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Tropical Storm Hilary Gains Speed As It Nears California; Palm Springs, California Mayor Pleads With Residents To Stay Inside Ahead Of Storm; Officials Warn San Diego Drivers To Heed Closure Signs; Tropical Storm Hilary Makes Landfall In Baja California, Mexico; President Biden Briefed On Tropical Storm Hilary; 380 Wildfires Burning In British Columbia; Las Vegas Hawaiian Community Gathers Aid For Maui; San Bernardino County Under Evacuation Order; Trump Expected To Surrender In GA Thursday Or Friday. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired August 20, 2023 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:00]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: And this was the scene on the Baja, California, peninsula this afternoon. Hilary's intense rainfall turning what appears to be a neighborhood into a rushing river. Mexican authorities say at least one person died in the storm. Hilary is expected to hit the U.S. later on today. And right now Las Vegas is under a state of emergency and officials have closed Lake Mead ahead of the storm.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for much of Southern California yesterday. Meantime, a flashflood warning remains in effect for parts of Ventura and Los Angeles Counties impacting more than nine million people. L.A. officials say they are prepared for this unprecedented weather.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR KAREN BASS, LOS ANGELES: 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.

CHIEF KRISTIN M. CROWLEY, LOS ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT: 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 consolidated our resource, we're working very, very closely with our regional and state partners, but this is an actual time where we had time to prepare. So we've been messaging it the right way and leaning forward with our staffing and augmentation, so we're feeling good that we are ready and prepared for the storm that has already hit us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Further south in San Diego officials have closed several roads in the area and airlines have cancelled more than 200 flights from San Diego International Airport.

We're covering the latest developments on this storm. CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray is tracking the conditions.

Jennifer, where is the storm?

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS CERTIFIED METEOROLOGIST: Well, Fred, still in Baja, California, but it will be crossing over into California within just the next couple of hours. This is moving very quickly at 25 miles per hour. Still a tropical storm and still will be a tropical storm as it enters California. It's good winds of 65 miles per hour, gusts of 85. And we have had some very impressive rainfall totals already across San Diego County, almost four inches of rain and then in San Bernardino County, we've had three inches, L.A. County has had reports of one to two inches of rain.

And that rain is still coming down. We have seen flash flood warnings that do include Los Angeles proper. Now this is calling for anywhere from half an inch to an inch of rain per hour as the heavy bands come on shore. And so San Diego as well getting some very heavy rain right now and points to the east of San Diego. And so that's why those flash flood warnings are in effect.

People need to seek higher ground. Definitely stay indoors and get away from the rising water. But this is going to be a problem all throughout --

WHITFIELD: And, Jennifer, I'm sorry. I got to stop you there. We're going to go straight to San Diego County where officials are updating folks.

CHAIRWOMAN NORA VARGAS, SAN DIEGO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: -- are going to be needed as a result of the storm. And I thank Governor Newsom for proclaiming the state of emergency yesterday for much of the Southern California to support this recovery and response effort in the region.

Our emergency operation center was fully staffed and will continue to be fully staffed since yesterday and we will continue to do that. We've also increased our Inclement Weather Program capacity to shelter those in the county's unincorporated areas and those who were experiencing homelessness.

It's important to emphasize that if you know of someone who is experiencing homelessness or is in need of a bed to please contact 211. It will be available 24 hours to ensure that everybody stays dry and safe.

Our county outreach teams last week advised people and they were contacting them through the storms to make sure that they knew what their options were. And so we're going to continue to do that work. On Friday information on how to access the Inclement Weather Program was disseminated by those teams and throughout the Sheriff's Homeless Assistance Resources team and through our county's social media.

We also are communicating with the cities who provide shelter in the various areas. As we continue to share information with the media and the public to encourage you to be informed, please stay out of harm's way and be prepared so that you and your families can stay safe. To be clear, what you are seeing is a coordinated effort so that all of county, state and local cities and the federal services are on alert and ready to respond as we need it.

Today we brought together the National Weather Service, the Office of Emergency Services, sheriff's offices, the Department of Public Works and San Diego Gas and Electric together to inform our responses to this event.

I want to encourage everyone to please continue to follow our guidance with important safety updates and continue to stay on top of this situation and we'll make the information public as soon as we have it. We will be available for questions at the end, but first I just want to share in Spanish. (Speaking in foreign language.)

