know, waking up in the path of this devastating winter storm. it may get worse as the hours tick by here. right now, ten states and the district of columbia under a state of emergency nearly a quarter of a million people do not have power right now. cnn is live up and down the east coast this morning tracking the storm as it threatens to cripple so many cities. snow is falling right now in new york, in washington, baltimore, philadelphia. those are the major cities. imagine the more rural areas. we are so grateful to have you with us. martin savidge is with us in new york. we will give us more in a moment. one of the most urgent situations right now is in kentucky. drivers are stranded on i-75, one motorist telling cnn she hasn't moved an inch in 17 hours. it's the nation's capitol, though, getting the hardest.

the capitol is taking a direct hit. mass transit we know has been suspended in what is predicted to be one of the biggest storms in the city's history. several officials say this sa life and death situation. we are keeping a close eye on new jersey as well. wes dents of at least one town have been told to get out officials issuing a mandatory evacuation order. flood waters are threatening to overwhelm some low lying areas there. we will speak with governor chris christie live a little later. but we want to get to martin savidge here, i do believe. he is in new york right now. they are getting hit. we heard from our meteorologist, snow totals there expected to be even higher than initially thought. at least possibly 16 inches of snow there in new york. what are you seeing now the. >> i would say we're on track to get that snowfall. >> reporter: good morning,

christie, new york is seeing the brunt of the storm today. this storm is almost as if it's getting new energy. some of that could come on the fact that it's now reaching the atlantic ocean and well, face it. there is a whole load of precipitation that can be lifted up from that. so the combination of wind and heavy snowfall is going to play out dramatically throughout the day, all along the coastline. it's not just the snow. there is, of course, the concern for flooding. this is going to be one for the record books him you can be sure. check out the sheer size of this monster storm with a view from outer space as it bears down on 85 million americans in two states. >> we want to know what you are dealing with out there. what are you dealing with interest. >> it is horrible out there. if you are home, stay there. >> reporter: the storms are responsible for two death, including two killed in north carolina traffic accident. overnight the desperate situation over interstate 75 in

kentucky. drivers stranded after a series of crashes closed all lanes. >> it's like a complete standstill, people have their cars turned off to save tear gas. there is not much going on the north pound side a. lot of snow blowing. it's very windy. >> meanwhile the nation's capitol and ball more taking a direct hit, effectively shutting down those cities. >> we see this as a major storm. it has life and death implications and automatic residents of the district of columbia should treat it that way. >> reporter: the weather is expected to get nastier. two inches of snow may fall in some spots. the projected extreme high end, 40 inches total accumulation and expect hurricane force wind gusts to hit the eastern seaboard with the possibility of flooding. >> flooding is a challenge for us. we were hit hard with sandy.

some of the storm surge came almost a mile into our district. >> already, the impact numbers are staggering. around 1,000 car crashes if virginia. 76 flight cancellations through sunday and almost 150 power out annual, all contributing to make this one of the worst storms on record. >> we could definitely do out it. i'd like to have that 60 degrees weather back we had in december. >> the there is good news, it's the fact that it's hitting on a weekend, that allows most people at least to huchger down. however, there are some who have to be out and about or who are having problems as they move. we want to check in with bine todd in the washington, d.c. area, where we understand you are at the scene of one of those problems. >> reporter: martin, we just came upon a scene of a problem here. we're if greenbelt maryland on the capital beltway heading north. we came upon this scene of two people being stuck.

out our dash cam, you can see, we pull up to it, i will try to get out and talk to the dash cam. we can show you a little more with another camera, trying to get out with a snow grip is difficult. i'm in a snowdrift now seemingly about 2 feet deep, i'll talk to the dash cam while my other camera prepares here. this is what we came upon moments ago. this is an exit on 495 north. these two vehicles are stuck. the plows could not plow a hole through this. they tried to plow their own hole, got stuck. here you see it, a first responder can't get out of the highway to get to another scene up the road he needs to get to. the first responders are digging that first vehicle out there. so now you can see how tough a job it is for the snowplow, for the salt truck, the spreaders, to make these roads passable. we had a heck of a time getting to this spot on some roads that

are usually pretty big and us as passable. this is 495, basically, highways in this country don't get much bigger than this. there is no blocktop t. roads are slick. there is snow pack, but again this is the kind of situation we are running into. exits are blocked. you cannot get onto the highway, in some cases off the highway, if you do, some of the back roads are completely impassable. >> it's no wonder you can hear government officials saying don't go out and drive, are you seeing people still going out this morning? >> reporter: we, are martin. what's surprising is the volume. here we are at 6:00 in the morning eastern time on a saturday, look at these trucks, aaa has warned tractor-trailer trucks not to go out on the road because of the dangerous jackknifing we had in this region. here, we can turn this camera around a little bit.

if you can swing around here right. now you got some people trying to come to the rescue of punching these people out. you have another snow blou trying to get around other vehicles pulled over so they can get to this cut and punch a whole through so this fire truck can finally get out of here. but it may not be allowed for this plow to go through. we saw a plow that side stuck in a snowdrift unable move. it looks like this guy may not be able to move. so again, people are coming onto the roads. they shouldn't be. they have been warned not to. it's surprising to us to see this many people out on the roads at this time early on a saturday morning where these conditions are so prevalent, martin. >> all right. brian todd giving us a dramatic look at the travel and traffic in areas around the city of baltimore. it should be stressed do not go out if are you anywhere near

this kind of storm. it has a cascading impact. you get stuck, which means first respond verse to come to you. you tie up a whole system. eric van dam has been tracking this storm now. let's get the latest open how it's developing and what we expect over the next few hours. >> it's almost as if a figurative fuse has been lit. once this low pressure system moves off the carolina coast, it was going to feed into the moisture from the atlantic ocean and start to funnel in those heavier snow bands. unfortunately, we're seeing that press further and further north. >> that itself going to impact places like baltimore, washington, d.c. that is a region we have upped the accumulation force next 24 hours. they'll highlight exactly where in one moment. there is our bullings eye, still over washington and philadelphia. notice the big apple. we have the potential for 12 maybe upwards of 18 locally for

the metropolitan region there. still 30-plus million americans under a blizzard warning. remember that is not defined by amount of snowfall, but rather by visibilities being reduced by a quarter of a mile and winds over 35 miles per hour. that all happening over an extended period of time. the low pressure continues to strengthen up the east coast t. winds are a major factor. these are current wind gusts. ocean city, this is all a sign that this storm the strengthening. we still have the worst to come. because it will feed into that moisture again. look at the visibility, harrisburg, pennsylvania a. quarter of a mime. half a mile in new york city. baltimore, walk, all experiencing reduced visibilities. >> that is a tell tell sign the

blizzard effect is under the way as we speak. obviously, our flight cancellations and coastal erosion and power outage is a concern for the entire new england coast. martin, back to you. >> it is a troubling thing to think that this storm is only getting more wound up rather than getting wound down. we should say along the coastal areas the key hours will be between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. eastern time. high tides are expected. heavy winds and you could see that there is a real problem for coastal flooding. new york city. mayor bill de blasio says they are ready and coping. however, this is not a storm anyone should be going out in. you ride it out at home. they are trying to keep it opened. let's get back down to dlaent atlanta. >> thank you so much. good advice there.

there are some people that been get that had vice in time. i want to tell you about a woman we spoke about a moment ago. she is stranded right now with her two daughters and her father who is a diabetic on i-75 in kentucky. they have been there since 1:00 yesterday afternoon, not moving. for 18 hours, imagine this, sitting in a car. these are some of the pictures she is showing us. she is not alone. she and her father have gotten up, walked a little bit. what they're concerned about is the fact that they've run out of food, they've run out of water. they have been trying to get ahold of the kentucky state police to come out and help them. but right now, as of right now, they have not been able to get any help. here's what she told us. how are you holding up, first of all? and have you been getting out talking to people in other vehicles?

>> we have to keep, my dad and i are kind of walking back and forth. he is talking to other people in vehicles, it's frustrating, you are in a car, you are not comfortable. are you cramped. we have made multiple phone calls to the kentucky state police. we keep getting like ten hours ago, they told us, we'll have you out in no time. we have nod heard anything else. you know, my dad's a diabetic. i have two kid in here 14 and 4 that are hungry. we ran out of stuff a long time ago. >> how is your father doing? >> he's doing okay. one of the police officer, i did tweet something, kentucky state police. they sent an officer out here. he didn't know what he was coming out here for. so he didn't bring anything with him. so he actually gave my dad his own snacks so my dad's blood sugar wouldn't drop. they said they'd have red cross out here, people are going by giving blankets, water and food.

nobody has seen any of that. >> i know your daughters are 14 and 4-years-old. how are they holding up? other than being hungry if. >> well the 14-year-old really wants to go home. my 4-year-old actually fell asleep about an hour-and-a-half ago. and they're just hungry. they want to go home to a warm place. they don't want to be in the car any longer. >> she has been sitting there almost 18 hours at this point. you heard her talk about how she has called the kentucky state police that very kind officer came out and gave the snack to her father. he's a diabetic. they want to make sure his blood levels were consistent there. but we should point out, she said that they told her the red cross is out there. they haven't seen them yet. we are talking to the kentucky state police here on the other side of this break. hopefully, they'll have more answers. for all of those folks stuck on i-75, if they can't at least get them moving. we will ask them if there is

anyway to get help to these folks. god forbid, you are sitting there 18 hours, if an emergency comes up, what do you do? more with that in just a moment. stay close. . >

. >> buses kass, smierks all still backed up on a kentucky highway and you just heard april there who has been stranded there for 18 hours with her father and two daughters in a car crunched in between trucks who are also stranded saying they can't get kendra, thank you for taking time to be with us here. i know you have a lot on your plate right now. can you give me an assessment of the situation on i-75 right now? how expansive is that backup in this stretch of cars? >> kendra, can you hear me in. >> oh, yes, i'm sorry. >> that's okay. can you tell me how bad the backup is on that stretch of i-75? >> well, it is a complete

standstill at this point, for southbound traffic. we are encouraging people in the area to not come out and be on the interstate. it has been an ongoing situation for the past 18 hours we do and are working closely with the local public safety, mr. us the fire department there in the area there. they are trying to get fuel to motorists. vehicles have run out of fuel, we're trying to get water and food to those mothers that's going around in the area to try to make sure everyone is safe and secure. most of the northbound traffic has been cleared this morning so northbound is moving. we have people who have abandoned vehicles in the middle of the roadway. so those vehicles, the national

guard is going to take those vehicles out of the way. it's a really treacherous stretch of road. the vehicles are sitting on a solid sheet of ice. so we just have to be very careful that there are not secondary problems that have arrived, which is all the caution there, but we don't want to see people out there. we want it clears quickly as early as possible for everyone concerned. >> of course. after 18 hours, everyone is saying, why is it taking so long? was the road not cleared initially? was there somebody that wasn't prepared for this? how did the backup initially start? >> well the area, itself, is more of a rural mountainous area. it tend to have a lot of

problems. our road department versus worked night and day to keep this uncleared. it's a very unsafe area and i'm sure they will look into why there has been a more severe problem in the area today and in the past few hours, but at this point we have to deal with what we have. >> of course. >> we have to take the problem at hand to make sure it's cleared out safely. we are encouraging motorists if they do have a specific medical emergency. i know they are uncomfortable. we are working as hard as we can to get those cars cleared out to get those cleared so if they have a specific emergency, we do request they call 911, they will help us get to them as quickly as possible. we have local law enforcement, local public safety. we have the fire department.

