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New Day

Hurricane Matthew Threatens Coast of Florida; Florida Governor Rick Scott Urges Residents of Florida Coast to Evacuate Homes. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired October 06, 2016 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00] ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Millions of residents are urged to evacuate as this storm heads to the east coast. More than 26 million people are under watches and warnings at this hour in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Florida's Governor Rick Scott is expected to update us on the storm at any moment. When he's ready we'll bring it to you live.

Matthew could be the worst hurricane to ever hit this east coast region of Florida. Residents are stocking up on essentials, leaving shelves empty at many stores. Matthew is slamming the Bahamas right now. It has already claimed 15 lives. In the Caribbean.

Let's begin our team coverage with CNN's Boris Sanchez live in Daytona Beach. Boris, the expression is you got to get while the getting is good. Are people heeding the calls and getting out?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I would certainly say so, Chris. Yesterday we were standing here, there were crowds of people here on the beach. There were kids building sand castles. Now the beach is mostly empty and we could really feel the wind picking up. It's gotten stronger as time has passed. We've seen bands of rain coming through as well as water that just gets picked up off of the ocean and it's been smacking us here at our hotel.

Around town in Daytona we've seen businesses that are boarded up and they have sandbags outside. Our hotel is also boarded up. I talked to a guy who was here earlier. He told me he moved from Ohio about three days ago to Daytona, and he had no idea that any of this was coming. So he's scrambling to get out right now, as well.

We have about 2 million people that are under evacuation orders. This could potentially be the largest mandatory evacuation since hurricane Sandy in 2012. And fortunately, as you mentioned, when it comes to the resources that are in stores and the lines we've seen at gas stations it appears that people are preparing themselves.

One of the things that Governor Rick Scott mentioned yesterday was extremely important, was for people not to necessarily focus on the forecast in terms of where this hurricane could make landfall. He says it's extremely dangerous and anywhere it makes landfall could be very damaging, very catastrophic. We're going to continue watching the conditions here and keep you updated throughout the morning, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Boris we know you will stay safe. Thank you for that.

So we're already seeing long line at gas stations and empty store shelves. The first effect of the storm will be felt tonight in parts of south Florida, and that's where CNN's Nick Valencia is this morning. He's live in West Palm Beach. What's the situation, Nick?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn. We have been out here all morning long, and things have only gotten worse here, those conditions as hurricane Matthew steadily approaches this part of Florida. The community here has been bracing for this all week long. And here are some of the signs this building immediately facing Palm Beach. You see some individuals up there taking off an awning, half of the shutters -- half the windows I should say, have been shuttered up.

And just to give you an idea how significant the wind is right now, our photographer can just pan up here to these palm trees. That wind has steadily been increasing in the three or so hours that we have been out here on this beach. There is a mandatory evacuation in effect in this area, started last night. Residents expected to get out here by 11:00 a.m. But even still, there are some that aren't heeding that warning. I spoke earlier with one of them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't really have anywhere else to go. So we boarded up our windows, went to the store, got food, water, and just got prepared for it. I'm going to stick it out. My friend has that lived here his whole life so we're going to stick it out together.

VALENCIA: You nervous at all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little bit. I've been kind of underestimating it, and now this morning I'm starting to see how back it might get.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: Those waves are starting to swell significantly as well. As that storm surge moves in to West Palm Beach local officials here, 12-hour shifts to prepare for what is expected to be potential devastation. Even still, though, there are some people that are deciding to stick it out. Chris?

CUOMO: It is a time to be better safe than sorry, Nick. We know what's happened. Once you realize you're in the wrong spot, it's too late to get out. Airlines have canceled nearly 1,600 ahead of hurricane Matthew. That number is definitely going to go up as the storm heads closer to Florida.

As for trains, Amtrak is suspending service in the southeast, urging customers to check their train status and also review refund information.

