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State Of Emergency Declared In Southern California; Interview With Los Angels Mayor Karen Bass And LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley; Trump Expected To Surrender In GA On Thursday Or Friday; Rain From Tropical Storm Hilary Floods Los Angeles Street; President Biden Briefed On Tropical Storm Hilary; Mounting Lawsuits Following Deadly Fires; Spain Wins First Ever Women's World Cup. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired August 20, 2023 - 14:00   ET

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

[13:59:39]

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: This game being canceled is another sign that the culture of football in regard to player health and safety is changing, Fred.

I saw two different players get paralyzed on the field during my college and NFL careers. One of them passed away a year and a half later but back then, the games always went on. It's clear that now players' physical and mental health is being taken much more seriously.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right.

Thank you so much, Coy Wire. We're praying for Bolden.

All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with this breaking news.

Tropical Storm Hilary starting to batter Southern in California, but the worst is yet to come.

This was the scene in Baja California, Mexico as the storm lashed the peninsula yesterday.

This street now a rushing river from the intense rainfall. Strong winds are also hitting Cabo San Lucas. Mexican authorities say at least one person died in the storm further north on the peninsula.

Hilary is expected to hit the U.S. later on today. And officials warn that it could bring catastrophic flooding. Some areas could get up to 10 inches of rain.

The storm already causing a travel headache in San Diego. Nearly 40 percent of flights have already been canceled according to data from FlightAware.

And in Los Angeles, residents filling sandbags ahead of Hilary's arrival. Emergency teams are now pleading with residents not to panic. The mayor says the city is prepared.

Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in much of southern California and says thousands of responders are on the ground.

CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray is tracking the storm for us. Jennifer, a new advisory was just issued moments ago. What does it say?

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. The latest advisory was just issued. We have winds of 65 miles per hour, still a tropical storm and it has made landfall.

So that is new as well. Across portions of Baja, California, moving to the north-northwest at 25 miles per hour, so the storm has increased speed not with this latest advisory but throughout the morning it has steadily increased speed.

That is going to be good news when all of this is said and done because you want to get this rain in and out as quickly as you can.

Of course, We are going to see major flooding across not only Baja, California, but as well as southern California and points north.

So we are expecting this to maintain tropical storm strength by the time it reaches southern California around 5:00 p.m. local time. So we are going to see that within the next six hours or so.

Looking at the radar, you can see very heavy rain pushing into southern California, Nevada, even points well to the north in Idaho seeing rainfall.

A lot of moisture with this system, but the heavy rain is going to continue over the next several, several hours on into the evening, overnight hours into the first part of Monday.

Right now, we have rainfall rates (ph) right outside of Los Angeles, it's half an inch to an inch an hour. So flash flooding is imminent. We are going to be looking at potentially catastrophic flooding across portions of southern California. The terrain there, the soil, we cannot absorb much water at all.

So when you have a years worth of rain, and some areas will have more than a year's worth of rain in just a 24 to 36 hour timeframe, there is nowhere for that water to go.

And so we are going to see some of those images that you saw out of Mexico could likely be very similar images across portions of southern California and even into Nevada.

So we are looking at the rainfall simulation, widespread amounts. We are looking at two to four inches. But keep in mind -- some of these local National Weather Service offices in southern California are forecasting as much as 10 to 12 inches of rain for some isolated locations. And so that is significant when you're talking about this region.

That's why we have high risk of excessive rainfall across portions of southern California and Nevada. You can see this entire area, no matter the color, could see the potential for flash flooding throughout the overnight tonight into tomorrow morning, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Everyone bracing for that. Thank you so much, Jennifer Gray.

All right. Earlier today, the mayor of Los Angeles warned residents to stay home, saying it is critical for Angelenos to avoid unnecessary travel.

The tremendous amount of rainfall over a short period is a major concern for areas burned by wildfires. The city's water department says its reservoirs do have sufficient capacity to handle runoff from potential floodwaters.

I want to bring in now the mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass and Chief Kristin Crowley with the Los Angeles Fire Department. And this conversation is also being signed. Good to see all of you, ladies.

