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midnight here on the east coast. i'm don lemon. you are watching "cnn tonight." this is our continuing coverage of hurricane florence live here on cnn. i've moved down to the beach because this thing is starting to get closer, starting to make landfall, and i want to bring you closer to the action. we still have a little bit of time before that happen. we can see that the wind has started to pick up. i'm behind the building here. as we're walking out between the buildings we got more gusts. the outer bands are starting to come through. no rain here in myrtle beach where i am. but you can see my colleagues are out there, and there's some

waves lapping at the shores here. anderson, i can't see you. i can see you from my location before, but what's going on at where you are now? >> the story of rain continues. earl your we were talk in the last hour we were talking about how diane gallagher saw some transformers lighting up the sky. i just saw that here for the first time. i almost thought it was a lightening strike at first, but i believe it was some sort of a transformer because it had that kind of bluish glow to it. a number of the buildings the lights went out for about a second or so, then they seemed to pop back on. so it seems like there's still electricity, still streetlights here. our lights are still on, but a hotel nearby and the buildings nearby. but, again, that's just a sign of perhaps things to come as it gets later and later and this rain continues and the wind continue tuesday pick up.

but it's really -- you know, it's a story of water, of rain, of storm surge that we've been covering for the last really, you know, 18 hours or so. and that's going to be the story for the next 24 to 36 hours, don. but there's a long way to go. you know, it's miserable out, but thankfully people are not on the streets. it seems most people are inside or asleep or watching television as long as leelectricity lasts d hopefully they'll stay there until this thing is gone. >> if you have electricity and you're watching this storm, you're one of the lucky ones because over 150,000 people we're told without power now and over 12,000 people in shelters -- i misspoke earlier. it's 126 shelters in north carolina. i believe where you said where you are in wilmington, there are five shelters where people are sheltering in place there. and those are the lucky feces

who could actually get into those shelters. this is nothing to play around with. >> yeah, it's really not. you're right, five shelters to extend the capacity, after last night they started to fill up and they're expanding capacity on that. at this point people are either in the shelters or at their homes and they should stay where they are at this point according to all the officials we have talked to. they do not want people obviously out on the streets driving around. there's still not a water at least in the areas i'm in on the ground. but we're watching very closely to the river, so there's a long couple of days still to come. it's going to be miserable for a number of days for people, and, you know, they've got to buckle down and stay where they are and try to get through this as best they can. >> listen, i was speaking, anderson, to ed at the national

hurricane center a short time ago. and he basically reiterated and confirmed everything we were saying, everybody leaves a lot into those numbers, what category it is. of course that's important, but he says there's a 5-mile difference between the 1 and 2, and once it was downgraded to a 1, even if it's downgraded i think right now 90 mile an hour winds are the strongest winds we've been getting in some places. i think 100 in davis county somewhere, that's still nothing to mess around. >> yeah, you're breaking up. i couldn't hear just the end part of what you said. but, yeah, those winds are nothing to scoff at when you're standing outside particularly given the size of this storm and the amount of time that those winds are going to be hitting the coast and hitting even inland areas. look, we've both been in storms that have higher sustained

winds. going back to 2004, 2005 we saw storms that were higher category. i think the untold story and the think i'm frankly am not sure about and the thing we're going to have to wait and see is just the story of the water and what happens in terms of the storm surge and this pounding rain that continues hour after hour after hour. >> yeah, and if you get 30 inches of rain in that short amount of time then that is problematic. anderson, thank you very much. i want you to stand by. we'll get back to anderson in just moments. also in wilmington, north carolina, i want to get to my call league martin savidge. he joins us now. martin, what are you experiencing now? >> don, we're on the outskirts of wilmington, and where you are in relation to this storm can give you a very different experience. here it's a combination of both the battering winds -- the winds

are quite strong at times. you can hear them howling on the wires above you, you can hear the trees being torn apart above you as well. and at the same time it's the wind driven rain. there are times you can look behind you at the streetlights and it's like a fog, almost like a wall of water you're staring into. so that is the combination of wind driven water but also the rain is falling in tremendous amounts here. so even though this storm has been downgraded it's not a major hurricane anymore. it is going to be a major problem and potentially a major disaster, especially the interface when you have an urban environment. you're going to have water that begins to pool, rivers going to be flooding. we've already seen that in diane's reporting. but this is going to be something that will expand along coastal neighborhood here. which is why coast guard is standing by with air rescue and

