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New Day

Fort Myers Mayor Says, Ian is the Worst Storm I've Ever Seen; Catastrophic Destruction Across Florida as Storm Moves North; Ian Downgraded to Tropical Storm but Will Likely Become a Hurricane Again Before Making another Landfall; Coast Guard Rescuing People from Rooftops in Fort Myers, Florida. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired September 29, 2022 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

DEANNE CRISWELL, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: -- system has been impacted, and we're focused right now on getting some search and rescue teams who have been out since 4:00 this morning to get into that area and identify who might need assistance, who might need to get rescued.

I don't have any confirmed reports yet. I understand that some of the sheriffs are saying that they expect a large number of fatalities. But that's why we want to get our search and rescue teams out there. That's why they're out there. We want to save as many lives as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Obviously, questions about fatalities this morning that we're hoping to have some answers to soon. But of course, Ian downgraded to a tropical storm here just in the last few hours. It remains extremely dangerous, though. Heavy rain, as much as 20 inches, storm surge as high as 12 feet, higher in some cases, devastating communities like Fort Myers, Naples, and Port Charlotte. This morning, 14 million people are under flood alerts, statewide some 2 million homes and businesses are without power in Florida. That is 20 percent of the entire state. And 96 percent of Fort Myers is in the dark. One power official telling NEW DAY that it could take weeks for the power to come back on in some areas.

Floodwaters inundating other coastal communities like Naples and Port Charlotte. You heard Berman talking about this. These are pictures of that area, leaving some people who decided to ride out the storm trapped in their homes, others rescued from their cars, Berman. The danger also continues, we should note.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It absolutely does continue. The storm not done yet. Brianna, I'm sorry for communication problems earlier. And one thing Deanne Criswell, the FEMA administrator told me, is they are prepared for thousands of displaced people, thousands perhaps of long- term displaced people. So that is what people are up against here in Florida right now.

CNN's got live team coverage of Ian still very much a powerful force. First, I want to go to the National Hurricane Center. Michael Brennan is there. Where is the storm? Where is it headed? How powerful, sir?

MICHAEL BRENNAN, ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR, NOAA: Right now, the center of Ian is just about 10 miles west of Cape Canaveral here, right along the Florida space coast, moving northeast at nine miles per hour. So it's going to emerge back out over the western Atlantic waters. But you can still see, the main story this morning is the extremely heavy rainfall to the north and west of the center. We have flash flood emergencies in places like Seminole, Volusia Counties to the east of Orlando, places like Deltona. We have life-threatening flash flooding going on there this morning.

Over the next day or two, we're expecting Ian's center to move parallel to the coast of north Florida and then bend back toward the coast and reach the coast of South Carolina on Saturday. But Ian has a huge wind field. The orange shows the extent of tropical storm force winds. And we're also expecting Ian to re-intensify back to close hurricane intensity. So we have a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning in effect basically from areas like St. Augustine to Jacksonville, northward to Charleston. And we're going to see the potential for wind impacts, but also life-threatening storm surge here as well. We could see four to six feet of inundation above ground level, places like Flagler Beach, St. Augustine, Jacksonville, up to the southeast Georgia coast along the St. John's River.

And again, multiple inches of heavy rainfall expected. We could see four to eight inches of rain across coastal South Carolina, isolated amounts as high as 12 inches, places like Charleston, and then heavy rainfall extending up into North Carolina, especially western North Carolina where we could see eight inches of rain. So again, we could see widespread flash flooding up into this region, especially on Saturday.

BERMAN: I hope people are listening. It's so important what you're saying. Life-threatening flash flooding still to come. Possible Ian regains strength to hurricane levels before it hits the coast again after it leaves Florida. Also, potential life-threatening storm surge again on the Atlantic side. Michael, I don't know if you've been able to assess the storm surge along the southwestern coast of Florida. Do you know how high it ended up being?

BRENNAN: Well, certainly from the images that we've seen in the media, it looks like there was at least inundation up to the first story of some homes. We saw that very violent push of water. But it can take weeks to months to really gather all the data from sensors that were deployed ahead of Ian to look at high water marks and really conduct a thorough analysis to get an idea of just how deep that storm surge inundation was. But it was sure, it was certainly very violent and very deep, and you can see some of the devastation that it caused in the pictures we saw yesterday, and we'll probably see more of that as the sun comes up this morning.

BERMAN: And we are seeing more even this morning. Michael Brennan, as always, thank you for your help.

BRENNAN: Thanks.

BERMAN: Brianna?

KEILAR: Yes, we're still watching this track. Very important to do that.

