Dangerous and its really the lack of visibility. We can barely see 100 yards in either direction and obviously with the winds blowing at this speed if there is debris flying through the air i dont want to be out in the middle of that and get caught up side the head by some Flying Branch or anything like that reporter hold on one second, ed. Stay where you are. Stay where you are right now because some of these big trees are surrounding this hotel. I dont know if theyre going to make it. Theyre starting to creep out. Look, the palm tree is an extraordinary piece of vegetation. Theres no question about it. Theyre built to bend. There are a lot of trees that arent that and theyre starting to split and fail under the strain on them and weve been watching it and the concern is that these trees are going to go into the structures across and while they may not look physically impressive to you, were talking about thousands and thousands of pounds and even more of that force if they do
fall into those buildings. Some of them have storm shutters, some of them do not. The wind is picked up by a significant, significant factor here from what it was just a little while ago. So weve been watching this to make sure that the way those go is going to make a big difference. Were safe where we are here in terms of what might come on us. It may not look that way, but it is otherwise i wouldnt be here. But these gusts, this is intense what is coming down these corridors right now. And you can see it behind me and chad was right, the pictures tell the story. But where this wind goes and where it takes all this debris, those are the areas that are going to need the most help and so its important to site it as its happening and weve seen
trying to stay out of the way, out of the way of these gusts while doing the best that we can to just keep an eye on the situation, so that once it passes, we know where to go. I dont have to tell you, youve been doing the job as such a high level as such a long time. You serve different functions. One is to be the eyes and ears for the audience on the ground in a situation like this to arrest the sense of curiosity. Once the First Responders have to kick in and do their job, very often were telling them where things happened from our own observations. And this is certainly going to size up to one of those situations, because they cant get out right now. Theyve had to hunker down. Ed is down below me. Were a team on this. Hes been watching equal intensity from a different perspective down on the ground and ed, let me know when you can come back to me in terms of what youre seeing with the flooding and whether its making an appreciable difference to these
surrounding buildings by us. This is somewhat of a Commercial Area where we are now. There are residences as you get into the four, five, six blocks away where we are, as you get closer into the water, there are residences along the water. We dont give a damn about property in a situation like this. Were about protecting life and thats what all the precautions were about. But youve got mega, mega mansions town there. The governor has one. Were talking 10, 15 million homes and they were built close to the water and as beautiful as that is, its equally as dangerous. Remarkable that this tree is standing. Im watching it split in realtime but its getting there. Ed, what are you seeing down where you are . Let me step out of this. Reporter im going to take a quick little step out oh, man. A quick little step out so you can get a sense of just how quickly the water is moving through here on the street. This is the the most severe
gusts its pushing through. You can see the water. We cant even see 50 yards any more to our right. The amount of water thats being pushed along the street and filling up here and we understand one of the higher areas here in Downtown Naples. The water in other parts of the neighborhoods that we were able to survey this morning and throughout the day yesterday have to be an incredibly dangerous situation. The good news we reported over the last days that many of the people here in naples evacuated this area. We didnt see but a handful of people out and about throughout the day yesterday so that is a good sign because what is left behind as you mentioned, its just property and the intensity of it and the flooding in this situation remember, this part of naples is surrounded by water on all sides, so its not just the gulf waters that will be of
concern, its going to be the river to the side to the eastside of town here as well as the canals and the homes through there, all of that water getting pushed up. This is just one little spot as you look down here on the street in Downtown Naples, just how quickly the water can pull up in various areas so you can imagine in some of the lower lying areas just how horrible the flooding situation is going to be. We continue to look here off to our our east to make sure were well protected here. Everything structurally from what i can tell seeps to be holding on. I have never experienced the intensity of this kind of hurricane with the winds cutting down visibility the way it has which makes the situation even that much more disconcerting. It is incredibly intense here as we approach and get close to the eye of this storm, making and
passing over naples here but it is quickly going to turn from a wind and structural story to this flooding story. Here comes another gust. Whoa. Can you see this, dave . So now were getting it in full effect up here. Ed its not its not slowing down any more, so this has to be what chad was talking about where its just it just keeps coming. Just keep coming. It just looks like it looks like some type of sideways cyclone thats coming down here with these gusts. Ill tell you, ed, me, were not going to move that easily in a storm. Were both bigger guys and this could easily knock you off your feet. Ill tell you what, its such an easier task to be here than so many of the people who are with this storm, with this family, with young kids and theyre inside and they have to be praying to god that this just leaves them untouched and they