ems. >> i have one real quick question. >> sure. as we look ast at these pictures, can you give me an assessment or a gauge as to how big this backup is, miles wise, five miles? what do you know? >> caller: it's approximately from what we've seen, we are clearing a little at a time as quickly as we k. but it's about from mime marker 76 to mile marker 41 southbound on 75. so that's quite a stretch of roadway. >> yes. >> and it's just going to take time to get it cleared because the conditions haven't improved. >> so it's 35 miles long is what you are telling me? >> yes, ma'am. >> okay. okay. >> caller: we have the national guard there. >> have you the red cross there, i understand? >>. >> caller: yes, ma'am. so we have every emergency service and every emergency worker we can and available out

there it's, if a motorist doesn't appear to be in distress as your earlier caller stated, we have people to go by to check on general welfare. flag somebody down if there is a problem. call 911 and we will get help to you as soon as possible. if there is an immediate emergency. the discomfort of being stuck there on the roadway. they need to stay if their vehicles, stay warm. if theically the there is a problem, just contact us. >> all right. kendra wilson with the kentucky state police. we know you have an early difficult task ahead of you today. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> 35 miles is the stretch of these cars and trucks and buses that are sitting there stranded in this ice and snow and we know this is not, this is an contrary

that is not going to get over the freezing mark possibly today. so we den know what how that will be fixed necessarily. we will check in to make sure everybody is okay there. as you heard, miss wilson say there, do not abandon your car. that's a part of their problem, people getting out of the car, abandoning it in the middle of the road. then people have no place to go our coverage, a live report from new york with the latest when they continue. stay close. introducing otezla, apremilast. otezla is not an injection, or a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. some people who took otezla saw 75% clearer skin after 4 months. and otezla's prescribing information has no requirement

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>> i'm martin savidge in new york city, where, like much, on the eastern seaboard, they are trying to make it through this incredible storm that has struck and continues to pound this area. it's expected to be the way throughout much of the day. they are anticipating in new york city maybe as much as 16 inches of snow. that's a part of the problem high gusty winds will cause it to drift. there is the concern of coastal flooding. but if there is one thing we do know is that there is a lot of company when it comes to misery. you want to check in with the city of baltimore and bo to the mayor of the office of mortgages

management, where we are going to get a read out on what's happening down there. let's start with you. go ahead. >> good morning. how are you? >> struggling. >> reporter: yes, so we're still able to and a half fate the city. especially for emergency services. we're in response mode continuity is essential. they're all staffed. who is there is there. we've had no major issues except i guess about 45 minute ago, we had a fire in the northeast section of the estimate the fire department was able to get in we have snowplows deployed with that company. we expect more today. responding to normal emergencies that happen. some that are weather related. we just want to be able to get the people and provide the necessary help. this storm is very humbling. we got here about it looks like ten more hours of the snow.

the wind will continue we're like everyone else when something happens, we just want to get there and help people and then see our way through this. >> it's robert maloney, dwroept get it wrong? >> reporter: that's correct. >> i want to check, you sigh you got at least another ten hours you are anticipating. do you think you've turned the corner as far as snowfall? or are you still expecting a lot of that in. >> no, we haven't turned the corner at all. i wouldn't say we're halfway there yet. and the national weather service our local guys are great. the wind forecasts have been spot on and the prediction of the 60 miles per hour. we haven't hit that yet. but, you know, those are again that's a humbling wind factor and you know throughout the course of the day, if it picks up, we expect problems from that. we in 2010, we can look alt our

numbers. when you have snowfall, this impact you will have collapse issues, structures that go down. people that get trapped. will you have fires. we're ready for that, you know i think we hope we are equal to whatever comes our way and you know we can keep people safe within it does happen. but this is not normal business a all in any of these cities up and down the east coast we're in a different mode of operations. we're pulling together,zy citizens and those of us working for the city together. >> robert maloney with the mayor's office of emergency management. thank you very much for that update there. word are hard to come out when you are frozen. you can see here in new york city, this area is getting plasted. you mentioned a couple times the humbling impact of this.

it really is. this is when you find out the nature rules the roost. morris sanchez is standing by in new jersey t. concern is not just the snowfall, the high winds and the coastal erosion or coastal flooding. so let's get back to him. >> reporter: hey, martin, i can tell new the past hour the wind and snow have picked up here. we seen the lights flickering on and off. we got numbers a few moments ago from atlanta county, where we are right now. more than 00 people are without power. obviously, officials are dealing with that. as you mentioned, the know is only supposed to stay in the single digits here t. big concern is coastal flooding. we are looking at a bay behind me, where the water keeps creeping up minute by minute. it's fewer than six inches from the harbor. where there are residents and businesses. in terms of preparation the people here, it caught me off guard. there are not many sandbags or

preparations. we spoke to a neighbor here for sandy. he told me the general sentiment is the water will do what the water will do and that sandbags will do so much. they are keeping their fingers crossed hoping the water won affect them as badly, obviously, as it did in 2012 with sandy. aside from that, i can tell you that it could potentially be made worse because of the fact we have a full moon krins dentally falling on this storm. as you get close to high tide, that's when we will know exactly how much water be come over that harbor into this neighborhood, martin. >> i can imagine the people there are advantages still memories of that. i'm sure people there are quite concerned. that was actually a question. morris, i was wondering, what

are people saying and fearing there? >> reporter: i'm sorry, martin, i couldn't hear you for a second there, similar no what we heard from that neighbor. there are not many people getting prepared. we seen a handful of businesses out last night t. sentiment is they are bracing themselves. fortunately, it's the time of year where there are fought that many people out here. this is more of a summer community. so a lot of these homes are empty, then again, there are some neighbors sticking around, bracing themselves for what's to come. >> what uple for that:00 high tide. we will too. . new york city is not just the only city suffering. it's one of the biggest ones that is suffering through the storm we want to check in with jean

jean. >> reporter: it's hard to be attacked. you are fought seeing cars on the road. it's coming down hard, wet and fast right now. that was one to one-and-a-half feet, look you got some snow blowers. he's going the other way. it's sort of a mini snowplow. you can't have the big trucks right here in time's square new york city. but they're doing everything they can to carve out some road ways here as the city begins to wake up. but the department of transportation has given 200 snowplows for the new york city area 400 extra person fell are here. there are 600 national guard that are ready and willing to work if called out today. now, as far as the airports, they are can selling flights. they are continuing to can sell the flights. many were cancelled yesterday t. three major airports for the new york city area, jfk, laguardia

and newark. so talk to your airline. but they do have hundreds of thousands of gallons of deusers for the planes that will be taking off and as far as salt for the road, 38,000 tons of salt are ready to be on the roadways of new york city and the different bureaus. marty. >> jeans i know it's early. what about food traffic? you were saying cars might have a difficult time. there are the people. do you see those out and about yet? >> there are a couple cars, virtually nothing else. it's that situation we seen new york city if before where it is immobilized. people are being told to say off the street. in fact, yesterday the governor said don't go on the street. don't drive unless you have to. you are fought only endangering yourself. you are endangering the emergency personnel out there to help us all at this point this

morning, people are heeding t t that. >> good advice. indeed they should governor chris christie in new jersey thanks, very much. we'll be checking back with her as well. the situation in much of this area. we talked about modern cities, how they have an ability to cope. you can't cope when the snowfall is this fast. when the temperatures remain this low and when the wind continue to blow as hard as they are. this is pretty much where you got a blizzard in full force, every much in the driver's seat. people here have to remain sheltered, if you are on the road, get off of them. first responders have to have the number one priority when it comes to getting by and getting to where they are needed most and we're continuing to follow a

very dire situation in skuchlt on the highway there. there may be thousands of people trapped on a 35 mile stretch of the roadway there. keep the snow away from the tail pipe of the car. carbon monoxide would be a concern for you. hopefully, help will be on the way. we'll be back with more after this. ice. you can choose this chevy silverado which offers built in 4g lte wi-fi. or you can choose this ford f-150, which doesn't offer wi-fi. but to make up for it, we added a trailer, a satellite antenna, and dolores. hey fellas! (group laughter) what? so, which one do you want? i pick the chevy. definitely. or, get this dependable silverado all star edition with a total value of seven thousand two hundred and fifty dollars. find new roads at your local chevy dealer. wheall i can think abouthit, is getting relief. only nicorette mini has a patented fast-dissolving formula. it starts to relieve sudden cravings fast. i never know when i'll need relief.

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"you don't want to live with mom and dad forever, do you?" "boo!" (laughs) "i'm making smoothies!" "well...i'm not changing." "so, how can i check my credit score?" "credit karma. don't worry, it's free." "hmmmm." "credit karma. give yourself some credit." >> i want to show you some of the blizzard areas that are

really feeling all of this ridiculous weather this morning that is so ferocious. in virginia, a state trooper was injured trying to help a stranded driver. just so we understand he suffered minor injuries when his patrol car was rear ended. virginia authorities say they've responded to nearly a thousand accidents and another 800 disabled vehicles. now this storm is really affecting tennessee, facing the biggest snowstorm. at least eight inches of snow is expected to fall. authorities there are also warning rets residents to stay off the road. i want to take you to georgia, too, to show you what itself happening there. one of ten states under a state of mortgages this morning. drivers have reported snow and ice on the roads there. the concern is the ice weighing down trees and power line, which caused them to snap and people have an interruption in their power and causes such dangerous driving conditions. let's take you to chicago, united flight 374 partially rolled off a runway at o'hare

international. no one was injured, thankfully. weather, obviously, appeared to be a factor if that around new jersey governor chris christie abruptly returned home to declare a state of emergency there t. republican candidate was facing criticism from a lot of people who say he was putting politics above his day job as governor. he fought back those claims last night. take a listen. >> so the reporting that i wasn't coming back was fully inaccurate and, you know, didn't put into effect the words that i used. am i coming home? i have no plans to come home. the circumstances got worse and clarified. so as soon as it did, then i came home. but if the storm blew out to sea and i came home, i'd look pretty stupid. so the fact is that you make the decision within have you clarity on what the circumstances are going to be. i have clarity this morning at 11:00 after that ev brooing that the storm was going to hom come here. it was going to be some measure

of significance. once i knew it was going to come on shore in certain parts of the state, then my decision was easy. if that was happening, i was coming home. that's what i said as far back as wednesday. if i need it at home, i will come home. at this point i'm not needed there. the lt. gov. is here t. rest of the cabinet is here. i'm getting regular briefings. if i feel there is a need to come home, i will. i made that decision at the moment you need to make a decision. i got here before one flake fell oak. >> governor christie will join us live at 7:00 a.m. eastern. we will get latest on the impact this storm has had on new jersey. we await the see what's going to happen there on mar gate new jersey on that barrier island where the water is inching very close to coming over that harbor. i have to talk politics. this chance of the heart of this campaign trail. he's in the middle of it and dealing with the blizzard at the same time. we will talk about all of that.

our coverage is continuing of the deadly blizzard. eight have died. 160,000 do not have power. officials calling this a life or death storm.