coa also small flat bottom boats like you saw being used in new orleans. it's a combination of what you need in the open areas as well as what you need even in city parking lots like this. for the next day, the next hour, maybe even the next few days are going to be the stories that reveal it as anderson just said. but right now we're still dealing with high winds, dangerous winds, power outages, power lines that can come down, trees that can topple over. it is not a time for people to let down their guard and certainly not a time for anyone to go out and say, hey, let's see what's going on right now. don? >> absolutely. well said from martin savidge in wilmington. martin, thank you very much. just getting an update from the top of the hour coming from the national weather service. they're saying they are getting life threatening wind gusts in eastern north carolina right now already. so this is just the beginning.

the storm is still stirring. it hasn't made landfall yet, but already life threatening wind gusts, eastern north carolina. we've been watching brian todd. we've seen him with some flooding, some trees and branches down and also traveling along the roads there in hampstead. brian, what are you seeing now? >> we've seen a worsening in conditions along these roads. and we're going to show you why the downgrading to a category 1 should not let people underestimate this. it's still extremely strong, the winds to where we are on the northern band of the storm. you can see the front tree ahead of us could be on the verge of snapping and collapsing. we're going to glide past it and a lot of the roads are getting worse by the minute. the winds and rain are really whipping around here.

these rural areas especially near the intercoastal waterway are vulnerable. we're going to take you to the edge of this road. it goes right up to the intercoastal waterway. we're going to be at the edge of it in a second where the road is washed out. and we have to point out the road is washed out, it was washed out before the storm hit. but the fact it's washed out means this could make it even more vulnerable, this area, this street and the homes on it could be much more vulnerable to the storm surge. but we know it's nothing, going to get worse. we're right about the time high tide is going to hit. at the edge of this road right now. i'm going to get out of this vehicle and go to the edge of the road. we talked about people on the barrier islands and on the outer banks who could be trapped on the outer banks on those islands because they're only assessable by boats or because the roads to them can get washed out. well, this is a washed out road. and it illustrates even people

on the mainland can get trapped. over here you don't see them, but there are houses just a few feet away from me and look at the storm surge here with the marshland area is overwhelming this area. it's about to push the water all the way up here. i'm really just a few feet from several homes, and we're getting a really bad gust right now and kind of the wind and rain is hitting us from side to side. that's another thing about a hurricane, you just never know what direction the wind is going to come from. but, don, there are houses to my right just a few feet away in serious danger now from this storm surge, which i've seen rise up a couple of feet just in the last couple of hours here. >> thank you very much for that, brian todd. we appreciate your reporting. brian todd is in hampstead. i just have bit more information for you. when we're talking about the intensity of this storm and you heard martin savidge saying depending on where you are in the carolinas you get a different perspective from this

storm. just now from noa they're telling us there's 10 foot storm surges, and they're seeing some flooding there. 9.6 is the exact count they told us. and that's nearly 10 feet there. and they're also saying 70 mile an hour sustained winds right now in that area. so the winds are starting to pick up. let's check in with my colleague now ed lavandera, jacksonville, north carolina. take us to the scene there, ed. what are you seeing? >> don, it's the eeriness of these storms when they start making land fall in the darkness of night. the eeriness of the wind howling, and it's hard to make out exactly what's happening around you. that's what lends itself to these rather tumultuous and nerve-racking storms as they come ashore here in the darkness

of the night. we've been speaking with emergency officials here in the jacksonville, north carolina, area. they say there are reports of homes starting to take on water in these areas here, rivers that obviously make their way and flow their way into the atlantic ocean. with all that storm surge pushing in that water really has nowhere else to go. it's hard to assess just thou significant the damage is at this point because first responders aren't really able to get out in full force and assess the situation. we are told in the jacksonville area, though, don, there are no rescues taking place. that is bit of good news considering here on the top side, the north side of this hurricane where we have been throughout the day, we've really seen some of the strongest and heaviest rains lashing out against the coastline here for much of the day. i'm surprised how long in the areas we've been the power has seemed to hold on. and i was just thinking the

