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CNN International: Milton To Hit Florida As Extremely Dangerous Major Hurricane; Florida Braces For Milton's Disastrous Impact; IDF: More Than 100 Rockets Fired At Haifa, Galilee Area. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired October 08, 2024 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
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RAHEL SOLOMON, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Good morning or good evening, depending on where you're watching. I'm Rahel Solomon live in New York.
Ahead on CNN Newsroom, if you choose to stay, you're going to die, that dire evacuation warning from Tampa's Mayor, as Florida prepares for the strongest storm this year. Plus, just 28 days until the U.S. presidential election, how the candidates are ramping up their campaigns. And the social media company TikTok facing backlash again. U.S. attorneys general are suing the company for what they say is harm to children's mental health.
But, we begin with Hurricane Milton. As the storm approaches Florida, we are seeing a mass exodus along the state's Gulf Coast. Governor Ron DeSantis says that the state has 34 search and rescue aircraft on hand, and that 8,000 National Guard members will be activated before landfall, which is expected right now to be late Wednesday. Milton's arrival comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene, which walloped Florida's Big Bend area, which is in the northern part of the state. We know that at least 20 people in Florida died from Helene's impact.
Let's get straight to the ground and go to CNN's Carlos Suarez, who joins us live from the coast, from Fort Myers, Florida. We can see it appears dry there right now. Carlos, give us a sense of what the situation is.
CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rahel, good morning. So, the folks that live in Fort Myers, Florida are preparing for Hurricane Milton. This part of Southwest Florida is no stranger to powerful hurricanes. In fact, two years ago, Hurricane Ian destroyed a good portion of Southwest Florida, including in Lee County, which is where we are right now. And so, keeping that storm in mind, the folks out here have been preparing for Milton.
To give you a sense of where their mind is right now, you can see, obviously, they've got their sandbags laid out, out here. But, we're told that during Hurricane Ian, about four feet of water flooded this part of Downtown Fort Myers. So, of course, the expectation is, with this storm at about six to 10 feet of a storm surge, the water level is probably going to be a lot higher than this here. This part of Downtown Fort Myers is also just on the other side of the Caloosahatchee River, which is a pretty important river that connects out into the Gulf of Mexico as well as Lake Okeechobee.
And so, as the storm continues its path towards the Tampa, Tampa Bay area, and all of that water gets pushed in, the concern is that the Caloosahatchee River, as has done in the past, is going to rise. It is going to flood. It's going to crest. And then all of that water is going to get pushed into this part of Downtown Fort Myers.
And so, to give you a sense of what folks are doing out here right now, you can see they're gathered around, trying to make some last- minute preparations, all in an effort to try to be as good of a position to weather this storm. Right now, if the path holds, of course, landfall is going to be to the north of here. And so, flooding really is the biggest concern. Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for parts of Fort Myers Beach, which was destroyed by Hurricane Ian, and a mandatory evacuation is already underway in Sanibel, another part of Lee County that was also just hit incredibly hard by Hurricane Ian. Rahel.
SOLOMON: And Carlos, we know for those people who are under those evacuation orders, they're on the road. They're trying to get to safer ground, and there have been some reports of fuel shortages, of gasoline shortages. What can you tell us about that?
SUAREZ: That's exactly right. So, we're talking about hundreds of thousands of people across the western coast of Florida that have been told that they need to seek higher ground. And so, as you can imagine, that's led to a great number of folks trying to get onto interstates and trying to get out. That has led to, what we're being told are, some gas shortages. It is a problem that is significant enough that the Governor Ron DeSantis earlier today said that in an effort to try to maintain that supply, the state of Florida is tapping into its reserves to try to get some of these shipments out.
One other point of concern is the Port of Tampa. With the storm expected to make a direct landfall in the Tampa Bay area, that port is no doubt going to be damaged, and that port is one of a couple in Florida that really serves as the main vehicle by which gas comes into Florida. And so, with the Port of Tampa being out of play, with hundreds of thousands of people hitting the road, and everyone trying to have a full tank of gas in preparation of the storm, you can understand, you can grasp just how much of a situation we have on our hands when it comes to gas. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. The impact that may last days, if not weeks, even after the storm ultimately passes.
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Carlos Suarez, be safe. Thank you.