[16:05:04]

WHITFIELD: All right. San Diego officials there really imploring everyone to take this storm very seriously. Stay in when they can. We already know that there have been some 200 flight cancellations in and out of San Diego airport. And you've seen by our reporting from our reporters on the ground there that there are a number of roads that are closed.

All right, let's go to Palm Springs now where officials there have a lot of concerns about flooding. That's where we find CNN's Stephanie Elam at an area that has been closed to traffic. But you're already starting to get pummeled by some rain.

What's happening? How is that changing or impacting the plans there?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're definitely starting to feel the rain here. Think about it this way, Fred. This area normally would get about five and a half inches of rain a year. And we may see that, all of that amount of rain happening within the next couple of days or so. So that is why they're so concerned about flooding and the danger of the roads here.

If you look down here, I'm told that this is an area that does flood when there is a winter storm or if there's runoff from, you know, the snow in the mountains here, and so this is why they've shut this down so early because flooding could come all the way up to these barricades. Despite that, we did just see people out here who were off-roading out into the wilderness back there. That's exactly what the mayor of Palm Springs does not want people to do. In fact, take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR GRACE GARNER, 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 can cause damage.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ELAM: Yes, and it's just not used to that so we're going to see mudslides, we should see some mud flows as well. This is the danger here. And also just worth noting that in Los Angeles County we are getting flood warnings very targeted to exact streets where people live. That's how much they're targeting and where they're expecting some of this danger since that's where most of our team live.

And so we are just watching this -- and the helicopter coming, but yes, that's why we're just watching these different situations because that's what the issue could be is this flooding and the danger within.

WHITFIELD: All right. Stephanie Elam, thank you so much, there in Palm Springs, we'll check back with you.

All right, some major streets in Mission Valley, a section of San Diego that is known for flooding, now closed to traffic ahead of the storm, but city officials there are concerned that locals will continue to ignore the signs. Does it look like it's happening right now? And yes, it is.

All right, our Kyung Lah is there. She's been an eyewitness to a lot of folks who are ignoring the barricades and just driving through streets that will potentially flood during this storm. And shaking your head. Naughty drivers. What's happening?

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, just don't do that. Don't do that. That's essentially the message from the city. Don't do that. Please listen to all of these street closures. And I want just to give you a sense of what the preparations have been impacting this residential commercial area. This entire street here is completely shut down.

And the reason why it's shut down as Gregg Canes takes a look through these barricades is if you look down further the street, further down this street, this is an area that is a flood plain. In part because there's a river right underneath this overpass. And then all the water from the mountains, the deserts, not exactly where Stephanie Elam has been but the deserts further east of here, all of that water has to go somewhere.

And so it ends up coming into Mission Valley and then heading out to the river. The drainage systems so far appear to be working very, very well here in San Diego, but the concern of course is that how much water can the city take on immediately at once. So that's why you're seeing this preparation. The rain here may look like ordinary rain to you at home, but this is August. This is an area that doesn't typically get this kind of rain.

And so for so much of it to come down so quickly is a concern by the city. Also car accidents. What people are doing. If they're paying attention to these road closures. And so the preparation, Fredricka, has continued here in San Diego. You just saw that press conference. City officials saying, look, the beaches are closed, the parks are closed, the Navy has already moved 10 ships out of the bay here. That they want people to heed the warnings over these next 48 hours -- Fredricka. WHITFIELD: All right. Fair enough warning. Kyung Lah, thank you so

much for that.

All right, let's bring in Los Angeles County supervisor Janice Hahn for the very latest.

Janice, good to see you. So this flash flood warning is in effect through the evening. Are you hearing of any, you know, potentially dangerous flows right now in the early stages?

JANICE HAHN, SUPERVISOR, LOS ANGELES COUNTY: Yes. Thank you, Fredricka. Well, as chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor, I signed our emergency declaration this morning, which means that we will have the full extent of emergency powers for life and property.

[16:10:10]

And it lets our federal partners know and our state partners know that we know this is a big deal. It's a big emergency and a crisis and we may be calling for mutual aid in the future as we go through this weekend. But, yes, we are seeing flash flood warnings. I have many people who are giving the individual texts to their phones, telling them their street, their neighborhood is under a flood watch.