>>. >> i'm martin savidge in new york city where this storm continues to cause havoc along

the eastern seaboard. the wind at times the snow seems to be horizontal and it's going to be like this throughout much of the day. let's find out where it might be improving. in charlotte they had to battle this yesterday. give us some hope. how are they now? >> yeah, absolutely, marty. much of the story here the snowfall has been reduced to flurriest the ice. ly reach down for a quick second to show you really much of yesterday, we watched frozen precipitation fall here in north carolina. it all accumulated. peopled a to deal with ice, not just on the roadways, on the sidewalks. we heard from the local mayor that says walking around here is treacherous. it is quite slippery. so authorities this morning now with the snowfall rally quite limited are reminding folks to be extra cautious, whether out walking or simply driving

around. sadly, at least two more fatalitys overnight bring it to eight weather-related accidents here in the region so that is something authorities are trying to do, monitor the roads and highways. they're trying to restore power. this morning we got reports of 150,000 people in the mid-atlantic without power. authorities reminding folks it will take a while to get those lines back up and running, this is simply something that is in the northern region of the country. may not be a big deal. for southerners, like myself. this is something difficult to walk if and drive in it's weather they want to see. ahead of the championship game. it's what everybody is talking about this morning at last check that game is going on as scheduled. >> at least it's an indication that at some point this will let up. we appreciate that.

let's go from what was better back into the bad. in other words the bulls eye of this weather which is washington, d.c. chris, when is this going to subside down there? >>. >> reporter: well, i tell you, marty, we are about halfway through this storm. we are seeing this thing come through this morning by a couple big bands. i can tell you, since we have been out here an inch or more has already fallen since this thing got going yesterday afternoon. what we are seeing around town, quiet as everybody stays hunkerred down. officials telling everybody, hey, just stay at home. power outage wise everybody has the lights and heats on around t the area maryland and d.c. not saying there is many outages. virginia has about 5500 outages

out of 2.5 million. that's food news. one of the big things officials were worried about is the high wind. we've not experienced too high of winds yet they are saying there could be gustings up to 40 miles per hour. >> that will take down tree, power line, of course, they have warming centers set up throughout the city. they are ready for that. fortunately, so far, we have seen that and the roads are keeping passable t. emergency routes are being plowed. i wouldn't recommend going out on these streets. there is a lot of snow oak and the side streets are rather impassable. we saw in virginia, as of late last night, one in a thousand wrecks. 800 disabled cars. so if you go out there, you are taking your chances that you might get stranded. we heard some stories from around the country where folks have been stranded. officials here say tack this storm is no joke, calming it life or death. in fact, the emergency

management director here yesterday saying this storm will be deadly and to stay off the roads. so as picturesque as it might be when day starts to break, you know, keep the sledding to your yard. don't go driving through the hills. keep your cross country skis in the basement until tomorrow within they think this storm will start to wrap up. it will go into the day into the night. we are annual halfway through at this point. they're saying stay hunkerred down, chim out. keep it tuned to cnn, tomorrow will be a day where you can go outside and enjoy it, marty. >> you know, we've had storms in the past where they didn't live up to the bilk. this is getting worse than they initially predicted. people there in that area have been warned it will be getting bad. did you see signs they were hunkered down? >> absolutely.

we saw from officials, we were out in the salt zones around the city yesterday. trying to keep these streets treated before the storm rolled in and to keep them plowed and try to keep the snow off them as best they can. we saw runs on store shelves, heaters shovels, i talked to one neighbor who had said that they went to the hardware store to pick up a sled. they were there an hour nevada. people were really getting ready for this storm, bread and beer was hard to find in some places. it turned out that this is living up to the hype as you say. we're at 6:00 in the morning. we're halfway through this bad boy, martin. >> rather than beer, what an

indicator? thanks very much for that. you may not hear it, but the wind is really starting to rock, from the position we are on the edge of central park. the wind is going to play a significant roam. because it's going to cause the drifting on top soft snow coming down. right now, it is not possible to keep up with the rates of drifting and falk snow. we'll be back with more on this blizzard right after this. [ julie ] the wrinkle cream graveyard. if it doesn't work fast... you're on to the next thing. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair has the fastest retinol formula to visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles in just one week. neutrogena®. to visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles in just one week. what's that, broheim? i switched to geico and got more. more savings on car insurance? yeah bro-fessor, and more. like renters insurance. more ways to save. nice, bro-tato chip. that's not all, bro-tein shake. geico has motorcycle and rv insurance, too. oh, that's a lot more.

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>> we're going to show you a like picture of what's happening in baltimore right now. 33 million people obviously under a blizzard warning, baltimore's mayor's office, official robert ma lonny said this storm. he calls it very humbling saying this is not normal business. we're in a different mode of operations here, because we know that baltimore is expecting 19 to 29 inches of snow expected. they had real problems even an emergency vehicle stuck behind a car in the snow. >> that emergency vehicle trying to get to somebody and couldn't do so because somebody else was on the road there. there is a live picture of the snow coming down, forecasters saying, listen, this is in pretty much the middle of the storm. this may not even be the worst that this thing can punch out before all is said and done.

so we will follow this throughout the morning. we did want to talk about donald trump with a sizable lead, cruz 34-20% in this fox news poll. the numbers are coming with the iowa caucuses, eight days away and that fight that is going on within the gop regarding the direction of the party. >> reporter: good morning, christy. this is a real struggle going on in the establishment within of the republican party n. one corner, have you those intent on stopping donald trump. in the other, those trying to take down ted cruz. >> people don't even think about the national reviews. >> in an unprecedented move, the national review out with a complete and total take down of trump, calming him a menace to people who take the word of

generations and tramle it on behalf of populism as he lives as the donald, himself, a special issue from over 20 respective conservatives piling on. trump trying to brush it off. >> that's a dying paper. pretty much a dead paper. >> reporter: and cruz continuing to be raked of the coals would take down iowa senator chuck grassley and nominee bob dole. who called cruz an extremist. he would cause cataclysmic and wholesale losses the team if he wins. how many the wing of the party is deeply dissatisfied with the front runners, with trump and cruz on top of the polls, they are forced into facing who will do more harm to the party long term. >> whether being shot or poisoning, does it matter?

>> reporter: both fen continue to inflict blows on each other. >> cruz is going down. he had his moment. he blew it. >> reporter: trump releasing his first negative tv ad today a. hit on cruz painting him as pro amnesty. >> i want immigration reform to pass. >> reporter: and cruz now hammering trump if his own ad on eminent domain. the government's power to seize private property for public use. >> i think eminent domain is wonderful. >> reporter: the real estate developer is a power hngry land snatcher. it resonates with voters. >> he supports government power to seize private people's homes to give them the giant corporations to say, hypothetically they'll see him. >> reporter: trump shooting back, tweeting in response, quote, without it, we wouldn't have growth, highway, airports, schools or pipelines. the rnc responded to the national take down of donald trump. they have basically disinvited them from participating in next month's republican debate right here on cnn.

>> thank you. a programing note. exactly one week before the iowa caucus, bernie sanders, hillary clinton, martin o'malley, face-to-face in a cnn democratic town hall live from des moines. our chris cuomo will moderate. it is the final pitch for all the candidates before the first votes are cast. a unique opportunity for iowaens to ask questions. monday night 9:00 p.m. lots of people are stuck on a kentucky highway. more on that in a moment. customer trust. mpetitg

as far as an indication of when

we'll be out of here, we don't know. we have an indication 12 hours ago the interstate would probably be opened then. its just not happened. >> the storm here in north carolina turning deadly. at least four people have died. >> you hope for the best. you prepare for the worse. >> reporter: 600 national are on standby. >> this will be a significant storm. nowhere near we dealt with over the last six years. >> the snow is going sideways. especially near the coast. what we are told from the virginia department of transportation, they are preparing up to 40 independence of snow in this area. >> i got to walk five miles again. >> i want to welcome our viewers here and around the world right now. give you a live look at major cities. new york city could see up to 16 inches of snow.

baltimore under near whiteout conditions. philadelphia shutting down public transit systems washington, the entire city under a blizzard warning until tomorrow morning now. let's talk about connecticut 35 miles and traffic, packed highway is at a stand still snow and ice have stranded people for more than 18 hours. >> i'm kind of walking back and forth. he's talking to other vehicles. it's frustrated. you are in a car, you are fought comfortable. are you crammed. we made multiple phone calls to the kentucky state police. we keep getting the same story. ten hours ago we'll have you out in no time. we have not heard anything else. my dad's a diabetic. i have two kids in here that are

14 and are that are hungry. we ran out of stuff a long time ago. >> we want to get you to new york with martin savidge. martin, when you said you'd fill in with victor, you had no idea what you were in for. how are you holding up? >> reporter: victor picked a good weekend to be off. new york city like much of the eastern seaboard getting hammered. today it appears is the worst of i. some areas thought it was yesterday. no, it is clearly today. near whiteout conditions here. we're on the edge of central park you got snow that is falling. in the coastal yards the real concern for the possibly of flooding. so it is going to be a difficult day here. 85 million people are affected. a quarter of the nation. that's what makes it a massive brutal storm how many people are feeling it.

brian todd is down there in the area of washington, d.c. patrolling the streets for us. bryant, i imagine as the sun comes up, it's still looking very much like a lunar landscape there. >> reporter: it really is, martin. that's a perfect description of what the question are seeing here. we are on the 95 beltway 495. much of the roads are barely passable t. major roads are barely passable t. exit, some are fought passable. i will get out. actually, we will inch forward here, we're on this exit here. we will show you out our dash cam right now. we came on a vehicle stranded in the middle of a major ramp that goes 95 south. can you see that again the connection to those two major arteries is pretty much blocked off by this one motorist who

can't seem to pass. we got high winds here causing a lot of snowdrift. also, because the roads floez a bit overnight, they're a lot more slippery than they were last night. this gentleman here was trying to go forward to get off the exit and back up. now earlier, a few moments ago, we came upon a scene, an exit was blocked by two motorists who were stranded. first responders were trying to get off that exit to a major highway the beltway to get to the scene of an accident or something. they were blocked. i talked to one of the motorists who was frustrated at that situation. >> i was trying to go to work. then he was trying to go. doesn'tly he got stuck. so i can't go, i can't pass. because of all this snow on the

road. >> to give an idea of how tough a situation it has been from mid-night, friday morning until midnight overnight into saturday t. state of virginia had almost a thousand accidents, according to state police. maryland state police told us they responded to about 130 accidents t. good news is most were minor accidents, maybe clipping other vehicles. not many serious accidents, but the volume of accidents does tell you something. this is a huge problem out here. i can barely see in front of me. the motorists can't see. visibility here, you got to be careful out here. you have to watch your peripherals at all times. the visuals here. the visibility. we knew it was going to be an issue now. it is compounded. you cannot see more than maybe