Let me now bring in Senior White House Reporter Kevin Liptak, who is joining us live from Washington. Kevin, the President postponing an international trip because of the storm. This was apparently very recent, this sort of development. What more has he said, and what more do we know?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yeah. Officials had been watching this pretty closely over the last couple of days, but they just made the decision this morning to pull down the President's trip that he was scheduled to depart on, on Thursday to Germany and Angola and Africa. Clearly, the scale of this storm lending some credence to that decision, the officials saying that the President would be needed here in the United States to monitor the recovery and preparation efforts for Milton, but also to keep tabs on the rescue efforts following Hurricane Helene last week. Essentially, it just wasn't a good time for the President to go overseas.
Of course, they're also looking at the politics of all of this and recognizing that the President going abroad just as this hurricane was making landfall was just really not a tenable option for them, particularly when you already have President Trump saying that Biden and Vice President Harris are absent from the recovery efforts, which is false, but certainly they didn't want to provide any kind of window into that sort of criticism. And so, the President will be remaining here in the U.S.
He is receiving a briefing right now about the hurricane preparations for Milton, but also the recovery efforts for Helene, and we should see him sort of in the next couple of minutes talking about those efforts. His goal right now is to make sure that enough aid is pre- positioned in Florida where this hurricane is set to make landfall. That includes meals, bottles of water, but also personnel. And what you hear from the administration is that there are already hundreds of people in Florida who are there to help with the recovery efforts for Helene, who will now pivot to turn towards preparation efforts for Milton.
The other thing that President Biden is very focused on is this issue of disinformation, and you hear it coming from Trump but also on social media from the right, from accounts claiming that the, for instance, the federal government is not involved in the recovery efforts, or that people who are suffering from the storm can only get limited amounts of money from FEMA. That has caused some real, real concern inside the administration, that it will dissuade people who are entitled to these relief efforts from applying for it. And so, I wouldn't be surprised if we heard some of that from President Biden as well, trying to rebut some of that disinformation that has been swirling in the wake of these storms.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Even FEMA officials saying that it's been really discouraging, I think demoralizing was the word, in fact, we heard for FEMA workers who are working to try to actively get some of this aid out to the folks who need it.
Kevin Liptak, thank you.
I should say to our viewers, once we hear from the President, we will bring you his remarks just as soon as we hear it.
In the meantime, let's turn now to CNN Meteorologist Derek van Dam, who is tracking Milton's path there. What can you tell us, both in terms of the latest on its strength and also its expected landfall?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So, Rahel, we just got the 11:00 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center. We were looking for some vital information coming out of that. Few things to note, it is a stronger hurricane, but still a Category 4 and a powerful one of that. It has slowed down its forward speed just by a few miles per hour. So, that does have snowball effects on the anticipated arrival time of the storm. We'll talk about that in just one moment.
There it is, east-northeast, that dreaded northeasterly turn, which puts it on a trajectory towards the west-central coastline of Florida, the Gulf coastline, which, by the way, they have hurricane warnings extended from the Gulf Coast all the way to the Atlantic coastline. So, this is not just a coastal storm. Remember, this will sweep across Florida, cause significant impacts into the interior of the state as well. Tropical storm warnings across Key West, even into Miami, Category 4 now.
I want you to pay close attention to the trajectory of this storm. Where is it going? We anticipate the landfall late Wednesday into Thursday morning. This is important, because as that timeframe gets adjusted, that's going to make some -- whether or not this is an overnight landfall or an early morning daylight landfall to be determined. By the way, just saw that the Bahamas actually issued a tropical storm warning. So, that is new, some of this newest information being plotted in real time. So, you might see the graphics change and update as they do so.
But, this trajectory really concerns me because, as opposed to Helene, which ran parallel to the coastline, driving up the surge from its offshore location, this is going to run more of a perpendicular approach to the Florida Peninsula, and that's going to allow it to realize its full potential as it reaches the coastline, regardless of if it's a major hurricane, Category 4, even a Category 3. If we're working our way even into lower wind speeds, it will still have a similar impact to a Category 4, namely because it's going to expand its wind field.
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So, it will double the size that it is currently now before it makes landfall into the U.S. state of Florida. So, 10 to 15 feet of storm surge, that is going to be realized on the right front quadrant of where that hurricane makes landfall. That is the most dangerous part of the storm, we know it, and that's why anywhere in that shading of pink could see that, and that includes Tampa Bay. So, we're concerned about that. Rainfall threat on the inland part of the -- of Florida is going to work against the surge, and the water will come up in those rivers and inlets as well.
Rahel, I'll leave you with this. This is real time information from the National Hurricane Center, NOAA's Hurricane Hunters, whose sole mission is to fly into the center of the storm, gather critical data so we can ingest it here at home and provide the latest information to you as you watch us, and this is just an image of their onboard radar that they have flying directly into the eye of powerful Category 4 Hurricane Milton. Rahel.
