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Hilary Unleashes Severe Flooding In Baja California, Mexico; Palm Springs, California Mayor Pleads With Residents To Stay Inside; State Officials Warns Californians Not To Underestimate "Very, Very Dangerous Storm"; State Of Emergency Declared In Southern California; Friday Deadline For All 19 Defendants To Surrender To Fulton County Jail; President Biden Briefed On Tropical Storm Hilary; Patriots Rookie Bolden Released From Hospital. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired August 20, 2023 - 13:00   ET

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

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[13:00:44]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with this breaking news and powerful and historic storm bearing down on Southern California. Right now, we're getting our first images as Tropical Storm Hilary slammed Baja California and Mexico.

Intense rain causing massive flooding there. Mexican officials say at least one person is now dead after their vehicle was swept away. Hilary is expected to hit the U.S. later on today. Officials warned, the storm could bring life-threatening flooding. Some areas could see up to 10 inches of rain.

In California, mudslides remain a growing concern in the burn areas of the San Bernardino Mountains. The sheriff's department there ordering people to evacuate.

Along the coast, Hilary could bring large swells and potentially life- threatening rip currents. Visitors and some residents on Catalina Island were encouraged to leave on Saturday.

In Los Angeles, people filled sandbags ahead of Hilary's arrival. Mayor Karen Bass said today, the city is prepared. But a big concern right now is for people who are homeless.

Yesterday, sheriff's office flying over the riverbed areas warning people there to seek higher ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The surrounding are you are in extreme danger. Grab your packed [ph] belongings and seek higher ground immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in much of Southern California. He says more than 7,000 responders are on the ground.

We're tracking all the latest developments on tropical storm Hilary. Let's start with you, Allison Chinchar in the weather center. What is the path of the storm?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. So right now, still just off the coast of Baja California, sustained winds of 70 miles per hour. So a high end tropical storm at this point. That forward movement north northwest at 25 miles per hour, so that forward speed keeps ticking up just ever so slightly.

And what that really means is that landfall time, then when we expect it to finally cross over land, is also speeding up.

Now, we anticipate that it arrives across California later on this afternoon local time, likely between 3:00 to 5:00 PM. And then it will continue to make its way up into Nevada, continuing to weaken as it does as well.

But regardless of how much more this storm weakens, the rain is really going to be the big story here. We're already starting to see a lot of those more moderate and heavy bands begin to spread into California, Southwestern Arizona, and eventually into Nevada as well.

You're starting to see most of the heavy rain pushed a little bit farther west, places like L.A. and San Diego, but you're going to start to see a little bit of a shift. More of those heavier rainbands beginning to push farther east as we get later into the afternoon.

Widespread rainfall totals, two to four inches. Some spots could pick up six, eight, even as much as 10 inches of rain. I know two to four inches may not sound like that much, especially if you live say east of the Rockies where that's very common in thunderstorms, but for this area, it's not.

Take a look at this image. This is from last summer in Death Valley National Park, severe flooding event caused all of these cars to become trapped in mud. Back then, they had less than an inch and a half of rain. That's right. It's less than an inch and a half caused these problems. And we're forecasting two to four inches for this area, just in to 36-hour time period, so you're talking a year's worth of rain in just 24 hours.

[13:05:06]

In some areas, it's going to be the same scenario, maybe even multiple years' worth of rain in just a 24 to 48-hour time period. That's also why you have this excessive risk for flooding, not just for Death Valley, but also Las Vegas, San Diego, Los Angeles. All of these areas have the potential to have that flood risk, not only today, but continuing into the day on Monday.

And here, you can see a lot of those really heavy bands begin to set up late this afternoon, and into the evening, local time. It will continue through the overnight hours. And really even through Monday morning. You don't really start to see a lot of that moisture retreating from the southwest until we get to Monday afternoon, and especially into Monday evening. And that's because the rain at that point is now pushing into the Pacific Northwest.

