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South Braces for Isidore

Aired September 25, 2002 - 14:14   ET

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

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


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Evacuations, flooding and heavy rains in southern Louisiana today, unwelcome calling cards of Tropical Storm Isidore. Isidore is expected to make landfall tomorrow morning near New Orleans.
That's where we find our drenched but devoted Jeff Flock.

Hi, Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not a great day to be in the Quarter today, Kyra. Perhaps you can see it off behind me; this the French Quarter. And if you go off to the left there, perhaps you see some of the board-up that has taken place.

We are in a place that is just in front of the floodwalls.

I don't know if you are able to come become around -- watch yourself; don't crash into us there -- but this is the floodwall that protects the French Quarter. As you know, much of New Orleans under sea level. So this is what it typically protects it. This is what -- now, this wall, we are told in the next hour these are going to be closed. What that does essentially is protect from any water that would come up. That is a precaution; they are not sure that they are going to need it. But rain has been falling for a long time; of course, this storm is on its way.

I want to show you some pictures from back in the Quarter; Kyra, perhaps you know from having spent a good bit of time here, folks take things seriously, but in their own way, writing messages to the hurricane, having some clever things to say. As they are fond of pointing out here, don't run from hurricanes; they drink hurricanes.

And so there may not even be a hurricane to either run from or drink, though. Based on what we know thus far, it appears it is going to be more like tropical storm and more like very, very wet storm, one that perhaps I can best, show you, drenches all of us and drenches this ground. But maybe beyond that, doesn't do a whole lot of damage. I guess we will wait and see.

That's the latest, Kyra. Back to you.

PHILLIPS: Jeff, you know you have a good point.

If you go to right, back towards the French Quarter there -- see where I'm going -- and you go straight down that street, on the righthand side, you got Johnny's Po-Boys.

FLOCK: I saw that.

PHILLIPS: You know where I'm talking about? You grab a Po-Boy, then hang a right, go around the corner, and you go to Pat O'Brien and get that hurricane. But you've got to be off the air, OK?

FLOCK: 10-4. I'm almost there, I'm almost there.

PHILLIPS: All right, Jeff Flock, in New Orleans. Thanks, Jeff.

As Tropical Storm Isidore continues to twist and churn, forecasters are expanding the warning areas. Tropical storm warnings are posted from High Island, Texas, all the way over to St. Marks, Florida.

CNN's Mark Potter is watching Isidore's approach at the National Hurricane Center, in Miami.

Hi -- Mark.

MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

Forecasters here at the National Hurricane Center are watching three storms in the Atlantic right now. Two are of primary concern, of course: Isidore and Lili. Neither is as strong as it used to be. Now the one of immediate concern, the most immediate threat, is Isidore. It's in the Gulf; it is about 250 miles south of New Orleans, heading north at 13 miles an hour. The winds are at 60 miles an hour and could strengthen a little bit before center of that storm crosses the Louisiana coastline, sometime around midnight tonight.

It is likely, we are told by the forecasters, to remain a tropical storm, although there is the possibility that it could reach hurricane strength. Hurricane watches are still in effect. And the big concern, along the coast -- and not just in Louisiana, but in several states -- is for coastal flooding as that surge comes ashore in the low-lying areas.

This is a big storm. It is not just going to be hitting Louisiana. It is going to affect a number of states, all the way over to Florida. The warning, as you said, has been extended from High Island, Texas, to St. Marks, Florida, in the panhandle. And then once the storm crosses the coastline, it will continue on. We are told it is supposed to head north and then northeast, crossing through the southeastern states the Tennessee valley, and then up to all the way to northeast into Maine. And the rainfall will be the big problem there. And there could be 10 to 20 inches of rain in some areas, which could lead to very dangerous flooding, life-threatening floods.

The other storm that is out there, in the Caribbean, is Lili. It's diminished in strength. The winds are now 45 miles an hour. Forecasters are deciding whether to downgrade it to a tropical wave. But they continue to watch it as it heads northwest toward Haiti and then Cuba. They want to keep an eye on it for possible strengthening, and they are of course watching to see whether it goes into the Bahamas or south of Jamaica, or whether it actually threatens the Florida area. They have no indication of that, but of course, they watching it very closely, particularly in the Florida Keys and in south Florida. And I guess that is just the penance that we pay living down here for the winters that we get.

PHILLIPS: Well said.