SOLOMON: All right. A lot to watch. Derek Van Dam, thank you. We'll see you soon.
Well, Israel says that it is expanding its ground operations into southwestern Lebanon, even as the top Hezbollah official publicly endorses efforts to agree on a ceasefire for the first time in this war. New drone footage shows the extent of the destruction in the south after repeated Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets. Israel's Defense Minister says that Hezbollah is now an organization without a head. Yoav Gallant says that the IDF believes that it has killed Hassan Nasrallah's apparent successor, saying, quote, "There is no one to make decisions. No one to act. Yet, rocket fire at Israel from Lebanon continues." Israel says that more than 100 rockets were fired today at Haifa in the Galilee area.
Let's bring in our Jomana Karadsheh in Beirut. Jomana, talk to us a little bit about Israel continuing to expand in the south of Lebanon. What do we know about the IDF's operations there?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rahel, the Israeli military says that it is expanding its operations into southwestern Lebanon, still describing these ground operations as limited and targeted operations, today announcing that the 146 Division, the first reserve division, to be taking part in these operations. And what we had heard from our sources up until today is that what they had been seeing is these limited incursions, these sporadic raids, as they were describing it, with Israeli forces crossing the border, carrying out these operations and crossing back into Israel. Now, we'll have to wait and see if that is changing. But, as we understand it, it seems up until now they have been facing some stiff resistance.
And as you mentioned there, also Hezbollah today launching one of its largest attacks against Israel, a massive barrage of rockets, more than 100 projectiles that were fired targeting the city of Haifa and the Upper Galilee. Now, most of these projectiles were intercepted, but there were a couple of direct impacts. And when you've got all this going on, when you look at both sides really intensifying their attacks and their operations, this leaves the civilians, especially in southern Lebanon, where this battle is really focused, feeling so uncertain about their future. We're talking about hundreds of thousands of people who have had to flee their homes, and in recent days, more than 100 villages ordered to evacuate by the Israeli military.
And day after day, we are seeing these warnings coming from the IDF, telling people not to return to the south, not to return to their hometowns until further notice. And people that we have spoken to feel that they are the ones who are bearing the brunt of this war.
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KARADSHEH (voice-over): Serene and picturesque, it's what Alma El Chaeb (ph) once was. Today, much of this Lebanese border village lies in ruins. The destruction is horrific, says Hannazarob (ph), homes in Alma El Chaeb are destroyed, completely devastated by strikes. The face of the entire area has changed. He says war hit his village long before most were paying attention.
It began on October 8th when Hezbollah launched attacks against Israel under the banner of solidarity with Gaza, sparking a year of tit-for- tat cross-border attacks. Homes in Alma El Chaeb were destroyed. Almost its entire population, including local official, Zarab (ph), was forced to flee. The border conflict has now expanded to all-out war. The last 10 days, no one can imagine the level of brutality, Hanna (ph) says.
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They began using different weapons against the village whenever there is an airstrike. Now, it destroys a whole neighborhood, five to six homes destroyed at the same time. Hanna thought, like previous wars, the Christian village would be spared the worst of the violence. He believes its strategic position right on the border overlooking Israel has turned it this time into a battlefield for both sides and its people are paying the price, like 90-year-old Um Jamil (ph). She was too old to leave, killed late last month in an Israeli strike on her home. Hanna, like many of his generation, has seen every war in Lebanon since the 1970s. He says the Israeli onslaught in recent weeks is like nothing he'd seen before. He doesn't name Hezbollah, but he questions those who started this war.
Was that banner of solidarity with Gaza worth all the pain, destruction and displacement, he asks. Now, we talk about help for Lebanon and have forgotten that solidarity. Hanna and his wife Sohad (ph) show us what's left of the neighborhood where they grew up. When these homes were hit, I felt like a part of my childhood is gone, Sohad says. The memories are gone. It was all erased in an instant. The pain is unbearable. It hurts so much.
Alma El Chaeb is now a ghost town. The last of its residents have now fled their livelihood, these agricultural lands, olive trees gone. The big question is, will we ever return to our homes? Will we ever go back to our village, Hanna says. Will we rebuild it again, and who will rebuild it? If this had stopped 10 days ago, maybe, but now, with this level of destruction and devastation, war has spread far beyond their small village, home now the mountains above Beirut, what will become of their village and their country has never been so uncertain.
