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CNN International: Florida Braces for Hurricane Milton, Gas Runs Low as Thousands Evacuate; Hurricane Likely to Make Landfall Early Thursday; Powerful Storm Winds Could Turn Helene Debris Into Missiles; Israel Orders Evacuation of Three Hospitals in Northern Gaza; Israeli Pm Urges Lebanese to Stand Up to Hezbollah; Iran Engages Arab Neighbors Ahead of Possible Israeli Strike; Nintendo Museum Showcases Company's History of Innovation; Tampa Aquarium Moves Penguins to Avoid Storm Surge. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired October 09, 2024 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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GOV. RON DESANTIS, (R-FL): Otherwise would.
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MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Now, state troopers in Florida are even escorting some of the fuel tanker trucks to the gas stations that need it the most. John, one other point here is this is all happening before the storm. After the storm, the big thing to watch is how much damage gets done to the Port of Tampa. This is a major port of entry for fuel supplies into a port that ends up supplying the entire state. So we need to watch that very carefully.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, Secretary Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation, just said that is a major focus.
OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Omar Jimenez, and this it this is "CNN Newsroom." Just ahead, millions of people brace across Florida for Hurricane Milton expected to hit the coast early on Thursday. There are warnings it could be one of the most destructive storms the U.S. has ever seen. Meanwhile, signs of a gas shortage as thousands of people heed warnings to get to safety. Look at that line, they are trying to get out of the storm area. And we are live across the Middle East as well, as Israel claims to have occupied a village in Southern Lebanon.
We'll start with our hurricane. In less than less than 24 hours, Hurricane Milton will roar ashore on Florida's western coast and the storm is now a Category-4 hurricane, packing winds of 160 miles per hour, 257 kilometers per hour, and there are still big questions as to where it will make landfall and how strong it will be.
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MICHAEL BRENNAN, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: You have potentially catastrophic impacts, 10 to 15 feet of storm surge inundation, widespread hurricane force winds, life-threatening to catastrophic flash flooding, all going to play out starting later today as those winds begin to impinge on the west central coast of Florida.
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JIMENEZ: So for perspective here, more than 15 million people in Florida are under threat of the severe weather, with more than a dozen counties ordering mandatory evacuations. The exodus is clogging major roads and long lines are formed at gas stations. In fact, something like 1,600 stations are believed to be out of gas. Hillsborough County is one of the areas of Florida under a mandatory evacuation and a short time ago, we spoke with the sheriff there about how the evacuations and preparations are going.
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CHAD CHRONISTER, SHERIFF, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA: Listen, I'm very happy. I think is going phenomenally well. Two days ago, we issued evacuation orders and we saw the traffic on the major highways with individuals leaving. We even worked with the Highway Patrol and opened up the emergency lane, to help give those individuals who wanted to leave the ability to do so.
I saw the long lines at gas stations. I saw the long lines at grocery store and supply areas where people were getting those essential needs. Listen, I think a lot of people did heed the warning. With a little help of Hurricane Helene, they saw how horrible it can be, and this is going to be a lot worse. You know a lot of years we talk about hurricanes coming -- two years ago, catastrophic, worst hurricane in the history of Florida was coming right for Tampa Bay and it changing and it went to the Fort Myers, Naples area. These storms are unpredictable. That's why they call them the cones of uncertainty. Because of the uncertainty, I think everyone saw during Helene, when they, this time they called for seven-feet storm surge and we got every inch of that storm surge.
Now, they're being prepared. We knew then that a lot of people didn't heed the warnings. They almost became a little too complacent. The good part was as the winds never became too sustained over 40 miles an hour and we never had to suspend service. We conducted over thousand rescues with our amphibious vehicles, our marine unit, with airboats. This storm is going to be different. When it becomes too dangerous, we are going to have to suspend services, just too risky for our personnel who will be prepared and ready for that after-storm response. So imagine that sickening feeling that I can't even think about, when you figure it out, like, hey, I shouldn't be here. Hey, I need help, and help is not coming.
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JIMENEZ: And what we heard from that sheriff is what we've heard from so many other places in the hurricane's path. Let's bring in our Carlos Suarez, who joins us now from Fort Myers, Florida. So Carlos, what's happening where you are right now? CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Omar, good morning. So, the concern -- the thing that folks really are most worried about to cross southwest Florida at this hour is the flooding that we are going to see because of this hurricane. Right now, the forecast is calling for a storm surge across parts of southwest Florida of anywhere between eight to 12 feet. And just two years ago, to give you some context and perspective, Hurricane Ian made a direct landfall across parts of southwest Florida and the area here behind me saw a storm surge of ten feet. And so, we are talking about either flooding at that level or slightly above it, and everything behind me flooded two years ago. That's how -- how much of an impact the storm surge at that time had.
Now, we are live in downtown Fort Myers, we are along the Caloosahatchee River which runs from the central part of Florida out into the Gulf of Mexico. And that kind of topography really is the reason why flooding with this storm is really the concern, as we get closer to making landfall somewhere along the western coast of Florida.
