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Hurricane Ian Devastates Parts of Florida; Hurricane Ian to Possibly Make Landfall Again in South Carolina; Rescue Crews Like Cajun Navy and Project Dynamo Helping Stranded People in Parts of Florida Hit by Hurricane Ian; FEMA Dispatches Staff, Supplies to Florida Amid Ian Destruction; Rescue Underway in Florida as Cities Decimated Across State. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired September 30, 2022 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:01]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The Coast Guard has been out in force pulling people from flooded homes in neighborhoods as well. Our Bill Weir is live in Punta Gorda, Florida, Chad Myers standing by at the Weather Center. First, though, let's go to where the storm is headed next. CNN's Miguel Marquez in Charleston, South Carolina, bracing for Ian's arrival. Miguel?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, I want to show you what's going on here right now. We're right in between two bands. It was deteriorating all morning long, and now the weather has actually improved a little bit, but in the next hour or two we expect things to worsen quite a bit.

It's been here all morning long. Just a couple hours ago, it was low tide, you could see the rocks down at the bottom. Now you can see that the water is starting to come up. They are expecting a nine-foot tide here around noon. Flood stage in this area is around seven feet. But the roads right now look pretty good, very little rain, very little wind at the moment. But they are expecting all of that to change.

The big concern here is that tide and the storm surge. Those two things together. The storm surge and that landfall for Ian is meant to come around the same time as that tide. And depending upon where it hits, that could really push a lot more water into Charleston, Charleston County. Charleston is now at its highest level of alert. They are warning anyone at lower levels to watch what is going on, seek higher ground if necessary. They are already starting to shut down roads in Charleston itself. So they are prepared for whatever Ian has. It's just not clear how big a punch it's going to take here in South Carolina. Back to you.

BERMAN: All you can do now is wait. Miguel Marquez in Charleston, we'll come back to you shortly.

Let's go to the Weather Center. Meteorologist Chad Myers is there, the 8:00 a.m. update just out. Chad, what are you seeing?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Still 85 miles per hour, and that's the good news, although I am seeing a flare up here on the satellite. You've seen some brighter colors here in the past couple of minutes. That really probably is more of an indication of heavier rainfall that's going to come in.

Right now, Charleston, you're right on the edge. You are so close to this. The winds are still out of the northwest, and that's great news for you. We are going to see this wind possibly blow the water out of the harbor. Not so much here for Georgetown and for Myrtle Beach I don't think, but we can really hope that wind continues. That means you got on the correct side of the center, the least side of the center. We just kind of have to just keep watching to see if the winds shift.

We are going to see a lot of rainfall, John. There's going to be four to six inches of rain, and then that's going to try to come down the rivers, and then the surge is going to push it back up the river. We have all these things that are still going on because we still do have a hurricane. Hurricane warnings are still in effect right now, and the winds will be blowing quite a bit today, probably even on shore at 85 in some of these thunderstorms, not just in the water but onshore as well, moving on up with some wind even into Virginia, West Virginia, and some rain, for that matter, all the way up even into New York City by tomorrow into Sunday. Not heavy rain, not hurricane force rain, but it doesn't take a lot. You've just got to get some rainfall in some spots, one to two inches in this tropical moisture, you could really get some things going there. There's the rain for the rest of the day.

Let me show you one more thing. I want to get you to this. This is Myrtle Beach. There's the second avenue pier right there. So the waves are coming closer. I've been watching this for hours. In the dark you couldn't see much. But now you can begin to see the waves getting closer and closer to the dunes. I suspect in just a few hours those waves will be in the dunes for sure, John.

BERMAN: All right, Chad, yes, high tide coming, storm surge possibly coming, a real threat there. Appreciate it.

I want to bring in CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir who is in Punta Gorda, Florida, this morning. Bill, I was just with you last night as you got back from rescue missions with the Cajun Navy. You were out with the Cajun Navy reaching these islands here that have been just cut off.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: It was a fascinating, surreal, really crushing experience, and sort of uplifting in some ways at the same time, John. One of the best tips I ever learned about covering these disasters came from Mr. Rogers, who taught my kids that when you see these horrible pictures, these scary images on TV, look for the helpers.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

WEIR: After Ian's violent visit, this is what's left of the Causeway Bridge from mainland Florida to Sanibel Island, and this is now unpassable bridge to Pine Island. So for residents of both, boats and helicopters are the only exit options. [08:05:05]

And while Coast Guard Blackhawks and chinooks buzzed over the Barrier Islands on the grim day after, two of the only boats in this part of the Gulf carry civilian volunteers from the Cajun Navy, those good old boys vast boats and big hearts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give us some individual or tell us somebody to go pick up, we'll try to go get then.