300 yards in front of you in a clip. martin. >> i do not encourage anybody to go out and drive. i am wondering, are the streets passable? can they at least maneuver or get around? >> you know, in many cases, martin, they can. in some cases they cannot. when we saw that exit blocked a. large fire truck trying to get onto the washington beltway. he couldn't. there were two vehicles stuck completely blocking the exit. because they couldn't get through. some of the exits do not have plows and have punched holes through them to make those exits passable. it's really the issue this morning. they're just trying to make the main roads passable right now and so some first responders are having trouble just getting through those pain arteries. the exits right now you can forget about a lot of that. the back roads certainly not. we have major emergencies in

sub26s or back roads. those are situations that will develop this morning. >> please be careful out there to you and your crew. we want to check in with the chief with the metro police department in the d.c. area. chief how is it looking? what is your greatest concern at this hour? >> actually it's been quiet. we anticipate the things being our biggest problems trees coming down. that has not started yet. the winds are very high. people finally got off the road last night. right now, it's first responders and plows out there. not seeing a lot of that stuff yet. i think that will come later today. >> i think that will be a problem later today. your first responders out there. what are they doing?

are they checking on people? are they looking for homeless people? what is the reason for our first reshortstopers to be out will? in there last night, 11:30 p.m. and about an hour ago, we went out with our partners and picked up another 30, 35 additional home of folks and brought them into warming centers or shelters. so that will continue to go on. a lot of people do not want to go to shelters. we do everything we can we were skechl. other than that, the officers are out if various different areas. we have about 25 hum-vees we deployed last night, we still have 40 of our suvs out there, we have them to respond to call for assistance, not to do a lot

of active right now. >> what would you ask of your public right now? >> it's more important today-and-than yesterday. if they come out today. they will be walking down the street. if you can put on the tv and stay home and maybe watch cnn for the day. >> thief, thank you very much for update. we have the fears they had are showing reality. what are you seeing? >> reporter: hey, all this morning, we have been reporting about the water creeping higher and higher. we were roughly at six inches. the water came over 20 minutes or so it rushed over several inches high. can you see it's pushing huge chunks of ice down the street

fortunately, it is melting snow. so the water is going to continue. a neighbor told us that you can see we're havingal issues. >> are you back? pick it up. >> hey, we lost you a second. >> that may be because the water is hitting our truck right now. it's moving very quickly down the street. we talked to neighbors here that told us the water will do what the bust bought is going to do. they'd likely should have, but he said that during sandy, when the watt came through the sandbags didn't do much. maybes didn't do much in the way of preparations the stroots are clear for the most part. it's coming out with the full mon. it will continue coming. we may see serious flooding here, fought far from atlantic

city, martin. >> all right. the safety of you and your crew takes priority. quickly, what's driving the water? it's fought just the high tide. is it the wind that is propelling it up? >> reporter: a big part of that is the wind, also the snowfall and frankly geographically there is nowhere for the water to do. this is an inlet. as it continues to rise from the ocean surge, it will keep going into this neighborhood. >> we will get you hopefully to a little safer place. in the meantime, we will continue to follow the situation down there on the jersey shore. so this is something that had been feared. now it looks like it is coming in reality t. water is beginning to come and rise and threatening our live location unthere. let's go back to christy paul in atlanta. >> thank you so much. we appreciate it. as we were looking at that situation if new jersey, we were talking to governor chris christie who has gone back to

deal with the situation. we are talking to him in a bit about what they're doing there to try to see what we see is happening t. water is slowly starting to come over there into new jersey. also, a frightening situation in kentucky. there are people who have been strand on a 35 mile stretch of i-75 for up to 19 hours now. we are talking to a band director, in fact, who is stuck right now with about 200 band students on that same stretch of highway. also the carolinas have been hit extremely hard with ice. why official there is are telling people do not let your guard down. governor chris christie is back in new jersey this morning to handle the winter storm emergency. we are talking to him in a just a bit. . >> the circumstances got worse and clarified. so as soon as it did, then i

came home. >>

. >> i have everything, it's scaring me. >> my husband bought a snow blower. that's exciting. we have been waiting every year. he finally gave into that.

>> yes, we are with food, gas and we safe at home. >> like i said, we have been through it before. we have stuff in there to keep warm with. you know and it's just a part of every day living. >> it's stress. . you have to make sure you have enough food and water. >> some of the people in the ten states that have declared a state of emergency with this massive blizzard. i want to talk to you about this snow piling up in kentucky. there are dozens of people trapped on i-75. let's face it. we can save possibly thousands, including four members from a band. this is a stretch of 35 miles. take a look at the pictures in line that have sent us. they have been sitting there some for 19 hours. now these four buses have been making their way to disneyworld in orlando to march in a parade. they're stuck now and they're not sure they're going to make

it t. brand director is on the phone with us. leslie, thank you so much. first of all, i have to ask, how are you and how are students holding up this hour? in there surprisingly, we are doing very well. it was a perfect time of day to stop. it was night and we swept e slept through most of it. >> how long have you been stuck then? >> we were stuck for over 8 hours. >> are you still stuck? >> we are moving slowly through highway 35. it's hilly. we are planning our trip uphill closely. >> you are on i-75? you are going south. i leave they are opened. are you not in that 35 mile stretch, right? >> we left i. everything east of

us was stuck on i-75. we got to mile marker 69 to clear it out of the northbound lanes. >> so you exited the freeway? >> we did. >> okay. >> we are very lucky. >> are they, could you see if they are turning around traffic? because as i understood, if the southbound lanes were opened, the northbound lane was closed? >> it depends where you are in relationship to mt. vernon. >> mt. vernon, okay. so you did see people turning around? >> yes. one of the people that turned around at mile marker 69. >> you said it took you about 8 hours, as you were sitting there. have you gotten any news from the state highway patrol or police? or did you see anybody there trying to hand out food or water? >> we were following tear twitter page. we did call them ourselves to get an update. since we're in a carter bus and we are on our way, we have our own supply of food and heat and

bathrooms, so we are very fortunate we have such an awesome coach company and drivers to get us through this. >> did you get out at all of bus and talk to other people worn stranded while you were there? i'm trying to understand how people, you know, mentally get through those hours sitting there? >> we did not. but i know that some people were out and about and there is patrolmen going up and down as they could checking on people. >> okay. >> we understand that they owe owe we have representatives from the kentucky state police saying they are sitting on a solid street of ice there. it's a rural mountainous area. when do you think you will see this? >> caller: our workshop is sunday. we are mentioning a whole day down if oral. doing some events, but they're movable and our travel company

is working with that. >> we are happy to hear you are on the move. there are some people stuck in that big stretch that is depossibly at this point. it's not moving at all. best of luck to you and the students. best of luck for the jobs that you have ahead of you. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. glad everybody is okay. i want to take you to where the storm is having an impact. if virginia, there is a state trooper injured when his patrol car was rear ended. authorities say that they've responded to nearly a,000 accidents as well as another 800 disabled vehicles. now this storm as we said is facing tennessee. nashville is facing at least eight inches of snow expected to fall. authorities are warning

residents to stay off the roads as well. in georgia, drivers have reported snow and ice on the roads. debris and power lines are causing dangerous conditions and power outages there. derrick. here's the thing, i keep hearing that what we're seeing is the middle of it. the worst may be yet to come. what is the status of this blizzard right now? >> the status is it is deepening, strengthening, materializing into that blockbuster storm. in many of the locations, we anticipate the highest snowfall footings. washington, d.c., over a foot of snow. some of the other locations in excess of 16, 17 inches. there is more to come. this is the center situation,

our low pressure system is starting to gather some steam and it's pulling in that atlantic moisture, which is is necessary for the storm to deepen an strengthen and put in the heavy bands of snowfall, interstate 75, 78, 81, these are treacherous yeah, especially the back roads, anywhere from washington to baltimore. philadelphia, now we have included torque city and the heavier snow band. we have had snow in excess of four inches, downtown, that the manhattan region. look at this. we have winds gusting over 40 miles per hour along the coast of new jersey into long island. stretching south into california and delaware. so we are meeting the criteria of blizzard conditions with visibilities dropping well below a quarter of a mime. here's the additional snow we can expect going forward. back to you. >> my goodness, we so appreciate it. thank you. up next, we want to go to charlotte, north cloirn. there is a huge ice problem

there this morning. trees are breaking under the weight of it. power is being knocked out. we'll talk about that. listen, new jersey governor and republican presidential candidate chris christie is joining us to talk about the winter emergency in his state. who you he is juggling dealing with the storm, keeping the momentum on the campaign trail. he's with us in a bit. stay close.

>> an update this morning for the new york area. it looks like at least 16 inches of snow is forecast for that area now. that's where martin savidge is taking a look at what's happening. we know that jean casarez at one point says streets were pretty empty ought one point. martin, you know you are in the columbus circle area. i'm sorry. you don't look comfortable. >> i'm sorry i gave that away. because it sounds really comfort about. i have to tell you the wind, we have to try to protect the equipment t. wind is howling here. at any moment, it is going to take off and probably end up in new jersey. so if that happens, bear with us. it is a combination of the heavy snowfall coming down and the high winds starting to have an impact here. you will see, there are people out, it's new york.

not a lot of foot traffic. that is for sure, near whiteout conditions right now. at least from a punch perspective, how the city is doing. frank, thanks for joining us. >> i can hear a cow there. at cnn here. we are checking in with now things are in the city operationally. i got you loud and clear. go ahead. >> like you said, i think this is the most, worsttime kind of storm now until late in the evening and the winds are starting to pick up, zero visibility. we had wind gust at jfk a little while ago. 41-mile-an-hour win gusts.

but this is the time where people should stay indoors. the department of sanitation, allow them to do their job. stay safe. >> really. >> i know you got, i think i read like 1,600 plows out there, their primary focus is what is this. >> to keep the main roots operational working together to keep traffic going mplg we are looking at snow anywhere between one-to-two inches an hour could happen in the next eight, ten hours. we will keep the roads impossible. if people stay off the road for us, we will get that done. it will actually help us tomorrow to include the rest of the city for our monday commute. >> that's what you plan ahead

for. foreman will be that dig out day the there. >> there are no disruptions him buses will be delayed because of conditions. they are running. they are as you have seen they have chains on them. i think it's important for people to get on mass transit for the road source. >> one of the things that's different when you deal with a major city. the wind and the impact it has on high rises. you have a lot of people, of course, that live in these circumstances. what are the concerns when you got very strong winds, very high up in buildings? >> so our concern is the debris falling. we have worked closely with the department of buildings is all their contractors have been notified to make sure they tie down all their equipment. what we sigh is if debris falls

off these building, we asked them to tie it down. we will continue to monitor it throughout the day. >> hopefully they've heeded that. thanks, very much for that update on the operations here in the city. fully, we'll continue to stay in touch. jean casarez is out in it. i don't know if you are feeling the wind like we are, but it is howling? >> reporter: marty, it's coming down hard, fast. it's wet t. new york city department of emergency management is saying one to two inches a mile. it is desolate. we found some people behind us. where are you from? >> gains victim, georgia. >> reporter: georgia. your big vacation. you come to new york city. did you expect this? >> no, ma'am. it's our christmas present. >> this is perfect. >> reporter: so it's perfect. are you guys brothers? >>. just friend.