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What ends up happening is, the storm surge from the Gulf of Mexico, all of that water that's being pushed in, as that storm continues on its path, when you add in the rainfall that is expected to fall over the next 12 to 16 to 18 hours, and then you throw in high tide, that water has nowhere to go. And when it really starts to flood, it is just going to push inland. Now, yesterday, we were live a few blocks from where we are right now in kind of the downtown part of Fort Myers, that's where a lot of restaurants and businesses and some apartments and some hotels are.
The folks there are pretty much cognizant of the fact that their most likely going to flood. And so, they put up plywoods on their windows. They had sandbags out and they were trying as best as they can to hopefully keep some of this water out, though they concede that if these numbers hold, again, a good part of this is going to flood as this storm continues its way along the western coast of Florida. This kind of layout, this kind of topography repeats itself to the north over in Charlotte County, which is about a 45-minute drive where we are. There's another harbor there and there's a river that runs from the central part of the Florida that goes out to the Gulf of Mexico. The same thing is going to repeat itself over there.
All of that water is going to rush in. It is going to have nowhere to go. It is going to have to move in inland. And then you're going to you see that same thing play out up in Sarasota County where it is expected to make landfall, and then to the north of that in Tampa Bay. And so, you can see, if you look at a map of Florida, you can see how that layout repeats itself as you make your way south, and it is why the concern with these storms on the western side of Florida is always the storm surge. Omar?
JIMENEZ: Carlos Suarez, incredible with the comparisons to Hurricane Ian as well, really appreciate the reporting. Joining us now with the latest on this storm's track is CNN Meteorologist, Derek Van Dam.
So Derek, can you just talk us through the storm's expected path here?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: OK. So first and foremost, we need to get this latest information out and I will highlight the path in detail. But, this is now a Category-4 storm, OK? 250 kilometer per hour winds, 155 mile per hour sustained winds. I want you to plan on this bringing storm surge impacts comparable to a Categor-5. And that is because of the expanding wind field that is happening. So, we are slicing and cutting hairs here in terms of the Cat-4, Cat-5, we don't want to focus on that. This will bring massive impacts to a densely populated area across west central Florida.
So let's talk about the path and what's been happening lately. Eye has filled in, so this is a sign that maybe perhaps we are on a week weakening trend, but the expanding wind field means that impacts will be felt well north of the center and well south of the center. National Hurricane Center has a Category-4 upon landfall, later tonight into early Thursday morning. But the exact details of who gets that right-front quadrant of the hurricane is so critical in this moment and time, because we recall what happened in Fort Myers beach two years ago, September 2022, and the devastation that that brought.
We remember what happened with Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago, running parallel to the coastline. But now, the full force, the full energy of this system, because of its perpendicular approach, will push the water into the bays, the inlets, and the rivers here across the area, by the way, which will be flooding because of the inland rain that will fall. But this is important too, because this is new information at the 8:00 a.m. update. They have lowered the storm surge values, eight to 12 feet in Tampa Bay. This still eclipses Hurricane Helene from two weeks ago.
Remember, we've got damage lining the coastline, lining the roadways here that will sweep that away out into the ocean again. So, we do believe there will be surge impacts in Tampa Bay, but the greatest impacts that right-front quadrant will be south of there, into Sarasota, at least as it stands. With these storms, this magnitude, this size, and this power, there are wobbles and that wobble is a game of miles and that game of miles matters about who will see those great impacts. And here's a satellite image to prove my point.
This is the forecast track from the National Hurricane Center. Do you see the eye of Milton filling in? Well, at the last few frames, it was just south of that center point line. That has huge implications on who will receive the most impactful part of the storm. If we look at one computer model, this is the European. That's a worst-case scenario for Tampa Bay. But the National Hurricane Center is picking up on something different, perhaps that southerly trend, expect these windshield wiper effects in the forecast models to occur right before landfall.
But there's one takeaway from this. This will not just be a coastal storm surge and wind threat, impacts will be felt well across the peninsula. There will be a moment in time, Thursday morning, where we feel hurricane force winds in excess of 100 miles per hour across a wide swath of the central peninsula. And by the way, we are already seeing the eye on Key West and Tampa Bay's regional radar. We zoom in a little closer, there have been spin-up tornadoes. Here's one right now occurring near Miami-Dade County, as well as Broward and Collier County. So here's the threat. Tornadoes, water sprouts increasing through the course of the day today.
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And then we have to talk about the inland flash flood potential because over two to three months of rain could fall out of the sky from this system, and that is why the Weather Prediction Center has issued this rare high risk of excessive rain that could lead to flash flooding. Omar, they only issue these 4 percent of the time. But if we remember anything from Hurricane Helene and what happened in North Carolina, that's where we see the most damage and the most fatalities.
JIMENEZ: And as you laid out, hurricane doesn't just mean winds, it could mean storm surge, it could mean flash flooding because of the rain, tornadoes. I think it really gets to the breadth of the risks that people are facing right now. Derek Van Dam, always appreciate it.
I want to go to another part of the state right now because CNN's Isabel Rosales is in Tampa, Florida, where they're bracing for a life- threatening record storm surge there. So Isabel, can you tell us what is what is the feeling there? What are you seeing there?