CAMEROTA: So what is going to happen exactly in the next 24 hours? Let's go to CNN meteorologist Chad Myers. He's tracking the storm. He has the latest forecast track. What are you seeing in the next hour, Chad?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The storm is going to pick up intensity. And even right now, the new 8:00 advisory just in a few moments ago still has the wind speed at 125, although I think the hurricane hunter aircraft finding is slight stronger gusts than that.

Here's how the storm develops for the rest of the day as it makes its way toward Florida. It's going to be a category four. And here's what's changed overnight. A category four, 145-mile-per-hour storm, yesterday that's at 130. And there's a big difference between 145 and 130 when it comes to damage. It doesn't seem like the number is that different, but the pressure of the wind is double. And it's going to be double the damage if this eye right here is onshore.

[08:05:03] And that is the forecast. That is the forecast. At 2:00 a.m. tonight, Fort Pierce all the way up towards Stewart and then by 2:00 p.m. tomorrow through Cape Canaveral and farther from there.

Here is one of the hurricane models in detail now. A lot of times we can show you lines because the storm is too far away. But now the detail is here. There's the eye right now. Coming onshore here with West Palm Beach seeing outer bands already by 2:00 this afternoon, bringing winds to 50 or 60. Now we take you to 9:00 tonight with the eye wall coming onshore. Maybe Fort Pierce, maybe Melbourne, in the Atlantic beach. And if that eye wall is right there as this model suggests, there will be winds blowing onshore between 130 and 145. The damage will be phenomenal. It will be damage we have never shown on TV before with a land-falling U.S. hurricane. That's how serious this is, guys, and it runs all the way up the east coast, Jacksonville, Charleston, and then finally out to sea.

CUOMO: All right, Chad, stay with us. I want to bring on Dr. Rick Knabb. He's the director of the National Hurricane Center. We are waiting for the governor, Rick Scott, to take the podium there. You see the National Guard members at the podium down there in Florida. We're going to get an update from the governor when he's ready. We'll bring it to you. But let's bring in Rick Knabb right now. We're trying to do our best to get out the information to explain the urgency. Has anything changed, doctor, that would make this situation less serious?

DR. RICK KNABB, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: No, Chris. And thank you for helping us get the word out because this is a very serious situation. A major hurricane currently affecting the Bahamas, it's approaching Florida. Conditions are going to go downhill especially this afternoon in southeast Florida, and the core of a major hurricane, perhaps category four, could come onshore in the hurricane warning area in southeast Florida.

And even if the center stays just offshore, easily could get hurricane conditions on land, even major hurricane conditions. And it's not just about the wind, and it's not just a coastal event. We could have strong winds penetrating well inland. I've got my family staying inside in a shuttered place. Homes in my community have their shutters up. People should not be outside and that's inland where we get hurricane force winds.

And then the water -- inland flooding could happen near the coast, and farther inland. And then the storm surge, people near the coast, if you've been told to evacuate by your local officials, especially like in Palm Beach County that's going to get this sooner rather than later, you got to get out this morning. You've got to get going now.

CUOMO: All right, doc, let's get to the governor and let's see what he has to say about the latest preparations.

GOV. RICK SCOTT, (R) FLORIDA: -- get to a safe zone. If you're watching, and you're in an evacuation area, get out. Don't take a chance. Time is running out. This is clearly going to either have a direct hit or come right along our coast and we're going to have hurricane force winds.

There are no excuses if you need to leave. Evacuate. Evacuate. Evacuate. Are you willing to take a chance to risk your life? Are you willing to take a gamble? That's what you're doing. If you're reluctant to evacuate, just think of all the people this storm has already killed. You and your family could be among these numbers if you don't take this seriously.

Let me tell the story about the lady during hurricane Hermine. She -- I met her the day or two afterwards. She didn't evacuate. She was in an evacuation zone. She stayed because of her pets. I think she had four pets. The storm got -- the water got to one-and-a-half feet. She finally decided to leave. I think it got to three-and-a-half or four feet in her house. I mean when we talk about storm surge it is going to come up above where you're standing. That's how much.

