Transcripts For CNNW The Lead With Jake Tapper 20170911

The storm surge reached 8 to 10 feet high, and the governor warned that the biggest threat is river flooding especially in the northern part of the state n. Charleston, south carolina, heavy rains are causing a flash flood emergency with the widespread flooding reported in downtown. Navy ships loaded with supplies are headed to the florida keys right now where irma made the first u. S. Landfall yesterday morning, and the second landfall has left all of marco island in florida without power or water, according to authorities. In miami, the streets of course yesterday became rage rivers. Miami International Airport remains closed even at points inland where many from the coast evacuated to where those spots were not spared either, and in orlando area, 220 rescues were made in a single hour to dday. And now 65 of the state of florida and that is 6 million customers without power. It could take weeks before that power is fully restored. Cnn has a team of correspondents spread out across the southeast and where the storm went and are where it is headed now, and we will begin in northwest florida where we will find kaylee hartung, and the rain has apparently stopped there, but you been watching the rain get worse over the last few hours. Tell us about it . We have, jake. We have been watching the waters rise over the course of the day. The waters here are two blocks inland as the st. Johns river pours into downtown jacksonville, but if you are believe it, it is a et beer scene than what we saw a couple of hours ago. The best way to illustrate is this pile of debris here at the edge of the parking lot, because that is how high the waters of the st. Johns river came into downtown jacksonville. Where we are standing outside of the omni hotel as you said, unprecedented for anybody to see anything in this area of this nature, but it is explained to me that this curvature of the st. Johns river behind me is one of the narrowest points of the river, and so not surprise ing that this is an area of of storm surge pulling the water up, but nobody anticipated it to come up this far. With the waters being as unpredictable as we know they can be the local officials are saying go up but not out, and many of the people are not heeding the warnings and folks here to my left taking the photos and takeing in the sights downtown. What we have learned from a lot of people in the aer rea, and l said, im just outside of the omni hoteling because people came here thinking it is a safe place to shelterer, and people down south whether it is polka raton, or ponte vedra is not far from here, but these waters are rolling up right here onshore, jake, of what jacksonville will be seeing next. Than you, kaylee hartung, stay safe. And now i want to go to cnn Weather Center with tom sater. And irma has covered an amazing amount of land since the landfall. Yes, and lets back up and talk about this amazing storm which is only two weeks after harvey. We see what we are talking about as far or actually, missing the graphic not in here, but we will talk about this in more duration, coming off of the coast of africa and developing in 24 hours from what was a Tropical Storm to category 2, category 3, category 4 and hitting the Northern Islands of the lesser antilles, and devastating the islands and the dutch evacuating many off to the n thenet erlands and five days now without food and power and without communications in the need of shelter. The u. K. Is sending a navy ses sell to the u. S. Virgin islands and the u. S. Is there for the virgin islands, and then staying off course of the dominican republic, and so they were breathing a sighf of relief. The heavy rains moving into the dominican and puerto rico. Then it turned to the turks and caic caicos, and that has never happened before. It sustained winds of 185mileanhour for three days pass i passing typhoons and other hurricanes, such as the typhoon that devastated the pill fenes four days ago. Then it made landfall as a a category 5, the strongest since 1924. And the now, for florida, we had it as a category 4 in the keys, and that is between big pine key and key west and that category 4 landfall is the second one this year, after harvey, and the first time in history to have two category 3 to make landfall, and then on the same logic, and latitude as wilma 12 years ago. And here is what we are seeing, the records broken northward as we are starting to see, and i mentioned it jacksonville, jacksonville, because it is so broad in the storm that the winds coming in from the ocean were pushing in the winds for a longer duration, day after day. Now the records of jacksonville are now surpassing matthew last year, and dora since the 196f 0s and since the records started in 1846 they have not seen this type of flooding from the st. Johns river. And the now, savannah missed by 0. 