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Omar, we are certainly starting to feel these outer bands of rain is beginning to pick up a little bit. And I can tell you, I just checked, one of the biggest priorities is that we are in the last window of time here for people to evacuate. I did just check the traffic cameras in I-75 going north out of the state and I-4 going to the other side, the eastern coast of the state, they're all in the clear.
We heard Sheriff Chad Chronister of Hillsborough County say that this is the eleventh hour, please evacuate if you can, or shelter down. They are extremely worried here about the impacts. We heard from Derek Van Dam there that even though the storm surge expectations for the Tampa Bay have lowered to eight to 12 feet, that is still much higher than the worst-case that we saw from Helene. I'm keeping an eye on Hillsborough Bay right now, in front of Tampa General Hospital, the region's only level-one trauma center. During Helene, Omar, this got so bad here, the storm surge actually reached the walls of TGH, something that we had never seen before. And now, with Milton, we are looking at potentially a war situation depending again, on landfall.
Debris, that's another major concern. We have seen a flurry of activity yesterday and even into today of dump trucks trying to get all of this Helene storm damage out of the neighborhoods because if we are looking at potential peak winds of up to 115 miles per hour, that's going to lift pieces of plywood, all sorts of things, and make them into flying projectiles. That is dangerous for homes. That is dangerous for people that might still be in the area. So, still a flurry of activity before people have hunkered down ahead of Milton. Omar?
JIMENEZ: It is going to be here before we know it. Isabel Rosales, really appreciate you staying across the preparations here. Now, as Florida braces for a catastrophic hurricane, Vice President Kamala Harris is starting the day in New York City after giving an interview on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" Tuesday night. Now, Harris is staying across events in Florida, but she is also expected to virtually join U.S. President Joe Biden for a briefing on the storm before heading to Las Vegas later today.
And President Biden had this to say about the massive storm. Well, he was essentially just talking about the seriousness of this storm and making sure to be prepared for it. CNN's Eva McKend joins us from Washington with more. So Eva, look, as a candidate, you are -- and a vice president, you are balancing running for president, while also supporting the administration in your job as vice president. How is she balancing those commitments, especially with this response to Hurricane Milton?
EVA MCKEND, CNN U.S. NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: You know, Omar, as you can imagine, it is a delicate balance and we saw the campaign be nimble enough to switch gears during the last hurricane when she cut her swing out west short to come back to be briefed by FEMA.
She is continuing to knock the former president for politicizing the crisis, arguing Trump has no empathy for others as he continues to spread misinformation about the federal response to Hurricane Helene. She has also talked about this issue at length during her media appearances to really illustrate that this is top of mind for her. She described traveling to both Georgia and North Carolina to survey the impact of the hurricane, emphasizing the pain and shock people are still in, and extending her empathy and reinforcing that there are federal resources available.
She is urging people to access those resources and not listen to disinformation and to really heed the advice of local officials at this time and get out of harm's way if they are in a position to do so. So, she is still going to be on the campaign trail as for now, but just like the last time, Omar, if it is evident that she needs to return to Washington, she will likely do so.
JIMENEZ: Look, she is in the middle of what has been, I think fair to say, a media blitz over the course of this week, doing a lot of interviews, but also campaigning. I mean, she is less than a -- we all are less than a month to Election Day at this point.
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Do we have a sense from a campaign perspective of hurricane aside, where her priorities sort of are in this final stretch?
MCKEND: I would argue that they are prioritizing all of the battleground states. There's no indication to me that they sort of view any one of the seven as more urgent than the other. We saw her aggressively making the case to union workers in Michigan on Friday. In Flint, she met with Arab American voters. She spent a lot of time in Pennsylvania. She anchored herself in Pittsburgh during that five- day stretch to prepare for the debate. And then she has since returned to Pennsylvania several times. And so, we see the campaign just leaving no stone unturned, Omar, as they try to get their message out there, consolidate the various coalitions and try to appeal to undecided voters, voters that or maybe conservative, have no appetite for Former President Trump and would otherwise stay home. We see a big push from Republicans for Harris, for instance, to try to urge those people to not sit this one out.
JIMENEZ: And we know there are so many people that really start paying close attention when we are under a month out, sometimes even a week out. So, plenty more real estate to grab for these candidates. Eva McKend, really appreciate it.
All right. We are following news elsewhere in the world. Still to come, Israel's prime minister warns the Lebanese people they could face destruction like Gaza as IDF attacks on Lebanon intensify. We are going to have live reports from Israel and Iran when we return. And coming up, how officials are combating hurricane misinformation as Donald Trump has spread falsehoods, stay tuned.
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JIMENEZ: Welcome back. Israel is ramping up its operations in Northern Gaza, ordering everyone to evacuate three hospitals in the Palestinian enclave. Now, hospital staff say there is no safe way for patients to leave and nowhere to go. Doctors Without Borders says parts of Northern Gaza are turning into an "unlivable wasteland" as a result of Israel's war, a war that continues to spread with Israeli and Hezbollah fighters clashing in Lebanon
Israel's energy minister says IDF soldiers have occupied a village in Southern Lebanon on a video circulating on social media, which you can see here, and geo-located by CNN shows Israeli troops hoisting their flag in the village. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the people of Lebanon directly on Tuesday, urging them to stand up to Hezbollah.