power transformer away from us started exploding. it was like a fireworks display right next to you. and in that instant all the power went out here in jacksonville. so that is what we're dealing with here tonight, don. >> all right, thank you. ed lavandera, stay safe and we'll get back to you. listen, i want to bring you now to the cessions on the ground here where we are in myrtle beach. this is john rhodes, former mayor, right? i'll get to why you're here, mayor. you're the former mayor for 12 years. so tell me what's going through your mind right now? >> well, it's a waiting game. we know she's coming in, we just don't know what time. it last two days in five different directions, but it's pretty well-set we're going to get some effects from it. hopefully it'll be down to a low category 1 where we'll get maybe

70 miles an hour, but the big problem is going to be the rain. when matthew was here it dropped 15 inches ora 15 inches of rain. this is going to be historical can 20, 25 inches of rain sitting in that area. so we're going to have a lot of problems from egress and veins coming in from place like this to get back into the beach. >> you've seen this before and know how unpredictable this can be. generally you know where it's going, the wind speed. it can move fast, do a lot of damage with winds or go slow and bring a lot of water. this appears to be a water event and you've gone through that. >> it is. and this is difficult. we've never had a storm come through myrtle beach moving at 4 miles per hour. we're looking at anywhere from 36 to 48 hours of constant wind and rain. and we just have to be prepared

for it. and that's one thing of our city our guys have been ready for it, they're ready, prepared. >> i got some comfort from him. you must be comfortable, steve, because you're staying. >> anytime i'm with john i'm comfortable. >> steve also happen to be the chairman of the beach committee which looks after this beach. >> and that's one of the reasons you're riding it out. and why are you riding it out? >> i've lived mere my whole hyphand never left for a storm. and, you know, you've got to decide what's best for your family and whether you're prepare. and i believe the vast majority that stay around these storms at least locally here in myrtle beach are prepared. they've been through these storms before. you've got your generator, your battery, your food. the elderly, those are the people that need to concern moving and get out of town. in my case i've got businesses here and i want to stay close to

home. >> i've been speaking to people, and they say, listen, i know there are physical issues, and that means physically safe with your body and your person. but there's also fiscal issues. we have businesses here. this is our livelihood. we don't want, you know, people looting. we want to keep an eye on that because that's really how, that's what sustains them. >> right, that's one issue. the other is in myrtle beach we're a tourist economy, and this has been a week now that we'll be without any business down here, so business owners -- >> what does that do to you? >> well, it hurts my pocket like everybody and my employees, too. they can't work. so it's important for the beach and our community to get back up and running and get the message out that we're open and get cleaned up and get back in business really quick. >> i was trying to tell people earlier when i was here on the beach, earlier this season, when you're in the northeast, when you're up where we were in the new york area it's usually earlier to labor, and yours is

extended because of the weather, and you can can continue to make a livelihood maybe a month or so maybe even more past what is a traditional season. >> the shorter months have really increased in the last five or six years. >> and you need that. >> and we were able to get the funds to promote myrtle beach and advertise. myrtle beach is the third largest resort in america owned by las vegas and orlando. we get twice the number of tourists as miami beach, and people have no idea. plus we've got 100 golf courses. so you've got a lot of reasons to come down and stay with us. >> this guy is still the mayor. give us some words of wisdom and comfort. i would prefer to not be here, but this is my job. i would prefer you to not be here, but listen i'm not going to shame you. if you want to ride it out, that's your business. you're a grown man.

