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One World with Zain Asher
Florida Bracing For "Catastrophic Hurricane"; Milton Set To Make Landfall As Category Four Hurricane Overnight; Biden And Harris Receiving Briefing On Hurricane Milton; Netanyahu Urges Lebanese People To Stand Up To Hezbollah; Destructive, Life-Threatening Storm Barreling Towards Florida; Florida Communities Hit Hard By Helene, Now Bracing For Milton; Aired 12-1:00p ET
Aired October 09, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:35]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN HOST: All right. Coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN HOST: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching ONE WORLD.
Well, the window to evacuate is about to close for those in the path of Hurricane Milton, which is now barreling toward Florida's West Coast.
ASHER: It's currently a category four storm and forecasters expect Milton to maintain that strength as it makes landfall in the overnight hours.
As you can see, the outer bands have already reached Florida and Cuba. Experts say it has the potential to be one of the most destructive storms
on record. And we actually just got video in of a tornado that formed in South Florida.
The National Weather Service says it was reported in South Florida between Naples and Fort Lauderdale. They add that it is a low population area, but
it did cross the highway. There you see it. Many Floridians say they've never seen anything like this storm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KT CURRAN, SARASOTA RESIDENT: Now as this hurricane is barreling down directly on our community, it feels like maybe Helene was just a rehearsal
for what's to come.
They're talking possible 15-foot storm surge. None of us in 100 years have seen anything like this. It is shocking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Now take a look at this. This is the Exodus well underway. We've been talking about this the past 24 hours. The traffic right now isn't the
only problem. The website GasBuddy is reporting that nearly a quarter of Florida's gas stations are now running out of fuel.
And stores like this, Tampa Walmart, are just about out of everything. The Hillsborough County Sheriff has a message for those who plan to stay home.
Don't do it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHAD CHRONISTER, SHERIFF, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY: This is the 11th hour. If you're in evacuation zone, the time to get out is now. Here's my biggest
fear. When those winds become sustained more than 40 miles per hour and it's too safe to go out to those emergency calls for help, that individual,
I wonder how he's going to feel if he needs help and help's not coming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN meteorologist Elisa Raffa has the latest on the storm's track. I mean, they have made it clear. Officials made have made it clear, Elisa,
this has the potential to be literally one of the most disruptive storms that West Central Florida has seen.
Just talk to us about what the impact is going to be. I mean, come Friday, you know, Saturday, what are we going to see in places like Orlando and
Tampa, of course?
ELISA RAFFA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We're really worried about that storm surge along the coast. That is the most devastating part. And that's what the
officials are using all that strong language for. And it's keeping its intensity in maintain category five strength all night into category four
right now with 145 mile-prior winds as it heads towards Florida.
We've already had these outer bands coming in and already causing problems this morning with the destructive winds and some tornadoes as well.
When you look at that track, again, we're still maintaining it as a strong major hurricane, a category three or four. The exact location of the eye
will determine who gets the worst storm surge, either it's Tampa Bay or areas to the south. So that needs to be watched closely. But we are looking
at hurricane force conditions across the peninsula. Widespread power outages and storm surge, up and down the West Coast.
Here's a look at those tornado warnings, all of these kind of paint boxes here. This is common in hurricane and you get these outer bands to come on
shore. There's some friction with the land and you get these tornadoes to kind of spin up. So that's common.
What is remarkable about this though, is we're getting these discrete cells, but not small spin ups. We're getting large tornadoes that are
capable of considerable damage. You can see we have those images of them.
I mean, just look at some of these cells here across parts of Alligator Alley. Just incredible to see this tornado threat in this hurricane. The
watch goes until nine o'clock this evening. So this lasts through the day and then going into the evening hours.
We have this front that's draped to the north and that's what's steering Milton into the peninsula. Depending on the location of this front will
really determine how far north or south that eye goes.
What it also will do though is enhance that rain, especially on the north side here of the storm, kind of adding extra fuel to the fire, extra
moisture for some heavy rain. It could also pick up the winds as well as it interacts with that front.
So something to watch incredibly closely as the day goes on. But this is what we are incredibly worried about. Eight to twelve feet of storm surge
in Tampa Bay, 10 to 15 feet just south of there. Ladies.
[12:05:06]
GOLODRYGA: And a reminder, these storm surges that we're looking at right now are not survivable, which is why officials are so desperately urging
people to leave now. It is not too late to leave your home as Jake Tapper said on air yesterday. If you're watching this from home, turn it off and
leave.
Elisa Raffa, thank you. Get some water too. Sorry about that. I know these are long days for you.
RAFFA: Sorry.
ASHER: Don't apologize. You're fine. Don't apologize.
GOLODRYGA: Well, Fort Myers, Florida is in the path of the storm, as we've been reporting, and our Carlos Suarez joins us there with conditions. What
are you seeing behind you now? And please tell us you're not seeing many residents still in the area.
CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Zain and Bianna, the winds have picked up out here and the rain has moved over us in the last hour or so. These are
the earliest signs of Hurricane Milton that have moved across parts of Southwest Florida.