So it's just shifting into a different area. Winds are also going to be a concern. You have high wind warnings here. All of these areas in red. The orange indicating a wind advisory. These areas we're talking those wind gusts, 50 to 60 miles per hour, so trees can come down. Power lines likely going to have some power outage issues in a lot of states, not just Southern California.

You'll notice here, again, a lot of these areas, especially by the afternoon. Now you start to see them ticking up 30, 40 miles per hour by the overnight. Now you're talking 50 to 60 miles per hour. And then once we get into tomorrow, especially the latter half of the day, you'll start to see them calming back down into more of that 10, 15, maybe max 20-mile per hour range, as we wrap up the rest of the day on Monday.

And again, you've got Hilary here. But also pointing out to Fred, you've got a lot of activity going on in both of these ocean basins right now. We even have newly formed Tropical Storm Emily out into the Atlantic. So we'll be keeping a close eye on monitoring all of these over the next couple of days.

WHITFIELD: Boy, that is a lot of activity. I'm trying to keep up and writing all this down because I know it's all going to impact so many people over the next 24 hours. Thank you so much, Allison Chinchar. Appreciate that.

All right. Now to Palm Springs, about 100 miles east of Los Angeles. The mayor there is pleading with residents to stay inside. CNN's Stephanie Elam is live for us in Palm Springs. What are they bracing for there, Stephanie?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are bracing for a whole lot of water in a place that is not used to getting this much water at all, Fred. We've gone through a couple of little sprinkles here and there. As you can see, I figured I'd take advantage of not having a jacket on, because we expect to fully be in jackets, by the time we get to the later afternoon hours here.

But you're right, the mayor of Palm Springs saying that they're not telling people to evacuate. In fact, take a listen to what she said they're doing right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE GARNER, MAYOR OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA: At this point, we're asking residents to stay inside, stay where they are. We don't have any reason to evacuate at this time. We have closed down preemptively three of our roads that are regularly flooded.

We do know that there's going to be flooding, because like I said, even an inch or two of rain in the desert and cause damage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: Yes. And I can't even stress how bizarre it is to have rain in August here in Southern California. But I want you to look down here. This is one of those major roads that the mayor was talking about that they've closed down here.

One of the officers I spoke to said that they get accidents on these roads already, without rain. So just to be safe, because of potential flooding, they've shut it down.

Out in the distance there, there's Interstate 10. So people have been coming down here trying to get to the highway, but have to go another way.

And then out in the distance behind the police officers here, that's where you would find Joshua Tree National Park. And that is also supposed to see a lot of flooding. They're worried about the mudflows, they're worried about how much flooding there will be, so that's where they want people to stay safe, stay inside.

They say, according to Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, they're saying, most of the reason that we see interruptions in service is because of debris flying around in the wind that then knocks out poles or knocks down some of their towers.

So because of that, they have crews staffed for 24 hours who will be out looking for that, looking to restore service similarly in other parts of the state as well.

But overall, this is a very bizarre thing, and that is why we have seen on all of our social media, L.A. County, San Diego, all of them putting out, FEMA, the state of California, putting out messages, telling people to be prepared because no one looks at the weather in August, Fred. It's just beautiful --

WHITFIELD: Right (inaudible)

ELAM: -- all the time. Maybe too hot. But no one's expecting rain. So they wanted to get the message out to make sure that people were being safe.

WHITFIELD: Right. All right. Well, it's hard to prepare for this. I mean, people are having to heed warnings, prepare as best you can with the sandbagging, staying inside. Those are paramount because it's, as you just said, a wind event and a rain event.

I mean, pretty astounding to hear a year's worth of rain in 124 to 36- hour period, so.

ELAM: One day.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll be paying attention to you and everybody else. Stephanie Elam, thank you so much. All right. A short time ago, the mayor of Los Angeles warned residents to stay home as the storm nears its historic and rare landfall on the West Coast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[13:10:05]

KAREN BASS, MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Over the past few days, the city family has been working around the clock to prepare for the storm, and we are just beginning to see it hit Los Angeles.