give us some words of comfort. >> again, i think most reasonable people that have been down here and lived through these storms they know to stay inside. this isn't like we're at the end of the pier, having a party and throwing caution to wind. everyone is prepared, stay inside and wait until the storm passed and try to take care of business. this has been a long three days already and we've still got three more days so we're ready for it to move on. >> like i said we're going to get the beach back into shape as quickly as possible, and we're still going to have a great fall. but it'll take us two or three days to get the beach shaped back up. and hopefully we don't lose anymore structures like the piers and all, which does take  us more time to get rid of the debris on the beach. but right now i'm looking at the positive. once the rain goes we'll finish up, and i'd say it'll probably

be around sunday before we get out of this. >> and you're good. fingers crossed. thank you, steve, thank you, mayor. thank you so much. we hope your business gets back open very soon, because we understand every day and every minute counts. and i love seafood, and i'm from louisiana, so i'm going to take you up on that. listen, there are life threatening storm surges already occurring. we just got the update from the national weather center from noa, so you guys stick around. again, this is just beginning. you heard them. they've been dealing with it for three days. they expect to deal with it for three more days. they're experts, they're pros. obviously the mayor, obviously he's been the mayor. so they have some skin in the game here. but if you don't have to be here, the window is almost closed but you need to get out. we're going to continue our coverage here in the carolinas.

our special coverage continues right after this break.

i'm don lemon live in myrtle beach. out in the elements, not much of the elements here in myrtle beach. the rain hasn't started yet, but the wind has certainly pick said

up. we had high tide just about an hour ago, so we're checking all the weather conditions for you. we're out here so that you don't have to be. stay at home and watch while you have power. don't come out in the elements. emergency officials have been saying if you haven't left you need to hunker down and stay where you are. do not go outside. i want to go just up the road north to our nick watt in north myrtle beach. that's where chris cuomo has been camped out all day. i'm wondering what the situation is where you are, nick. good evening to you. >> don, we're about 15 miles further north from where you are in myrtle beep, and the conditions pretty similar. it has been windy ever since but no rain. we're expecting the winds to really pick up, 5:00 in the morning and then tomorrow afternoon maybe, you know, between 75 and 90 miles an our.

but as we have been saying all along, it's not about the wind, it's about the rain, it's about the water. and that's what's different about this hurricane to others that have hit here in the past year. matthew hit here, 2016 killed 30 people in the carolinas but the rainfall totals was a maximum of 30 inches then. we're talking now about 40 inches. and of course there was hurricane hugo back in 1999. but again not this volume of water that we're expecting. where we are here, the beach, the shore is about 3, 400 feet behind me. and basically there's nothing to stop the water to come into the town. i'm standing right now on a deck about 15 feet high, which is the reason that we're staying here. because when that storm surge comes it will just go underneath this house which is built on

stilts. but that intercoastal waterway, blocked that way. there is a chance this entire sliver of land will be under a few feet of water. you know, the other problem we've had with this storm slowing, we expected to have these conditions here already, but the complacency in people, and also the fact that thursday the storm was downgraded from a catego category 2. i spoke to people on the beach that said they were planning to evacuate but when it was downgraded to a 2, they thought it doesn't matter. the 2 is the wind. we all know it's the water, though, that's going to be a problem. >> we all know collectively it can be a huge issue. great report tlg. stay safe. i can't see where you are. i don't have the monitor to be able to see. what you were talking about why you guys were there and what's going on in the building. this is the building we're

staying in, and usually now this building would be filled with people and all the rooms would be lighted here but not so tonight. a bunch of people have been evehicled, obviously. and you can see just how far or how close, however you want to put it, it is to the beach here. again, high tide just moments ago, water lapping closer and closer to the shore here and to this building. as i was standing here earlier i got a ride with someone. came and picked me up and we took a ride around myrtle beach, and that is corporal tom ves. he's tasked with making people are safe here and making sure they're heeding those warnings when it comes to evacuations. this stretch right now usually is filled with people, right? >> yeah, usually this area is busy all summer long. >> but now? >> what's good is it seems people have heeded the warnings

and gotten out of town early. >> yauou've got to be happy abo that. >> yeah, usually we saw people were leaving even before the mandatory evehiclacuations were ordered. >> what's your biggest concern? >> the big concern for us is providing protection to all the properties throughout the city. to do that we brought in extra man power. we would say all hands on deck. we have all officers that work for us available so we're able to provide adequate protection for all the houses and businesses. >> so what's the process been? like today, were you going around telling people they should leave? >> today we have teams of officers around the city. we're communicating with residents discussing evacuation with them, talking about their plans if they are going to stay. >> so what are you looking for now as you ride around? >> we're making sure no one needs any help as far as

