Hurricane Batters Cuba As It Barrels Towards Florida
CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: And if you are just joining us, thank you so much for being with us. I'm Christi Paul here in Atlanta. We appreciate your company. Victor Blackwell is in the thick of it in Miami this morning. Hurricane Irma taking its first swipe at Florida. Victor, good morning to you. How are you doing?</s>VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: We're good. We're good. A little windy, a little rainy, but compared to what's coming to Florida, this is crystal clear perfect weather because it's going to get really bad. It's going to happen quickly. The breaking news this morning, very powerful Category 4 hurricane on a new track this morning and it's headed this way, of course, we're talking Irma. This deadly storm is scheduled to make landfall in the Florida Keys sometime early hours on Sunday. The latest track now puts the West Coast of Florida in line for much of what the worst of Irma will bring. We're talking from Fort Myers through Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Tampa as well. Florida's governor, the mayors across this state are pleading with people who are still in evacuation zones. Those mandatory evacuation zones to get out and get out now. Hundreds of people, thousands of people across the state in fact have headed to county shelters. And some people spent the night on the west coast sleeping in their cars on the side of the road waiting to get into a shelter because this is what is coming. Look at this. Irma beating up on Cuba. There are, I mean, feet of water in some places. That's not an exaggeration, considering what our Patrick Oppmann who is there on the north coast has been showing us, 160-mile-per-hour winds. Broke the equipment there that records the wind speed on the island. You know, we are tracking Irma across Florida. We've got reporters, live from Miami Beach to Key Largo, Fort Myers, all across the Caribbean as well. Let's go first with the National Hurricane Center that updated advisory on the strength and the track of Irma. Let's go to Chad Myers in the weather center. The changes we've seen overnight -- because a lot of people went to sleep, and it was a Category 5, and it was moving towards the west coast. We've seen some changes overnight, Chad. Get us all up to date.</s>CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Victor, the storm made contact with Cuba overnight and that's the biggest change to anything here. The new models coming out later this morning, we'll have to deal with a Category 4, but only 130 miles per hour, compared to 155, which was the number at 5:00 this morning. So, things have really improved for the U.S. They have not improved for Cuba. The northern coast of Cuba getting pounded by this storm. Also, the Cuban keys right through here. And our Patrick Oppmann which is right there in the eye wall, picking up those winds of 130. The radar now picking up the storm. It is raining in Key West all the way up into Key Largo and into Miami. We're going to see that rain continue across the everglades. It's going to be a little hard still to get out of Miami today, but the roads are clear. I just checked traffic. There's a lot less traffic today than there's been the past couple days. Forecasters feel for this to regain strength. The pressure is still lower than the pressure of Harvey and that's what we saw in Texas, of course. We talk about the storm paralleling the coast of West Coast Florida and how the east coast is not in as big of trouble. But, you know what, this is the bad side the storm. We call that the dirty side of the storm. We have to add the movement of the storm with the wind field. And so as the winds pour on shore here, you're not out of the woods by any means, Ocala, Leesburg, all the way up to the east coast from Port Jupiter, to anywhere all the way to Daytona Beach all the way down south into Miami because you're on the wrong side. You're on the bad side of the storm also causing significant storm surge. Now let me just use a different term, flooding. Do you get that? Storm surge is water that will kill you. It is water that is 8 to 12 feet above sea level and your house, if you live the ocean, is not. That's what storm surge is. It is the push of the water, the pull of the water by the load and the difference of pressure. And as it pushes onshore, that water will get to Everglades. It will get to you, Naples. It will get to you Fort Myers, and we are concerned about your storm surge because the fatalities in water are greater than the fatalities in wind. Dr. Michael Brennan from the National Hurricane Center joins me now. Thank you so much for joining me. I know you guys are busy down there. Talk us through the 8:00 a.m. update.</s>MICHAEL BRENNAN, CHIEF HURRICANE SPECIALIST, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Sure. While you can see the eye of Irma here on the radar from Key West skirting the north coast of Cuba. That interaction with land has brought the peak winds down a little bit, but I don't want people to focus on that because the hazards from Irma are just now arriving through the Florida Keys in South Florida. These outer rain bands are beginning to arrive so conditions are deteriorating now and we expect Irma to re-strengthen as it moves over these very warm waters in the Florida straight. It's going to have about 12 or maybe even 18 hours over the water before it reaches the Keys and then perhaps even a little more time over water after it passes the Keys before it finally moves inland somewhere along the west coast of Florida during late in the day on Sunday or Sunday night. So, a very dangerous situation particularly for the Keys, the Florida West Coast, all the way from Tampa Bay southwards to Naples. They could see the core of the major hurricane, and as you were just talking about that life-threatening storm surge. The gulf coast of Florida is particularly sensitive to storm surge. It's very high inundation values that extend quite a way inland. So that's a big concern of ours today.