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Florence Grows in Size As It Takes Aim At The Carolinas; Hurricane to Test President Trump Ahead of Midterm Elections. Aired 5-5:30a ET

Aired September 13, 2018 - 05:00   ET

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

[05:00:01] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: People could be feeling storm force winds, tropical storm-force winds or hurricane force winds for 24 hours or longer. That is a serious problem and we will tell you why.

It is a huge storm in terms of size. It continues to grow. That puts so many more people in its path. It has so much rain that it is dropping 24, maybe 40 inches of rain in places, particularly the coast where I am right now.

This is what the storm looks like from space. You get a sense of how truly huge it is. Millions of people in its path, more than 1 million people under mandatory evacuation orders in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, on high alert. You see pictures of people boarding up their homes.

If you have not done it already, it is probably too late. These pictures were taken in the outer banks, because we see the outer bands hitting there. For those who were still here, probably time to bunker down.

Let's get the latest forecast, the 5:00 a.m. update. Our Chad Myers in the weather center with the very latest sense of where things stand -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm glad you said, John, the storm is still growing, because it is growing in size. Yes, we only have 110 miles per hour winds in the eye. But the eye is not the problem. The eye is just where the most fierce winds are.

The storm now on radar is getting bigger in the overnight hours, north to south, east to west, getting bigger and wetter. It is going to be a rain event, 40 inches of rainfall as the wind now is coming onshore. Heavy rains will proceed the wind, getting all of that ground saturated and trees will just fall down. The roots will be completely saturated.

So, the hurricane force winds, certainly to Wilmington by later tonight into tomorrow morning, and that's where it's going to turn left. Remember that left-hand turn we talked about yesterday, yes, it is going to happen. It will go all the way to Myrtle, almost down to the inlet which is really almost Charleston before it turns back to the U.S. So, this entire landscape here will be scoured by a 100 to 110-mile-

an-hour eyewall. But it's the surge that we're worried, 13 feet at least in some spots as that wind is going to continue to blow in the same direction for a very long time. The winds will continue to blow in the same direction for a long time.

Here is the latest. Notice the number. I know you will notice the 110. Moving northwest at 15. That's a slowdown has not started yet. So, this is the very latest track, coming onshore at 105, coming onshore sometime later today into tonight, and then turning to that left, becoming a category one, right on shore or right along those barrier islands.

And then finally turns to the left and eventually dies into parts of Georgia, Tennessee and parts of Kentucky where the rainfall will be heavy at times. So, here is where we are worried about, is the rainfall accumulation, 20 to 30 inches of rainfall all along this.

So, if you are in Myrtle and your house is fine, you're going to get 10 to 15 to 20 inches of rain north and northwest of you. It's going to try to come down those rivers and that is where the flash flooding. The fresh water flash flooding is going to occur. Not the saltwater flooding. The saltwater flooding comes here and power outages will be widespread through most of North Carolina over the next 24 hours, as these power lines come down.

Duke Energy said three quarters of people they serve in North Carolina may be without power for more than some time than you want to think about, weeks at a time, because it's going to be such a long process to put this up. Most important thing and I'll go through this later on and is that we can now see the eye, we know where it is, but we also know that the heavy rain is out in front of it and that's to come and every time a rain band comes by, the winds are going to pick up to 40 to 50 and eventually 100 miles per hour, even where you are, John.

BERMAN: Chad, I want to make one thing clear and you can help me out with this, because I have been speaking to people involved in the rescue operations here. They will not go out with the wind speeds greater than 45 miles an hour. Make clear to folks how long the winds will be higher than that across this huge swath of the coast.

MYERS: You can imagine the buckets that go up and put the power lines back up. They're just up with the guy swaying in the wind. They're not going to do that at 45 or greater. They absolutely won't.

And the winds will be here at least two days before it finally moves away. So, if you lose power in an hour, you are not getting it back for the next 48 at least. And think about all lines they have to put up. This will be weeks on end for some people.

I can't live without power for two hours. That's why you need to be out of here, because how can you live without power for 7 days for 14 days, whatever it is? It is a nightmare.

It's like camping in your house. It really is very, very rough to live without water and without electricity and trees down and you can to the do anything around your house. You need to clean up.

What you said is right. No time to put up boards now. The winds are too strong.

[05:05:00] Get out of there if you haven't yet. There's still time to get out of there if you haven't gone over a bridge. But right now, it's done. Here it comes.

