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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Category Three Hurricane Milton Closes In On Florida; National Weather Service: "It's Time To Shelter In Place"; Floridians Brace For Hurricane Milton's Devastating Impact; Category Three Hurricane Milton Closes In On Florida; President Biden Speaks Ahead Of Hurricane Milton's Landfall; National Weather Service: "It's Time To Shelter In Place". Aired 5-6p ET

Aired October 09, 2024 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN breaking news.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.

And we start this hour with breaking news and a brand new forecast for Hurricane Milton, which is just hours away from landfall. Officials warn that Hurricane Milton could be one of the most destructive storms on record, with a life threatening storm surge, destructive winds, dangerous winds and tornadoes. Now some of those effects are already being seen and felt up and down the Florida Gulf Coast. Our reporters are stationed, excuse me, up and down the coast, and our meteorologists are warned -- working around the clock in CNN's hurricane headquarters. Let's start with that brand new forecast just in to CNN and CNN's Elisa Raffa.

Elisa, what's the latest track for Hurricane Milton?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: So, we still have a Category 3 hurricane on our hands right now. The track still, again, focusing on the west coast there of Florida. What we've been watching so closely with this is that center line, right, where -- oh, here it is. Here is Category 3 hurricane, right? Still, 100 to 20 mile per hour winds, the warnings with the track.

This was the graphic that I wanted to get you to where we're looking at the center line of this where we were worried about some storm surge coming into Tampa Bay, right, that eight to 12 feet of storm surge. With this center line of that core of the eye going just to the south there of Tampa Bay, there would be more offshore winds in Tampa Bay, more of those receding winds, and the worst that storm surge would be Sarasota and areas to the south. So it does look like that. We have updated that storm surge forecast here from the hurricane center. You can see we didn't get a chance to update the boxes, because this literally is coming in as I'm speaking to you.

But you see the orange here, that's telling us that that storm surge around the Tampa Bay area looks like it was taken nudged down a little bit, because this track is nudging towards the south of Tampa Bay for the exact eye of the storm. So if it's up to nine feet, that storm surge would be a little bit more similar to what they had in Helene which, of course, we know caused a lot of damage, right?

We're not talking about like, oh, there's not going to be any storm surge and no more hurricane here in Tampa Bay, but it puts the greater risk of some of that storm surge more than 12 feet from Sarasota to Venice. So this is the adjustment that we've been watching for as we've had these wobbles from Milton coming back and forth a little bit, and we've been watching this jog to the south. And again, because of the shape of Tampa Bay, it really impacts the amount of storm surge that they would see in the Tampa Bay area.

Again, up to nine feet of storm surge is nothing to really, you know, kind of sneeze at that is still dangerous, that is still unsurvivable, right, that is still a whole lot of storm surge that we have seen can do damage. But that is the latest update that I'm gleaning here.

Also want to emphasize too, that the storm has doubled in size, right? It is now 300 miles wide, which is double the size from what it was yesterday. So that's what we're concerned about, too. You find more of these impacts across the peninsula, and we'll find that -- we found it all day. Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Elisa Raffa, thanks so much. Appreciate it as we continue to follow Hurricane Milton's approach to Florida's west coast. Let's go to CNN's Boris Sanchez, who is on that West Coast, live in Tampa, Florida.

Boris, what are you seeing there right now?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Jake, Hurricane Milton is really starting to show some of its strength. We're still hours away from landfall, and we are slightly north of where it is expected to make landfall in Sarasota. This behind me is Tampa Bay. Typically you can see buildings and the urban right now it is nothing but gray and cloud. Bay behind me this morning, when we arrived at this park, the water has received had receded significantly.

We saw several dozen feet into the bay, completely dry, and in the last hour or so that water has come back. It is now starting to show significant storm surge. You're starting to see heavy waves. We're looking at eight to 12 feet here in Tampa Bay, up to 15 feet further south in Sarasota, and we will see scenes much like this throughout the Gulf Coast. It's not just the record setting storm surge, it's also a foot of rain that is set to come.