So we are concerned here in Los Angeles County. We've been preparing for this for the last 48 hours. We're getting the word out to our residents to stay informed, to stay home, to stay safe. All of our L.A. County departments, our fire department, our L.A. County sheriff, they are staffing up, and we're evacuating some of our vulnerable communities like the island of Catalina. We have been working on getting people off the island.

The last boat to remove people from Catalina has already left. So now those residents will have to hunker down as they could be seeing power outages and major impacts from the storm. And then we were also worried about our homeless population out there. And we're going tent by tent, encampment by encampment, and trying to get them to higher ground because many of them are camped along this flood control, this L.A. River. So yes, we are concerned about this. We've never gone through a tropical storm in Los Angeles. But we're prepared.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And those are significant worries for the homeless and even for people who are in Catalina. You would be addressing those emergencies very differently. If I can zero in on Catalina Island, I spoke with the mayor of Avalon earlier who said a number of residence. I mean, she said 100 percent of the residents have decided to stay. I don't know if that's a number that you're comfortable with, too.

But, nevertheless, a lot of people are there. Storm surges could be an issue. I mean, this is going to be a lot of rain, water, and with that brings all kinds of unpredictable things with the tide as well. So in what position are you to assist for those who elected not to evacuate, not to get on that last ferry? How would you assist if you had to?

HAHN: Right. And I've spoken to Mayor Annie Marshall a couple of times so far. And the islanders are a population that kind of stays on the island. They don't see themselves getting off. I believe we might have had a few that took the last ferry to the mainland, but we are sending extra rescue boats over there. There's already like two rescue boats from our fire department, we're adding a third, and each of the boats we're having extra personnel on.

Our sheriff's department is also on the island and they're staffing up to make sure they can help, but there's like 90 properties on Catalina and they know each and every one of those properties. They probably know the names of everybody that stays there. I think the biggest concern is our investor-owned utilities, Southern California Edison, operating one power plant over there at Pebbly Beach, and we're worried that it could become flooded and then there would be a massive power outage to the entire island.

So that is why we were trying to get more people off. But according to Mayor Annie Marshall they've also gotten the word up. People were stocking up on food and batteries so that they might can last. So if you're on an island 26 miles from the mainland, it makes it a little more difficult --

WHITFIELD: That's a big distance.

HAHN: -- if we really need to help them out.

WHITFIELD: Right. Well, I'm wishing them the best. But I can't help but think about a lot of our friends on the barrier islands along the East Coast or small islands along the East Coast, and how they fare and, you know, what they experience during hurricanes.

All right, so earlier today I also spoke with Mayor Karen Bass and Fire Chief Kristin Crowley about, you know, getting the message out to the homeless population. You mentioned that's a big concern for you, too. And, you know, how do you try to implore that many who are staying whether there be in encampments, tents, and their cars, and their, you know, RVs. How do you try to convince them to seek more stable shelter in conditions like this?

HAHN: Right. And may I say that my former colleague in Congress, Karen Bass, who is now the mayor of Los Angeles, and I are working extremely closely, hand in hand through this emergency. We have in Los Angeles County the Homeless Initiative Department and they are literally going out tent by tent, encampment by encampment. They're having face-to- face outreach currently.

[16:15:02]

Our sheriff's department is actually using bullhorns. They have a helicopter that's flying over the L.A. River to try and alert those who are in tents and encampments that they should leave, they should evacuate. We are making shelter rooms available to anybody that needs separate accommodations. But, again, I think, you know, people come here because we have such great weather. We don't really have weather- related crises.

So this is new for everybody and it's about convincing people before it's too late. I think a lot of people maybe won't realize that this storm is here until they actually see it on their street, they see the floods, the downed power lines, but we're trying to get that message out early and get people to safe ground. We don't want any loss of life as a result of this storm.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, we are wishing you and everybody there the best during this storm.

Supervisor Janice Hahn, thanks so much.