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KARADSHEH: And Rahel, we want to show viewers this drone video that has emerged on social media this week, and it has been verified by CNN. This is the village of Yaroun. It is right on the Israeli border. It is a mixed Shiite Christian village, and this the large scale destruction and devastation that you are seeing in that drone footage, is what a year of this cross-border conflict that has now turned into this all-out war has done to this one village. And this is shocking for so many in Lebanon who look at this and they've been saying that this is their worst fear, that their towns and villages would be turned into another Gaza. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. That vantage point certainly illuminating. Jomana Karadsheh, thank you, Jomana. An unrecognizable sea of rubble, that's what the UN calls Gaza, after
a devastating year of war. The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees says that displacement, disease, hunger and death have become the daily norm for people there. It caused Gaza a graveyard for tens of thousands of people. The Israeli attacks continue to add to the death toll. We do want to warn you that the video we are about to show you is disturbing. Authorities in central Gaza say that an airstrike on a refugee camp killed at least 30 people. Israel said that its troops are eliminating terrorists, but children are among the dead.
Our Nada Bashir takes a closer look now at the impact of this war on the most innocent of victims, and again, a strong warning that the content is extremely disturbing.
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NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Where is the world? Look at this, this man shouts, beside him, two young boys wounded in an Israeli strike, left bleeding out on the cold tiles of the hospital floor, a scene of chaos and anguish that has played out day after day in Gaza, now for an entire year. These are all civilians, this father says. Look at this child. Does he look like a fighter to you?
Across the ward, this little girl is left shaking and calling out for her parents, outside, another unbearably familiar scene, the body of a limp child being rushed into the already overrun hospital. This little girl is three-year-old Hanan (ph). She was pulled from the rubble of her now destroyed home in central Gaza. Her injuries are so severe that we've had to blur part of this footage. Against all odds, doctors were able to save Hanan's life, but they had no choice but to amputate both her legs. Hanan's one-year-old sister, Mysk (ph), was also severely injured.
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Like her sister and so many other children in Gaza, she too has had to undergo an amputation, both now robbed of their ability to play like they used to, and in many ways, their innocence too. Mama, she calls out. Mysk is too young to know that her mother, Shaymah (ph), has been killed. Relatives say it's unclear whether their father, who is still in intensive care, will survive. I don't know how Hanan will continue with her life, without legs, without her mother, with all the pain that she has suffered, Hanan's aunt says. In the ruin of what once was Hanan and Mysk's home, survivors comb through bloody debris, gathering fragments of flesh and bone with their bare hands, many were killed and injured in the blast, Fuhad (ph) says. The majority of them were women and children. The whole place has been destroyed.
In just one year, more than 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed. Among them, over 16,000 children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The data is staggering, and has even led the UN's chief to describe Gaza as a graveyard for children. As Israel's blockade on Gaza continues and as famine now advances across the strip, the UN has warned that more than 8,000 children have already been diagnosed and treated for acute malnutrition. Medical supplies are also scarce, posing a huge challenge to doctors operating under the most difficult of circumstances, with thousands of children injured and having to undergo amputations, in some cases, even without anesthesia.
The reality on the ground is hard to ignore, and yet, a year on, the people of Gaza are still begging for the world to take notice and to take action. For Gaza's children, an entire generation has already been lost to the brutality of a war they had no part in.
Nada Bashir, CNN, London.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. U.S. President Joe Biden has just been speaking about how the country is preparing for Hurricane Milton. Let's hear what he said.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Thanks for your patience. As you know, I put out a statement this morning. I'm canceling my trip to Germany and Africa. I'm going to try to work those out later. But, I just don't think I can be out of the country at this time, number one. And number two, we were going to stay focused on what's ahead of us right now.
[11:25:00]
I've been briefed by senior leaders of this administration, and we're driving our preparedness for Hurricane Milton, which could be one of the worst storms in 100 years in Florida, and continued efforts on Hurricane Helene. I directed this team to do everything it can to save lives and our communities, help our communities before, during and after these extreme weather events. And that's being done. That's being done.
I've spoken to all the political leaders in the region, some of whom more than once, and they -- I've told them anything they ask for they can get. We've given and we've got an overwhelming response, positive response from everyone from the governors of Florida up to North Carolina and mayors, leaders, local have expressed their sincere gratitude for the work of FEMA and for the work of my entire administration.
