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Scarce Water, Power, Cell Service, Western North Carolina Isolated After Helene; Official Says, Lake Lure Destruction Post- Apocalyptic; Some North Carolina Towns Erased by Helene. Aired 10- 10:30a ET

Aired September 30, 2024 - 10:00   ET

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

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JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. You are live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

We are following breaking news this morning. Disaster in Western North Carolina, as one North Carolina official put it, the devastation is, quote, biblical. Large swaths are completely cut off in that area. Officials say all roads there are considered closed. These are exclusive pictures coming into CNN showing the destruction in Asheville. What you are looking at is the main road in Biltmore Village, near the famous Biltmore Estate. It's a five-lane road, usually full of cars. Now it's covered in debris and mud. People walking down the middle of the road looking for supplies, that is a common sight these days.

Helene tore through the historic village. The floodwaters, you can see right here, rising to roof level and pushing trailers into buildings. Power and water are out in much of the city. This is a transformer. You can see it right there, just lying in the middle of the road, leaking fluid. It's been there for days. And the power company says they are hoping to restore power to most customers by Friday and four days.

Cell service is spotty throughout this area. People are still desperately trying to contact their loved ones in the area. 600 people in Buncombe County are unaccounted for at this hour. At least 42 people are dead across North Carolina from the storm and officials say that number is expected to go higher.

Joining me now is the Asheville mayor, Esther Manheimer. Mayor, thank you so much for being with us. What do we know about the hundreds of people who are said to be unaccounted for as at this hour? Is it possible the death toll could go much higher than what we're seeing at the moment? What can you tell us?

MAYOR ESTHER MANHEIMER (D-ASHEVILLE, NC): Well, it's very difficult to know for sure because our communications are so compromised. A lot of people still are not able to use their phone to call or text. And we have parts of our community that are completely cut off because of road washout. So, it's hard to confirm whether or not people are okay. So, I think that will be an evolving situation over the next few days as we reestablish communications and get cell service restored to the whole city and county that we're in.

ACOSTA: And do we know how long people could be without power and water? I mean, this has been going on for a few days now.

MANHEIMER: You know, this is an unprecedented catastrophic event. This storm has exceeded the flooding that we've ever seen historically in this area. The rivers crested higher than they ever have on record. So, we cannot yet estimate how long it will take to restore power to everyone.

Duke Energy is our provider here. They're working on that. And how long it will take to restore water to everyone. We're still in a critical emergency stage of this situation. And right now, our priority is to get drinking water and food and gas into folks so that they have the basic necessities to continue to support themselves and their families.

ACOSTA: And we also understand that the food supplies have also been hit by this distribution sites are going to be set up. What can you tell us about that?

MANHEIMER: We're hopeful to know more information today. The state and the federal government is -- they're bringing in resources and we're going -- we have all kinds of folks ready to distribute them once you're here. Thank you to everyone in Asheville and Buncombe County who is volunteering to help distribute those resources. We will be able to name the areas that people can go to, to receive them, as soon as that information will hopefully be released later today.

But as you mentioned, we are cut off from highway access from three of the four major highways into Asheville.

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So, obviously, this is an incredible challenge. Some resources are having to be flown in. So, this is, you know, an evolving situation, but we're hopeful to get some resources, critically needed resources in here today.

ACOSTA: And what about the federal and state emergency assistance? Are you seeing that yet, FEMA, state emergency officials? What can you tell us about that?

MANHEIMER: So, we do have FEMA here, but we are still waiting on vital resources in terms of water and food. And the governor has been in touch with me multiple times. The governor will actually be here this afternoon to be able to see what's happening on the ground.

And so what they are -- they have their emergency operations set up and everything is operational. But we are having -- as we understand, there's some challenges in terms of getting these resources here. So, we're still waiting for those vital resources to arrive.

ACOSTA: And we're looking at some of this video now, and it is just unbelievable. You know, the water, you know, near the rooftops when we're seeing all of this destruction at the height of where it was over the weekend. What has it been like for the people in your community just living through this?