WEIR: And a newer outfit known as Project Dynamo led by a former military intelligence officer more accustomed to saving Americans from Russians in Ukraine or the Taliban in Afghanistan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When Americans are in trouble in bad zones, usually we do war zones and conflict zones, but hurricane Ian qualify.

WEIR: And you're named after Churchill's operation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct.

WEIR: To get the British soldiers off of Dunkirk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now here we are, we are going to rescue some people off of Sanibel which is cut off from the world right now. So it's very apropos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need help?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to get out of here? Give us a minute, we'll come there.

WEIR: We follow the cry for help ashore on Sanibel to find a gentleman eager to take the boatlift but unable to convince his better half.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going. We're going.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To where?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fort Myers. The bridge is out. The bridge is knocked out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not ready to go.

WEIR: A cursory stroll around this part of Sanibel reveals plenty of hazards, like the hiss of natural gas spewing from a broken tank. But in one of the most coveted zip codes in Florida, the construction mostly held up, which is in stark contrast to Pine Island.

Look at this one. It's absolutely flattened.

Especially the mobile homes of the working homes and retirees living in Saint James City.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, man are you OK? It's your daughter called us. WEIR: When their phone cut out early in the storm, the grandchildren

of Nancy and Robert Sharon (ph) were so scared they called the Cajun Navy and Project Dynamo and begged them to go check for proof of life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard they weren't going to do anything after the bridge closed down. But my granddaughters are in Ohio, and she was crying hysterical when I talked to her on the phone. We were thinking that you had gotten hurt. And I said, no, there's no service. There's no service.

WEIR: That's the thing. The uncertainty brings so much here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I knew it. And that had me more worried than what was going on at the time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's terrible set of circumstances. The destruction is unbelievable. The suffering is going to be bad. This is true carnage. It's a war zone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, gentlemen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But at the same time I'm really happy that we could be here to help.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WEIR (on camera): And I owe it to these guys to mention that the gas in those boats comes from donations. So ProjectDynamo.org or CajunRelief.org if you want to help those boys out. John?

BERMAN: Bill, that was a terrific report. And that was a perspective we just haven't seen, not yet, as the Cajun Navy gets out there to those islands. You was one part of it at the beginning I just want to ask you about. You were floating by, and is sometimes the only way to reach people just to shout on shore and say, hey, are you there? Do you need us? That exchange between you on the boat and that person inside that house, that was something.

WEIR: Yes, you just heard a cry of somebody. And that is truly the only way. We're down to the most primitive forms of communication here, which is what you can hear with the sound of your voice in a lot of these places. So those folks had no information. They were cut off. What was interesting was how empathetic Brian was to the woman who didn't want to leave. He said I've seen this many times where people are in shock. They prayed through the storm. They survived, they feel somewhat good and elated. They're looking at the devastation around them. They can't comprehend that all sort of survival services have been cut off. And so it may take a couple days for her to decide to leave.

But it really just touches your heart to see these guys, the minute they see that cone on our TV screens, they get the boat on the trailer and they come in from Georgia and Carolinas, from all over the place. I first met the Cajun Navy when they were informally called that in Katrina, going in after the levies broke there to pull people out of their houses. Now it's more codified. There are other organizations with other specialists in this case. But Brian (ph) also said, who is a 9/11 first responder, he said so many people volunteered and came to ground zero to try to help the medical personnel, and there weren't enough patients to help, so they became part of the bucket brigade.

[08:10:00]

So there's no such thing as too much help in this situation. Of course, there's the right kind. You don't want to get in the way of folks. But they were out there last night in the dark, John, piloting through the Gulf when there's no pilot lights in these shall shallow channels and all this stuff floating around in the water. So they're really risking their necks to go out there to try to save yours.

BERMAN: It really is. It's an incredible effort. It's an incredible effort, and it's all from the heart, and that's obvious, Bill, from the people you introduced us to. Bill Weir, thank you so much for that.

WEIR: You bet, John.

BERMAN: So President Biden has announced a major disaster in Florida, dispatching much-needed assistance in the wake of hurricane Ian. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas joins NEW DAY live ahead.