Israel is still considering how to respond to Iranian missile strikes last week as well. We have CNN reporters covering all angles of this story. Fred Pleitgen is in the Iranian capital, Tehran, but let's start with Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv, Israel. So Jeremy, let's start with Netanyahu's comments because how are they -- those comments toward Lebanon, how are they being received?
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JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've heard the Israeli prime minister over the course of the last week make a number of addresses, direct addresses to the Lebanese people, at least that's how he is framing them. And in them, there's clearly this implicit threat that if Hezbollah doesn't stop firing rockets, if Hezbollah doesn't agree to put down its arms, then Israel could do to Lebanon what it has done in Gaza, and that is to say the displacement of millions of people, the destruction of hundreds of thousands of homes and of course, potentially the deaths of many, many people as well.
And so, his comments are very much being viewed as a threat, even as the Israeli military insists that for now at least, the Israeli ground operations in Lebanon are limited and targeted raids limited to the areas closest to the Lebanese-Iran border. But I think what's also clear is that the Israeli prime minister, in conjunction with the military action on the ground, the strikes that have been taking place in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, is trying to squeeze Hezbollah right now. And he is trying to squeeze them by putting pressure not just on Hezbollah itself, but on the citizens of Lebanon as well, and on the Lebanese government and the other political factions that exist in Lebanon.
There is certainly a thought process within the Israeli government right now, that they believe the combination of military pressure as well as the diplomatic pressure that is currently being leveled on Hezbollah could be complemented by internal political pressure in Lebanon and could ultimately, potentially produce some kind of a diplomatic agreement. Now, we know that Hezbollah for its part has indicated now that they are open to a ceasefire negotiations but it is not clear exactly what that would entail. Would that be something akin to the three-week ceasefire that the U.S. had previously offered, but says is no longer on the table, or would they be open to some kind of a much longer-term ceasefire, which is ultimately what Israel is looking for here, some kind of a diplomatic agreement that would see Hezbollah forces pull far away from the Israel-Lebanon border, removing the threat of that Hezbollah poses to Northern Israel to allow the return of those 60,000 or so Israeli civilians who have been displaced from their homes.
It is not clear that Hezbollah is open to a grand bargain like that. In the past, what they have made clear is that if Israel stops its war in Gaza, then Hezbollah will also put down its arms. Omar?
JIMENEZ: And as we've seen throughout previous ceasefire negotiations, whether between Hamas and Israel, there's a world apart between willingness for a ceasefire deal and actually bringing one to fruition. Jeremy Diamond, appreciate the reporting.
I want to bring in Fred Pleitgen in, because you've gained rare access to Iran. So, can you just give us a sense, what's the mood on the ground there?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Omar, I would say on the one hand, there is certainly a great deal of concern, but there's also a great deal of defiance, quite frankly, when we speak to people here on the ground as well. There is a concern, not really so much about the possible Israeli response to that missile strike by the Iranians that took place at the beginning of last week, but for all of this to possibly lead to some wider conflict in the Middle East, that in the end could pit the United States and Iran against one another.
At the same time, publicly, we do have a lot of defiance and certainly bullishness also, on the part of those who are in power here. In fact, I'm currently on a place called Revolution Square and I want to show you over there is a huge billboard that's been put up, which essentially shows Iranian strikes on various places inside Israel and that writing up there, it reads, 'if you want war, we are the masters of war.' So that is the message that those who are in power here in Iran are trying to send. And if you look very closely, you actually see that that writing is both in Farsi, but in Hebrew as well. So obviously, a very clear message that the Iranians are trying to send.
And I was actually able today, Omar, to speak with the spokesman of the National Security Committee of Iran's parliament and he also had a very clear warning to Israel as well. Let's listen it.
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EBRAHIM REZAEI, IRANIAN SHURA COUNCIL'S NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN POLICY COMMITTEE (through translator): We will certainly respond to Israel. In our most recent attack on Israel, we targeted only military sites. Naturally, there are other targets that we could hit and we have the capability to do so. We have so many missiles that we can one-by-one hit these targets.
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PLEITGEN: Pretty strong words there. Of course, at the same time, the Iranians very much bracing for that -- what could be that very strong Israeli response as well. Omar, one of the things of course, that we need to keep in mind is that the unit of the Revolutionary Guard of Iran that conducted that missile strike on Israel last week is the same unit that is also responsible for air defense here in this country. And no doubt, they will be on high alert right now, awaiting that possible Israeli response, Omar.
JIMENEZ: Yeah, high alert indeed. And I want to ask you about one other aspect of what's happened over the past few weeks because how big a blow was the killing of the Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah for Iran?
PLEITGEN: Yeah, you know, that's something that's so interesting and that we see on the ground here in Tehran and other cities as well. In fact, we were able to drive around Iran a little bit yesterday as we entered the country by car.
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One of the things that you see plastered all over cities and especially here at the capital is billboards that support Hezbollah and specifically, also Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of Hezbollah. Certainly, one of the things that we have to keep in mind there is that there were very close relations between Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Hassan Nasrallah, and one of the things that Khamenei said as he presided over Friday prayers here, for instance last week, is that Iran is going to continue to support Hezbollah.