Our message today is clear, stay safe, stay home, and stay informed. This is an unprecedented weather event, but Los Angeles has deep experience responding to crisis, whether it be wildfire or earthquakes, the city is prepared.

A lot of work has already been done to prepare, and there are a few critical areas of focus. Our primary mission, of course, is to protect the life and property of Angelenos. Second, we need to keep our city workers safe. Third, we must ensure that city services are operating as best as possible given the circumstances.

Last night Chief Crowley, who is the incident commander, activated the Emergency Operations Center to level two. It was very important that we started in-person preparation last night, so that this morning, we were already in action.

Last night, I also signed a declaration of local emergency to immediately activate the emergency operations organization and waive any regulation that may inhibit the saving of lives here in Los Angeles.

I want to thank President Biden and Vice President Harris, as well as Governor Newsom, for their support and preparation and their pledges to support with recovery as needed.

Right now, again, it is critical that Angelenos stay safe and stay home, unless otherwise directed by safety officials. Avoid unnecessary travel. If you do not need to be on the road, please don't get in your car. Make sure your emergency kit and essential devices are on hand and ensure that all of your devices are charged.

In the event of life-threatening emergency, Angelenos should call 911. For impacts like roadway flooding, tree limbs blocking roads, or mudslides, Angelenos should request service online or by calling 311.

In the event of power outages, our main water -- our water main breakage, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers, can call 1-800 Dial, D-I-A-L D-W-P. If you see downed power lines or wires, please do not approach them. The water surrounding the wires could cause serious damage, serious injury or death.

Just to reiterate one last time, stay safe, stay home, and stay informed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. From the Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. State Emergency officials are also very concerned about areas like Los Angeles, concern that they'll see double their yearly amount of water in just a single day. Lingering burn scars from wildfires are very susceptible to flash flooding and debris flows.

I want to bring in now Juliette Kayyem to talk more about all of this. She is a CNN senior national security analyst, former Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, and author of the book, "The Devil Never Sleeps."

Juliette, great to see you. So, what is the number one priority in your view for Southern California, those cities right now?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: So it's the protection of human life, period, as the mayor was saying, that's all that matters. And it's relatively easy for those who are with homes, which is just stay home. We know how to do this. We live through COVID. This is -- the worst parts of it are going to be over by midday, Monday.

You do that, one, because you protect yourself. Two, because you don't want to put first responders in harm's way, because you're out and about where everyone can stay put.

The second is people thinking that this is not as bad as we thought it was going to be 24 hours ago. So a little science here, hurricane categories are based on wind speed, not water release. And so the wind may be going down, that's good news, because then you're going to have less damage.

But the rain forecasts are pretty bad. And this is a land that does not get this kind of rain that cannot sustain. There's nowhere for the water to go, except for the kind of flash flooding we're worried about.

And that goes to the, you know, Fred, the cumulative impact of these climate disasters. So you have the drought and the fires related to the drought. That then leaves land that is then more susceptible to flash flooding, because there's no -- there's no vegetation that can sort of absorb the water. And so this is the cumulative impact, but human life, number one, stay put.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And, you know, while state emergency officials are urging Californians not to underestimate this storm is your concern or fear that people will, especially as they hear over the last couple of days, it's been downgraded from at first to category four. Now down to, you know, tropical storm status, but still, you know, a very -- potentially dangerous, but people might feel like, OK, well, you know what, I feel a little bit more confident about things --

[13:15:22]

KAYYEM: Yes.

WHITEFIELD: -- that it has been downgraded.

KAYYEM: That's exactly right. And, look, water kills and the things in water kill. So flash floods, if anyone's ever seen them or experienced them, they come quickly, without much notice. If you're inside, you're going to be safer, if you're elevated inside, that's even better.

The second is, of course, even if the waters pass, and there's a foot of water or two, you don't know what's underneath that water in terms of electrical things, things that can, you know, puncture your skin, things that can cause great harm.