So as hurricane Ian, which should say, what's happening now is hurricane Ian headed right for the Carolinas. We're watching the forecast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: President Biden announced that he has approved a major disaster declaration for Florida in the aftermath of hurricane Ian. That unlocks additional resources and assistance for the recovery process. Resources will be sorely needed as the region tries to rebuild. The president pledged the nation's support going forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to do our best to build Florida back as quickly as possible. But we're not going to be leaving. We're going to build it back with the state and local government. However long it takes, we're going to be there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me now with someone you see standing right there behind President Biden, Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, FEMA in the Coast Guard, of course, under his leadership. Mr. Secretary, thank you so much for being with us. Where's the area of greatest need this morning?

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: So, of course, we are very, very focused on the devastation that has hit Florida. Our hearts are with people who have suffered so much. We are very focused there. And we're also deploying resources to South Carolina and other states in the eye of the storm, in the path of the storm. We are very focused on search and rescue in Florida, preparing people in areas that have not yet been hit. But where we anticipate the storm will strike. And for them, we say stay in place, listen to local officials. For the people in Florida, who have survived this tragic and historically strong storm, we say listen to local officials, if you think it's safe, that's not good enough. Your local officials with expert knowledge have to tell you it's safe before you venture outside, before you venture in flooded streets. It's really important.

BERMAN: Mr. Secretary, do you have an estimate of how many people will be out of their homes for an extended period?

MAYORKAS: We don't, you know, we're still in the assessment phase. But people should rest assured that we're bringing an all of government approach to their housing and other needs. FEMA has that capability, but so do other parts of the federal government. And we're working in very close partnership with state, local, tribal organizations, officials, as well as non-government organizations. This is all of community response to the needs of the people.

And as I've said before, in echoing the President's commitment that he articulated yesterday, we're not just here today, and tomorrow, we're going to be here until the recovery is complete. It may very well take years, but we will be there. That is our commitment and our responsibility.

BERMAN: How do you make accommodations when we see that the causeway to Sanibel Island washed away and it's the only way to drive out there? How do you make accommodations for that? When does that plan start to be developed?

MAYORKAS: So, you know, the President convened people throughout his administration, not just in the Department of Homeland Security, which includes, as you noted, FEMA and the United States Coast Guard, but we had NOAA, we had the Army Corps of Engineers, we had representatives throughout the government to talk about that very issue. How quickly can we restore the lines of transportation? Right now, of course, we're focused on search and rescue, making sure that people are stable, safe, and know exactly what to do. But it's difficult to, you know, to estimate the timeline, but we understand the urgency of the moment.

BERMAN: Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, we have a in between landfalls, right? We've got you in between Florida and South Carolina. I know you're preparing for that. That will be the next challenge. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, thank you so much for being with us.

MAYORKAS: Thank you.

BERMAN: All right, as the sunrise is on another day here in Florida, we are getting new looks at some of the areas that have been hardest hit. The destruction getting homes and businesses alike, we're going to speak to the owner of two restaurants facing a steep climb to rebuild, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:23:06]

BERMAN: I'm John Berman, Fort Myers, Florida. We are following the latest on Hurricane Ian. This morning, it has intensified again to a Category I storm. It is making its way to the Carolinas as it heads there, at least 90 people are dead here in Florida that number could very well rise, more than 2 million customers without power in Florida. We have seen so much flooding here. We've also seen search and rescue mission captured on video, including of elderly residents trapped in their homes. Young children being carried through high waters to get to safety. Also, pets, cats and dogs saved from the storm.

We'll go live now to CNN's Randi Kaye. She is here in Fort Myers in one of the area's that's been hardest hit. Randi, and there's still water covering so much of the ground here. What do you see?

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are seeing plenty of water where we are, John. We're making our way to Fort Myers Beach as slowly as we can in the safely as we can as well. And this is just another community that we found. This is Palmetto Palms. It's sort of sandwiched between the Gulf and another canal over there. I just spoke with the woman who works in the office. Just let me show you what's going on. She says there's about 650 homes here. They are all underwater, she said. They are completely destroyed.

If you look down this canal, you can see the same thing. There's furniture everywhere. There's boats everywhere. There's boats from this community that we saw out on the roadway. It is just completely destroyed and soaked for sure. And this isn't the only community that is experiencing something like this. We were in another community yesterday and we spoke with the residents there about what they went through and this is what they told us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYEL: When Hurricane Ian hit this woman was alone in her home.

GAIL SIMS, SURVIVED HURRICANE IAN: When the surge I took out my sliding glass doors I mean within 10 seconds the water was up to my armpits. And at that point, you know, it was just struggling to try and get out of the house.