>> reporter: you sure look alike. what are you going to do today? you are mobilized here. >> the good news is not to get inside live, there are a few other people. we had a food time. >> reporter: great, there are benefits of being here when nobody else can get in. >> saturday night live, matinee today, hang out in the snow. >> good point. thanks for coming on t. broadway shows have not cancelled. >> that is a point. very serious for a minute. 200 department of transportation plows are in the area. because these roadways have to be plowed in new york city and also the outlying burrows. also 4 h. people on standby, 600 national guard ready to come out if they have to. as far as the subway. they took hundreds of subway cars if new york city area and put them underground overnight so they would fought freeze. they're bringing them up today. because they want the subways to run as usual and at 8:00 this

morning, we are expecting mayor bill de blasio of new york city to issue a winter storm emergency for the new york city area. marty. >> yeah. this is a storm that seems tore intensified and, in fact, grown stronger than of course the first predictions were. traffic wise, we already seen people there, cars, buses, things like that. you are still seeing that move through the area if time's square? >> reporter: no, look behind me. this is time's square. this is where you normally have so much traffic. it is virtually deserted. very difficult to get a taxi. cars on the roadway are non-existent. far and few between the governor, governor cuomo yesterday said stay home. you are endangering your life and the emergency personnel trying to keep us safe. it is an early hour. but people are hooetding this. they're trying to get roadways clear so anybody that does come

out is safe. marty. >> you know in washington, d.c., jean, they took the extraordinary step of shutting do under the public transportation system. that hasn't happened here in new york, has it? >> no, it hasn't. because they are storing the subway cars under ground. one thing the governor mentioned yesterday, because new york city has had so many disasters from hurricanes to tropical storms, hundreds of thousands of dollars has been put into the infrastructure here. when they're set they're ready to go. new york is ready to tackle whatever comes. >> all right, jean, hand the like her, we are struggling, too, you can see the snow falling down. it's propelled by the high winds. this is only going to get worse. not only in new york, but washington and other major cities here a. lot .

a lot of people are feeling it. >> martin said, it's fought just the snow. it's the wind. some areas anticipating 50 to 60 miles per hour. it is the locality of the snow. as you heard jean say, it's very wet, heavy snow. with that, you have the possibility of downed power lines, therefore, a loss of power. we got 160,000 people reporting they the not have any power. len then let's talk about one of the big stories coming out of this today. it's kentucky. we talked with a woman who has been stranded there for i believe now it's 19-and-a-half hours. she has been stranded on a stretch of i-75 in rock castle county south of lexington. >> reporter: april gilliam is sitting there with her two daughters. these are some of the pictures they sent to us. as well as her father who is a

diabetic. she says there was a police trooper that came up to the car at one point and graciously gave her father his personal snacks, that he had with him, to make sure the father would be okay in that situation. but we also then talked to kendra wilson with the kentucky state police to find out why is it taking so long for people to get to these people? they were looking at, like i said 19-and-a-half hours, now we are talking about real problems in terms of possible medical situations, running out of food out of water t. kentucky state police are doing the best they k. they are sitting on a solid sheet of ice. we will continue, obvious, to think about that. when you think about the amount of people that at this time in cars on a 35 mile stretch of freeway that is not going they were. what is it going to take to get it going again?

we do want to get to you the d.c. area now. 49 todd has been driving through. do i understand you are in maryland now? >> caller: >> reporter: that's right. we are in college park on the capitol beltway. the largest artery in the d.c. area. it is virtually paralyzed. there are whiteout conditions the wind has picked up. it's made the visibility almost down to nothing. we just came upon this scene, notes is similar to something we saw about an hour-and-a-half ago, where an exit was blocked open this road. i will come out to the dash camera. we came upon them too, this exit was blocked. these people could not get off the exit here. you request see it off the dash cam these two vehicles may have hit each other. this is a fairly major exit onto the bellway. this greenbelt, maryland police vehicle has tried to help them

him now you have a public works snow blou him i will switch over to this camera so we have flexible. this is what we are up here giver a wide shot. at its best it was a clear messch they vanished into that greyics many. we got word the virginia state police have numbers, yesterday, they responded to a total of more than a thousand crashes throughout the state. >> that is about five times the daily average on a formal day. about 35 minutes ago at 7:00 a.m. eastern time. they were on the scene of 17 crashes. >> that gives you a sentence of what happens to people when they try to venture out in this stuff. all right. now, i'll go to your left, my right.

this guy is backing up. we got to be careful here. this is what, the cavalry arriving. this is the capitol beltway. they are trying to clear as much as a swath of it poobl. this is a huge reliefch here's the issue, when they clear this and again they're doing a good job. it creates a big snow blitz. >> i hop you get you of there. >> that's another issue, christy. >> we think we can possibly punch through. >> sorry. yes, we will see if they can get these vehicles out. again, they have to keep these exits cleared for first responders coming around. we have seen one other instance where a fire truck could not get

on to the capitol beltway. we can show you a picture. see where this does, if the tow truck can get these people out of here? now the tow truck may be a little stranded. he's going to maneuver out to see if the vehicles can come out. you have, let's see, a snow truck, a small plow, a police vehicle trying to clear this. you had about i'd say eight to ten major snow plows. this is what they woke up to. they frantically try to clear the major arteries. it's really this morning into the afternoon, it will be only the major arteries that gets clea clear. >> i was just going to ask you about that. again, keeping up with the volume of this snow as it comes down very heavy, very wet, rapidly, that is a huge challenge this morning. >> are surface roads there impassable when you get off the

freeways? you are trying to be on residential roads or roads that are up against store fronts and grocery stores? are they impassable? >> reporter: i'm sorry, christy, i couldn't hear you. could uri pete that question? >> wondering what the surface roads are like, you are on the free way, what is it like when you exit the freeway and you might try to get around, is that impossible? >> reporter: it really is impassable when you exit the freeways. company secondary roads and certainly in the subdivisions of which there are a few in maryland and northern virginia. you try to navigate, you will not be able to do it. vehicles like this are getting stuck. secondary roads are very much impassable this morning t. only way you will get around, even that is dicey. >> all righty.

hey, brian, do stay safe there. thank you so mump. you guys are working so hard. wishing the best to you and your crew there. they will be with us throughout the day here. we really a grateful. >> listen, when we come back, we are going to check out some of the other areas where the snow is really dicey. because again forecasters say we are in the middle of this, folks. this is not the end. it's not the beginning. it's the middle. there is a long way to go. we believe we speaking to governor chris christie as well, who is back in new jersey. first, you may want to think because, this week start small thinks big. looks at four friends in san francisco who made buying and selling new furniture easier and better for the environment.

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. all righty. hands are full for new jersey governor and republican presidential candidate chris christie this morning. not only trying to balance his potential candidacy but also trying to balance what he needs to do in new jersey right now. i want to show you some pictures of what was happening there in marget a city, inlot. you can see how quickly the water is flowing, because water has overtaken the harbor. boris said it's actually sending chunks of ice in the residential area there and a business area just beyond where he is

standing. this is precisely the reason new jersey governor chris christie went back to his home state yesterday, taking time off on the campaign trail in new hampshire. governor is with us now. thank you so much governor christie for being with us. i'm wondering, as you look at these pictures in margate, what resources do you have at the ready to help them. >> reporter: listen, we're re y ready. >> listen, we're ready. margate is fighting our dune system the army core of engineers is building in the aftermath of sandy. they said the wall they have was more than enough to stop the water. as you see the morning, it is not. this is just another exam of the real, real bad judgment exhibited for people in margate for not having done that. we don't expect it to be worse even in a place that has not

pursued the dunes like marget a. we're ready, we have the national guard on call. more evacuation, if necessary today along the coast and we have shelters. if they lose their power and need to stay warm, they can't share with trends and family, they can shelter with us. if they can't get to the shelters, that what they should do. >> so governor, at this point, at this hour, as we wait. we know at 8:00 high tide is supposed to hit. outside of margate, are there vulnerable areas that are in need and what is the most urgent need at this hour? >> i think the most urgent need for our residents is to stay inside.

not only because the weather is incredibly nasty as you can see, but because we're doing a good job so far of keeping our roadways passable for emergency vehicles and for the plows to continue to clear them. because we're getting two to three inches of snow an hour at this point so the plow versus to work hard to keep up. so for everybody, please stay inside. don't drive today unless it is an absolute emergency. if you loads your power, report it immediately to your utility company so that you can be placed in the queue to getting your power restored. we're not worried about coastal flooding all that much. it should be street flooding. like the kind you saw in margate. we're going to have a lot of snow, though, inland. we will have upwards of a foot to two feet of snow in certain places, so getting our mass transit system back up, it's something we are, whoing on already. we closed it down at 2:00 a.m. as a precaution. all those things are things we are working on. this is my 17th snow emergency

in six years as governor so our group is ready. we're prepared. the people of new jersey should know, we're on the job. we will do earning we can >> yeah, this clearly is not foreign. this is not a foreign situation to you by any means. >> no. >> now, this is a critical time for you, however. because you're on the campaign trail. we've got new hampshire coming up. i know you tweeted yesterday, sorry, new hampshire we've got snow on the way, i'm going back home. i'll be back. what did you hear, governor, in the last two or three hours before you made that decision that made you say, i need to go back home? because you were adamant, initially, that you didn't need to go. >> no, what i said in the beginning was i had no plans to go home because it was too early to make a judgment then i said i'd monitor the situation as i see necessary. if i thought the circumstances were that i go home, i would.

by yesterday morning, it was significant to me that this would be a significant storm in the state. i don't mean to pick on weather, oftentimes, they don't get it exactly right answer the storm veers off. by 11:00, i was convinced it was going to hit new jersey. it was going to be a significant snow. by then i had no choice at all. my first responsibility is as governor. we were here before the first flake hit the ground here in new jersey. coordinating all the evens. we were doing it by phone, now in person. and i'll be here across the state to see the situation myself and make any adjustments niece for the plan that we've worked on the last 72 hours. >> i'm wondering, how do you balance this storm with the campaign at the end of the day. a lot of people are sitting back, trying to decipher, as they do, every one of your moves, saying, okay, what's more important at this juncture?