There's just no need to risk this at this stage because we know -- we essentially know when it ends. And then -- and then you rebuild. So we're -- you know, for Los Angelenos and everyone in the area, this is a period in which they can take responsibility for their own safety and security.

We can debate and fight and worry about climate change and these cumulative climate disasters on Monday, but right now, stay put.

WHITFIELD: So just a moment ago, we saw, you know, images of one of the last ferry rides from Catalina Island, you know, to the Los Angeles area for a lot of people with those kinds of, you know, vulnerabilities in Southern California.

KAYYEM: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Some folks might forget, you're actually from the Los Angeles area. So this is like --

KAYYEM: I am.

WHITFIELD: -- the home for you. So you know more about the vulnerabilities, aside from Catalina Island, other --

KAYYEM: Yes.

WHITFIELD: -- concerns that there might be in Southern California, what are they?

KAYYEM: So there's a couple. I mean, one is, of course, you know, people -- but don't get -- I want to say to the surfer community, don't be cute. This is -- none of this is a get off the oceans, get away from the water.

I mean, if you weren't able to evacuate places like Catalina and other places that might be evacuated, just stay put. The reason why they call that voluntary evacuation is, you know, if there's elderly people there that might mean medical needs, you just want to make sure that they're -- that they're -- that they're going to be safe or so two major issues for Los Angelenos.

It's a wonderful diverse city, lots of languages. Information is being translated. I'm monitoring really sophisticated and great communication strategy by the mayor and her team, in terms of getting out to those pockets of immigrant communities, or whatever communities that may not have English as a -- as a first language, you want to get that -- those language translations out.

The second is, of course, the homeless issue, those without homes. There's been an extensive effort to get people into shelters, but those are communities that are hard to reach. And ones that may not want to move. And so those are some of the challenges that you would have in a -- in a -- in a community.

I guess I'll, Fred, and you have an entire city not used to this, right? I mean, a hurricane in Los Angeles, none of us were alive. Most of us were not alive at the last one.

And so communities can get acclimated, as you certainly know in the Gulf area and other areas like, you know, they get acclimated to the kinds of disasters they expect in this age in which these -- the climate changes and the weather changes are causing sort of these unprecedented and a historical event the kinds of fires we saw in Maui, the kinds of rains we're seeing in Los Angeles.

Your populations are not ready for them. And so that's why education and communications are sort of the key role of leadership now.

WHITFIELD: Yes. All right. Juliette Kayyem, thank you so much. All great perspective. Appreciate it.

KAYYEM: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, we'll continue our coverage of Tropical Storm Hilary. It is expected to unleash floods, fierce winds, and heavy downpours in Southern California. The effects are already being felt there.

Plus, the storm slamming Baja California and Mexico right now. Just take a look at these images. At least one person has died there. We'll bring you the latest.

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[13:20:24]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. Tropical Storm Hilary is hitting Mexico. And you can see from this video why flood risks are the biggest concern there in the Baja California Peninsula. And though the storm is no longer a hurricane, the main concern is the amount of rainfall that it could continue to drop along its path.

CNN's Rafael Romo is tracking the storm's impact in Mexico. Those pictures speak volumes.

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Yes. Tell you a story about what's happening in many parts of Northwest Mexico, especially the Baja peninsula. And the Mexican government is confirming that at least one person has died as a result of Hilary. It happened when the victim's vehicle was swept away by the current of a stream that grew into a river just north of Santa Rosalia. That's a town on the East Coast of the Mexican Baja Peninsula. We're getting images of heavy flooding there with storm water coming down so fast that streets have become rivers. And that's what Mexican authorities have been reporting over the last 24 hours. Strong winds, torrential rain, overflowing of rivers and streams and some landslide.

Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, said on Twitter, that his government is helping people in Baja California State, mainly in the towns of Mulege and on the islands. He added that although the hurricane has been downgraded, it is still raining hard.

Lopez, what a lot also pointed out, that multiple government agencies are working together to restore communications and public utilities. And Marina del Pilar Avila, she's the governor of Baja California State, ask residents there, to be mindful of the possibility of landslides.