Mayor, let me begin with you. So what is the focus right now? In what areas are you concentrating particularly? As we now have heard that the storm has made landfall in Baja, California, Mexico. And it is heading your way.

[14:04:49]

MAYOR KAREN BASS (D), LOS ANGELES, CA: Well fortunately our preparation, which has taken place over the last few (ph) days, is in full effect. And as you can see, it is every department impacting the city, impacting the storm. And so we are monitoring the impact all around this city.

We also are concerned about our unhoused population. You know, we have tens of thousands of people who are homeless, so we are working with our county partners, our county housing services -- homeless services, agency to get people into shelters. And we have a lot of shelter beds available.

So we are trying to make sure, especially those individuals that are on the riverbeds, do not get compromised (INAUDIBLE).

WHITFIELD: Right. And so Mayor, you do have enough room in shelters for the many homeless? And at the same time, you know, some folks are really reluctant to leave kind of their encampment, their tents that they have erected, places where they are staying, RVs, et cetera. How are you going to persuade many who are reluctant to even go into a shelter?

BASS: Well, when you have an emergency like this, people will move. And frankly, even without the emergency, we found people to be willing to move out of tents and out of their encampments.

Of course, people are worried about their personal possessions, but when we reach out to people now, we tell them for their safety because this is an unprecedented weather event -- something that we are not used to experiencing in Los Angeles.

It is summertime. We get little rain during the winter. So especially an event like this is something that we are fully prepared for, but we are definitely not used to.

WHITFIELD: Right, Chief Crowley, people in the Los Angeles area, southern California are not accustomed to this kind of emergency preparedness. Wildfires, yes. And you have had your bouts with flash flooding on several occasions.

But what is different here in terms of your preparedness, your department's preparedness, and how you get the message out to the communities?

CHIEF KRISTIN CROWLEY, LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT: Right. So this is a really unique situation for us from the California side. We usually react in an earthquake as well as wildfires.

This is unique for us, where we actually have a few days to prepare. And that's exactly what we've done within the city. We've consolidated our resources. We are working very, very closely with our regional and state partners.

But this is an actual time when we have time to prepare. So we've been messaging it the right way, leaning forward with our staffing and augmentation, so we are feeling good that we are ready and prepared for the storm that has already hit us.

WHITFIELD: What is the messaging? And how are you at conveying that message to people?

CROWLEY: Sure. So the message is be prepared, stay informed, and if possible, as the storm is coming and has hit us, stay home. We want to minimize the risk to our community. And let our first responders do our jobs and deal with emergencies that are at hand.

BASS: We also want to make sure that people have their flashlights, their water, make sure all of their devices are charged in case power goes out. And then, of course, the individuals can call 311 or 911 if there is a powerline that has fallen. We want people to make sure that they stay away, because it could obviously be lethal.

WHITFIELD: And Mayor, what are the stores looking like in terms of battery supplies, food -- you know what -- how are people in the communities working together so that everyone has supplies? I mean we're looking at some images of bare shelves, but perhaps that's not representative of every community.

But what is your sense in terms of the amount of resources available people?

BASS: Well, you might find a given store with empty shelves, but again for us, this is a very unique experience. So what you don't have like you do in areas that are used to hurricanes, you don't have a mass exodus of people going to stores, buying everything, and coming home.

And so for us in Los Angeles, this is something that we have been telling people for the last few days to be prepared for. So I think that the supplies in stores will be adequate.

We are asking people to stay home. Hopefully it will just be for today. We do know that the storm is moving quickly. Hopefully it move in our area and be gone by tomorrow, but we don't know. so we want residents to stay informed, to make sure that they stay informed, that they're safe and at least today, at a minimum, stay home.

WHITFIELD: And then Chief, what kind of state and federal assistance are you receiving in order to respond to emergencies, to respond particularly to communities or people who have not been able to take all the precautions that you all have conveyed?

CROWLEY: Right. So we, at least at the local side, we are starting with what we have control over, which are our resources within the city. So with that, we have been able to staff additional positions with our fire engines, swift water rescue, and our urban search and rescue teams.

