Skip to main content

tv   New Day  CNN  September 7, 2017 5:00am-6:00am PDT

5:00 am
56,000 people don't have water and who knows how long it will take to have it restored. the tiny island of barbuda did not escape the storm's powerful wrath. this is what 185 miles an hour wind does to standing structures, it's a disaster zone. the prime minister flew over the island, says 95% damaged or destroyed. barely habitable. remember, there are more storms coming. the death toll rising. the united nations say the hurricane could impact up to 37 million people. cnn has this hurricane covered like no other network can. let's begin with cnn meteorologist chad myers. we're also seeing that you don't need to have a complete hit to have a complete disaster. >> absolutely. because this is so wide. everyone on the florida peninsula the hurricane force. someone will feel 150.
5:01 am
it is nothing like 110 or like 80. just exponentially goes up with 150. here's the track. it hasn't changed overnight. it's truly the exact tame track as yesterday. very close to key laryngoand straight on up into homestead and miami procedure. it is a significant storm for the entire florida coast, one side or the other. let me take you to something here. we know where the storm is. we know where it's going. but what happens when it does hit key larg goe. fairly unpopulated here. ocean reef there and up toward homestead, coral gablesk right where andrew went through. now to downtown and what we're expecting here. this is the third tallest city in america. there are 70 buildings over 40 stories high and many of them higher than that. and now let's take a look at this graphic. we just got a wind gust at the surface from the hurricane hunter ar craft of 146.
5:02 am
but 600 feet up, guys, the wind gust was 206 miles per hour and there are buildings that are taller than that. the it exponentially goes up the higher you get. as this begins to approach miami, you need to be out if you're in a high-rise. i don't think there's a window in america that will take 206 miles per hour. >> that's very important context. thank you so much for the graphic. joining us now is fema administrator brock long. thank you very much for taking time to talk to us. i remember talking to you two weeks ago basically exactly this time as harvey was barrelling down on houston. so now, today, what are you seeing? >> well, bottom line is very similar to the way we lean forward with harvey. doing the same with irma. the numbers are coming up. nearly 3,000 federal work force in place. not only in the virgin islands and puerto rico but also in
5:03 am
florida. basically south carolina, georgia, north carolina as well. immobilized to the southern eastern united states. three navy ships are off the coast of puerto rico to support life saving missions today. >> so as you look at this model on our screen where it does look as though florida or at least its entire coast line is going to take this direct hit, what's your biggest fear? >> right now we just need people to heed the evacuation warnings being issued in the state of florida. but i expect more of those warning orders to be issued by local and state officials in georgia, south carolina, north carolina, over the next 24, 48 hours. so the entire southeastern united states better wake up and pay attention. >> just to reiterate that, there are mandatory evacuations. the we spoke to the mayor of the
5:04 am
miami beach area. with in one-two punch, this rapid fire of these two storms are you worried about funding today? i know funding is on its way but today, do you have enough of what you need? >> i'll never allow paper work and money to get in the way of saving lives, we're pushing forward. i have a healthy relationship with the congress. we need to continue forward. they know that they have a job to do to support texas and southeastern. not only the southeastern united states for irma but a multitude of disasters. i think there's over 30 different ones active right now in the united states that fema's working. bottom line is i'm leaning forward. of i'll let them do their job while i do mine. >> you're no staranger to this. the when you hear category five
5:05 am
hurricane. you just heard chad myers gives the report of something like 200 miles per hour gusts. what goes through your -- put this in context for us of how concerning, what you hear about irma is. >> well the united states is only been hit by three category 5 storms since 1851 if my memory serves correct. the labor day storm of 35, a meal in 69 and andrew in 92. bottom line the majority of people along the coast have never experienced a major hurricane like this. it will be truly deaf stating. the reason we're asking you to evacuate is largely because of coastal surge flood inundation. >> so while we watch irma, barrelling towards florida, can you give us an update in houston and the surrounding areas? i was there reporting last week. i saw all of the displaced people. i was in the shelters.
5:06 am
so how is it looking today? >> well, we've established recovery command to help the governor, governor abbott and those local communities to achieve their recovery goals. it's going to be a long recovery for two reasons, one it takes a long time to pick um, the debris and two, it's a very complex mission to get people into transitional housing as they rebuild their lives. my goal is through individual assistance and your housing assistance programs to restore hope and provide them an initial bridge to recovery are. i can't make them whole but we are working around the clock. as of yesterday i think we had over 30,000 federal government workers in texas trying to effect recovery, but the citizens of texas are going to have to be in for the long hall. this is a tough one. >> for sure. in your experience when people's homes are destroyed, how long does it take them to rebuild and have a sense of normalcy again? >> well, it depends.
