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Search and Rescue Teams Look for Survivors in Ian`s Wreckage; Supreme Court Starts New Term; NFL May Change Concussions Rules. Aired 4- 4:10a ET
Aired October 03, 2022 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Hope you had a great weekend. I`m Coy Wire.
It`s officially October, National Book Month, and how interesting that you can`t spell book without the "boo". Halloween`s just around the corner,
too. Happy to have you here with us at CNN 10.
Important show for you today, so let`s get started.
One of the worst storms in United States history battered Florida in the Carolinas last week. Hurricane Ian pummeled the west coast of Florida just
shy of a category 5 hurricane with wind speeds of 150 miles per hour. Over the weekend, nearly 1 million people were without power and many
communities in Florida didn`t have access to safe drinking water. The president and first lady are headed to the state this week to assess the
recovery efforts.
Here`s what we know so far. Days after the hurricane slammed into the state, residents are still discovering the damage created by the record
high storm surge intense winds and catastrophic flooding. The hurricane left some homes and businesses flattened and other parts of the state
underwater in a trail of destruction. Gasoline is still in short supply as cars try to exit for drier land. Many people who didn`t evacuate in time
had to be rescued by boat as their homes were left flooded.
Rescue crews evacuated more than one thousand people from flooded areas in southwest and central Florida, many through challenging post-storm
conditions.
The number of fatalities from the storm is still unknown but at least 74 people have died in Florida and the Carolinas with more fatalities expected
in the coming days. Unfortunately, it`s typical in the wake of a disaster for the death toll to rise because as flood waters recede, search teams are
able to access areas previously cut off by dangerous storm conditions. The storm has left areas of Florida unrecognizable and damage is expected to
take months to rebuild. Some areas will never be the same again.
More now from CNN correspondent Bill Weir who introduces us to the Cajun Navy and Project Dynamo groups who are helping with the rescue efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: We see it after every hurricane that after the storm passes and the sun comes out, the shock and
anguish really begins for so many people as they assess their losses. But in that moment, I`d like to go back to the best tip I`ve ever heard about
covering these disasters. It came from Mr. Rogers who taught my kids that in these horrifying moments, look for the helpers.
(voice-over): After Ian`s violent visit, this is what`s left of the causeway bridge from mainland Florida to Sanibel Island, and this is the
now impassable bridge to Pine Island.
So for residents of both boats and helicopters are the only exit options 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 carries civilian volunteers from the Cajun Navy those good old boys
with fast boats and big hearts --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give us the name of an individual or tell us somebody to go pick up, we`ll try to go get them.
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 spots, usually we do war zones and conflict zones, but Hurricane Ian qualifies.
WEIR: And you`re named after Churchill`s operation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct.
WEIR: To get the British soldiers off of Dunkirk, yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now, here we are we`re going to rescue some people off of Sanibel which is cut off from the world right now.
WEIR: Yeah, yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So it`s a very apropos.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re trying to help people out if they need help.
WEIR: You need help?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need help? You want to get out of here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m in the (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give us a minute. We`ll come up. We`ll get it. We`ll come there.
WEIR: We follow the cry for help ashore on Sanibel to find a gentleman eager to accept the boat lift but unable to convince his better half.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re going.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But where?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fort Myers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bridge is out. The bridge is knocked out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m not. 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. Absolutely flattened.
Especially the mobile homes or the working class and retirees living in St. James City.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, ma`am, are you okay? 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.
NANCY SHARON (ph), HURRICAN SURVIVOR: I heard it that 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 other point. She`s like we were thinking that you gotten hurt and I said, no, there`s no
service. There`s no service.
WEIR: That`s the thing. The uncertainty brings so much.
SHARON: I knew it, and that`s that had me more worried than what was going on at the time, because I knew my family was worried.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s terrible what we`re going through. There`s a terrible set of circumstances. The destruction is unbelievable. The
suffering is going to be bad hundreds of people are read right now we just haven`t found them yet.
So the -- you know, this is true carnage. It`s a war zone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, gentlemen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But at the same time, I`m really happy that we could be here to help.
WEIR: It was also so lovely to see Brian and the rest of the guys there show such empathy for the woman who is not ready to leave. He told me he
thought she might be in shock, she doesn`t really fully appreciate how unlivable Sanibel is going to be over coming days and so, they`ll go back
and try to get her again the next day. Projectdynamo.org or go cajunnavy.org are the ways you might throw them a couple bucks to help gas
those boats. But they`ll be out there and we`ll keep looking for the helpers.
Let me send it back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Starting today, a new session for the United States Supreme Court, the highest court in the nation with nine justices who decide if laws and
government actions are constitutional. The newest justice on the Supreme Court is Ketanji Brown Jackson who is nominated by President Biden and then
confirmed by the U.S. Senate earlier this year. She takes her seat on the bench for oral arguments today and the new addition will cause the court to
invoke one of its honored traditions, the rearrangement of where the justices are seated on the bench when a new justice joins its ranks.
In the courtroom, the justices are seated according to seniority. So, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Clarence Thomas have the same seats in the
center as they did last term but the remaining justices will be shuffled around.
The Supreme Court has a busy season ahead deciding on upcoming cases on voting discrimination, and the college admissions process.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Ten-second trivia time:
What pro sports league has the biggest viewership?
Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Football League or Major League Soccer?
Answer is NFL, which in 2021 averaged 17 million viewers per game on TV and digital.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
The NFL is under fire this week after the Miami Dolphins quarterback was taken off the field in a stretcher during Thursday night`s game. Last
Sunday, Tua Tagovailoa hit his head on the turf and stumbled off the field when playing Buffalo. He was taken off the field evaluated for concussion
but was cleared and allowed to return with what the team called a back injury.
The NFL and the players association launched a joint investigation. The players association has reportedly fired the unaffiliated neurotrauma
consultant involved in clearing Tua to return. The Dolphins maintained they did follow concussion protocol.
Well, just four days after that hit, Tangavailoa`s head was slammed to the turf again, resulting in a frightening scene. He was taken to the hospital,
diagnosed with a concussion. Tua tweeted on friday that he`s feeling better and focused on recovering. On Saturday, the NFL and the NFLPA began
conversations that could result in changes to the current concussion protocol. Tua Tagovailoa is expected to be interviewed as part of the
ongoing investigation in the coming days.
And for today`s 10 out of 10, one of America`s most iconic landmarks is getting all prettied up for its 100th birthday. The Hollywood sign in Los
Angeles getting a fresh coat of paint. The last time was 10 years ago. The paintstakingly long process takes two months and 400 gallons of paint and
primer. The sign is one and a half football fields long, with each letter standing 45 feet tall.
Did you know that when the sign was first built in 1923, it originally said "Hollywood land" to lure home buyers to the hillside`s real estate
development? Land was then dropped in and today, Hollywood is a world famous symbol for the entertainment industry.
Well, that`s all we have time for, for now. But before we go, special shout-out to Romig Middle School in Anchorage, Alaska. Thanks for
subscribing and commenting some love on our YouTube channel.
I`m Coy Wire and this is CNN 10.
END