2 of an inch where we are seeing there and just going into charlotte. At the charlotte harbor, it is half a foot above the record of matthew last year and starting to recede, but a flash flood emergency remains in effect in this area, and that is more than the Flash Flood Warning which means it will continue. And for the first time in history, from georgia in towards atlanta getting a storm warning and that has never happened. And there 69 tornado warnings in one period, and that is a record are. The rain is continuing, and flash flooding and power out of georgia and alabama and the carolinas, and the storm not overwith yet, and we will continue the are recap it and talk about the record books and i could talk for 20 minutes of the number of records broken, but the good news is no more hurricane watch or watch, just the Tropical Storm to the west. Thank you, tom. And Hurricane Irma is pounding charleston right now are the Flash Flood Warnings have been issued. Joining me on the phone is the m mayor of charleston. Can you tell us about state of the conditions on the ground there . Thank you, jake. And tom mentioned charleston a couple of times, and we have a couple of extra feet of water we could share with charlotte if they needed it. We have a remarkable event with storm surge really occurring over 200 miles a wway from the center of this storm, and the wind came from off shore and continued to push water into charleston harbor, and we say that we have is one of the best natural ports on the east coast, so ships can easily come in and out, and the water has been coming in but not easily out because of the wind pushing it in. This is the big difference between this year and last year with hurricane matthew. This event occurred exactly at high tide midday today. A year ago even though we had a direct hit from matthew, it happened at exactly low tide, and that sixfoot differential in the tide made a world of difference in the am of flooding that we have received. Mr. Mayor, what are your immediate concerns in the hours coming up . Well, in the immediate hours, im a little concerned about the tide going back out. It is not decreasing as it normally would, because winds have continued to push into the harbor and so we may have to wait a psyche ol or two before we really get the a cycle or two before we can get the drainage when the low tide occurs. We stand ready. We have pumps, and as soon as the tide goes out, we can pump out, and drain out, and then we are going to clean up, and we will be back to normal but my heart is going out to those in the caribbean and florida that have really sustained a lot more damage than we have. We are going to be just fine after we dry out. But it has been a unique event. What is your message for the good citizens of charleston . For the rest of the day, stay put still until this storm passes, and when it does, we will cleanup and get back to normal real quick, and invite everybody to come visit us in charleston as we love to do. Thank you, charleston mayor john tecklenburg. And football fields toppled upside down, and trees pulled up like weeds, and a look at the destruction left by Hurricane Irma. That story is next. Next time, i want you on my bowling team. [ laughs ] rodney. Bowling. Classic. Can i help you . Its me. Jamie. Im not good with names. Celeste i trained you. We share a locker. Moose man yo. He gets two name your price tools. He gets two . I literally coined the phrase, we give you Coverage Options based on your budget. Thats me. Jamie yeah. Youre back from italy. [ both smooch ] ciao bella. [ both smooch ] i have agerelated maculare degeneration, amd, he told me to look at this grid every day. And we came up with a plan to help reduce my risk of progression, including Preservision Areds 2. My doctor said Preservision Areds 2 has the exact nutrient formula the National Eye Institute recommends to help reduce the risk of progression of moderate to advanced amd after 15 years of clinical studies. Preservision areds 2. 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I was about in the same place, and about 12 feet over, and this entire marina was nothing but mud, and the people who have lived here their entire live s have not seen this, and even when hurricane charley came through here, that did not happen here, and irma is still raging. Reporter slamming florida with heavy winds and strong rain, and still making its way up the southern edge of the u. S. Now weakened to a Tropical Storm the danger ist not yet over. The streets flooded from the florida keys to south carolina. Tonight, more than 6. 5 million are without power in florida alone. Jacksonville hit with a record irmagenerated surge turning the streets into rivers. Storm surge warnings in effect for much of the western florida coast and the entire georgia coast. Charleston now feeling irmas wrath as the waves are crashing on to its shores. Ripping through the middle of florida late sunday, irma battered the entire state with sustained winds and massive wind gusts. Rescue efforts continue for those who stayed to wait out the storm. In martin county, floridas treasure coast, a marine unit is dispatched after two people tried to ride out the storm on the sailboat. They survived. And a scuba diver dangling by a rope rescued near west palm beach, and the storm delivering more than destruction. Coral springs emergency crews were called out the tlifr a baby in the height of the storm using their Armored Vehicle to navigate through strong winds and high water. Miami streets flooded and left with huge sinkholes to leave Hazardous Conditions a as the cars tried to steer through the murky waters. And the devastation felt across the caribbean where it made landfall killing at least 36 people in the path, including at least ten in cuba as it passed over the caribbean i island over the weekend. The cost of the damages are yet to be assessed and one estimate is that it is going to top Hurricane Katrina even before it hit florida. Now, the people here in punto gordo dodged a ul bullet yesterday when irma jogged to the right or eastward a little bit sparing them a direct blow, and there is over 60 of the people in Charlotte County are without electricity and cleaning up the treeses downed and local flooding, but thankfully, that is the worst of it here. Jake . Thank you, miguel marquez, so much. And of course, naples, florida, did take a direct hit from then Hurricane Irma, and we will speak to the mayor about the extent of the damage to his city next. If you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis,. Isnt it time to let the real you shine through . Maybe its time for Otezla Apremilast . Otezla is not an injection or a cream. Its a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. With otezla, 75 clearer skin is achievable after just 4 months,. With reduced redness,. Thickness, and scaliness of plaques. And the otezla prescribing information has. No requirement for routine lab monitoring. 