Mexican officials in the Baja Peninsula have opened 37 shelters for a total of 437 people who needed a place to stay. And the City of Tijuana has opened up shelters as well as, you know, this is a point where historically many migrants have arrived and many of them don't have a place to stay.

[13:25:14]

Many cities that Americans, especially those who live in California, know very well and visit frequently, Fred, like San Quentin or San Quentin, Ensenada, even as far west as Tecate, and, of course, Tijuana are all on the path of what was Hurricane Hilary, now downgraded to a tropical storm.

At one point on Saturday, nearly 67,000 customers around the entire Baja Peninsula were without power, but the state owned power company, CFE, now says, that service has been restored to 81 percent of those. But again, the story here is that flash flooding, streets becoming rivers, it was just very devastating.

WHITFIELD: Oh, it's amazing. And just looking at that and look at the -- looking at the structure in the videos. These are not tall buildings. So to go even rooftop, you know, for a lot of people, that still doesn't remove them from peril. I mean, it's pretty dangerous here.

ROMO: Yes. We will learn in the next 24 hours how badly it was and how many buildings, that's a very good point. How many buildings collapsed under the weight of this storm?

ROMO: Yes. All right. Rafael Romo, keep us posted. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

All right. And we continue to follow Tropical Storm Hilary, expected to unleash more flooding, fierce winds and heavy downpours this time in Southern California where rain is already starting to fall.

And then later, former President Trump expected to turn himself in at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia, in the coming days. What the booking and arraignment might look like, straight ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:30:57]

WHITFIELD: We'll have more on Tropical Storm Hilary in a moment.

But first, a senior official tells CNN that former president Donald Trump plans to surrender at the Fulton County jail this Thursday or Friday. Friday is the deadline for all 19 defendants. And the U.S. Secret Service says, they've been outside and on site at the jail for the last several weeks working with local officials to plan for that day.

CNN's Isabel Rosales joins us right now in Atlanta. Isabel, what do we know about the plan for the week?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fred. So, I just checked the inmate roster, but I didn't see any of the 19 defendants named on there. So as far as we know, they have not turned themselves in.

And this jail is open 24/7, so that could happen at any time. And obviously from our CNN reporting, we do know that former president Trump is expected to turn himself in, as you mentioned, Thursday or Friday of next week, right up against the deadline of D.A. Fani Willis.

Now, sources tell CNN that Trump's team has been in contact with Willis' team in conversations that are expected to last into next week on the conditions of his appearance and the logistics of his surrender.

We also know from the Secret Service, a spokesman that the agency has been on site here at the Fulton County jail, over the past couple of weeks, in conversations with the Fulton County Sheriff's Office and the city of Atlanta to figure out how the logistics of his surrender and his first appearance would go on.

Here's Sheriff Patrick Labat on what he is saying about this high profile case.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you guys are going to be deciding by taking mug shots. Will that procedure still happen in this -- in this situation?

PATRICK LABAT, SHERIFF, FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA: Unless someone tells me differently, we are -- we are following our part -- our normal practices. And so it doesn't matter your status, we got mug shots ready for you.

Again, we'll follow out normal practices. And those that take mug shots will be subsequent to open records requests like everyone else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROSALES: So they want to treat Trump and the co-defendants like everybody else. But that's likely highly impossible just due to the security precautions that are required for transporting somebody of the caliber of Trump, a former president of the United States, and also other high-profile defendants like Mark Meadows, a former chief of staff.

So it is very likely that the booking process for them will move much more swiftly. And also, things could change around too when it comes to that first appearance, the arraignment, because it's possible, Fred, that the judge here could choose to arraign them virtually or could choose to waive them of that right to an arraignment. Fred.

WHITFIELD: Mm-hmm. All right. We shall see. Lots of moving parts thus far. Isabelle Rosales, thank you so much.