On top of that, we started to see peak rainfall at about 2:00 p.m. and it has gotten very, very strong. It feels like pellets hitting me in the head right now, Jake. Beyond that, you see a significant number of tornadoes all across the state, at least 90 tornado warnings in the state of Florida, some as far away as Broward County, that's on the southeastern coast of Florida. That was early this morning. We're talking about a tornado hundreds of miles away, touching down hours before the actual hurricane itself makes landfall.

Jake, it is a recipe for disaster, and it is only getting stronger as the hours go on. TAPPER: Boris, what's the point there where emergency grew group crews will just have to stop responding to any 911 calls for their own safety.

[17:05:03]

SANCHEZ: Yes, Jake, that has already started to happen on some barrier islands. I spoke to some folks earlier this afternoon that are on Anna Maria Island, they shut down EMS at roughly 2:30 p.m. or so. It has to do with the wind speeds, making it significantly difficult for crews to do their work. Usually when the winds go above 50 miles an hour or so, that is when they will stop answering 911 calls. I spoke with the fire chief of St. Pete's beach today, and he essentially told me that at this point it is extremely difficult for rescue crews to do their work.

For folks that have had to hunker down, he hopes that they did what they needed to do, because it is going to be impossible for them to be reached if they do have an emergency. Obviously, we are going to keep monitoring the situation here until it becomes untenable, then we will likely head indoors ourselves when this gets to be too much, Jake.

TAPPER: And Boris, you're a Floridian, do you feel as though the preparations and response to Hurricane Milton have been different than previous storms?

SANCHEZ: To a degree, Jake. And there's a number of factors at play. For one, you have the unprecedented nature of this storm. Over the weekend, we were talking about a tropical storm, and then it zoomed within almost 24 hours to a Category 5. That is not something that, even as a Floridian, I've been used to growing up watching storms hit Florida ever since I was a kid, beyond that you have the frequency of the storm.

So you had Hurricane Helene last week, Category 4, bashing into this coast. There's still debris. Actually, not far from where I'm standing, there's a pier that was badly damaged. There are pieces of wood, there are scrap, pieces of metal. So aside from those two factors, the strength of this storm, the frequency where it's headed, you also have the human response.

And I've heard people talk about this storm in ways that I never have before, not only a doubt in the ability of the federal government to respond to it, but also even the nature of this storm. And speaking to at least one resident, this elderly woman, who told me that she believed that this was geoengineered for political reasons.

She believes that somehow her political enemies are controlling the weather. That's not something that I'm used to hearing as a logical disinformation that is out there about this storm, something that several officials on both sides of the political aisle have tried to tap down. Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Boris Sanchez in Tampa, Florida. Thanks so much.

Let's check in with Michael Brennan, who is the Director of the National Hurricane Center.

Michael, thanks for joining us. People have grown to understand the phrase, turn around, don't drown. That's a message for -- don't drive through flood waters. If you come to flood waters, turn around. There's another phrase that refers to hurricanes, that says, hide from the wind, run from the water.

Explain what that means?

MICHAEL BRENNAN, DIRECTOR, NOAA NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Yes, that means that typically people need to evacuate away from storm surge and the risk that that poses along the coastline, but that if you can find a shelter or a sturdy home that's built and is protected from the wind you -- and outside of a storm surge evacuation zone or other flood prone area, you should be able to shelter in place and stay safely in that home through the duration of the event.

TAPPER: There have already been more than 90 tornado warnings in Florida from Hurricane Milton. This video we're going to show right now from a home security camera captures the moment that an apparent tornado blew through this house. What specific factors are making this hurricane such a prolific producer of tornadoes?

BRENNAN: Yes. Well, there's multiple factors that come into play when you have a hurricane, but you have very strong wind, wind field. You have changes in wind speed and direction with height, with the circulation of the hurricane and the heating of the day. We had some clear skies over portions of central and southern Florida that allowed that instability to build up, allows the thunderstorms to form. And that wind shear, the change in wind speed, direction with height, allows us thunderstorms to start rotating and produce tornadoes.