In fact, some of the billboards that we are seeing out here, the writing on those says that this is the beginning of the victory of God, as they put it. Obviously, them saying that they believe that this is a war that they are willing to fight on the side of Hezbollah and also of course, a very clear message to the Israelis and to the U.S. as well, Omar. JIMENEZ: Frederik Pleitgen, really appreciate the reporting from on the ground in Tehran.
All right. We want to keep you updated on the hurricane still making its way toward Florida, closing in on its Gulf Coast, and authorities are urging residents to get out while they can, with one official warning this is the ocean coming into your living room. Plus, the White House is hitting back at misinformation about the federal hurricane response, why the Biden Administration says false claims are hurting people in need. Details ahead, stay with us.
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JIMENEZ: This is the eleventh hour if you are in an evacuation zone, the time to get out is now. That start warning as what could be one of the most destructive storms on record barrels towards Florida. Milton is now a Category-4 hurricane and it is forecast to make landfall early Thursday morning, somewhere along the western Gulf Coast.
It is expected to bring powerful winds, catastrophic flooding, and life-threatening storm surge. It could also spinoff tornadoes across the Florida Peninsula. Officials are urging residents to get out of harm's way while they can or seek shelter. Millions are in the storm's path at this point, and Milton is expected to double in size, meaning the damage could be far more widespread, but the window to evacuate is closing. As Hurricane Milton moves closer to the Gulf Coast, U.S., Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke to CNN earlier about what people need to know to keep themselves safe.
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PETE BUTTIGIEG, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION: If you are under evacuation orders, get out. Listen to those who are warning you in areas where it is not safe, and so many responders are doing their part to facilitate that process. We are working through our Federal Highway Administration with Florida's DOT and local officials, things like making sure that the shoulder can be used to effectively add a lane on I-4 or I-75, anything to facilitate that process.
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When it comes to airports, the airlines have added capacity and capped fares going out of the affected airports. But, most of those are either closed or they're about to close. So mainly, we are talking about surface transportation now when it comes to evacuation. Sometimes, by the way, the evacuations are shorter than you would think. It is a matter of just a few miles to get from a place that would be totally inundated to a shelter or a place that's considered safe. But again, if you're under those evacuation orders, listen to them.
Then you've got the maritime piece that's mainly a story for, of course, after the storm has passed, but we are very focused on things like Port Tampa Bay, where about 40 percent of refined petroleum that comes in serving the state of Florida comes through. We just won't know until the damage assessments are through how long it is going to take to get that port back up and running.
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JIMENEZ: Now, as Former President Trump spreads lies about the federal response to Hurricane Helene, the White House is turning to Reddit to battle to misinformation. An official tells CNN the White House will use the newly launched account to share accurate information on federal action and resources, and on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," Vice President Harris criticized politicians. She accused of playing games with people who are suffering.
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KAMALA HARRIS, (D) VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: To all of those folks in North Carolina and Georgia, please know that FEMA and the people on the ground are there to help you. You are entitled to help. There's a lot of misinformation and I besiege you. I beg you to please not pay attention to it because there are a whole lot of folks who are there to give you help and aid in terms of the immediate aftermath and what people need to do in terms of getting through the height of this emergency and this crisis, but also in terms of long-term health.
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JIMENEZ: CNN's Arlette Saenz is at the White House. So Arlette, how is the White House trying to push back on the spread of really what's been a lot of misinformation at such a critical time like this?
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Omar, the White House is really battling the response to Hurricane Helene on two fronts. First, they're trying to get the necessary resources into those devastated communities, but they are also grappling with misinformation about how exactly their federal response has played out. President Biden yesterday said that those who are spreading misinformation are un-American. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg this morning said that there is a massive misinformation problem that is simply making it difficult for officials on the ground to do their job and get the necessary resources to the people who need it most.
Now, one way that the White House is hoping to combat some of this misinformation is by launching a Reddit page. They said -- a Reddit account, I should say. They said that they will be posting information on that page relating to their various response efforts. So far, there's been about a three posts that they've made, one highlighting President Biden's briefing relating to the response efforts and preparations for Hurricane Milton, other specifically looking at the resources that are available to North Carolina and Georgia.
Now, it comes as the issue of Hurricane Helene has really become a political flashpoint on the campaign trail. President -- Former President Donald Trump is among those who has been promoting some of these false narratives about what the federal government is doing in response to the hurricane and how they are utilizing their resources. You heard Vice President Kamala Harris there criticize those who are spreading this misinformation saying that it is irresponsible, but it really speaks to one of the challenges facing Harris, not just politically, but also in just trying to get resources to people on the ground in these devastated communities.
Now at the same time, the White House is also making in preparations for Hurricane Milton, pre-deploying resources to Florida as they expect that storm to hit in just a few hours. They are sending in airlift teams, high-water rescue vehicles, as well as other search and rescue teams to try to help in the response and recovery efforts. They are already setting up possible deployments of millions of food and meals and water to head into those communities. President Biden, last night, spoke with the Mayor of Clearwater, Florida and also the Head of Pinellas County, as he tried to talk about and see what they would need in response to this hurricane.