HAHN: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And as we continue to monitor Hilary's path into Southern California, the storm has already lashed out on parts of Mexico. We'll show you the damage there. Plus, what we're learning about the Biden administration's plan to ensure the safety and preparation of California. Those details straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:20:27]

WHITFIELD: Tropical Storm Hilary is slamming Mexico with punishing rainfall right now. This was shot earlier today in Baja California, Mexico. And you can see here that catastrophic life-threatening flooding happening right now. One man was killed on the peninsula after the current just swept him away in his car.

David Shortell is tracking the storm from Mexico City.

David, what are you learning?

DAVID SHORTELL, JOURNALIST: Yes, Fred, Mexico now in the literal eye of the storm after Hilary has made landfall in the Mexican state of Baja California up there in northwest Mexico. The small town of San Quentin was the town, the unlucky town that landfall was made under, that means 65 mile-an-hour winds, extreme storm surge coming in from the ocean there. Of course the whole state, though, has been feeling the effects of this storm as it's moved quickly up the peninsula towards California.

There was that death earlier in the town of Santa Rosalia, a coastal city, a bit further down the peninsula. This was a man who was caught in his car as rain there had really been pummeling the area for hours. Four inches of rain fell in just a few hours. That's about four times the daily average that this town gets in August. So the roads there really became rivers as you saw in that video. And this man was swept away.

Authorities have said they were able to rescue a few other people but really high alert in Santa Rosalia and across the Baja Peninsula. Of course this storm moving towards California. It will get there maybe around 3:00 local time, authorities say. Now on its way, though, is Ensenada, that's Mexico's important wine region with a lot of tourist infrastructure there. And then there's Tijuana, the border city that's really been a hub for migrants making their way up to the U.S. And authorities are especially worried about Tijuana, it has very

sensitive infrastructure, it's very hilly, a lot of makeshift residences built into those hills and mudslides are common there. So authorities throughout the state warning people to stay home, do not get into your car. They have opened up several shelters throughout the state, Fred. And at least a hundred people said to be taking cover now in those shelters as the storm just continues to make its way up through Mexico heading towards California where that historic event is expected -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Perilous conditions. All right, David Shortell, thank you.

So the White House is also 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.

CNN's senior White House correspondent Kayla Tausche. She's joining us now from Lake Tahoe, where the president spent the weekend.

So FEMA's administrator, Kayla, was on CNN this morning. What did she say about preparations?

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, she had a lot of advice for residents in the path of Hurricane Hilary. And, Fred, we've just learned that President Biden was briefed moments ago once again by FEMA administrator Deane Criswell on the evolving storm as it heads towards Southern California.

Criswell has been urging residents in California and Nevada, and in the storm's path to heed the warnings of local officials to stay out of harm's way and to take the storm seriously even as it's been downgraded to a tropical storm from a hurricane. FEMA has activated the National Response Coordination Center. That's a 24/7 command center at FEMA headquarters that was last activated in May when a typhoon hit Guam.

That's where FEMA can monitor all the developments on the storm around the clock. FEMA is also in close coordination with officials in California and Nevada and has staff embedded in the states to assist with the effort. And here's how Criswell described those efforts on CNN this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEANNE CRISWELL, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: 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 Callaway office. We have staff working with them side by side right now. California's a very capable state with a lot of resources but we have also moved in additional resources just in case it exceeds capabilities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAUSCHE: FEMA has been telling residents in California and Nevada to safeguard important paperwork and valuables, put them up high. Elevate appliances and stay away from low-lying areas. We'll see what else we can learn later today -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll be looking forward to that. Thank you so much, Kayla Tausche.

[16:25:04]

We'll continue to monitor Tropical Storm Hilary as it moves closer to Southern California. Meanwhile, the search effort continues on Maui as thousands are still believed to be missing after the wildfires scorched the island of Maui and Lahaina, and destroyed sacred and spiritual structures and land.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Nearly 400 wildfires are burning across British Columbia right now and forcing more than 30,000 people to evacuate. You can see several homes destroyed and much of the sky is covered in dark clouds of smoke there.

[16:30:05]

A State of Emergency was declared in Kelowna, a southern city in British Columbia. One official says the last 48 hours has been some of the worst -- has experienced some of the worst conditions that he has ever seen in that province. And officials are restricting non- essential travel so residents can get out fast. An owner for a boat rental company told CNN that he launched a few boats to help residents evacuate after seeing people trying to swim across the lakes.

