Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Soon: NY Governor Kathy Hochul To Speak On Earthquake; White House: Biden Briefed On Northeast Earthquake; U.N. Security Council Felt Quake During Meeting On Gaza. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired April 05, 2024 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Get at least one earthquake that's 3.8 magnitude. You can get at least 10 that's 2.8 in magnitude. And you get a hundred that's at least 1.8 in magnitude. So, it can happen in this common -- haven't really heard any reports of that. But that can happen.

As far as economic losses, we know we haven't heard too much about damages, you know, any physical structural damage. Because, again, with this being you know, a 4.8, you don't really see too much catastrophic damage with that. And it is showing with some of the data that we have from the USGS that it is, you know, kind of lower on that impact scale. I think we're finding a lot of that impact is a lot of New Yorkers just physically -- emotionally rattled, you know, just because it is so rare and so not common in this area.

A lot of people walk in about on their Friday trying to wonder what that was. I know, we heard from guests, you know, that people thought maybe it was a truck that ran by or, you know, what was that? Everybody's just asking each other what was that because so many people felt the shaking. So, what we can -- what we know so far that it was very light but shallow. So that's why we could feel the shaking in places like New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., some of our biggest cities in the country.

Seismic waves can travel farther on the East Coast than on the West Coast. On the West Coast, we have a little bit more of that fault line structure. And that's where the earthquakes are more common. You have more of the fault lines in the volcanoes that seismic activity, you know, where -- from Alaska, down towards California, you're sitting on the ring of fire. That's where these things are much, much more common, you know.

And we've been doing coverage earlier this week, about the seven-point magnitude earthquake in Taiwan, which was catastrophic, you know. Destructive, you know. You had more of that damage, you had more of the injuries, and that's an area that's much more prone to this as it sits on the ring of fire there in Southeast Asia.

But this is just not -- it's not that, right? We just don't get these types of earthquakes you know, in this part of the Northeast, you know, from New York to New Jersey. It's just -- it's just not common -- it's not common at all. And I think that's just why, you know, our e-mails have been -- and phones have just been you know, what all of the family and friends that are just saying, you know, what was that? What was that shaking? That -- and so many millions of people were able to feel this on that front -- on the -- on today on this Friday, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, it's really a scary situation. As I mentioned, a few years ago, we had an earthquake here in the Washington, D.C. area, I was up on an upper floor of a building. And everybody was told to evacuate the building. There was concerns there could be damage, even in these big buildings.

What is the recommendation generally now, in the aftermath of a 4.8 earthquake? Should people be evacuating tall buildings? Because we saw it in Taiwan, those images of those buildings that have simply collapsed and tilted over. What's the recommendation as far as what we're seeing right now?

RAFFA: Yes, for sure. I'm not sure about any, you know, specific reports on -- you know, what they're doing with all of those skyscrapers up in New York City. But absolutely, you don't want to be at the tops of some of those buildings if they might be shaking, you know.

A lot of that saying is, you know, you want to get under something, right? Get as low to the ground and cover yourself in case anything is falling right off of shelves. You know, light fixtures, plates, things like that. So, you know -- you know, stop, drop, and roll. Getting your -- getting underneath, you know, covering from anything that might be falling.

So, for sure, you'll definitely not want to be up towards the tops of those skyscrapers. We haven't heard anything about damage or you know -- you know, we're waiting some updates from officials about things like that. You know, we haven't heard anything, really, from the weather team about anything like that. I think we're really mostly just hearing people just confused, really, and just so surprised and just emotionally shaken by this as well as figuratively just because it doesn't happen as often.

BLITZER: Yes. Remember when that earthquake happened here in Washington, there clearly was some structural damage at the Washington Monument, and that had to be shut down for a long time before they could strengthen that and rebuild it to a certain degree. So, let's hope for the best right now. And once again, how worried should we be at least about aftershocks?

RAFFA: So, they're common for sure. They're definitely common. And I have a graphic, let me see if I can get to it, that can show the aftershocks and what they -- what they can look like for 4.8 magnitude.

So, this is the amount of people that felt that. But to get to your question about the aftershocks, when you have a 4.8 magnitude earthquake, you can get at least one earthquake that's 3.8 which is still significant. People would feel that -- people will feel that as an aftershock.

When you're looking at a 2.8 magnitude, you can see 10 of those. And you could see a hundred 1.8 magnitude. Now, you might not feel as many of these, the very, very small ones, but you can get those aftershocks with this. And they could be you know in dozens.

