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Millions Brace for Historic Flooding in Midwest; Rescues Underway in Missouri Floodwaters; Several Rivers Expected to Smash Historic Flood Levels. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired December 30, 2015 - 08:30   ET

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

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[08:32:51] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, our breaking news is obviously the situation going on in Missouri. A whole lot of water. You can see the roadways there flooded. This is complements of our affiliate KTVI. The affiliate helicopter showing us some of these swift water rescue teams trying to get to this vehicle. We don't know exactly what happened, if this person tried to get through this flooded roadway, if there's a passenger there or not.

Obviously, all of the authorities have been on our air telling people, stay off the roads, follow the closures, stay on only the open roadways. There's so many areas that are completely inundated and it's just simply unsafe to be on those flooded roadways.

I want to turn right now to Colonel Anthony Mitchell. He's the commander of the St. Louis district for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. And among the tasks of the Army Corps is to protect the levee system.

Sir, thanks so much for joining us. Obviously a busy day. But since you're the top guy in the St. Louis area, I want to get a sense for you - from you, rather, what is your most imminent concern this morning? What area?

COL. ANTHONY MITCHELL, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS ST. LOUIS (via telephone): Good morning, Michaela.

This morning I would say it's addressing the needs, the areas throughout the Missouri, Illinois and Mississippi River. Public safety is critical for the Corps of Engineers right now. It's all about protecting life, safety and property. So areas such as Valley Park right now, with the crest of about - with an anticipated crest of about 42 and right now we're looking at 40, right now we have focused attention and support of Valley Park. We have a national geotech expert on the ground right now providing expertise to help them in identifying low areas to which we can assist them in the flood fighting effort.

PEREIRA: Give us an idea what that assistance looks like.

MITCHELL: Well, what we do is, we do a lot - we pull out a lot of plans and profiles providing the landscape of the levee to which we can identify critical areas where we can flood fight and support by either placing rock or sandbags. When you have a fight like this, inches are critical and so right now we're trying to insure that we are supporting them in their prioritization of effort.

[08:35:00] PEREIRA: We know that some of the areas are not expected to breach until late tomorrow. Give us your game plan, not only just for this immediate future, but for say the next 24 hours.

MITCHELL: No, ma'am, we're not - there's not areas that are projected to breech. There are some areas along the river -

PEREIRA: To crest rather.

MITCHELL: Where there's projected overtopping, and that is because the water is rising so high and in comparison to the height of the levee, there may be not enough what we call free board available space so therefore water may be coming over - over the levee. And that's why critical right now is the flood fighting efforts by all that - where we're working with the local - the communities, the levee and drainage districts, to identify those critical areas where we can put rock, we can put sandbags to - to buy - buy down the - to buy - to buy inches and time.

PEREIRA: Colonel, were watching some live images here of some of the water rescue people working with one of the motorist that seems to have come to a stop there, not able to get through the flood zone where the water has overtaken the roadway there. Let's talk about the levee system. We know it's pretty extensive there in that area. How many levees are you currently watching and concerned about?

MITCHELL: Overall, the levee systems are performing as designed. There has been one identified area, north consolidate - north - consolidated North County where the levee overtopped. That is - that was a known location. Agriculture behind that - that levee. There are other levees further down south which we are - we have identified that are projected to overtop and we've been working with the levee and drainage districts to buy the time, to provide the additional protection necessary to ensure that that overtopping may not occur.

PEREIRA: And speaking of protection, we're watching at this official is putting a life jacket on this motorist who was not able to get through because of the standing water, just taking extra precautions. We know that all of these agencies are working in concert with one another and they are working in conjunction with the information that you and the Army Corps of Engineers are able to provide to them, sir. I know evacuations are not under your purview, but can you tell us any residents that would have been close to any of those levee systems, would they have been evacuated?

MITCHELL: What we do is provide information that informs the decisions of the local government and the law enforcement. And it's from them - from that they determine their best solutions to identify what is the appropriate measure that they will take, whether it be the flood fight or to evacuate. PEREIRA: So many people are recalling that - that great and terrible

flood of '93, saying that the floodwaters here could surpass the levels seen there. Give us an idea though. Compare it. You probably have very vivid memories of all of that. How dangerous is this one compared to that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You weren't here for that.

MITCHELL: I wasn't here for the '93 flood, but I could speak to the flood we had this past summer and then the flood we just recently - we're having - we're undergoing right now. Important is that we - we reduce risk. And we're working with the communities and - and we're doing all we can to ensure public safety. And that's what's important.

PEREIRA: Fair - fair enough. Last question for you. There are several cities south of St. Louis along the Mississippi River basin. Are you concerned about cities like New Orleans and Memphis, that the - that could be an issue for them, the waters there?

MITCHELL: Well, we're all engaged. The Mississippi Valley Division and the Army Corps of Engineers is fully activated its flood fighting emergency management operations and that - those operations span from Rock Island all the way down to New Orleans. So we're got Rock Island, St. Louis, Memphis, Vicksburg and New Orleans all committed to - to the flood fighting effort.

PEREIRA: Our thanks to Colonel Anthony Mitchell of the Army Corps of Engineers in the St. Louis area. Thanks for joining us today.

MITCHELL: Thank you.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, rescues like the one you're seeing live right now are taking place all over Missouri. Up next, we're going to talk to a resident of Pacific, Missouri. We're going to talk about her being rescued from her home. Much more of our continuing coverage, next.

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[08:43:00] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

ROMANS: You're looking at some live pictures here of rescues in Eureka, Missouri. You've got 18 million people in the Midwest facing historic and potentially deadly flooding in the next 24 to 48 hours. You've got the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers expected to crest feet - feet above the historic great flood of 1993. What you're watching there on your screen right now, you have this black pickup truck come right there to the edge of the water where it couldn't really drive any further and you've got officials there in an inflatable that's been picking people up out of their cars - picking people up out of their cars as they've driven that far.

Look, the fatalities we have seen in Missouri, 12 now, all of them from driving into the water. You've had water rescues underway for more than 24 hours now and the governor of the state with an urgent appeal to people to stay out of the water, to not drive in the war, stay home when you can, be off the roads. And in case where they can't fight the flood, they're going to have you evacuate.

You've got people in lots of different - in lots of different shelters now. People who are out of their homes. You've got businesses closed. And again, all of these rescues still underway. This one here we've been watching.

I want to bring in Jean Scott. She lives in Fenton, Missouri. She found herself in a very dangerous situation Tuesday when the flood waters started to rise for her. She and her sister were rescued. They were among these rescues that we've - that we've talked about.

Thanks for telling us your story. So what exactly happened? You had the water rising into your backyard and you had to be taken out of there by boat. Tell us about it.

JEAN SCOTT, RESCUED FROM FLOODING: Hello.

ROMANS: Hi, Jean. Tell us about your water rescue yesterday. You had - they came and took you out of your backyard by boat I'm told.

[08:44:48] SCOTT: Yes, ma'am, we was. We was just about ready - we was gonna wait till today to call the rescue to come get us, but the water really came up to fast for us. And we was about ready to lay down and the rescue people came and knocked on our door. And I had already packed a few things, but they came and got us and put us in a raft and took us across the railroad tracks and brought us here to the senior citizens place.

ROMANS: Now, so you have not been allowed. You can't go back to your home just yet. There's too much water.

SCOTT: Right.

ROMANS: Tell me about that trip in the raft.

SCOTT: That was neat.

ROMANS: Must have been cold out there though.

SCOTT: Oh yes. It was real chilly. I gave my sister the jacket. And I wrapped around with a blanket for right now. I didn't grab a coat.

ROMANS: You didn't get to have much time to pack up very much then, did you?

SCOTT: No ma'am, I sure didn't.

ROMANS: Did you live through the floods of '93? Everyone is talking about how this could surpass 1993.

SCOTT: It did overdo '93. I was living out in the trailer court then too.

ROMANS: Tell me how quickly the water was coming up. You know, they've been saying that the rivers are rising, this happened faster than you thought it would. SCOTT: It happened fast. We was watching it come up. And it came fast. It had already got the first four trailers in front of us already wiped out. And it had already got to our skirtings and was coming up our porch steps when the rescues came out.

ROMANS: Do you expect that your place is flooded out here? Do you expect you will be able to go back there in the next day or two? Or do you think that there is some high water there now? Have they told you anything about that?

SCOTT: They haven't told us one way or another. I'm hoping it didn't get in the trailer, but I got a feeling it did.

ROMANS: Tell me what the mood is like there at the senior center where you are. I mean, you're going to be hunkered down there for awhile, I suspect. What is the mood there right now, Jean?

SCOTT: Oh everybody's real friendly. They're real nice and friendly here. And we're talking and all that. We're talking to some people that's really sometimes worse off than we are. Some of them have lost more than we have.

ROMANS: Nice to know that people are kind of pulling it together. And this is still happening, Jean. You are going to have another day, another 24 hours maybe before the river crests. This is sort of life on the river, I know, but when you look at these pictures, Jean, it's pretty devastating. You have a lot of buildings and a lot of homes that are under water. What are you thinking and feeling for the people here?

SCOTT: I really feel for the people. I really do. My heart goes out to them. It's really horrible. Some of these people on the highway now trying to drive through that stuff, they are very stupid.

ROMANS: Yeah. You know, and Jay Nixon, your governor, said, telling people - we were just looking at those pictures of that car and that truck driving through the water -- and he said please don't do that. That is why they have to go in and help people, when they need to be going to houses, not on the roads.

Jean, thank you so much. Wish you and your sister the best. Please give our best to all of the people there at the senior center with you. Hopefully you don't have too much damage back in your place. Thank you so much, Jean Scott.

SCOTT: You, too. Thank you very much.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Jean Scott knows what she's talking about when she sees the pictures we've been looking at right now with people trying to drive through these flood waters. Just plain stupid.

Again, you're looking live pictures over Missouri right now. The St. Louis area, the greater St. Louis area simply inundated with water. As many as three rivers rising. The Mississippi, the Missouri, the Meramec, all seeing perhaps record levels, feet about record levels. Concerns there of historic flooding. Our continuing coverage right after this.

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[08:52:37] PEREIRA: Our breaking news is that 18 million people are currently under flood warnings in some nine states. We have team coverage for you the way CNN can as we watch some of these swift water rescues.

Alina Machado is in Pacific. Jennifer Gray joins us from Valley Park. Both suburbs of St. Louis. And Jennifer Gray, as you join us here, Valley Park is one of the areas that Governor Nixon said was the area of most concern. Why don't you give us an idea of how things are looking there right now as the sun comes up.

JENNIFER GRAY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, we actually hit the record earlier this morning at 40 feet. Flood stage is 16 feet. And we're at 40. And we are expected to rise another three feet today. We've already risen about three or four inches just since we've been out here. So another couple of feet. And you look behind me, you can see the water just rushing -- what looks like a river behind me is actually Highway 141. It runs perpendicular to Interstate 44, which right there where that overpass is, you can see the water coming up right underneath that bridge. And so a huge section of Interstate 44 has been shut down and major (inaudible) not just for the St. Louis area, but for the entire country.

And you mentioned that there are evacuations going -- underway. We've been showing the aerials of those water rescues earlier this morning. And just watching those and seeing the people trying to drive through the water, it is incredibly frustrating because that is one of the most simple ways you can save your life and protect yourself is just simply don't drive. And people somehow still do it. The governor has been on the air talking about it. We have city officials saying there are evacuations underway, but they have a safe way to do it and they have designated evacuation routes. And so just heed those warnings and go along with what they are saying because not only do you put yourself in danger, but you put those rescue workers in danger as well. So we've already seen about a dozen deaths due to flooding and it is all because people are driving their cars.

So it is not over yet. Even though it's not raining, the waters are still rising. And they will for another day or two. So seek higher ground and do as you are told with the authorities and that is really all you can do at this point. People are trying to play it safe and the authorities are doing their best job at that.

BERMAN: Jennifer, standby. I want to bring in Alina Machado which is nearby in Pacific, Missouri. We spoke to the governor a short time ago, Alina, and the governor said midnight tomorrow night when the Mississippi expected to crest near St. Louis. That is a lot of hours between now and then where there have to be enormous concerns.

[08:55:08] ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. John, the situation here is not going to get any better, at least not any time soon. I want to show you what we're seeing now that we have daylight. You can really get a sense of how deep the water is. Take a look at the opera house building. We estimate at least several feet of water surrounding that building. If we pan over to the left, you just see a bunch of houses, dozens of houses that are, again, surrounded by water.

This is all water that's coming from the Meramec River. And this river still has not crested. This river continues to rise. It is expected to crest at some point tomorrow. But when it does, it is going to be at least two feet above the record of 33.6 feet. That was set back in 1982. Just so you get a sense of how high that is, the level for major flooding here is 15 feet, John.

PEREIRA: Unbelievable. And our thanks to Alina Machado and Jennifer Gray. You're going to be putting some long hours in today. As we show you live aerials of the flood-ravaged area, that Mississippi River and the Meramec River are definitely their highest levels they have seen in a long time.

CNN's coverage of the historic Midwest flood will continue with "NEWSROOM" with Poppy Harlow after a quick break.

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