5:07 am
first is insurance. we have to prepare a true culture of preparedness. understand how the policy works. how to mitigate your house. there's a lot of pre-disaster mitigation that needs to take place. how do you actually mitigate your house from elevating your heating and air-conditioning systems, elevating your homes to mitigating them for wind, to do you have three to-six months of rainy day fund in your savings account to overcome disasters. the we've got a long way to go. these are landmark events. it's time to united states to wake up and take preparedness seriously. >> those are really good tips. i keep getting this question. i don't know the answer. for people who don't have flood insurance, what is there for snem? what happens? >> so unfortunately, there is individual assistance that's capped at a certain amount that fema provides to provide rental
5:08 am
assistance. in some cases, it's findsing for those that may have lost their job result. but their only other option is really small business administration does low interest loans to help them repair and rebuild their homes that they had. but it's going to be a frustrating process. we do realize there were many uninsured victims out there in texas. >> well, brock long, thank you very much for all of this sobering information this morning and obviously we'll check back with you as irma progresses. >> thank you. >> all right. and we do have concerns about how people are going to recover in the united states, but it is nothing in terms of the desperation you will see in h e hai haiti. cnn's paula newton joins us now. this is the moment of calm before the storm. wind starting to pick up. >> reporter: the expectation is
5:09 am
they will not take a direct hit, but as i keep telling everyone, this place does not have to see a direct hit for there fob ep irk h.ic demonstration. we have seen the northern coast is going to take the brunt. very little preparation in terms of the basics, food and water. having said that, some evacuation centers are open. chris, where does that leave people? that leaves people with a tin roof and a few pieces of plywood. that is their home with flooding and mudslides being a major concern. not a lot of help coming from the government. it hasn't been forthcoming. it could be days before we understand the impact of this hurricane. a lot of them praying. that's all you can do. we have seen, it's been unsettling, chris. very few amounts of evacuations or 120king up.
5:10 am
any kind of really knowledge. the storm is approaching. they know it's going to rain and hard. and winds will be quite strong and that's about it. >> look, let's be honest, the place checks every box for risk. doesn't have good emergency services, people don't have insurance. house construction is crap. they're prone to mudslides, deferest tation. no object to recover afterwards. it is good to have you there. be safe my friend and let us know what happens. what we've seen so far from this storm ain't good. the images just show what 185 miles an hour winds can do. the this is the tiny caribbean island of barbuda. the hurricane reducing everything of everything in its path to rubble. the prime minister joins us now. sir, sorry for the loss. well, we've had one fatality. it could have been worse, and it shows that there is significant level of unpreparedness.
5:11 am
otherwise there would have been many more. so we are grateful, even though saddened by the fact that the bar bud an structure has been des mated. natural disaster of unprecedented. it is one of the worst national disasters that any country certainly within this hem miss sphere perhaps barring haiti. >> 95% seemed to be damaged or destroy. barely habitable the words you used. you're right there is a blessing in not having had tremendous loss of life. the but for those there, only a measure of sole las because they have to figure out how to live there. le how will people make it when so much is gone? >> one of the problems is that the own the land in common. so invariably they do not get
5:12 am
mortgages. most of these properties have been constructed. and they're not insured. we cannot even look for the insurance proceeds. they will have to bear the brunt of expenses to rebuild. it is really beyond the means of our. at this time we are seeking assistance. and this is absolutely quintessential if we make the type of recovery that we need. >> mr. brown, are you worried that you're going to see a lot of flight from the island? is th that people will decide this is too much, pick up and start elsewhere? >> well, they tend to be extremely loyal to the country. i believe that temporarily some of them will move, especially in light of the impending storm. hurricane jose. the lasting thing we want is to
5:13 am
have a significant amount go, anyone for that matter. these storms more ferocious, come in a greater frequency. and climate change it real. you're living the consequences of climate change. and those who do not belief in climate change, we're hoping that when they would have looked at these natural disasters they'll change the position. all of us need to believe in it and take collective action. >> right. well look, there's a broader discussion to be had. that is true. a lot in the political spectrum in h the united states don't want to have that conversation right now. they'll blame it on urgency but don't like the subject matter. the immediate concern for you now, how many people are we talking about that are still on the island and obviously shelters in short supply? >> between 1800 and 2 y,000.
