Return to Transcripts main page

CNN This Morning

Idalia Now A Powerful Category 4 Hurricane. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired August 30, 2023 - 05:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:31:31]

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, where we are following breaking news. This hour, Hurricane Idalia is now a powerful Category 4 storm with winds at least 130 miles per hour. That has been a rapid intensification over the course of the last several hours. Just in the last hour named a Category 4 -- identified as a Category 4 storm.

And to give you some context for what that means and what it could mean going forward, the National Hurricane Center, which is giving those forecasts and labeled it the Category 4 storm based on those 130- mile-an-hour winds, says it could be going stronger as it continues to approach Florida's Gulf Coast.

Now, the storm is advancing even faster in the last hour, moving 18 miles per hour as it approaches the Big Bend region of Florida. Idalia is now 60 miles from Cedar Key, Florida. The eye of the storm is expected to hit Florida's Big Bend region this morning resulting in potentially catastrophic flooding with a storm surge and very destructive winds.

Now, more than 53,000 Floridians are already without power. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will give a briefing from Tallahassee in the next hour.

I want to bring in Derek Van Dam. I also want to bring in Sara Sidner as well.

Sara, you, when we just left you, had been going from calm to pretty intense to calm again. And I'm seeing Derek's picture as well right now where he's been seeing rapid intensification. Sara, what are you seeing right now?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR, SENIOR NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look, the winds have picked up again. But again, like you said, just a few minutes ago we were being hit with pelting rain and with heavy rains, and then it dies down. And that is because this comes in waves -- it comes in bands if you will. Band after band starts coming on shore. And that is also this huge storm pushing the waters up onto shore, and that is what's going to cause the catastrophic damage and the flooding.

But now that we're a Category 4 storm, Derek Van Dam is in a place that is already seeing that storm surge. That is already flooding. And it isn't even near the eye of the storm. You are in Tampa, Derek. Tell us what you are seeing. And we can certainly how crazy it is and how inundated it is already where you are.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Sara, we're 125 miles southeast of the center of major Hurricane Idalia. And that, over to your right -- over my left shoulder is an angry Tampa Bay. Downtown Tampa, over my right shoulder behind me -- this is Bayshore Boulevard. And what we have seen checking some of the storm surge readings across

this area, Old Fort Tampa, which is about 15 minutes away to my south and west, has set a preliminary record for storm surge of four feet about normally high -- above normally high tide. And that's really saying something because that means that the forecast that the National Weather Service -- the National Hurricane Center predicted is being realized this morning.

Bayshore Boulevard floods. This is a common occurrence. However, this amount of water pushing up from Tampa Bay is significant. That is an angry sea. We get that taste of the saltwater coming in from the ocean here.

Remember, there's a combination -- almost a trifecta of impacts that are coming together from this conglomeration of high tide; the supermoon, which we saw peak out of the clouds in between the intermittent rain bands that have come through here; and then also the fact that we have inland flooding. So these three combinations working together to raise the water levels near the Tampa Bay. And unfortunately, the worst scenario here unfolding for this particular area.

[05:35:08]

Of course, it gets worse the further north you travel along the coastline of the Big Bend and into the Florid Peninsula.

Sara, we are in a safe position -- this is Bayshore Boulevard. I am firmly planted. The winds aren't that strong here. But we want to give you this indication of how storm surge impacts this region and why we take it so seriously.

That is a break wall behind me. That's helping break the wave energy. But regardless, it is still an angry ocean. You can see the waves topping over that and the water here just pushing through the Boulevard to the other side of this street. And it's also -- this is important, too -- it's not just Bayshore Boulevard. It is creeping in about one city block as well.

You can see some of the homes behind me -- some of the water lapping up into their front steps, into their front yards. So homes here are, indeed, threatened because of this conglomeration of storm surge, the supermoon, and the inland flooding all working together to bring these scenes.

But, I mean, this scene sets for itself, right? This is almost apocalyptic looking. This would normally be a busy thoroughfare -- a major artery for downtown Tampa, which is over my left shoulder. But instead, it is a river instead of a road -- Sara.