BERMAN: Still time to get out for now. Some of these bridges are closing. It is not just power which is a concern, the rescue crews, the people that will save you when you're stranded won't go out with the winds north of 45 miles an hour. Chad was saying right there, it's going to be like that for two days. That is why you are on your own. That is why these evacuations are so important.

Several million people in the path of Hurricane Florence. They have been told to get out. Not everyone, though, is listening.

CNN's Kaylee Hartung, she's been talking to people over the last few days. She's in Wilmington for us now -- Kaylee.

KAYLEE HARTUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. Billy Sample and David Hoffman, they made an important investment in Carolina Beach. It's where they plan to retire.

These men saying that a home five blocks from the ocean, 13 feet above sea level, they believe will -- could take water up to its first balcony. Their biggest concern is the roof of the home blowing off.

And yet, yesterday, as the clock was ticking towards an 8:00 p.m., a mandatory evacuation deadline as friends and family were calling, asking them to get off that island. They said the decision had been made. They are in it for the long haul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID HOFFMAN, RIDING OUT STORM IN CAROLINA BEACH: I am taking a life-threatening risk, but it's my opportunity to protect my property. With us not being able to come back on the island for a week, I feel that's a vital part.

BILLY SAMPLE , RIDING OUT STORM IN CAROLINA BEACH: We won't be calling or have an expectation if I get myself in trouble to have any help. I have to take care of it on my own. That is what I considered. I won't put other people at risk. So, we decided to stay. And it's on us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARTUNG: It's all on them. Billy, his wife, Kim, David and dog and cat will be inside that home. They say they are provisioned for five days, maybe seven. John, they tell me they understand the risk that they are taking.

But we had a conversation about whose phone numbers they would hand over to local officials when they were asked to hand over contact information for next of kin. You know, similar decisions are weighed here on Wrightsville Beach just behind me. This bridge to my right closed, that another barrier island under mandatory evacuation.

When we get more light here, we'll show around this marina and ill give you a better concept of what's expected here.

BERMAN: Looking forward to that. Kaylee Hartung, up in Wilmington. Wilmington is just north of where I am, Oak Island. South of Wilmington where Kaylee was saying, some of these bridges at the barrier islands, they're already shutdown.

The one where I am will shutdown in a few hours or when winds gets higher than 45 miles an hour. If you are on this island then, you will not get off for days. That is the serious issue. South of here,

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A lot of people moved there over the last few years. It is a population center and aging population center. It is now an area of major concern for the storm.

Our Nick Valencia is there -- Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.

This is an area of concern for people, especially the local mayor who enacted a curfew between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., very likely that she'll do that again, probably even earlier. In fact, we were yesterday outside of the evacuation zone on the edge of Myrtle Beach in Conway and there's also a particular concern there. This storm has been downgraded, but people should not let their guards down.

The wind, of course, is going to be a factor, but really concerning to people here is the flooding. I mentioned Conway, that area has seen storms in the past. Flooding is a major issue here in Myrtle Beach.

The evacuation is in effect here, mandatory evacuation. A lot of people have not evacuated. We were sitting on Highway 501 as people were leaving town yesterday as the storm took a turn south. More people got nervous yesterday and wondering the mood of residents here this morning as the storm has been downgraded.

I mentioned evacuations. Some decided to stick around. It is not too late to evacuate, but it's starting to get that way -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Nick Valencia for us in Myrtle Beach -- Nick, thanks very much.

Joining me here in Oak Island is Art Dornfeld. He's the special operation supervisor in the Brunswick County, where we are right now, some 800 square miles, a huge area right squarely in the path of this storm.

Art, as we stand here this morning before dawn before the storm hits, your area of biggest concern?

ARTHUR DORNFELD, SPECIAL OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR, BRUNSWICK COUNTY: Area of biggest concern is flooding. Storm surge. Getting people to evacuate. It would be great if they go ahead and leave now.

BERMAN: Yes, they probably should have left already. You have a few more hours to get to safety.

DORNFELD: Yes.

BERMAN: You were talking about storm surge. Let's point out to people what we are talking about here, because I -- people can see I think this dune behind us. The grass area on this dune. In hurricane Matthew which was 2016, a three-foot storm surge washed out the dune and flooded Oak Island.

That's a three foot feet. We are expecting six or nine feet or higher.

DORNFELD: That is devastating. That's going to be across the island into the mainland. So, that's a lot of water.