When she finally decided to leave, there hadn't been a high water vehicle close. She was just lucky, she would have perished. The water comes in very rapidly, and goes out very rapidly.

Matthew is strengthening near the northwestern Bahamas. It's forecast to be a category four as it approaches Florida. It's located about 250 miles southeast of West Palm Beach with winds of 125 miles per hour, 125 miles per hour. On the forecast track the eye of Matthew should move very close to the east coast of Florida peninsula tonight, through Friday night.

There are hurricane warnings and watches along the entire east coast of our state. Tropical storm watches are in effect for Florida's gulf coast. This is serious. Only a small deviation in the forecast track to the left or to the west could bring the core of a major hurricane onshore within the hurricane warning area, while a small deviation to the right or east could keep all the hurricane force winds offshore. Don't take a chance. A small movement could mean a lot. That's why we have to prepare for a direct hit.

[08:10:00] So again, if you need to evacuate and you haven't, evacuate. This storm will kill you. Time is running out. We don't have that much time left. The impacts of hurricane Matthew could include heavy rain. Matthew is expected to produce total rainfall amounts of four to eight inches and even up to 12 inches along Florida's east coast. In the Keys one to three inches is expected.

Strong rip currents, beach erosion, tornadoes, hurricane force winds, storm surge. Forecast projects five to nine feet. This is five to nine feet above where you're standing. Stop and think about that, five to nine feet. That doesn't include the waves on top of that. This is five to nine feet of water. It will be over your head.

From Sebastian Inlet to the Florida/Georgia line, three to five feet, one to three feet from upper Keys to Deerfield Beach. This surge by itself could be deadly, but on top of that, we're going to have waves on top of that. These are heights above ground. Waves will be crashing on your roof if you're right close to where the storm surge is happening and you're close to where the waves are.

Do not surf. Do not go on the beach. This will kill you. These are all projections. It could be much worse. Time is running out. We are preparing for the worst. We're hoping for the best. And no one should take any chances.

Based on the continuing track to Florida I'm activating an additional 1,000 members of the National Guard. That means we've now activated 2,500 members of the National Guard. We wouldn't be doing that if we didn't think this was serious. We have over 4,000 National Guard members ready to be deployed if needed.

I've already directed National Guard to help with evacuations and sheltering. Last night I suspended all tolls in the affected areas of the state. This includes the entire Florida Turnpike, Alligator Alley, Central Florida Expressway Authority, and the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority. Again, there is no reason not to leave.

And think about it, the traffic is going to pick up. It already picked up some yesterday. I was looking at the traffic counts this morning from yesterday, it picked up. It's going to pick up again today. If you wait, all you're going to do is get stuck in traffic. There's a greater chance you'll have problems with fuel.

Around 1.5 million people are under evacuation orders, 1.5 million Floridians. Right now we're really concerned about Palm Beach. This is the first big area that will be hit, and conditions will arrive within hours. We don't have much time left.

If you aren't going to evacuate, these numbers should scare you. If you're on the east coast from Palm Beach northward, you'll likely see winds between 100, and 150 miles per hour. Think about that -- 100 to 150 miles per hour. These catastrophic levels can completely wipe out well-built homes and destroy neighborhoods.

If you're on the east coast you will lose power. You are going to lose power. Do not believe you are not going to lose power. You are going to lose power. Millions will lose power, possibly for a long period of time. Utility companies are going to do all they can to turn it on, but you are going to lose your power if you're on the east coast.

Go inland to a friend's house. Go to a shelter and find accommodation. Partners like Airbnb are making rooms available for free. Visit Florida and Expedia also have listings of open hotels. If you live on the west coast, call your friends in the impacted area and offer them a place to stay.

Again, no excuses, get out. As of last night there were 58 shelters open across the state. Today, 84 more shelters will open. We have doubled the number of available shelters. I know no one wants to sit in a shelter, but you need to go there now and get through this storm. Save your life. It might not be the best accommodations, but you don't want to go through 100 to 150-mile-per-hour winds, storm surge, rip currents, and all these things. This is about saving your life.