[14:10:01]

CROWLEY: We have worked very closely with our other local partners as well as our state partners for additional resources to be pre-deployed throughout the region. So we are working very closely and collaboratively with them.

And always, always leaning forward on the federal side, from the FEMA support, those conversations are already happening. And if needed, and we request it, that will be filled.

BASS: And our governor declared a state of emergency as well as our county partners. I declared a state of emergency last night, and we will make sure that we have all of the resources.

I'm happy that Secretary Mayorkas from the Department of Homeland Security reached out two days ago to let us know that whatever we needed would be available.

WHITFIELD: And then Mayor, you know, as a former member of Congress, you know, you are accustomed to the challenges that FEMA has been up against.

And more recently, there have been some real holdups in FEMA assistance. How concerned are you that that might be something that impacts your community?

BASS: Well, I'm definitely concerned about it, because we don't know what the impacts will be. But again, having the secretary call and the Department of Homeland Security governs FEMA, it was certainly reassuring.

I will tell you that many residents in Los Angeles are still suffering from the rains that we had in January. We still see tarps up in hillside areas. And so I know that those residents are very concerned. Some qualified, some didn't the last time.

So I'm certainly hoping that if there's any significant damage, that our residents in Los Angeles city and throughout the county will be eligible for federal assistance.

WHITFIELD: All right. All the best to you all and your community there in the entire southern California region, and then neighboring states that might be impacted as well, directly or indirectly, from this tropical storm.

Mayor Karen Bass, Chief Kristin Crowley and your signer as well. Thanks to all of you.

BASS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Tropical storm Hilary is already slamming Mexico with heavy rainfall. And this is what Baja California, Mexico looked like when Hilary slid along the shore as a hurricane.

And as you can see, that is a life- threatening level of flooding right there. One man in fact was killed after his car was swept away in the water.

CNN's David Shortell is tracking the storm from Mexico City. David, what are you hearing?

DAVID SHORTELL, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Fred. Really powerful images coming out of the Mexican state of Baja California on the Pacific Coast, northwest Mexico.

The whole area has been getting pummeled for the past several hours as Hilary has made its way quickly up the coast of Baja California. It's a skinny peninsula that runs all the way up to California. We now know that the storm has made landfall in Baja, California so residents -- these are a lot of coastal beach towns -- these residents are going to be feeling 65 mile an hour wind. They're going to be feeling the strength of storm surge, the strongest part of the storm as it makes landfall in this strip of land, Baja California.

There are several hours left for the storm to go before it hits California. That's expected around 3:00 local time, and a lot of Mexico to make it through first. We know there has been one death so far in the city of Santa Rosalea. That's a coastal city that has just been dumped on by rain, at least four inches, that's four times the daily average that this city sees in August.

This was a man who is caught in his car as the streets there literally turned into rivers. He was swept away. We know rescue operations have been underway in that city, but as I said, all of Baja California, the eastern states in Mexico of Sinaloa also dealing with the storm as the storm continues northward.

It's going to hit Ensenada -- that's Mexican wine country. It's going to hit Tijuana. That's an important border city that we know has had a significant history as a way station for migrants as they make their way into the U.S. Now, storms are unusual in this part of Mexico. Not quite as rare as they are in California, say. That's because as storms form in the Pacific Ocean, they make their way northward. And once they hit the waters around Baja, California which are significantly cooler to than the waters to the south, they will typically turn toward the east towards the mainland of Mexico and start slowing down over there.

Now, the storm, of course, ignoring history, pushing through, pushing northwards towards California where it's expected to make a historic landfall in just a few short hours, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Threatening many who are unaccustomed to this.

David Shortell, thank you so much.

All right. We'll continue to follow Tropical Storm Hilary, which is expected to unleash floods, fierce winds, and more heavy downpours in southern California.

[14:14:49]

WHITFIELD: Plus, former President Donald J. Trump expected to turn himself in at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta, Georgia in the coming days.

I will discuss all of that with a former federal prosecutor straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Former President Donald Trump now has just five days to turn himself into the Fulton County jail in Atlanta. A source says he is expected to surrender this Thursday or Friday. He and 18 co- defendants are charged with plotting to subvert the 2020 election results in Georgia.

Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis has set Friday, August 25th at noon as the deadline for the defendants to turn themselves in.

With me now to talk more about Trump and the Georgia case is Lis Wiehl. She is a former federal prosecutor. Lis, great to see you.

LIS WIEHL, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Great to see you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So the sheriff in Fulton County has said that Trump will be processed the same way as any other defendant as far as mug shots, finger printing.

Do you expect that may change at any time prior to the former president's surrender because of who he is?

[14:20:01]

WIEHL: It could. Those two things that you mentioned, the mug shot and the fingerprinting. But what won't change, I don't think, is that Georgia requires that trials be allowed to be televised. And also the proceedings leading up to the trials.

So unlike the other indictments in federal court, you don't -- there are really never cameras in the courtroom. This, Georgia is very pro camera in the courtroom. So I'm not sure whether or not, we'll actually get the fingerprint and mug shot. We may.

I mean if the sheriff does what he is saying now, but I really think that this will be televised, which is going to be new for all of us to see, you know, him actually pleading not guilty in front of the cameras.

WHITFIELD: Yes. That will be different, that's for sure.

WIEHL: Yes.

WHITFIELD: So for Trump's co-defendants, the gravity of this indictment will really hit home this week. I mean, they are facing, you know, the same Friday deadline to surrender and be processed through the jail, fingerprinted, et cetera.

Do you think prior to that time, there might be any movement or offering from any of those defendants who would be willing to cut a deal?

WIEHL: You know, I don't think -- let's parse that out a little bit. It's a great question. I don't think the lawyers that are involved -- a lot of the lawyers have been indicted, with Giuliani obviously the most prominent -- I don't think they will plead. Maybe not at all.

They certainly wouldn't plead prior to, you know, the first initial appearance. But there are other sort of more minor players -- not lawyers -- who will lawyer up, who may either before the initial appearance or shortly thereafter, at least have their lawyer go to the prosecutor and say, you know, what are the possibilities?

That is usually how RICO cases work, is that you want -- and I've prosecuted one with 13 defendants, it was a human smuggling case.

And what I wanted is to put those sort of lower-level defendants to plead out. I almost hung a plan on that.

The other thing, Fred, is that there are 30 -- 31, maybe -- unindicted co-conspirators.

So my thinking as a prosecutor is, what's going to happen to those unindicted co-conspirators. Is she going to go to the prosecutor to any of them and say, you are unindicted right now, but that could change. You want to talk and tell us whatever you know? You know, those people hanging out there too are part of this game.

WHITFIELD: That's an interesting dynamic.

So when we talk about Rudy Giuliani, you put him in a completely, you know, different category, you know, as a former Trump lawyer, of course, you know New York's mayor, et cetera.

WIEHL: Correct.

WHITFIELD: He too though is facing hundreds -- you know, tens of thousands of dollars in legal bills and sanctions after defending Trump. And we know that he has asked, you know, Trump to help him as our reporting, help him with money. Giuliani reportedly got a few hundred thousand dollars towards his more than million dollars, you know, in mounting legal bills.

But then you say, because he is kind of a bigger fish, he through his attorney, is less likely to go to prosecutors and say, let's cut a deal. But then does that mean prosecutors could offer him something if he is willing to talk or, you know, spill some beans?

WIEHL: I don't think so. No, I don't think Giuliani will be offered a thing. And here's why.

WHITFIELD: Ok.

WIEHL: If he can get some of the lower level folks -- either the unindicted co-conspirators with basically a veiled threat -- you can be indicted if you don't cooperate.

Or some of the more bit players, if she can get any of those to sort of liven up the story with testimony at the trial -- she's got a lot of evidence on the story, this RICO story. She doesn't really need any of these witnesses of the people that have been indicted. But if she can get them, that would be very helpful.

But the lawyers like Giuliani, no, they are going to stay loyal I think to Trump which is also interesting, Fred, one of the defenses that he could have -- Trump could have is hey, I relied on advice of counsel, not my fault.