SIDNER: Incredible pictures, Derek. And just to give people a sense of this storm, that is nowhere near the eye of the storm, folks. That is the outer bands. That is the --

VAN DAM: Right.

SIDNER: -- outside of the storm. When that eye of the storm hits land it is going to bring some catastrophic flooding and some very damaging winds.

Derek Van Dam, please, please, please stay safe. Please make sure your crew is safe. I know you will. Thank you so much for your reporting this morning. And I know when light comes we're really going to see the impacts of this as well.

I'm going to toss it back to Phil -- Phil.

MATTINGLY: Thank you, Sara.

Those were extraordinary pictures with Derek.

And what's most fascinating is if you put the kind of radar and track of Hurricane Idalia and split-screen that with Derek, you realize that Tampa doesn't look like it's even kind of anywhere near where anything is happening or where landfall is expected at this point. And yet -- and still, you're seeing what's happening on the ground.

We certainly have a team across the Gulf Coast. We will be seeing people more on the ground. Bill Weir is in Steinhatchee. We will be talking to Sara as well, and keep checking in with Derek throughout the course of the morning.

But some Floridians -- they have been defying evacuation orders. We're going to talk to a man powerless and riding out the storm in moments. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:41:50]

MATTINGLY: Well, welcome back. You're looking at pictures from Levy County where Cedar Key is located. We've been talking about Cedar Key throughout the course of the morning in the path of what is now a major, major storm and that is Hurricane Idalia now a Category 4, upgraded in the last hour from a Category 3. A rapid intensification that we've seen over the course of the last several hours.

And there have been significant warnings over the course of the last 12 to 15 hours about those in the Gulf Coast, particularly the Big Bend region, needed to evacuate. Need to listen to state and local officials about the risks, the dangers.

Some Floridians have defied those evacuation orders, though. Michael Bobbitt is riding out the storm in Cedar Key, Florida. I want to bring him in right now. Sir, I appreciate the time. I believe you've lost power at this point. Can you tell me what you're seeing at this point?

MICHAEL BOBBITT, RIDING OUT STORM IN CEDAR KEY, FLORIDA (via Webex by Cisco): Sure. It's -- we're starting to see an almost apocalyptic scene here. The Gulf is rising up to swallow up the boat ramp and Dock Street where all of our popular tourist restaurants and shops are.

When we're done here I'm going to send you some video to show just an unprecedented level of surge since I've lived here, and we're only just at the precipice of it. Really, as the -- as the hurricane starts to make landfall we expect the bulk of the surge to happen. And already, our roads are being overwhelmed. Our boat ramp is being swallowed up.

I was -- I stayed behind so that I could help some of the older and infirmed people that just refused to leave. I'm happy to report I was able to get two of my elderly neighbors to finally leave. They made it out just before. I believe it's probably too unsafe to be on the road at all now. But once the storm surge reaches it maximum height we're going to get out in boats and see who we can help.

But we're only just now starting to feel the really horrific effects. And I think four hours from now Cedar Key will be unrecognizable.

MATTINGLY: Michael, it's a -- it's a very concerning description that you lay out -- very visceral to some degree as well.

I would ask how many people do you think have stayed behind, particularly those that were the reason for your decision to stay behind.

BOBBITT: So it's hard to say but I'd be surprised if there were fewer than 100 people on the island. I think there are probably between 50 and 100 people here and some of those are just the grizzled islander types that are going to stay through any storm. But some of them are folks that I think didn't have a real conception of how bad it was going to be and aren't in a position to take care of themselves. And those are the folks that we're going to -- we're going to do what we can't to help.

I think within the next hour or two we'll be cut off. I think the road and the bridge coming into Cedar Key will be impassable. The water is just continuing to rise. It's -- I'm up on one of the highest points of elevation on the island in a sturdy structure. I'm safe here. But I think the vast majority of our buildings are going to be completely inundated over the next hour or two.

[05:45:00]

MATTINGLY: You know, I understand why -- your rationale for staying and it's laudable, certainly, given the people that you're trying to help. But can you tell me what goes through your mind when you realize that kind of the worst-case scenarios that have been laid out in advance of this moment appear to be happening? What are you thinking? How are you prepared for what's coming in the hours ahead?