evacuation orp preparing. a lot of people have had a lot of questions and we're here to provide those answers as best we can. at a certain point it'll be unsafe for law enforcement to be out. >> it must be frustrating for you you can't really force people to evacuate right, but if they stay or in danger you've got to come rescue them. >> we encourage everybody to evacuate. and really the important thing we're concerned with people's safety. that is our primary responsibility is to provide safety. and if people choose to stay we may not be able to do that during the peak of the storm. >> corporal, we want to thank him for that. remember those are the people who run towards danger, right? our people who are in law enforcement, our people who are tasked with protecting people. but in this situation, this situation is so dangerous and it is preventable. just remember if you decide to stay, which is your business if you want to do that, but just remember you might be putting other people in danger who may have to come and rescue you.

and here's just how serious this is. eight months of rain predicted here, they're expected to get in just two to three days. imagine what that does to the infrastructure here. it's going to take some while, quite a long time for that water to go down, and that means extreme flood conditions and that means the possibility of people drowning here. so just keep that in mind as you decide what you're going to do over the next couple of hours. our coverage is going to continue here from myrtle beach, south carolina. i'm don lemon. we'll be back right after this break. you'll ask... what bad shoulder? what headache? advil is relief that's fast strength that lasts you'll ask... what pain? with advil liqui-gels ♪ one look at you and i can't disguise ♪ ♪ i've got hungry eyes applebee's new 3-course meal

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this is scene along the beach now in myrtle beach in south carolina. you can see it look like a pretty average night on the beach here, but that storm is looming out there in the atlantic, and it's getting closer and closer to the shore, closer to the coast. that light you see right there,

that's a beach patrol. the beach patrol trying to get people -- that's the beach patrol getting people off of the beach here. they've been getting off of the beach trying to get people off. the beach is technically not closed. the water is what's closed. they don't want people going out there because the rip tides here really, really strong we've been told. so law enforcement has been patrolling, trying to get people out. they've been all over the state of north carolina, all along the carolinas as well. my colleague brian todd has been out and about this as well. he's in hampstead. i understand you're still driving around. what are you seeing? >> don, seeing worsening condition. i mean it's getting worse every few minutes. i was driving along watts landing road. we just learned a short time ago the authorities in pinder county where you are have established two triage centers.

anyone out and about has a pretty decent chance of getting injured. tease are the conditions people are facing as they try -- if they try to get out of here. falling trees, falling limbs. we're going to pull over here. i'll show you some of the dangers here. this is why more than 150,000 customers in north carolina are without power. you open to the door to your car like i'm doing, the wind is going to whip you around. this is again illustrative of the all dangers people are going to face if they try to go around these roads. we have gown through several of these rural roads right by the intercoastal waterway and i can tell you it's gotten worse just in the last half-hour. just because they've downgraded this to a category 1, i mean we're just getting pounded by a gust right now, and these trees above me could be in danger of falling. so again in these rural areas right by the intercoastal you've got the storm surge on the one

side pushing the water this way. if you try to come this way you're in some danger of getting hit with some limbs. and i've got to probably take some cover right now, don. >> yeah. all right, brian, we do want to you to be safe so make sure you hunker down there. brian todd is in hampstead, north carolina. we have crews all along the carolinas. let's bring in gale. gale is one of the first people i met when i got here. who is this smart lady? i'm so glad you're here but why are you staying? >> my husband works here at the hampton inn and i came to stay with him. i've got some medical background and in case anyone would be hurt i got here. >> and you're a really nice lady because you decided to do this

so other people can go home and be safe with their families. >> some have large families and pets and other things they wanted to evacuate. my husband and i are here and trying to hold the fort down. >> your husband is cort. >> yes. >> who's actually the first person i met when i got here. so what's your advice to people here because they've been saying leave. you sent your children out. and unless there is a very important reason for you to stay, what do you say? >> get out. i used to work here as a firefighter and paramedic and been here through heaurricanes. it gets bad. it's not just during the hurricane but after. waiting for the power tory seed, power to come back. people run out of fuel, supplies. during the hurricane stay inside, stay safe. people have medical emergencies, ma paramedics can't get out to you.