Now, for that he'd have to take the stand, and we won't know that of course, until trial gets going. But that could be a major defense.

In which case, can you imagine this team? The lawyers are sitting with him, because they are also being tried, and he throws them under the bus? It could happen.

WHITFIELD: Wow, anything can happen. This is really fascinating.

WIEHL: It certainly is.

WHITFIELD: It's hard to guess, but you know, we are all in it, and witnesses to a lot of history being made.

All right. Lis Wiehl, thank you so much.

WIEHL: You got it, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Straight ahead, we will continue our coverage of tropical storm Hilary.

It has made landfall in Baja California, Mexico and is heading towards southern California right now. How local officials are preparing for its impact.

Plus, the FEMA administrator tell CNN the agency is mobilizing resources, and federal personnel to assist and warn residents to take Hilary seriously. That is next.

[14:24:57]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Back to our breaking news. Tropical storm Hilary has made landfall in Baja California, Mexico , and is bearing down on southern California.

This was the scene in Mexico as severe rainfall hit the peninsula yesterday. And you can see this area is just flooded. Mexican authorities say at least one person died in that storm.

You can see the rain is already beginning to fall in San Diego, where the storm has forced airlines to cancel more than 200 flights there.

WHITFIELD: Hilary is expected to hit the U.S. later on today. And officials warn the storm could bring catastrophic flooding.

In Los Angeles, heavy rain flooded this intersection.

[14:30:02]

Emergency crews are encouraging residents to take precautions before the worst of the storm does hit.

Governor Gavin Newsom has already declared a state of emergency in much of southern California and has deployed thousands of responders.

I want to bring in now CNN senior national correspondent Kyung Lah who is in San Diego where it is raining. This isn't the heavy downpour yet, but it's coming.

What are people bracing for?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is definitely coming. That's the expectation here in San Diego where we're starting to see some light rain. What the officials are expecting is that they have to prepare.

So, we're starting to see some of these road closures. This entire roadway, the commercial area, that's where residents live in condominiums and apartments. This is a well known flood zone. The roads have been closed.

And the reason why this particular area is of concern is that we're right near the San Diego River. So, what they are trying to do is to lay these preparations in place here in the city of San Diego where they expect to see some rainfall. The heaviest is expected to go east. But it's this sort of waterway that they're most concerned about as far as a city here. City parks have been closed. There have been beaches here throughout the area that have been shut down. And what the navy has also done is in preparation for Hillary's

arrival, for now this tropical storm, is 10,000 personnel aboard ten navy vessels, this is a navy town here in San Diego, they are all docked here, they've been pushed further, moved further out to sea, just to keep them safe.

The hope is, is that that is just all precaution. The mayor of San Diego has asked residents to please stay home to avoid waterways. City, parks and beaches, Fredricka, are all closed here. The hope is that people will be very careful. We have, though, seen a number of accidents on the freeway as we drove down here from Los Angeles.

You know, you heard Stephanie Elam talking about this throughout most of the morning, that this is an extraordinarily strange weather event. People here in Los Angeles and southern California are just not used to this kind of weather in the middle of August.

WHITFIELD: Right, and you can not treat it as businesses usual. People want to get, out you know? It's Sunday, they want to wrap up all their errands but with an event like this already on the way, no, you have to stay inside and be safe.

Kyung Lah, thank you so much and heed the warnings.

All right. The San Bernardino county sheriff has issued an evacuation order for at least six communities in the area.

Let's bring in CNN correspondent Josh Campbell who joins me live from the Redlands in San Bernardino County.

And you are in a location that is ready to take people in when they're ready to find safety, right?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fred. We're literally in the calm before the storm right here near San Bernardino, California, expecting high winds, heavy rain. The flooding concern is what's actually precipitated a lot of those early evacuation orders we've seen.

You know, we're used to seeing the American Red Cross bring into action when disaster strikes. It's truly remarkable to see what happens behind the scenes before disaster strikes. The preparation, we're here in a disaster center in Redlands. You can see my shoulder, a group of volunteers here coming out to provide support to members of the community. They're so meticulous. But they're up to doing right now is receiving training in the administration of Narcan, in case they happen to, God forbid, come across some opioid overdose.

