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Florence Grows in Size as It Takes Aim at the Carolinas; Some Hold-Outs Still Refusing to Evacuate Are Targeted by Florence; Hurricane to Test Trump Ahead of Midterm Elections. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired September 13, 2018 - 06:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are ready, but this is going to be one of the biggest ones to ever hit our country.

[05:59:34] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The wall of water is still underneath this storm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm worried about this one. I'm worried about the (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take mandatory evacuations very seriously. It's probably not going to be survivable out here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via phone): We do expect up to 3 million to be out of power.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Disaster is at the doorstep, and it's coming in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Thursday, September 13. Alisyn's in New York.

I'm John Berman here in Oak Island, North Carolina, where people are largely gone, frankly. Most people have already left this barrier island. They heeded the mandatory evacuation orders, Alisyn, to get out and get out before this storm is coming, because the storm, the outer bands are already starting to hit the Carolina coast, Alisyn.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: John, I'm happy to hear that, because the information that we have is that right where you're standing, there is 30 to 40 inches of rain expected in your region. And a 9- to 13-foot storm surge, meaning above sea level. That's how much the water will come in where you are. So that is not survivable for many people. And it's a good thing that people around you have been heeding up all the experts' warnings.

BERMAN: When you say a 9- to 13-foot storm surge, Alisyn, a 3-foot storm surge where I am right now is considered life-threatening. So those are the stakes. That is what they're up against here on Oak Island and that is why people really need to heed these warnings. The outer bands of Florence, as we said, now starting to hit the Outer

Banks. You can see this imagery right now of the storm spreading out over North Carolina. More than 1 million people are under these mandatory evacuation orders. That doesn't mean 1 million people left; it only means they should have.

This storm is still forecast to stall before making its final landfall over the Carolina coast, which it will batter for more than 24 hours. We are talking about a huge storm surge, because the size of the storm is so long and so wide.

The storm is expected to bring hurricane conditions, again, for more than 24 hours. That is very unusual. These are live pictures from Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, the Outer Banks right now are some of the outer bands are already beginning to hit. You can see that flag at a 90-degree angle because the tropical-storm-force winds are there. And once they come, they will stay, really, for two full days.

We have reporters up and down the Carolina coast, down into South Carolina, as well, because this storm is going to have a huge impact.

Let's begin with CNN meteorologist, Chad Myers, to get a sense of the latest forecast -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: John, yes, I know it's hard for you to see out there with wind blowing and, you know, and trying to get satellite service, but the eye is now on radar, which means it's not that far away. In fact, about 170 to 175 miles away from land right now.

So as this makes landfall tonight, we're still doing 17 miles per hour. Even if it's 15, you can do the math. That's only 10 to 12 hours away from truly making landfall, if it doesn't slow down. I know all the models say, hey, it's going to slow down. But you know what? These things can have a mind of their own and momentum on their own. Still sliding there, 110 miles per hour there, the last radar fix, northwest at 15 miles per hour and gusts to 130.

It's the surge that we're worried about, because this is what's going to happen as the storm rolls right onshore. Comes right onshore, not that far from Wilmington. There's Florence. There's our John Berman right there in the thick of the eastern or the north part of the eye wall. That's the worst part of what we're going to see for surge there.

Now, it does cool down to a Category 1 storm as it comes onshore, not that far from Conway or from Myrtle Beach, if you know that town a little bit better. But otherwise, it is going to be a rainfall maker, because from this point right here, to this point right there, that's about, what, 80 miles, 100 if you want to drive it. That's 48 hours to get there.

So here's what the wind looks like. There's our John Berman. There's Wilmington. There's Florence. There's Myrtle down here. There's Charleston way down there. There's the center of the storm right now. As we move ahead to 3 p.m., it gets closer and closer. There you see the wind speeds. The wind speeds are going to be 80

miles per hour by 3 p.m. this afternoon.

And the surge. Alisyn and John, the surge that you talk about, 9 to 13, does not include the waves that are on top of that surge. There was a wave out in the ocean yesterday, a buoy went up and down. It went up and down 83 feet. Eighty-three feet. Now, that's not going to translate to onshore, but

even if it translates to 15 feet, if you're 13 feet above sea level and you get another wave that's 15 feet on top of that, you can see what's going to happen to some of these villages here are going to be devastated.