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And it gets, you know, it makes a it difficult on top of the damage that we have sustained yesterday, and to be without w power is really going be you know, it just gets ugly, that is all. The eye of the storm obviously passed through your city last night, and do you are have a sense of how extensive physical damage is to the structures are, and also how are the people of naples . Well, sure. The people of naples are really doing well. The early evacuation helped, and harvey was a real wakeup call. I didnt see any complacency, and with getting out. And those that didnt or chose not to, a loft them went to the shelters, and we had 27 shelters here, and people were great as far as the as far as the damage, it is just very depressing to ride around with neighborhoods that we cant get into yet, because of the flooding, and fortunately, we did not get the huge storm surge, you know, but still flooding and trees are blocking streets, and just all of the beauty seemed to have been kind of sucked out of the city. It is going to be a massive cleanup, and, you know, it can only be worse. I listen to you, and i listen to talk of around the state that was hit worse than us, but it was not a pleasant experience that anybody wants to go through. All right. Mr. Mayor, thank you and stay in touch and we know that the beauty of naples will return, and stay in u touch. Thank you. Byebye. Many places in florida are getting a first look of the damage left behind by irma, and bill weir is in one of the hardest hit areas of the keys. What are you seeing there . Well, jake, it is devastating, and we have not seen the worst of it yet. We are in one of the ritzier neighborhoods of key largo and so when it comes to destruction, irma did not discriminate based on the class. The latest on the search and rescue efforts beyond the damage here, they are looking for bodies down south, and the navy is going to hem out. Details when we come back. I count on my dell Small Business advisor for tech advice. With one phone call, i get products that suit my needs and i get back to business. Dental professionals recommend using an electric toothbrush. For an exceptionally fresh feeling choose Philips Sonicare diamondclean. Hear the difference versus oral b. In a recently published clinical study, Philips Sonicare diamondclean outperforms oralb 7000, removing up to 82 more plaque and improving gum health up to 70 more. Its Sonic Technology cleaning deep between teeth. 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Homes, businesses, livelihoods are ripped to shreds when irma landed onland. And also some challenges remain to the bridges. Bill weir is join g ing us fromy largo, and bill, can you walk us through what you are seeing . Sxwll wele well, jake, we are going up and down the coast trying to find a Strong Enough cell signal to power these, and we happened to find one in the richest neighborhoods of key largo and these are all multi Million Dollar homes with pools in the backyard, and you can see that irma came here carrying everything in the path, and pottery like this, and taking tout fences and the trees and the occasional boat or two here, and you can see it. But the construction with the price tag of these homes keeps them from being swept a wway, b it is not the same in smaller communities or i trailer parks where we saw much more devastati devastation. But of course, this is just stuff. The main concern here is human life, and officially, there is only a couple of confirmed fatalities of irma in the florida keys, but hundreds listed as missing on facebook page, and im getting the social media calls, can you check on my parents on Sugarloaf Key or plantation key, and it is no way to know if they are okay or just cut off from communication, because there is no telephone service, south of mile marker 70. It goes from zero at a key west all of the way to 125, as you are getting closer to miami. And the lower keys are cut off and the roads are impassable there, and we have heard calls for humanitarian aid so much so that the navy is sending an aircraft carrier, the u. S. S. Lincoln down there to key west to help the folks out, and three naval ships, and through the coconut telegrams, we are hearing that they are seeing bodies. But imagine that you cant go to the store to get gas for the chainsaw to clear the road or get power back to charge the phone to find out if mom and dad are okay. So we are in for a long logistical chess game here and this is the beginning, but we are getting a boat tomorrow and heading to the keys tomorrow, jake, and we will report everything that we can find. Bill weir, thank you so much for the amazing reporting. We have ed lavandera near goodland where communication is spotty at best, and talk about thele challenges getting to where you are now. Yeah, we are on the eastern edge of marco island. Most of the island handled the storm relatively well, but this is an area that took the category 3 and the area where the second landfall hit on the southwest part of florida with