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Category 5 Milton's Sustained Winds Explode to 175 MPH; Israel Remembers 1,200 People Killed in Oct. 7 Terror Attacks; Harris Launches Media Blitz with Election 29 Days Away. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired October 07, 2024 - 15:00   ET

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

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: A Category 5 monster with sustained winds of 175 miles an hour, Hurricane Milton is inching closer to Florida. Officials are not taking any chances, telling residents along the coast the time to leave is now, before it's too late.

Plus, Israel taking stock one year later, mourning the victims of the devastating October 7th attacks by Hamas. Also considering what's next in its war against the terror group and its newly expanded conflict with Hezbollah. The Prime Minister saying his country is locked in a, quote, "Seven-front war."

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: And media blitz, with less than a month ago, Vice President Kamala Harris pulling out all the stops with interviews ranging from 60 Minutes to a popular and historically raunchy podcast.

We're following these major developing stories and many more, all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: We are following breaking news. The planet's strongest storm of the year is now barreling towards Florida. Hurricane Milton is the name here. It's a monster Category 5, winds exploding to a mind- boggling 175 miles per hour. And right now, Milton is churning in the Gulf of Mexico, where it is set to make landfall by midweek, and it's taking direct aim at the Tampa Bay area.

SANCHEZ: Fifty-one counties in Florida are under a state of emergency as the storm approaches. Officials are warning residents to leave with evacuation orders in place for several counties along Florida's west coast. And many of those communities are actually still reeling from Hurricane Helene, which battered the area roughly 10, 11, 12 days ago.

Let's turn now to meteorologist Elisa Raffa who's tracking the storm in the CNN Weather Center.

Elisa, what can we expect over the next few days?

ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, we're watching this intensity very closely. It will eventually wane some in the intensity. We could be looking at the peak right now. But, I mean, just mind-boggling. One hundred and seventy-five-mile-per-hour winds in that perfectly symmetrical eye. It's got that buzz saw, doughnut-shaped classic textbook on satellites sitting 700 miles southwest of Tampa.

The rapid intensification today has been one for the record books, intensifying among one of the fastest on record. It was a tropical storm yesterday. I went to sleep, it was a Category 1 hurricane. And now we're dealing with one of the strongest storms on record, top 10 when it comes to that wind speed.

We are looking at it scraping the Yucatan Peninsula as that Category 5 hurricane. It heads towards Florida. Notice again the intensity wanes a little bit. There's some dry air. There's some wind energy, things that will kind of chip away at the intensity some as it heads towards Florida. But we're still looking at a major hurricane making landfall, a Category 3 or 4.

You have hurricane watches in effect all in the pink for that Gulf Coast area. We were looking at devastating, damaging winds, 110 miles per hour or greater from Tampa down to Sarasota and Fort Myers. Notice the entire peninsula getting in on tropical-storm force and hurricane- force winds.

Now, the Tampa area, we're watching that storm surge forecast very closely. Right now, the forecast is for eight to 12 feet. If that eye goes just to the north of Tampa Bay, that will bring in some of the biggest storm surge that the Bay has ever seen. If it goes just to the south, that will alleviate some of that storm surge for them. But again, you're still looking at storm surge up and down the west coast of Florida.

When it comes to history for Tampa, they have missed major hurricane passes in the last 100 years. This could be the closest call for them since 1921. So again, really worried about that storm surge. It could be unprecedented. Boris, Brianna?

KEILAR: All right. Elisa Raffa, thank you so much.

Our next guest is right in the path of Milton. She was also in the path of Helene and is now going viral after she shared some videos on social media that showed how Helene ravaged the Tampa Bay area.

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Dr. Meghan Martin's house flooded. She's now trying to repair the damage. She's also preparing now for Hurricane Milton and is now already urging Floridians to get ready.

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DR. MEGHAN MARTIN, PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN: All right, Florida, West Coast especially, this is going to be at least a significant storm, if not a major storm, and it is time that we take it seriously and get ready. If you haven't gotten your water and your batteries and your non-perishables, it's time to go now.