Las Vegas is often referred to as the Ninth Island, a reference to its booming diaspora of Native Hawaiians. And now with the Island of Maui devastated by wildfires, the Hawaiian community in Nevada is coming together to help many of their loved ones who are there in Hawaii. Cece Cullen is part of that community in Las Vegas and joins us from there right now.

Good to see you, Cece.

CECE CULLEN, NATIVE HAWAII LIVING LAS VEGAS: Aloha.

WHITFIELD: Aloha. So I know you're from the Hawaiian island of Oahu. But tell me what some of your worries have been about Maui friends, family, you know, since this wildfire. What has been on your mind?

CULLEN: For sure, first and foremost, our deepest aloha is sent over to all of Maui, those affected personally as well as indirectly because we as the Hawaiian people, right, I live here in Las Vegas. So no matter where our feet takes us, that connection to our homelands will always be there. So there's a lot that's been happening, of course, on the grounds, on ground zero, as well as here on the continental U.S. So with little background --

WHITFIELD: Lead us where some of those things? What are the things that have been happening that you've been involved in, you know, while your heart is -- is, you know, being extended to the people of Maui?

CULLEN: Well, of course, right, with the help of social media and a lot that's been covered through news stations, that yearning to want to help that anxiousness. So immediately here in Las Vegas, a group of local Hawaiian businesses, whether eateries or what have you, have became -- so the second day after immediately right after the call here (ph), or the call was made out here in Vegas to send aid, right, to take advantage of our resources that we have here in order to sustain our families over in Maui.

So we sent over containers of donations of necessities, toiletries, clothes, food supply, and not all was sent over immediately the next day. Now, that some of the sort of speak smoke has kind of died down a little bit. What we need to do here is heed warning to what is happening on ground zero, right? So there's so much happening like benefit concerts, telethons, sports teams are raising monies that have Hawaiian connections or Hawaiian players from the National -- from the professional level all the way down to like literally, but aid was sent over whether that was through monetary and donations, tangible goods, but now it's -- it's sort of at a standstill, and we need to heed warning of those on ground zero.

WHITFIELD: So I wonder what is your feeling on? I mean, tourism is the number one industry there in Hawaii. And I've heard it both ways. I've heard from some Hawaiians who say, no, we want the tourism to continue even on the other portions of Maui, because, you know, we all need the income, we need the money, we need the money for ourselves, our families, and to help those who have been displaced on Maui. Is it your feeling that, you know, that you wish tourism would continue in other parts of the island? Do you feel, you know, as other Hawaiians have said, tourists need to stay away for now?

CULLEN: So my personal opinion, is that West O'ahu blower who is indeed in mourning, right, and like you highlighted, Hawaii has become reliant on the tourism economy, right? So being isolated archipelago, we have advantages and disadvantages of being isolated, right? But at this time, I do feel in any way that we can help the east side of Oahu, whether you're traveling there, but we also just really need to be cognitive. And I say this with like, the deepest of heart is that we also need to be cognitive of where we travel and how we do that, right? Hawaii is governed by the law of Aloha is what I say.

[16:35:01]

So in my personal opinion short answer is please still continue to support Maui in all their efforts, right? West O'ahu was affected by the fires, but East Oahu -- excuse me, East Maui -- I'm so sorry, East Maui is still open for businesses. I have families on East Maui, who took in complete strangers, complete strangers never met these people in their life who have been displaced of everything.

And now, the resorts, right? So these people who have taken in other families who have been effective, are now becoming sole provider for multiple families, and people have gotten laid off. People aren't visiting. So hours have been cut. And just imagine that, right? You open your home to a bunch of families, and now you can even provide for your own as well as these others. So I say continue supporting any Maui business.

WHITFIELD: Oh, and that's so beautiful that your family, you know, has been able to do that. And, you know, it looks easy. This conversation that you and I are having was inspired by a conversation I had with a fellow Hawaiian last week who informed us, not going to stand there, who informed us that the Hawaiian population is greatest in --greater in Nevada than it is on all of the islands of Hawaii. And that is just astounding. So I'm wondering if you could share with us why -- why you why so many other Hawaiians have left Hawaii and are living in Nevada. Is it purely economics or is there something else?