Mark Potter, tracking the storm. Thank you so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired September 25, 2002 - 14:14   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Evacuations, flooding and heavy rains in southern Louisiana today, unwelcome calling cards of Tropical Storm Isidore. Isidore is expected to make landfall tomorrow morning near New Orleans.
That's where we find our drenched but devoted Jeff Flock.

Hi, Jeff.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not a great day to be in the Quarter today, Kyra. Perhaps you can see it off behind me; this the French Quarter. And if you go off to the left there, perhaps you see some of the board-up that has taken place.

We are in a place that is just in front of the floodwalls.

I don't know if you are able to come become around -- watch yourself; don't crash into us there -- but this is the floodwall that protects the French Quarter. As you know, much of New Orleans under sea level. So this is what it typically protects it. This is what -- now, this wall, we are told in the next hour these are going to be closed. What that does essentially is protect from any water that would come up. That is a precaution; they are not sure that they are going to need it. But rain has been falling for a long time; of course, this storm is on its way.

I want to show you some pictures from back in the Quarter; Kyra, perhaps you know from having spent a good bit of time here, folks take things seriously, but in their own way, writing messages to the hurricane, having some clever things to say. As they are fond of pointing out here, don't run from hurricanes; they drink hurricanes.

And so there may not even be a hurricane to either run from or drink, though. Based on what we know thus far, it appears it is going to be more like tropical storm and more like very, very wet storm, one that perhaps I can best, show you, drenches all of us and drenches this ground. But maybe beyond that, doesn't do a whole lot of damage. I guess we will wait and see.

That's the latest, Kyra. Back to you.

PHILLIPS: Jeff, you know you have a good point.

If you go to right, back towards the French Quarter there -- see where I'm going -- and you go straight down that street, on the righthand side, you got Johnny's Po-Boys.

FLOCK: I saw that.

PHILLIPS: You know where I'm talking about? You grab a Po-Boy, then hang a right, go around the corner, and you go to Pat O'Brien and get that hurricane. But you've got to be off the air, OK?

FLOCK: 10-4. I'm almost there, I'm almost there.

PHILLIPS: All right, Jeff Flock, in New Orleans. Thanks, Jeff.

As Tropical Storm Isidore continues to twist and churn, forecasters are expanding the warning areas. Tropical storm warnings are posted from High Island, Texas, all the way over to St. Marks, Florida.

CNN's Mark Potter is watching Isidore's approach at the National Hurricane Center, in Miami.

Hi -- Mark.

MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

Forecasters here at the National Hurricane Center are watching three storms in the Atlantic right now. Two are of primary concern, of course: Isidore and Lili. Neither is as strong as it used to be. Now the one of immediate concern, the most immediate threat, is Isidore. It's in the Gulf; it is about 250 miles south of New Orleans, heading north at 13 miles an hour. The winds are at 60 miles an hour and could strengthen a little bit before center of that storm crosses the Louisiana coastline, sometime around midnight tonight.

It is likely, we are told by the forecasters, to remain a tropical storm, although there is the possibility that it could reach hurricane strength. Hurricane watches are still in effect. And the big concern, along the coast -- and not just in Louisiana, but in several states -- is for coastal flooding as that surge comes ashore in the low-lying areas.

This is a big storm. It is not just going to be hitting Louisiana. It is going to affect a number of states, all the way over to Florida. The warning, as you said, has been extended from High Island, Texas, to St. Marks, Florida, in the panhandle. And then once the storm crosses the coastline, it will continue on. We are told it is supposed to head north and then northeast, crossing through the southeastern states the Tennessee valley, and then up to all the way to northeast into Maine. And the rainfall will be the big problem there. And there could be 10 to 20 inches of rain in some areas, which could lead to very dangerous flooding, life-threatening floods.

The other storm that is out there, in the Caribbean, is Lili. It's diminished in strength. The winds are now 45 miles an hour. Forecasters are deciding whether to downgrade it to a tropical wave. But they continue to watch it as it heads northwest toward Haiti and then Cuba. They want to keep an eye on it for possible strengthening, and they are of course watching to see whether it goes into the Bahamas or south of Jamaica, or whether it actually threatens the Florida area. They have no indication of that, but of course, they watching it very closely, particularly in the Florida Keys and in south Florida. And I guess that is just the penance that we pay living down here for the winters that we get.

PHILLIPS: Well said.

Mark Potter, tracking the storm. Thank you so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com