And we've always known that. That was always the forecast. And it really hasn't changed much. And that's the good news. It hasn't changed left and right too much. Now, is going to turn down the coast and affect more people down toward Myrtle, but you are right in the middle of it, John. I hope you have high land not that far from you.

BERMAN: We do. We do. And our plan, Chad, just so you know, is to get off this barrier island mid-morning to late morning and then go to Wilmington, where we do have a bit of a safer setup there.

Chad Myers, thanks to you.

And as Chad was pointing out, by the way, this storm is going to last so long, it will last over at least two high tide cycles. So the threat of that storm surge will intercede with at least two high tides, which means it is an incredible risk.

Let's go just up the coast of where I am right now, Wilmington, North Carolina. Kaylee Hartung is there -- Kaylee.

[06:05:05] KAYLEE HARTUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, friends and family have called and begged them. Local authorities have strongly encouraged it, but Billy Sample, his wife, Kim, and their neighbor, David Hoffman, are not leaving Carolina beach. They tell me they have made an investment in property there on this barrier island. They've bought retirement homes, property they are willing to risk their lives to protect.

That being said, as you hear Chad talk about the storm surge, the continuous rainfall, they believe five blocks back from the ocean and 13 feet above sea level, water could rise to their balcony. Their greatest concern, the roof coming off the top of this home.

As the clock was ticking down to an 8 p.m. mandatory evacuation deadline last night, they were not wavering in their decision. They told me they are in this for the long haul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILLY SAMPLE, CAROLINA BEACH RESIDENT: We accept the risk. We know what the risk is. We accept it. We're not looking for anyone to come bail us out or rescue us. If we get ourselves in a bind, just like they say, it's on you. So we'll use our wits to get ourselves through it.

HARTUNG: And there's a bill of a thrill in it, too?

SAMPLE: Absolutely. I'm a thrill seeker. There's some of that playing into it, I'm sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARTUNG: Now, folks on Wrightsville Beach just behind me are weighing the same decision. Authorities tell me they believe only a handful of people are left on this barrier island.

But one Wrightsville police officer telling me he had a conversation with a man last night where he said, "If you're going to stay, I need you to take a Sharpie. I need you to write your name and your Social Security number on your arm so that if we find you after the storm, we can identify you." He told me, John, that man is now planning to leave the island this morning.

BERMAN: That's good. That's good, Kaylee. You know, being a thrill seeker is one thing, if it only concerns you. But then you have to think about your family. You have to think about your pets, and you have to think about the first responders, the rescuers who will be tasked to find you at some point. You're putting them at risk, also.

Kaylee Hartung, terrific report up in Wilmington. We'll see you a little bit later today.

In the meantime, I want to go down the coast to South Carolina. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It's a city a lot of people know. It's a destination, a destination for so many, and it is an area, a city very much concerned about this storm, the surge and the rainfall after it.

Our Nick Valencia is there -- Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, John. Good morning.

Today is the day when things will really start to get serious for the coastal Carolinas. Here in South Carolina where I'm at, the state is expected to get hit harder than initially predicted. It has a lot of people nervous, no doubt, especially the mayor here in Myrtle Beach, as you mentioned. A lot of people here, a lot of tourists that visit this destination.

It has turned into sort of a ghost town, which means that people are listening to those evacuations, warnings.

But for those who have stayed behind, the mayor enacted a curfew already yesterday between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. We expect her to do that again today, likely even earlier.

One of the main concerns here, of course, not only the wind, which is definitely a lot stronger this hour than it was 24 hours ago, but really, they're concerned about the flooding. The flooding as that storm just hovers, is expected to hover over the state and pour water over the weekend and continue to dump that water here in an area that has been through storms, of course, but it always floods here when those storms come through.

The evacuation warnings are infect. In fact, last night, all of us here in this area got an alert on our phones to get out. It is not too late to get out here, if you're still here watching us, but that window is fast closing -- John.

BERMAN: All right. Nick Valencia for us down the coast in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Joining me now is the mayor of this community where I'm standing right now, the mayor of Oak Island, North Carolina, Cindy Brochure, known as Cin around here.