MANHEIMER: You know, folks are in shock. I mean, I have to tell you, I've never seen anything like this. I've been in several hurricanes in Eastern North Carolina, just to see people come out of their homes, serving the damage, just in shock. There are neighborhoods where every other house has a tree on it, or through it.

Roads blocked, multiple trees down on one road. The power lines looks like, you know, spaghetti. It's hard to describe the chaos that it looks like. It really feels like, you know, a post-apocalyptic scene in some T.V. show you watch. And I've never thought I would see it myself.

And the inability to communicate, you know, no one's phone is working. We're getting some communications restored. You know, I happen to be in downtown Asheville, the only square block area that has power, so I'm able to communicate with you, but this is -- you know, and as we watch these rivers recede, we are seeing just piles, people's houses that were destroyed, buildings that were destroyed, cars overturned, trash and debris.

I mean, it reminds me of Katrina, where they had to go door to door and look in each vehicle and mark whether or not anyone was in it. I think we're going to continue to need to survey this entire situation.

But let me just say, I am so proud of Asheville and Buncombe County, the folks that have come together to help their neighbors, to check on their neighbors. Before I could hike out of my house and get to my mom, her neighbors had already checked on her. We really have come together as a community. I knew this was a wonderful community and they've really shown their true colors and helping each other in this devastation.

ACOSTA: Yes. And I guess, Mayor, that's why I'm wondering, you know, as you survey the damage here in the next day or two it just seems, you know, just logical that the number of dead that we're seeing right now is just going to go up, when you get your arms around this, the full scale of what we're looking at, yes.

MANHEIMER: Yes. I think sadly that's going to be true. We've heard accounts of people saying houses floating down the river with people in them. So, we know that we know that that death toll will rise. I hope and pray it doesn't rise much at all. But, you know, we're prepared for the worst.

And we have a tremendous team of first responders that is working around the clock, checking on everyone, checking to see and recover folks, unfortunately. And we also want to do a big thank you to all of the first responders from around the country that are coming here to help us and all the utility folks that are coming here to help us restore power and services to the community.

Thank you so much to those folks who are, you know, working tirelessly and staying in a hotel that doesn't have any water. So, we really appreciate all the first responders that are going above and beyond for our community.

ACOSTA: And I know the governor, you said, is heading your way. We do expect the president to speak at some point within the next hour or so. What do you need to hear from state and federal officials at this point?

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MANHEIMER: You know, we are going to need resources. This isn't going to be over quickly. I can't even think about a timeframe for how long it's going to take to recover from this storm. So, we need emergency relief right now. We need everything from food, water, to porta potties, to baby formula, you name it, all the basic necessities that anyone can imagine you need in a storm situation like this. But then we need continuing support after this. We are going to have to rebuild roads and bridges and just basic infrastructure to stand this community back up.

ACOSTA: All right. Mayor Esther Manheimer of Asheville, North Carolina, it's a great city, I'm sorry for everything that you're going through right now, but it sounds like help is on the way, hopefully all the help that you need. Thank you so much for your time this morning, Mayor. We appreciate it.

MANHEIMER: Thank you. I appreciate it.

ACOSTA: All right. And for more, let's bring in CNN Correspondent Marybel Gonzalez, who was on the ground in Asheville, North Carolina. Marybel, it just looks devastating, all of the images that we're seeing so far. What are you seeing?

MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Good morning, Jim. Definitely, it's devastating. It's a dire situation here in Asheville. Just take a look behind me. You can get a sense of why that is. This is just one of the hundreds of roads that is closed at this hour. As you can see, heavy, heavy mud. That sludge is difficult to walk through, let alone drive through. It's a very dangerous situation.

You know, right now, we're just now starting to see groups of people come back into the area. This very historic area built more village. This looked very different even a couple days ago, right? It was the raging waters here.

But this is a very historic area. This is a very beloved area by the locals here. We spoke to a group of workers just behind me at this dairy distribution center. Some of them saying their inventory completely destroyed, the business inside, the foundation disrupted by this flooding, even as much as receiving as much as eight feet of water, something they did not expect to be hit so hard. One of the folks telling me that they may not even have a job to go back to.