new jersey, the peoplech in which -- people of new jersey or new hampshire? >> the people of new jersey. back to my job. when you're governor, you never have a day off. people expect you to be on it and doing your job. so, there was never a choice in my mind. i listen -- i'm enthusiastic about my campaign for president. i'll get back to the voters. but i'll tell you, it was always my intention to take care of my job. my job is being governor of the state where i was born and raised and it was never a choice. the people of new hampshire were wonderful, too. when i told them i had to go home. the good news is my wife, mary pat, has stayed in new hampshire and she's doing some of the events that we have planned. folks can at least get some representation from the christie family up in new hampshire. but the guy who is governor is doing his job and that's exactly

what i'm doing today. >> i know you've been paying attention as everybody has to this overt and contentious divide within the republican party. i'm wondering are you concerned that divide alone may be enough to hand the presidency to the dems? >> i am concerned if we don't bring ourselves together, that every time we tear each other a part, every time there's a negative campaign that goes on. certain folks are big purveyors of this. senator rubio and governor bush has been big per haveurveyors o campaigning. i have not. i'm not going to participate in that kind of stuff. i'm going to continue to talk about my plans and my vision for america's future. and for our party. so, we're going to bring our party together ultimately. but you need voices to stop shooting at each other. i wish senator rubio and governor bush would stop

shooting at each other. quite frankly, i think it's going to hurt their chances to be the nominee as well. >> it's not just those voices. but what do you make of the national review dedicating an entire issue to defeating donald trump? >> ooh, listen, there are conservatives -- they're a conservative organization, who gives out opinion. and so, that's their opinion. and they want to defeat donald trump. they think there are better conservatives in the race to represent the conservative movement. they have every right to say what they're saying. i admire that they're saying what they're saying before anybody votes. they're there to influence voters. they're a conservative voice in the country. they're giving their opinion. people will read about it, i'm sorry, hear about it on programs like yourself. they'll make judgments whether it's valid or not. it's certainly a function of the

organization. they have every right to do what they're doing. in the end, i think that just helps to inform the debate, rather than to do damage. >> it certainly does inform the debate. it certainly does get people talking. i'm wondering at the end of the day, whether it's you, whether it's donald trump, whether it's ted cruz. how confident are you that the republican party as a whole will get behind whoever the electorate says is the nominee? >> well, if it's me, i'm very confident they'll get behind me. because i've had experience over time, in exciting disparate parties. we have nor independents than we have either republicans or democrats. so, i've had experience in doing this. i can't speak for how well the others will work to bring people together. people need to work in new jersey to know that i've been able to bring republicans,

democrats and independents together which is what you need to do to win the election. we're not going to win the election just with the votes that are republicans. we're going to have to win independents and democrats that want a change to two terms of barack obama. that they're looking for something new and different. i think we're the folks that are able to offer them the kind of alternative to ignite the party. as we did in new jersey, we got two-thirds of the independent vote and nearly a third of the democrat vote. >> but if donald trump or ted cruz is the nominee will you get behind them, and do you think the republican party will do so as well? >> i will support the republican nominee whoever that person is. i made that pledge. i'm a republican, i believe in my party and i also believe in the voters of my party. if they select someone other than me, i will support that person. as for the rest of the republicans in the country, they're going to make that decision based upon the conduct of the nominee, that's why i said, i'm confident i'll be able

to bring people together. but for mr. trump and senator cruz, that's going to be up to them to be able to do. they should know if either one of them is the nominee, they'll have my support because i promised that. >> governor chris christie, we appreciate you taking the time. knew you've got an awful lot on your plate today. best luck to you and the crews there trying to keep people safe in new jersey to get through the storm. thank you. >> we appreciate it. thanks for giving us the time. people in new jersey, stay in your home. cnn, thanks for giving us the time to be on. and bring the news to our citizens. you're being helpful. >> thank you, governor. we do our best just like everybody. thank you, best of luck to you and people in new jersey, and in new york, and in virginia, and georgia and tennessee, there are ten states under a state of emergency right now. new york, one of them, we're going to talk live with new york

governor andrew cuomo about the winter emergency there. they are in the thick of it. how is the city coping with the massive amounts of snow and ice and wind that's coming their way -- stay close.

>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. as far as an indication of when we'll be out of here, we don't know, we had an indication 12 hours ago that the interstate would probably be open then. and it's just not happened.

>> reporter: the storm here in north carolina turning deadly at least four people have died glup hope for the best you prepare for the worst. >> reporter: the governor saying 600 national guard members are on standby in case they're needed. >> this is going to be a significant storm but nowhere near the kind of storms we've dealt with over the last six years. >> reporter: the storm here in new jersey is going sideways, towards the coast. >> they're preparing up to 40 inches in this area. >> i've got to walk five miles in this and go over a mountain. >> if you're watching tv seeing the snow falling, you're seeing more of it still this morning. snow across the east coast. cleanup crews ready 0 roto roll. in baltimore, snowplows are out. that city is under a blizzard warning. washington is not ready to let down.

keeping it out there, trying to stay ahead of it. 2 1/2 feet getting set to blanket the city. and there are hard working teens all night in new york's times square, clearing aside the four inches of snow already on the ground there. we want to wish everybody a good morning and good luck, as we continue to try to get through this storm. i want to welcome all of you who are watching here in the u.s. and around the world as well. martin savidge is just north of times square. at columbus circle outside of our cnn bureau there in new york. martin, i know the last time we spoke, you said the wind had picked up. it's not just the snow, it's the wind, the cold, the ice. >> reporter: it's the flooding, christine, also. everything that people are concerned about, the water tides driving that water inland and that's proving to be difficult in the coastal areas. it's a combination of things

making this blizzard triliving prediction. it's coming worse and worse and now we're living the forecast. we're going to talk right now to the governor of new york, andrew cuomo who joins me on the telephone. governor, how are things? how is the state holding up so far? >> well, martin, they upped the forecast on us. to about 16 to 24 inches. and so far, so good. the eye of the storm is supposed to hit new york at about 11:00. and we're afraid the continuation start to deteriorate from there. i declared a state of emergency in new york this morning. the state of emergency gives the governor more control to contract, close roads, et cetera. we have everything open right now.

the roads are open. the subway's open. the buses are operating. but we really caution people that unless it's an emergency, they shouldn't be on the roads. and because we're afraid, as the conditions continue to deteriorate, the roads could become unpassable. and then the situation impounds itself very quickly. >> reporter: a number of states' governors have declared these kind of emergencies days ago. why are you only now getting around to it? >> well when you declare a state of emergency, you tend to impede commerce. people don't go into work. businesses don't open. so there's a cost to basically closing new york city, or closing the metropolitan area. and you really don't want to do it until you have to do it. you have to do it when it becomes a public safety issue.

this morning, i believe it's become a public safety issue. the situation is safe right now. but again with the increased forecast, if the situation continues to deteriorate, it could be a problem. and we wanted to give people to notice this morning. >> reporter: and what about the situation on the water front, coastal areas. what are you hearing there about the flooding, possible impact? >> well, as you said, martin, accurately so. the snow is one thing. we can deal with snow. it's the compounding effect and the negative synergy, if you will. you put the snow together with gusts of wind, up to 60 miles an hour. and then you have places like long island, coastal areas and flooding. and flooding is the real problem. flooding does a lot of damage. it's obviously dangerous.

and that is something we're very concerned about. we have all of the equipment in place. we have the national guard in place. all. army equipment is in case. that is the worst case scenario from our point of view is the flooding. we won't really know until the tides are up. we've gone through hurricanes, superstorm sandy. we've had a number of storms. unfortunately, i've had quite a bit of experience in this area, but flooding would be the worst case scenario, and we're keeping our fingers crossed on that. >> reporter: i agree with you there. flooding is absolutely horrendous to deal with. you mentioned the national guard. i know you have them on standby. have you actually deployed them? are they out there, and what are they doing? >> they're being deployed now. the national guard is extraordinary. first, the equipment they bring is unlike anything we can match with our local and state police.

they have humvees, high-axle vehicles, et cetera. our national guard in new york has been deployed in situations like today. probably six, seven, eight times, just in my short governorship. you know, this concept of extreme weather is very real. so, they are expert and have been trained in weather situations like this. we've used them in flooding situations, evacuation situations. snow removal. traffic monitoring. so, they are the most competent workforce to deploy on a large-scale basis. and they are ready to go, again, it's new york city, long island. westchester. the northern suburbs areas where we're focused now. again, everything is open now, but as the situation continues to deteriorate, we may make decisions to close roads,

suspend some mta service, et cetera. and people need to know that before they leave their home. that's why my strong advice is, unless it's truly an emergency, people have no business being on the roads today, martin. it's not -- we're new yorkers. we're tough. but i don't care how superb a driver you are. i don't care how great a four-wheel drive vehicle, unless it's an emergency, you really shouldn't be on the roads today. >> reporter: governor kwcuomo, echo those sentiments. thank you very much for being with us. new jersey is another one that's struggling. laura sanchez has been following the circumstance, what we were just discovering with the governor of new york, so worried about water. how are things now? >> reporter: martin to give you an idea of what has unfolded in the past hour or so. we were standing on that street

corner down there. within minutes i've never seen anything like it, a rush of water came over from the bay and flooded, which is essentially where our crew we moved out in a few blocks and had to move again. the water continued to push in. what you're looking at now is the peak of high tide. you can see the water that's pushed into the drive aways of these homes. to my right, you can see the water is not necessarily very high in this part. but it did move in quickly and it's in the driveway of these homes. and further down where we were standing earlier there's a lower elevation. so, it is very possible that some of this water went into the business its and homes that are on the shore front there. one other very important thing to know. it has stopped snowing but the wind has picked up significantly. it's a lot more windy than it was even a half hour ago. and that poses several different risks. the main one, power lines. these power lines above me are

shifting very quickly. and with water on the ground if some power line would come down and touch the water. that creates a very, very dangerous situation. fortunately, there are not very many people out here now. we've seen snowplows passing through. frankly, it has melted much of the snow in the area. but people have heeded the warning and stayed inside. >> reporter: all right, forrest, quickly, have they kept the power on out there? some of the barrier islands they shut it down. it's still on? >> reporter: it is the street lights were flickering on and off a few blocks from here. we do know in atlantic county where we are now, 900 people are without power. that number, of course, may go up as the winds pick up. >> reporter: all right, forrest, thank you very much. be careful with you and your crew. we want to check in with miguel

marquez. how are you? >> reporter: i'm fine. i want to show you the snowdrift that has formed here is this a good two or three feet. we've had 10, 11 inches of this area right now, baltimore right now, you pan over to the left, you can see the private towers, they've been tows all night long. that's the only way they've been able to keep some of the streets clear. but as i walk towards you and get towards an area near the building, the wind is starting to howl here. that has been geeg on through most of the night. it will continue through at least 1:00 p.m. today. very, very rough conditions here. in some areas of town, they've had over 12 inches. it appears this storm is doing exactly what they felt it would do. there are about 5,000 people without power across maryland at the moment which is not too bad.

they're trying to stay on top of it. no major issues to report so far. but the snow is coming down heavily. and it will be several days, if not a week, for some places to be able to dig out of this. one concern later on today is that there will be some heavier snow, perhaps sleet mixed with snow in the storm. if you look at the weather maps it's just churning. it's not moving anywhere. that sleet will weigh down the snow, weigh down power lines, weigh down trees and that's where they're concerned about with serious problems across, not only here in baltimore. but across maryland. martin. >> reporter: all right, miguel. thanks very much. as he just mentioned, christi, the storm is drawing a lot of strength out of the atlantic ocean. that's one heck of a supply. we're seeing that play out now. let's get back to you in the studio. >> martin, thank you so much. our coverage is continuing with the deadly blizzard that is affecting millions on the

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take a look at some of the live picks out of washington, we know that they are expected to get 1 to 2 inches per hour. they've got 200 plows. 50 front end loaders. 25 humvees deployed there. and national guard trying to keep things going in washington, d.c. so far, so good it seems there. but we can't say the same thing for pennsylvania now. claire jackson is on a bus with about 50 other people right now. stuck on the pennsylvania turnpike. and she is -- she's joining us,

claire. thank you for taking a little bit of time with what you're dealing with to tell us how it's been. how long have you been stuck on the turnpike there in pennsylvania? >> we have been going on 12 hours now. being stuck on this bus. >> and i think we're seeing some of the pictures that you have sent us of this -- of this, as i understand it, it's about five miles long. what can you tell us about how people are dealing right now with this on that bus. >> right now, everybody's mostly cheerful. some people are kind of stressed out. i know i'm just kind of a little stir crazy right now. everybody is kind of joke eging around, they went to go out and have a snowball fight. but our bus driver won't let us right now. we want to enjoy it to make something that's not so fun to something that's fun and

memorable. >> i was going to say, it's certainly a memory. you can't get away from that. >> you never expect this. >> do you have enough food? do you have enough water? do you know if there's enough gas on the bus to keep you warm? >> well, food wise, we all brought a ton of snacks since it's a 24-hour drive. we're good on food and water. and gatorade. that's good. apparently, the bus driver said we're rung on diesel. so he said we're good for like say week. >> you have seen any patrol, any troopers, any patrolmen coming by to check on you? >> no, we've been told that the national guard has been sent out. but so far, it's just been snow. no. some are driving on the other side of the road, past us, stopped for directions. so far, it's just nothing.