Mayor, thanks so much for being with us.

This is such a beautiful community. And I sense some apprehension and sadness in your voice this morning.

CIN BROCHURE, MAYOR, OAK ISLAND, NORTH CAROLINA: Concern, stress. We've had a long week. We started last Saturday preparing. We put all our preparedness plans in place. So right now we're in good shape, as far as being ready, just waiting for it to hit and getting ready to kick in with the aftermath. So --

BERMAN: A community of about 8,000 residents, right?

BROCHURE: That's correct.

BERMAN: And you think all but a couple thousand have left?

BROCHURE: I believe, from what I've -- I've rode the beach, our police officers have rode the beach. It's pretty calm right now. I'm very pleased that as many left as have. It's less chaotic afterwards to try to get everything back into order.

BERMAN: Now, storm people are going to pay attention to the fact that the wind speed is now 110 miles per hour. It's a strong Category 2. But that's not necessarily the real threat to Oak Island here. It's the storm surge. We're talking about 9 feet, 10 feet. That dune that's behind us right now, that will overflow at 3 feet.

BROCHURE: Correct. We expect it to, yes.

BERMAN: Which means what?

BROCHURE: Which means the dune probably will not be there the next morning. It will go under the houses. There'll be water and sand in the streets. It's a typical after-hurricane scenario, only we have a two-day instead of it blowing in and out.

[06:10:06] BERMAN: And there's nothing typical about that.

BROCHURE: No, there isn't. I've never -- I've never experienced it, but I've only been here since 2007. But I have lived in North Carolina, and typically, they blow in inland, and you have flooding issues there. But sitting on our coast for two days, we don't -- we have no idea what to expect.

BERMAN: That means at least two high tide cycles --

BROCHURE: Right.

BERMAN: -- with a storm surge of 6 to 9 feet. Life-threatening, I understand, you consider, on this island that 3-feet measure.

BROCHURE: I would consider it life-threatening, because that's why I called for mandatory evacuation. And that gives me a small sense of comfort that most people have fled.

BERMAN: Yes.

BROCHURE: And went to higher ground.

BERMAN: I was reading, I was on your web site, the town web site today. I mean, city services are all but shut down, including things like sewage and water. If you're sticking around, it's not like you're living in comfort.

BROCHURE: Well, we don't have -- our water and sewer is not shut down, but you do need to conserve.

BERMAN: Right.

BROCHURE: Depending on what happens and how long it lasts, all of that's kind of fluid. So decisions are made. And I'm asking that people if you can, if you've got electricity, check our website. We'll post if we can. But you can't get comfortable thinking you'll have it, because we don't know what's going to take place.

BERMAN: Now, every storm is different.

BROCHURE: Yes.

BERMAN: And I'm always hesitant to bring up past storms, because you don't want to bring people a sense of complacency. But Matthew --

BROCHURE: Yes.

BERMAN: -- was 2016, two years ago, which is a Category 2 that really ran up the coast. It was a different type of storm.

BROCHURE: Right.

BERMAN: And that storm, that pier -- I think people can see the pier behind us right now. That pier washed away, part of that pier.

BROCHURE: Not this one.

BERMAN: Oh, another one?

BROCHURE: There's one in the Yaupon area that's further down the other end of the island, and it's still under construction. We're rebuilding it.

BERMAN: So that was enough to wash away a pier. That was enough to come in and wash away the dunes here.

BROCHURE: Yes.

BERMAN: Sand still tonight streets from Hurricane Matthew.

BROCHURE: Exactly. We had significant damage with Hurricane Matthew, and it was -- it's nothing to compare to what this one is predicted to do.

BERMAN: Where are you going to ride out the storm?

BROCHURE: I'm going to be at the emergency operations center at the county. So we're all -- we're ready. Our staff's ready. At 45 miles an hour, we will stop all -- sending our emergency services, and when that subsides, we'll be out again. But until then, we protect our -- our staff, as well.

BERMAN: I'm glad you brought up the 45 miles an hour wind speed. And I'm going to sound like a broken record. You will not -- rescue services will not go out after 45 miles an hour, when the wind speeds hit that.

BROCHURE: That's right.

BERMAN: And the thing about this storm, the speed is going to be north of 45 miles an hour for maybe two days.