ACOSTA: Just incredible. All right, Marybel Gonzalez in Asheville, North Carolina, thank you so much. And communities across Helene's 500-mile path of destruction are in need of basic necessities at this hour. For ways you can help, go to cnn.com/impact. And we'll be right back.

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ACOSTA: We're getting a look at some of the hardest hit areas across the southeast this morning after Hurricane Helene left behind what the mayor of Asheville just described to us as post apocalyptic destruction.

Take a look at this right now. You're looking at Lake Lure in western North Carolina. The devastation is hard to put into words. That is a lake just filled with water. With debris as far as the eye can see, the landscape now unrecognizable.

The Charlotte City councilman who took this video says the cleanup for the area is just impossible to comprehend. You can see boats looking like toys. They're mixed in with all of that debris. Emergency officials say there have been multiple air rescues in the Lake Lure Chimney Rock area since Saturday morning.

And let me go straight to CNN Meteorologist Elisa Raffa, who can walk us through some of the damage that we're looking at right now. Elisa, it's kind of hard to put your arms around this. I mean, this is just staggering, some of the video that we're seeing coming out of that part of the country.

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It really does leave you speechless when you see what this looks like, full communities that are in pieces, literally just sitting on the ground and in the lake. And I used to do some local coverage in North Carolina, and the community there, I can tell you, is just reeling. I'm seeing so many posts on social media from people that are trying to reach out with supplies to send them up to these mounted communities.

But this is what happens when you have the force of water, of rain that comes in two to three feet. I mean, some of these rainfall totals have been 20 inches. 30 inches coming down in just a couple of hours, and that is what the force of intense water can do. I mean, when we say turn around, don't drown, it's because only a foot of water can take away your car. Imagine, you know, we're seeing what two to three feet can do, and we know heavy precipitation events like this are only becoming more likely and more extreme. Jim?

ACOSTA: All right. Elisa Raffa, thank you so much.

We want to go straight to a press conference right now. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is in Steinhatchie, Florida. That area also devastated by Hurricane Helene.

GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): -- emergency management partners to open recovery shelters throughout the impacted area so you can be connected to resources and assistant teams assist with finding solutions to any barriers that may exist. We're also working now with the Department of Emergency Management, and they are working to provide travel trailers for people to live while on their property.

So, some homes are totally gone, which is obviously a very tragic thing. There's other homes that had major flooding. Maybe they have to muck and gut the interior. You don't want to have to travel an hour and sleep and then come back to work on your homes. They put a travel trailer right there on your property. And you're able to do that. You can work. You have people come in. You supervise that. It's much better. I think people like that better. So, we've mobilized hundreds of trailers around the state, and we're willing to get hundreds of more if needed.

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If you need a travel trailer to be brought to your property, you can go through HOPE Florida. The HOPE line is now 24/7, and the 833 GET HOPE, 833 GET HOPE. You can request a travel trailer and HOPE Florida will work with Kevin and his team to get that done.

We also have HOPE buses that are now available for in person service for communities impacted by the storm on Saturday and almost immediately after the storm. We had HOPE buses deployed to Taylor and Madison counties, also Pasco and Manatee over the weekend. Now, we have five HOPE buses, Bridge Church in Madison, 9:00 A.M. to 12:00, Alton Church of God Family Life Center in Mayo and 12:00 to 5:00, Steinhatchee Community Center, 10:00 to 4:00, State College of Florida in Bradenton, 12:00 to 5:00, James P. Gills, Family YMCA of West Pasco and Trinity 10:00 to 2:00.

So, if you do go to the HOPE -- you know, you can call the HOPE line too. You don't have to go to the bus. But if you go to the bus, what they will be able to do is link you with resources that are available, not just government resources and not even primarily government resources. You know, we were with Operation Rubicon in Pasco County, got a lot of need for muck and guts there. They perform those services. There's other services that are available and we're going to funnel that all through HOPE Florida. So, the HOPE buses are there and they'll be coming to other places as well.

Our state housing initiative partnership --

ACOSTA: All right, that is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis there giving an update in Steinhatchee, Florida, on the recovery efforts in that part of the country.

I want to go down to Tariq Bokhari. He is a Charlotte City councilman. He took that video of Lake Lure that we just showed you just a few moments ago. There it is right there. Councilman, thank you so much for being on the phone with us.