President Biden and vice president Harris will receive a briefing around noon about the preparation efforts and then President Biden will be speaking later tonight around 5:30 p.m. Eastern, as this hurricane is barreling towards Florida Coast. So, the White House trying to do all that they can in this moment to help these communities in anticipation of this storm coming, while also battling those misinformation efforts with they say are simply making it more complicated for people to do their jobs and get these resources to the people who need it most.
JIMENEZ: Arlette Saenz at the White House, thank you so much. Let's go down to Florida now, Nate Quartier is the Deputy Fire Chief of Ormond Beach in Florida.
[08:35:00]
Thanks for taking the time, that's where he joins me now live. So even though you're on the East Coast of Florida, you're still forecast to see three to five feet of storm surge or one to 1.5 meters. How have you all approached preparing there?
NATE QUARTIER, DEPUTY CHIEF, ORMOND BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT: Good morning. Thanks for having me. Well, we've prepared by trying to make preparations through public works, through stormwater, where we've pumped down ponds. We've taken precautions to block up some areas and the county-wide has instituted an evacuation order for our beachside areas.
JIMENEZ: And so, with something like this, I mean, I think the perception sometimes is, oh, if you're not where the hurricane is going to hit, so in this case the West Coast of Florida, that maybe you're in a much better position, which I do think from a storm surge perspective, yes, you are. But at the same time, this is -- given the size of this, this is something that will really encapsulate most of Central Florida when it hits even at a simultaneous time. How does this compare to what you've maybe faced in the past? Because it is Florida, we know hurricanes come through pretty frequently.
QUARTIER: Certainly. With a storm this size, even if it is not coming through our direct area, we won't be impacted as much as the center of the track, but we will still get -- experienced winds, rains, and that storm surge from just the size of the storm, and then once it gets offshore in Florida.
JIMENEZ: Yeah.
QUARTIER: We did have a few years ago, with Hurricanes Ian and Nicole, we did have some storm surge and some localized flooding, so we are going to take some of the strategies we used there.
JIMENEZ: And I know you've been with the department around 20 years or so, correct me if I'm wrong there, but when you see when you see hurricanes this size heading (inaudible), given your experience, I know you told me some of what you're doing right now to prepare, but just from a strategy standpoint, where do you start? What are you most concerned with? Just knowing that I imagine you have somewhat of a playbook given your experience.
QUARTIER: Correct. Typically, from my viewpoint, we are concerned with public safety, the hazards that come with the winds and the rains, flooding, dangerous downed power lines, windborne debris, and getting out the citizens. So, we try to prepare ahead of time as we get into hurricane season, make sure our equipment is up to speed, make sure our personnel are ready, and we are already preplanning for these events, so that way we can stage resources ahead of time.
We've done some additional up-staffing here with our fire, police, and public works department, so that we can be ready as soon as the effects are here and the storm is subsiding, we can get out and start responding to what we need to respond to.
JIMENEZ: And you know, I was talking with some officials on the West Coast of the state over the past few days and one of the concerns they had was because Hurricane Helene got here only less than two weeks ago, at this point, they still had a lot of debris out on the street from that hurricane. Is that something that you're dealing with in Ormond Beach at all?
QUARTIER: No, we are not -- we didn't really deal with much debris from Hurricane Helene. I do think, however, it did give us kind of a nudge as a city, as a community to go ahead and be on alert and to start preparing for one that could follow later in the season, which now it is.
JIMENEZ: Yeah. And I know Ormond Beach is under evacuation order, but the storm surge predicted there as we talked about, isn't quite to the magnitude that we are seeing on the West Coast. But, there are still serious risks. Are you getting the sense that people are actually leaving or because the risk maybe isn't as high as far as storm surge goes, that people are just taking their chances?
QUARTIER: I think generally speaking, people are -- in the community are taking this storm seriously based on, you know, the impacts that we are forecasting to get -- that everyone seem to be making the preparations with the stores to our city sandbags site. They're making good use of that. And it seems like everyone is preparing how they should.
JIMENEZ: Yeah. Well, we hope for the best for you all. I know you have a lot of preparations to get to, so I really appreciate you taking the time. Nate Quartier, really appreciate you being here.
QUARTIER: Yes, sir. Thank you very much.
JIMENEZ: Of course.
QUARTIER: Stay safe.
JIMENEZ: You too. And CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent, Bill Weir visited St. Petersburg, Florida as residents scramble to prepare for the final hours before landfall. He filed this report late Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Both physically and emotionally, they were already picking up the pieces on Florida's Gulf Coast.
BETH CALDWELL, LONG KEY, FLORIDA RESIDENT: It is like -- it is terrible, can't sleep, can't eat one minute and then (inaudible) then you are like, it is what it is, you got to keep living.
WEIR (voice-over): Now, Beth Caldwell must cut short her search for her mother's wedding ring to evacuate for the second time in as many weeks.
WEIR: You're saying you're really worried about folks who've made it through this one, but may not?
