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Lili Should Strike U.S. Tomorrow
Aired October 02, 2002 - 14:28 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: Forty-five years ago, a Category 4 hurricane slammed into Grand Isle, Louisiana. Three hundred and ninety people died.
Now, a storm just as powerful is heading that way after devastating western Cuba. Now, folks are boarding up and moving out.
CNN's Ed Lavandera joins us now from Cameron.
Hi, Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
In Cameron, Louisiana here, this is one of the towns that will be fully evacuated and that is what folks are doing here.
If you look over my shoulder, this is the Calkasioux River that runs out into the Gulf and there's a couple of shrimp boats and we've been seeing shrimp boats heading up more further inland toward Lake Charles all morning long and they continue to head that way as they try to protect their belongings here.
There are about 5,000 people that live in this town and I spoke with a sheriff's deputy a little while ago who said all of those people, they're about halfway done moving everybody out.
So, that will continue to go on throughout -- over the course of the next 12 to 15 hours as a lot people start heading further north.
Joining us now is Raymond Thibeaux. He works one of the ferries here, helping people get away from here.
Mr. Thibeaux, a lot of people taking this very seriously now?
RAYMOND THIBEAUX, FERRY OPERATOR: Very seriously.
LAVANDERA: What are people most afraid of at this point?
THIBEAUX: Water.
LAVANDERA: why is that?
THIBEAUX: That channel was hit in Hurricane Audrey I was dry and had about 15- and 20-foot tidal wave here.
LAVANDERA: How are the evacuation efforts going so far? Is everything seeming to run pretty smoothly? THIBEAUX: Yes, because I was hauling my stuff out the last night and met many a car going out.
LAVANDERA: You expect more people to start heading further north as this storm approaches?
THIBEAUX: I would.
LAVANDERA: You said you were telling me your wife is already headed that way.
THIBEAUX: Yes, she called me about 20 minutes ago that she's heading out.
LAVANDERA: And you were also telling me earlier that you're one of the last people that will be heading out of Cameron tonight. Why?
THIBEAUX: Got to operate the ferry. Probably be one of the last ones.
LAVANDERA: All right. Very good. Good luck to you.
So, that's kind of the story here from Cameron, as you see the boats getting a little bit closer. Those boats will be heading further north. We've been seeing that throughout the morning.
A lot of folks here are starting to take this storm very seriously. In the back of everyone's mind is that storm, Kyra, that you mentioned that hit in 1957 that killed almost 400 people and caused a lot of damage.
Throughout the morning, we've been seeing a lot of people boarding up their homes here, taking care of their belongings. We spent some time with a cattle rancher that was picking up about 600 head of cattle and taking all that further inland as well.
So, things have been put into motion in this town in this part of Louisiana definitely getting ready for the arrival of Hurricane Lili -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You mentioned the cattle. Of course, that's the livelihood for these farmers out there. Where are they taking the cattle, Ed?
LAVANDERA: Actually, not terribly far away. Toward Lake Charles seems to be about as -- they feel that that will pretty much be safe enough for the cattle to get there.
The concern is here that so much -- this part of Louisiana is so low that the flooding here is an incredible danger. So, this will tend to flood very quickly and without a lot of warning.
So, of course, as you mentioned, it's a livelihood for so many people that live in this area, so you have to protect all of that cattle. And they don't have to move it terribly far to get that job done. PHILLIPS: That's good news.
Ed Lavandera, thanks so much.
LAVANDERA: Thank you.
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 October 2, 2002 - 14:28 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Forty-five years ago, a Category 4 hurricane slammed into Grand Isle, Louisiana. Three hundred and ninety people died.
Now, a storm just as powerful is heading that way after devastating western Cuba. Now, folks are boarding up and moving out.
CNN's Ed Lavandera joins us now from Cameron.
Hi, Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
In Cameron, Louisiana here, this is one of the towns that will be fully evacuated and that is what folks are doing here.
If you look over my shoulder, this is the Calkasioux River that runs out into the Gulf and there's a couple of shrimp boats and we've been seeing shrimp boats heading up more further inland toward Lake Charles all morning long and they continue to head that way as they try to protect their belongings here.
There are about 5,000 people that live in this town and I spoke with a sheriff's deputy a little while ago who said all of those people, they're about halfway done moving everybody out.
So, that will continue to go on throughout -- over the course of the next 12 to 15 hours as a lot people start heading further north.
Joining us now is Raymond Thibeaux. He works one of the ferries here, helping people get away from here.
Mr. Thibeaux, a lot of people taking this very seriously now?
RAYMOND THIBEAUX, FERRY OPERATOR: Very seriously.
LAVANDERA: What are people most afraid of at this point?
THIBEAUX: Water.
LAVANDERA: why is that?
THIBEAUX: That channel was hit in Hurricane Audrey I was dry and had about 15- and 20-foot tidal wave here.
LAVANDERA: How are the evacuation efforts going so far? Is everything seeming to run pretty smoothly? THIBEAUX: Yes, because I was hauling my stuff out the last night and met many a car going out.
LAVANDERA: You expect more people to start heading further north as this storm approaches?
THIBEAUX: I would.
LAVANDERA: You said you were telling me your wife is already headed that way.
THIBEAUX: Yes, she called me about 20 minutes ago that she's heading out.
LAVANDERA: And you were also telling me earlier that you're one of the last people that will be heading out of Cameron tonight. Why?
THIBEAUX: Got to operate the ferry. Probably be one of the last ones.
LAVANDERA: All right. Very good. Good luck to you.
So, that's kind of the story here from Cameron, as you see the boats getting a little bit closer. Those boats will be heading further north. We've been seeing that throughout the morning.
A lot of folks here are starting to take this storm very seriously. In the back of everyone's mind is that storm, Kyra, that you mentioned that hit in 1957 that killed almost 400 people and caused a lot of damage.
Throughout the morning, we've been seeing a lot of people boarding up their homes here, taking care of their belongings. We spent some time with a cattle rancher that was picking up about 600 head of cattle and taking all that further inland as well.
So, things have been put into motion in this town in this part of Louisiana definitely getting ready for the arrival of Hurricane Lili -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You mentioned the cattle. Of course, that's the livelihood for these farmers out there. Where are they taking the cattle, Ed?
LAVANDERA: Actually, not terribly far away. Toward Lake Charles seems to be about as -- they feel that that will pretty much be safe enough for the cattle to get there.
The concern is here that so much -- this part of Louisiana is so low that the flooding here is an incredible danger. So, this will tend to flood very quickly and without a lot of warning.
So, of course, as you mentioned, it's a livelihood for so many people that live in this area, so you have to protect all of that cattle. And they don't have to move it terribly far to get that job done. PHILLIPS: That's good news.
Ed Lavandera, thanks so much.
LAVANDERA: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
