decided not to leave. There are also people who don't trust that people won't come in and loot. So they didn't leave, either. You can see the situation on the ground. And you can their frustration in this woman's voice as she talks about the fact that no one is here to help.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Their front doors are open. Some of their trunks are open. Some cars are slid in the road. And it just don't make any sense. We have to catch a boat. Somebody come and picking people up, taking them to get food and stuff.
I'm about to cry. I don't want to cry. Just to see people up and down, the dogs paddling in the road and everything is just, it's just sad. It's scary. And we want to move.
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YOUNG: Yes, you can hear her frustration. She's hoping someone will see her on TV and provide this neighborhood some much needed help -- Ryan Young, CNN, Orlando, Florida.
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HARRAK: Orange County, Florida, sent a message to people worried about their dogs and cats. It said pets are family. Period. The county showed photos of animals being rescued from flooded streets, apartments and assisted living facilities.
It recommends owners prepare pet disaster kits in advance, with vital information such as rabies certificates as well as extra collars, leashes and medication in sealed bags. And don't forget toys and treats to help ease pets' anxiety during the emergency.
Now if you would like to safely and securely help people affected by Hurricane Ian, who may be in need, please go to cnn.com/impact. You will find several ways that you can help.
An horrific attack on an education center in Afghanistan on Friday leaves more than 2 dozen people dead and many more injured. We'll have the update, next.
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HARRAK: The death toll from Friday's suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan has risen to at least 25. Dozens of others were wounded. Salma Abdelaziz has the latest on the horrific attack.
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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A place of learning turned into a scene of carnage. This is the aftermath of a suicide bombing on an education center in Kabul.
Students were taking a practice university entrance exam when at around 7.30 am local time, a blast ripped through the classroom killing and wounding dozens.
"I saw so many pieces of flesh in the air," this eyewitness said, "people were so panicked, some were injured and some were crying. I wanted to help them. I hope to carry some of the dead bodies." The private center serves young woman and men dreaming of going to
college but eyewitnesses say most of the victims were female.
"The blast happened right between where the girls were seated," he says. "The girls were sitting at the front row and we boys we were sitting behind them."
UNICEF called the attack unacceptable and urged all parties to respect education.
"Children and adolescents are not and must never be the target of violence," it said.
The bombing took place in a predominantly Hazara neighborhood, a minority group that has been targeted by extremists, including ISIS. The Taliban government has done little to protect the persecuted community according to Human Rights Watch.
A Taliban spokesperson condemned the attack, saying authorities will find and punish the perpetrators. But since the group's takeover of Afghanistan over a year ago, the security situation appears to be deteriorating.
And under its rule, life for women and girls grows bleaker. The Taliban have banned girls from attending public secondary school 6th grade and above, all but denying them a future. And for the few that still have access to education, just studying for an exam can cost a girl her life -- Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
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HARRAK: For the second time this year, the Burkina Faso government has been overthrown in a coup. The military announced the dismissal of previous junta chief, President Paul-Henri Damiba.
Now the new leader is army captain Ibrahim Traore, who has suspended the constitution, closed the borders and declared a nightly curfew.
The announcement caps a day that began with gunfire in the capital, an explosion near the presidential palace and interruptions during state TV programming. One man who lives near the presidential palace explains the fear he felt in his own back yard during the unrest.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When I entered the courtyard, I couldn't even reach my door. I heard bursts of gunfire that lasted just a few seconds. But what alerted me was that the bullets that were fired caused damage that you see in the yard. There are even bullets lodged in the walls of the house.
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HARRAK: In a statement, the junta said the national stakeholders will be invited soon to adopt a new transitional charter and designate a new civilian or military president. [02:40:00]
HARRAK: Now Brazilians head to the polls on Sunday in one of the nation's most divisive presidential elections in years. Polls indicate the right wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro trails the leftist Lula da Silva, who hopes to be returned to the office he held between 2003 and 2010.
The contest is so heated, a recent poll says two-thirds of Brazilian voters fear being physically attacked because of their political views. Guns have been banned near polling stations on Election Day.
I'm Laila Harrak. Thank you for joining us. For our international viewers. "MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST" is next. If you're in North America, I'll be back with more news.
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HARRAK: Hurricane Ian is shaping up as one of the deadliest and most costly natural disasters in Florida's history. Hundreds upon hundreds of rescues have been carried out.
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HARRAK (voice-over): This man was stranded in a flooded area until the Coast Guard lifted him to safety. At least 45 fatalities have been reported, with fears that many more victims still haven't been found.