As you said, we are in Fort Myers. We're along the Caloosahatchee River. And we're keeping a close eye on it because two years ago, when Hurricane
Ian made a direct landfall here in Lee County, the storm surge out here was 10 feet. And so everything that you see here behind me was underwater. It
was damaged or destroyed by that hurricane.
The amphitheater out in the background had to be rebuilt. The convention center to my right also had to be essentially built back from scratch
because again, the storm surge out here was 10 feet.
Now, with Hurricane Milton currently still forecast to make landfall to the north of us, this part of Southwest Florida is still expected to see a
storm surge of anywhere between 8 to 12 ft. And so the folks out here in Fort Myers are dealing with the reality that although they're not getting a
direct impact, right now at least from Hurricane Milton, they are going to see the type of flooding that they saw with Hurricane Ian just two years
ago.
You talked about whether folks are still out here. Yesterday, a curfew went into effect for 24 hours out in Fort Myers Beach. So folks out there were
told, they have to get out. I was out there yesterday taking a look at how things looked then. And I can tell you it was pretty much a ghost town.
In neighboring Sanibel, which was also destroyed by Hurricane Ian, there is also a mandatory evacuation. And so the folks were told, look, if you live
on either of those parts in Lee County, you really have to make your way inland.
Even where we are right now in Fort Myers, which you can see the rain has started to pick up, this here is also a mandatory evacuation zone.
Yesterday, we were live a few blocks from where we are right now talking to residents and business owners there, and they were trying the best they
can, putting up plywood on their businesses, putting up sandbags.
One business owner put out an inflatable dam, filled it up with water, all in an effort to try to keep some of this flooding that we're going to see
happen over the next couple of hours from taking place. And so that's kind of the situation right now from the ground.
We expect this weather to get worse as the day progresses and into the night. And we're probably not going to see the worst of this when it comes
to the flooding until overnight into tomorrow morning. And that's because the storm surge, the rainfall, and then high tide is not going to happen
until around 12:00 or one o'clock in the morning and those water levels are not expected to recede until tomorrow morning. Ladies.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. We see the rain around you there. And obviously, there have been reports of pretty significant tornadoes already before the storm
actually hits.
Carlos Suarez in Fort Myers, Florida. Please stay safe. Thank you.
ASHER: All right. Let's pivot to Orlando now. Orlando International Airport has suspended all commercial fights. We know that Disney World is set to
shut down in the coming hours.
Let's bring in CNN's Victor Blackwell who is joining us from Orlando. So by the time it gets to Orlando, it should have weakened quite a bit, but
Orlando is expected to experience heavy rain. Just walk us through what people are stocking up on at this point, Victor.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Well, let me start with that rain because we got an advisory. Actually, it's a warning, flood warning from the National
Weather Service out of Melbourne, which is here in Central Florida, that they say parts of Orange County where I am, Osceola, Volusia, Broward
Counties, that there's a flood warning that for the next few minutes, at least that's when it expires, that the inch or two of rain that's already
fallen here is starting to swell some creeks and some low lying flood prone areas.
They say that flooding is either imminent or occurring. So for many areas, this is not about what is coming, it is happening now and the ground is
saturated. So imagine once those forecast 15 inches of rain come into this area and to have saturated ground. We're going to see some intense
flooding.
So here's what we're seeing here at the Home Depot. The traffic really picked up while it was raining here. We're getting a brief break here, but
I wouldn't pass it, put it past this system for it to rain during this hit. The flashlights, the generators, the plywood, all of that is coming out of
a Home Depot here. They're open until three o'clock.
[12:10:10]
And we're just seeing the last few hours of prep before this storm comes in. The Orange County Sheriff's Office is tweeting out, endorsing the
recommendations from the local forecasters, saying be in your safe space by 2:00 P.M. So we're a little under two hours from that local time.
The Emergency Operations Center here goes into full activation at 4:00 P.M. this afternoon.
The mayor here, Buddy Dyer, says that, you know, this area has been through storms before, obviously, but it's been quite a long time since there's
been something this broad and this strong coming through Central Florida.
You've got three groups of people here, actually. You've got the tourists who are here trying to evacuate, get out of the path of this storm. You've
got the evacuees who are coming from Southwest Florida inland to get away from the storm surge. And the locals who are here buying up those last-
minute applies to ride out the storm.
The worst of it, as you heard from Carlos, overnight into the early hours of Thursday. Zain, Bianna.
GOLODRYGA: You see that parking lot pretty full now, as you said, the store behind you, Home Depot, scheduled to close in just a few hours. People
stocking up at the last moment.
Victor Blackwell, thank you.
In this hour, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are getting a briefing on the administration's response to Hurricane Milton.
Harris is on the campaign trail and is joining the briefing virtually.
Kevin Liptak joins us now from Washington with the details. Kevin, we heard the president talk about his conversations with the governor of Florida,
Governor DeSantis. DeSantis saying that they have everything that they need from the president right now. This is obviously a storm that's going to
cost the federal government billions of dollars.