5:14 am
we are making every effort possible to send over relief supplies. >> okay. >> miami flown into the country. some fra panama. and get some plywood and restore some them immediately. depending as to whether or not jose is going to hit land and whether it becomes a threat. then we may have to take a last minute decision to evacuate everyone. >> all right. mr. prime minister, as you get information about what is needed and how people can help, please relay it to us. we'll be in touch with your office. see us as a resource, be safe and be well. i wish you quick recovery. >> thank you very much. appreciate it. >> chris, we will of course have much more on hurricane irma, but first, president trump surprising his own party when he sided with democrats on a debt
5:15 am
ceiling deal yesterday. so republican congressman and aindividual trump supporter is going to join us life to tell us how he feels today. another day of work. another round of all of this. why do you do it? why do you put up with it? it's not just a paycheck. you actually like what you do. even love it. and today, you can do things you never could before. you're developing ai applications on the cloud. finding insights hidden in decades of medical documents. turning social data into new designs. managing millions of iot sensors and monitoring billions of security events every day. so grab some leftovers and get back to it all you engineers, retailers, doctors, bankers, or whatever it is you do - and do the best work of your life.
5:16 am
5:17 am
year with the new sleep number 360 smart bed. it senses and automatically adjusts on both sides. the new 360 smart bed is part of our biggest sale of the year where all beds are on sale. and right now the sleep number queen c2 mattress now only $699. ends sunday!
5:18 am
le president trump reportedly blind-siding members of his own party by endorsing a democratic plan for a short term debt limit extension and money for the victims of harvey. will that plan pass muster with
5:19 am
republicans? do they even have a choice. joining us, chris collins. the good to see you as always. >> good to be with you. back in d.c. >> a lot of work to be done. no question about it. there's two different versions of what the president did. one is he went around republican leadership, made people upset, gave the democrats too much leverage didn't get a long enough deal on the debt ceiling, only three months. you guys wanted more like six. the other is he cut out the partisan bs, went to the source and allows you guys to now focus on tax reform, health care and other big ticket items. which side are you on? >> i'm on the latter side that donald trump went to the source. he had to. we have a full i buster issue when it comes to that issue. he went to senator schumer. we have 52 republicans, do ens have 60. he went where he needed to go to find out what senator's schumer's appetite was on the
5:20 am
debt ceiling. i point out we technically hit the limit last march. we're six months yojbeyond that. by extending the debt ceiling until december 15, in point and fact, using extraordinary measures, it could go into next june or july. we're just now tonight midnight voting on appropriations bills, the privatetization of air traffic control. i think trump did what he thought was best. he is the coe, if you will, of the country. i'm fine with you. and meanwhile we can and have to focus on some of the other issues. >> why is the leadership talking in abundance about how they're upset about it? >> i have not heard that. yesterday in our conference we got the distinct impression this is exactly what we were going to see. and clearly, some people -- and
5:21 am
i'm one of the folks who would say why do we have a debt celling? it's because we spend more than we bring in. run deficits. we have to pay our bills. there are people who would say let's just have an automatic increase in the debt ceiling. when you run out of money you have to raise it. we have to pay our bills. so really, it's a vote we have to take. we've always taken it, always will. whether we do it in december, whether we do it in june or put it on a perpetual automatic increase, which is what i think we should do. >> that's because you're a businessman though. obviously you would run it very differently if this were a business. it's no the a business. so many of the services aren't in a profit mode. you also give up all of this political leverage the party wants to use to wage war over fiscal responsibility the. that's why the business acumen
5:22 am
doesn't always freedom nate but i like what you're saying about you country over party. some of the gop is upset. so be it. let's talk about some of these other big ticket items. daca. you got your own bill, interestingly, it's actually all sponsored by republicans and has a save the dreamer rs situation with it. the but it does deal with future registrations and those types of need z as opposed to being permanent. do you believe that congress will come together to create a permanent solution for the droemers? >> well, i hope so. that's why the bill that i'm on with carlos gives them -- the dreamers as long as they're working on the education, military, law-abiding citizens, gives them five years of certainty at the end of which they would have another five years to get through the application process of a green card. so in fact, this bill would give them certainty. would result in a green card. >> so it's not five by five by five. it's five, as almost a probation