And you're right, we have a tornado watch that's in effect for everywhere you see here in this dark pink until 9pm likely to be extended through the overnight and into the early morning hours. Some tornado warnings ongoing here in portions of Eastern and Central Florida, but it's been a very prolific day for tornadoes, and we've seen reports of damage, lots of images of those tornadoes, and some of them have been quite long lasting as well, which is not typical for tornadoes associated with hurricanes are usually a little more short lived.

TAPPER: Florida's flat geography is also providing some unique challenges when it comes to lakes and rivers draining. Tell us about that.

BRENNAN: Yes, we see the radar with all this heavy rain already occurring across portions of -- especially central and Northern Florida. So that's going to lead to a risk of not just flash flooding and urban flooding, which happens quickly right in the next few hours after the rain falls, but there's a potential for longer term, sort of moderate to major river flooding, because again, the water doesn't drain out of Florida very quickly. The state is pretty flat, so these rivers can remain elevated for days or weeks after an event and causes long term flooding, especially in central and northern portions of the state. TAPPER: Michael Brennan, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Our breaking news coverage continues next with a warning from a Florida state official that you will not want to miss. Plus, we're going to be joined live by the director of the National Weather Service, as the organization warns it is time for everyone in the path of hurricane Milton to buckle down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:14:19]

TAPPER: And we're back with our breaking news coverage. Hurricane Milton is closing in on the Florida coast. The state is already feeling its wrath, tornadoes, high winds, heavy rain. Let's bring in Florida's State Fire Marshal and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. What is your biggest concern right now?

JIMMY PATRONIS, FLORIDA CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER & STATE FIRE MARSHAL: My biggest concern are those that did not evacuate. Now is not the time to evacuate. You're going to have to shelter in place. I was just -- and we're in the DOT area, looking at all of our cameras all over the states, the roads are empty, so at least it seems like people are heeding those warnings. But for those that did not leave, unfortunately, we're going to have some bad outcomes.

[17:15:00]

TAPPER: Do you have any idea how many people did not evacuate? How many people were talking about here?

PATRONIS: No, so the Tampa Bay area is the area of concern. The only silver lining to any of this is last week with Hurricane Helene, that whole market learned that the stove was hot, and hopefully they realize that they touch it again, they'll get burned. But you know, a perfect example, my cousin and my aunt decided to stay in Clearwater. I'm very concerned for their safety, but you know, they're -- you know, my aunt's elderly, she doesn't want to leave. And unfortunately, there could be bad outcomes in those areas and the barrier islands and just hopefully, they heeded the warnings.

TAPPER: As millions of Floridians brace for the storm, either at their homes or in shelters overnight, what are the most critical actions being taken right now to ensure their safety?

PATRONIS: So we have got 1,400 Urban Search and Rescue first responders from as far as Washington State, Nevada, California, Virginia, Texas, Alabama, Massachusetts, that are all pre staged all over the state of Florida. So the preparations are there. These men and women will literally travel through pockets of the storm in order to be able to get to those areas of impact as soon as humanly possible. And they will go from door to door, and they will save lives. They're embedded with trauma surgeons, structural engineers and search and rescue canines.

So, you know, we're going to do everything humanly possible to get out there. And you know, their safety is also a big concern of mine.

TAPPER: You issued a press release warning about the dangers that lithium ion batteries, such as the ones inside electric cars pose. Explain how these batteries could be, as you call them, ticking time bombs.

PATRONIS: Sure. So, the lithium ion batteries are -- they have a caustic chain reaction when it comes to salt water, and it turns into what's called a thermal runaway. The car cannot be extinguished. So we had 48 different lithium ion battery fires with Hurricane Helene, 18 of them were automobiles. And in one case, we had a electric wheelchair, lithium ion battery powered that caught fire.

So it's not just golf carts or E scooters, but all those different technologies that leverage this fantastic lithium ion battery, you know technology to be in everyday lives. It's in our pockets right now. But if you're in a storm surge area and you don't heed the warnings that we've been issuing, you have cases where the house survives, but because of the salt water that entered into the house through flooding, the car ignites, then the house burns down. So we're trying to keep our first responders or citizens safe, and just trying to make them aware of those storm surge area concerns. It's not a prominent Lana or Tulsa or Dallas, but just we have salt water storm surge is where our fear is.