get past and thats the biggest concern. For us right now were fine. This is very dramatic picture as chad said it and its accurate picture, its true. But your heart has to go out to the families. Youre watching this coverage, if youre not in florida, if you are in florida, God Bless You and we hope that everybodys okay, and youre safe and you have the supplies you need. This will pass. Its going to take longer than usual but it will pass. But if youre watching this from some where else, well see what their needs are afterwards, but this this is something that theyre going to remember for a really long time and hopefully there is a measure i hope of Gross Inaccuracy of the net
effect of this storm. I hope that it is more drama than it is impact and that the places that have been touched from the caribbean now up into florida and what happens in states north, west and a little bit east of here winds up being less than we expect. But for now that big that big part has passed. Theres bane a little bit of an alleviation. Its gusting that way now but its not as sustained as it was. There was about five minutes there where it just wasnt letting up and the good news is, this one big patch of trees that ive been watching here that i was really worried about going into the Apartment Building across, it hasnt happened. I know chad myers is about to jump in my ear and say dont count your chickens. I understand, but you take good results where you find them in a situation like this and so far
the integrity of these big trees, these 200 foot trees, chad, so far ive been seeing some separation in them, not the palms. You know what im talking about, these other old growth trees, theyve been splitting, but they havent failed yet. They havent collapsed yet and if they can make it through this phase, maybe well get lucky here. But i have to tell you, ed, is a pro as you know and hes been in a lot of these. Ive been in many but less than he to be sure and you to be sure, but there is something unique about what were getting hit with right now. Maybe you can put some words and science to it for us. The only word i have, chris, is eye wall. You are in the northern eye wall. You are going to within the next ten, 15 minutes be inside the
eye. You may be able to look up and see the sky with not a cloud in it and then be waiting for another hour or hour and 20 minutes and get the wind from the other direction and thats many times where a lot of the damage comes from because the trees have already bent one way and then all of a sudden they have to bend the other way as well as arizona well. This is as bad as this storm has been, truly, in america. This is what the people of sugarland, this is what the people of cudjoe key, this is what the people of pig pibig pis morning, this is what they felt, as this storm went straight over the lower keys. It stays offshore, it gained a little strength but not much and then it made landfall about 30 minutes ago, the Eye Wall Doing 130 Miles Per Hour when it hit marco and i bet you just had 130. Nothing to boast about but that storm is still very strong. Not losing any intensity, really, whatsoever. Reporter it comes down to duration. Tell me this, when does the Storm Surge Component Kick in and what do we look for there . The storm surge comes in after the center of the eye moves by and the bubble of water moves under the eye itself and pushes on to land. Now this is opposite of what we expect when an eye makes landfall on an east coast, this is a west coast, so the west coast now has the no water on the north and the water slam storm surge on the south side of the eye. Waters been pulled out of tampa bay, pulled out of Port Charlotte and all the luck up to the north and in 20 minutes when the eye goes by you, the eye wall, youre going to get eye and then youre going to get the other side that marco island is already getting. Marco getting the Storm Surge Flooding and we are seeing that Flash Flood Emergency for marco island proper. Ten to 15 foot surge on top of places that were completely dry. Honestly, the ocean bottom was exposed four feet or so, the ocean bottom was exposed. You could see the sand, you could see the fish, you could see the coral and the sponge and now all of a sudden thats going to be covered with ten to 15 feet of water. Chris, i am seeing you, can you hear me and can you go . Reporter oh, no, i have you. I was just testing out these Hurricane Specs that you told me not to waste the money on. You were right. So chad, what do we do when that storm surge comes in . Whats the best way to help what is going to be the list of immediate needs for the people there and, you know, god willing, they can hear us. Were running on Battery Power here. The hotels out, all the lights
are out in the surrounding area. In fact, i dont see anything lit up. They had kept the lights on here. I dont see them any more. For people who are there and hopefully Hunkered Down go ahead. What happens here on marco and other islands, city islands that are on up the coast, that would have an awful lot of homes on canals and many of those homes are less than three to five feet above the canal on a regular day, now all of a sudden there will be five or ten feet of water on top of their grass and so therefore in their home. And the surge with the push of the water, push of the wind, think of this water moving at 60 or 70 Miles Per Hour being pushed along by winds that are 120 Miles Per Hour, that water will knock things down a lot quicker than the wind will knock things down. Water has so much more force. Now, to answer your first question, what do you do . You get eddie and that crew off the street because thats where the water is going to go. You likely will be fine, second, third floor, but get everybody off the street. Chris, go ahead if you can hear me. Reporter chad, can you still hear me . Yes, i can. I can see your pictures very well, chris. So just start talking. Reporter i cant hear any more. Led me go to ed if you can if you can hear me, pick up the coverage for me. We just had a huge gust here and it blue out my ife and i dont hear anything so pick it up if you can. Reporter no problem, chris. Were down on the street here in Downtown Naples and to give you the continued since of as this the eye of this hurricane gets closer and closer here to naples, ive tucked in behind a wall here to protect us