But also an important point to make is the president highlighting the dangers of misinformation and disinformation as folks are waiting down in
Florida for this storm to make landfall.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. The White House really feels like they're operating on two fronts here. One, they're trying to get
residents prepared for this massive hurricane in Florida. They're trying to pre-position resources.
But they're also trying to combat all of this disinformation that has been swirling in the wake of last week's Hurricane Helene, but also ahead of
Milton's landfall in Florida.
And they really do feel like this is a very concerning problem that they're trying to combat. They're worried that if people see things like that the
federal government isn't on the ground that people aren't receiving resources from FEMA, that they're only receiving small amounts, that it
will dissuade them from applying for the benefits that they're eligible for. And so they really do view this as a very serious problem.
And you heard President Biden yesterday saying that it was un-American to spread misinformation about these storms. Of course, one of the biggest
people who has been responsible for that is the former President Donald Trump, so this is all getting wrapped up in politics.
One of the ways that the White House is trying to combat that misinformation is starting a Reddit page, trying to get information
directly in front of people, where they are, where they're looking for resources. And so that is certainly an ongoing effort.
I think what you'll hear from the president this hour, as he's receiving this briefing on Milton, is describing some of the federal efforts that are
underway now on the ground. In Florida, for example, FEMA is prepositioning search and rescue teams. They're putting in vehicles that would be helpful
in high water rescues. They're looking at trying to clear some of the debris that could be wrapped up in the winds that are coming in from
Milton.
So certainly, President Biden very much wanting to appear on top of this. This is just the first of two appearances that will he -- President Biden,
today talking about Milton really trying to show that he is on top of this storm.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And again, one last point on the issue, disinformation, t's not just the president that is speaking out about it, it is Republicans
too, including the Florida governor, who has said spreading misinformation, those who are spreading it don't really give a damn about the safety of the
people.
Really important to heed the warnings from local officials on a storm that's as deadly as Milton is anticipated to be.
Kevin Liptak, thank you.
ASHER: And despite pleas from officials, many have actually chosen not to evacuate from Milton.
I want to bring in Tampa residents, Shane and Joseph Steele, who are riding out the storm in their home. Guys, thank you so much for being with us.
I mean, obviously, you've heard the pleas from officials, right? You've heard many officials say that this is a life and death situation that, you
know, just in terms of the level of destruction, this is probably going to be one of the worst storms that central -- West Central Florida has ever
seen and that in certain cases it will be unsurvivable.
[12:15:07]
Why have you guys chosen not to heed the warnings and not to evacuate?
JOSEPH STEELE, TAMPA RESIDENT NOT EVACUATING: Thank you for having us. We decided not to leave because we're not in an evacuation zone. And also
watching the track that it looks like the track is actually going to go just south of us. So we're may still get some of it, but we're not going to
get the worst of it. I think the worst we're going to be dealing with is being out of power afterwards.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. I was going to ask you. How are you going to prepare for the aftermath? Let's hope that you were right and the brunt of the storm
will not face you and those around you who choose to stay as well in your area. But how prepared are you, Shane? What did you stock up on? And are
you prepared for the possibility of mass flooding and being without power for a few days at least?
SHANE STEELE, TAMPA RESIDENT NOT EVACUATING: Well, we bought a lot of canned goods and non-perishable food. And I baked a lot of sourdough bread.
I gave some to my neighbors because our community, we are mostly staying here. I haven't seen anyone evacuated.
And as for the electric, we don't have generator but we do have the --
J. STEELE: One of our neighbors offered a second generator. They have.
GOLODRYGA: OK.
S. STEELE: They offered us generator. Our neighbors are so nice to like to check up on us and offer us help if we need anything.
And for the flood, we are in a none -- what do you call that?
J. STEELE: No evacuation area. We're --
S. STEELE: Yes.
J. STEELE: We're about 60 feet elevation, so we're well above the flood area.
ASHER: So let me ask you this, because obviously you're saying that you're not necessarily in an evacuation zone, but obviously you are in Tampa. And
the thing about these sorts of storms that, as I'm sure you know, the exact track and the exact path of these kinds of hurricanes, it's really
difficult to 100 percent predict.
Why is it worth risking it? I mean, even if you aren't -- you aren't really in the evacuation zone right now. Just in terms of taking a chance. Why not
just get out just to guarantee your safety?
J. STEELE: The evacuation centers, Shane was looking at them and they were closer to the water, to the ocean than we are. And it's -- to me, it's just
not worth going so far north to get out of -- to know that we would be out of the track.
GOLODRYGA: And, Shane, I read that you both just recently moved to Tampa, to Florida, from California.
S. STEELE: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: You haven't experienced a hurricane before. Are you nervous? How are you feeling now as you're watching how seriously this storm is being
treated?
S. STEELE: I am very scared, but I know that we are not in a flood zone area, so that makes me feel better. And my neighbors are making me feel
better.
And I just hope that we will be fine after the hurricane. And I -- my first hurricane here in the U.S. was the Helen or Helene, but, yes, that was my
only hurricane here.