>> i'm glad you're one of the first people -- listen you ever a very kind face and you guys have been really great to us. you be safe. >> i'm trying. >> thanks for taking care of us and everyone else. >> quat a bunch of people in there to take care of. >> we really appreciate gale and cort as well. on the other side of this break, storm chasers. don't go anywhere. hijacked from dreams. pulled from decades of obsession. taken from the souls of artists. we confess. we stole everything we could. from everything we've ever mastered. and put it here. the all-new lexus es. every curve. every innovation. every feeling. a product of mastery. experience amazing at your lexus dealer.

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you know, people wonder why they do it and we certainly need them. i'm talking about these storm chasers, hurricane chasers. it's a very dangerous job. i'm not sure i would do it.

most people wouldn't, but again they're important and we need them. one of them is mike scantlen, he's been out following this hurricane, chasing this storm. he joins us from wilmington, north carolina. what have you been seeing since you've been out there? >> it's really starting to wrap up here. we're getting some gusts in the 90sinate rain bands. we're going to be waiting quite a while for the worst of it to get here. it's weakened quite a bit, but there's still going be some devastating storm surge and rainfall as it comes ashore. >> so mike, listen, you've done this before. in your experience have you seen a hurricane that sort of sits the way this one is doing? because usually that means it's going to bring more water with it. what does your experience tell you?

are you there, mike? all right, we lost, mike, we'll see if we can get him back. there you are. >> i'm back. we've got cell coverage going in and out. it reminds me of hurricane harvey last year, it was a lot stronger obviously, but once it came ashore it came apart and athat's what's going to happen the this storm, unfortunately. >> i think this is topsail beach you took this video. explain to me this, mike. >> it got a little hairy and we got forced out. police didn't want us there because it was going to get too dangerous, and they were right. we were pushing the envelope there, but high tide we had storm surge coming over the

sandbar. and inundating some of the inner areas, the lower lying areas. but once the tides receded, then it started getting back out and we were table to get out of there safely. >> all right, you be safe. thank you, sir. i appreciate it. from one storm chaser to another, i want to go to mike theiss now. tell us what you're seeing? >> that's right, don. i can actually reiterate what anderson cooper said earlier sqand that bright flash of blue was a transformer. it sounded like someone fired a shotgun off right next to my car. conditions here definitely started to deteriorate more. winds are picking up. wave got heavy rains coming through. and i'm watching the radar on the western eyewall, and it's

going to be very intense, and definitely daybreak i think when things are going to be their most intense with the storm surge. and over the next few days the rainfall accumulates, that's going to be the big danger is flash flooding. >> yeah, this is probably, you know, the strongest winds that we have gotten thus far. i mean nothing like what they're experiencing in other places. but i'm going to ask you the same question i asked your colleague. from experience when a storm sits like this just off the coast and is picking up so much water, what does your experience tell you? >> my experience tells me we're definitely going to have issues with flash flooding. that's a guarantee just because there are lots of rivers around here. there's definitely going to be some rescuing going on, and i'll tell you the hotel i was at in wilmington was just full of emergency personnel that literally had jet skis parked on

the back of their trailers and rescue people, and everybody here is ready. we've had several days. this storm is moving so slow as it's been coming in. and now it's time to hunker down. and i did record a wind gust of 83 miles per hour several hours ago, and since then i haven't topped that. so it's kind of strange in a hurricane so far it's reported one of the highest winds in one of the outer bands. of course the core is not here yet. and once that eyewall and eye overtakes this area, which i think it will come over the beach area, i think it will be around 40 miles per hour according to what the national hurricane center is saying. >> okay, mike theiss, you be safe out there. i want to get now to my colleague ed lavandera in jacksonville, north carolina. wave been going to him throughout the evening. ed, it's been raining where you