[08:05:00]

I want to go live to CNN's Carlos Suarez who is on the ground in Tampa with more. The danger continues. We're seeing that behind you there, Carlos. Tell us what you're experiencing.

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna, good morning. So the damage really depends on the neighborhood that you live in the city of Tampa. This might be the biggest tree that we found that fell overnight as hurricane Ian moved across just to the south of us here. You can see the size of this tree, just how big it is. It covers this entire street out here. You can see it fell atop this white truck and it is blocking this road at this hour.

A few minutes ago, a police officer drove by and said that he was essentially going street by street and writing down the addresses of where there are damaged homes as well debris. He was also writing down places that might be out of power. And 291,000 people across the city of Tampa are without electricity at this hour. Power crews are expected to do that work in the next couple of days.

We'll walk to this side here so you can see just where the tree was once standing, where it snapped in half, and where it hit the back of this pickup truck. It covers the sidewalk out here. There's also a communication line, a power line that runs through the front yard of this house and then fell atop the corner of that property right there. This was what emergency officials were worried about with that storm. Even though it did track south of Tampa, they were worried about some of the strong winds that we were seeing last night, they were worried about some of the flooding.

That said, over by Hillsborough Bay, which is where we spent the day yesterday, the water ended up coming back in after receding for a good part of the day, and the flooding wasn't too bad. That was an evacuation zone. Folks there were told they needed to get out ahead of that storm.

This morning, people are being told as you get back to your routine, as you get back to your homes, just keep an eye out for all of this debris. The last thing they want, again, is for folks to be driving along the road and then they run into something like this. It's not that uncommon. We're about 10 to 15 minutes away from our hotel, and we ran into a couple of trees that were down. But again, this was the biggest one that we saw. This is the one that is going to take a few days for folks to clear out before power crews can come back into this neighborhood, at least, and then restore electricity. Guys?

KEILAR: Time to stay indoors, I think. Carlos Suarez, thank you so much. I want to head back to Berman also there in Tampa. Berman?

BERMAN: Yes, we have with us now Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson, a Coast Guard commander. Admiral, if you can hear me, describe the operations you now have under way.

REAR ADMIRAL BRENDAN MCPHERSON, COMMANDER SEVENTH COAST GUARD DISTRICT: Yes, good morning, John. We're gearing up for what's going to be a very busy day of search and rescue as hurricane Ian made landfall yesterday. So we didn't even wait for the passage of the storm. Last night we had helicopters in the air. We rescued 13 people along the coast between Fort Myers and St. Petersburg, and we currently have aircraft in the air with the Florida National Guard actively pulling people off of roofs in Fort Myers.

BERMAN: Pulling people off of roofs in Fort Myers. What more can you tell me about that?

MCPHERSON: These are very dangerous conditions. Our highest priority is saving lives. We have highly trained, well-equipped air crews. They've done this mission before. They're ready for the challenge. And we're going to flood the zone, if you will, we're going to do a full court press with our urban search and rescue partners from FEMA, from local officials, and the Florida National Guard to assess the situation, identify those in distress, and bring people to safety.

BERMAN: You say you're pulling people off of roofs. Does that mean there are still areas surrounded by water in the Fort Myers, Lee County area?

MCPHERSON: It does, John. What our air crews are seeing is a lot of standing water. That surge was really devastating. It's a dangerous operation. So they're going to get in there. They're going to identify who needs assistance, who needs rescue, get them to higher ground, and provide safety for everybody in that area. We ask folks if they can hear my voice, if they're listening to this, if you're in a safe location, stay where you are. We will come and find you.

BERMAN: That's such an important message to send. If you're in a safe location, stay where you are, you will be found. I know your focus is on rescue. What reports are you hearing about fatalities?

MCPHERSON: So, John, I don't have any reports of that right now. Obviously, this was a very devastating storm. Really it come across three fronts. They had heavy rain, they had surge like they haven't seen before, and then the heavy winds. So we have to prepare ourselves for that. But right now, our focus is on saving lives.

BERMAN: Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson, Coast Guard commander, we do appreciate you being with us. You have a lot of work going on today. Please keep us posted and let us know if there's anything we can do to help.

MCPHERSON: Thanks, John.

BERMAN: All right, the Coast Guard pulling people off of roofs in the Fort Myers area, reports from the Coast Guard that there are people still surrounded by water there.

[08:10:07]

We've got reporters headed to some of the hard-hit areas. This is CNN special live coverage. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This storm did all the wrong things, I guess maybe all the right things that caused all the wrong problems. And this storm came out and the storm surge was catastrophic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The storm surge was catastrophic, and we are getting reports just moments ago from the Coast Guard commander telling us they are doing air rescues in the Fort Myers area, pulling people off roofs. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told me moments ago they are expecting or prepared to deal with potentially thousands of long-term displaced people from these hard-hit coastal communities. And Ian is not done yet. It is bearing down on Orlando as a tropical storm this morning. That's where Ryan Young is outside a hospital. Ryan, good morning to you.