CULLEN: For me personally, my story is price being priced out of paradise, right? That's like the scene and the quote that goes, but for us, yes, it was surely a factor in our decision. But for us, it was opportunity, right? My kids have graduated from -- or have attended Hawaiian language schools, I attended the only native Hawaiian school in the entire world. So with that being said, wherever we go, we take what you with us. But it's beyond economics for us personally. But the harsh reality is that the cost of living just doesn't equate to the wages in the State of Hawaii right now.

So many people have found, specifically right now here in Vegas, or elsewhere in the continental U.S. that there are opportunities that can give them a little more sound of mine in -- in the everyday life, right? So whether that be for educational advancement, career opportunities, of traveling, even so we -- I personally travel back to Hawaii, maybe every four to six months on the latest.

So I'm always there making the opportunity. But yes, a harsh reality. The last census was that more native Hawaiians live off of our pine -- on our homelands of Hawaii than they do there. So that's really tough. And we are using those numbers to the advantage in support of Maui and utilizing the resources we have here.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, that is very tough. But, you know, Cece Cullen, I'm glad we were able to connect, even formed us, you know, on so much. I mean, it is -- it is so vast, and so many people are being impacted in -- I mean, in so many ways, and just so deeply and we appreciate you joining us to tell us some of what you've experienced and your friends and family as well. Thank you so much. All the best.

CULLEN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, still ahead in the CNN Newsroom, already, at least one person has died from Tropical Storm Hilary as the dangerous storm makes landfall in Mexico and heads to California. The latest, next.

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[16:42:57]

WHITFIELD: Back to our top story, the southwestern U.S. is ramping up precautions as Tropical Storm Hilary moves in. Areas of Lake Mead National Park in Arizona are now under evacuation orders over flooding concerns. And in Las Vegas, Nevada officials there have declared a state of

emergency. New images now out of Southern California where crews are working declare a small mudslide. That is blocked portions of a highway. This is north of Los Angeles. And right now a flash flood warning remains in effect for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, impacting more than 9 million people.

The San Bernardino County sheriff has issued an evacuation order for at least six communities in that area. Let's bring in CNN Correspondent Josh Campbell, who joins me live now from San Bernardino County fire camp. So, how are first responders getting ready there?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, you know the San Bernardino County Fire Department is busy year-round. They deal with fires. They deal with issues of snow. And now potential flooding and that is what they've been prepared for as this storm moves in. It is now arriving in earnest the rain starting to come down for an update here. I want to bring in Mike McClintock, Battalion Chief here with San Bernardino Fire. This is now a significant shift with this storm here. You have now moved from preparation to response, tell us more?

BATTALION CHIEF MIKE MCCLINTOCK, SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIRE: Yeah, absolutely. We're really moving from the preparation phase where we've given up more than 100,000 sandbags, tons and tons of sand, and really have -- the last couple of weeks got our flood channels ready and we're now shifting to more of a response mode as the rain and the wind comes in.

CAMPBELL: And you're pausing up the staffing here at Fire Camp. We know you have the heavy equipment. You have your fire department apparatus that are here. Talk to us about the staffing. What do you -- what are you preparing for?

MCCLINTOCK: Yeah, absolutely. We have more than 50 additional firefighters in the area. Multiple Swiftwater teams and our local fire stations are ready and trained for this. So, we're really -- we're kind of standing by waiting for those calls to come in. The biggest thing if -- you know, if we asked you to evacuate to do so.

CAMPBELL: And those evacuations have started, we know last night I mean tell us more, I mean are you preparing for potentially more as the rain ships in?

[16:45:06]

MCCLINTOCK: You know the situation is fluid and that and we're kind of monitoring what the weather system. We do have some evacuation orders near some of our burn scars in the Oakland and Yucaipa areas. So we're really asking people, if we ask you to leave, we're not taking that lightly. We want you to get out of there.

CAMPBELL: And you talk about the fires. And that's so important here because the land itself impacted by those fires also poses a challenge for you potentially, with this flooding. Tell us about that?

MCCLINTOCK: Yeah, absolutely. We've had some major wildfires in our area. So we're seeing significant mud flow and reflow coming down off those impacted areas. The big thing is we're working with our local, county and state agencies. And really, we've been doing tons of prep work. And we hadn't really rained tested this year because we had a significant rain season this year.