wind gusts around 130 and as high as 140 miles per hour. There is a man named gary stringer who waited out this storm here in this house right here, and look it what he barely missed here, the giant tree collapsed here. And the wind blew it that i way way. And if he had gone that way, he is not sure that he would be alive to talk to us, and tell us about this story. Crazily enough, jake, a number of people decided to ride out the storm. This is on the edge of where where the evergrades meet the gulf of mexico and the fact that some people stayed behind and withstood this storm is simply amazing. Dianne gallagher is in bradenton, florida, south of tampa, tampa, and you are looking at where a lot of the seniors live, and many of the seniors do live in florida, but many of the seniors will be coming thhome t see the damage to their homes. And jake, we want to put it in perspective, and this is the gutter here and this is the remains of the carport scattered across the alley here, and pieces of roofs landed streets over, and some people found damaged carports in their home and thought it was theirs. So you can see the damage up here above from the drones, and also where close they are to the bay. That is why the sheriff came out friday and he had a bullhorn and he said Everybody Needs to get out now. This is a Senior Community 55 and older, and you need to get out of here, and nobody is in the homes, and it is good because when you are look at at the larger picture, the lanai and the sun porch is completely closed in, and you can see that it is calming down since we have been here, but across the rest of bradenton, a lot of the trees are down, and very few people are dealing with the power, because there is power lines down, and live power and water issues with the sewage spills trying to clean up, but most certainly the best part of this for any of them is that there were no injuries, and you can replace the things. If this is your mother and father, this is serious to you, but again, no injuries. No one was hurt here. Thank you, diane. That and governor rick scott said that over half of the state is without power and it could be days or weeks before the power comes back on. And joining me is the president of Georgia Power and flight, and mr. Gould, what is the best estimate of how it will take to restore power to millions of people in a desperate situation . Yeah, it is going to take some time. We have been very clear that part of it is going to depend upon what part of the state of florida you are in. If you are on the east coast, quicker, because it is a more typical restoration, but on the west coast where there was complete devastation, we are talk about a potential rebuild, and we have been restoring the power very aggressively, and we have 3. 5 million of the 5 million customers out, and so talking about 7 to 8 Million People without power. We have restored power to upwards to 1. 5 million already since the storm began using lar largely the automation, and the investments that we have put into the grid for the past decade, and 3 billion worth, and some of it is paying off in the dividend, but it is going to be a long road for many of the cu customers. 7 to 8 million floridians in a state of 20 million, it is almost half, and so do you have enough man power to deal with this massive operation . We do. We have 19,500 restoration work withers er workers, and it i army that we had prepositioned before the storm hit us. It is the largest preposition in the history of our company and the u. S. And so we will be seeking more support from the colleague s s the north and west and es pishly those Tree Trimmers and the like, because Mother Nature has not done a wholesale House Cleaning in the past decade, so there is a ton of debris out there that has flown into the lines and all of the equipment, and so we have the resources, but we are going to be bringing in more. What is the biggest challenge that you are facing in restoring the power . The biggest challenge is going to be the flooded waters. Literally in the last couple of hours, the storm just left our northern territory, and we have seen the image of flooding. Flooding is a huge kerp for u and huge concern not just because it hampers the crews ability to maneuver, but it is also a safety hazard for the customers. Especially at night, if they step outside in some puddles or water, and they may not see a downed line that is energized and so safety is the most concern for us. The most fatalities that occur in a situation like this happen after the storm has passed, and so that is something that we are very, very focused on. Robert gould, thank you and good luck. We are continuing to monitor irma as she is heading north. But coming up next in the politics lead, now that steve bannon has left the white house, and he is going to war. Those he is targeting might surprise you. Stay with us. Sfx tmobile mnemonic sfx tmobile mnemonic sfx tmobile mnemonic tmobiles unlimited now includes netflix on us. Thats right, netflix on us. Get four unlimited lines for just forty bucks each. Taxes and fees included. And now, netflix included. So go ahead, binge on us. Another reason why tmobile is americas best unlimited network. Sfx tmobile mnemonic parts a and b and want more coverage, guess what . You could apply for a Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan whenever you want. No enrollment window. No waiting to apply. 