Individual gas stations are seeing temporary outages. They are being quickly refueled and fuel is readily available at this point in the state. The current fuel supply in the state will last for six days even if all ports close. Remember to take the fuel you need, but don't take more. Many people in your community need fuel to get to safety. We'll start seeing lines at our gas stations. We've already seen some.

[08:15:02] Hospitals, they're being evacuated along the coast. I had to do this back in Andrew. I had to evacuate two hospitals.

And to put things into perspective, I evacuated two hospitals, and then the hurricane -- Andrew moved south, and tore out the hospital that I moved patients to. So, we don't know exactly where this storm is going. Don't trust this track. Don't take a chance.

There are no reported issues at this point of these -- of the hospitals being evacuated.

Last night, I requested President Obama to declare an emergency declaration in 26 counties. I've also requested direct federal assistance to meet pre-land fall critical emergency needs of our communities. This includes resources from the federal government including food, water and tarp. We'll need more. There will be more things we need.

I hope the president approves it this morning, before this storm begins. I hope the president does it this morning before the storm begins.

Text FLprepares, one word, text FLprepares, to 888777 for updates from the state emergency response team. Flprepares to 888777 for updates from the state emergency response team. Remember FLprepares is one word.

This will -- this information can save your life. If you think of someone's making a bad decision, call them. Don't let them make a bad decision. Don't let people try to survive where there's an evacuation area. Everybody needs to take care of everybody else in our state. And do it now. Don't wait.

Don't wait until we're -- we're going to see traffic line with this evacuation. We're going to have fuel issues as the day goes on. We're going to do everything we can. We have enough fuel but there's going to be fuel issues at times.

Do it now. Don't wait. This could save your life. And it could save your friend's life and your family member's life.

To the press, you've done a great job alerting people and keeping people informed. I want to thank you for doing that. Anything more you can do to get people to know the severity of this, please do so. Unfortunately, this is going to kill people.

I will get my next briefing from the national hurricane center at 11:15. I'll be heading to Stuart now to meet with emergency management officials there. I met around the state with emergency management officials.

My goal is to make sure everyone's prepared. We know what we have to do. The water, the food, the battery powered radio, get your medicine.

Evacuate. Evacuate. Evacuate. Be prepared. Don't take a chance.

I'll be in Stuart and decide as I go through the day where else I'll be. I'll be here tonight to go through the storm. Here at the state emergency management center, operation center.

I can answer any questions anybody has.

CUOMO: All right, there's the Governor Rick Scott. He couldn't be more clear in his warning. This is real. It is dangerous. You need to take preparations. In many cases, millions of cases, that means getting out now.

Let's take live look at pictures from West Palm Beach.

CAMEROTA: Oh, boy.

CUOMO: Look the wind is coming. It's obvious. Those palm trees are built to sustain winds that structures cannot.

Let's bring in meteorologist Chad Myers.

The governor deadly clear in terms of saying you need to get out, or else.

MYERS: As scary as those pictures look right now it's going to get four times worse than what you're seeing right there. Hard to imagine what four times worse than that wind looks like, but that's what Nassau, the Bahamas, feeling right now.

The storm is 125 miles per hour. That's the latest update at 8:00. We'll get a new update at 11:00 with a new track. I don't think it's going to change very much.

The governor was very clear that this storm is going to make a run right the Florida coast. The east coast of Florida, the Atlantic beaches, will be scoured with storm surge, with waves, and with wind -- wind of 140 miles per hour at 2:00 a.m. tonight. That's equal of EF-2 tornado.

Think about this tornado. It's along the shore for 300 miles. People often ask me, what's worse a hurricane or a tornado?

Well, a hurricane because it's so much bigger. And this, if it does that scouring damage for 300 miles along the same coastline, the damage will be in the billions of dollars, guys. This is that big. You can't have anybody on the outer beaches. Those outer sand bar beaches out there, everybody has to be off. If you're within ten feet elevation of the inland bays, inner coastal waterways you need to be out of there.