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KEILAR: Dr. Meghan Martin is with us now. She is a pediatric emergency room surgeon in Florida.

Doc, a lot of people paying attention, hopefully, to what you're saying. You unfortunately have a lot of flood cleanup experience. And as we're bracing for Milton's landfall, what's your advice for people?

MARTIN: You know, my advice at this point is to really take this seriously. I think there's a lot of people that think, you know, I did fine with Helene, but this is a completely different storm than Helene. We're going to have really dangerous winds, really dangerous storm surge. There's a lot of evacuation orders, and I would highly recommend people heed those orders and get out to a safe place.

KEILAR: It's a lot to ask - just put this into context, because I think some people say, oh, why don't people just leave. But leaving is difficult sometimes for people. It really is. And put this into context for us, two storms in two weeks.

MARTIN: Yes. A lot of people lost their vehicles and it's - a lot of other transportation and infrastructure challenges that are happening in this area right now. There is debris all over the roads. Everyone, you know, tearing out their house, getting all the wet stuff out their house and putting it at the curb. All of this is going to potentially become flying debris with, you know, 90-mile-an-hour winds.

And so I think if you are able to get out, if you are able to evacuate to a local shelter, they've closed schools yesterday so that they could open them up for people who need a place to stay, I would highly recommend getting out if you are able to get out. But, you know, this area, there are some issues. You know, we're not even close to recovering from Helene, and now trying to evacuate and make preparations for Milton has been challenging.

KEILAR: What would you say to someone on the fence? What is the thing that you think might tip them over to be on the more conservative side of this?

MARTIN: You know, once the storm is here, you can't get out and no one can come help you. You know, ambulances and fire trucks, they're not able to leave once the winds hit 45 or 50 miles an hour, you're on your own. And so I think the safest thing is just to bite the bullet and get out, get to somewhere that's safe, where if there's a problem, that you can get help.

And, gosh, a lot of the people that passed away in Pinellas County were people that didn't leave, you know, in the storm surge, and maybe they had issues with evacuation. And my heart goes out to them and their families. But this is another very different storm, a very dangerous storm, and I would highly recommend everyone get out if they're able.

KEILAR: What is your biggest tip after the fact for cleanup?

MARTIN: I think one of the most important things, especially for insurance purposes, is just document everything, pictures of everything. And then you need to keep yourself safe, because if there's flood water, if there's debris, that stuff can all be dangerous. So keeping yourself safe, make sure you document everything, and then just getting all the wet stuff out of your house.

KEILAR: All right. Dr. Martin, we appreciate your input. A lot of people are listening, so thank you so much.

MARTIN: Thank you.

KEILAR: While the storm may weaken as it gets closer to Florida, its growth in size could more than make up for that.

SANCHEZ: Yes, let's discuss with the Deputy Director of the National Hurricane Center, Jamie Rhome.

Thank you so much for being with us, Jamie.

What will that growth mean for the west coast of Florida, and what they'll see over the next few days?

JAMIE RHOME, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Yes, great question. So a lot of people are going to misinterpret this forecast. They see it now as a Category 5, and then forecast as a Category 4, and think that is good news, because it appears like it's a reduction.

It's a reduction in the traditional peak wind speed, but at the same time, the storm is going to grow in size. It's going to get larger. And we saw this in Helene. These big storms, these large-sized storms, produce more impacts. So this growth in size is going to more than compensate for the reduction in intensity, and it's going to cause problems because you're going to get a broader swath of impacts. And then things like storm surge are actually made much worse by bigger size.

KEILAR: And so the last Hurricane Center update said that Milton is explosively intensifying. This is so unusual. Why should people be paying a lot of attention to this?

RHOME: Well, this part of the Florida Peninsula, this west coast of the Florida Peninsula, is incredibly, incredibly susceptible to storm surge. We saw that in Helene. Even though Helene sort of passed to the west, you still got this catastrophic storm surge along portions of the Florida West Coast. This case, it's going to be a direct impact, a direct shot and more powerful at that.