I've also surged thousands of federal personnel on the ground across the southeast already and deliver every available resource as fast as possible. And my priority is to increase the size and presence of our effort, and as we prepare for another catastrophic storm about to make landfall. It's been a -- I've been in constant contact with our Director of the National Weather Service, Ken Graham. He has kept me informed the last several days what to anticipate. You never know until it happens. But, they're very, very engaged. He made clear to me just how dangerous this storm is, indicating that winds had reached up to 180 miles an hour, 180. That's not guaranteed, because it hit the shore at 180 miles, but they've reached up to 180 miles an hour, and a possible storm surge as it hits the coast of Florida of 15 feet, which can be devastating. The current path of the storm inflicted Tampa Bay Area and cut
directly across the state, east to west, all the way across the state, with the potential for this storm to both enter Florida as a hurricane and leave Florida as a hurricane on the Atlantic Coast. This could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over a century, and God willing, it won't be, but that's what it's looking like right now.
I immediately approved the pre-landfall emergency declarations in Florida. It's the second one in a week -- second time in a week, and there have been two before that, by the way. And I sent FEMA Administrator Criswell down to Florida yesterday to work intensively with the state and local partners, as we prepare to deploy more resources. They continue that work between Florida and North Carolina in the coming days. I'm calling on the airlines and other companies to provide much service as possible to accommodate evacuations and not to engage in price gouging, to just do it on the level.
And last night, I spoke again with the Governor of Florida, DeSantis, and Tampa Mayor Castro -- I mean, Castor, and I made it clear to them, they should reach out, including to me, directly with everything else they may need as they see this storm hit. And I gave them my personal number to contact me here in the White House. Most importantly, I've urged everyone, everyone currently located in Hurricane Milton's path to listen to local officials and follow safety instructions. You all have been reporting on the highways, shoulders being opened. Everybody is heading out, and if you're under evacuation orders, you should evacuate now, now, now. You should have already evacuated. It's a matter of life and death, and that's not hyperbole. It's a matter of life and death.
So, let me add that FEMA has provided 300 ambulances, moved people who can't move themselves out of healthcare facilities. And while we prepare for Hurricane Milton, we're still surging resources in North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee, to respond to Hurricane Elena. And it's real. The impact is still there. And we're going to leave -- we're not going to leave until the job is done. It's going to take time. And before it's over, it's going to take tens of billions of dollars to get it done. And Kamala and I are keeping all of you in our prayers. There is a lot of people.
The good news is, just before we called you in, I received information that a number of missing persons has been significantly reduced, lost from the first hurricane, but we'll have more information on that later. So, that's the situation, and we're not going to leave until the job is finished. It could take a while.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, what's the risk of political figures sharing misinformation during this time?
BIDEN: The past is prologue is real.
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But, the fact of the matter is, I think we have -- I've been able to contact all the governors. They are sticking up for what they've asked for. They're pointing out that they're satisfied with everything they're getting. But, I can't speak for others on the internet. I mean, just look, those who do it do it to try to damage the administration. Well, that's -- we can take care of ourselves, but it misleads people. It puts people in circumstances where they panic, where they are really, really, really worried, and think now we're not being taken care of, and it really is -- it's going to sound using old phrases, unAmerican. It really is.
People are scared to death. People know that their lives are at stake, all that they've worked for, all they own, all that they value, and it's just -- it's -- it's just -- anyway.
(CROSSTALK)
BIDEN: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I've plenty of time to talk about and go -- I still plan on going to Africa. I've plenty of time to talk about what's going on in Latin America and South America in terms of Amazon. And I'm going to be talking today with my friend, the Chancellor of Germany, and we're going to try to work that out. We've already contacted all these people. OK? But, I'm going to be on the phone today. I'm heading shortly -- when I get up from here, I'm heading out to Wisconsin, to Milwaukee and -- but I think we can -- I still plan on visiting all the places I said I'd be, and all the conferences I said I'll participate.
(CROSSTALK)
BIDEN: The governor of Florida has been cooperative. He said he has gotten all that he needs. I talked to him again yesterday, and I said, whatever -- I said, no, you're doing a great job. It's being -- all being done well. We thank you for it. And I literally gave my personal phone number to call. So, I don't know there was a rough start in some places, but every governor, every governor from Florida to North Carolina, has been fully cooperative and supportive and acknowledged what this team is doing, and they're doing an incredible job. We got a lot more to do.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And thank you very much.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Thank you. Thanks, everyone.
SOLOMON: All right. We've just been listening to President Joe Biden there addressing Hurricane Milton. He canceled an international trip to Angola and Germany in order to stay in the U.S., in order to address and prepare for Milton, but also deal with the continued fallout from Hurricane Helene. What you heard him there responding to at the end there is misinformation about relief funds that we have heard as of late from Donald Trump sort of addressing some of those.