Even farther inland, where this now 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, there will be winds from Melbourne to Cocoa to all the way up towards Titusville.

[08:20:03] And those winds will be inland at 130 miles per hour, tearing things apart.

The governor was very clear, there will be no electricity. It will be out. What's the point of staying if you're going to sit there for seven days in a hot house with no A/C, no cooking, get out and go some place safe, because this is as dangerous of a storm as we have seen, and more dangerous than anything else we've seen on the east coast. But this is as dangerous of a storm as we've seen since probably Katrina.

Honestly, this storm is that big with the same type of storm surge along the beaches of five to nine feet. That's pushing all of that water inland. You're going to see rainfall between four and ten inches. That could even create some sinkholes. And you know, you don't want your house to be in that sinkhole but it's certainly possible when you get that much rain that quickly.

Guys, it's that serious.

CAMEROTA: All right. Chad, thank you, for using such strong language as the governor did as well.

Here are the live pictures right now. This is West Palm Beach as you just heard Chad Myers say it's going to get much worse there before it ever gets better.

So, joining us now two men in the bull's-eye of this storm. The mayor of Daytona Beach, Derrick Henry and chief of Daytona Beach police department, Michael Chitwood.

Gentlemen, thank you very much.

Mayor, tell me what the situation is in your town of Daytona right now?

MAYOR DERRICK HENRY, DAYTONA BEACH, FL: Well, the situation is quite dire. We've got city of 65,000 people, and we're encouraging everyone who lives on the beach side to evacuate and as many people in the city as possible to evacuate. We are taking this seriously. It is the most serious threat in the history of our community.

CAMEROTA: Chief, do you have any sense of whether or not the community has heeded those warnings and everyone has evacuated?

CHIEF MICHAEL CHITWOOD, DAYTONA BEACH, FL POLICE DEPT.: We do not. This morning on a1a we do have a lot of thrill seekers out, people with their surf boards and we cannot stress enough what the governor just said. Get out.

This is not something to play with. This isn't going to be Katrina- like storm. We have never seen anything like this. And if you think you're going to sit home or you think you're going to come out and take pictures and surf, you're sadly mistaken. You're deadly wrong.

CAMEROTA: So, Chief, if people do need help in the next 24 hours, and they're in the middle of this, what can your guys do for them?

CHITWOOD: There's going to be a certain point in time, around 6:00 tonight the bridges are going to close. We're going to have no way we can get up here eastbound. When the winds get up around 50 miles an hour, it's going to be hard, it's not impossible for us to respond.

So, the word we're trying to get out going door-to-door is get out now. Because come nightfall, there's no guarantee we're going to be able to get to you. And, you know, we're looking at here with the storm surge, you're putting your life at risk. Why do that? Get out.

We have the ability to get you out now. We have places to put you in shelters are open. Get out and save your life.

CAMEROTA: And, Chief, when you're going door-to-door, are you finding people who think that, you know, you guys are crying wolf?

CHITWOOD: We have found people who have said they have ridden out storms before, they've been here 30 or 40 years. They don't want to leave their home. They don't want to leave their pets. They'll be fine.

And you know, I hope that the Good Lord looks out for them because we're not going to be able to.

CAMEROTA: Mayor, we just heard the governor use the strongest language possible. He said no excuses get out. This will kill people.

So, mayor, what are you doing to sort of rally the community?

HENRY: The very same thing. I'm on social media throughout the community encouraging people to take this seriously. I said before, it's the greatest threat that we've ever had.

One of the problems is that when you have had the security that we've had over the last 40 years, of not having a direct hit, you begin to believe that you're immune.

We're not immune. We're on the coast. So, we have to encourage everyone to take the governor's warning. I was very proud of his strong language. He did not mince words.

Get out. That is our message, and that is our hope. Worry about your possessions later. Take care of your life now. You only have one life.