I'm from the Philippines. I've experienced storms in the Philippines, but I have -- I don't think it was this bad like Milton. So I just hope we'll be
fine after the hurricane pass.
ASHER: Right. Well, you know, it is obviously your decision. It is 100 percent your right to protect your family, you know, the best way you think
is the way you think is best.
But, of course, we wish you the absolute best of luck as Hurricane Milton closing in -- closes in on Tampa.
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
ASHER: Thank you guys so much for being with us.
GOLODRYGA: Stay safe and your neighbors as well. And please keep us posted. Check in with us after the storm hits. We appreciate the time.
ASHER: All right. Still to come --
S. STEELE: Thank you.
ASHER: -- a critical call between the U.S. and Israeli leaders as Israel's military intensifies its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. We'll have a live
report from Tel Aviv and Tehran when we come back.
GOLODRYGA: Plus, in China, social media influencers spread false rumors trying to connect a video that's 13 years old with the recent pager
explosions in Lebanon. We'll bring you more details just ahead.
ASHER: Also, exclusive CNN reporting on how the MeToo Movement is having a moment at the CIA and how the super-secret agency is working to handle it.
We'll have a live report for you on the way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:20:32]
GOLODRYGA: Well, for the first time in nearly two months, U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone
today. The White House says Vice President Kamala Harris also joined in on the call, which lasted a little less than an hour.
ASHER: Yes. This comes as new clashes are reported in Southern Lebanon between Israeli forces and Hezbollah.
On Tuesday, Mr. Netanyahu addressed the people of Lebanon directly, urging them to stand up to Hezbollah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to
destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza. It doesn't have to be that way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Jeremy Diamond joins us now from Tel Aviv. And, Jeremy, we were expecting the Israeli defense minister to arrive in Washington, D.C.,
today, to meet with his counterpart. One would imagine to discuss what Israel's retaliation against Iran may be.
And it was the prime minister himself who delayed that trip before he could have a phone call with President Biden. Walk us through the dynamics that
play there and also the increase in violence that we've seen in Israel and in the region in Lebanon, and Gaza today as well.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are a number of dynamics at play, both domestically, in terms of domestic politics, but
also in terms of the international arena as it relates to the Israeli prime minister canceling his defense minister's trip to the United States and
instead getting on a phone call himself with President Biden.
First of all, we should note that it's been nearly two months since President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu last spoke on the phone. And
that phone call is coming, of course, at a critical time, as Israel considers its retaliation against Iran, the different potential targets
that it could strike, and as the U.S. and Israel try and work through clear differences that exist between the two sides in terms of what they believe
the most appropriate target actually is.
Now, we know, of course, that there has been a lot of friction between Netanyahu and his defense minister. Gallant has been viewed in many ways as
a very valuable interlocutor by the United States over the course of many months of disagreements between the U.S. and Israeli administrations over
the war in Gaza.
But there are, of course, also tensions between Gallant and Netanyahu himself. And so I think there is that dynamic at play here as well with
Netanyahu canceling that trip very abruptly and very much at the last minute.
Now, as we await to see the outcome of that call, which we understand as of an hour ago was underway between Biden and Netanyahu, as we await for the
Israeli retaliation against Iran, whether or not these two sides can actually get on the same page about what is actually appropriate.
[12:25:11]
We're also watching the Israeli military intensifying and deepening its wars, not only in Gaza, but also in Lebanon. In Southern Lebanon, that
ground operation is continuing to expand, spanning, you know, west to east effectively in terms of Southern Lebanon.
We don't know how deep they are actually intending to go for now. This appears to be fairly limited to the border areas, but yesterday, we saw the
Israeli military confirming that they were now in control of a Hezbollah position in one of those Lebanese villages along the border.
Questions about whether Israeli troops are actually going to stay there as we saw a video yesterday of Israeli troops actually raising a flag, an
Israeli flag at that position.
In Gaza, the Israeli military intensifying its attacks in northern Gaza, where they are now going in for the fourth time to the city of Jabalia, the
fourth time Israeli troops have had to go in there to go after Hamas forces that they say have begun to regroup in that area, raising questions as we
have raised so many times before about Israel's long-term strategy in Gaza and whether or not a true alternative exists or whether the Israeli
government will think of an alternative to Hamas for governance in Northern Gaza.
In the meantime, the result is that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living in Northern Gaza, their lives not only being put at risk by the
fighting there by the Israeli military moving into that area. But also, as the Israeli military has now issued sweeping evacuation orders for nearly
the entirety of Northern Gaza.
We have already gotten reports of Israeli drones firing at people who were trying to flee from that area. Other people, civilians trapped in their
homes, unable to leave because of the fighting. And then, of course, there are those who simply will not leave Northern Gaza after having been
displaced so many times and finding that even the places where they were moving to were just as dangerous. Many are now choosing to stay. Bianna,
Zain.