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So we're going to have, you know, potentially catastrophic wind damage over a densely populated portion of the Florida Peninsula. This is the I-4 Corridor, you know, heavily, heavily populated area. Plus, the storm surge is going to be worse than we saw in Helene in some cases. So, you know, this is a big - so we got a lot of evacuation orders that are in place along the Florida West Coast.

I'm hoping - I'm hoping people are heeding those warnings.

SANCHEZ: Jamie, when it comes to the compound effect of having Hurricane Helene, as you noted, with that storm surge rise up the west coast, and now this Category 4, supposedly when it makes landfall it'll be Category 4, what does that do?

RHOME: Unfortunately, where the major hurricane force winds occur and they're storm surge, it's crippling to the - to - if that area - if any area receives both of those at the same time. They sort of pack a one-two punch and leave utter destruction in the wake. You know, power is out for days or weeks. Roads are impassable. Stores are not open. It's impossible to get out and move around. It's impossible to get goods and services. Fuel can be next to impossible to obtain.

And so this is why evacuations are often, you know, ordered. So some people will say, well, my - you know, I live on high ground. I don't need to evacuate. But what they're not thinking about is what happens to the community after the fact and the living conditions that can ensue after a storm passes.

KEILAR: All right. Jamie Rhome, thank you so much for the very latest. We do appreciate it. We'll be paying some close attention to it.

Still to come, families and survivors mark a year since the October 7th Hamas attacks ...

RHOME: Thank you.

KEILAR: ... as Israel's war rages on.

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SANCHEZ: It's been an emotional day of mourning and remembrance across Israel and the world today, one year after the October 7th attacks by Hamas terrorists. The pain is still very raw for the victims and their families, 1,200 people were killed in the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust. Some 250 were taken hostage, and it's believed that more than 100 are still being held captive.

We're joined now by Gil Dickmann, who's had several family members killed and taken hostage by Hamas. His cousin, Carmel Gat, was among six hostages in Gaza, killed in late August after being held hostage for nearly 11 months. His aunt, Kinneret Gat, was murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7th, and his cousin's wife, Yarden Roman, was taken hostage but released in late November.

Gil, thank you so much for sharing your afternoon with us.

As we mark a year since October 7th, I wonder what your reflections are of that day and what it's meant.

GIL DICKMANN, RELATIVES TAKEN HOSTAGE, AUNT AND COUSIN MURDERED: Well, October 7th was the worst day of my life. Then, my aunt was killed that day. Two of my family members were taken hostage, but since then - the year that has passed since then was in a way even worse, because my cousin, Carmel Gat, was in captivity for 11 months. She survived, and we had so many opportunities to get her back.

She was supposed to be on the list for the eighth day of the ceasefire, then the ceasefire collapsed, and they went back into fighting. And after that, there were so many opportunities for Prime Minister Netanyahu to get her back. And I heard him specifically stating to me in Washington, one month before she was murdered, that he refused to sign a deal that will get her back.

So, this is the worst missed opportunity that I could ever think of, and her ending was our worst nightmare. But after she was murdered, still, there are 101 hostages in captivity, and it seems like for our prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, it matters more to keep the war going forever than to get hostages back. That's what we see.

SANCHEZ: How is your family remembering your aunt and your cousin?

DICKMANN: It's very hard for us to even comprehend that they're no longer with us. Carmel, we were trying to explain to ourselves that she will be here at any moment, but then we learned that she was murdered in captivity. And Kinneret, we only recently learned that on that day, on October 7th, she was so brave facing the terrorists who were about to kill her, she was putting out her tongue in front of them as a way of showing how brave she was, and it was a symbol of how you can stand in front of the worst enemies on earth, the terrorists, the horrible terrorists of Hamas and still have your dignity.

I think the way to honor both of them, Carmel and Kinneret, who were brave defenders of Israeli democracy, who believe that we can have a future here in Israel, is by getting the hostages back. We can't come back to, you know, remembering the people that we lost before we save the people that are still there, 101 hostages are still in captivity.

The way to remember Carmel, the way to remember Kinneret is not by more revenge and just keeping this cycle of violence going on and on and on.