[08:25:12]

KAYE: Gail Sims is 85 years old. She didn't evacuate her home and the river's edge mobile home community in North Fort Myers, because she thought the hurricane was heading more toward Tampa, but when it didn't.

SIMS: Got clobbered with all the furniture and stuff that was floating and so that's how I got this. I got shoved into a wall and anyway, when I got front door open and there was a surge in it took me to the middle of the yard, fought to get back on the porch.

KAYE: Gail suffered some bumps and bruises. But luckily her neighbor Tom Podgorny was just a few doors down riding out the storm with his family. When he saw Gail's car, he knew she may need his help.

KAYE: What did you find when you went to Gail's house?

TOM PODGORNY, RESCUED NEIGHBOR DURING HURRICANE: I couldn't go at first because the river was coming across at 40 miles an hour. I found her on the front porch, it kind of in water in a chair, shaking really bad kind of hypothermic, calmed her down. And then we made a long slow walk in four feet of water to my house.

KAYE: You're 85, how grateful are you that somebody came and rescued you?

SIMS: Yeah, Tom is a blessing?

KAYE: A blessing?

SIMS: A blessing. Yeah.

KAYE: She told me you're a blessing.

PODGORNY: Well, she's a blessing. I don't know about me. She's a blessing.

KAYE: What made you go over and check on her?

PODGORNY: I love her. I mean, there's a lot of great people on every street like this in America.

KAYE: Meanwhile, Tom and his family have their own story to tell.

PODGORNY: It was fine until some water started coming in the back from the river. And we were bailing until water start coming in the front. By then we got five, six feet of water in the house.

KAYE: Was it scary?

MADELINE PODGORNY, SURVIVED HURRICANE IAN: Yeah, it was a little scary. It was scary when it kind of crashed through the windows and the doors.

KAYE: The water?

M. PODGORNY: Yeah. It was like a big wave came through the windows and the doors.

KAYE: That sounds terrifying?

M. PODGORNY: Yeah, it was really terrifying.

KAYE: Another neighbor Marvin Johnson told me the water came up to feed in his house. He rode out the storm with his three dogs.

(On camera): How come you didn't evacuate?

MARVIN JOHNSON SURVIVED HURRICANE IAN: It's safer in the house.

KAYE: Throughout the day, a steady stream of neighbors checking on neighbors and homeowners returning to assess the damage and take whatever they could save no matter how small.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had to pick up our gecko or my wife's leopard gecko she's had for 22 years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That thing used to be way over here.

KAYE: This couple had evacuated but took us inside their home to survey the damage.

SYDNEY VAN HORN, SURVIVED HURRICANE IAN: It's very flooded. It's ruined, completely ruined. The fridges on the floor, the couches are turned upside down. The toilets are on the floor. There is water seeking in our cabinets. Everything's flooded, everything is ruined.

KAYE: They'd only been living here a year before the hurricane hit.

VAN HORN: It just is destroyed and it's ruined. And then you have to start all over again. And honestly, where do you start? How do you start in this?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And that's what a lot of people in that community and this community are wondering where do they start? How do they begin? How do they dry out? How do they dig out? I mean, when you look at something like this, John, you look at that, see that Twisted Metal from a home just wrapped around a tree and a light pole there? This entire community, 650 homes underwater and it's not the water is not receding, where -- there's actually fish at our feet that are about two feet big where they came from? It's unclear. Like I said, the boats had been tossed out of here and the fish were tossed in.

BERMAN: Fish at your feet. Where do you start when the water is still there? Randi Kaye, thank you so much for showing us what's still happening here. It's going to be some time to get people back up on their feet.

So, in Fort Myers Beach, where Randi is trying to get to, not far from where she is she's making her way there. There is so much damage. I wanted a helicopter tour to look at the damage from the sky. And I flew over I'm sure our next guest restaurant before popular with visitors and locals alike and now one that is badly damaged. He has another that's destroyed, Franco Russo owns Fresh Catch Bistro and Junkanoo Beach in Fort Myers Beach and he joins us now. Thanks so much for being with us. I said I was over Fort Myers Beach yesterday looking down, your establishments did they make it?

FRANCO RUSSO, OWNER, JUNKANOO BEACH & FRESH CATCH BISTRO IN FORT MYERS: No, they did not. Junkanoo as you can see is just no longer there. It's totally wiped out and Fresh Catch Bistro, the structure is still there but there's a whole lot of water damage. The windows are blown out, the patio is gone. There's some roof damage There's not even stairs to get up to that restaurant anymore.

[08:30:07]

BERMAN: I mean, we're looking at the picture of Junkanoo, you say you can see.