TAPPER: Floridians have seen a significant decline in the number of insurance companies willing to insure homes in Florida. How confident are you in Florida's ability to not only help Floridians after the storm, but also to retain current residents, giving this dwindling insurance landscape?

PATRONIS: Sure. This past year, we had nine new companies enter into the Florida market, we have made some changes to our manmade problems that we had in the state. So we have made capital more attractive, and as capital is more attractive, the liability is diversified amongst more carriers. This is about to be tested. We're going to have a significant storm depending on where it makes landfall. If it goes into Tampa market, you got greater than 3 million people there.

If it goes in further south, it may hit impacted areas or less. But mints, no words, the entire state of Florida is going to have a significant claim load that's about to hit. And kind of in comparison, Hurricane Ian generated almost 800,000 insurance claims, at least on my watch. That's been the most significant storm hit the state of Florida.

TAPPER: All right, Florida Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis, we'll be praying for the citizens of Florida. Thank you so much for your work and for joining us right now, sir.

PATRONIS: Thanks, Jake. We'll take the prayers.

TAPPER: The big update this hour from the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Milton, Category 3 hurricane right now is expected to make landfall earlier than expected. It is now tracking in the 8:00 hour, about three hours earlier than what officials initially thought what I told you about an hour ago. Right now, it's about 60 miles southwest of Sarasota. Let's go right to Isabel Rosales in Tampa. She's at an emergency operation center.

Isabel.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jake, that's right. I'm in Tampa, the Emergency Operations Center, where so many different departments and electric companies who are keeping an eye on this hurricane minute by minute, making important decisions right out of here. I want to introduce you to Mayor Jane Castor, the mayor of Tampa.

[17:20:00]

Thank you so much. Much for taking this time to speak with us. You just got the latest update from the National Weather Service. How did you take the news?

MAYOR JANE CASTOR, TAMPA, FLORIDA: Well, you know, our worst case scenario would have been that Milton would have been on the north side of Tampa Bay. That's not happening. It looked like it was tracking a little further south. Now it seems to have wobbled a bit to the north, which isn't good for our community. But you know, we're going to take whatever Milton brings, and we're going to deal with it the way that Tampa and Tampa Bay does.

ROSALES: Yes. I've been seeing just conditions getting worse and worse out there, those wind gusts, that heavy rain. We know that there's a point where your officers cannot go out there. Have we reached that point?

CASTOR: We haven't yet. We usually have the rule of 40 mile an hour sustained wind. But you know, our first responders there -- they have service in their heart, and when they get those calls, somebody's in trouble, they're going to go out and help them. But there comes a point where it becomes a danger to their life as well, and so they will come off of the street without a doubt and have to wait until the winds die down somewhat to be able to go out and answer those 911 calls,

ROSALES: Yes. And how do you feel about the evacuation so far, do you think that people heeded your warnings? And your warning was to our Kaitlan Collins was you're going to die, right?

CASTOR: Right. Right. You know, you just asked so many times about, what do you say to people that were just going to see what happens? This is not the storm to wait and see what happens or to wait it out. And one of the things, it was a great eye opener for us with Hurricane Helene, 120 miles on our West Coast, and we still had six to eight foot storm surge. And that, I've been here 64 years in this city, that's the worst I have seen in my lifetime.

And now we could say that was a walk in the park compared to what Milton may bring our way. People understand that they had, not only the verbiage, they actually had the visual of seeing that water and the destruction that it caused. So I'm very proud, not only of Tampa, but the whole Tampa Bay area, everyone has heeded that warning and gotten away from that potential storm surge.

ROSALES: Yes, so it sounds like you're proud of the evacuations that have happened. I did catch up with an individual who is riding it out on his boat, he's refusing to leave. That could be an outlier case, but I've certainly seen this in storm after storm where people do ride it out on their boats, which are their homes. What would you say to individuals like that who did not evacuate from zones A and B?

CASTOR: Well, that would probably take you right back to the statement that I made with Kaitlan the other day, and we have tried so many times with that individual to get him off of that boat, and the officers will eventually just take him into custody and -- for his own good, because he's not going to survive in a sailboat in the bay with anywhere from eight to 12 feet of storm surge. So --

ROSALES: Are you saying he would be arrested?