We have also heard Kamala Harris address some of those, and also the head of the FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, joining in those criticisms of Donald Trump's and his recent attacks on Kamala Harris. Trump has said that, repeatedly, that Harris stole FEMA funds that should have been used for hurricane victims, a claim that the head of FEMA, Deanne Criswell, has dismissed as completely false.
Let me bring in Alayna Treene, who is live in Washington with more on the Trump campaign. Alayna, talk to us a little bit more about what the reaction has been to Trump's comments on the response. We just heard Biden there say, listen, this is an attack on the administration. We can handle ourselves, but it's really the people who need this relief funding that it scares. Talk to us about the reaction.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, that's exactly right. We're hearing from local officials on the ground, whether they're Republican leaders or Democratic leaders in these different states that have been impacted both by Hurricane Helene, but are also preparing for Hurricane Milton, that you need to leave politics out of this, and particularly because I think, at best, some of this misinformation out there is a distraction, but at worst, it could really be impacting these people who need these resources, who may be confused on what resources are available to them, and really need help from the federal government.
Now, one claim Donald Trump has made is that the Biden administration and FEMA are only giving people who have been impacted by the hurricanes $750. We know that it is not true. They have way more that could be available to them, that is kind of a starter.
[11:35:00]
So, that's one thing. He has also claimed that the Biden administration and Democratic leaders are perhaps being biased toward Republican -- Republicans in Republican-run states, or, excuse me, Republican voters in Democratic-run states, again, totally unsubstantiated claims. But, I will also say, we've seen the Paris campaign as well politicize this. Yesterday, they released an ad late last night, going after Donald Trump's handling of natural disasters while he wasn't President, and they aired an ad that showed two former Trump administration officials claiming that Trump, while in office, had suggested withholding disaster relief from Democratic-run states.
So, we're really seeing what's happening right now with these storms be politicized, and this is something, again, that many leaders and people on the ground are saying, do not -- do -- we're also hearing Donald Trump and Kamala Harris both saying they do not want to politicize this, but we are seeing them both lob attacks at the other, and I think obviously, I mean, we are 28 days to the election. Everything is political right now. But, this is something that people who have been impacted by these hurricanes are saying, please leave us out of this. Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Look, it's a fair point. With just weeks until the election, everything is political. But, again, you think about the folks who are at the center of this, who matter the most.
Alayna Treene, thank you so much.
And coming up for us, bracing for another disaster. In just a moment, I'm going to speak with the Florida sheriff, who says that the impact will be catastrophic when Hurricane Milton comes ashore. We're going to have details ahead on the evacuation efforts in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLOMON: Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rahel Solomon, live in New York.
Hurricane Milton is currently a Category 4 hurricane. The storm is forecast to make landfall late Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane on Florida's Gulf Coast. This comes less than two weeks, though, since Hurricane Helene walloped Florida's Big Bend area in the northern part of the state.
My next guest is a Florida sheriff who is expecting, quote, "catastrophic loss when Hurricane Milton hits". Joining me now is Chad Chronister from Hillsborough County. Sheriff, good to have you. I just want to put this in perspective for our viewers, Hillsborough sort of encompasses Tampa, which may be the worst hit when Milton actually makes landfall. What is your biggest concern at this moment?
SHERIFF CHAD CHRONISTER, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA: Well, same as last time, the storm surge, now 10 to 15 feet, coupled with 130 mile per hour winds, five to 10 inches of rain in already heavily saturated areas.
[11:40:00]
You have to be concerned with flash flooding. We lost more individuals here in Hillsborough County in the Tampa Bay area than where the storm actually hit because of storm surge.
SOLOMON: I listened to the press conference a short time ago that you guys all provided, and you said something that I thought was interesting. The only benefit of a storm slowing down is that it gives everyone time to get prepared. Sheriff, does it appear that people have heeded the warnings that they are prepared, that they are evacuating? What are you seeing?
CHRONISTER: Listen, I stand here talking to you very proud, because yesterday, when we initiated the two evacuation orders, we started seeing the traffic. We started seeing the long lines at gas stations and long line at the grocery stores and supply stores. We went up in the helicopters. We even worked with the Highway Patrol and opened up an emergency lane, and today are discussing opening up the shoulder of the road to make sure that we're providing every opportunity for those individuals that want to leave, get their families someplace safe that they're able and afforded the opportunity to do so.
SOLOMON: And what is the status of gas? I mean, we had a reporter a bit earlier that talked to us a little bit about at least among some of these gas stations that are along the main interstates, as people are trying to get to safer ground. There are reports of shortages. What can you tell us about that?