But again, leaving nothing to chance here, they're providing food for the community should people feel the need to come here to the assistant center if we see additional evacuations.

There are also animal control specialists here as well. This is a rural area, in parts. If people have livestock, if they have animals, officials don't want that to be an impediment to people actually seeking assistance. And so, all those services are here and ready, once this influx

they're expecting comes here. I talk to one resident here who was evacuated last night. Take a listen to what she told me. She really could not say enough about the professionalism of these volunteers themselves who are worried about their own community but also coming to help people.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LYDIA, EVACUATED SAN BERNARDINO RESIDNET: I've been real comfortable, I slept through the night, of course. It was like, this is calm. I don't know, I didn't hear or see anything. Everybody has been so good, so helpful.

CAMPBELL: Have you -- I mean, what went through your mind when you heard there is a hurricane coming here?

LYDIA: Oh my gosh. As it is, I was nervous of stormy weather. Then, I can fully the reports that I was seeing Friday. Unreal, because I have never seen or heard like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Fred, as I throw it back to, I point out that this team here, this team of volunteers, this isn't the only disaster that they're assisting with as you and I speak.

[14:35:03]

A team from San Bernardino right now on the island of Maui, helping that state deal with its own crisis, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. So, yeah, they're ready and poised as best they can to help the people who are inside. Now, what about outside in the preparedness? Particularly because, you know, you are in an area where there, you know, are burn scars. And so, major debris flow is expected with heavy rainfall. What's the preparedness for that?

CAMPBELL: Yeah, part of that has been those evacuations. And I really want to key in on something that our colleague, Juliette Kayyem, formerly with the Department of Homeland Security said on our air earlier today. It's so important, particularly here in this region. And that is because it's so unusual to have this type of incident, that it's really unclear where the worst hit areas will be. They're expecting a lot of rain here, potential mudslides, potential flooding.

But authorities really are on high alert right now because they don't have history to guide them about which areas are the most vulnerable. And so, we've seen that the California highway patrol, transportation officials, and other groups of unsung heroes, utility workers who themselves have been working in extreme heat across the summer, repairing infrastructure, now alert for potential wind damage, storm, and rain. And so, we really see these teams, flooded out across this area, ready

for what's to come. They just don't know where the worse spots will be just yet, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Josh Campbell, thank you so much.

All right, the White House, too, 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 senior White House correspondent Kayla Tausche joining me now from Lake Tahoe, where the president spent the weekend.

So, Kayla, FEMA's administrator was on CNN this morning. What is she saying about preparations and response to the storm?

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Fred, it's all the marshaling the federal response and the whole of government at this point. FEMA has been in touch with Governor Newsom in California, Governor Lombardo in Nevada, they have embedded staff in California, and also activated the national response coordination center, which is a 24/7 command center at FEMA headquarters in Washington that essentially monitors these developments around the clock.

Here is FEMA administrator, Deanne Criswell, on CNN "STATE OF THE UNION" this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEANNE CRISWELL, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: We are in close coordination with the governor's team. We have staff that are in California all the time and embedded in the Kahului 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. We have also moved in additional resources just in case it exceeds capabilities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAUSCHE: Despite Hillary being downgraded to a tropical storm from hurricane, Criswell urges residents in its path to not brush off the seriousness of the storms, staying to say out of harm's way, and stay in touch with local officials running advice on the ground -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Uh-huh. And, Kayla, the president is planning to fly to Maui tomorrow to survey the damage and meet with residents and local officials. What do you know about the plan overall?

TAUSCHE: Well, we know, Fred, that Criswell says that the president really wants to show his support for those who have been impacted by these wildfires. That means meeting face to face with survivors, first responders, and the federal personnel who are assisting with that recovery effort, which is in the early stages of a multi-year operation, according to the commander and the military's task force on islands.

But it will also serve as the president's ability to get eyes and ears for what Maui needs from Washington, and how Washington needs to mobilize to deliver resources to that recovery effort.

Administrator Criswell said this morning on CNN that FEMA is still grappling with a funding shortfall as Washington considers September 30th funding deadline. And so, this will serve as the president's ability to see exactly what Hawaii needs and how to restock those funds.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kayla Tauscher, in very windy Lake Tahoe, California, windy now ahead of that rain, which is all part of this tropical storm system, thank you so much.

So, in the aftermath of the devastating Hawaii wildfires, many are demanding answers and accountability. In, fact multiple lawsuits have been filed against the state's power company for the rule that it may have played in the fire spread. We'll discuss that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:43:44]

WHITFIELD: As officials in Hawaii continue recovery efforts, lawsuits are mounting from those affected by the devastating fires. Multiple class action suits have already been filed against Hawaiian Electric, accusing the company's power lines of accelerating the fire spread.

Personal injury lawyer, Ted Spaulding, is with me now here in Atlanta.

So, good to see you. It seems really early. I mean, the recovery efforts are still underway.

But then, you know, what's the impetus for these class action suits already being assembled and filed?

TED SPAULDING, PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER, SPAULDING INJURY LAW: Yeah, I agree with you. It does feel early. I mean, we're only a week or two out from the disaster. I think the easiest correlation is the PG&E lawsuits that we saw years ago and a couple that have happened just recently. And those took some time to file, still a month or two after the disaster. So., this one is a very, very early.

A couple things that are interesting with class actions, a lot of it is lawyers competing.

WHITFIELD: Uh-huh.

SPAULDING: Yes, you want to be somewhat early, you're scared like with PG&E that there's going to be bankruptcy filings, those sorts of things. Especially with this Maui one, because we're already, the death toll is higher than the PG&E disaster.

[14:45:01]

WHITFIELD: We're talking California -- fire in California.

SPAULDING: Yeah.

WHITFIELD: And so, yeah, the death toll is high and then the number of people missing, that number is very high as well. So, what do these attorneys have to assemble in order to make for a concrete lawsuit pursuing what they believe to be the electric company at fault?

SPAULDING: Right. So, again, looking at what happened with PG&E, it's a perfect example. So, what you are looking at, there is a duty of an electric company when you're putting up lines, you have to maintain the lines, you have to follow industry standards, you need to make sure your equipment is up to date, it's not going to start a fire unnecessarily.

And so, that's what you're looking at, you're looking at your ordinary negligence type thing, it's now obviously, with PG&E, it went way beyond because they were so negligent it became criminal.

So, what we're waiting to hear is, do things start to come out wear, like with PG&E, we're hearing with the Hawaiian Electric Company, things about not maintaining. They had notice. They didn't take down trees that they were supposed to take down, old lines, those sorts of things. So, it's a maintenance issue more than anything.

WHITFIELD: And it would seem that universally people want accountability. At the same time, is there a feeling that this is a little predatory? You know, that perhaps people who are still very wounded, still looking for family members who have been separated from loved ones, this might be the last thing on their minds, but instead many people are being presented with the idea that by attorneys. What's your feeling on that?

SPAULDING: Yeah, it's definitely understandable, especially to the public that this feels very predatory, especially when you are weaker to out from a disaster. I think some people still might be missing. And here we are, we already have two lawsuits.

So, totally understand that concept. It is a balancing, it's understandable that things need to start moving forward, you have things like rush to insurance because we have so many people affected and only a certain amount of insurance coverage that might be out there. So, it's understandable from the lawyers perspective, hey, we can't wait forever.

But it does feel early. I can understand other family members and the general public looking at this and going, this feels predatory.

WHITFIELD: Flipside to that, at the same time, does it accelerate, for lack of a better word, encourage an investigation with greater brevity?

SPAULDING: Yes, it could. That's obviously part of the goal, I'm sure, for most of the attorneys. Yes, we're pursuing civil, but using our resources, what can we find even earlier than the government that would lend towards these things like PG&E? Are we going to have gross negligence? Some really bad act here? Are

we talking an ordinary negligence situation where, yeah, they could've done a better job?

WHITFIELD: All right. We live it there. Ted Spaulding, great to see you. Thank so much.