5:23 am
period and if everything goes right then you can apply for full citizenship. >> you can then get in the line for a green card. and what we haven't discussed, chris, is whether that would lead to zit stenship or not. i don't a problem if it does for the dreamers, not for the adults who broke the law coming here. it's all about permanent work status for the adults. the but for the kids that came here and lived here, if there is a path to citizenship-- >> what do you say to members of your own party who say they're fruit of the poisonous tree. they came who here. if they don't rat on their parents to help in the deportation promise they should be seen as criminals themselves that's almost verbatim with steve of steve king says. >> i believe they're better than that. we're a compassionate country. i know i come from a big dairy area and also add where the
5:24 am
undocumented workers, that's what i call them. i don't want to call them illegal immigrants. i prefer the term undocumented. they've been there for over ten years raising their families. we need to get the borders secure. which was the route cause of these problems. we have to have a pathway for legal work status for the adults as well as the dreamers, and if the dreamers end in citizenship, i don't have a problem with it. these are kids living just like, going to school with our kids, looking forward to living the american dream, whether they're going to be a teacher, engineer, or whatever profession, maybe a cnn host. >> that's a low bar, congressman, you should have higher hopes. let me ask you something else. what if the quid pro quo on the daca deal comes down to the wall? we know it has a tremendous amount of political currency.
5:25 am
the democrats keep saying it is a non-starter. where are you within your party if they say we've got to get the wall if we give them a daca deal? >> the irony is the $1.6 billion we're talking about for the wall. >> as a first installment. >> in many cases this is actually finishing out areas that were part of the obama plan to secure the border. this is border security, and when you look at where that money's going, it's not a 20-foot wall. in some cases, it's a levy or a barrier in the water. it's some fencing. it's securing our borders and for some reason, we no why, the term the wall has entered into the narrative. it's securing our borders. that's what it is. and. >> that's not what the president tells people. he says he' going to build a new, beautiful, very high balwa. he's created political currency
5:26 am
around this. im this is not what you're saying now. i'm not saying you're wrong. you're certainly more right in erm its of what i'll hearing. how do you tamp down that rhetoric? >> call it a down payment. it's important we secure the bother borders. a must will be on the republican side to say we now have control of the borders. we'll deal with it once and first of all and not have to revisit it ten more years down the road with another 10 million undocumented workers. the rhetoric is the rhetoric. let's face it. it's always going to be. the minority party is always going to jump on whatever sound bite works best for them. >> leadership starts at the top. the talk from the top. chris collins congressman from new york. thank you very much for joining us. >> good to be with you. >> of course be tracking
5:27 am
hurricane irma heading straight for florida. we'll give you an update next.
5:28 am
5:29 am
5:30 am
5:31 am
hurricane irma is ripping through the caribbean heading to florida. coastal evacuations are already under way in some places, many people still scrambling for water, food and fuel. let's talk about this with senator bill nelson of florida. >> good morning. >> i know that yesterday you were down in the miami area. you met at west palm, with emergency officials. what did they tell you are their biggest kerp concerns? >> i . >> right now the roads are clogged, people are trying to flee. they're taking seriously. you can imagine the congestion coming out of the keys but it's now on every interstate and toll road with tolls spended all over the state. we desperately need gasoline and
5:32 am
that's what i fired off an e-mail last night to the head of fema to see if they can get gasoline into the state, because people, they're running out in their cars. they can't get it in the gas stations. >> we're looking at on the other side of the screen from you already seeing the traffic heading out of the danger area, or trying to. a lot of it is clogged. when you wrote that e-mail trying to sound the alarm about gas sthor ages, what was the response? >> well that was late last night. and this is early this morning. we'll keep it up. i came back to washington to vote on this aid package. we've got to get the fema money because it runs out tomorrow. and what i've asked both leaders in h the senate, along with my colleague, senator rubio, is if we could put into the harvey package money for irma, because this one is bearing down.
