Hurricane Survivors Trying to Locate Missing Loved Ones
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Welcome back to CNN's special live coverage of Hurricane Dorian. I'm Victor Blackwell in Nassau, Bahamas, at the airport here. This is the first stop for some of those rescued by U.S. Coast Guard from the island of Abacoa -- of Abaco rather who are coming here after the hurricane just ruined that island. We've seen some of the pictures of what's left. Now we know that there are several people who have been picked up nearly 20 at the last count from the U.S. Coast Guard, but there are plenty of people here who are waiting for news of family members. I have with me Raevyn Bootle and Meghan Bootle who are hoping to get news about your mother, your grandmother, aunt. Tell me.</s>RAEVYN BOOTLE, HURRICANE SURVIVOR: We haven't had any direct contact with either our mother, our aunt, or grandmothers since the hurricane hit Abaco on Sunday. So we're hoping that they'll be evacuated soon and we can see them when they arrive here.</s>BLACKWELL: But you do have word from them that they are alive, they are OK?</s>R. BOOTLE: Yes, we had made contact with those in Treasure Cay so we know that they're alive. We just don't know if they've sustained any injuries or anything of that sort. But they're alive, yes.</s>BLACKWELL: Tell me about your uncle.</s>MEGHAN BOOTLE, HURRICANE SURVIVOR: OK. So we have an uncle named Neil Bootle (ph), he has a --</s>R. BOOTLE: Wife.</s>M. BOOTLE: -- wife, four young kids. We have not heard from them as yet. He does -- he is from Treasure Cay but the last time we heard from him he was in Marsh Harbour Murphy Town to be specific. We have not heard from him as well as I haven't heard from my other cousin, Sean</s>BLACKWELL: There was one relative that you told me that sent out a message that they need to be rescued from their home. That was the last thing you heard. Who was that?</s>R. BOOTLE: My godsister who was at my house in Treasure Cay with my mom. Around 3:30 p.m. Sunday, we got -- I got a text message saying help, we need to get out of here, please send someone. And I asked if there was anyone injured and they said no and that was it, nothing else afterward.</s>BLACKWELL: You set up -- is it a WhatsApp or a Facebook page?</s>R. BOOTLE: We set up a WhatsApp group chat with the locals from Treasure Cay who weren't on the island of Abaco but who are here in Nassau just because we weren't getting any information from government officials or anything on Facebook. So me and my sister and two of my cousins decided to take it upon ourselves to try and get information and share it with those who needed it.</s>BLACKWELL: What have you felt about what you've heard from the government here?</s>M. BOOTLE: OK. So what we do know at the time, last night we got a message relaying that we need to get the government officials to send an evacuation plan to a satellite number directly in Treasure Cay, Abaco. We spoke with government officials. They said that they were aware, the coast guard knew and NEMA was aware. That we do know because evacuations were made for those injured this morning. As of now, we have no word as of what is going to happen or when evacuations will be made by the government in terms, but we do know -- we have private people that are ready to go. We have many boats, many helicopters. We have planes ready to land. As a matter of fact, we even got contact from Kristoff Aubrey (ph) in Treasure Cay, he has a satellite phone, he was able to contact us and let us know that he -- they cleared the tennis court in Treasure Cay and marked an H on it so people would know where to land next to Carbon Medical Clinic where is -- which is holding most of the people in Treasure Cay at the time.</s>BLACKWELL: We talked to a little bit off camera about the frustration of not getting information from the government. Tell me about that.</s>R. BOOTLE: It just feels as though that right now -- we understand that devastation has been widespread not only in Abaco, the Grand Bahamas as well. But it seems like the only information or medical persons being sent to Marsh Harbour are out of Marsh Harbour. Communities in the north of Abaco not just Treasure Cay but Cooperstown, Crown Haven. Nothing has been said about them. And it's just frustrating because I'm 18, my sister is 21. Our other cousins are -- two other cousins are only 21 and we were able to establish an avenue of communication with people in Treasure Cay and our government seems like they just -- it's not something that they're equipped to handle or they don't know what they're doing. And it's just frustrating that a group of college kids are able to get contact and send for help and they're doing nothing almost.</s>BLACKWELL: Well, Raevyn and Meghan Bootle, I hope you get the answers that you're looking for that you hear from your mother, from your grandmother, your aunt, your uncle, and other family members. Thank you for spending a few minutes with me. John, about an hour ago, I had a conversation with the Bahamian minister of national security, Minister Marvin Dames and he says now that the all-clear has been given for Abaco, this is his first trip to the ground there and they're trying to set up a security system there. He talked about reports that there is violence on the island. He says some of them, they've proven to be false. Some, they expect, will be valid. But they now need to set up a system. Going door-to-door in some of these communities is not an option because there are no doors. There are no streets you can make out from above. So, this is the very early stage of trying to set up a system to get answers for families like the Bootles and across this island who are wondering where are the people who were on that island when Dorian hit over the weekend.</s>JOHN KING, CNN HOST: And just remarkable, Victor. The conversation that those two young ladies at a time of crisis, at a time of sadness. How young people especially using technology just to find a way. Just find a way to improvise and find a way to try to keep in touch. That is -- it's heartwarming even as they go through their fear and their worry that they could be so well organized and try to help and try to do something at a time the government, as they say, seems to be overwhelmed.</s>BLACKWELL: Yes.</s>KING: That's remarkable. Victor Blackwell, appreciate your hustle as well. Our viewers may not understand how difficult it is for crews to get around and to get on television in such difficult circumstances. We applaud all of our people on the ground trying to bring the story to you. Before we go to break, just one update. The president of the United States getting a briefing at the Oval Office right now. He says we got lucky when it comes to Florida and says he hopes the United States is lucky again as Dorian now approaches the Carolinas. The president also saying that the Bahamas, the government of the Bahamas has reached out, requesting help and that he will do everything he can to assist. Our special coverage will continue in just a moment.