CHRONISTER: There are. There are shortages because everyone is getting gas at the same time, but the port here in Tampa is open. We're helping the trucks get in and out to make sure that they can get to the destinations. We're even working and providing police escorts to get these -- this fuel to the individual that need it the most. It's just -- it's difficult trying to keep up with the demand.
SOLOMON: With just a day left, just hours left for people to prepare, if they haven't already, how many days should they be preparing for to stay inside?
CHRONISTER: We recommend at least seven. I think the difference in this storm is, during Hurricane Helene, the winds never went over 40 miles an hour. So, we were able to provide our services throughout the night, the over 1,000 rescues that we conducted. This is going to be different. This isn't going to be a storm that comes through, and the next day, we're out restoring power, and by the weekend, we're able to go out for family dinner with our loved ones. This is going to be different. With the catastrophic effects that we're going to feel from this storm, we're going to even take it. We're going to need even more time to heal and recover from this.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And as folks are preparing, whether they're going to stay with family, whether they're going to stay with friends, maybe perhaps one of the nine shelters that I believe you guys have opened in the county, emergency management is sort of gearing into action. How are you spending the rest of your day? How are you preparing? And what do the days ahead look like for you and your staff?
CHRONISTER: It's all hands on deck here. All 4,000 of us are being diligent, placing and strategically placing our equipment, our amphibious vehicles, our off-road vehicles, high water vehicles, our marine assets, placing them in and along with deputies in a safe place to where, when this storm passes, we can spring into action. We can make sure our chainsaw teams are out there on the roadways, clearing the roadways for utility trucks that will be coming to get to that power restored that much quicker, emergency vehicles, search and rescue. It'll, again, be all hands on deck.
Right now, we're busy. We're providing security at the shelters. We're helping with evacuation and in those evacuation areas, you can imagine the large, overt presence that we're having there. We're asking people to leave all their belongings behind, take their loved ones and leave. We keep telling them, listen, we'll keep an eye on your belongings. We'll safeguard your house as long as we can until it's unsafe to do so. You just take care of your families.
SOLOMON: Yeah. Sheriff Chad Chronister, I'm sure the days ahead and the weeks ahead will be difficult. We appreciate your time today. Thank you.
CHRONISTER: Thank you. Stay safe.
SOLOMON: You too. And the process of recovering after the last U.S. hurricane just a few weeks ago, Hurricane Helene, well, that still remains difficult for people in many communities, particularly in relatively isolated mountain areas of North Carolina.
CNN's Miguel Marquez spoke to some of the people waiting for help and found out what it takes for that help to reach them. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Cane River, on the way to Bloody Fork, North Carolina.
DIANA MERZ, STORM SURVIVOR IN BLOODY FORK, NORTH CAROLINA: I'm not leaving unless I have to, if our health doesn't hold up or if the help stops coming.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Diana Merz and her husband, William, both in their 70s, rode out the storm. More than a week later, Diana sits on her front porch with her gun ready for anything or anyone.
MARQUEZ: And what has the last week been like?
MERZ: Just absolutely unfathomable. I mean, you couldn't imagine how high the water came and what we saw going down the river, you know. One of the graveyards up the river here was compromised and it was casket after casket going down. That house came right off the foundation without making a sound. Down the river it went. A trailer came down. I didn't actually see it, but I heard there were people in it. They could not get out.
MARQUEZ: You sound a little traumatized by all of us.
MERZ: I think we probably all are traumatized.
[11:45:00]
It's -- it doesn't seem real.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Their house, a bit higher than others, survived. Their neighbors, not so lucky.
MARQUEZ: So, what I'm standing on is what's left of the driveway of the Merz's home. The road that went along here was down here, it is completely gone. That empty lot across the river, that was their neighbors'. That was their house that stood there before. You could see those cement abutments along the riverbanks. That was a bridge that went across. It is gone. But, those people were able to get across to the Merz's home before the flood completely took their home.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Cadaver dogs now sweeping this area of the river. The hope of finding anyone alive, faded.
MERZ: It is a catastrophe beyond belief. I mean, I'm sure they've seen Katrina and Sandy and this is on a par with those, if not worse because the communities are so isolated and there is nowhere for these people to go.
ELI RODRIGUEZ, HIKING IN TO HELP NEIGHBORS: We're just trying to fill whatever needs they need.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): For now, neighbor helping neighbor, the only communications, word of mouth. RODRIGUEZ: This past week, we've been just looking for people, searching, and getting them food and water the day after. Now, I think those needs are met.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: All right. Our thanks to Miguel Marquez there.