5:33 am
the last two days, basically the track hasn't changed. it's going to hit south florida and come right up the east coast of florida. >> what's in the response to your request to try to get money now for irma? >> this $15 billion aid package, i think there will be some flexibility in there for not only harvey, but also fema in irma. remember, fema is really stretched on its resources. it runs out of money tomorrow. it's already started to pull people out of texas to pre position them for florida. and fema's only got so many people and so much money. and that's why this aid package is critical. >> yeah. we did talk to brock long about this very thing earlier in the hour who said that they're going to do their best and he's not
5:34 am
watching the nichols and dimes right now. just worried about people's lives. but it seems like you were writing a flurry of letters not just to fema but sort of an e-mail writing tick to all sorts of people trying to sound the alarms. you wrote to the ftc, you wrote to noaa because you're worried about what? hurricane hunters? >> indeed. we've got a single point failure in our g-4 that flies above the hurricane and proves the track accuracy by 15%. that's a single point failure. same thing with the hurricane hunters that go in h at 30,000 feet, fly around in the eye of the storm. they drop sounds, now dropping unmanned aerial vehicles that help improve the accuracy.
5:35 am
but we only have so many of those planes. and we've been kicking fema for years to try to get the backup planes to do it. air force planes will help. but, on that g-4, there's only one of them that can fly above and drop those instrumented packages above the hurricane. >> all right. well you, certainly are keeping your eye on all of these things, and all of the possible voids, but thank you. i know that you are just issuing a warning to everybody to be on their game, because irma is headed to florida. the senator -- >> by the way, if that were not enough, now we got to worry about the airlines starting to jack up prices for the available seats, and they're not many -- to get out of florida. so that's another one of our tasks. >> okay. you have a very busy day, and a full plate. senator thank you so much for taking time for us. >> thanks. >> and where you see gouging on
5:36 am
line or else where, send it to us on our threads. you know how to get me on twitter and elsewhere. we will call it out. sometimes there's an okay reason for it it. of the sometimes no tt. >> there is another story you have to hear and think about. he's a star on the football field. now he says he was a target of excessive force. there was a policing incident that has a seahawks lineman taking on the las vegas police. we'll tell you about it next. au, fresh and nutritious. so there are no artificial colors, no artificial flavors, no artificial preservatives in any of the food we sell. we believe in real food. whole foods market.
5:37 am
dale! oh, hey, rob. what's with the minivan? it's not mine. i don't -- dale, honey, is your tummy still hurting, or are you feeling better to ride in the front seat? oh! is this one of your motorcycling friends? hey, chin up there, dale.
5:38 am
lots of bikers also drive cars. in fact, you can save big if you bundle them both with progressive. i'd like that. great. whoo. you've got soft hands. he uses my moisturizer. see you, dale. bye, rob.
5:39 am
5:40 am
you don't let anything lkeep you sidelined. come on! that's why you drink ensure. with 9 grams of protein, and 26 vitamins and minerals... for the strength and energy, to get back to doing what you love. ensure, always be you. all right. time now for the five things to know. number 1, hurricane irma is battering the caribbean right now, hitting the dominican republic and hate ta after reducing the small island of barbuda to rubble. most of the population left without power or water. >> coastal evacuations beginning in south florida this morning as
5:41 am
6 million people in the region brace for the possibility of a direct hit. many scrambling for water, fooul and food. president trump tweeting we have great teams of talented and brave people. >> president trump also blind-siding and infuriating republicans. house speaker paul ryan is scheduled to have dinner with the president tonight at the white house. >> donald trump jr. faces senate investigators today, questioned by judiciary staff members about his 2016 meeting with a russian lawyer. a top senator tells cnn he will also have to tef publicly or face a subpoena. south korea's prime minister is calling the situation with north korea grave during a meeting with others in seoul. the north is expected to launch another intercontinental missile
5:42 am
in the negligent few days. time for a breachleacher re. michael bennet. he is weighing whether or not to sue the las vegas police. why? he is accusing officers are racial profiling and excessive force for an incident that was caught on camera minute the after the reend mayweather mcgregor fight. he was there for the fight. cnn's dan simon has the story. >>reporter: the video obtained by tmz shows seattle seahawks defensive end michael bennet being handcuffed outside a las vegas night club. >> i wasn't doing nothing. here with my friends. told under the circumstances to get out. everybody ran. >> officers let the superbowl champion go after a few minutes but the episode has ignited a fire storm with pen net claiming he was unfairly targeted by