Tell us about what you saw when you took this video. It just looks absolutely devastating.

TARIQ BOKHARI, CHARLOTTE CITY COUNCILMAN: Yes, it was something that, honestly, you can't comprehend when you see it. I've had several friends who have lived there their entire lives. They cleared out before the storm, and yesterday, as soon as we could make our way out there, and when we got there, you could already tell this was something very, very different.

And as we navigated the streets and you know, people sawing limbs that are continuing to fall even now, every day and block new parts of streets off or mudslides or roads crumbling. Once you navigate up there to the part where I was able to take that quick video, I mean, you just don't even know what to do. You came to try to help and figure out, okay, what's next now? And, I mean, it's just too big. It looked to me like a lake that we've seen for many years and my friends that live there have seen for their entire lives and then their families' lives before that turned into something that looked like probably a bit of a dump to anyone just looking at it.

But when you put your eyes on it, it's these massive things that are out there, and there's so many of them. They seem small. And it's almost imagining one when it was moving. It was a blender that was just taking out anything in its path, absolutely anything. And now that it's there and you try to start fathoming what a cleanup and a recovery looks like, I mean, we, you know, we've seen have been parts of small recoveries and things like that, this is going to take years and years and years to even get to a place that's solvable.

ACOSTA: Yes, it is just mind boggling to look at. Councilman, thank you for joining us on the line.

We've got to jump ahead to a press conference that's happening right now with the Georgia governor, Brian Kemp. He also is talking about the destruction in the southeast. Keep in mind, this is spread across multiple states in this part of the country. Here's governor of Georgia.

GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): There are a couple of things on the way of an update. Number one is Marty and I have flown not only in Valdosta, but flying down over McDuffie, Columbia and Richmond County today. Literally, this hurricane, it looks like a 250-mile wide tornado has hit. The thing that's unusual about this storm is unprecedented for a Cat 2 hurricane to actually make landfall in Georgia and to see the level of destruction that a hurricane could do in this community being this far from Lowndes County or Eccles County in the Florida line is unprecedented.

We have -- I would just like to say our thoughts and prayers continue to be with all these Georgians that have lost their life, their families and our local community, so many of our fellow citizens that are struggling out there.

[10:25:08]

We know people are frustrated. We know they are tired. We know that they need power back on, need resources, and we are working 24/7 to deliver that. And you'll hear that from Director Stallings and General Wilson here in just a minute.

Also, I want you to know that today, the Georgia Supreme Court is going to issue a statewide judicial emergency for 30 days for those that are unable to fulfill a timeline due to the storm. Chief Justice Boggs, will be putting some information out on that, and just wanted to make sure this community knew that.

I spoke to President Biden last night about 5:00 just about the storm, about the devastation we've seen in our state. Vice President Harris and I have been playing phone tag. I know that former President Trump will be in Valdosta today getting a briefing from our folks, but also hearing from the locals in regards to storm response.

I know Senator Warnock is here today. Senator Ossoff was in Valdosta on Saturday when we were there. Obviously, we've been in communications with Congressman Rick Allen and Congressman Austin Scott was with us yesterday. Just know that we will work in a bipartisan way on disaster relief in this state with our federal, state and local partners.

We have submitted our expedited emergency declaration --

ACOSTA: All right. That's Georgia Governor Brian Kemp holding a news conference in Augusta, Georgia. I mean, we should keep in mind, and we'll note this to our viewers here, when you see news conferences from governors in places like Augusta, when we're talking to mayors in places like Asheville, North Carolina, these hurricanes and the impacts that they have, not just happening on the coast anymore, but happening hundreds of miles away from those coasts in different parts of the country.

Look at Chimney Rock, North Carolina, that roadway just washed out by the remnants of Hurricane Helene. the governor of Georgia just saying a few moments ago, all of the destruction they're dealing with in that state so far away from the coast, this is a problem not just for the coastlines but for the interior of the United States when these kinds of powerful storms come ashore.

We're moments away from an update from President Biden on the federal response to Helene as millions across several states are trying to figure out what's next. Stay with us.

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