GOLODRYGA: In the meantime, that ceasefire hostage deal remains elusive. We are hearing reports that it was the president and vice president who also
spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu. As soon as we get a readout, we will update our viewers on what was discussed.
Jeremy Diamond, thank you so much.
Meanwhile, Israel is ramping up its operations, as Jeremy noted, in Northern Gaza, ordering everyone to evacuate three hospitals in the
Palestinian enclave.
ASHER: Yes. Palestinian officials say at least 16 people were killed after an attack on one hospital. I want to warn you, the video we're about to
show you is really disturbing.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Prayers were held in front of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for some of those killed in Israeli strikes. Doctors Without Borders says parts
of Northern Gaza are turning into an unbelievable wasteland.
ASHER: A Lebanese surgeon who helped out in Gaza says the international community is failing the people in the Palestinian enclave.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GHASSAN ABOU SITTAH, LEBANESE SURGEON WHO HAD AIDED GAZA: I think the fact that the genocide is still going on for now a year is testament to the
failure of whatever was left of international law, whatever was left of Western morality. It's a testament of the fact that the powers that control
this war and that feed it with the weapons that maintain it, are able to ensure that it continues for a year, well beyond our worst nightmare. This
is continuing on and with no end in sight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN has produced a stunning interactive video one year into the war. It explores and highlights the lives of people in Gaza and takes a look at
how their homes have been reduced to rubble. All of that is on cnn.com. We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:30:04]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher.
Not survivable, life-threatening, and possibly even record-breaking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHIE PERKINS, PINELLAS COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR: We expect the tropical storm-force winds to start mid-afternoon, and it'll keep
picking up hour after hour. If you're not out by then, you will be on your own.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Milton, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever, has weakened now to a category four as it barrels towards Florida's Gulf Coast, where
it's expected to make landfall overnight just south of Sarasota.
GOLODRYGA: But its potential for catastrophic destruction should not be underestimated. Milton is expected to double in size and bring with it
powerful winds, torrential rain, devastating flooding and more tornadoes.
Millions of residents have been scrambling to get out of the evacuation zone. But the window is quickly closing before authorities warn the ocean
is, quote, coming into your living room.
CNN's Randi Kaye joins us now live from Sarasota, Florida. The rains there have only intensified since I've seen you on our air throughout the
morning, Randi. Describe for us what you see around you. And again, I'll ask you the same question we asked our other reporters. Hopefully you're
not seeing many residents.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, absolutely not. We're not seeing too many residents, at least there's a few stragglers who have decided to ride
out the storm here, but not too many. It's pretty much a ghost town here around Sarasota.
We're just along the water in the backyard of a resident who was smart enough to evacuate and was kind enough to loan us his backyard.
But you can see here along the water, the homes here behind me, they are pretty vacant. We haven't seen anybody, any sign of life out there. They're
either evacuated, they're boarded up with their hurricane shutters or even plywood in some cases. The whole area of Sarasota, as we've been driving
around. The restaurants are closed. The plywood is up on the businesses. It is completely shut down.
They are expecting potentially 140-mile an hour winds here, especially if it's a direct hit. We just don't know exactly if it will be since the storm
is still wobbling a bit. But the weather throughout the day has so far has been sort of up and down. The bands have been -- the outer bands have been
starting to come through. The rain has been heavy and thick at times. The winds are certainly getting stronger as the day has gone on.
And the storm surge is the real concern here. I spoke to the Sarasota mayor, Liz Alpert, earlier, and she said that that is her greatest concern.
They're expecting potentially a 10 to 15 foot storm surge here in Sarasota. So along the water here, that's very concerning. Hurricane Helene, which
was just a couple of weeks ago, was a seven-foot storm surge.
Now, I talked to one woman who said that she and her husband had ridden out the storm, Hurricane Helene, when they thought it was potentially safe. So
that's the concern. They were up to five feet. Her husband was up to five feet of water to his chest.
So they had been watching the storm Hurricane Helene and tracking it. They thought it would be safe. So you have to wonder if some people are doing
that, of course, with Hurricane Milton.
The mayor here is certainly hoping that they're not. And people did heed the warnings and get out of town. Because if you're on any of those barrier
islands just off Sarasota, like Siesta Key, the bridges are now closed. So if you're there, you are now stuck there for the storm.
[12:35:13]
And the mayor says it could potentially take at least a week before first responders can get to anyone if they are in need. Back to you guys.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And no one should have to put first responders' lives in jeopardy just for being reckless and stubborn and not heeding the many days
now of warnings that we've heard from officials there.
Randi Kaye, thank you so much.
ASHER: All right. Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes ever on record.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And it comes less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida's Big Bend Region, leaving behind a trail of death and
destruction for many states.
CNN's Bill Weir spoke to a local climate organizer who says this is what scientists have been warning about for generations.
(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, EVACUATING FOR SECOND TIME: It's like hysterical, can't sleep, can't eat, one minute and then clang the next and then you're 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 made it through this one but may not.
CALDWELL: Well, yes, because the amount of debris on the street and the winds, even if it slows down.