CASTOR: Well, for Baker Act, for his own protective custody, and it may be past the point for that, you know, as the winds are gusting out there right now. But those are the types of things that we just can't have in our community.

We have been warned. We know what Milton is bringing, and we should not have any loss of life associated with this. But people have to understand their personal responsibility.

ROSALES: Thank you so much, Mayor.

CASTOR: Thank you very much.

ROSALES: I appreciate your time. Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Isabel Rosales and the mayor of Tampa, Jane Castor, thanks to both of you.

Any moment we expect to hear from President Biden speaking about hurricane Milton, just hours before it makes landfall. We're going to bring you those remarks live. Plus, we're checking in with our reporters on the ground in Florida as the conditions worsen, keep it here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:28:25]

TAPPER: And we're back with our breaking news coverage. We have brand new video taken from inside Hurricane Milton. This sail drone used for research to better understand the hurricane phenomenon, has reported a wave that is more than 28 feet high. Hurricane Milton is expected to deliver catastrophic damage across Florida. I'm joined now by Ken Graham, Director of the National Weather Service.

Ken, thanks for joining us. What are you most concerned about right now? What is your biggest worry?

KEN GRAHAM, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE: I tell you, Jake, yesterday, on the show, I talked about, the clock is ticking, although the bell and the alarm has rang because the tropical storm force winds have already reached the Florida coast.

We are seeing an incredible amount of tornadoes already, many confirmed already, even 100 miles away from the center we're seeing those tornadoes. But my biggest concern, Jake, we're already starting to see some of the water levels rise and around Fort Myers, Naples already seeing that storm surge reach the coastline. I am scared to death of some of these storm surge levels. The values are absolutely dangerous and deadly.

TAPPER: When you were briefing President Biden and Vice President Harris earlier today, you highlighted one rare aspect of Hurricane Milton. It's projected to make landfall as a hurricane and then cross the state, exiting on the East Coast still as a hurricane. Help us understand that.

GRAHAM: I have to repeat it myself sometimes, because it's -- to think about a storm that's strong enough that much momentum to enter Florida, you know, on the west coast as a hurricane and then remain a hurricane all the way over to the east coast of Florida.

[17:30:06]

GRAHAM: so a hurricane all the way across the whole state. That means the hurricane force winds, damaging winds, all the way across the state, and then emerged back out to the Atlantic, still a hurricane.

So these -- these type of factors, that type of communication, really letting people know this is a dangerous situation, not just along the coast, on -- on -- on the West Coast and on the Gulf Coast there, but even on the Atlantic coast as well going to really feel the impacts of the -- the rainfall, the storm surge, even get the winds on the backside of these storms.

Even looking at the -- the latest modeling, Jake, we can have three to five foot of storm surge from portions of South really, like Southeast Georgia, all the way down to Sebastian inlet, and that right there is the Atlantic side of Florida, still getting storm surge, even on the Atlantic side.

TAPPER: Yes, that's what's so wild. So we're focusing so much on the evacuation orders on the West Coast, which is about to get the direct hit. Understandably, we're focused on that. But given the trajectory, given what you're talking about, what should people in Central Florida and even people along the east coast of Florida and up in Georgia, what -- what should they be doing now?

GRAHAM: I think they have to prepare, you know. We -- we think about these -- these events, you think about the center. You think about where the landfall is. I mean, hundreds of miles away from these -- these systems, you could get some of the impact. So if you're in Georgia and portions of the -- the Atlantic, coast of Florida, take it serious, three to five feet of storm surge, heavy rainfall in these areas. And what happens to, I've seen it so many times in these storms, there's so much storm surge that the rainfall can't drain. The rainfall goes into normal creeks and rivers, but the storm surge holds it back, so some of these areas could see significant flooding. Just looking at the -- the map right here the other big reminder, Jake, it's so important. I mean, it's not just around the eye. We -- there's so much focus sometimes on Tampa Bay. I mean, think about the values, Charlotte Harbor, eight to 12 feet of storm surge in the latest forecast.