[11:35:01]

We haven't really had too many reports of aftershocks yet, but it is certainly possible. And they could be pretty large. I know -- you know, with the earthquake that we were tracking in Taiwan, some of those aftershocks were really significant. Some of the aftershocks would have been significant about -- would have been significant as an earthquake on its own. So again, no reports here of aftershocks yet but something that we'll be watching.

BLITZER: We will certainly be watching. Elisa Raffa, thank you very much. We'll, of course, stay very close in touch with you.

We're getting more information coming in about this earthquake felt across the Northeast, from New York up to New Hampshire all the way down here to Washington, D.C. in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Up next, we'll head to the White House. President Biden has just been briefed on this earthquake.

And we're also waiting for the New York governor, Kathy Hochul. She's about to make a statement on this earthquake. We'll have coverage of that. Standby.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:40:32]

BLITZER: We're following the breaking news. More information coming in on this earthquake here in the northeast. New video of the earthquake that rattled the Northeast in the last hour or so. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: At any moment now, we're told that New York Governor Kathy Hochul will hold a news briefing. She will make a statement. We'll have live coverage of her remarks.

As we stand by for that, we're also learning now that President Biden over at the White House has been briefed on the earthquake situation. CNN's Arlette Saenz is joining us live from the White House right now. Arlette, what do you know?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, President Biden has been briefed on this earthquake along the East Coast with his team saying they're closely monitoring the developments here. The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre posted on social media moments ago, "The president has been briefed on the earthquake which had an epicenter in New Jersey, and he is in touch with his team who are monitoring potential impacts." She added the White House is in touch with federal, state, and local officials as we learn more.

Now, the president was here at the White House when this earthquake occurred. He is set to leave the White House in the next hour to travel up to Baltimore, Maryland. Well, he will see firsthand the wreckage of that devastating bridge collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The president will be meeting with local officials. They're surveying the damage as they talk about the next steps in the recovery process there. Now, the president is also scheduled to meet with families, the members of the people whose six loved ones died in that bridge collapsed just last week.

So, there will be a few opportunities to hear from the president today when he leaves the White House in about less than an hour. And then also as he has in Baltimore a bit later today, where he's expected to deliver remarks. But we'll see what else the White House has to offer about what they're learning of this earthquake and whether the president is in touch, perhaps with the governors of New Jersey and New York at some point today as well.

BLITZER: Did you feel anything over at the White House, Arlette?

SAENZ: I did not. My producer, Samantha Wildenberg, and I were sitting in the White House booth here in the basement and we did not feel any shaking. I'm clear. I talked to a few people at the press office who also did not feel anything. But we will see and had to figure --

BLITZER: All right. Standby --

SAENZ: At the other reports.

BLITZER: Arlette, standby. Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York is making a statement.

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): 45 miles west of Manhattan. We actually felt that here in the capitol in Albany. People felt that in Long Island, and all over the state of New York and indeed the East Coast.

We're taking this extremely seriously. And here's why. There is always the possibility of aftershocks. And I'll get to that in a moment.

But we have not felt the magnitude of an earthquake of this level since about 2011. Actually, I was in Washington, D.C. at the time, and my apartment when I was in Congress was severely damaged. And we felt those effects all the way up to Buffalo, New York. So, these are widescale possibilities. This is one of the largest earthquakes on these coasts that occurred in the last century.

So, I immediately directed my emergency management team the second we received word of this to start doing damage assessments, any life in danger, and finding out whether there's any bridges or tunnels that are compromised. And so that was the first reaction. We will be hearing from the team that is working on that. I also immediately spoke to Governor Phil Murphy to offer any assistance and to find out what is happening in his state, which again, was the epicenter. Our teams have been in constant communication with the mayor of New York. We also spoke to the MTA to ensure the integrity -- the structural integrity of the subway system, and the Port Authority. And I want to announce that right now, JFK and Newark airports are on full ground stops to assess any potential for after-effects.

And we're being in contact with utility companies to make sure that the gas and electric services continue. I will report that Amtrak and MTA are on full schedule. No disruption there at this time.

I've been in communication with the White House. They reached out to us. The deputy of Homeland Security Adviser who's actually with President Biden right now surveying the damage in Baltimore called us and I believe they felt the effects even in Baltimore. So, it's been a very unsettling day to see the -- say the least.