5:43 am
cops. las vegas police officer singled me out for simply being a black man at the wrong place at a wrong time. in a statement on twitter he says he went to vegas to watch the fight on august 26 rds. after the fight, while heading back to my hotel. several hundred people heard what sounded like gunshots. like many people in the area, i ran away from the sound looking for safety. he later says an officer placed his gun near high head and warned me if i moved he would blow my ex-polit tiv head off. he said the handcuffs on his wrist were so fight his fingers went numb. >> an emotional moment for me. did -- the 31-year-old reendly announced he would not stand nor the national anthem choked up when talking about the arrest. >> i troo to tell me daughters every single day that they matter and that, you know --
5:44 am
>> nfl commissioner roger goodell called bennet a leader adding that the league will support michael and awful nll ne players supporting. >> the sea hawk gt -- i see no evidence that race played any roll in this incident. >> las vegas describe a different version of events. that bennet's actions appear the suspicious and when more security video emerges the officers will be exzon lated. >> once he was in the officer's view quickly ran out and jumped over a wall into traffic. due to bennet's actions and the information the officers had at the time they believe he may have been involved in the shooting and they gave chase. >> as it turns out, there was no
5:45 am
shooting that night. and bennet says police let him go after realizing who he was. but the nfl standout is not about to let things go. he's hired a prominent lawyer and is considering a federal civil rights lawsuit. dan simon, cnn. >> that's a tough one. i mean you heard the sheriff or the police say that they -- what they said, this he version was they thought he was hiding behind a slot machine. thought he might have been connected to the shooting. but that's not how he saw it and what he experienced. >> well, because he wasn't part of the shooting. >> there was no shooting, by the way. >> whatever it was. whatever they were worried about didn't happen so he didn't have a role in it. so from his perspective, he is 100% justified in how he feels. this is the truth. i know people don't like it. this happens too often. it just does. this is a big story. the police may have been justified in what they did. we'll see when the rest of the tape comes out.
5:46 am
but it doesn't make it right from bennet's perspective and so many people across it country who have found themselves in the same situation. policing even if this is the right call, there's no question that there are parts where it's the wrong call and pleati policing needs to get better. hurricane irma is one the strongest storms ever. is this the sign of things to come? how much of a role is climate change playing here? atters? introducing the all-new 2017 ford super duty. the only high-strength, military grade, aluminum alloy body heavy duty pick-up. it takes first place in every measure of tough: best-in-class towing. best-in-class payload. and best-in-class torque. winner, winner, chicken dinner. this is the all-new ford super duty. 2017 motor trend truck of the year. to find smarter solutions.
5:47 am
to offer more precise and less invasive treatment options than before. like advanced genomic testing and immunotherapy. see how we're fighting to outsmart cancer at cancercenter.com/outsmart duncan just protected his family with a $500,000 life insurance policy.
5:48 am
how much do you think it cost him? $100 a month? $75? $50? actually, duncan got his $500,000 for under $28 a month. less than $1 a day! his secret? selectquote. in just minutes a selectquote agent will comparison shop nearly a dozen highly rated life insurance companies, and give you a choice of your five best rates. duncan's wife cassie got a $750,000 policy for under $21 per month. give your family the security it needs, at a price you can afford. since 1985, selectquote has saved over a million families millions of dollars on life insurance.
5:49 am
5:50 am
irma is one of the most powerful hurricanes in history and could create one of the largest mass evacuations. is this hurricane a sign of things to come and is climate change playing a role in more intense hurricanes? let's talk about all testify with the weather editor for "the washington post." jason. is your namek right? >> correct. >> forgive me. jason. so you spept 10 years as a climb change science analyst, and did you see? what did you determine? what did your research tell you
5:51 am
whether or not the intensity was increasing? >> all the latest evidence suggests that as the earth warms we're going to see warmer sea surface temperatures in atlantic ocean and across the world. which would potentially increase the power and intensity of the storms. stronger windsk heavier rains and as the sea levels rise a bigger storm surge along the coast. the evidence so far, we haven't yet seen as strong signal of that yet. but, as we're seeing more of these intense storms, like irma, the writing may be on the wall. >> is but, so is it safe to say that the connection between climate change and hurricanes, the jury's still out on that? >> i woopts say that necessarily. i think all the available evidence suggests that we may be starting to see an increase in h the intensity of the strongest storms and that signal will become more clear over time.