BERMAN: And then the rain.

DORNFELD: So, what they are projecting now is up to 40 inches of rain. Hurricane Floyd in '99 brought 20 inches here in Brunswick County. So, that is 20 more inches. That's a lot of water. So, people need to take heed and leave now.

BERMAN: And the duration. We have been talking all morning of the duration of this morning. It could be 24 hours, maybe more of tropical storm-force winds. What will you be doing as this storm is hitting?

DORNFELD: So, right now, we have my swift water team. It's our Brunswick County swift water team is a type two swift water team with 14 people and two 470 zodiac boats. They are being prepared right now with all their protective equipment to go out.

We have a federal response which is Missouri task force one, I believe. They're going to be in Leland, which is just south of Wilmington. The chief will host those people. I believe it's 45 people and three tractor-trailers.

There's a lot of federal response. We are really appreciative of that. So, we'll be preparing, but there will come a time where we will not be able to respond with the high winds. So, nothing worse than getting a phone call and not being able to help somebody who is crying out for help and we can't do anything about it.

BERMAN: It is something you don't want to get out there, it is you can't get out there. And you were saying that Matthew, when Matthew hit again in 2016, it was two or three or four hours. This is 24 or 36 hours.

DORNFELD: This is a long time with high sustained winds. It's just not a situation you want to be in.

BERMAN: The water rescues you've seen. What kind of things do you typically see there? DORNFELD: Well, we see anything from people not leaving with the

flooded water. There's a lot of debris in the water. So, there's a lot of hazards. A lot of people have pets they have with them.

So, you deal with dogs, cats, you know. So, trying to get those people to safer ground is a challenge.

BERMAN: All right. Art Dornfeld, thank you. I suspect we will speak with you over the next few days. I'll let you get back and stay safe as this storm is hitting.

DORNFELD: Appreciate it. Thank you. You too.

BERMAN: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

We're going to take a look at the latest track for Hurricane Florence. We're going to speak to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:16:53] BERMAN: All right. I'm John Berman in Oak Island, North Carolina, where Hurricane Florence will arrive in the next several hours.

You can see in this satellite imagery some of the outer bands just touching the outer banks of North Carolina. The rest of the coastline will get the brunt of the storm. Again, all over the course of today, into tonight, tomorrow, Saturday, it's staying. It's staying for a long time.

Joining us now is Reid Hawkins. He is with the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, a little north of where I am right now.

Reid, give us a sense where the people will first feel the impact?

REID HAWKINS, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE, WILMINGTON, NC: The outer banks just north of should start seeing some convection on the outer bands move in. Then later this afternoon, we should start seeing the bands move here, the heavy rain move across our area and then as the storm moves in, the rain could get more steady and continuous.

BERMAN: The wind speed. Now, people are going to hear the headline that this storm has been downgraded to a category two storm. But that's still winds of 110 miles an hour and they're going to last. Explain that.

HAWKINS: Yes. Category two is still strong. One of the strongest storms back in '96 was Hurricane Fran, and a lot of damage on the coast from Wrightsville Beach, northward. And a lot of people remember that damage and trees down. We have that impact.

The difference here is this will be moving and slowing down and we get the steady continuous hurricane and tropical storm-force winds over a longer period of time. A lot of trees uprooted due to the saturated grounds. That will continue for 24 hours. We will get rainfall totals we have never seen in this area before.

BERMAN: Rainfall totals we have never seen. It is sort of a vice that people are caught in along the coast. You have storm surge because the storm is so huge in size. Storm surge of 6 to 9 to 15 feet in places, that comes first. The fresh water flooding coming down and trying to drain. What will the effect of that be?

HAWKINS: Well, the surge will first impact and it will keep the water from flowing back into the ocean, especially for the areas close to the coast. As it weakens and moves inland, we will see the fresh water flooding and it will take a long period of time for that to drain, probably weeks.

BERMAN: In terms of the size of the storm we can see it on the picture, I know you're not seeing this picture, but it's a huge storm. What does that mean in terms of the storm surge?

HAWKINS: Well, what we see, I remember back in 2004 with Hurricane Charlie that came in, it was a very, very small storm. People didn't see the storm surge, and they were going, it went to a category four and there was not much surge.