But the White House offered any assistance. Senator Schumer reached out and offered any assistance. So, right now, it's most important that we have our structural teams out there, our engineering teams surveying our bridges, our roads. Any area there could be a fault line that is not easily detectable to make sure that passengers on our rails and as well as our commuters are safe.

[11:45:07]

Assessing all state roads, Commissioner Dominguez is taking the lead on that, making sure our state roads are safe. Major transmission lines and dams because you don't always see the effects of a small crack that actually could develop into a real major problem. And we're also encouraging all the municipalities throughout the state of New York to assess for any structural integrity concerns.

At this point, we're heading into an hour and a half after the effects, we've not identified any life-threatening situations. But we are certainly asking our local law enforcement and emergency services teams to be on guard for that as well. But again, we are going to be reviewing all potentially vulnerable infrastructure state -- sites throughout the state of New York that is critically important in the aftermath of a -- of an event like this.

Now, again, I have a few safety tips because New Yorkers are not accustomed to having earthquakes in our -- in our state. And everyone should continue to take this seriously. If there is an aftershock, people are encouraged to drop into cover and to hold on. Dropped to the floor, cover your neck, and hold on to something that is sturdy.

Take caution near any damaged buildings. Again, we don't have reports of damaged buildings at this time. It is very early in the assessment process. But you know, if there is an after-effect, please stay away from buildings, especially our high rises.

If you hear shifting or any noises -- unusual noises, leave your home. Go outside. You're safer there than in a building that could be crumbling around you. Inspect your home for damage. Check walls, floors, doors, windows, staircases. And if you see any damage at all, you may need to relocate while the event is going on. Again, check your own gas lines and water lines to make sure that your family is safe. So, stay connected and informed.

I will say this, especially with all the national news about what happened in Taiwan with that deadly earthquake just this past week, I think there's a high level of anxiety around earthquakes. The magnitude, which Kathryn Garcia and Commissioner Bray will explain, that was a 7.4 magnitude in Taiwan. Again, we are 4.8. And they'll explain the difference.

But that's why we're going to continue to take this very seriously and make sure that we continue to update all New Yorkers. So, Kathryn Garcia, our head of state operations, you'll hear from first and then Commissioner Jackie Bray head of Homeland Security.

KATHRYN GARCIA, DIRECTOR OF STATE OPERATIONS, NEW YORK: Thank you. Thank you, Governor. I want to reiterate that we have no reports of damage at this time. And that immediately, all of the infrastructure agencies activated their policies and procedures to deal with this. Because while highly unusual in the state of New York, we do actually have fault lines.

This was significantly bigger than ones that are typically felt in the state of New York or occur and actually are not felt. That is because earthquakes happen on a logarithmic scale, which means that a 3.0 is 10 times worse than a 2.0. So, a 4.0 is 10 times easier than a 5.0. So, every one of those makes a significant difference in what you will experience and what the damage could be.

In addition, we are also tracking whether or not there's any increase in hospitalizations as well as whether or not there's any increase in vehicle accidents that have not been reported at this time. Thank you.

HOCHUL: Commissioner Bray.

JACKIE BRAY, COMMISSIONER, NEW YORK STATE DIVISION OF HOMELAND SECURITY & EMERGENCY SERVICES: Not much to add about the governor, and Director Garcia covered it. I would say we did see an overloading of cell circuits in the New York City area immediately after the event. We've been in touch with AT&T Verizon and T Mobile. Their networks are clear now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: All right. We're going to continue to monitor this briefing. We'll get back to the governor if she -- if she comes back to the microphone.

But Jason Carroll has been monitoring all these latest developments. He's in New York for us. He's been listening to the governor and these other experts. Update us on what's going on. What else -- what else do you know, Jason?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, a couple of points to review here. First and foremost, according to the governor and her team, no reports of any damage -- significant damage. She also made it clear that what the structural teams and engineering teams that work for the governor's office that they are checking any possible vulnerable sites.

So, what does that include? That includes things like the tunnel system -- the subway system, they're going to be checking the area bridges, checking for any sort of integrity issues that may exist after what has happened. She also indicated that the airports are temporarily at a ground stop. Again, this is so the infrastructure in all around the airports can be checked as well.

Again, just to review in terms of how widespread this was felt, Wolf. According to the USGS, the U.S. Geological Survey, 9000 people felt strong shaking. 300,000 people felt moderate shaking. 23 million felt at least some sort of light shaking.