WEIR: 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, VP OF POLICY AND PARTNERSHIPS, 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, 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 survived Helene. But
ironically, she's 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 cause of the problem, immediately. But if we keep putting climate pollution
and burning fossil fuels, we're just going to make a lot of this planet, in general, just unlivable.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: So this is just a particularly intense hurricane season, some are asking, or is there something else going on here? It's time now for The
Exchange. And our conversation with a climate professor at Columbia University's Climate School, Radley Horton, joins us now live from
Garrison, New York.
Radley, thank you so much for taking the time to join us. First, just give us your thoughts and some of your biggest concerns as you're watching this
storm just hours away from making landfall in Florida.
RADLEY HORTON, CLIMATE PROFESSOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY'S CLIMATE SCHOOL: Yes, absolutely. I mean, the speed with which it intensified but also, of
course, how intense it became.
The impacts, the damages go up in a non-linear way, every extra 10 miles per hour of wind means a lot more damage than the previous.
So this is a really frightening situation from the perspective as we have been hearing of storm surge, wind strength, and also the amount of heavy
rain that's going to be falling across much of Florida.
ASHER: Speaking of heavy rain, you know, when it comes to climate change, you know, the air is warmer, it can hold more moisture, that leads to more
rainfall, just in terms of total rainfall.
How much of the sort of intensity of these storms, whether it's Hurricane Helene or Hurricane Milton, is climate change responsible for?
HORTON: So it's a big part of it. I mean, we need to start by saying that many ingredients go into making a hurricane. Some of them are conditions in
the atmosphere, things like how cool the air is, very high up in the atmosphere, how much moisture there is in the air.
But a fundamental part is the temperature of the upper ocean at its surface, but also down into depth. And that's the primary place in the
upper ocean where we've seen this profound warming due to the greenhouse gases that we've been putting into the atmosphere.
The last year or so, across the entire world, ocean near the surface, we've seen ocean temperatures not just higher than they've ever been before, but
far warmer than any previous year.
[12:40:10]
So that's a critical ingredient to giving these storms the fuel that they need, the winds lead to more evaporation, and then that evaporated water
fuels the storm, making it stronger in a feedback process.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And warmer oceans leads to more rainfall, as we've been seeing with the vast majority of these storms, as we've been covering the
past few years.
Radley, help explain for us, as a scientist, obviously, you're not political. You are neutral. You're following the data.
Why it's so important to identify this as climate change being at least a significant factor and the intensity and the frequency of storms like this?
Because I would imagine that then results in how we deal with these storms and try to prevent them in the future.
HORTON: Yes, absolutely. I mean, I think the place to start is to acknowledge just how deadly and how damaging these storms can be, right?
These extreme events are where we see the focus in terms of the potential for loss of life. Look at the 250 or so people that died recently from
Helene and the potential for damages.
As I alluded to earlier, if we start seeing more of these category four and category five storms, which is exactly what the climate models are telling
us to expect in the future, largely because of those warming upper oceans, which we're basically bound to see. It's a fundamental element of global
warming. That is going to increase these damages.
So as a society, that can motivate people both to adapt, to try to protect themselves, to evacuate, to build seawalls, to elevate their homes. And
increasingly, there's going to be a discussion about having to move away from some of the most vulnerable areas.
But not just to adapt fundamentally, we have to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions dramatically to try to minimize the amount of these storms in the
future and their intensity.
ASHER: I mean, the -- in the absence of a massive decrease in the use of fossil fuels, it sounds as though the best -- the second best move going
forward is to try to adapt.
Just give us a deeper sense of what that means in terms of emergency preparedness and resiliency planning.
HORTON: Yes. So I think, you know, it's all the above. It's the emissions reduction and the adaptation, because the truth is, even before climate
change, even if there somehow hadn't been climate change, we've seen so much development in already vulnerable areas that now are becoming so much
more vulnerable with sea level rise, with the heavier rain for a storm of a given strength, as you alluded to, and with the storms getting stronger.
So we face the situation in places like the West Coast of Florida, but many other areas where that risk has not been acknowledged, it hasn't been
communicated to home buyers, to businesses. So we've seen more and more people moving directly into harm's way.
Sadly, a lot of the insurers in places like Florida are not as robust as you'd like to think they are in the face of some of these types of events.
So, I fear we're really facing a reckoning where we're going to start to see actual sort of financial cascading of impacts.
GOLODRYGA: Yes.
HORTON: The most vulnerable people are often going to be --
GOLODRYGA: Right.
HORTON: -- the most affected.
ASHER: Right.
HORTON: So, we've got ourselves in a real --
GOLODRYGA: Radley, thank you so much for the time.
We want to take you now to President Biden, who was given a hurricane briefing right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Helene and Milton, two historic storms in two weeks. I want to thank everyone who has followed local
guidance to evacuate ahead of the landfall.
I know it's really tough leaving behind your home, your belongings, everything you own, but I urge everyone in Hurricane Milton's path to
follow all safety instructions as we head to the next 24 hours. It's a matter of -- literally a matter of life and death.