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The way to remember them and to honor them is by striking a deal, getting the hostages back, and finally achieving peace and tranquility in the whole area for innocent people on both sides of the border.

SANCHEZ: Your other relative, Yarden Roman, was taken hostage, and as we noted, she was later released. I wonder how she's doing, and if you know what she's up to today.

DICKMANN: She's an amazing person. She was able to save her daughter's and her husband's life that day on October 7th. The three of them were put in a car, driven towards Gaza, 500 meters before the fence. They were able to jump out of the car, and they started running the other way around.

And Yarden handed her little child, Geffen, to her husband alone and told him run. And he ran and she stayed behind. She only learned that they remained alive when she accidentally heard on the radio, in captivity, my voice. And I described how much we miss her, how much we miss Carmel and how much we miss my Aunt Kinneret. And I didn't mention Alon and Geffen, that's how she learned that they survived and that they were alive. She's a hero. Yarden is a hero. And there are so many heroes here in Israel who survived October 7th, who survived captivity and now they deserve to rebuild their lives.

They can't do that as well since there are still hostages in Gaza. And I'm afraid that our Prime Minister Netanyahu believes that his own political gain lies in continuing the war on and on and on to eternity, a never ending war for his own political gain. But being pro-Israeli is not being pro-Bibi right now. Being pro-Israeli is also being pro the people of Palestine and being pro a deal that will bring peace and tranquility to the whole area.

This is exactly the opposite of what Prime Minister Netanyahu was doing, but that's what 75 percent of Israelis believe and also the people who survived October 7th. That's the only way they can rebuild their lives again.

SANCHEZ: Gil, as you know, there's been enormous criticism of the way that the response to October 7th has been carried out by Prime Minister Netanyahu. I wonder what your message is to the world about October 7th, also considering that there's been a rise in anti-Semitic attacks that we've seen across the globe.

Oh, and unfortunately it appears that we lost Gil's signal there. We do appreciate Gil Dickmann sharing his family's story with us, and we hope to have him on again soon, hopefully to bring us good news about his relative.

Still to come on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, with the election now just weeks away, our next guest says a move closer to the center by Vice President Kamala Harris could cost her the election. Filmmaker Michael Moore joins us live next.

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KEILAR: After weeks of criticism for mostly avoiding interviews since she became the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris is shifting her media appearances into high gear. Tomorrow, she'll be going on "The View," she'll be on "The Late Show," she'll be on the "Howard Stern Show" and then tonight, she and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, will be appearing on a taped 60 MINUTES interview on CBS.

But with weeks to go until Election Day, Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore, who is a staunch supporter of Harris, has a warning still, though. Don't abandon your progressive past. Writing in a Substack post, quote, "If Harris is advised by her wealthy donors to shun the left and drop her more progressive positions in favor of a 'move to the center,'" it could, quote, "reduce or depress the vote."

And Michael Moore is with us now.

Michael, welcome, thank you for being with us.

And I know you've heard it, there is thinking that you're aware of from, I think, sort of Democrats in the political class who say, yes, but Harris needs people in the middle and liberals are going to vote for her regardless. Why would they stay home? It's as good as a vote for Trump. What do you say to that reasoning?

MICHAEL MOORE, OSCAR-WINNING DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER: Well, I honestly think we're going to have one of our largest turnouts ever. I don't think that many people are going to stay home. I certainly hope not, because of everything that's at stake.

But for - this happens every time with Democrats, because Democrats, they're such a frightened group of people. It's - I still, I mean, people, they still think that Trump is going to win. This is kind of shocking to me, like, don't you live with people? Are you not aware that there's going to be a tsunami of women voting between now and Election Day? That they were told two and a half years ago that they no longer control their own bodies. They no longer have a say. If they get pregnant, an unplanned pregnancy, the law now is that in many of our states, that you have to have that baby. And if we have to do whatever we have to do, sort of a legal version, I'm strapping you down to the table until you birth that baby, then so be it.

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That's the law of the land now. And anybody who thinks that women are going to stay home, that women are going to tolerate this, do you not ...