All right. And we're also learning more about the Georgia judge who will preside over Donald Trump's racketeering trial in Fulton County.

CNN's Gary Tuchman has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is Scott McAfee, Superior Court judge in Fulton County, Georgia.

SCOTT MCAFEE, SUPERIOR COURT OF FULTON COUNTY: All right. Welcome back, everybody.

TUCHMAN: Presiding over a recent murder case, CNN courthouse video.

MCAFEE: And so to that end, I believe the state did prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there was -- that there was sufficient evidence to convict on each of the charges in this case.

TUCHMAN: Judge McAfee now randomly assigned to a dramatically different legal scenario. He's 34-years-old, and was appointed to a seat just six months ago by Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp to fill a vacancy.

Before that, he served as the State Inspector General and both a state and federal prosecutor after graduating from the University of Georgia Law School in 2013. Classmates and professional acquaintances say he's politically conservative.

Notably, McAfee was a state prosecutor in the complex Trial Division in Fulton County, which was led at the time by the woman who is now the Fulton County DA, Fani Willis. Esther Panitch is a democratic Georgia State Representative and a defense lawyer who's handled two cases where McAfee was the prosecutor.

[13:35:00]

ESTHER PANITCH, GEORGIA STATE REPRESENTATIVE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: In the cases I had with him, he made reasonable decisions related to please or discovery requests, and he was fair. Politics never came into it.

TUCHMAN: University of Georgia record show he was the treasurer of the Law Republicans, a group that serves libertarian members of the law school community and provide support for Republican political candidates. He was also treasurer of the law school's Federalist Society, an influential conservative and libertarian organization in the U.S.

Just a few months ago, he presided over a case involving L. Lin Wood, an outspoken Trump supporting conspiracy touting lawyer.

L. LIN WOOD, ATTORNEY: I have political views. I believe our country has been taken over by communists.

TUCHMAN: This case, though, did not directly involve politics or Trump. It was a contempt case for allegedly making derogatory comments about his former legal associates.

WOOD: So that's where I am. Tell me why I'm wrong.

Judge McAfee held Wood in contempt and leveled fines against him. Scott McAfee has only been on the Fulton County's Superior Court bench for a few short months, but he is now dealing with a case that could be one for the ages.

Gary Tuchman, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And as Southern California begins to feel the impact of Tropical Storm Hilary, flight cancellations at San Diego International Airport are on the rise, according to FlightAware. About a third of the flights booked into and out of San Diego International today have already been canceled. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:40:39]

WHITFIELD: All right. We continue to follow breaking news as Tropical Storm Hilary marches towards Southern California.

This is the latest video out of Baja California, Mexico showing the devastation and amount of water that Hilary can generate. Mexican authorities say at least one person has died after their vehicle was swept away.

And in Cabo San Lucas, you can see strong winds sweeping the area there. Shelters are now set up across Baja California as people seek relief from the storm.

The U.S. also beginning to feel the impact of Hilary. These dark clouds are hovering over San Diego where nearly 40 percent of flights have been canceled. Officials warn the storm could bring life- threatening flooding across the southwest as much as 10 inches could fall in some areas.

Let's bring in CNN's Stephanie Elam live for us in Palm Springs, a usually very dry, not the case soon. And Josh Campbell in San Bernardino. Stephanie, you first. And roads, also you were showing, have already been closed. What's happening?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred. I was just talking to you, I think, like maybe 30 minutes ago, and it was --

WHITFIELD: Yes.

ELAM: -- not raining. And literally 30 seconds ago, it just started to rain, right now, started -- it got dark, got windy, and we started to get more rains.

But let me show you what's going on down here. If you look down through this road closure here, I just talked to the police officer here. He told me that he has seen during a winter storm like the snow melts off, he has seen the water flood out this road, all the way up to about where the barricade is.

And that is why they have this road blocked off. It is blocked off all the way down the other side at Interstate 10. So if you try to get off of this exit, which is one of the main ways into town, you're not going to be able to do it right now. And that's why they're concerned.

