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Interview With Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL); President Biden Continues to Survey Storm Damage. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired October 03, 2024 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:00:23]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: Thanks, everybody, for joining me this morning.

I want to bring in my good friend Pamela Brown.

And, Pamela, the devastation from Helene, we're still -- every day, there's a new headline. We get a bigger look at the scope of the devastation. It's just unreal.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: That's right. The video that we're showing even right here, it's apocalyptic, looking at that.

ACOSTA: Yes.

BROWN: And we're going to hear -- I know you have on your show people on the ground there, my show also going to talk to some of the residents who are climbing out of this with kids trying to juggle that with schools being closed, figuring out a place to live, where to get water, food.

It is an ongoing crisis for these people. And we're going to continue to shine a spotlight, Jim. Thanks so much. I will take it from here.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. You bet.

BROWN: And good morning, everyone. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Pamela Brown in Washington.

And we begin this hour with exclusive new video into CNN that will give you more perspective on the scope and the scale of the catastrophe in the Southeast and what people are dealing with right now in this very moment.

You are looking at the ruins of Asheville, North Carolina, one of the cities that Helene hit the hardest. Take a look here. This is the River Arts District. Just more than a week ago, it was a vibrant, beautiful area until the storm did this.

And here's a look inside one of the buildings there, just a -- just a complete -- just a disaster inside. There is barely any room to walk and nothing is left standing, as you see right here. And, outside, fallen trees are balancing on power lines. Right now, hundreds of thousands of customers are still without power access across the Southeast. We're going to keep it right here on CNN. Later in the hour, we're

going to go live to Asheville to talk to the North Carolina National Guard and find out how troops are helping people across the state.

And moments ago, we learned the death toll from the storm has risen to at least 200 people in six states. Right now, President Biden is about to arrive in Tallahassee. He will see the damage in that state firsthand.

Let's bring in CNN's Arlette Saenz in Perry, Florida, near where Hurricane Helene made landfall a week ago.

Arlette, what are we expecting to hear from the president?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, we expect President Biden to be landing in Florida in just a short while. This is the second day that he is spending devoted to touring these areas impacted by Hurricane Helene.

President Biden is making his way here to the Big Bend region of Florida. We are in Perry, where he will be landing a little bit later this afternoon. Hurricane Helene made landfall just a short distance away from here one week ago today.

President Biden will be going in directly to this area called Keaton Beach, which is a residential community that has been devastated by this storm. Officials saying that maybe 90 percent of those homes were impacted, potentially destroyed when Hurricane Helene ripped through the state and then continued on through the Southeast.

Now, after the president is here -- he's going to be seen devastation the ground. He will be receiving an operational briefing. He is then heading to the state of Georgia Georgia's Governor Brian Kemp actually just announced a short while ago that he just spoke with President Biden and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, thanks them for coming to the state and for also the additional counties that have been listed under the disaster declaration.

But he did note that the president is likely to hear some frustration from counties who also want to get on that list, so we will see if there is any movement on that front. Here in Florida, it seems unlikely that President Biden will be seeing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is actually holding a press conference a few hours south of where Biden will be today.

But one thing that the administration has been trying to stress over the past few days is that federal response to this devastating storm. Yesterday, President Biden toured via an aerial tour an area of Western North Carolina which has been particularly hit by mudslides, landslides, and flooding.

And it was there where he said that the community -- that the federal government would be there for the community for the long haul, not just in this short term.

Now, one big question is how the U.S. government will be able to pay for a lot of this disaster relief. President Biden has said that he will, that the federal government will cover debris removal and other emergency relief procedures that qualify for all the -- for states like Georgia, Florida, North Carolina as well as.

Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas just yesterday warned that more money will be needed to fund any disaster relief. Take a listen.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting. We do not have the funds, FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

[11:05:12]

SAENZ: Now, Speaker Mike Johnson has said that he does think that disaster relief will need to be passed. It's unclear how much the federal government would be asking for, but also big questions about how soon that could happen, as Congress is not in session at this time.

BROWN: All right, Arlette Saenz. Thank you so much. I have a congressman -- member coming on later in the show. I'm going to ask him about that.

Well, the president will fly over some of the hardest-hit areas of Florida, but on the ground helping to kick-start the recovery efforts is Team Rubicon. The veteran-led humanitarian group is using chain saws to clear trees off roads, putting tarps on damaged roofs and helping people dig out of their mud-covered homes.

Art delaCruz joins us now. He is the CEO of Team Rubicon.

Art, tell us about the work that your group is doing. I mean, just to see that background where you are, it really tells the story of what you're up against.

ART DELACRUZ, CEO, TEAM RUBICON: Yes, I'm actually in Sea Ranch down here in Pasco County.

And this is just one of the presences that we have as a volunteer organization across the six states impacted. Today, we're in Asheville, North Carolina, but here specifically residents are dealing with five or six feet of water that has literally flooded this entire neighborhood.

And this is just one of many up and down this coast, so a lot of work ahead of these communities in rebuilding and doing the things they need to do to get their lives back in order.

BROWN: And we see some cars on the road next to you, but that is not the situation everywhere, right? There are still some roads that are blocked. And, of course, clearing the roads is the most critical work, allowing the emergency vehicles, volunteers like you, line men to get through.

How challenging is that work for the teams?