South of Tampa Bay, all the way to Boca Grande, nine to 13 feet of storm surge. So their storm surge well away from the storm. And even in those areas, you -- you think you're safe because you're looking at the center so far away, but in reality, you're not safe.

TAPPER: Ken Graham, Director of the National Weather Service, thank you so much for your time.

Let's check back with CNN's Boris Sanchez, who's in Tampa, Florida. Boris, how have conditions been changing there since we last checked in with you?

SANCHEZ: More intensity with the wind, Jake, heavier rain. It is a -- a punishing rain that's coming down right now. It feels like, almost like BB pellets. Aside from that, we've seen more tree branches go down. The waves are extremely strong here in Tampa Bay. And despite all of that, Jake, you still see something that officials have warned against over and over again, there are people out here standing and taking pictures of themselves.

I saw a young man a moment ago as if he was posing for an album cover. That is not where you want to be as this storm, a huge, powerful storm, comes barreling in with upwards of 130 miles an hour wind, a 15-foot storm surge in some places, on top of that, about a foot of rainfall. Again, officials over and over have made the case that if you are going to stay through this storm, it is beyond time. It is time to hunker down and stay in place and not go outside.

We are fortunate to be out here because we've had extensive training. We've been through a lot of hurricanes. There are safety rules in place. And aside from that, we are ready to go at any moment. But for folks out there that are putting themselves in serious danger, it is a terrible idea.

Beyond all of that, Jake, we are specifically concerned about this new landfall timing. It sounds as though this storm is going to make landfall somewhere between 8:00 and 8:30 p.m. near Sarasota. That is just a -- a short ways down from where we are. That's where we were expecting the worst storm surge of about 15 feet. Again, it is a dangerous time for folks in this area.

It is important to hunker down, because, as we were talking about a moment ago, in some areas, emergency services have been shut off, so if you need help, there may not be someone out there to go and lend a hand, Jake.

TAPPER: And, OK, here's President Biden, thank you, Boris, let's listen to the President.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good evening. Within a few hours, Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on the west coast of Florida, the western coast of Florida. Already, we're seeing impacts on the storm, including significant winds and heavy rain. And there's also been frequent and widespread tornado warnings throughout the day. And they're continuing and expected to expand as Milton moves over land, including a few that have already touched down in South -- South Florida.

Currently, Milton is a category three with wind speeds up 220 miles per hour. But no one should be confused. It's still expected to be one of the most and worst destructive hurricanes to hit Florida in over a century. You know, both the heads of the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service made it very clear in conversations I've had with them earlier today, Milton still carries incredible destructiveness, can wipe out communities, can cause loss of life.

[17:35:12]

Storm surge is still expected to be up to 13 feet, so I urge everyone in Hurricane Milton's path to listen to local officials and follow all the safety instructions they give. At this point, evacuation is probably difficult, so I encourage people to look for safer shelter. Sometimes moving just a few miles can be the difference between life and death. We've already approved emergency declarations for Florida. We have thousands of federal personnel on the ground when you staged and are ready to go. We have 20 million meals, 40 million liters of water.

In my direction, and the Secretary of Defense Austin, has pre- positioned search and rescue teams, helicopters and high water high water ve -- high -- high water speed vehicles as close to the storm as possible, so they're ready to conduct lifesaving missions. And the administrators of -- the Administrator of FEMA will be on site tonight in Florida and the state's emergency -- and the state's Emergency Operations Center. Both Administrator Criswell and I will be on constant contact with state and local officials in the hours ahead.

Once the storm hits, we're going to work with state officials to clear debris, restore power, and do it as fast as possible. The Army Corps of Engineers will pump out water and decrease flooding. We've already directed the Department of Defense to be ready to provide active duty service members to support Florida after the storm -- after the storm surge, if Governor DeSantis requests the help, which I expect he might, just like we did North Carolina.

I have surged over 1,000 U.S. Coast Guard personnel to perform search and rescue missions and reopen the Port of Tampa as soon as possible. Now, I want to reiterate a point, I made clear earlier today to the folks who have been impacted by Helene, this impact and will be now impacted by Milton.

