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Eruption Of Indonesia`s Tallest Volcano Prompts Evacuations; FBI Joins Investigation After NC Power Grid "Targeted." Aired 4-4:10a ET

Aired December 06, 2022 - 04:00:00   ET

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


COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hey, everyone. Terrific Tuesday to you.

As the ancient philosopher Confucius once said, we have two lives and the second begins when we realize we only have one. I`m Coy Wire. This is CNN

10.

With just 86,400 seconds in this day, let`s get going and let`s make the most of them.

We`re going to begin with the latest out of Indonesia where Mount Semeru, a very active volcano, erupted on Sunday, blanketing roads and homes in

volcanic ash and promoting evacuations of nearly 2,000 residents in the East Java province. The volcano spewed thick columns of ash, nearly 5,000

feet into the sky and as far as 7.4 miles away. Villages and nearby towns blanketed with falling ash, blocking out the sun but thankfully no

casualties have been reported.

On Monday, improved weather conditions allowed rescuers to resume evacuation efforts in a search for possible victims. The area of eruption

is the most densely populated island in Indonesia, nearly 2,000 people escaped to emergency shelters at several schools. Indonesia`s officials

warned residents to stay at least miles away from the volcano`s eruption center. But many felt they had to return to their homes Monday to protect

their property.

The eruption in East Java on Sunday following a series of earthquakes on the west of the island, including one last month that killed more than 300

people, and many residents are still traumatized after more than 50 people were killed, and thousands more displaced when the same volcano erupted

just last year.

We`ll continue to follow this story as well as the Mauna Loa volcano eruption in Hawaii.

Let`s hear more now from my friend, CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Ash fills the skies in Indonesia, forming a thick caustic cloud over Mount Semeru on the island of

Java.

Video from the country`s ministry of environment and forestry captured the explosive eruption on Saturday a burst of ash shooting 15 kilometers into

the sky, a sign for people living in the volcano`s shadow it`s time to go.

This man, escaping on a motorbike, the ash caking on his face. He says he doesn`t know where he`s going just somewhere out of the volcano`s reach.

Authorities say nearly 2,000 people have been evacuated from the slopes of the volcano which is located about kilometers southeast of Jakarta.

The roads in the area are packed with vehicles rushing to outrun the volcanic ash that is still raining down.

Emergency workers are directing people out of the danger zone, handing out masks and urging them to go to shelters.

INDAH AMPERAWATI MASDAR, LUMAJANG DISTRICT DEPUTY CHIEF (through translator): We have readied some nearby schools and village halls. We

will prepare them until the observatory post declares it`s safe.

CHINCHAR: The damage has already been done to some areas. Rooftops are singed and the ground is covered with smoldering soot.

Authorities are telling people to stay at least eight kilometers away from the eruption center, but there are fears the hot ash could drift further.

So far, many people are heeding the warnings, a lesson learned last year when more than people were killed in a previous eruption and thousands were

forced from their homes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Ten-second trivia:

Which U.S. state nickname was inspired by the sticky sap of its pine trees?

California, Montana, North Carolina, or Alaska?

With vast pine tree forests, North Carolina is nicknamed the Tar Heel State.

Power outages in North Carolina are causing so much concern that the FBI is investigating. Officials believe intentional attacks on substations are

causing power outages in Moore County near Fayetteville. But at this time, they haven`t named any suspects or even motives. Forty thousand customers

were in the dark as of Sunday. The investigation turned into a criminal investigation when utility crews found signs of potential vandalism to

equipment at several different sites, including two substations that were damaged by gunfire. We`re talking millions of dollars in estimated damage.

In order to protect residents, property, businesses and public services, the authorities announced a mandatory curfew from 9:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m.

in the county. The curfew which started Sunday will continue nightly until there`s an emergency declaration.

This outage is impacting the community in all sorts of ways as you can imagine. All schools in the county were closed on Monday. There was no

church on Sunday. Traffic lights are out. Many businesses are closed, with a few stores using generators to open their doors.