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HARRAK: People who run fishing or tourism businesses are especially hurting, with many of the boats wrecked or tossed far from the water. CNN's Randi Kaye spoke with one man who rode out the storm aboard his floating hotel.
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RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Have you ever seen a storm like this?
MIKE STACZEK, HOTEL BOAT OWNER: No, not this big. Seen hurricanes but nothing like this.
KAYE (voice-over): When Hurricane Ian hit Ft. Myers Beach, boat captain Mike Staczek was in for the ride of his life.
STACZEK: It was surreal. It was very surreal.
KAYE (voice-over): Mike had decided to ride out the storm on his boat docked at this Ft. 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: 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 AM, 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: 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: Pulled it right off.
STACZEK: Yes.
KAYE: So for now Mike is staying on the boat he was on during the storm. He does have a generator on it and he does have water on it but he would like to get it back into the water as soon as possible.
That's because, one, it's not insured so he would like to get it back in the water. And also it's leaning against that power pole right there and he said the electric company, if they deem that his boat is in the way of restoring power, they will destroy it -- Randi Kaye, CNN, Ft. Myers Beach, Florida.
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HARRAK: Condemnations quickly followed Russia's announcement that it was annexing nearly a fifth of Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin made the declaration at a ceremony in Moscow on Friday.
But Western nations are making it clear, the move will not be recognized. With many readying more economic sanctions on Moscow after the annexation ceremony, the Russian consulate in New York was vandalized with red paint.
Police are investigating it as a possible bias incident. In the meantime, President Biden said the annexation move means things aren't going well for Russia on the battlefield. MJ Lee reports.
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MJ LEE, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Not for the first time during this war, we heard President Biden directly addressing Vladimir Putin in public remarks, in response to Putin's declaration that he was going to annex these four regions in Ukraine.
The president saying in his remarks that Putin's actions are wholly unacceptable and that they also demonstrate that he is struggling in this war. Here's what he said.
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BIDEN: America and its allies are not going to be intimidated, are not going to be intimidated by Putin and his reckless words and threats. He's not going scare us and he doesn't -- or intimidate us. Putin's actions are a sign he's struggling.
[02:50:00]
BIDEN: The sham referenda he carried out, the sham routine that he put on this morning, showing the unity and -- as people holding hands together, well, the United States is never going to recognize this. And quite frankly, the world is not going to recognize it, either. He can't seize his neighbor's territory and get away with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: This comes after the U.S. and its allies announce a new round of sanctions against Russia to try to punish it and cripple it even further.
We also heard President Biden for the first time weighing in against these Nord Stream pipeline leaks, using pretty blunt language. He said this is a deliberate act of sabotage. He also said the Russians are pumping out disinformation and lies about it.
He did stop short of directly accusing Russia of those leaks. Of course, there is currently an ongoing investigation and U.S. officials saying there needs to be more work to exactly figure out what happened there -- MJ Lee, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: Meanwhile, the death toll from an attack on a humanitarian convoy in Zaporizhzhya has gone to at least 30 people. Ukraine says 88 others were wounded in the Russian strike. We want to warn you, the images you're about to see are graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRAK (voice-over): The strike happened Friday at a used car market where vehicles were gathering to go into Russian held territory. President Zelenskyy said Russia fired 60 missiles on the area, although it's unclear how many hit the convoy.
Ukraine says there were no military targets there.
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HARRAK: Ukraine is claiming more progress on the front lines in the east. A local official said Russian troops in the city of Lyman are now, quote, "trapped." All this after reports that Ukrainian troops were close to encircling the city. Nick Paton Walsh has more.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR (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 treeline 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.
The drive to this point, probably the most depressing two hours east but on the road and the whole six months of this war, just laying bear the utter ferocity of the fighting but also to 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.
It is the most fragile who remain when Russia moved in. Anna is one of nine people left in her block. She almost did not make it.
ANNA, SVIATOHIRSK RESIDENT (through translator): 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.
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.
But the church bells finally rang again two days ago. They brought Ludmila (ph) to tears.
It rang and I heard, 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 try to live.
She saying it's cool down here and you can feel that. Seven months on the ground.
Anxious to not show their faces, their plight down here is their private tragedy, one says.
Lyudmila's 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, 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.
[02:55:00]
WALSH (voice-over): The land here a testimony to how the collision between this right and that wrong shred the very thing both covet -- Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Sviatohirsk, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRAK: And that wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Laila Harrak. I'll be back in just a moment with more coverage of the impact of Hurricane Ian.