>> it's been nothing. 12 hours. what is your final destination, claire, how far are you from it? >> we are heading back home to kansas city, missouri. >> so you have quite a way to go. all right. >> yes. we certainly do. >> we're glad that everybody there is healthy. that you're making the belt of it -- best of it as you can. i apologize, 12 hours is a long time. keep us posted when you start moving again. thank you, wishing you all godspeed and the very best to get through this. we have samantha phillips with us. she's the director of the philadelphia emergency management department and she's joining us live on the show. thank you so much. we appreciate you being here as well. what can you tell us about this situation particularly on the pennsylvania turnpike? >> actually, i'm here to talk

about local philadelphia. i know there have been inner street restrictions here. here in philadelphia, we got close to 15 inches of snow overnight. we have a lull happening right now but more snow is coming later today with the winds picking up. so, you know, our focus is really trying to get those on the roadways throughout the extent of today, the cleanup will certainly occur well into tomorrow. and just really monitoring the potential for power outages with the mind. >> mrs. phillips, has there been a lot of interruption in power? is it still snowing there right now? i'm wondering if there's a sheet of ice underneath that snow as there is in sorry areas. >> yeah, so, as of now, the snow has lessened a bit so there's a second wave of snow coming

through in the next couple hours. we're going to have heavy snow this afternoon with very poor visibility and high winds. we're under a blizzard watch until 6:00 a.m. sunday. we have just minor power outages at this point. in the northern sections of the city of philadelphia. but certainly as the winds pick up this afternoon, it's something we'll be monitoring closely agency the weight on those power lines increases. >> all right. thank you for letting us know what's happening there. and again, thinking about all of you there as you try to get through, this first leg. and now this second wave that we know, is indeed coming. thank you, semana phillips there. we want to take you to some other areas where the storm is having an impact, of course. in kentucky. we just talked to, you know, claire, who is stuck on the turnpike there in pennsylvania. she's been there for 12 hours. but there are drivers stuck on i-75 who looks like to the best of my estimation here, based on what i've been told, 20 1/2 hours, there are families with

children that are essentially trapped in their vehicles without food. without water. and this backup is about 35 miles long. so we're talking about thousands of people right now. in virginia, a state trooper was injured when his patrol car was rear ended while trying help a stranded driver. authorities there say they've respond stod nearly 1,000 accidents. and another 800 disabled vehicles. the storm is really hitting tennessee, too. nashville favoring the biggest snowstorm in 13 years. take a look at some of the video we're getting in. at least 8 inches of snow expected to fall total there. authorities warning residents to stay off the roads. same type of warning there in the state of georgia. drivers have reported snow and ice on the roads. and the concern now is the ice that's weighing down trees and power lines, because that, of course, can cause dangerous driving conditions and power outages as well. those are the latest pictures we're going through.

we know at this hour, there are 160,000 people who do not have power in the med atlantic region. snowplows have been working out there the night. and charlotte, the downtown area appears to be clear of snow. help us understand what the condition are like there. what are you feeling? >> reporter: well, christi, you mentioned the snowplows, also the folks with the snow shovels working right now. earlier, you mentioned the stages of the storm. you have the early stage. the middle that is currently out in the northeast. this is what the end will look like. the messy mess that folks will have to clear off the sidewalks and also this intersection to make sure they don't run into trouble. but also because temperatures are below freezing here. all the ice that's left behind. i picked up a small piece off the sidewalk here. if you're looking up north, is this not a big deal to be

walking around this, for folks in this region of the country, it's something that they're not used to. again, they have to be extra careful as they head out. as we've already seen tragically several fatal traffic accidents here. and the other point that you mentioned a little while ago, power outages, 150,000 of them here in the mid-atlantic region. many of them here in charlotte region. and it's basically accumulated a lot of ice on power lines. as a result, we saw some of those power outages starting here yesterday. now what they want from the public is patience. we know at least several thousand utility workers have traveled here to try to keep people up and running with heaters again. >> polo sandoval, thank you for the update. listen, i was just talking to you about what's happening in

kentucky with the 35-miles stretch. we talked to a mom trapped in the car for 24 hours. she's not two kids in the car. her dad who is diabetic. we understand there's an update. we're talking to her right now, april gilliam montecinos is with us. april, what can you tell us is happening? >> we're actually moving. we're going 35 miles an hour. the roads are pretty bad. icy. >> you're feeling the ice underneath the snow? >> oh, yeah, we can only go about 35 miles per hour. but we didn't really see anything where it was keeping us held up. we did see one car off to the side that looked like it had caught on fire. but we knew about that earlier in the day yesterday. for here now, it kind of looks like they just got out this morning and started plowing all

of this. >> so, you're moving. you're moving steadily with the flow of the traffic. i've just been wondering since you've been in the car for 20 1/2 hours now. are you going to exit the freeway and stop? or are you just going to try to keep going and make it to toledo? >> well, unfortunately, we have to use the bathroom. we haven't had any food or water because unfortunately, they said that -- the red cross didn't make it to us. i don't know. the red cross didn't make it to a whole lot of people behind us. i noticed on twitter, my dad being diabetic and everything, he's got to get something to eat. we've got to stop off. >> april, i appreciate you keeping us posted. we're sorry that you're going through but we're grateful that you're rockin' and rolling

again. i know it's dicey. and a sheet of ice underneath you. do stay safe. >> thank you. today is my dad's birthday, so, we need to make it back home. >> happy birthday to dad. certainly. >> take good care. >> bye-bye. >> we're back in just a moment. ♪ lost shipments, lost invoices, lost prospects, lost respect. well-crafted solutions for today's problems in commerce. pitney bowes, the craftsmen of commerce.

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>> reporter: i'm martin savidge in new york city. as you look at a story that is continuing to develop by the hour. and that is this massive blizzard of a snowstorm that is impacting the eastern part of the united states. 85 million people are feeling the brunt of this storm that has only increased with intensity since early hours of this morning. washington, d.c. started feeling it yesterday. now, new york city feeling it as well. where the conditions here are blizzard conditions. near whiteout as far as any visibility. the howling winds and now very strong concerns about coastal flooding. it is a storm that people are going to remember for some time to come. check out the shear size of this monster storm with a view from outer space as it bears down on 85 million americans in 22 state. >> we want to know what it's like out there, what are you guys dealing with? >> it's horrible out there.

if you're out there, go home and stay there. >> reporter: the storm is also responsible for numerous deaths including two people killed in traffic accidents. overnight, 75 and kentucky, drivers stranded after a series of crashes closed all lanes. >> it's just a complete standstill. people have their cars turned off to save their gas. it's very windy. >> reporter: meanwhile, the nation's capital in baltimore take a direct hit, effectively, shootarounding down those cities. >> we see this as a major storm. it has life and death implications. and all of the residents of the district of columbia should treat it that way. >> reporter: and the weather is expected to get even nastier. 2 inches of snow may fall per hour in some spots. the projected extreme high end, 40 inches total accumulation.

sand expect hurricane-force wind gusts to hit the eastern seaboard with the possibility of flooding. >> flooding is a challenge for us. it was a big challenge during sandy. we were hit very hard in james, where the storm surge came up almost a mile in our district. >> reporter: already, the numbers are staggering. 7,000 flight cancellations through sunday. and 150,000 power outages all contributing to make this one of the worst storms on record. >> could definitely do without it. i'd like to have that 60 degree weather back that we had in december. >> reporter: and the weather continues to deteriorate. the governor of new york up until a short time ago declared a state of emergency. something he hadn't done to this point. but the report initially had not been that bad. really that forecast has changed. i know what it it neens miss garcia, she's the commissioner

of the sanitation here. i know it's your responsibility to keeping the streets clear. i've seen the plows out there. it's falling so fast, i'm not sure they can keep up. what do you hear? >> i know, we're facing an extremely difficult storm. we've seen one inch per hour snowfall already. we anticipate we could see bands that are three inches per hour. but we have 2500 pieces of equipment between sanitation equipment, hired equipment and our city partners. so far, we've been able to keep most of the roadways passable. i want to stress that we're still seeing traffic out there. and people really need to get out of the way. these are conditions that are dangerous for unprofessional drivers to be in. and really, you cannot be on the road? >> reporter: and what are your

priori priorities, the main thoroughfares that you want to keep open? >> we have the main parts that are designated our primary route. those are our focus first. however, all the secondary and tertiary routes we need to make sure that we're making passes. because it's coming down so fast, we can't let it get to 20 inches before streets see us. i want to stress, even if we've been there, it is falling so fast that you're going to face very, very difficult conditions. >> reporter: and side streets, neighborhood streets do they sort of have to take a backseat in priority? >> they are not as high a priority. but we are making sure that we are getting to them in the beginnings of this storm. as i said before we do not want to be in a situation where we haven't gotten to them and it's 20 inches. we can't be in that situation. so, we are making sure that we're coming off the criticals and going into those

secondaries, periodically through this storm. but this is an extremely difficult storm to fight. and we need to make sure we're out there so emergency vehicles can get through. >> reporter: commissioner garcia, thank you very much. we wish you and your cruise good luck. and stay safe, as they work to keep the streets clear. we've seen a lost your people out there. we know they're trying do the job. it's a little overpowering at this point. chris frates down in washington, d.c. he's in the bull's-eye of this blizzard. chris, we're seeing it intensifying here. i'm just wondering what are you feeling down there? >> reporter: we're still feeling. it's been hitting us all morning, martin. we're getting new snow totals. there's a least a foot on the ground in in washington areas. some places have a foot and a half already. this storm is coming down at two inches an hour. we're getting bands coming through, very heavy, wet, big

flakes. and some of it is powder flakes almost like good for a ski trip in the mountains if we weren't in the middle of washington, d.c. usually over my left shoulder is a beautiful shot of the united states capitol. you can't see it. it's still kind of whiteout conditions here. we're getting off the hook with winds. they're only reporting wind gusts of 15 miles per hour. they were forecast up to 40. we're still waiting to see if that wind kicks in. we're still hearing from city officials that that could happen. and if it does happen, they're worried that will start to bring down the power lines. so far, we've also gotten away pretty easily with most of the power in the area. virginia is reporting about 5500 people without power. out of 2.5 million. and spotted outages in d.c. and maryland. so far, everybody has their lights.