BOBBITT: Well, again, I don't think that this was a wise decision maybe for everyone. But I am in a sturdy building above the highest point that the storm surge has been predicted so I feel like I'm -- my immediate safety is OK.

But like I said on your broadcast last night, there comes a point in everyone's life -- it's a line in the sand moment where you've got to decide what's important to you and what you stand for. And to me, there's nothing more important than this island and my family and friends that live here. And so, I made that decision.

So far, I'm still -- I think I've made the right decision. When you check with me in two hours and I'm floating out in the Gulf, I might disagree. But for now, we've got a foothold but it's going to get much, much worse.

MATTINGLY: Can you tell me when -- you were talking about when this kind of starts to pass through how you will engage to try and help those who weren't able to get out. When is that? Do you know at what point you can start doing that? Because a lot of the concern we hear from emergency responders is people think they can go out a lot sooner than they actually can or should.

BOBBITT: Yes.

MATTINGLY: Do you know when that moment is for you?

BOBBITT: Well, I think -- I think that we're not going to be -- I don't think it's an issue of when is it safe to drive on the roads. I think our roads are going to be completely underwater.

MATTINGLY: Right.

BOBBITT: I have a couple of boats staged in areas where I think I'll be able to get to them. So just as soon as -- as soon as the winds are down and the surge has stopped rising -- and I think a lot of folks think that the surge quits as soon as the wind stops, but that's just simply not the case. We're going to get an onshore flow for a period of hours after the hurricane makes landfall, so it will be into the late hours of the morning before we truly get a handle on how much water the Gulf is going to bring in to us. But I don't see any scenario whereby you recognize Cedar Key by lunchtime today.

MATTINGLY: You know, I mean, it sounds -- you almost say it in a -- your tone doesn't make it sound as dramatic as it is when it comes to your words. You're very calm in terms of how you lay this out but you are unequivocal about what you're seeing, which I think is important for people to know even at this late stage.

What is your message to others maybe a little bit further inland or 120-130 miles away who maybe have said look, we've seen a number of these. There's always these warnings and they never quite live up to the hype or they never quite live up --

BOBBITT: Yes.

MATTINGLY: -- to the worst-case scenarios. BOBBITT: Yes. I think anyone that knows me would probably tell you I'm not a cautious person by nature, but I definitely have had the fear of God put in me with this storm. I mean, I think when they tell you to go, you should go. It's going to get a lot worse and I'm really fearful for what we're going to find in some of the low-lying areas and some of our older, more infirmed citizens today. I'm -- my heart is sick about it.

MATTINGLY: Well, Michael Bobbitt, we certainly are thinking about you and your safety. We appreciate your time. And I would extend if you still have communications and need anything, and need to get any messages out, please do let us know. We will absolutely relay them as soon as we can. Thank you for your time, sir.

BOBBITT: Thank you so much. Have a great day.

MATTINGLY: And coming up next, St. Petersburg Fire/Rescue Chief James Large giving us the latest updates. We are talking to state officials, local officials, people on the ground who are trying to ride this storm out, and those who have evacuated. We are trying to give you updates from all across the Gulf Coast region as Hurricane Idalia, now a Category 4 storm, heads towards landfall. More when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL)

[05:50:58]

SIDNER: Hi. I'm Sara Sidner at Crystal River, Florida. We are seeing, finally, one of those major bands from now a Category 4 hurricane. Sustained winds of 130 to 156 miles an hour. You're seeing that camera move because the photographer, Adolfo, is being pushed around by these winds. And the rain is coming in heavy and coming in sideways, if you can see that on camera.

We are standing very close to the water where a lot of people come to this area to try and see the beauty of this state and to see the manatees. They love to come here. But right now, they have been telling people this is an evacuation zone. This entire city could be flooded -- and flooded with an enormous amount of water, something they haven't seen in more than 100 years. We're talking about the potential of seven to nine feet of storm surge.