</s>MYERS: The topography of the water across Southwest Florida, the bathymetry or the underwater topography is different on the southwest side than on the east side. Tell us how that will affect surge even into the everglades, Doctor?</s>BRENNAN: Right, yes, the bathymetry and the coastal shelf on the gulf side is very shallow. As you walk out into the water, the water doesn't get deep very fast. So, all of that water that's being pushed by the hurricane so as Irma may come up like this. The northwesterly winds on the back side of it are going to drive that water and it piles up and can go really far inland in the Naples area. It can go up these rivers and creeks near Fort Myers, and up into the bays. So, it can affect millions of people are at risk of life-threatening storm surge in these areas. There's still is a significant storm surge risk on the southeast coast as well, particularly Miami-Dade County along the westside of Biscayne Bay and as well as in the Florida Keys. They are all at risk of this life-threatening surge event.</s>MYERS: Let's shift our attention from Boca down to Miami and even to Homestead, what are the new updates for that as the storm has shifted 20 miles to the west, what are your thought processes there?</s>BRENNAN: Well, the surge threat is still there. We could still see 5 to 10 feet of inundation all the way from Boca down around the southern tip of the peninsula. Now on the east coast as you mentioned, the storm surge threat doesn't extend as far inland especially in Palm Beach and Broward Counties. But here in Miami-Dade, it goes inland and a lot farther along Biscayne Bay. So, there's lots of people at risk that have been asked to evacuate for storm surge and that storm surge throughout is going to crepe northward along the gulf coast and Atlantic coast of Florida as we go through Sunday and even into Monday.</s>MYERS: I have not many seconds left. I am a little bit concerned, Doctor, that we flood the Everglades with 12 feet of water, and Miami, let's say, West Kendall, can flood from the back side. Are you looking at that at all?</s>BRENNAN: Yes, there is the potential for that. That's generally for a slower moving storm that would be the biggest threat for that type of flooding. But there's going to be a lot of water with the storm, a lot of rainfall. There's going to be a lot of flooding problems just in general in the Florida peninsula either from storm surge and/or the combination of very heavy rain. So, everybody wants to keep an eye out for that.</s>MYERS: Thank you, Doctor. Also, some displaced livestock, wildlife, in particular, alligators, I don't like wildlife anyway. Doctor, thank you very much. We'll talk to you at 11:00. People, this is the real deal. This truly is. If you are in Key West, you need to go. This could be 140-mile-per-hour storm knocking down the entire city. I was married there. I love Key West. I love how it looks, but this is the real deal -- Victor.</s>BLACKWELL: Yes, Chad. There echoing what we heard from the National Weather Service out of the Keys that this is as real as it gets. Take all of these warnings seriously. Chad Myers from the CNN Weather Center. Thank you so much. We've got live pictures comes in from Orlando. Again, what is hitting South Florida in a few hours will be hitting Central Florida later in the day on Sunday. So, we're seeing a water distribution center here. There have been difficulties getting bottled water across the state. And we know that this is one of the options here for people who are trying to get some water up in Orlando. Thanks to our affiliates for brings us that. Let's now go to Cuba, which is bearing the brunt of Hurricane Irma, has overnight. CNN's Patrick Oppmann is there on the north coast. Patrick, I want you to give us an update on what you're seeing there. But also leaning on your years of living in Cuba, being based there. Your fears for the island, considering the conditions you're seeing as Irma passes.</s>PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's really just astounding as the light comes up, and you see the damage where we are and this is very concerning hurricane because I've covered a number here and Cuba always seems to miss the bullet, somewhat, they got it dead on last night. And the effects are being felt as far away as Havana and throughout the island and until, the waters recede, because right now, we're on the second floor of a house, five or six feet of water. Most of the houses in this region are single story houses, sometimes with wooden roofs. Sorry, there's another wind gust in here. It's not done yet. But some of the houses you see look like they're going to fall over on a good day. I don't know how they survived. You know, if we would have stayed on the first floor last night, we would have drowned. Most of the people who did not evacuate lived on the first floor of their homes. I don't know how they survived the night, frankly. I know people told me they were going to stay. I think they regretted that decision. Very few people expected Cuba would get the beating it took, but you look around this town, most of it is underwater. There are trees down. We are continuing to see pieces of roofs fly off as the wind picks up. So, a very distressing scene. We won't have the full picture probably for several days until the waters go down and people come up to see their homes -- The family who hosted us, I'll tell you, when they came out a little while ago, they had tears in their eyes. They're looking out at their home, their town, the place they build their whole lives and it's just a tragic scene.