Over the last few weeks, there's been reckless and irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies about what's going on. It's undermining confidence in the people in Florida and incredible rescue and recovery work that has been undertaken. Literally, there are -- there are thousands of fellow Americans who are putting their lives at stake and putting on the line to do the dangerous work that needs to be done now.

And it's harmful to those who most need the help. Quite frankly, these lies are un-American, and there's simply no place for them, not now, not ever. Former President Trump has led this onslaught of lies. Assertions have been made that property is being confiscated.

It's simply not true. They're saying people impacted by these storms will receive $750 in cash and no more. That is simply not true either. They're saying that money needed for these crises are being diverted to migrants. What the hell -- heck are they talking about? Stop it. It's outrageous. It's just not true.

Now the claims are getting even more bizarre. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the congresswoman from Georgia, is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather. We're controlling the weather. It's beyond ridiculous. It's so stupid. It's got to stop.

Let me close with this. It's difficult these days and weeks have been. We've seen incredible courage by so many of our fellow Americans. I want to thank all the first responders for running toward danger instead of away from it, for saving lives and making a difference. Female personnel risking their lives, climbing on hillsides to reach people cut off by Helene. Army National Guard flying through the gale wind force that, it's amazing what they're doing.

Firefighters lifting collapsed wood and metal, an attempt to get see if there are survivors, any survivors under the debris, risking their lives. Coast Guard teams repelling from helicopters to rescue people and risking their own lives. There are countless friends and neighbors who have sacrificed for the greater good, volunteers leaving their own families behind to help search for someone else's family, fellow Americans looking out for one another. That's America at its very best. That's who we are.

So my final message tonight is to the people of Florida and all the impacted states, we've got your back. We've got your back. And Kamala and I will be there for as long as it takes to rescue, recover and rebuild. May God bless you all, and may God protect those serving in the eye of this storm on behalf of our nation. Thank you.

[17:40:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you think Trump is spreading misinformation? Why do you think former President Trump is spreading misinformation?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- to -- to President Putin during the height of the pandemic, do you have a comment, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you think Trump -- why do you think is spreading misinformation?

BIDEN: I don't know. I -- I simply don't know. You can speculate, but I -- I -- I just find it. I mean, I -- I've now used the phrase more than I've used it ever my whole career, un-American. It's un-American. It's not who the hell we are. What are they talking about?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, have you considered calling him and asking (inaudible).

BIDEN: Oh, come on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, does Governor DeSantis need to take Vice President Harris's calls?

BIDEN: All I can tell you is, I'm talking to Governor DeSantis. He's been very gracious. He's thanked me for all we've done. He knows what we're doing and -- and I think that's important.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you say Florida has everything it needs for the storm? How was your call with Netanyahu today?

BIDEN: We didn't talk about the storm.

TAPPER: President Biden again urging Floridians in Milton's track to listen to local officials for safety instructions. What those local officials are trying to stress? We're going to go back to the impact zone after this quick break, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:45:38]

TAPPER: And we're back with our breaking news. Hurricane Milton, a powerful category three hurricane barreling into Florida, already causing problems, even though landfall remains a few hours away. Joining us now, Hillsborough County Administrator Bonnie Wise. Administrator Wise, thanks for joining us. We heard earlier that at least 10,000 people are in Hillsborough County shelters, and more shelters are being made available. When did the window close for people to leave the county?

BONNIE WISE, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR: We had ordered the evacuation for people to be in place somewhere by 7:00 this morning. However, it was still safe for them to get out to the shelters. And now we're up to about 14,000 people in shelters, and we're glad they're there, and we're glad they're safely there.

TAPPER: How are last minute preparations going? What are your emergency crews doing right now?

WISE: So right now, we are watching the winds, and we are preparing, really, for after the storm. We want people now to be in place, hunker down, not be out at all on the roads. And then once the storm passes through, we don't want people to be out on the roads either. We need our crews to get out there, should we see what's out there, to make sure that there's not down power lines, and to go ahead and to give the all clear when it's appropriate, which won't be until later in the afternoon. TAPPER: Your county was forced to stop cleaning up debris from Hurricane Helene earlier today, we know Milton is going to bring more debris. Obviously, the wind can make those projectiles quite deadly. Will you have the resources to handle the new debris?