CAMPBELL: All right, Chief McClintock, thank you so much for being with us. We'll let you get back to your team. I know you have a large area to monitor here. San Bernardino County, Fred, the largest county geographically in the nation. This team responsible for over 20,000 square miles. We know that the Fire Department has been working with emergency services preparing for the worst. They hope that it doesn't come but this team is here. They're ready. And they're hoping that the public will heed any evacuation orders that come, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, that's a lot of ground to cover on a good day. And now you have these threatening conditions. All right, Josh Campbell, thank you so much. We'll be right back.

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[16:50:43]

WHITFIELD: This week will bring another unprecedented moment in U.S. history as sources say former President Donald Trump is expected to turn himself in to the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Thursday or Friday. He and 18 co-defendants are charged with plotting to subvert the 2020 election results in Georgia. And this marks the fourth time since be voted out of office in 2022 that Trump has been indicted.

Joining me now to discuss this is Tim Naftali. He is a CNN Presidential Historian and the former Director of The Nixon Presidential Library. All right, Tim put this into perspective, just how unprecedented and historic these Trump indictments are?

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, for our historic, I think the last two that would be the federal indictment and the Georgia indictment get at the very core of our democracy. We -- until -- until 2021, we had had a series of peaceful transfers of power. And a president, an incumbent president for the first time tried to prevent that from occurring. So there are -- there needs to be consequences when that happens. And you've got now two indictments that are basically trying to make consequences for the conspiracy behind the attempt to overturn the 2021 election.

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

NAFTALI: The 2020 election.

WHITFIELD: 2020 election, I know all these years, 2020 election 2021. Yeah, with the start of these, or at least the transfer of power. Let's put it that way.

All right, so you wrote a piece this weekend for Foreign Affairs magazine focusing in on the two most recent --

NAFTALI: You know, I wrote this piece -- WHITFIELD: I'm sorry about that. Yeah, the two most recent, you know,

efforts here, tell us more about what it is that's been on your mine?

NAFTALI: I wanted -- I wanted folks to take seriously the effort of political warfare, that -- that that really was at the heart of the effort by President -- former President Trump and his allies to keep the president power despite the vote in 2020. And the President -- former President making the argument that this was aspirational. And, you know, that this is -- there was some sense that this was some kind of crazy scheme.

And I wanted people to understand this was not a Lucy -- Lucy Ricardo, or Larry David scheme. This was the kind of scheme you would more appropriately see in a Jack Ryan streaming show. This was a serious effort to undermine our democracy, and that it was done in phases. When one thing didn't work, then they try something else. And they ultimately ended up with this pressure campaign that involves fake electors and an attempt to paralyze Congress on January 6.

I wanted folks to understand this was like an attempt to overthrow a government that indeed, our government has done via covert action since World War Two. So this is serious, and there should be consequences. And that was my hope, to try to make sense of it all, lay out the story of the conspiracy, so that people who are not necessarily partisan, don't need to be partisan, but care about our democracy. And our Constitution would say, you know, this is something we can't let happen again. So in many ways, this is an argument for making sure the next time we don't have -- we have -- the next one we have a close election, that nobody thinks they can get away with the pressure campaign that Trump, Giuliani and their allies tried to foist upon the American people in 2020 and 2021.

WHITFIELD: All right, Tim Naftali, great talking to you as always, thank you so much.

NAFTALI: Thank you, Fredricka, my pleasure.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks everybody for joining me today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN Newsroom continues with Jim Acosta right after a quick break, but first, meet this week's CNN Hero.

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TESCHA HAWLEY, CNN HERO: Our reservation is about 30 miles from the Canadian border in North Central Montana. You're probably about a good three hours to major hospitals.

OK, we're on our way. We know the need is huge for transportation. The majority of our people are living in poverty. If I didn't physically transport them, and would help them with food or hotel or gas. I started getting into the nutrition of it. If we could eat healthy, it will reduce our risk of cancer.

[16:55:14]

Hi? We have done distributions of fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh eggs, and we joined in collaboration with our tribe to help harvest our buffalo. Prior to my diagnosis of cancer, I thought my life was based on my professional career and my education. But now I know that this is my calling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right to see her story go to CNN heroes.com.

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