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One world trade scenter this morning as the nation paused to acknowledge the moment when a airplane was crashed into the World Trade Center with islamic t terrorists and al qaeda, and those who lost loved ones at the memorial site gathered to mourn those gone but not forgotten. And President Trump remembers the way that americans are responded to thet a tack. On that day not only did the rl world change, but we all changed. Our eyes were opened to the depths of the evil we face. But in that hour of dark neness also came together with renewed purpose. Our differences never looked so small. Our common bonds never fell so strong. The president was just back from a weekend huddled with a advisers at camp david with where he and his team focused on the federal response to Hurricane Irma. In the politics lead today, president Lyndon Johnson once said of j. Edgar hoover, it is better to be outside of the tent pissing out rather than outside pissing in, and the president is about to learn that with what we are learning from the sources of steve bannon who has plans to target those critical of thet president or his agenda. Former white house chief strategist has a new role, chief strategist in an uncivil war against the established republicans. We are told that the breitbart chairman the allies are preparing a slate of primarile challenges against those senators deemed insufficiently supportive of the president and his agenda. I they the vot i think tha the voters represent me to be a franchise to represent them and not a rubber stamp for the president. I am quite comfortable where i am. Reporter jeff flake is just one target. And others are nevadas dean heller, and Louis Strange of alabama and senator bob kscorke of tennessee. The president needs to take stock of what role he plays in the nation. Reporter he was once a considered candidate for the president , but then he has been critical of the president about white supremists demonstrating in his state. The president has not been able to demonstrate some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful. Reporter corker tells cnn that he is undecided of whether to run for another term, but with one less targ, politico has been busy. Bannon has been Holding Meetings with those he plans to support, and as for the cash, he has brought in the conservative mega donor robert mercer, but he is not just targeting up senators in 2018, and he went after house leader paul ryan and Mitch Mcconnell. They dot no want the populist economic agenda to be implemented and it is very obvious. Reporter he says that the gop establishm needs to be put on notice. They are going to be held accountable if they do not participate the president. We are answering more questions on steve bannon than when he worked here. And the president has no other comment other than he had worked with the white house. And Jared Kushner also adv e advised the president to not fire the attorney general james coneyme comey. And i it has been said that he was determined to fire him. And some say it is a mistake. And ana navarro, you are a floridian and your thoughts and soul and prayers from the good people there in florida a reasoned you hearing from the people there who have rode out the storm . I have at loft friends and family and loved ones who rode out the storm. I think that they were very scared last night and very grateful for the thoughts and the coverage of cnn and the than things that the First Responders are doinging. And you know n times like this, you realize just how many people go out there to risk their lives and leave their families and their homes to go make it bet forerest of us, and the people like the First Responders and the people in the Emergency Management service staff, and people at Florida Power and light, and people in the hospitality industry, and reporter reporters, and just so h, so many people, and i think that i speak as a floridian today to thank all of those who made the experience so much more bearable for those in florida. And amen to that. And brian, letses talk about steve bannon and the plans to target republican senators and incumbe incumbents up for reelection who have been in his view insufficiently supportive of the president , corker, wicker, flake, heller, luther strange, and this could really potentially cause some Serious Problems for republican party. It could potentially, but now that steve bannon has left the white house, we should exaggerate his influence. For seven months he was suppose ared asupposely the evil genius, and in the first interview with 60 minutes he was coming off as evil but not so much genius. And so many people of the election have tied to idealize or lionize his behavior, and the president was doing that before he was insooide of the white house. And i dont know how influential outside, and think about when he was in the inside of the white house, he could not get donald trump to endorse roy moore who was the Republican Base candidate in alabama and inst d instead, he endorsed the incumbent mr. Strange, and so whether he can have more influence with bob mercers money on the outside, we will have to see. And ana, one of the things from the interview yesterday, steve bannon talking about his respect of the institutions, and that is where he and the president have butted heads is the suggestion, and he said that he thought that it was the worst mistake in the modern political history for the president to have fired the attorney general james comey because he said it then led to a wider berth of things to look at than comey was looking at. The white house today stand big t standing by the decision. Well, this white house stands by every decision, and the consequences for firing comey have been negative for donald tru trump, and if he had to do it over again, he might be less impulsive