WISE: We will. And we did clean up a lot of debris. Hurricane Helene was just two -- two short weeks ago. And so we were able to clean up much of that debris. However, there was still debris on the ground, and this will bring, of course, as you said, more debris. We have resources available. We have the resources staged. The state has been sending additional resources, and we're confident that we'll get through it. But people are going to have to be patient, because there is going to be an abundance of debris.

TAPPER: All right. Bonnie Wise, thank you so much. Stay safe. Hurricane Milton could now make landfall in just a few hours, according to new forecast. We're going to follow every detail as this potentially deadly storm inches closer to land. Stay with us.

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[17:52:11]

TAPPER: Back to our breaking news. A live look at Naples, Florida right now as Hurricane Milton, a powerful category three hurricane, is expected to make landfall in just the next few hours. We talk about threats from storm surge, winds, rain, but there are other dangers that lie beneath the murky flood waters brought in by such a storm. Let's bring in CNN medical correspondent, Meg Tirrell. Meg, when it comes to the risks of bacteria that is likely swimming in these flood waters, what do we need to know?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jake, the Florida Department of Health is warning folks that they should avoid flood waters for all the reasons you'd expect, but then maybe one you wouldn't. The risk of this very dangerous bac -- bacteria known as Vibrio -- Vibrio Vulnificus.

Now it's pretty rare. And you can tell, I don't say it very often, but it can be very deadly, particularly for anybody who has a compromised immune system, and especially if you have open wounds, they say, avoid flood waters, if you have to go through them and you have an open wound, and that can include a recent piercing or recent tattoo, trying to make sure they're covered up by a waterproof bandage.

These can -- these infections can be fatal if they are serious. They can also lead to the need for amputation. If you have any symptoms after going in flood waters of things like fever, chills, an infection of a blister, signs of things like that, you should get medical attention immediately. And Jake, we have seen increased cases of this Vibrio bacterial infection after hurricanes before, if you look back over the last few years of cases of this.

In Florida, we saw an increase in 2022 that's related to Hurricane Ian. There were 11 deaths associated with this bacterial infection from that hurricane alone, according to a report published by the CDC.

You also see an elevated number of cases in 2024 that already is because of Helene, according to the Florida Department of Health. So this is a significant number of deaths as a proportion of all deaths related to these hurricanes. So folks should really be careful for multiple reasons to try to avoid floodwaters. Jake?

[17:54:12]

TAPPER: All right. Meg Terrell, thank you so much. An important, important thing for people to keep in mind. What could be some lifesaving reminders for those who could feel the worst of Hurricane Milton in the coming hours? Stay with us.

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TAPPER: And we're back with our breaking news coverage of Hurricane Milton. Let's bring in CNN's Tom Foreman, who has important information that viewers in the path of the hurricane should know. Tom?

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jake, if you -- if you're in the path, listen to your local authorities. Anything they can do to get you a safer place is the right choice. But if you can't move, collect all the water you can while the water is running, bathtubs, buckets, whatever, keep it clean, it may have to last you for days. Know where your food is. Know when you need to eat it and what order to make it stretch out. If you have a refrigerator or freezer, tape it shut with duct tape. Hold that cold in that will make that last longer.

Clothing, shoes, blankets, know exactly what it is that you have, put it in a common place. Don't go to try to find it in the dark. Collect batteries, flashlights, radios, all those things. Charge all your devices and use them sparingly. You may be going into a great big darkness here, and a big problem, you're going to need all of this know exactly where it is. If you're an iPhone user, upgrade to iOS 18, that will allow you to do satellite calls, settings, general software update.

And most of all, have an escape plan that you tell your family about. What road you're going to go down to get to somewhere safe if your place becomes inhabitable -- uninhabitable, then have an alternate escape plan, and let somebody know, outside of your family, somebody outside the zone, so they know where you were headed if you don't get there. All of this is last minute stuff, but do it while you have power, do it while you have light. Jake?

[18:00:15]

TAPPER: All right. Tom Foreman, thank you so much. CNN's breaking news coverage of Hurricane Milton continues now with Wolf Blitzer in "The Situation Room."