[08:40:00]
CALDWELL: Well, yeah, because the amount of debris on the street and the winds, even if it slows down --
WEIR: Governor DeSantis said this morning that even with 24/7 debris removal, they wouldn't have all of Helene's damage cleaned up in time for Milton to make landfall, and this is why. There is one front- loader over here waiting to fill up a line of empty dump trucks. That's approximately two miles long.
And this beach was covered in millions of dollars of fresh sand to try to protect this community which just got washed away.
SUSAN GLICKMAN, VICE PRESIDENT OF POLICY AND PARTNERSHIPS, THE CLEO INSTITUTE: That's right.
WEIR: What does that tell you about how we prepare and how we have to adjust to this new earth?
GLICKMAN: The fact is, you cannot adapt your way out of the climate crisis.
WEIR (voice-over): Susan Glickman grew up around this bungalow where her husband and a dear 90-year-old friend called Nanny (ph) survived Helene. But ironically, she is also a community climate organizer in Florida, desperately trying to convince officials and neighbors that this is what scientists have been warning about for generations. GLICKMAN: It is beyond criminal if we do not dramatically address the root causes of the problem immediately, but if we keep putting climate pollution and burning fossil fuels, we are just going to make a lot of this planning in general. (inaudible).
WEIR: Here in downtown St. Petersburg, we are about 24, 36 hours before landfall. And it is obvious that the evacuation orders are taking -- being taken seriously by folks. You do see some souls walking dogs, a few cars out, but mostly empty. Officials did voice some concern about, in addition to all the worries, the construction towers that are all over this growing city here, in these Category-4 winds, those could come down. And they admitted they don't have enough time to disassemble them before landfall. But honestly, even if they were to come down in a worst-case scenario, so much of this area is evacuated, it may not cost a lot of life.
What is really worrisome is that mound of water being pushed by Category-5 winds less than 500 miles away from this part of Tampa. Keep in mind, the last time a major storm hit this part of Florida, hundred years ago, the population has gone up by about 3.5 million people and sea level has gone up by a foot.
Bill Weir, CNN, St. Petersburg, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JIMENEZ: Still to come, Florida residents are looking for safety away from Hurricane Milton, but some are finding gas stations dry as they try to fuel up for the journey. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JIMENEZ: Now, Florida is also bracing for a direct hit from Hurricane Milton. This is after they dealt with Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago. With Milton, forecasters are warning the Category-4 hurricane has the potential to be one of the most destructive ever for west central Florida and the threat is also increasing in some areas for tornadoes.
[08:45:00]
One of those areas is Orlando, and that's where we find CNN's Victor Blackwell, who joins me live. So Victor, can you just talk me through what's happening in Orlando right now?
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: So, they're now preparing for the worst of this storm. Of course, we know that southwest Florida will see that eye wall come ashore, but there will still be forecast to be hurricane force winds by the time the worst of Milton comes to central Florida where I am here in Orlando. I'm at a Home Depot here, so there has been a steady stream of people coming here to buy those last-minute supplies -- the flashlights, the batteries, some plywood even this late in the game, generators.
I spoke with the store manager who says there are supplies still available, but they will be closing at three o'clock today to prepare for the storm as well. The amusement parks here, the Disney Parks will start shutting down at about 1:00 p.m. in stages today. And it really is an interesting place here, this part of Florida, because you have both the people who are trying to evacuate Florida, the tourists from around the country and around the world who want to get out of the way of this hurricane, but also the people who have evacuated to Orlando to get away from the coastal areas that are anticipating that massive deadly storm surge. Storm surge here, Omar, is not the major concern though.
As I said, there will be that hurricane force wind that comes through later today until early tomorrow, so there will be downed trees and downed power lines. So there will be outages. It is the flooding that is the major concern here, up to 15 inches of rain forecast for this part of Florida, so the creeks, the retention ponds, Lake Davis which flooded and isolated communities from Ian in 2022, just cannot accommodate that much water.
We know that the city crews have been out trying to clear drains to prepare for the storm that's coming. The Mayor, Buddy Dyer, who has been here for 20 years, more than 20 years, so he was here leading this community through 2004 when there was Charley, Francis, Ivan, and Jeanne, four hurricanes hitting Florida over six weeks. So with Helene just two weeks ago, he does have that experience how to navigate this, with storm so close to one another. He will be meeting at the top of the hour with the emergency operations managers to make sure that everything is in place and when the emergency operation center goes into full operation in about eight hours from now, at 4:00 p.m. local to prepare for Milton. Omar?
JIMENEZ: Victor Blackwell, looks like the rain is already starting to come in there, be safe. Thank you.
A major challenge for Florida residents racing to evacuate is before Hurricane Milton makes landfall, the big challenge here is fuel. Some gas stations have completely run out. There's a lot of demand from motorists, but also homeowners who want to power their generators in case they lose electricity. Matt Egan joins us now from New York with a closer look at what's happening right now. So, just give us a sense of what we are looking at in Florida.