CAMEROTA: Yes, yes, so excellent message. We're watching a split screen as you both are talking. On the right side, I mean it's almost becoming obscured by the rain and the wind, but that is West Palm Beach and you can see just how dramatic the wind is, that's the just the outer bands of this storm.

Obviously, it is going to intensify. The winds are not yet up to 145 miles per hour, which is what all of our meteorologists are saying.

And, Chief, you know, we, we think of the winds as being the most dramatic part of the hurricane. But of course, remind people of what the storm surge does why that is the most dangerous?

CHITWOOD: The storm surge that comes in and goes out is going to be very quick. You know, in 2009 we were hit with devastating floods here. Nobody took our warning seriously and we had water in neighborhoods that were six and seven feet deep and people were calling at the last minute for us to try to get in and save them.

[08:25:01] And it was impossible. And that's flooding causes drowning, there's debris in there, downed power line. I mean, we could go on and on and on.

This is not a joke. This isn't like up north where you have a blizzard and go out and buy food and you hunker down and a couple days later, you emerge. This is an active threat that is going to kill people if they don't get out now.

CAMEROTA: You know, mayor, when you hear our meteorologists liken it to the names that have become such, you know, touch it stones of disaster, Katrina, Superstorm Sandy, that's what they say this is going to be like.

HENRY: It elicits fear, but it is an opportunity for us to respond. As we've been saying all along we have time to respond. And we have to put life over property, life over situation. We can't allow our pride to get in the way of what we need to do.

And so, it is fearful, but the thing that I'm proud of so far is that our first responders, our community is responding and everyone is prepared to do all that we can. But at the same time, we have to encourage the residents to do what they should do, which is evacuate.

CAMEROTA: Chief, I want to correct something. That, those pictures on the right side of everyone's screen, that's Nassau in the Bahamas I've just been told. That's not West Palm Beach. That makes a lot more sense because you guys would be feeling those same effects if you saw those winds at 125 miles per hour.

So that is Nassau in the Bahamas. The point is that's what's headed in your direction. Gentlemen, what will you be doing for the next hour?

HENRY: Well, I will be out riding, actually, into the neighborhoods and encouraging people to leave town. I'm going to actually go door- to-door on a few neighborhoods here on the beachside myself. And make sure that people are not there as the mayor around encourage people to leave.

And then I will get on social media and continue to encourage, and prepare my own family. That's another thing. We all have to prepare our families because I want them to be safe. And hunker down with the city, and stand in here and stand beside my chief and make sure that our city is safe.

CAMEROTA: And, Chief?

CHITWOOD: We begin ramping up this morning earlier we have volunteers, and police officers that will be targeting areas that were hit by the flooding in 2009 that we know are going to flood again. We're going to be going door-to-door and getting the message out. At 6:00 tonight it's all hands on deck the entire Daytona Beach police department will be here and we will be here until we can restore safety to our community.

CAMEROTA: Chief, mayor, we are thinking of you. We hope that you ride this out in as safe a way as possible. Thanks for taking time to be on NEW DAY this morning.

HENRY & CHITWOOD: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Chris?

CUOMO: Look, it's good for them to be out there, because they need to let people know that they can safely evacuate. There are places to go and things to do. That's a big reason people decide to stay. They don't know what to do.

CAMEROTA: You know, what's so interesting is everybody we've talked to from our meteorologists to those emergency responders, everyone is very calm. They're not using hysterical tone but they're using the strongest language possible to say, people will be killed.

CUOMO: Yes. And once the storm gets here, that tone is going to change and there will be very little that can be done to help anybody still here.

We're going to stay on Hurricane Matthew. We'll be following its track, talking about the different developments.

Florida's governor says time is running out for people to get to safety.

But first we want to talk to you a little bit of politics. CNN polls showed that Governor Mike Pence won the vice presidential debate. Governor Mike Pence, what does he think about what's going to happen on Sunday? And why he was able to come out on top? Next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)