they're toasty. the main thoroughfares are probably passable with four-wheel drive. they're trying to keep them open for emergency. and all of that to get 39,000 tons of salt out on the road. they did get out early. they started pretreating those roads. that's been really helpful as they continue here. officials warning that this is a life and death storm. so, they're asking people, just hang out. stay inside. and we're only halfway through this storm, martin. so we have a whole other day to go. >> reporter: and you have to leave it with that, didn't you? because it is really, really something to look forward here in new york city. all of that yet to come. you know, that's been part of the problem with governor christie. we have seen the way the storm is. i wouldn't say surprised but definitely a change especially if you're in the new york city area, the governor of new york now saying he had to declare a state of emergency. something apparently he hadn't

considered. it shows me how the storm is intensifying, christi. >> martin, thank you so much. listen, it's also intensifying in new jersey. we've had really intense pictures coming out of new jersey. particularly the margate area particularly after speaking with governor christie. we'll tell what you he said about that. also get the very latest on what's happening in the d.c. area, too. but, i don't know if you've noticed this week, we've been sharing these stories about the people who have changed the lives of some of the anchors here at cnn. a lot of people would say, sanjay gupta is pretty much an inspiration for an awful lot of people. but he so graciously shared who inspired him. here's dr. sanjay gupta. my job is going to take all of this money here and some of it here. >> okay, so it isn't hard to see why this woman is high impact.

right now, she's operating on the brain of this 2-year-old boy. she's training a team of surgeons. and 25 years after we first mitt, dr. quinn moraco is teaching me about the brain. and yes, she's doing all of this from a wheelchair. >> i remember the first time i met her, we were walking down the hall just talking she wore a brace on her leg. i didn't know how fast to walk. i was kind of lingering along. at one point she looked at me and said, why are you walking so slow? let's go. that set the tone for us right from the beginning. you see, corinne isn't just the person who change might life. >> sanjay -- >> yes, ma'am? >> she's changes thousands, most of them her patients. >> very slow so far. all right, guys.

take care. >> there's no doctor i've ever met that can truly understand the experience of her patience like corinne. >> this kid has two parietal -- >> born with spinal bifida, a malfunction of they are spinal cord. >> my grandmother and mother used to have these philosophical conversations what would be good for me. my grandmother would say to my mother, oh, don't push her so much. you know, a handicapped girl the most she's ever going to do is sell pencils on the corner or be able to maybe help out in the library. my mom would say, no, no, no, that's not true, you never know what kids can do. >> but even her own mother couldn't have predicted how quickly corinne could excel on the playground of men. there's a great picture of you, i think columbia. >> it's graduating from medical school. >> it's easy to pick out. it's all men.

>> all men in gray and blue suits. what you can't tell, the photograph that you see is in black and white, i'm in a red and white suit at the apex of the triangle, sitting in the front row. >> how did they treat you? >> you know, i think that they treated me, at times, fairly. and some people were just great mentors. some of my mentors were, i think, damn proud of the fact that they could take someone who didn't look like the mold of a neurosurgeon and make them into a neurosurgeon. >> i present to you corinne moraco, the 2015 distinguished service award winner. >> corinne didn't just break the mold she shattered it. today, corinne has been given one of the highest awards from the congress of neurological surgeons. not just for her work in the united states, but around the world. >> thanks very much. ♪ >> okay. excellent. >> like here in guatemala where she's volunteering her time to

the neediest of patients. to be able to take a scalp to another human being and leave him with a story you have to have an awful lot of fact. things will go really well. if you truly believe in yourself and not able to ask yourself, am i doing the right thing. tell me how you guys met as a blind date. >> first blind date we've ever been on. >> corinne is also a wife to husband scott and a mother to paxton and alexandria. two amazing children they adopted from russia. as i sat with them, the question i kept asking my how does a person with such genuine humility, who shattered all the rules also become the first female chair of neurosurgery in the entire country. >> oh, lord it never sparked me. i'll be honest. i was the last person standing.

it's true -- okay. >> corinne, you're like a model -- >> it's true, it's true, honestly. >> it's not the truth. she wasn't the last man standing. she was the first woman standing. >> i like that. that's great. before i got into medical school, i didn't really understand the value of mentorship, i think. and i think a lot of people, if you were to ask them how important is a mentor, and if they told you, not that important, it probably means they never had a great mentor. corinne always told me things i needed to hear, not just what i wanted to hear. >> my job is not to be just like your mom and dad but to remind you also of who you are which is a doctor, who took an oath, who cares so deeply about his patients who recognizes not an insignificant part of who is, that physician that surgeon. what i heard corinne say throughout my residency, i don't

care who you are, a person working in the hospital, a patient, a colleague, whoever it may be, everyone matters equally and infinitely. and i don't think there's a more powerful message in terms of shaping who i am and shaping a lot of the people she's trained. >> i love you. >> this all was a great reminder about how necessary it is to take the time to tell people how much they change your life. >> it took me 25 years to get this. you realize, one of your hardest won interviews. >> it probably is. you don't like to be interviewed? >> no. >> is this weird four? >> yeah, extremely weird. >> tune in this sunday for the person who changed my life. that is tomorrow night, 8:00 eastern, only here on cnn.

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>> reporter: i'm martin savidge, in new york city, where like many cities on the eastern seaboard they are really getting the brunt of the storm. it seems that right now is the critical hours.

we have washington's conditions continue to deteriorate. the winds continue to increase. pretty much a whiteout and a photobomb. a whiteout situation that you're looking at in new york city. this is really the treacherous part for people driving but walking around on foot. brian todd has been checking out in the maryland section, outside of washington, d.c. and brian, how are things? >> reporter: yes. okay. coming to me now. >> reporter: coming to you right now, as in matter of fact, go ahead, brian. oh, sorry, i apologize, martin. i'm sorry, we're in the middle of a fluid situation here trying to get on an exit to 495, i apologize noor. let me go off the dash cam, first, you can see a stranded

van, he can't really move at all. is this a very typical scene, exits coming really on to anywhere of the capital beltway. a lot of them are blocked off. i can get out and go to the dash camera from outside the vehicle and maybe direct you to another stranded vehicle up ahead here. i'll pop out for a second. what we're told, martin is that this morning there have been more than 120 some accidents just in the state of virginia. this morning, there were more than 1,000 accidents in virginia, all day yesterday. maryland is dealing with jackknife ed tractor trailers a over the place, along the beltway. any secondary roads are nearly impassible at this hour. you can see why, we've got whiteout conditions. the wind has picked up. this guy cannot get out. sometimes, emergency vehicles are coming to their aid getting them out of the way to clear the exits. i'm not sure that's going to happen here. because there's a lot of snow on this part of the exit. and another stranded vehicle.

i don't know if you can see it just ahead. but that is a very typical scene here. a lot of accidents along the capitol beltway. we have an emergency vehicle moving ahead of us here, i think he's going to try to assist that guy over there. what we're trying to do is give you a sense of how the arteries are. even the major arteries are almost impassible. the secondary arteries, forget it. i was just on the phone with a state highway official, this gentleman said to me any decision basically to get in a vehicle right now is a dangerous one. even when you're among the first responders. even if you've got a heavy vehicle that handles well in snow, just don't get out. we see evidence of it everywhere we go, martin. >> reporter: the man alongside me, doug oldinger. he's dressed to run, not dressed to stand. what are you doing out here and why?

>> i'm doing a training program. we've got about ten folks that want to come out and have a good time. >> reporter: you're actualy going to go run in this weather? >> yeah, it's a lot of fun. >> reporter: do you worry about footing? let's face it, it's not exactly stable? >> you're right. we do worry about the elements. we kind of adjust the workout for the day. we'll take things slower. we'll avoid the hills and use caution with the idea of having a good time. >> reporter: let me ask you something, you and me, why didn't you wake up this morning, look out the window and say no way? >> because how often does this happen. this is like a magical moment. look at it, it's gorgeous. the city's call you it's clean it's quiet. what are you going to have this opportunity to get this experience you need to get into it. everybody does. >> reporter: doug, please be careful out there. good luck to you and your fellow runners. >> all right. >> reporter: a positive slice of life in what is a difficult day. we'll be back with more

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edging toward the 9:00 hour here in new jersey, not only are they dealing with this powerful blizzard, but within the last hour, we're seeing flooding hitting parts of the shore. margate, new jersey, just south of atlantic city. water flowing with chunks of ice this is coming towards homes and businesses.

moments ago, we did talk with new jersey governor chris christie about this ongoing situation and his abrupt trip home from the campaign trail. >> we're ready, we have the national guard on call for evacuations if necessary. although we don't believe there will be evacuations necessary, today along the coast. and we have shelters in every county in new jersey if people lose their power and need to stay warm. and they can't shelter with friends or family which is obviously the first choice that they can shelter with us. we have shelters with every county in the state. we're ready to have local police help them if they need assistance in getting to the shelters. they can't get to the shelters that's what they should do. what i said in the beginning was i had no plans to go home because it was too early to make a judgment. i said i'd continue to monitor the situation if necessary. if i thought the circumstances were that i go home, i would. by 11:00 yesterday, it was clear to me that this was going to be

a significant snow in the state. the storm, i don't mean to pick on weathermen, but oftentimes, they don't get it exactly right and the storm reverse off to where it was supposed to hit us by 11:00 yesterday i was convinced it was going to hit us. my first responsibility is to the people of my state as governor. >> we'll let you hear more of our conversation with the governor at 10:00 as well. but i want to take you to some other areas that this storm is really having an impact in. kentucky, first of all, thousands of drivers have been stuck on interstate 75. some for more than 20 hours. we're talking about families with small children. they didn't have food. they didn't have water. but authorities say the backup about is 35 miles long, these cars, for 35 miles. we do understand they are moving now, though. and in virginia, a state trooper was injured when his patrol car was rear ended while trying to help a stranded driver.

authorities say they have responded to nearly 1,000 accidents and another 800 disabled vehicles. and this tomorrowstorm is hitti tennessee, too, nashville. as you can see by the picture we're getting in. listen, we're going to take a break here. we're going to see you back at 10:00 eastern with more on the storm coverage. let you know what's happening around the world. "smerconish" is coming up after a short break. stay close. iall across the state belthe economy is growing,day. with creative new business incentives, and the lowest taxes in decades, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in the hudson valley, with world class biotech.

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♪ i'm michael smerconish. right behind me, out the window is columbus circle, in the center of midtown manhattan. as you can see, or maybe barely see, the storm has hit here big force. big snow, big news today. i'll have the latest on this epic snowstorm that's paralyzing the northeast. leaving eight dead and 9400 flights cancelled as well as updates on several big stories. my exclusive reporting continues on the legal mess in bill cosby's criminal prosecution in pennsy