EGAN: Well, Omar, people in Florida are running out of time to get out of the way of this storm and some of the gas stations are running out of fuel. Just a few moments ago, GasBuddy put out an update where they found that almost 23 percent of the gas stations in Florida as of 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time have no fuel. So, that amounts to more than 1,600 stations. And as you mentioned, this is happening because, one, there's a lot of demand with people evacuating, but also as Victor was just talking about, some people are filling up their tanks, so there'd be able to power their generators.
Now, this is an even bigger problem in some areas that are facing evacuation orders. In the Fort Myers region as of last night, almost a third of the gas stations had no fuel. And in the Tampa area, according to GasBuddy, almost half of the gas stations had no fuel. Now, GasBuddy says that fuel is flowing, but it is just that demand that is the problem. And they say that the best bet if you still need gas and you're trying to get out of the area, is to go to the major travel stops or any of the big chains.
Now, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, he addressed this yesterday. He said that the state is doing everything they can to try to bring emergency supplies of fuel to the stations that need it. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RON DESANTIS, (R-FL): We have been dispatching fuel over the past 24 hours as gas stations have run out. Now, there is no fuel shortage. Fuel continues to arrive in the state of Florida by port and what we are doing to bring it in on the ground. But lines at gas stations have been long. Gas stations are running out quicker than they otherwise would.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
EGAN: Now, in some cases, state troopers in Florida are even escorting the fuel tanker trucks to the gas stations that need it the most.
[08:50:00]
Remember, all of this is happening before the storm even makes landfall. After Milton hits, the big question is going to be how much damage is done to the Port of Tampa because that is basically the way that all of Florida gets its fuel. Normally, it comes in by tanker, by barge, and then it gets moved by trucks or pipeline to the rest of the state. And if there's damage, obviously, that cannot happen. A veteran analyst, Tom Kloza, said that this port is one of the most crucial pieces of fuel infrastructure in the entire country. So Omar, that is something that we are going to be watching very closely after the storm passes.
JIMENEZ: Well, of course, the priority is human life, but then there are ripple effects that they could affect business throughout the country really, that spiral well after the storm has passed. Matt Egan, really appreciate the perspective.
EGAN: Thanks, Omar.
JIMENEZ: And stay with us, everyone, on "CNN Newsroom." We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JIMENEZ: There are few companies that can say they've created as many beloved characters and seminal childhood experiences as Nintendo, or adult experiences for me. Shout out, Legend of Zelda. Now though, a new museum in Japan is celebrating the video game company's history with interactive displays other nostalgic fun. CNN's Hanako Montgomery joins -- shows us around.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That is the sound that brings childhood memories to millions. Nintendo opens its very first museum, giving people the chance to explore Mario's world and guiding visitors through the company's 135-year history.
FERNANDO PATINO, MEXICAN TOURIST: When I was a little boy, I imagined like, wow, I'm going to be a game programmer some day. But in Mexico, it was like, where, do you know, it is something super new even in these days. But the music of the games is the thing that I like the most. I think it was very creative.
PENG MINGDA, NINTENDO FAN (through translator): The characters are really cute and the games are pretty good. They always put new ideas into the games which I really like.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): From adorable characters like Toad to interactive games, and even a burger-themed restaurant, the museum also features a massive hall with almost every product ever released by the company. Nintendo fans can now enjoy an interactive experience with their favorite characters.
MINGDA (through translator): Zelda.
(LAUGH)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Link
PATINO: Mario, Zelda, (inaudible).
MINGDA (through translator): "THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD."
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): And you may encounter another fan favorite.
PIKACHU: Pikachu.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): A Poke Lid with an original Pikachu design featuring a Gameboy is also on display. But visiting this highly anticipated museum is not as easy as it sounds. Visitors have to sign up for a lottery ticket system at least three months in advance. Even with the wait, fans are excited to be a part of Nintendo for a few hours.
MINGDA (through translator): I think they've added a new route for us to find out more about Nintendo, not just the goods, but also the history of Nintendo in the past. It feels like we've gained another tool.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JIMENEZ: All right. I heard lottery three months in advance. I was just in Japan, maybe I'll be there in three months because I got to go check that out. [08:55:00]
All right. We have obviously a lot of news that we are covering right now as well, because with Hurricane Milton continuing to bear down on the state of Florida, it is not just residents fleeing to safety, an aquarium in Tampa is taking steps to make sure their African penguins stay safe during the storm. Now on Tuesday, workers loaded the penguins, look at them there, into crates and carton, transported the birds from their home on the first floor to a temporary shelter on the second floor to avoid possible storm surge. Aquarium staff say other animals on the ground floor of the building have also been moved to the temporary second floor locations. They're so cordial and honestly, cute.
All right. So yes, that is cute. What you're looking at there is not cute, because that is Hurricane Milton approaching Florida as a Category-4 hurricane. People are being urged to leave the area ahead of the storm. Hurricane Milton is closing in on Florida as that catastrophic Category-4 storm and forecasters expected to hit land early Thursday on Florida's West Coast. It will likely bring storm surge, rain, flooding, and even tornadoes. And official say the window for leaving is closing, so let's recap the latest quickly and flag more coverage throughout the day.
We will continue to do that and make sure you are informed. Thanks for joining me here on "CNN Newsroom." I'm Omar Jimenez. "Connect the World" with Becky Anderson is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