BROCHURE: And that's why it's important that we did an evacuation. If you had any health problems, we encouraged you to leave, because we can't get to you. And it is also dangerous for our dedicated --

BERMAN: Yes.

BROCHURE: -- emergency workers to want to go get you, and then it puts their life in peril.

BERMAN: If you're on Oak Island this morning, it's just after 6 a.m. You maybe have a few more hours if you decided to stay. Do you want to send a message to any of those people. It's probably the year- round residents, those grizzled veterans. Anything you want to say to them.

BROCHURE: Just watch the news, keep an eye on what's going on. If you see or you feel that you're in danger, call the county, call us, hold on. Someone will come get you before the winds get to 45. But if you want to leave, leave now.

BERMAN: All right, Mayor Cin Brochure, thanks so much for having us here.

BROCHURE: Thank you, John. Appreciate you coming down to Oak Island and -- and helping us out here.

BERMAN: We'll come back. We'll come --

BROCHURE: Come back after and see how we recover.

BERMAN: It's a beautiful, beautiful place. Thank you very much.

BROCHURE: Thank you.

BERMAN: Good luck.

BROCHURE: Thank you.

BERMAN: All right. I want to get a sense now of this storm, what is in store. Let's check in with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina, just north of us. They call it the storm of a lifetime. We're going to talk to them just after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:17:23] BERMAN: John Berman back here in Oak Island, North Carolina. The Carolina coast is ready. You can see the outer bands of Hurricane Florence just beginning to hit the Outer Banks, a couple hundred miles north of where I am right now. That really is just the beginning, and it's the beginning of a weather event that will last for days. And that is what makes Hurricane Florence so dangerous.

Joining us now is Steven Pfaff. He's the warning coordinations adviser, meteorologist, I should say, for the National Weather Service. He's based in Wilmington, North Carolina, just a little bit north of where I am.

And Steven, this storm, it really is a multiple threat.

STEVEN PFAFF, WARNING COORDINATIONS ADVISOR/METEOROLOGIST, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE: Yes. We're seeing potential deadly storm surge and then catastrophic rainfall as this storm slows near the coast. So it's not just going to be the wind element or the surge element or the rainfall, possibly all three of those, as this storm approaches. So certainly, a life-threatening situation that we had to prepare for.

BERMAN: A few minutes ago, we talked to our meteorologist, Chad Myers, who said the hurricane was moving in toward the coast at 17 miles an hour. But you've just begun to see some signs of slowing down.

PFAFF: Yes, it looks like that trend in the models that have been showing, and of course, the National Hurricane Center's forecast with the slowing trend, will occur today. And that's going to be so unfortunate, because with the storm in the area for so long, the rainfall amounts are going to add up and could be very comparable to what we've had with past historic storms. So this could be one for the record books, with storm surge and, as well as the rainfall.

BERMAN: And that's so important to bring up, because when we say is it slowing down in terms of the speed at which it's moving, that is a bad thing; it's a terrible thing. It means that there are more people who will feel the impact for a longer time.

So if you're in Wilmington where you are and further south where I am in Oak Island, once we start feeling tropical-storm-force winds, how long will we get that? How long will we be under the threat of storm surge?

PFAFF: The storm surge threat can last over the next couple of days, because of that slow motion. The tropical-storm-force winds for a few days, as well. And it's such an expansive storm that it's not just going to be confined to where the center of it goes. A few hundred miles across, the impacts with this thing.

And unfortunately, the slow duration is going to impact the counties and the states, the abilities to potentially respond to this, because we're not going to be sending people out in unsafe conditions, so it might take some time before we can begin recovery operations.

[06:20:05] BERMAN: I'm looking at live pictures, Steven, right now from Buxton, North Carolina. Some of the Outer Banks, again, north of both where you and I are right now. Looks like some of that rain is already beginning to hit. You can see the seas tossing and turning a little bit. It's low tide right now, or lower tide right now.

The problem, as you noted, with this storm, is that the surge threat is over a full day, maybe even two full days. That's several, several high-tide cycles. You've been here in the region for some 20 years. Have you ever seen a storm that had this array of threats?