Second, for the last week, my team has done everything possible to prepare for this storm. I immediately approved emergency declarations in Florida
and the Seminole Tribe in Florida. I also served search and rescue teams, water, food, power generators, ambulances to the region.
In my direction, Administrator Criswell will be in the State Emergency Operations Center in Florida tonight. And Kamala and I are going to keep
pressure on the company so prices stay stable on gasoline, flights, and goods people need.
Finally, we're teaming up with state and local officials to support impacted communities. I spoke with the Florida Governor DeSantis, with
Mayor Tampa Castor -- Mayor -- the Tampa Mayor, Clearwater mayor, Rector, and the Pinellas County Chairwoman, Peters. I offer them everything we
need, everything we have, everything they need.
[12:45:01]
And I made it clear to them they should reach out if there's anything more they need. I gave them my personal phone number here at the White House.
They'll contact me directly if that's necessary.
Let me close with this. I want to thank the governors of all the affected areas over the last couple of weeks. Florida, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia. You know, we've been in constant contact. And they've been very thankful and appreciative of the help the
federal government is providing. And I'm appreciative of all they're doing as well.
And I've told them to contact me with anything else they need. We have made available an unprecedented number of assets to deal with this crisis. We're
going to continue to do so until the job is done.
But now, I want to be clear about something. For the last few weeks, there's been a reckless irresponsible and relentless promotion of
disinformation and outright lies that are disturbing people. It's undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has
already been taken and will continue to be taken.
And it's harmful to those who need help the most. There is simply no place for this to happen. Former President Trump has led the onslaught of lies.
Assertions have been made that property is being confiscated. That's simply not true. They're saying people impacted by these storms will receive $750
in cash and no more. That's simply not true.
They're saying the money is needed for this crisis is being diverted to migrants. What a ridiculous thing to say. It's not true.
Now the claims are getting even more bizarre. Congressman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a 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 got to stop.
In moments like this, there are no red or blue states. There's one United States of America where neighbors are helping neighbors. Volunteers and
first responders are risking everything, including their own lives to help their fellow Americans.
State, local, and federal officials are standing side by side. Let me repeat. No one should make the American people question whether their
governments will be making sure that this is acting on its strikes. They'll be there. We will. All of us.
I'm going to turn it over to Vice President Harris, if that's OK with all of you. Thank you. Madam Vice President.
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Thank you, Mr. President. And, Liz, thank you for the
work that you have been doing.
As the president said, we have been working around the clock to prepare for Hurricane Milton and to ensure that people are safe, including ensuring
federal, state and local resources are being coordinated in a smart and efficient and effective way.
We have also been in constant contact with the leaders in Florida to make sure that we are cutting any red tape that might get in the way of getting
relief to folks, to make sure also that communities receive the resources and the support that they need as quickly as possible.
Already, we have sent more than 1,000 federal personnel to be on the ground in Florida to assist with what needs to happen in the state to prepare for
this hurricane and we will continue to scale up those efforts.
To the people of Florida and in particular the people of the Tampa Region, we urge you to take this storm seriously.
As has been said before, this is a storm that is expected to be of historic proportion. And many of you I know are tough and you've ridden out these
hurricanes before, this one's going to be different.
And so we ask you that by every measure understand it's going to be more dangerous, more deadly, and more catastrophic. So please listen to your
local officials. They know what they're talking about. They know what they're doing. And if you are told to evacuate, please evacuate
immediately. Do not wait until it is too late.
And in the hours and days ahead, President Biden and I and our administration will continue to do everything we can to protect the people
who have been in the path of this storm. And once the storm has passed, we will be there to help folks recover and rebuild, as we continue to do for
those communities in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and across the Southeast who have been devastated by Hurricane Helene.
Finally, as the president mentioned, to any company that -- or individual - - that might use this crisis to exploit people who are desperate for help, through illegal fraud or price gouging, whether it be at the gas pump, the
airport, or the hotel counter, know that we are monitoring these behaviors and the situation on the ground very closely, and anyone taking advantage
of consumers will be held accountable.
The bottom line is this hurricane poses an extreme danger, and we urge everyone in Florida to take extreme caution. And we are with you, and we
will get through this together.
[12:50:06]
And with that, I will hand it over to Homeland Security Advisor, Liz Sherwood-Randall.
ELIZABETH SHERWOOD-RANDALL, UNITED STATES HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISOR: Thank you, Madam Vice President.
Mr. President, Madam Vice President, you will now receive a briefing on the latest forecast for Hurricane Milton and actions that we have taken to
prepare for it and be ready to respond to it.
You'll hear from Administrator of FEMA, Deanne Criswell, the Director of the National Hurricane Center, Mike Brennan, the Director of the National
Weather Service, Ken Graham, Secretary of Homeland Security, Ale Mayorkas, and the Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Linda Fagan.
We'll begin the briefing with Administrator Criswell. Over to you, Deanne.
DEANNE CRISWELL, ADMINISTRATOR OF THE U.S. FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: Thank you, Liz.
Mr. President, Madam Vice President, I just want to assure you, we are taking this storm very seriously. As you will hear from Dr. Brennan
shortly, Milton is currently a category four storm and will remain a hurricane as it crosses over Florida.
At your direction, Mr. President, I will be traveling down to Tallahassee tonight to embed at the State EOC to meet with my team, as well as our
state partners. And I will be there to assess the damages and the impacts immediately following the storm, working in close coordination with the
state to ensure that they have everything that they need to support their priorities.
As you have always directed me to do, I am leaning forward to make sure that we are strategically placing our resources and our teams to be able to
rapidly respond in Florida.
There are currently over a thousand federal personnel on the ground in Florida supporting the efforts from Hurricane Helene, as well as the
previous storms that have happened over the last few years.
And I have directed, at your direction, an additional 1,200 search and rescue personnel from FEMA, the Coast Guard and the Department of Defense
to stage in Florida so they are ready to take action as soon as Milton makes landfall.
This also includes 30 high water vehicles, helicopters, as well as boats to be able to go on and support the counties and the states as needed.
I've also moved over 500 ambulances to help assist with the response. Six incident management assistance teams into one specifically into Tampa and
others throughout the region. Multiple power assessment teams and dozens of medical facility assessment teams. So they can go in and check on the
health and medical facilities as soon as the storm passes.
And Mr. President and Madam Vice President, I have also moved millions of meals and liters of water into Florida to be able to support any of those
immediate needs.
I really appreciate, Mr. President and Madam Vice President, your continuous effort to help lift up the warnings and the guidance that you
just gave about what people need to do in the path of Hurricane Milton.
This is an extremely dangerous storm. And we need all of the residents that are in the path of the storm to listen to their local officials.
They will tell you if there's still time to evacuate or what you need to do if you are still where you're at. They will give you the right information
about what you need to do to protect yourself where you are at right now.
Sometimes just traveling a few miles inland can mean the difference between life and death, and nobody has to lose their life as a result of this
storm.
So in short, Mr. President and Madam Vice President, I assure you we are taking this storm extremely seriously. We are focused and we are ready to
support the people of Florida.
BIDEN: Deanne, you're doing a hell of a job. You always have. We've been through a lot of this together, all three of us, including the vice
president.
And I have one question right now, though. What are you most worried about today and into tomorrow? And what messaging can we do to help people in the
hours before it makes landfall?
CRISWELL: Mr. President, the biggest concern is making sure people have gotten out of harm's way.
Over the next 24 hours, we are going to see significant winds. We are going to see storm surge. We are going to see flooding from the rain. People need
to be able to take this storm seriously. They need to move if they still have time to move out of harm's way.
And we are prepared to support Florida with additional search and rescue assets to help save lives. That's our immediate concern, Mr. President, is
saving lives over the next 24 hours.
BIDEN: Have you ever seen a storm like this one since you've been in charge?
CRISWELL: I think this is going to be one of the biggest ones that we have seen after it makes landfall. I mean, we saw a lot of impact from Hurricane
Ian, but this one is different. This one just looks different. And I think we're going to have a lot of impacts. And people that are going to need our
help, sir.
[12:55:08]
BIDEN: Well, thank you very much.
HARRIS: Administrator Criswell?
CRISWELL: Thank you. Yes, ma'am.
HARRIS: Are we concerned about any misinformation or disinformation regarding evacuations that we need to clear up at this point?
CRISWELL: There's been a lot of misinformation out there, Madam Vice President, that's for sure. But I have not heard anything specific to the
evacuations.
I think that the local officials, the state officials have been very strong in getting that message out there and getting people to move out of harm's
way.
I was in Florida on Monday. I met with the mayor of Tampa, as well as the mayor of St. Petersburg, and we saw people evacuating. And so they are
listening to their local officials, and that was encouraging.
HARRIS: That's great. Thank you.
SHERWOOD-RANDALL: I think we'll move on then. Thank you, Administrator Criswell.
We'll move to Director Brennan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. You've just been listening to a status update essentially about Hurricane Milton, which is barreling towards the west central coast
of Florida. You had the president and the vice president asking questions of the FEMA administrator.
And I think the theme was very clear. Get out now. Evacuate. It is important to heed those warnings. Do not think that you can ride this out.
It is important to listen to the local officials because this really is a matter of life and death.
In fact, when the president spoke, it did turn a little bit political because he squarely pointed the finger at Donald Trump for some of the
sources of misinformation and that the president has been concerned about.
But again, the focus is on making sure that people evacuate and they evacuate safely while they still can.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The point the president and the vice president and the FEMA administrator were making the disinformation and misinformation, especially
during a crisis like this can be a matter of life and death.
The president's saying that he is going to be taking very seriously anyone who tries to price gouge in the area, trying to take advantage of the
storm. He is working with businesses. Governor DeSantis said the same.
There are thousands of resources that both the state and the federal government are deploying to the state. We will continue to cover this storm
in the hours ahead.
That does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for watching.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:00:00]
END