SPAULDING: Good to see you. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.

All right. As southern California begins to feel the impacts of tropical storm Hilary, events across the region have been canceled or rescheduled. The L.A. Dodgers, L..A. Angels, and San Diego Padres played their scheduled Sunday games yesterday and split double headers. Major League Soccer's two matches that were set for today when rescheduled to later dates.

The latest on the storm straight ahead.

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[14:52:59]

WHITFIELD: All right. We finally have a women's World Cup champion.

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WHITFIELD: It might not have been the outcome you expected, but Spain defeated England 1-0, marking the country's first ever World Cup win in front of more than 75,000 fans in the Stadium Australia in Sydney. Red fireworks light up the sky as the team lifted their trophy in celebration. Spain is now the 2nd country to win both men's and women's World Cup. A lot of excitement.

CNN sports anchor and correspondent Don Riddell joining me now. So, once again, the world cup trophy is not coming home to England.

Ouch, that's cold.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Don't rub it, and don't rub it in.

WHITFIELD: I'm not rubbing it in.

RIDDELL: 1966 is the only time it happened.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, tell me about it.

RIDDELL: So, obviously, I was kind of rooting for England, but Spain won it, Spain won it and they deserved it, they absolutely deserved. But what's remarkable is this is only their 3rd World Cup, they don't ever won one World Cup match before this tournament. Here they went all the way to the final and they did.

This was a brilliant goal, the decisive goal coming midway through the first half. A really brilliant finish from Olga Carmona there, the captain there. She struck absolutely perfectly. England, of course, are the reigning European champions. They're highly experienced, they've only lost one game in two years coming into this tournament.

But they just couldn't find a way past this brilliant Spanish team. These guys are now the world champions at the under 17, under 20, and now the four World Cup level. They've done all of that within the last year.

And they've also achieved this despite the fact that the players are in dispute their federation. Twelve players were basically dropped from the squad last year because they stood up to the coach and so, they weren't even here. And despite missing --

WHITFIELD: Oh, this really hurts.

RIDDELL: Despite --

WHITFIELD: For them.

RIDDELL: Can you imagine how it must feel for them?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

RIDDELL: They took a stand, and this team clearly has so many brilliant players, without the 12, and still winning

[14:55:02]

WHITFIELD: Right. Wow. OK. Well, celebration to Spain but for those players, I could've been a contender, that's what they're saying.

RIDDELL: Yeah, right.

WHITFIELD: Okay, all right. Let's talk about it here in the U.S. Lionel Messi, I mean, just -- you know, storming on to the pitch, the field, driving people crazy, and then already, now, a winner

RIDDELL: It's amazing. He's only been here a month. Already, he's got his hands on the trophy. He's just been absolutely exceptional ever since arriving here into Miami. He joined the club that's the worst in major league soccer and he is carried them all the way to victory in the league's cup.

Look at this goal that he scored against Nashville in the final last night. It was absolutely brilliant. He is been scoring so many great goal since he got here. That was his 10th goal in just seven games.

WHITFIELD: Oh my god. Making it look easy.

RIDDELL: Look how many players between him and the goal.

WHITFIELD: That's insane.

RIDDELL: Yeah, brilliant, brilliant. And it went to penalties. Messi actually scored the first one. But this one was decided by the goalkeepers because it went all the way to the 11th kick. Drake Calendar in the making the save. He just scored.

So, Messi now gets his hands on his 44th trophy in his club and international career. That is now a record. So, yeah.

WHITFIELD: He is like superman.

RIDDELL: Yeah. He's completely changed everything since he arrived. So much excitement. The hype is just getting wilder and wilder.

WHITFIELD: People are clamoring for tickets everywhere.

RIDDELL: I know. I read this morning that the average ticket price has gone up 1,700 percent since this time last year.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness, wow.

All right. Well, we'll be watching. Go team go. Go teams go!

All right, Don, good to see you. Thanks so much.

All right, coming up, we're continuing to follow tropical storm Hillary. It has made landfall in Baja, California, Mexico. It's expected to unleash floods, fierce wind, and heavy downpours in southern California.

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