The social media giant TikTok is being sued. Coming up, what some U.S. states are saying about the company and the harm that it's doing to kids. We'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. Attorneys general across the U.S. are suing TikTok, accusing the social media company of deliberately getting kids addicted to its platform. The complaint filed by the state of New York says that evidence shows addictive social media are driving a mental health crisis among young people with record levels of depression, eating disorders and suicide. In 2021 the U.S. Surgeon General called on tech companies to, quote, "step up and take responsibility."
For more, let's bring in CNN's Clare Duffy, who joins us from New York. So, Clare, talk to us about the allegations in these lawsuits.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yeah. Rahel, these 14 bipartisan state attorneys general have made a variety of claims about TikTok's business practices and features that they say are harmful to children's mental health. They include things like the endlessly scrolling feed that they say keeps teens scrolling to try to see what the next video is going to be, things like late-night push notifications that they say can interrupt children's sleep. They also take issue and say that TikTok has not done enough to address what are called TikTok challenges, these viral video trends where teens try to recreate videos created by other users, and sometimes they include dangerous behavior.
Rahel, you may remember, earlier this year, a New York teenager died while he was subway surfing, riding outside of the subway, and this complaint alleges that his mother found TikTok videos on his feet after his death, promoting subway surfing. And this, of course, is not the -- is just the latest example of these kinds of claims against the company.
[11:50:00]
The company is also facing a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice, which claims that TikTok has violated children's privacy, various other state actions that make similar claims. And so, TikTok is continuing to having -- to have to defend against these claims that it is not safe enough for young users.
SOLOMON: Yeah. And in addition to all of that, Clare, you think about the congressional testimony, the congressional hearing, I don't know, March of 2023, which I know you covered quite extensively. So, how is TikTok responding? They're obviously not new to these allegations. What are they saying?
DUFFY: TikTok has repeatedly, again, pushed back against these kinds of claims that it's not safe for young users. A spokesperson told me in a statement today that it "Strongly disagrees with these claims in the latest lawsuit, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading. We're proud of and remain deeply committed to the work we've done to protect teens and we will continue to update and improve our product. We provide robust safeguards, proactively remove suspected underage users, and have voluntarily launched safety features." Some of those safety features are things like a screen time limit for young users and parental oversight tools. But, these state attorneys general say that's not enough, Rahel.
SOLOMON: OK. We will see. Clare Duffy, thank you.
And this year's Nobel Prize for Physics has been awarded to two computer scientists for their work on machine learning. John Hopfield at Princeton University and Geoffrey Hinton at the University of Toronto were both honored for laying the foundations for the technology that powers many of today's artificial intelligence products. Hinton, nicknamed by some, the godfather of artificial intelligence, well, he said he was flabbergasted to receive the prize, and while he predicted that AI could bring valuable benefits in areas such as healthcare, he also cautioned that there could be dangerous consequences and that humanity had to ensure AI does not get out of control.
Well, in a few minutes, a koala appears to be making a run from police, a slow run. Coming up, see what it did just so that it could get away. We'll be right back.
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SOLOMON: Welcome back. Spirit Halloween will be going away when the spooky season is over. This year, the popular Halloween pop-up stores will transform some locations into Christmas stores. Makes sense. 10 stores, primarily in the U.S. northeast, will be stocked with winter- themed gifts, decorations and inflatables. Spirit Halloween opened a record 1,500 stores in the U.S. and Canada this year.
And a scary sight for one homeowner in Washington State. She called the sheriff's office last week because her home was apparently surrounded by about 100 raccoons. As you can see here, they were pretty much everywhere. CNN affiliate KING reports that the woman has been feeding raccoons for more than 30 years, but says that the number showing up for free handouts, that recently exploded. The sheriff's deputies told the woman to contact the animal control for help removing the raccoons, and they said this is a really good reminder to everyone, don't feed the wild animals.
[11:55:00]
Wow.
Before we go, one more thing. A koala was seen making its way onto a train platform in Sydney, Australia. So, you see here the koala, this is on CCTV, just roaming through the station, some of them climbing the stairs, checking out the elevators. Well, an alert was issued to trains in the area, warning them to slow down. Clearly, passer-by enjoyed the view. Well, a low speed chase with police then did end up ensuing with the koala jumping the fence into the bush, landing on the other side. So, the koala got away.
Well, we know your time is money. So, thank you for spending some time with me today. I'm Rahel Solomon, live in New York. Stick with CNN. One World is coming up next.
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