5:52 am
we're just at the beginning of this in terms of the climate change effect on storms. and we expect these effects to man test themselves more strongly into the coming decades. the signal right now is weak or hard to detect just because we don't have that many years in the record, but as time wears on, i think it's going to become more clear. >> in other words you don't have enough evidence or science to say definitively that it's climate change that's making us see -- look, what looks to us like these rapid-fire strong storms coming from harvey to irma. now this is a category 5. that sounds really ominous but you're saying you don't have enough science to hang your hat on this being be climate change. >> is well i think we have to look at the fact that the sea surface temperatures have risen in the atlantic ocean and harvey and irma have moved over water which is warmer than normal so
5:53 am
it is likely it is having an affect but we can't tell you how big. we had the 1935 florida keys hurricane. we've had extremely powerful storm the in past decades but if you look at super typhoon and harvey, some of these monstrous storms, you have to wonder if climate change is beginning to have a noticeable affect. but in future decades it will be even more clear. >> so category 5, which is what irma is, we're seeing wind gust, chad myers just reported to us wind gust at loft, very, very high elevation, not on the ground but something like 200 miles per hour. put this in context to us what irma looks like to you. >> i mean it's absolutely an incredible storm. it maintained winds of at least 185 miles per hour for more than 40 hours which is longer than any storm in r0rd ded history on the entire earth. in terms of duration and intensity, there is no storm to rival this one.
5:54 am
it set a low pressure record in the -- as it approached the caribbean. it is a strongest storm tied with the florida keys hurricane to make landfall when it smashed into barbuda. so it is setting all sorts of mileston milestones. >> what's next? if it's the warm water, if the ocean temperature has risen, which we know is true and it's the warm water that's causing more of this intensity of these storms, what does that mean for people who live in florida and who live on the coast? >> right in the coming decades we may see an increase in the number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes, so i think it just means that we have to think very seriously about how we plan our cities, our storm water management and just generally increasing our resilience to these storms, being prepared and ready. i think irrespective of whether climate change is going to play a role in this, these storms are
5:55 am
a part of or past, and future, and maybe more squeer evere so e to improve our prepare d nts. we have to reduce our green house gas emissions so the climate change effect might be lower some what. >> jason, thank you very much. >> you bet. now we have to resolve a cliff-hanger we left you on yesterday. we checked in with guests who were in the throes of irma. at the last time we shaw this woman her hotel room was being battered around. she was trapped with friends in her hotel in st. martin, and took this video of the storm outside. lauren joins us now by phone. she made it through the storm. we're happy to tell you. but she is still trapped. the lauren how are you doing at this hour? >> well, the sun's kind of come out a little bit and the water had returned to a pretty turquoise color. so it looks a lot better, but
5:56 am
obviously there are a couple of hurricanes coming up behind irma so we're not sure what we'll be getting in the neck couple days. >> let's talk about that because you left us in such sus spence yesterday. the hurricane was bearing down on you and your friend. we're looking at your video of how intense it got. what is your strategy now for getting off the island? >> well, right now, we -- we've had flights canceled and rebooked every day and oush latest ones on friday and saturday were just canceled so one of us, two of us have booked flight the for sunday and the rest are trying to figure out what to do next in terms of flying out. if irma is going to hit florida, we're not -- two of us are from florida specifically sar a tote ta and we're not really sure if we should try and go there or head somewhere else to avoid the
5:57 am
storm. my car is actually parked in miami so i'm not sure where to go. >> i bet. this is wow. how nerve-wracking has this week been for you? >> very stressful. it went from our happy tropical vacation with the company, holly and i own to being evacuate from the villa to trying to get flights out and being told no. moving into this hotel and being rocked by this hurricane. it's been a whirlwind of a week. we haven't gotten a lot of sleep or don't have running water. power's out, can't charge the phones or anything. so like i told jose, my phone's down to 3%. so we're just trying to get by at this point. >> got it. >> keep in touch with our family. >> we'll let you go. we're happy to have helped you help your family, hear your voice. let you go. take tear of yourself and check back in with you tomorrow.
5:58 am
thanks so much. >> okay. you're welcome. >> hurricane irma coverage continues with cnn news room with poppy harlow and john berman after this break. it's time for the biggest sale of the
5:59 am
6:00 am
year with the new sleep number 360 smart bed. it senses and automatically adjusts on both sides. the new 360 smart bed is part of our biggest sale of the year where all beds are on sale. and right now the sleep number queen c2 mattress now only $699. ends sunday! when your t-shirt smells more appoinlike a t-bone...house? that's when you know it's half-washed. add downy with odor protect for 24-hour odor protection. downy and it's done. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com good morning everyone. the entire southeast better wake up

98 Views

1 Favorite

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on