from the worst of the wind. Its just too much. Theres no visibility. If we can get to look down here on the street, the number of palm trees that are just blowing down the street and thats obviously a major concern for us because with such little visibility, you cant stand out here in this, theres no reason too. You cant see anything flying around. As we stand here a little bit more than an hour, we have endurds these kinds of wind, this kind of rain, were still not quite at the at the eye of the storm here which we anticipate will be coming much, much closer and we will continue to monitor that. So it is a situation that is clearly deteriorating and after more than an hour of enduring this you really start to have to ask yourself, were in Downtown Naples and the situation here in the buildings and the structures that were surrounded by are strong and from anything that i
can tell from our vantage point, In These Times of situations, well be honest with everybody, its limited. We do not have the ability right now to venture out into the city by any means and get a sense of how the rest of the structures are withstanding the storm. We can tell you what we see here around us. There is outdoor Concert Venue here and it has a soft tarp over it. Ive been watching that for the last 35 minutes. Im amazed that that has not come peeling apart here with these winds that weve seen. I thought for sure that that would start unbuckling as it is tied down here but what is simply stunning is how little visibility. Were down to maybe 100 yards of visibility here which makes this even more treacherous and as weve approached this and endured this for more than the last hour, really makes you wonder in the rest of the area homes that are not as structurally sound as the areas in the buildings that you see
here around me, really makes you wonder, can the homes, can the other buildings around this part of naples and southwest florida, can it continue to withstand this kind of intensity for as long as it has and theres still more to come. Theres no question and a concern that we have here. Reporter all right, ed. Ill take it from you right now. I was i was a little overly optimistic in terms of the worst being through. I was hoping thats what that was before but shes back. And it is a big blow thats coming through here and again as you were seeing down there at ground level chad, this is the real deal coming through here, but so far this tree line is holding and stoz important for these surrounding structures, chad in terms of what they can do to things as you know. We know what happens when these big branches blow off with this kind of Energy Behind them. Weve been seeing it about this way now for about 35 minutes or so. And everywhere around us, its the same. Its actually looks actually worse in areas that are a little bit west of us here. The trees that were there that i was using as markers before are gone, so chad, what are you seeing on the radar in terms of where we are from that most severe band that went over the island not too long ago . You are about four miles from where there is no more rainfall, so therefore the inner part of the eye wall, four miles away. Now if we do the math at 12 Miles Per Hour, youre still in this or maybe something slightly less than this for another 20 minutes, so its that duration thing you talked about, how long are people going to be in this when theyre in their homes in the dark. This is a completely different animal in the day light. When you are in your home and
you hear things go bumping and you have no idea, because its dark and you have no power, and you dont have airconditioning and you dont have any communication with any of the outside world because the cell towers already gone down, thats when it truly is going to be a very difficult night for the people from sara sota, into tampa because theyre going to live with this as will with. Maybe less, maybe 115 because, chris, i think you just had 130. Reporter all right. Whatever it is, it is. But heres what i can tell you, chad, as you know were all pros. We are in the cover of a hotel. The crew is good. Photojournalist is good. Im good. Ed and i are built for this. Its not easy but ill tell you what, its a hell of a lot easier for us than it is for people that chad was just talking about. God forbid youre with your family and having to live through Something Like this, our hearts, our thoughts are with those people. Its a big reason why we do this coverage. Well be here just as we saw
with harvey. Theres going to be need and we know that this community will come together. We saw it before the storm. It sounds trite but its true. The worst of Mother Nature brings out the best in human nature and thats going to be needed here in florida in big, big portions and living through this part of it makes those of us who god willing wont be adversely effected by it feel interconnected to those who are going to be effected by it because, ed, from where you are down there right now, this is going to be something where everybodys going to have to count their blessings after this one goes through. Where is it where you are right now . How is it down there . Reporter hey, chris, seconds after i tossed back to you just moments ago, heard a large crash about 15 yards off to my side, part of the rooftop, these are
the spanish tiles of the rooftop that were on just came crashing down about three stories off the ground, crashed down on the ground around us. This is exactly what landed on the ground around us. As i was mentioning and while we were talking and the fortification and the structural soundness of the buildings that were in that we felt really good about, not to say it wont endure any kind of damage, but if thes