They shut this down at midnight. So this is some of what you're seeing. You're seeing Caltrans also shutting down some of the roads, just because they're saying if there could be flooding, they don't want people driving through that.

And they're saying they, this could take out a car here. That's some of the concern here along with the mud flows. And all of that other flooding that we may see.

I also wanted to know what this means for, you know, the quote- unquote, fire season in California, which does seem to get longer and longer. And I checked in with Cal Fire. And they're saying, just because we're going to get inundated with so much rain, it does not mean that fire season is over.

The other issue is because of those damaging winds that can spark and spread things. And because of the fact that you do have lightning strikes without the rain, and that can spark a new blaze as well. So they're still being very vigilant to watch what happens with the storm as it spreads into Southern California.

But it's very, very quickly changing here. And this is a very weird storm to even have at all, let alone any kind of rain of this level and historic amount of rain of, you know, what we've seen a year happening within just a couple of day period here. So they're really trying to get the word out for people to be prepared. And to get away from all of those places where you can see the water flooding in so fast that it could just really take a car out.

So if you don't have to come outside, don't. That's the messaging. That's messaging. That's the messaging.

WHITFIELD: Right, OK. We heard L.A. mayor, Karen Bass, say stay safe, stay home, and stay informed. But you're right, Stephanie, the idea of what's being forecast an entire years' rain in just between a 24 and 36-hour period. That is daunting.

All right. Thank you, Stephanie. Thank you so much. Of course, starting to rain there.

Let's check in with Josh Campbell. Do we still have Josh Campbell? There he is, in San Bernardino. And so, Josh, the concerns there are what, especially because of the burn scars in that area.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. Well, first and foremost, state officials want you to stay home if you're not in a danger zone, if you're not in an evacuation area. In fact, the California Florida Highway Patrol state transportation officials have the area blanketed with signage, reminding motorists to stay off the roads, because we're literally in the calm before the storm here.

It's coming, and that means that officials from the American Red Cross, they've already done what they do and made disasters, they start springing into action early where we are here in Redlands, California, San Bernardino County.

This is a high school cafeteria that has been turned into a Disaster Assistance Center. There have been mandatory evacuations for parts of San Bernardino County, and so they're ready.

[13:45:00]

I want bring in here Ricardo Tomboc [ph]. He is the site supervisor for this Red Cross center. We haven't seen an influx of people yet, Ricardo, but you're ready

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are ready, and we're expecting a bunch of people to come in. We have all kinds of services available for them, including mental health, disaster preparedness classes if they want. We have food, water. We have cots for them to spend the night.

CAMPBELL: And this is a rural area. They're rural parts here in San Bernardino County. And one thing that's interesting is, if there's someone who has livestock or animals, you don't -- you don't want that to be an impediment to seeking assistance from the center like this. So you actually have animal control specialists who are here as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right. We have people here to help with the pets, the cats, and the dogs. And we also have them ready to take care of horses.

CAMPBELL: And I understand that as you are here helping your community, I mean, you're a member of the resident of this community, but you're one of many volunteers who have come out to try to help others, even as you prepare yourself.

But I understand that this isn't the only disaster going on right now that your team is helping with.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. We have several Red Cross members in Maui as we speak.

CAMPBELL: In Maui. So, Fred, thank you so much. I'll let you get back to preparing obviously. You're expecting as this rain comes. There could be this influx. So I'll let you get back to that and prepare.

It's just really incredible to see these volunteers coming out to help their community. As we mentioned, a litany of services here. And, you know, he mentioned Maui, obviously, a crisis that is continuing there, yet, we see American Red Cross members deployed to that disaster as well.

One thing that's important to note here in San Bernardino County, this is the largest county geographically in the United States. So officials have a lot of ground to cover. I mean, this county spans from east of Los Angeles here all the way to the borders of Nevada and Arizona. So a lot of ground to cover. We've seen many of these disasters centers are set up and ready, just in case people need assistance. They will be ready here, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Still very impressive to hear that they've got the resources to help people and their animals. All right. Josh Campbell and Stephanie Elam, thanks to both of you. We'll check back with you.