[11:50:12]

And when we're talking about the area here, felt as far north as Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. We're talking about feeling it in places like New Jersey, Connecticut, and all the way out in Long Island where we got a report from one of our producers, she said that the shaking there was pretty strong. And in fact, she felt her water boiler was shaking very strongly.

But once again, what is important to remember here? No reports of significant damage. No reports of injuries. Again, a reminder that even though we're here on the East Coast, the fault lines do exist, and they do shift, Wolf.

BLITZER: They certainly do. It's still a very worrisome development indeed. Jason Carroll, we'll get back to you in New York.

I want to check in with our Aviation Correspondent Pete Muntean right now. Pete, update us on the flight disruptions here in the Northeast. They're pretty significant already.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they are pretty significant, Wolf, right now. And the ground stop at Newark Liberty International Airport has been extended until half past the hour, 12:30 Eastern Daylight Time. The ground stop at JFK has been canceled. The ground stop at LaGuardia, canceled. Philadelphia, B.W.I. canceled.

So, the FAA tells us this is an evolving issue. They're staying on top of it. They need to inspect the runways at some of these airports in order to get things fully back to normal.

There was a call -- a conference call at the FAA earlier in response to this. Remember the best place to possibly be during an earthquake it's possibly in an airplane. But the issue is really the infrastructure. And so, they need to really inspect things on the ground.

Those inspections also occurring by Amtrak right now. Amtrak says it's doing track inspections, and it is slowing the speed of trains throughout the Northeast. That could mean delays up and down the Northeast Corridor. Customers are encouraged to rebook on their app. There's an 800 number that they have published.

Remember, New York, a city on the move. Never sleeps. About a million to a million and a half people commute in and out every day. New Jersey Transit, things are delayed there by about 20 minutes on pretty much every line on the New Jersey Transit System.

The Holland Tunnel and the Lincoln Tunnel, the Port Authority of New York In New Jersey says both of those have been inspected and they are OK. There is no delays in the Holland and Lincoln Tunnel right now. Although, remember, especially this is important to put in context for the Californians watching who may chortle at this, New York is not a city that is really built for a lot of seismic activity. It's heavily tunneled. The -- a lot of those tunnels are very old.

One of the main tunnels that goes under the Hudson River from New York to New Jersey, one of the main train tunnels is maybe 115 years old or more. So, some of this infrastructure is aging. And in a lot of cases, those inspecting this infrastructure need to go out and see it on their own visually with the mark one eyeball to make sure that things are OK. And so, we're just really at the genesis of the story, Wolf, and it may take some time to figure out the full totality of the damage here.

BLITZER: Pete Muntean standby, we're going to get back to you as well. I quickly want to check in with Richard Roth, our Senior United Nations Correspondent. Richard, I understand the U.N. Security Council was right in the middle of a major meeting as far as the war in Gaza is concerned when things started to shake over there. Tell us what happened.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Yes. People, Wolf, often say the U.N. doesn't feel anything during these global crises like the Mideast. But the meeting was ongoing. And then the speaker, a U.N. official, paused.

The camera went to a wide shot where you couldn't see anyone's face up close. So, there's a little confusion. And then you hear the Palestinian ambassador sitting next to the woman who was speaking to the council say you cause -- you made the ground shake, is what the Palestinian said.

And then there were some back and forth where the speaker said, Madam President, should I go on, and the meeting did continue. You can detect some shaking from a U.N. camera, nothing dramatic, like you see in the earthquake video in stores and flying glass. And the meeting continued. We have not heard yet from anyone who was attending the session. But the U.N. survived and back to the real world, so to speak.

BLITZER: Richard Roth at the United Nations for us. Richard, thank you very much. Right now, we're -- once again we're following all the breaking news. A 4.8 earthquake, the epicenter Lebanon, New Jersey, and Northern New Jersey, just west of New York City. But this earthquake was felt not just in New Jersey or New York, but all the way up to New Hampshire, maybe even parts of Maine, all the way down here to Washington, D.C., in Maryland and Virginia. There was shaking going on to be sure. We're told the New York City mayor, Eric Adams, is going to be briefing reporters momentarily as well. We're standing by for live coverage of that.

[11:55:07]

And to our viewers, thanks very much for joining me here in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Of course, I'll be back later tonight. 6:00 p.m. Eastern in "THE SITUATION ROOM." And right back here Monday at 11:00 a.m. Eastern in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Stay with us. INSIDE POLITICS with Dana Bash starts right after the short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)