[05:20:00] But with this large expanse of storm, long duration of winds over the same area pushing in the same direction, it piles the water up as we saw in Sandy. So, that's why we are seeing the forecast for nine to 13 feet of storm surge aboveground level, especially north of Cape Fear and 6 to 9 south of Cape Fear.

BERMAN: That's a real problem again where I'm standing right now. They say life threatening storm surge is three feet. It's going to be well over that.

Talk to me briefly about the threat inland.

HAWKINS: The threat inland will be the rainfall. The issue we had two years ago with Hurricane Matthew where we had a lot of areas over I-95 and just to the east of the coastal areas, they were inundated and many towns were just decimated. And some of the towns may never come back.

So, now, we got a large swath of southeastern North Carolina and probably into South Carolina that are going to see rainfall totals again that are just going to be debilitating to the area.

BERMAN: All right. Reid Hawkins with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina, stay safe. We will be near you to ride out this storm in just a few hours. Thanks so much.

HAWKINS: OK. Thank you.

BERMAN: You know, Alisyn, we were talking about the preparedness here. We have seen lots of people getting ready to face the storm. They say they have the supplies.

You know, obviously, they like more chainsaws and boats. What they really would like is people to go. People to go away so they don't have to be rescued.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Well, I mean, obviously, it's life threatening for the emergency responders if they have to go out in these kinds of conditions to try to save people's lives.

So, look, John, I'm glad you are there. I'm glad you are making the point as the meteorologists have been warning us, this is not a wind event. This will not be a wind event as they say in their vernacular. It is the water event, and they are afraid if the water will actually kill people if it comes to that. So, we'll keep making that point.

John, we will be back with you shortly.

So, is the Trump administration ready for this hurricane? President Trump says that they are. We discuss what they may have learned from the disaster with Hurricane Maria and all of the political tests, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[05:26:49] CAMEROTA: President Trump is facing an imminent challenge as Hurricane Florence moves towards the Carolina coast. But before the hurricane has even hit, the president is praising his administration's response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are getting tremendous accolades from politicians and the people. We are ready, but this is going to be one of the biggest ones to ever hit our country. Residents in the path of these devastating storms should comply with all evacuation orders and other emergency instructions.

Protection of life is the absolute highest priority. That's what we're doing. It's called protection of life. So, God bless everybody and be careful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK. Joining us now is Toluse Olorunnipa, the White House reporter for Bloomberg News, and CNN senior political analyst John Avlon.

Great to see you both of you guys.

So, John, President Trump has said we are getting tremendous accolades for the response to Florence which has not hit yesterday. But, listen, I mean, here is the point -- it is impossible not to feel nervous when you see the disaster that happened in Maria.

Obviously, FEMA did a better job with Harvey in Houston and even in the Keys presented some logistical problems. But after Maria, it is nerve racking to imagine what's going to happen next.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Nearly 3,000 Americans dead. Roughly the same number we lost in 9/11. The president has still not confronted I think his culpability and the fact that the government numbers lied in that regard.

But Puerto Rico is difficult to get to. The Carolinas are better situated for a response. The idea he is getting tremendous accolades, this is a Trumpian sort of hype job moments. And the president has got to be careful here as a practical matter, as well as politically.

Disasters by their nature are chaotic and reflect badly on the government, even when everything goes right. This is not about taking a victory lap. This is about the president setting expectations and empowering FEMA and local authorities. This is -- he's got to resist the impulse of praise directed at himself.

CAMEROTA: Well, just to remind people, Toluse, what he said yesterday. This is, I guess, via Twitter. We got A-pluses for the hurricane work in Texas and Florida and did an unappreciated great job in Puerto Rico even though an inaccessible island with very poor electricity and totally incompetent mayor of San Juan. We are ready for the big one that is coming.

So many people have pointed out he did not mention the nearly 3,000 victims. He took a swipe at the mayor of San Juan.

TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA, WHITE HOUES REPORTER, BLOOMBERG NEWS: Yes, that's exactly right. And the president last year when he talked about how great a job the federal government did in responding to Puerto Rico hurricane, he specifically focused on the numbers of death. He said that, you know, this wasn't like a real tragedy like Katrina where, you know, some several hundred people died.

And ever since the new numbers came out showing that more than 3 -- almost 3,000 people died as a result of the hurricane in Puerto Rico, we have not heard the president address that at all. He has not given a new statement or talked about condolences for the thousands of victims who were killed in this hurricane. And instead, he just talked about how great a job the federal government did and how difficult it is to access Puerto Rico.