All right. Coming up, the FEMA administrator tells CNN, the agency is mobilizing resources and federal personnel to assist and warn residents to take Hilary seriously. That's next.

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[13:50:24]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. The White House is keeping a close eye on tropical storm Hilary's path today. President Biden has been briefed on the potential impacts of the storm as he prepares to travel to Hawaii tomorrow to survey the damage from the deadly wildfires there.

CNN White House reporter, Priscilla Alvarez, joining me now from Washington. Priscilla, FEMA's administrator was on CNN today. What is she saying about preparations in response to this Tropical Storm Hilary?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: FEMA is mobilizing personnel and resources to the areas that they think may be impacted. They're also -- she said embedding with the California Office of Emergency Services where they can stay in close touch with local officials as this storm moves in.

Now, as you mentioned, the FEMA administrators has also briefed President Biden, the White House is watching this closely and being briefed on the preparedness plans in the hours to come. But what she also notably said was that this does not pull resources from Hawaii. FEMA here able to deploy other assets and resources to make sure that they can help Southern California while still work on recovery in Hawaii, but what she stressed above all else is that residents should take this storm seriously. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEANNE CRISWELL, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: Take this storm serious. Listen to your local officials. If they're asking you to evacuate or stay in place, they're going to have the best information that you need to make sure that you are doing everything you can to protect you and your family.

We are in close coordination with the governor's team. And we have staff that are in California all the time. And embedded in the Cal OES office. We have staff that are working with them side by side right now.

California is a very capable state with a lot of resources, but we have also moved in additional resources, just in case it exceeds capability so we can quickly come in and support if asked.

I think the biggest thing again, Kasie, right now is people need to take the storm serious. They need to listen to their local officials. And they need to make sure that they're not putting themselves in harm's way as the storm passes through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now, FEMA is taking all the steps here that we would anticipate in the face of a storm or hurricane. And so we'll start to see more of that unfold in the next few hours, but FEMA really stressing what local officials are saying here, which is if you don't have to go outside, don't and follow the orders of your local officials.

WHITFIELD: All right. And, Priscilla, and all this while the president is flying to Maui Tomorrow to survey the damage and meet with residents and local officials. What do we know about this visit?

ALVAREZ: Well, he'll be heading there tomorrow, as you mentioned, where he'll see the devastation firsthand. Also with him will be the FEMA Administrator. And what she said on CNN this morning, as she anticipates that, what the president will be doing there is reassuring the residents of Maui that federal resources are going to be there. They're going to stay there as they work through their recovery and he'll be able to hear from residents firsthand and really see that devastation.

Now over the last week, the president has been regularly briefed about what has happened in Hawaii. Again, he'll see that all tomorrow.

WHITFIELD: All right. Priscilla Alvarez in Washington, thanks so much.

All right. Coming up, a scary moment during last night's preseason game between the Patriots and Packers patriots rookie, Isaiah Bolden, collapsing after taking a hit from a teammate. Detail straight ahead.

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[13:55:10] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. A rookie cornerback for the New England Patriots, Isaiah Bolden, has been released from a hospital in Green Bay, Wisconsin today. Bolden was carted off the field during a preseason game Saturday, after a frightening injury that reminded many of the injury to Damar Hamlin last year. CNN's Coy Wire has the latest.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. Thankfully, the Patriots say that rookie, Isaiah Bolden, does have feeling in all of his extremities. But this is another reminder that despite all of the NFL's protocols and rule changes to make the game safer, and despite teams and players taking more precautions than ever, football is still a very dangerous game.

Fourth quarter. Bolden trying to make a tackle, took a hit from a teammate. He remained on the field for several minutes. Players from both teams gathering to pray a scary scene. It just seven months after Buffalo's Damar Hamlin was immobilized, placed on a stretcher, carted off the field and rushed to the hospital. Bolden was, too.