YOUNG: Yes, good morning, John. Of course, we told you we wanted to wait till first light until we started venturing around here. We're outside the hospital, and you can see the flooding just around me. It's immense. I want to take you right to that car. You can see that it's basically trapped there in the middle of the road.

And John, just before this live shot, a car came barreling down the street, this is Orange Avenue, headed to the hospital.

[08:15:04]

There was a man in the front seat of the car and he said his wife was pregnant and she was in the middle of labor. One of our other crew members was able to guide them around some of the blockades here to get them toward that hospital.

So, you understand how people are just feeling an emergency situation, that they need to get to that hospital. And, of course, you can see all this water. And if you look in the distance there, you can see another van that's been trapped behind that building.

This is also the scene where a rescue took place earlier today of a nurse. I want to show you this video as the wind starts whipping up right now. This is the reporter who works for one of the local affiliates here, WESH. And he was doing a live shot and they were trying to wave down this car before it went into the water. Unfortunately it got stuck in the water. That reporter waded out into the street and was able to put that woman on his back.

His name is Tony Atkins. I actually talked to the report. He said the woman was very thankful for his assistance, but at this point, she was a nurse and was just and was just trying to get to work.

Back now here live, the rain has been unrelenting in terms of how it's been hitting us over and over in terms of just the amounts of water that had been coming down, these tropical surges of water as this storm starts to pass us. If you look back this direction, John, just look at the street, because this is the way that emergency crews would get toward the hospital. We were told earlier an ambulance had trouble getting through this section.

And this is just first light. As we got to this location from where we were before, we saw several streets that were flooded. There was no way to pass and we saw downed power lines. As you can understand, this water is not letting up. So, at this point, residents have so many questions. Officials are basically telling them stay inside.

The highways absolutely clear, we're also hearing parts of the highway have been shut down. And as a Floridian, you know hurricanes are something we all remember, especially the big name storms. But when you see damage like this and the flooding that's just -- as we're get hit by that intense wind coming through this section, you can understand why officials want people to stay safe and stay inside.

BERMAN: Yes, because this is the flooding, they're already saying it going to get worse as Ian moves through Orlando and worse perhaps for some days to come in terms of the flooding. Ryan Young, our thanks to you.

Ian, bearing down on Orlando as a tropical storm, as the sun comes up, we are getting a sense of the damage done on the southwestern coast here, and some of the reports are grim. The worst hit area appear to be the Fort Myers, Lee County area. We're going to speak to officials from Fort Myers, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:20:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything was fine and then all of a sudden the house flooded. It just started going deeper and deeper. And by the time we were walking out, we were mid-thigh in water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: I'm John Berman live in Tampa. This is CNN special live coverage of Ian, which is now a tropical storm beginning to hit Orlando with winds of about 65 miles per hour, very powerful, drenching rain. And our Ryan was on the ground telling us about the flooding, the freshwater flooding that they're dealing with there.

We're beginning to understand the scope of the damage along the southwestern coast here. Coast Guard officials told me moments ago they are conducting air rescues from rooftops in the Fort Myers area. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell says they are prepared for possibly thousands of displaced people.

Still, 2.5 million customers without power in the state of Florida and some places will see 20 inches or more at this point of rain. So, the storm here, you know, not done yet, warnings of life- threatening flashfloods still possible in the upper part of the peninsula. And South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, that whole area could see hurricane force strength when it makes landfall there, Brianna.

KEILAR: That's right, Berman. And the city of Fort Myers seeing record water levels after Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday. Approximately 96 percent of the city without electricity.

Joining us now is Mayor Kevin Anderson, who says this is the worst storm he has ever seen.

Mayor, can you tell us anything you know at this point about injuries, fatalities, do you have any updates?

MAYOR KEVIN ANDERSON, FORT MYERS, FLORIDA (voice over): Yes, I do. First, let me tell you, I'm standing on a floating cement dock in the river district of downtown (ph). The problem is this dock is two blocks away from the river in the middle of an intersection. This thing weighs a ton and that's how powerful the water was last night.

I am happy to report that we have no reports of loss of life in the city of Fort Myers. Unfortunately, in the surrounding areas, there are reports coming in.

KEILAR: There are reports coming in in Lee County. What can you tell us about that?

ANDERSON (voice over): I just know that there are several deaths being reported related to the storm.