We are seeing these bands coming and they are going to keep coming, and they are going to keep coming, and that is what authorities are worried about. They are worried that all of this town, which is under a flood zone -- all of it could be flooded by the time this hurricane passes through and actually ends up getting just north of us -- about 50 miles north of us in Cedar Key.

But we are in the midst of it right now. Hurricane Idalia is bringing all of the power of a Category 4 storm.

I want to get to our fire chief who is in St. Petersburg. James, can you hear me? And can you tell me right now what it is you have been doing to try to prepare for this?

CHIEF JAMES LARGE, ST. PETERSBURG FIRE RESCUE: Yes, good morning.

Well, what we've done is we've staged a lot of personnel and highwater vehicles. Prior to last evening we were set and ready. And the evening was actually rather quiet for us. But now, this morning, we're finding more of the flooding that you've been talking about. We're finding that is the biggest concern and we're starting to deploy our highwater vehicles out into the areas.

We've had some calls from a mobile home park that's flooded. We're going to have to go as these people wake up and find that their kind of stranded by the water. We're going to be going out and affecting the rescues throughout the morning. That's what we anticipate.

This storm has been different than a lot of storms. As you mentioned earlier, it's way past us and yet, we're getting this push. This -- you know, we're on the -- on the bad side of the storm and we're getting this push into the bay area.

And it is -- you've shown scenes of Bay Shore Boulevard in Tampa and we're seeing the same things here in St. Pete in our low-lying areas -- Shore Acres, Snell Isle -- and like I say, some of the mobile home parks. We have bridges closed so we're very limited on access right now. The Howard Frankland is closed. The Skyway is closed.

But like I say, we did a really -- I think a really good job of preparing. We did a lot of going out in the neighborhoods -- the P.A. systems and getting -- using social media to encourage people in these low-lying areas to evacuate. We're hoping that they followed that. We have about over 600 in our shelters and we're hoping a lot of people had other places to go to.

So -- but as the morning comes and these waters -- you know, the high tide ended around 3:20 this morning, approximately, and instead of going down it continues to seem to rise. And then, of course, as was mentioned, we have the king tide that's going to come later on this afternoon.

So if people wake up and the sun is shining, that's not necessarily means that the issue is over. We're going to have to deal with this all day long as far as the main issue being the high water.

SIDNER: James, thank you for letting us know kind of the situation there and the fact that you have about 600 people who have gone into shelters. Good for them because I know that you have been telling people. And all the emergency management folks from the mayor to the governor have been saying look, if you're -- if you're in a low-lying area, like where we are, you need to get to higher ground.

[05:55:13]

I do want to thank you so much for your time. We'll be checking back in with you. Please stay safe. I hope your family is safe there. And thank you for all the work you do to try to keep the citizens safe there. We'll be checking back in with you in just a bit, Chief.

All right. I want to give you a look at where we are and what's happening. This is the first time we've seen this kind of wind and this kind of rain. I'm going to have Adolfo kind of walk with me here a bit and try to get a little bit of sure footing.

All right, to my right is where you see -- we are in Crystal River, Florida -- is where you see where boats would normally go into the water here to go see the manatees.

Look at the home that's there. Look, people love to live on the water here in Florida. It is a beautiful place. This home -- whoo -- the bottom of it is inundated with water but it is built that way. It is actually up on stilts which is covered with concrete. I do not think anyone is home there. We've sort of checked to see if there was anyone home.

But if you look across this field you can see other homes. They're in the same position, by the way. This is an extremely low-lying area.

The entire city of 3,400 or so people, and Crystal River, who live in this town are in a flood zone. The whole place, which is why authorities are saying hey, if you haven't already left you have a little bit of a chance. I know this looks wild and crazy but you could still potentially get out and get to higher ground. You do not have to go far but you definitely need to get away from these waters.

Because it isn't just the rain that's going to cause the flooding -- it is the pushing of all of that water from the ocean up onto shore. We're talking about -- I am five-nine. We are talking about nearly double my height in water that could inundate right where I'm standing and all the way into the rest of Crystal River.

We are going to check back with you. We are in the midst of one of these major bands. From now, a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 130 to 156 miles an hour around that very center of the storm, which is going to make landfall today.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL)