Transcripts For CNNW CNN Tonight With Don Lemon 20180914 : v

CNNW CNN Tonight With Don Lemon September 14, 2018

Wilmington, North Carolina where we are feeling the force of Hurricane Florence as it pushes into the east coast. I can tell you this hour we are feeling the strongest gusts, the wind gusts from this storm weve felt so far. We experienced wind gusts perhaps around 60, 70 Miles Per Hour. We understand that there have been wind gusts right around there. Anywhere from 85 Miles Per Hour to 60 Miles Per Hour in this region, right around the eye wall the wind gusts sustained around 90 Miles Per Hour, and up to 120 Miles Per Hour. Heres the latest on where the storm is right now. Moving at a snails pace, mind you, six Miles Per Hour. You can equate that to someone walking through the park, a slow walk through the park. While it does that, dumping a lot of rain, bringing a great deal of wind and storm surge is a big concern. Storm surge anywhere from 9 to 10 feet of storm surge. Want to show you some video. You get a sense of exactly what the storm is doing. This right along the coast line of North Carolina. You can see a pier there. That pier, you get a sense of the flooding during the day. Take a look also during the night. You can see that the flooding certainly will be a problem along the coast line storm surge and from all the rain thats coming down. And i also want to show you what were monitoring here in wilmington. I told you about the wind. You can see the rain coming down, but if you look closely, this river thats right over there, the river, it is rising much higher than weve seen it before. So thats something we have to keep a close eye on. You can tell from the boats over there, you know, just how powerful the winds are as they come through. And you can see the white caps there, the water certainly turbulent in that river right now as this storm pushes in. Lets go to my colleague who is also following this here in North Carolina. And carolina beach, dasherek va damme, youre experiencing the same thing were experiencing in wilmington. Tell our viewers about it. George, you summarized it really well in the beginning. There is a marked difference in the wind speeds now. The eye wall starting to edge closer and closer. It is at a snails pace. That is why this storm is so threatening for residents along the carolina coast. It is a long prolonged duration event. That means its not going to be a one punch and done. This is going to be a one, two, three punch all the way to the end, 12 rounds. It is going to take its time moving on and that means that the wind and the storm surge and the heavy rain potential is just heightened because of that slow, slow movement of Hurricane Florence. Were bracing ourselves for these gusts that come through more frequently now within the past 15 minutes. If you look on the latest radar, youll see that really cohen centric eye wall edging closer to where im standing. Fortunately we are in a safe position, but these there is another one of those gusts in youre not ready for it, it will knock you over. There are so many of my senses that get heightened during these storms and it bridges back memories from last year when, george, you and i and so many of our colleagues were covering Hurricane Irma and maria in south florida. The smell of the generators providing us the electricity. Right. All these things just remind us of those moments. What people are going through who decided not to heed the evacuation warnings, they are all in the thick of it just like you and i are. But were safe and were going to bring the story to our viewers. George . Derek, one other thing i want to ask you about. As the storm pushes in, the northeastern quadrant described as the dirty side of the storm, where tornadic activity is a problem. How concerning is that as the storm pushes in . Well, the thing is Hurricane Florence has traveled across the entire Atlantic Ocean. So think about all the energy that its had and gained over that long stretch. It is pushed up the wall of water along the Atlantic Ocean because of the strong winds that it had and still has. Remember, it was only two days ago, three days ago when this was a category 4 hurricane, so all that momentum, all that buildup is coming towards the shoreline. Thats why the storm surge potential continues to be talked about, continues to be heightened here. So we know that those are the threats going forward. And i think, you know, this late in the stage were prepared to take whatever Mother Nature decides to throw at us. Derek, you know, im thinking about those viewers again, who are we serving right now . The people who left, right . People who are watching our air wondering, is my property okay. People who may be hunkered down in their homes, you know, wondering whats happening with this storm. From where you are right now, what could you tell those viewers who are listening on . All right. Well, first, the people who actually listened to the evacuation orders and who are watching us this morning, i applaud you for leaving. But i also beg of you not to let your guard down because just because the storm has weakened marginally, that doesnt mean that its safe to come back to your homes. So really important. Weve got a twoday stretch of at least Tropical Storm force winds, at least another 24 hours of Hurricane Force winds as the storm approaches, and that means that your home and your property wont be available to come back to along the coast line until the storm is cleared. So that would be my number one recommendation to everyone, george, listening tonight. And, derek, you know, one other question to you, can you give us a sense of, you know, the storm coming through there . Are the wind gusts sustained . Is it something that picks up and drops off . Its amazing. If you turn your back for five seconds, my crew my producer and my cameraman who are working diligently behind the scenes to bring us these shots, if you take your hands off the equipment, youll of a sudden youve got a camera and a light thats flown to the side because of the gusts that come through. But theyre becoming more sustained now. Were still Tropical Storm force here with hurricane gusts, but i would give it another hour, two hours and were going to be in the thick of it, george. You, too, youre not too far away from me, just a 25mile drive up the road. Theres nowhere for us to go. Were disconnected from the main land. The bridge that connects us to you has been cloned down nsed dr 24 hours, so were left alone. Derek, we wish you safety and appreciate your reporting there today live in carolina beach, North Carolina. Thank you so much. Lets now bring in steven wray. Steven wray is the director of Emergency Services for Carter County in North Carolina. You know, from what youre seeing right now, steven from what youre hearing from your contacts throughout the region, what are your thoughts about this storm pushing in . This is an historic storm. Weve had a lot of rain, a lot of flooding and a lot of wind during this storm. And were expected to see a lot of damage once the daylight comes. You know this region best. What are the things to watch out for look, as the storm is here and as the storm pushes on . Is it the flooding, the water coming down from inland . What are your thoughts, what do people need to watch out for . Our biggest concern is the storm surge that comes from this storm. Well get a lot of flooding from that storm surge itself. Steven, you know, i know that a lot of things have been prepositioned that are ready. We know that fema has some 1100 Emergency Personnel in place right now prepared to search and rescue after the storm pushes through. We know that there are some 300 ambulances that are already in plates, a place. According to the army corps of engineers, 100 generaters are here, 15 more on the way. How important is that, that prepositioning of these assets in a storm like this . Its extremely important, especially during our poststorm recovery. We will need those assets to help us recover and help our citizens in Carter County recover from the storm. Steven, again, i think about the people watching who maybe have the generator, theyre watching on their televisions, people in their homes, people who left also who may be far away from their homes concerned about their property. What would you tell them given what youre seeing, experiencing right now . For the people that stayed that have their generators, we want them to be safe and stay inside until they get the word from Emergency Management and continue to follow our facebook pages for the latest updates. And the ones that have evacuated and are waiting to come back home, they need to be patient. Its may it may be a few days before they can make it back home and they just need to be patient and let everything be safe before they come home. All right, steven. One other thing. Were feeling the effects here outside. The wind gusts, they come and go. The rain feels sustained. It continues on. Compare this storm as it is right now to other storms that youve seen come through this region. Well, the most recent one was matthew that came through our region and it caused severe inland flooding. This storm has caused more coastal flooding and im sure theres going to be a lot of inland flooding off of this storm. But thats the only one we can compare it to at this time. Steven wray with carter could you spell at this. Thank you for your time. We wish you safety as well. Lets get a sense of the metrics. You know, the particulars around this storm with our karen mcennis. Karen live in atlanta at the cnn weather center. Karen, you know, were feeling it out here. It aint pretty you can but it certainly could have been much worse had it been a stronger storm. It is still very strong, a lot of risks involved. If you could tell us the particulars of what we are feeling and experiencing right now. Yes, the National Hurricane center just sent out an intermediate advisory. Not a lot has changed. One thing has, though. Instead of moving to the northwest, it is moving towards the west, northwest. Its moving fairly slowly, 6 miles an hour. Weve been saying all along this is not going to be a wind event that is going to be a powerful its not going to be 100 plus mile an hour winds. We have seen Hurricane Force winds along the coast. This is going to be a longterm sustained rain event, wringing out along coastal sections of North Carolina into the piedmont areas of South Carolina, thats how the computer models are suggesting now. Its category 1, sustained winds of 90 miles an hour, some higher gusts. Here are all the rivers. This is lowlying territory, but there where you see the purple, 14 major rivers at flood stage. You have to remember there are a lot of river basins across this region. There is the noose river basin. There is the Cape Fear River basin and you go down to South Carolina, theres the santee river basin. A little bit further south and the charleston is in the river basin further to the south. All of these river basins filling up. They try to go to the ocean. Weve got the storm surge pushing it back on shore, so everything just spills out of those rivers. Goes into peoples homes, into peoples agricultural areas, into their growing areas, into their livelihoods. Service stations, they have been out of gas for a long time. Also, any anybody who is looking for food, going to find it very difficult to sustain any of this. If you stayed behind in your home, especially difficult for the next at least several days, probably weeks. Thats what we saw during hurricane hugo. That was a powerful storm system, 1989. Im from coastal South Carolina from myrtle beach, down to charleston. Those are areas that are lowlying, are going to be greatly impacted with this broad shield of wet weather. So, charleston has one little band that just moved through. Wilmington, yes, george and it looks like for derek the winds have been gusting between about 15 and 16 Miles Per Hour. What about that storm surge . Its going to be very persistent. Over the next 24 hours, and we think it will make landfall sometime within the next six, eight hours or so, but the storm surge could be 6 to 9 feet, even into some sections of virginia, 2 to 4 feet possible. Thats enough to flood some of those coastal areas. So it is a dangerous situation still, even though some of the numbers dont really indicate. Its not a category 3 any more, its a category 1. But it is the rain that does bear watching. Karen mcennis, thank you. Important to reiterate, its not about the number really, its about how long this storm stays around. You know, how long it stalls out over the southeastern part of the United States, how much wind it brings, how much rain it brings, and then the storm surge is certainly an immediate threat, lifethreatening storm surge along the coast line that well all have to monitor very closely. Karen, thank you again. You know, it is interesting to talk about the numbers around the hurricane. We have been doing a lot of that, but there is another story that plays out when storms like this come in. Again, it was a category 4, a category 3, people made precautions as they saw the storm coming in. Some people decided to leave. As i was driving in to wilmington, i remember seeing on the other side of the highway, everyone was going this way, i was going that way. People ma people made a very personal decision to leave their things behind to hope for the very best. There were people who decided to stay in their homes to ride this storm out. Some saying, look, i cant afford to be away from my home for too long. I dont know if ill be able to get back to it any time soon. We also spoke with a person today who made that personal decision to ride the storm out on his boat. Heres that story. Yes, this is my boat and i have extra lines out as you can see. I also have an anchor chain. The boat will rock, roll and pitch. The waters sure here to rise, but joe sermon is preparing for the rough ride in the hours ahead. You are going to ride the storm out in here. As the full force of Hurricane Florence pushes into wilmington. I have to tell you, ive been on this boat a few minutes and im already a little dizzy. Youre good with this, right . Yes. Inside these tight quarters, joe says theres no place hed rather be because these been through big storms here before. Do you worry about this . I have a plan. I have a plan. And i have options. There will be a point where i wont have options and that time may come sometime early this morning when the wind is very, you know, high, but im monitoring the conditions. So, 100 miles an hour, i dont have a problem. Joe will be in his boat, many others decided to hunker down in their homes, and thousands already hit the road to escape the storm. Wind speeds have decreased over the past several hours, but fema warns the risks remain high. Please do not let your guard down. The forecast associated with this storm has not changed. It has remained the same. Its storm surge and heavy rains coupled with the slow moving nature of florence that will cause flooding throughout the southeastern part of the u. S. For the next several days. North carolina feeling the effects first. The eye of the storm tracking directly toward wilmington. Were on the wrong side of this thing. This storm will bring destruction to North Carolina. Weather conditions will continue to deteriorate the next several hours. Come hell or high water, joe is most confident on his boat. Theres a lot of rain involved with that, so youll have flooding in lowland areas. But here i am on the river, im already floating. So as long as the dock doesnt go above the pylons, were safe. So its a rough to ride a storm out on the ground. Whats it like to ride a storm out on your boat . Well, you can see right behind me several boats here, here in wilmington. You get a sense of whats happening on this river that were monitoring very closely. You get a sense of exactly how turbulent that water is. And if youre worried about joe, dont worry too much. We have joe on the phone with us right now on his boat. Joe, i want to ask you right now, were feeling these wind gusts. They are strong. When we spoke with you several hours ago, you know, we heard the wind, we felt the wind coming in now. Its got to be stronger now than we experienced before. What are you seeing and hearing . Yes, the wind is hitting, but the boat is not healing over to the degree it was when it would be out for sail. The stability of the boat is good. The key thing is the lines remain intact and the hold in the boat, the position at the dock, so far so good. We are getting, i want today say were getting a break, but the wind just picked up. Im sure you appreciate these breaks in the wind just as much as we do, joe. I wanted our viewers to understand you are an experienced mariner, some 40 years on the ocean. You know a thing or two about this, and you explained to me that you do have a plan in place should things get worse. That is correct. I was waiting till this time after midnight to determine whether or not i would need to, you know, grab my stuff and go. But as its turning out, the boat is riding very well. I do expect it to get a little more tumultuous with the higher winds in the morning. The rain is not really a factor in my case where i am. However, i can see where people on the ocean front Barrier Islands are really going to see a lot of, lot of high water. And, joe, you know, weve been watching this river as well right behind me and youre on the river there. The water is rising. Well keep in touch with you. We wish you safety as you continue to ride this storm out over the next several hours. Thank you so much. Youre welcome. Youre watching cnn breaking North Carolina<\/a> where we are feeling the force of Hurricane Florence<\/a> as it pushes into the east coast. I can tell you this hour we are feeling the strongest gusts, the wind gusts from this storm weve felt so far. We experienced wind gusts perhaps around 60, 70 Miles Per Hour<\/a>. We understand that there have been wind gusts right around there. Anywhere from 85 Miles Per Hour<\/a> to 60 Miles Per Hour<\/a> in this region, right around the eye wall the wind gusts sustained around 90 Miles Per Hour<\/a>, and up to 120 Miles Per Hour<\/a>. Heres the latest on where the storm is right now. Moving at a snails pace, mind you, six Miles Per Hour<\/a>. You can equate that to someone walking through the park, a slow walk through the park. While it does that, dumping a lot of rain, bringing a great deal of wind and storm surge is a big concern. Storm surge anywhere from 9 to 10 feet of storm surge. Want to show you some video. You get a sense of exactly what the storm is doing. This right along the coast line of North Carolina<\/a>. You can see a pier there. That pier, you get a sense of the flooding during the day. Take a look also during the night. You can see that the flooding certainly will be a problem along the coast line storm surge and from all the rain thats coming down. And i also want to show you what were monitoring here in wilmington. I told you about the wind. You can see the rain coming down, but if you look closely, this river thats right over there, the river, it is rising much higher than weve seen it before. So thats something we have to keep a close eye on. You can tell from the boats over there, you know, just how powerful the winds are as they come through. And you can see the white caps there, the water certainly turbulent in that river right now as this storm pushes in. Lets go to my colleague who is also following this here in North Carolina<\/a>. And carolina beach, dasherek va damme, youre experiencing the same thing were experiencing in wilmington. Tell our viewers about it. George, you summarized it really well in the beginning. There is a marked difference in the wind speeds now. The eye wall starting to edge closer and closer. It is at a snails pace. That is why this storm is so threatening for residents along the carolina coast. It is a long prolonged duration event. That means its not going to be a one punch and done. This is going to be a one, two, three punch all the way to the end, 12 rounds. It is going to take its time moving on and that means that the wind and the storm surge and the heavy rain potential is just heightened because of that slow, slow movement of Hurricane Florence<\/a>. Were bracing ourselves for these gusts that come through more frequently now within the past 15 minutes. If you look on the latest radar, youll see that really cohen centric eye wall edging closer to where im standing. Fortunately we are in a safe position, but these there is another one of those gusts in youre not ready for it, it will knock you over. There are so many of my senses that get heightened during these storms and it bridges back memories from last year when, george, you and i and so many of our colleagues were covering Hurricane Irma<\/a> and maria in south florida. The smell of the generators providing us the electricity. Right. All these things just remind us of those moments. What people are going through who decided not to heed the evacuation warnings, they are all in the thick of it just like you and i are. But were safe and were going to bring the story to our viewers. George . Derek, one other thing i want to ask you about. As the storm pushes in, the northeastern quadrant described as the dirty side of the storm, where tornadic activity is a problem. How concerning is that as the storm pushes in . Well, the thing is Hurricane Florence<\/a> has traveled across the entire Atlantic Ocean<\/a>. So think about all the energy that its had and gained over that long stretch. It is pushed up the wall of water along the Atlantic Ocean<\/a> because of the strong winds that it had and still has. Remember, it was only two days ago, three days ago when this was a category 4 hurricane, so all that momentum, all that buildup is coming towards the shoreline. Thats why the storm surge potential continues to be talked about, continues to be heightened here. So we know that those are the threats going forward. And i think, you know, this late in the stage were prepared to take whatever Mother Nature<\/a> decides to throw at us. Derek, you know, im thinking about those viewers again, who are we serving right now . The people who left, right . People who are watching our air wondering, is my property okay. People who may be hunkered down in their homes, you know, wondering whats happening with this storm. From where you are right now, what could you tell those viewers who are listening on . All right. Well, first, the people who actually listened to the evacuation orders and who are watching us this morning, i applaud you for leaving. But i also beg of you not to let your guard down because just because the storm has weakened marginally, that doesnt mean that its safe to come back to your homes. So really important. Weve got a twoday stretch of at least Tropical Storm<\/a> force winds, at least another 24 hours of Hurricane Force<\/a> winds as the storm approaches, and that means that your home and your property wont be available to come back to along the coast line until the storm is cleared. So that would be my number one recommendation to everyone, george, listening tonight. And, derek, you know, one other question to you, can you give us a sense of, you know, the storm coming through there . Are the wind gusts sustained . Is it something that picks up and drops off . Its amazing. If you turn your back for five seconds, my crew my producer and my cameraman who are working diligently behind the scenes to bring us these shots, if you take your hands off the equipment, youll of a sudden youve got a camera and a light thats flown to the side because of the gusts that come through. But theyre becoming more sustained now. Were still Tropical Storm<\/a> force here with hurricane gusts, but i would give it another hour, two hours and were going to be in the thick of it, george. You, too, youre not too far away from me, just a 25mile drive up the road. Theres nowhere for us to go. Were disconnected from the main land. The bridge that connects us to you has been cloned down nsed dr 24 hours, so were left alone. Derek, we wish you safety and appreciate your reporting there today live in carolina beach, North Carolina<\/a>. Thank you so much. Lets now bring in steven wray. Steven wray is the director of Emergency Services<\/a> for Carter County<\/a> in North Carolina<\/a>. You know, from what youre seeing right now, steven from what youre hearing from your contacts throughout the region, what are your thoughts about this storm pushing in . This is an historic storm. Weve had a lot of rain, a lot of flooding and a lot of wind during this storm. And were expected to see a lot of damage once the daylight comes. You know this region best. What are the things to watch out for look, as the storm is here and as the storm pushes on . Is it the flooding, the water coming down from inland . What are your thoughts, what do people need to watch out for . Our biggest concern is the storm surge that comes from this storm. Well get a lot of flooding from that storm surge itself. Steven, you know, i know that a lot of things have been prepositioned that are ready. We know that fema has some 1100 Emergency Personnel<\/a> in place right now prepared to search and rescue after the storm pushes through. We know that there are some 300 ambulances that are already in plates, a place. According to the army corps of engineers, 100 generaters are here, 15 more on the way. How important is that, that prepositioning of these assets in a storm like this . Its extremely important, especially during our poststorm recovery. We will need those assets to help us recover and help our citizens in Carter County<\/a> recover from the storm. Steven, again, i think about the people watching who maybe have the generator, theyre watching on their televisions, people in their homes, people who left also who may be far away from their homes concerned about their property. What would you tell them given what youre seeing, experiencing right now . For the people that stayed that have their generators, we want them to be safe and stay inside until they get the word from Emergency Management<\/a> and continue to follow our facebook pages for the latest updates. And the ones that have evacuated and are waiting to come back home, they need to be patient. Its may it may be a few days before they can make it back home and they just need to be patient and let everything be safe before they come home. All right, steven. One other thing. Were feeling the effects here outside. The wind gusts, they come and go. The rain feels sustained. It continues on. Compare this storm as it is right now to other storms that youve seen come through this region. Well, the most recent one was matthew that came through our region and it caused severe inland flooding. This storm has caused more coastal flooding and im sure theres going to be a lot of inland flooding off of this storm. But thats the only one we can compare it to at this time. Steven wray with carter could you spell at this. Thank you for your time. We wish you safety as well. Lets get a sense of the metrics. You know, the particulars around this storm with our karen mcennis. Karen live in atlanta at the cnn weather center. Karen, you know, were feeling it out here. It aint pretty you can but it certainly could have been much worse had it been a stronger storm. It is still very strong, a lot of risks involved. If you could tell us the particulars of what we are feeling and experiencing right now. Yes, the National Hurricane<\/a> center just sent out an intermediate advisory. Not a lot has changed. One thing has, though. Instead of moving to the northwest, it is moving towards the west, northwest. Its moving fairly slowly, 6 miles an hour. Weve been saying all along this is not going to be a wind event that is going to be a powerful its not going to be 100 plus mile an hour winds. We have seen Hurricane Force<\/a> winds along the coast. This is going to be a longterm sustained rain event, wringing out along coastal sections of North Carolina<\/a> into the piedmont areas of South Carolina<\/a>, thats how the computer models are suggesting now. Its category 1, sustained winds of 90 miles an hour, some higher gusts. Here are all the rivers. This is lowlying territory, but there where you see the purple, 14 major rivers at flood stage. You have to remember there are a lot of river basins across this region. There is the noose river basin. There is the Cape Fear River<\/a> basin and you go down to South Carolina<\/a>, theres the santee river basin. A little bit further south and the charleston is in the river basin further to the south. All of these river basins filling up. They try to go to the ocean. Weve got the storm surge pushing it back on shore, so everything just spills out of those rivers. Goes into peoples homes, into peoples agricultural areas, into their growing areas, into their livelihoods. Service stations, they have been out of gas for a long time. Also, any anybody who is looking for food, going to find it very difficult to sustain any of this. If you stayed behind in your home, especially difficult for the next at least several days, probably weeks. Thats what we saw during hurricane hugo. That was a powerful storm system, 1989. Im from coastal South Carolina<\/a> from myrtle beach, down to charleston. Those are areas that are lowlying, are going to be greatly impacted with this broad shield of wet weather. So, charleston has one little band that just moved through. Wilmington, yes, george and it looks like for derek the winds have been gusting between about 15 and 16 Miles Per Hour<\/a>. What about that storm surge . Its going to be very persistent. Over the next 24 hours, and we think it will make landfall sometime within the next six, eight hours or so, but the storm surge could be 6 to 9 feet, even into some sections of virginia, 2 to 4 feet possible. Thats enough to flood some of those coastal areas. So it is a dangerous situation still, even though some of the numbers dont really indicate. Its not a category 3 any more, its a category 1. But it is the rain that does bear watching. Karen mcennis, thank you. Important to reiterate, its not about the number really, its about how long this storm stays around. You know, how long it stalls out over the southeastern part of the United States<\/a>, how much wind it brings, how much rain it brings, and then the storm surge is certainly an immediate threat, lifethreatening storm surge along the coast line that well all have to monitor very closely. Karen, thank you again. You know, it is interesting to talk about the numbers around the hurricane. We have been doing a lot of that, but there is another story that plays out when storms like this come in. Again, it was a category 4, a category 3, people made precautions as they saw the storm coming in. Some people decided to leave. As i was driving in to wilmington, i remember seeing on the other side of the highway, everyone was going this way, i was going that way. People ma people made a very personal decision to leave their things behind to hope for the very best. There were people who decided to stay in their homes to ride this storm out. Some saying, look, i cant afford to be away from my home for too long. I dont know if ill be able to get back to it any time soon. We also spoke with a person today who made that personal decision to ride the storm out on his boat. Heres that story. Yes, this is my boat and i have extra lines out as you can see. I also have an anchor chain. The boat will rock, roll and pitch. The waters sure here to rise, but joe sermon is preparing for the rough ride in the hours ahead. You are going to ride the storm out in here. As the full force of Hurricane Florence<\/a> pushes into wilmington. I have to tell you, ive been on this boat a few minutes and im already a little dizzy. Youre good with this, right . Yes. Inside these tight quarters, joe says theres no place hed rather be because these been through big storms here before. Do you worry about this . I have a plan. I have a plan. And i have options. There will be a point where i wont have options and that time may come sometime early this morning when the wind is very, you know, high, but im monitoring the conditions. So, 100 miles an hour, i dont have a problem. Joe will be in his boat, many others decided to hunker down in their homes, and thousands already hit the road to escape the storm. Wind speeds have decreased over the past several hours, but fema warns the risks remain high. Please do not let your guard down. The forecast associated with this storm has not changed. It has remained the same. Its storm surge and heavy rains coupled with the slow moving nature of florence that will cause flooding throughout the southeastern part of the u. S. For the next several days. North carolina feeling the effects first. The eye of the storm tracking directly toward wilmington. Were on the wrong side of this thing. This storm will bring destruction to North Carolina<\/a>. Weather conditions will continue to deteriorate the next several hours. Come hell or high water, joe is most confident on his boat. Theres a lot of rain involved with that, so youll have flooding in lowland areas. But here i am on the river, im already floating. So as long as the dock doesnt go above the pylons, were safe. So its a rough to ride a storm out on the ground. Whats it like to ride a storm out on your boat . Well, you can see right behind me several boats here, here in wilmington. You get a sense of whats happening on this river that were monitoring very closely. You get a sense of exactly how turbulent that water is. And if youre worried about joe, dont worry too much. We have joe on the phone with us right now on his boat. Joe, i want to ask you right now, were feeling these wind gusts. They are strong. When we spoke with you several hours ago, you know, we heard the wind, we felt the wind coming in now. Its got to be stronger now than we experienced before. What are you seeing and hearing . Yes, the wind is hitting, but the boat is not healing over to the degree it was when it would be out for sail. The stability of the boat is good. The key thing is the lines remain intact and the hold in the boat, the position at the dock, so far so good. We are getting, i want today say were getting a break, but the wind just picked up. Im sure you appreciate these breaks in the wind just as much as we do, joe. I wanted our viewers to understand you are an experienced mariner, some 40 years on the ocean. You know a thing or two about this, and you explained to me that you do have a plan in place should things get worse. That is correct. I was waiting till this time after midnight to determine whether or not i would need to, you know, grab my stuff and go. But as its turning out, the boat is riding very well. I do expect it to get a little more tumultuous with the higher winds in the morning. The rain is not really a factor in my case where i am. However, i can see where people on the ocean front Barrier Islands<\/a> are really going to see a lot of, lot of high water. And, joe, you know, weve been watching this river as well right behind me and youre on the river there. The water is rising. Well keep in touch with you. We wish you safety as you continue to ride this storm out over the next several hours. Thank you so much. Youre welcome. Youre watching cnn breaking News Coverage<\/a>. Were monitoring Hurricane Florence<\/a> as it pushes into the u. S. East coast. Stand by. More right after the break. One last year these womenn i started seeing results. And hundreds of thousands more tried revitalift triple power. With hyaluronic acid and proxylane. It visibly reduces wrinkles, refirms and smooths texture. Guaranteed or your money back. 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Breaking News Coverage<\/a> continues here from wilmington, North Carolina<\/a>. Im George Howell<\/a> following Hurricane Florence<\/a> as it pushes into the u. S. East coast. Right now moving at about 5, 6 Miles Per Hour<\/a> at a snails pace. And take a look at what it did here. The wind Strong Enough<\/a> to rip off the roof of a bp gas station. Again, very strong winds. This is not something to take for granted. This storm packs winds right around the eye of the storm, 90 mile per hour. Wind gusts can get up to 120 Miles Per Hour<\/a>. Here where we are live right now, i have to tell you weve experienced some of the strongest wind gusts that ive experienced so far. Maybe around 60, 70 Miles Per Hour<\/a>. They come and go. There are moments of peace and then moments of pure fury as the storm pushes through. I want to now bring in my colleague cnn colleague natasha chen who has been following the effects of Hurricane Florence<\/a>. Natasha, i know there are people watching now, people who may have left. Keeping them in mind because they want to know how bad is the storm here in the city that they call home, the region that they call home. Tell us about what youve seen and heard. Well, today just driving around, i can tell how much effort people have put into really protecting their homes, boarding up their windows, et cetera. There are certain objects that i saw that might be flying around, though, in all of this. And there will be a lot of debris tomorrow, a lot of downed trees, downed power lines, and the mayor of wilmington is actually asking you to think about that before you come home. Heres what he had to say. We want them to stay inside when the event begins. We want them to be very cautious when they come out. I know people are going to be concerned to see what kind of damage is had to their houses. We really do not want people out there sightseeing the damage thats out there because we have to get our resources out, get the power lines situated because were going to have some downed power lines we know and trees are going to be down. So give us the opportunity to get out there, assess the damage, get the roads cleaned up, get the roads accessible and then get out there when we tell you you can get out there. Natasha, that is important because there will be a lot of debris and damage presumably after this. And i already saw a downed tree earlier today and that was before even the worst of this hit. You were mentioning how were seeing the strongest wind gusts weve gotten so far in the last few hours. If it was like that today driving around with very little winds, imagine what thats going to be like tomorrow. Cnn correspondent natasha chen, thank you so much for your reporting. Again, youre watching cnn breaking News Coverage<\/a> here in wilmington North Carolina<\/a>. This storm moving closer to us. Not here yet, but its on its way. Stay with us. Td ameritrade lets you trade select securities 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. So i can trade all night long . All night long. Lets reopen the market. Trade 24 5, with td ameritrade. When i went on to ancestry, i just put in the name yes, we are twins. Of my parents and my grandparents. I was getting all these leaves and i was going back generation after generation. You start to see documents and you see signatures of people that youve never met. I mean, you dont know these people, but you feel like you do. You get connected to them. I wish that i could get into a time machine and go back 100 years, 200 years and just meet these people. Being on ancestry just made me feel like i belonged somewhere. Discover your story. Start searching for free now at ancestry. Com. Uby making it easy to verifye you hyour car and driver. Ome, uber is moving in a new direction. Forward. Dont relax. Dont get complacent. Stay on guard. This is a powerful storm that can kill. It is such a massive storm, and we need Pay Attention<\/a> to that and not get lulled into that false sense of security. Officials giving the warning there, and you can see the reason why. You can feel i can feel and you can probably see this storm is coming through quite intensely. We felt some of the strongest wind gusts that weve felt here sorry, have to just make ive got my balance here. These wind gusts come and go. We felt some of the strongest wind gusts so far that we felt in wilmington maybe around 60, 70 Miles Per Hour<\/a>. This storm moving at a snails pace right now, around 5 to 6 Miles Per Hour<\/a>, moving toward wilmington. We will eventually feel the eye wall of that storm. To our understanding, according to our weather department, around the eye wall can get around sustained 90 Miles Per Hour<\/a>. Very strong winds, wind gusts getting up to 125 Miles Per Hour<\/a>. And dont discount the storm surge. That is something that everyone along the coast line will have to keep a very close watch on. Storm surge anywhere from 9 to 10 feet. This is a very powerful storm. Lets talk about what happens through this multiday event. Again, the storm is making its mark for sure now, but as the storm passes, it is important to point out that fema has already prepositioned a great deal of infrastructure. We understand and people, search and rescue personnel, at least 1100 search and rescue personnel are already in the region prepared to do what is necessary as the storm passes through. We know that some 300 ambulances are already here. Thats according to fema and the army corps of engineers. We understand that there are 105 generators that are already in place. Theyre here. 15 more are on the way. These generators are very important because they are Strong Enough<\/a> to power schools, Strong Enough<\/a> to power hospitals, very important to point out that these things are here as people find the storm move on and the damage that is left behind. We have our correspondents throughout the region monitoring what is happening. Our nick watt filed a report just a short time ago from north myrtle beach. Here is the scene from there. Here in north myrtle beach, their still waiting for the full effect of this hurricane to hit. About 5 30, 6 00 in the evening thursday, we could see the outer bands of this gigantic storm moving. There was some rain, there was some wind. Friday is when this is really going to make its mark on north myrtle beach. This 60mile stretch of beautiful carolina coast line called the grand strand. Now, most people have evacuated from this town. The officials tell us that 85 of people have left in a town of about 15,000 people, but plenty of people are staying. And some of them are staying because they are seeing this storm being downgraded by category, but that category is just for the wind. This storm is still full of water that is going to dump on the carolinas over friday, over the weekend, perhaps even into next week. And that is going to be the danger. There is going to be a storm surge. Where we are here, there is almost nothing that stops those waves coming across the beach and into this town. And, of course, the inter coastal waterways is a couple blocks that way. There is a chance this sliver of land could be covered in water. Now, this area has seen hurricanes in the past. H hugo in 89 was massively destructive, category 4, but it did not have the rain this is going to have. 40 inches expected in places. That is going to be the big danger. Nick watt, north myrtle beach, South Carolina<\/a>. Nick watt, thank you. North myrtle beach important tourist area, so this is certainly an inconvenience for sure. But a lot of people watching to see what happens as this storm pushes through that area. You can see right behind me here, im sure you can see it, this storm chasing truck. I want to bring in mike tice. This is mikes truck. Mike is a storm chaser and also a photographer with national geographic. Mike, what is it like for you to drive around in a situation like this and get important readings, understanding of the storm . I feel like its my passion in life and my purpose and that is to collect Scientific Data<\/a> in hurricanes. Ive always been passionate about them since a little kid so i developed the herb, which stands for hurricane eye watch vehicle. Windows cant get smashed out. I have calibrated anomometers. I recorded it earlier today. Adds the eye wall comes in, which is very close, well see if i get a higher wind gust than that. Might be 90 mile, 100 range. The big thing is the surge and inland flooding. That is right in line of what weve been getting readings on the ground, wind gusts anywhere between 08 and 60. It seems like they come and go. What are your thoughts as youre monitoring this storm . What are your thoughts about what happens when it gets over this region and starts to stall out . Yeah, thats the big concern. When it does stall out, which its coming in very slow with all the rivers, its going to be a big problem with flooding for sure. But the big the good news on this is its not a category 4 any more so it doesnt have those extreme winds of category 4. But we do have winds as you can see, but the big story here is the water, the rain, the storm surge. Lets talk about what we are experiencing right now. Were talking all the facts and figures, right, were talking about what people have done to prepare. But were feeling it right now, right . The winds are pretty intense as they come and go. Oh, yeah, the winds are wrapping around the building. Then it stops. You put your guard down, all of a sudden youll walk and a big gust will come back through. Thats the nature of a hurricane. They have those real gusty winds. Once you start getting into the eye wall situation, thats when you get the strong winds coming through. The gusts knock you over if youre not playing close enough attention. I also want to ask you about storm surge. I know as youre traveling around, youve got to be hitting the coast lines, right . How dangerous a threat is that as this storm comes through theres a gust. As the storm comes through over this multiday event . Yeah, thats the big danger. Storm surge is a major concern. Its the number one killer in hurricanes. Thats why we always emphasize how dangerous it is and you need to get aways from that coast line. In this case, you had a category 4 hurricane. And even though it weakened, its still going to possess the big storm surge waves just like Hurricane Katrina<\/a> was on a weakening phase when it came in. Not to compare to katrina, but the idea of a weakening hurricane can still possess that big storm surge. Mike, you know, people always ask this question of us as we cover the storm. What are you doing to be safe . Of course, we find the safest places to bring you accurate information, you know, scenes of whats happening. I pose the same question to you. Youre driving around in the storm. What do you do to stay safe . I have a location nearby, not very far, a concrete structure. If i did need to go there, i could. I rigged this car to feel safe enough, not from storm surge. If theres storm surge, im not the car does not float, of course. But i feel like i know the route back to my safe spot and i can get there with no issues with storm surge. Theres really no if anybody comes into a hurricane and says 100 they know what theyre doing, theyre not going to get hurt, thats the bad attitude. Mother nature is number one. You just have to respect her and heed the warnings when were telling people about them. Thats the good thing. When i went around the Barrier Islands<\/a> earlier theres nobody out there. I feel good about warning the people and i think everyone is doing a great job keeping everybody safe. Mike, we have viewers around the world watching. We have viewers here in the states who decided to leave, right, theyre watching, wondering about their property. We have people who are hunkered down this their homes wondering whats happening out there. Tell us, you know, what would you share with those viewers from what youve seen and heard so far . Well, i can tell you earlier today on those Barrier Islands<\/a>, those waves were already coming across during the high tide. So everybody that evacuated those islands, you made a great decision. Dont think this storm because its category 1 i shouldnt have left. No, its a good thing you left and good for you. Mike tice, thank you so much. Be safe out there and we appreciate your time today. Okay. Again, youre watching cnn breaking News Coverage<\/a>. Im George Howell<\/a> here in wilmington, North Carolina<\/a>. The storm is walking at a snails pace, 6 miles an hour. It will get here. But until it does, we are feeling the effects and it aint pretty. Stay with us. Well be back after the break. O, and we may not know much about medicine, but we know a lot about drama. From scandalous romance, to ridiculous plot twists. gasping son . Dad we also know you can avoid drama by getting an annual checkup. So were partnering with cigna to remind you to go see a real doctor. Go, know, and take control of your health. It could save your life. Doctor poses dad cigna. Together, all the way. Dad if youre waiting patiently for a liver transplant, it could cost you your life. Its time to get out of line with upmc. At upmc, livingdonor transplants put you first. So you dont die waiting. Upmc does more livingdonor liver transplants than any other center in the nation. Find out more and get out of line today. All the tools you need for every step of the way. Make it, squarespace a look at the scene in new bern, North Carolina<\/a> and you can see exactly what this storm is doing to the water there as it pushes into the u. S. East coast. It is intense and it is on its way, moving very slowly, but it is causing serious concern along the coast line. Storm surge could get anywhere from 9 to 10 feet. Were getting reports of that already. And were not even near the eye wall of the storm, which has wind gusts around sustained 90 Miles Per Hour<\/a>, 120 Miles Per Hour<\/a> possible gusts as this eye wall approaches here in wilmington, North Carolina<\/a>. Lets bring in our meteorologist karen mcennis tracking it all in the cnn weather center. Karen. George, this is going to spell it all out. Here is wilmington. This is our radar imagery. Here is wilmington. At about 35 miles, thats where the eye of Hurricane Florence<\/a> is located. So if we do the math, its about six hours before it makes landfall. But its a lili rat i cattle er this close to the shore. If anybody doubts how much moisture is getting wrapped around heef, just take around Hurricane Florence<\/a>, just take a look at this. Moisture picking up on the atlantic and dumping it on the shore. Where george is in wilmington, also derek van dam, we had wind gusts reported in wilmington of 59 Miles Per Hour<\/a>. Now, we have seen some wind gusts in some of the other coastal areas up to about 99 Miles Per Hour<\/a>. All right, the latest information from the National Hurricane<\/a> center, 90 mile an hour winds associated with Hurricane Florence<\/a>. Its indicate g its category 1. It will make its way on shore, it will inundate these areas. Already in three counties, between 80 and nearly 100 of the residents are without power. Thats the type of thing that, if you were to have stayed, that youd be without power perhaps for days, perhaps for weeks. But this is lowlying areas. Its going to move erratically along the coast a bit. We think by late morning landfall as a category 1, and then meander around areas across the coastal regions of South Carolina<\/a> into the piedmont region, so myrtle beach, paulys island, myrtles inlet, heavy rainfall for charleston, very easily to flood in charleston, precipitation moving on offer to the southern appalachians. There is a lot to consider here, especially when you think about that by monday into tuesday, were still looking at a significant rain event. All right. So what happens when those river basins fill up . The noose river basin, thats just about over central North Carolina<\/a>. The Cape Fear River<\/a> basin, the santee river basin, and northeastern South Carolina<\/a>. That water is just going to spread out. The rainfall totals in some of these coastal areas, 10 or 20 inches, some computer models are saying we could see 30 inches. Some other computer models earlier had said 40 inches of rainfall. So where is that rain going to go . Well, weve got that flow thats moving on shore and then the rivers are going to fan out. So you could be way inland in North Carolina<\/a>, way inland in South Carolina<\/a>, and you are still going to see the potential for extreme flooding. Remember matthew . Even interior sections of South Carolina<\/a>, columbia, South Carolina<\/a>, where some of the homes are still just sitting there after water was up on the second floors. That was two years ago, 2 1 2 years ago. All right. Heres a different perspective with a hurricane. You get a lot of dynamics in the atmosphere, so we have this tornado watch in coastal sections of North Carolina<\/a>. Heres the eye. Doesnt look all that impressive. Its Still Holding<\/a> together, though, 90 mile an hour winds. We just got that update from the National Hurricane<\/a> center. Theyre sending out a full advisory coming up at 5 00 a. M. Eastern time. And take a look at these peak wind gusts that weve seen. Davis, North Carolina<\/a>, thats in that southeastern quadrant of North Carolina<\/a>. 108 mile per hour wind. Cape look out, 106. The rainfall totals that weve seen you can imagine that these are going up rather significantly, and it is so close to shore that now were really watching for that potential as that storm surge moves in 7 to 11 feet possible, especially in that quadrant right where you are, george. Thats how its looking. All right, karen mcennis with the very latest. Karen, thank you so much. Again, youre watching cnn breaking News Coverage<\/a>. We are following Hurricane Florence<\/a> as it pushes inland. Stay with us. Well be back after the break. From the very beginning. It was always our singular focus. To do whatever it takes, use every possible resource. To fight cancer. And never lose sight of the patients were fighting for. Our Cancer Treatment<\/a> specialists share the same vision. Experts from all over the world, working closely together to deliver truly personalized cancer care. And these are the specialists were proud to call our own. Expert medicine works here. Learn more at cancercenter. Com Appointments Available<\/a> now. We distributeus, im the owner environmentallyfriendly packaging for restaurants. And weve grown substantially. So i switched to the spark cash card from capital one. I earn unlimited 2 cash back on everything i buy. And last year, i earned 36,000 in cash back. Thats right, 36,000. Which i used to offer Health Insurance<\/a> to my employees. My unlimited 2 cash back is more than just a perk, its our healthcare. Can i say it . Whats in your wallet . And im the founder of ugmonk. Before shipstation it was crazy. Its great when you see a hundred orders come in, a hundred orders come in, but then you realize ive got a hundred orders i have to ship out. Shipstation streamlined that wh the order data, the weights of , everything is seamlessly put into shipstation, so when we print the shipping ll everythings pretty much done. Its so much easier so now, were ready, bring on t. Shipstation. The number one ch of online sellers. Go to shipstation. Com tv and get two months free. Tracking Hurricane Florence<\/a>, im george howl here in wilmington, North Carolina<\/a>. You see the wind pushing me around a little bit. Were feeling the wind, certainly plenty of rain coming down as florence moves closer here toward wilmington, the eye moving very slowly but closer and closer. And were also watching the water. If we can shoal you this shot of the Cape Fear River<\/a> just behind us here on white caps on that river, very telling. Higher than it has been the last several hours. It is an indicator whats happening as the storm pushes in. Also when you see the satellite loop, when you see the sheer breadth of this storm, it is a very big storm pushing in. It will cause life threatening storm surge, already being experienced, realized along the coastline. 9 to 10 feet of storm surge that has been reported in some places, and the wind gusts as the eye of the storm pushes in closer right there around the eye, 90 Miles Per Hour<\/a>, sustained winds and 120 mile per hour gusts possible. So it is a very strong storm pushing in. Cnn has been covering this storm now for several hour, in fact days and our correspondents have been fanned out across parts of the region bringing you reporting as it has rolled in. Here are the sights and sounds as weve moved to this point where the storm is now. This is just the beginning, and it hasnt even gotten here yet and theres already water on the bottom parts of peoples houses. Whoa. Weve got to get out and we dont know what the game plan is just yet. Evacuating from the tv station. Were getting rained on and well get dry at some point. Made it out. Hope youre safe and okay. Were watching businesses right now and ill be careful because im stepping on a curb right here. You can see theyve gotten boarded upwindoes, were seeing this across the entire city right now. Unfortunately, weve already been able to see some of that flooding going inside businesses downtown right now. These people are taking a look at the storm surge, and were getting hit with another band of rain hair. The rain letting up slightly but we expect its going to come back. Weve seen the hardest rain were seeing all evening tonight, right now. This on top of what they expect is a storm surge about 11, 12 feet or so with the tides that come in every 12 hours, we could be looking at Something Like<\/a> 18, 19 feet. Were watching very closely the river, which were not expecting to crest until tuesday. So theres a long, you know, couple of days still to come. Its going to be miserable for a number of days for people. And, you know, theyve got to buckle down, stay where they are and try to get through this the best they can. And now we are in the outer bands of that storm. The wind is here, the rain is here. Storm surge a big concern as florence pushes inland. Im george howl in wilmington, North Carolina<\/a>. Our coverage continues here on cnn with early start. After the break. Since joining ninehahi, ubmonths ago,o. My priority has been to listen to you. To cities and communities, and to my own employees. Ive seen a lot of good. Weve changed the way people get around. Weve provided new opportunities. But moving forward, its time to move in a new direction. And i want you to know just how excited i am, to write ubers next chapter, with you. One of our core values as a company, is to always do the right thing. And if there are times when we fall short, we commit to being open, taking responsibility for the problem, and fixing it. This begins with new leadership, and a new culture. And youre going to see improvements to our service. Like enhanced background checks, 24 7 customer support, better pickups, and ride quality, for both riders, and drivers. Youve got my word, that were charting an even better road for uber, and for those that rely on us every day. And its also a story mail aabout people and while we make more ecommerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country, we never forget. That your business is our business the United States<\/a> postal service. Priority you announcer this is cnn breaking news. In wilmington, North Carolina<\/a>, chris cuomo down in north myrtle beach, South Carolina<\/a>. Kristine romans in new york, and this is Hurricane Florence<\/a>. It is bearing down on the carolina coast. 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