PFAFF: It's been quite some time. I think the last time we were challenged by something of this magnitude with respect to storm surge probably was Fran in 1996. And with the rainfall threat of this, certainly, we can easily surpass what we saw with Floyd back in 1999 and, most recently, Hurricane Matthew, 2016.

You know, with Floyd and Matthew, though, the main threats were just the rainfall. Now this one, we're talking about the rainfall and deadly storm surge becoming more and more likely as this storm nears.

BERMAN: You know, where you are in Wilmington, which is where I spent the night last night, you're sort of between the Cape Fear River; and then you have the ocean. In one of the events that could happen is the surge, the surge could actually push the river in the wrong direction. Explain how that works.

PFAFF: When you have the storm surge from the hurricane getting close to shore, any of the water trying to flow out of the tidal creeks, or such as Cape Fear River, has no place to go. It backs up. So you can have storm surge well inland from the beachfront.

So it's not just an oceanfront issue. It's anything tidally connected: the tidal creeks, the waterways. So that's why we're so concerned that any of these low-lying areas where there are a lot of communities, that there could, potentially, be some storm surge into some of the structures. Certainly, the oceanfront with the large battering waves.

BERMAN: And that's before we get two feet to three feet of rain. So just imagine the effect that that will have.

We see the storm approaching the coast right now. Again, we have the radar imagery up. Any chance that it shifts paths at this point, or are you pretty certain of where this thing is going?

PFAFF: Yes, it seems pretty certain at this point. And of course, there'll be certain adjustments, as it moves into the area, but I mean, you know, for days now, the forecast has been for it to approach southeast North Carolina and other aspects of the southeast U.S.

But now, certainly, those probabilities are focused right in on the Cape Fear area. But it's such a large storm that those impacts are going to be far-reaching. So other areas away from the center are going to have issues as, well, fortunately.

BERMAN: Right. Yes, this isn't about where the eye wall hits land. Hurricane-force winds and the effects of this will be spread out over a huge area.

Steven Pfaff, great discussion. Thanks so much for helping us understand the intricacies and the complexities of this very different type of storm. We appreciate it.

PFAFF: Great. Thank you.

BERMAN: Ahead for us on NEW DAY -- ahead for us on NEW DAY, the director of the National Hurricane Center, Ken Graham, he will join us with the 8 a.m. update. We'll get even more information then, Alisyn.

But as Steven Pfaff just said, at this point -- at this point, everyone is under a huge threat, and even a little change won't take that threat away. It's going to rain. There will be a huge storm surge, and people are going to feel these winds for a very long time.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: But John, I'm so glad that you're making the point, because it's a counterintuitive one that the storm is slowing down. Most people would go, "Oh, that's good news." No, it's bad news. It's bad news --

BERMAN: Right.

CAMEROTA: -- when this storm slows down, because that means that it just hovers and soaks the region in a sort of life-threatening way. So thank you for making that point, John. We will check back with you very soon.

But first, President Trump is already touting the success ahead of Hurricane Florence even hitting. The political test for the president, now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:28:24] CAMEROTA: The Trump administration faces an imminent test as Hurricane Florence moves towards the Carolina coast. But before the hurricane has it even hit, the president is praising his administration's response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Tremendous people working on the hurricane. First responders, law enforcement, and FEMA. And they're all ready. And we're 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: OK, joining us now, we have CNN White House correspondent Abby Phillip and CNN senior political analyst John Avlon.

Accolades in advance. That's interesting, Abby. But here's the part that's really getting most people's attention, that this is what the president tweeted. These were his words about the administration response to past hurricanes.

"We got A-pluses for our recent hurricane work in Texas and Florida and did an unappreciated job, great job in Puerto Rico, even though an inaccessible island with very poor electricity and a totally incompetent mayor of San Juan. We are ready for the big one that is coming."

Is that, Abby, what the anonymous op-ed writer was referring to in terms of the amorality that the people around the president feel when he has such a tone-deaf response and doesn't mention the victims? What are the people in the White House saying about this?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think that that is probably right, Alisyn. I don't know what exactly is in the op-ed writer's mind, but I do think there is this sense among people close to the president, you know -- sources around the president are very open about the idea that he has a hard time expressing empathy in situations like this. That he becomes fixated on this issue of praise, of whether he's getting enough credit.