were, you've been drenched soaking wet before. there were some winds. what are you seeing? >> the rain still continues here, don. being on the top side, the north side of hurricane florence and really since midafternoon we have seen strong winds, relentless rain here throughout it day. there have been maybe a handful of moments where we've been caught inside a couple of these bands like in a dry spot, but that's been a rarity throughout it day. and we've already seep the effects not just here in jacksonville, north carolina, but as you make your way up towards moore head city, atlantic beach and further inland into new bern, north carolina, these are all low-lying areas emergency officials are very concerned about as more rain continues to fall. we've already seen some major potentially catastrophic flooding there in the town of new bern. and we're waiting to see the extent of the damage and how

prolific the flooding in other areas are going to be. we spoke to emergency officials in jacksonville a short time ago. they elus they've already heard reports here from homes alongside rivers that are already starting to take on water as well. the extent of that damage and how many homes are taking on water we don't know yet what is going on. so a lot of that will be done once the sun comes up tomorrow. there is great concern here. the water continues in the rain continues to fall the extent of the flooding damage that is going to be seen here throughout the area. so that is the area that they're -- one of the things they'll be most concerned about here. the nice thing is that the winds don't seem to have been as intense. it's the rain we'll be worried about. >> you mention the other areas and we're talking about flooding. ten foot storm surge.

and in new burn. and also we're hearing it's without power. 100%. without power. so you're right. this thing is picking up it's coming ashore. causing flooding and power outages. we'll keep an eye on it. here's the big problem. there are a number of people along this area, they may work in the businesses here. and their livelihoods depend on it. some people are lucky enough to have resources they can have a second home. or have resources and can afford to rebuild. the big story will be what happens to the people who don't. there are a lot of people who aren't of means. let's put it that way. in the area. they will be the ones who will be affected by this the most. especially monetarily. and it will be tough for memo to rebuild. that's part of the story that happens here. we'll continue to talk about this and continue to follow the

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back now live. a the lof people volunteering helping out their fellow men and women here. you heard gail earlier. another person who is doing that is adam ran dal. he's the owner of the cod father

in charleston, south carolina. thank you for joining us. we'll put up this image. there's a picture of you with police. you were serving emergency responders today. that is good news. why are you doing it? >> because you know, i like to pay back to the community. i like to be a member of the community. those guys are out working away from home and their families. called up and sitting on the side of the interstate waiting for a disaster. i wanted to take care of them. >> yeah. you said to me last night as i spoke to you, listen, this is -- your livelihood depends on your business. if you had i forget how many thousands of pounds of fish? or something. that was going to go bad. >> 5,000 pounds. basically. >> about 1,000 pounds.

>> have you lost power yet? >> no. strangely not yet. we lost power yesterday. i think a transformer blew. we thought the worst. and it was in the middle of service. it was scary. it was restored and we're good to go. >> so you said if you weren't able to sell it because people have been evacuated. you were going to give it away and that's what you did. how many did you serve? >> honestly i have no idea. we opened the shop at 11:00. it was busy. and we had a line for over three hours. a will the of uniforms and service members came in to get the fish. and a lot of the regular community in the regular customers tagged along to support. i really don't have an answer for how many we did. i know my people worked very

hard and we did a lot. we moved a lot of product. >> so, your specialty fish and chips right? you weren't doing that today. you were doing sandwiches. >> we had a full menu. full portion, half portion. and a fish sandwich. we didn't get any deliveries this week. we started running out of a few things. that was the whole idea. >> we talked about not only the physical by the fiscal. how much money -- how business owners suffer when you have these incidents and the horrific weather that comes through. >> right. it's pensionive. you lose money. it's expensive. things of the nature, having to close down for a weather event is not something covered by insurance. you have to take it.

you have to take the loss. you have to take the rough with the smooth. we lose a lot of money. but we will bounce back and will be fine. >> you're a good guy. thank you, sir. if i was closer i would come get some fish. we appreciate it. thank you for being a good person and good citizen. >> thanks for having me. this is awesome. everybody, take care and be safe. >> absolutely. listen, that is the good thing that happens when we go across america. and we see these some of the natural disasters and it can be a big breaking news story. we see the humanity of people coming together. forgetting about politics and forgetting about anything that has to do with anything negative. or divides us and come together and help people. that's what adam and many other folks have been doing in the area. that is it for me