KEILAR: And are these water-related deaths? Do you know about the circumstances?

ANDERSON (voice over): At this point, that would just be speculation. I mean, I would guess it's probably water related but I can't say that for sure.

KEILAR: Okay, I understand that. We're obviously trying to get a sense of what happened just because of the unprecedented pictures that we're seeing and the situation that you're describing that you are in right now. Can you tell us how many people have been rescued, how many people are still waiting for rescue at this point in time?

ANDERSON (voice over): I don't have exact numbers. I know as soon as the storm died down, our rescue teams started going out responding to the calls that were on hold. I haven't seen an official report with the numbers yet.

KEILAR: So, you are on a pier that floated away, is that right?

ANDERSON (voice over): A concrete pier, yes.

KEILAR: A concrete pier that floated how far, do you think?

[08:25:00]

ANDERSON (voice over): We're at least two blocks away from the river if it came from that direction. It may have come from the other direction and that would be even more than two blocks.

KEILAR: It's unbelievable, just the force of the water. What else are you looking at, from where you're standing, the damage, and what you're going to need to recover there?

ANDERSON (voice over): We have several businesses that have been damaged by the rising water, the flood. It's going to be a long recovery for those businesses. I can tell you I'm looking at the post office and the water line looks to be about four feet high on the outside of the building.

KEILAR: Four feet high on the outside of the building there.

Can you tell us where things stand with electricity and what you are telling your residents or what you want your residents to know this morning?

ANDERSON (voice over): Number one, they should stay inside because it's not safe to be out moving around. The roads are very slick from the mud, there's downed power lines, there's trees that are still subject to falling. So, people really should stay home. They need to be patient.

Florida Power and Light will get there, get the power on just as quick as they can. We're working on the restoration of our water service. First of all, we've got to get the roads clean so they're passable, so that our crews can get out there and go to work.

KEILAR: You mentioned four feet of water, four feet high on the post office. The storm surge was significantly more than that. In any lower lying areas, are you seeing water that had been much higher than that? Can you tell us anything?

ANDERSON (voice over): That's probably in the barrier islands and the beaches, which are about 15 or so miles away from us. I'm sure the storm surge was much higher. I just saw a report that the sheriff's office is reporting the deaths could be well over a hundred.

KEILAR: Which sheriff are you talking about, by the way, sir? I just want to be clear.

ANDERSON (voice over): Lee County.

KEILAR: The Lee County sheriff. I think we need to be careful with that because I do believe the sheriff may have clarified that report. So, I do just want to be careful. I think that may have been a concern based on some of the conditions, but I don't know that we have a confirmed number. So, we're working obviously to see what the actual confirmed number is.

Obviously, though, from what you're hearing, look, the situation, we see what the water damage is, it wouldn't be unusual that there are fatalities. So, we're going to continue to work our sources and see what those numbers are.

What is your concern right now, Mayor?

ANDERSON (voice over): Basically that people stay safe and they don't get in the way of the recovery efforts. We've got to get the water and the electricity restored. We have got food coming in, we've got water coming in. But to get them here, we have got to make sure they can have safe passage.

KEILAR: Getting the roads cleared obviously very important.

Mayor, we thank you for your time. We know that you're very busy. And we really appreciate you just giving a sense of what you're dealing with this morning. And we'll keep in touch with you. Thank you.

ANDERSON (voice over): Thank you. And I just want to say the people of Florida are very resilient. They've been through storms before. We will bounce back and we'll bounce back stronger.

KEILAR: Yes, we have no doubt, Mayor. Thank you so much.

ANDERSON (voice over): Thank you.

KEILAR: And, Berman, back to you there in Tampa, but you hear him talking about being so many miles inland and the storm surge being what it is. I mean, it's incredible what they're dealing with in Fort Myers.

BERMAN: Yes, standing on a concrete pier that's floated two blocks at least from where it had been anchored to the ground before. It is remarkable to see what has happened.

And Ian is not done yet, bearing down on the Orlando area. And just a few moments ago, we got this local report from Kissimmee, which isn't far from Orlando. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: We did see an air boat go back in there a while ago. There was a big rescue. Someone described the type of truck that was used as a deuce and a half, I don't know vehicles but it was a big truck, that went and rescued several family members.

The people that we saw, there was a woman and she had four of her children but she has nine children and three dogs. She left with her youngest children ages 3 to 12. The teenagers stayed with their father, who is a deputy with the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.

He was supposed to report to work but couldn't report to work because of the flooding. And they said they stayed in the house as long as they could, but the water kept coming up and coming up and coming up. They said in the last two hours they just couldn't take it anymore.

[08:30:00]