and more reflective of it. I thought that the interview was eerie frankly and horrifying to think that somebody who is so obsessed, so, so downright nativist and evil could have been in that white house with the ear of the president for so many months and whether he is inside or outside, as a republican, it is, it is sad to think that this guy wants to wage war with other republicans. He wants, you know, the int interview was full of contradictions because on the one hand he claims to be an institutionalist, but on the other hand, he does not respect the coequal branch of the legislative branch, and he wants to bring them under the command of donald trump, and he wants them to bow to donald trump and do what donald trump wants them to do and not what they want to do, and then, you know, he talks about the fear of there being a civil war in the republican party, as we head into the primaries, but it is precisely what he is trying to do. By hold iing people accountable and you know, the people who need to hold the representatives and the senators accountable is not Steve Breitbart steve bannon. And Steve Breitbart is more apropos, but it is the constituents of the state. And he would say that he is trying to get the republicans not to be under the control of President Trump, but to have them be behind President Trumps nationalistic agenda or however you want to describe it, but to be fair to steve bannon, he is not wrong that Mitch Mcconnell and paul ryan do not buy into a lot of that especially when it s is coming to the signature issue that steve bannon talks about the most trade. Right. But my point is just that i think that Steve Bannons role has been exaggerated in the quite frankly i hope that he does not have a platform the spew the racist ideas in the weeks ahead h. Because when he was in the white house, he did not succeed to get donald trump the do anything about the trade, and paul ryan did not share his view, and what happened to renegotiating nafta, and seven months in and that has not happened. But the problem is that people who do vote in republican primaries do read stuff in breitbart as untrue and inaccurate as it may be. Thank you both for being here. Turning back to the top story of the destruction of irma, and next, live to cuba where the death toll from the storm is rising. Stick around. off. Thats how kaley and i got to share this trip together at this amazing hotel. Go to priceline and get the hotel deals you wont find anywhere else. Been trying to prepare for this day. And im still not ready. The reason im telling you this is that there will be moments in your life that. Youll never be ready for. Your little girl getting married being one of them. How much money do you think youll need in retirement . 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Utter devastation in the caribbean and in the world lead, irmas ra ravage killed at least 36 people, and ripped off roofs, and uprooted trees and this is what it was last to be lashed by cnns Patrick Oppmann rode out the storm as irma blasted cuba friday night. And he is joining us now looking dryer and, patrick, those images are looking like a war zone. Yes, everywhere you look and the images here in havana, and people are taking out the belongings, and soaked under days and days of waterings and if i come here yesterday, jake, would have been chestdeep in water. All of the houses behind me were flooded so people have been taking out their belongings to dry out in the sun, and that all they can do. As for the rain this afternoon, they have been putting them back in, and not so much desperation here, because the government has food and somewhat organized, but no electricity or water, and the sea water has gotten into the water supply, an tough times everywhere you look, and not a lot of information for people wherever you are, and so frustration is rising, jake. And obviously, different parts of the caribbean experienced this differently. Some parts people are more desperate for food and are resources than they are in cuba. In st. Martin now for example we are hearing reports of civil unrest. Absolutely. And you know, i think that people can understand that someone perhaps looting for food if they are hungry, but we are talking about the televisions in the country without electricity right now, and so nobody is watching the tvs, and so it is out of control. Other islands that you are hearing about kcurfews being instated and the americans are e evacuate and the tourists coming by is how little the information is, and the internet is knocked out in havana by the storm and people want to know how the fly no the u. S. , and they dont know when the airport is going to be open, and a lot of of the rumor, because the cuban government came out, but we have heard of more rue moshgs and a storm that is sad and unfortunate effects around the island, and it will take years for the caribbean to recover from this disastrous storm. Thank you, Patrick Oppmann. And good to see you as always. Make sure that you follow me on facebook and twitter. That is it for the lead with jake tapper. I now turn you over to wolf. Still churning after slamming florida or for entire length, irma is moving forward as a Tropical Storm hitting georgia and the carolinas with the high winds and the high water and putting millions more people at risk. Unexpected flooding. Much of floridas coast is inundated with the storm surges up to eight feet in some areas where the onslaught was not expe expected. The city of jacksonville is seeing the worst flooding on record. Cutoff, the florida keys hit first by irma as a category 4 hurricane are now cut off. The