Authorities opened a shelter which is running on a generator. According to local officials, the damage is significant and rerouting power just isn`t

an option. As of Monday, an FBI manhunt was underway. But whoever is responsible remains a mystery to the community. We`ll keep you updated in

the coming days right here on CNN 10.

Next up, CNN business producer Jon Sarlin is introducing us to BlocPower, one of a handful of companies looking to make clean energy affordable for

everyone. The Brooklyn, New York-based business wants to help companies prioritize helping the climate, while also lowering utility bills and

saving money. The company also targets dense and low-income neighborhoods where significant cost savings can help the most. They`ve reached nearly

1,200 buildings in New York so far.

Let`s learn more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JON SARLIN, CNN BUSINESS PRODUCER: From eating locally to buying an electric car, being eco-friendly can be expensive especially when it comes

to making our homes greener.

In 2020, residential and commercial buildings accounted for 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. But the cost of buying and installing

green technology can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

DONNEL BAIRD, CEO, BLOCPOWER: Greening buildings can be really difficult, complicated and hard and a little scary and expensive.

SARLIN: But what if it wasn`t expensive, and you could make your building green without paying any upfront costs.

A company called BlocPower is one of a handful of companies trying to make that possible.

BAIRD: Our job is, okay, how do we make clean energy affordable for everyone? A lot of building owners and property managers might not care

about climate change as their top priority, but they definitely care about reducing their costs because that`s money that can go in their pocket.

SARLIN: BlocPower leases and installs equipment like solar panels and heat pumps, energy efficient devices that both heat and cool buildings and use

about 50 percent less energy than furnaces or baseboard heaters, all of which means lower bills.

According to BlocPower, installing a heat pump can lower utility bills between 20 and 70 percent a year, the company is able to make back its

money over time by taking a portion of the building`s savings.

LINCOLN ECCLES, BUILDING OWNER: It looks very clean and very sleek. I like I like how you guys did this.

This system it`s quiet, it`s clean. I`ve literally had tenants come up to me and tell me that they see a real savings in their actual electricity

use.

NOAH, BROOKLYN RESIDENT: Right, so that we had a radiator system, the radiator was either just hot, extremely hot or non-existent, so my bill has

significantly been a lot cheaper.

SARLIN: Greening buildings has become more competitive with companies like Sealed also offering retrofits with no upfront costs. BlocPower says it

prioritizes greening dense, low and moderate-income neighborhoods where buildings are often outdated, and cost savings are needed most.

BAIRD: I grew up in a low-income apartment building. All the buildings were overheated. The tenants had opened up all the windows and we`re

burning energy that was like floating out of the window. And so, I was like man, there`s a massive problem here.

SARLIN: Since 2004, Brooklyn-based BlocPower has upgraded over 1,200 buildings in New York, and they`re partnering with cities around the

country to help them hit carbon goals. With investment from the Bezos Earth Fund, they`re currently building proprietary software that they say will

help them identify greening opportunities for millions of buildings.

BAIRD: The most rewarding part of working at BlocPower for me is I`ll be able to look my kids in the eye and say I did everything I could to prevent

the climate disaster.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: Today`s 10 out of 10, an Illinois 8th grade hooper hitting legendary status with an epic buzzer beater. Milton Pope down just one with just

seconds to go and the opponent misses a free throw, but Cooper Thorson snags the rebound dribbles around, he heaves it, and you better believe it.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Cooper hitting the nearly full court shot but dropping it like it`s hot. The whole moment was caught on camera,

creating the perfect viral moment. CNN highlight reel. Take that chef Steph Curry, this is Cooper`s kitchen. And that kid is eaten.

And now on to our favorite part of the day, I want to give a special shout out to Foxboro High School in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

We hope you and everyone watching around the world have a wonderful one, going out and make someone smile today. Remember that kindness is not what

you do, but who you are. I`m Coy Wire and this is CNN 10.

END