</s>BLACKWELL: All right. As the sun comes up, Patrick Oppmann, thank you so much. We'll see more of the damage it's caused there. And hopefully, it's nothing like we saw across the eastern section of the Caribbean. Patrick Oppmann, again, thank you so much. Let's go to Meteorologist Derek Van Dam in Miami Beach with more on the specific threat from Irma and what it poses to the Keys. Derek, the last time I saw you, it was getting pretty dangerous out there on the beach. The wind really picking up there. What are the conditions like where you are now?</s>DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, they continue to deteriorate, as one would imagine. You know, you describ3ed it really well at the top of the hour, how each hour, as we stand out in these conditions, the winds become stronger and sustained for longer. We get these feeder bands that come in, the conditions deteriorate in a matter of seconds. Right now, we are on the South Beach. And if you've been on the South Beach on a Saturday morning, you know that this beach would be crowded. I got the pick of the litter here. No one to talk to because everyone has heeded the warnings to evacuate. The National Weather Service just tweeted from the Miami Bureau that the international airport here had an official wind gust of 58 miles per hour. Where I'm standing we're averaging 35 to 45 miles per hour. It's picking up sand and pelting us in the face. It's also getting a bit tricky to stand because the wind can be so gusty at times and really take your body along with it. I want to show you just quickly, because I want to shelter our camera from the storm that continues to come in. But look to the shore here, you can see that this water is really starting to pick up. Waves earlier, one to three feet, I would say anywhere from three to upwards of five feet and the surge is definitely starting to press in. So, I would say the National Hurricane Center, there's inundation forecasts of five to ten feet, spot on. Because we are getting that push of Atlantic water, starting to move in as the eye wall approaches closer and closer to us here. There was a significant weather advisory for central and southern Miami-Dade County. The winds picking up tropical force winds officially. That means any of these palm trees with coconuts or perhaps their palms leaves could be flying debris. That could also mean life-threatening conditions as some of that debris makes its way down to Ocean Drive, for instance. Fortunately, everyone's heeded the warning to evacuate. Really, there is just no one out right now with the exception of my team and I -- Victor.</s>BLACKWELL: All right. Derek Van Dam there for us in South Beach in Miami, Derek, thank you so much. Stand by. We'll get back to you later this morning. I want to go now to the mayor of Naples on the west coast, Bill Barnett. Mr. Mayor, thanks for making time for us. Increasingly, with the advisories we've seen from the National Hurricane Center, about the path of the storm have crept west. Now putting your city and your constituents if greater danger, how are you preparing?</s>MAYOR BILL BARNETT, NAPLES, FLORIDA (via telephone): Well, thank you, Victor and good morning. We are about as prepared as we can possibly be and we've been doing that now for probably the last six days. And our emergency -- our response -- you know, first responders and emergency services, all our city staff, you know, we're hunkered down and we're watching and we're waiting. And I think that I'm certainly -- that it certainly is not a concern of mine of whether the city has done their preparation, as well as the county, as well as Collier County. So, for that aspect, fine. What we're going to get, you know, as well as I do, and I'm watching you, I've been watching network, and you know, Cuba has certainly slowed it down. I feel bad for those poor folks. But, you know, we'll just -- as this -- as this wears on, we'll be better prepared to give you right up to the minute updates.</s>BLACKWELL: So, let's talk about evacuations. Are there mandatory evacuations there in your city? And how many people, rough estimate, are heeding those, or deciding to stay exactly where they are?</s>BARNETT: Well, thank you for that question. They have been evac -- we are in the mandatory evacuation as of yesterday at 2:00 p.m., but I will tell you that the residents of the city of Naples pretty much listened to what I was saying and others were saying earlier in the week, and many, many, many of them have evacuated. The town is very, very quiet, and I will tell you, you know, because we are seasonal, many of our winter residents are gone anyway. You know, they don't normally come back until October or November. So, the attitude here was, especially after Harvey, was they took this very, very seriously and they did evacuate. And so, you don't -- from my understanding, it's someone I just spoke to on the road on I-75 said there's very little traffic this morning. So, I think that was a good thing and getting that warning out early worked very well.</s>BLACKWELL: Absolutely. Mayor Barnett of Naples, Florida, thank you so much for being with us. We'll check back throughout the day and you, sir, stay safe. The mayor makes a good point there that much of South Florida is seasonal. Hundreds of thousands of people who come down for vacations, have homes here, their season typically is Thanksgiving to Easter, roughly. So many of those people are not here. A lot of people who live here, the truth is, though, the residents here many of them have never lived through a storm like Irma. What is coming here. We'll take a quick break and our special live coverage of Hurricane Irma will continue in a moment.