DELACRUZ: Yes, that work actually started right after landfall.

And believe it or not, our three route clearance teams, and they have heavy equipment and chain saws, they cleared enough debris off of the roads in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and now in North Carolina to fill up over 1,000 dump trucks.

BROWN: Wow, 1,000 dump trucks. What does that tell you?

So Rubicon is expected to be in the Pasco area through the end of the month, right? Where you are now. Your group is heading into Tennessee and South Carolina. How long do you see being a part of -- oh, can you not hear me?

Unfortunately -- OK, Art, I don't know if you can hear me. OK, let's try again.

(CROSSTALK)

DELACRUZ: ... your phone, turned off.

BROWN: OK, unfortunately we lost Art, but that's all right. We will try to reconnect with him later. And we're also going to talk to other people on the ground right now, victims of Hurricane Helene.

This next guest is a business owner in Western North Carolina. Let's take a look at some of these photos from Joseph McElroy's 14-room motel about 30 miles west of Asheville and Maggie Valley. People were staying there when Helene hit. Joseph joins us now on the phone.

Joseph, first of all, how are you doing? How is your family? I understand that you have little kids.

JOSEPH MCELROY, NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENT: Yes, I have 6-year-old twins that are sort of actually treating this as a grand adventure.

But, yes, we're now starting to recover. And things are, I think, in Maggie Valley are doing a little bit better than Asheville, which is where I work most of the time and can't really go to.

BROWN: You say -- I have a 6-year-old as well and I can understand.

(CROSSTALK)

MCELROY: Two of them, yes, twins.

BROWN: And I can't believe you have two. Wow.

You say they're looking at this as a grand adventure, but you're also unsure how to explain to your kids what's really going on in the aftermath of this storm, particularly their teacher. Tell us about that and how you plan to speak to them.

MCELROY: Yes.

Well, we just found out yesterday that their teacher -- I mean, they really love this teacher. I mean, it's like a second mom. And she drowned in the storm. And it's like here they are, these wonderful little kids. We have even been trying to encourage them to treat it like a grand adventure.

Now we are facing to tell them that grand adventure killed their beloved teacher. It's like we didn't -- we don't know what to do. We haven't told them yet. We have reached out to the school and they actually have not had to really deal with this before.

And they're researching to let all the whole class know how to deal with this. I mean, everybody that hears the story is literally in tears. I mean, I'm not somebody really to express sort of personal emotions online, but I did a post. And there's lots of people being sympathetic and giving me advice.

But it's a hard question, because how do you not traumatize them, you know?

BROWN: Yes, yes. I just -- my heart hurts for you and hurts for that community and hurts for the teacher's family.

[11:10:01]

MCELROY: Yes.

BROWN: And just to think about the loss of innocence that will come from you having to tell them that they lost their teacher, as you put it, in this grand adventure.

And just -- oh, it's just heartbreaking. Tell us more about what your community is going through and the greatest need right now.

MCELROY: Well, there's -- all over this -- all over in this county, there's been a tremendous lack of communications, right?

And so we were -- we were in the dark. For example, there was a 9:00 p.m. curfew in this county, Haywood County, and we did not know about it until a week afterwards. And there was just -- there's no -- we're all living out on the Internet and the Internet's down.

And I'm going to tell you, there's a big -- the reckoning needs to happen with Internet providers, because they're not being required to have power redundancy, like other communication means happen. And everybody's moving to smart TVs and everything else.

And when the Internet goes out, we got nothing, right?

BROWN: Yes.

MCELROY: So, I mean, and it -- so everybody's having problems. And so there's a lot that people still missing their loved ones, not knowing whether they're in -- have been rescued, whether they're alive or dead or anything like that.

So that is the biggest trauma. There is sort of a psychological trauma that's going on here, where people don't know. And it's a real -- it's a real -- everybody's gotten used to the Internet. And it's not been here for a week.

BROWN: Wow.

MCELROY: And so we built a lives around it, and, boom, it's gone.

And the companies that put out these -- get us into their services have a monopoly locally for the most part, and they don't have power redundancy. And that is a real problem.

BROWN: I think that's such an important point. And just to think, if, I mean, a week on, they still don't know, the people in the community, because of that issue, if their loved ones are dead or alive.

And just the psychological trauma, as you put it, it's just hard to wrap your head around.

(CROSSTALK)

MCELROY: They just figured out about the teacher a week later.

BROWN: Wow.

MCELROY: It's just -- it's -- the communication -- besides the physical infrastructure.

And, I mean, there's towns like Chimney Rock and Marshall that might not come back into existence, all right? Cruso in this county has been hit twice. And it is literally just devastated. People there are out of their lives.

BROWN: Yes.

MCELROY: I mean, they're out of where they're going to live and their businesses, everything else.

Maggie Valley, well, I mean, we had the first flood we have had in 500 years -- well, 100 years. But we are surviving it. I mean, there's lots of mud and lots of things, but we're not dramatically -- the infrastructure -- as the rest of this county and the rest of the counties around us, and especially Asheville.

BROWN: Yes. Yes.

MCELROY: And you don't know how Asheville is going to come back from that.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: I know. And it's so sad. I have been to Asheville. It's -- yes, go ahead.

(CROSSTALK)

MCELROY: The whole vibe in Asheville is sort of its quirkiness.

They like to say they're weird. Well, essentially, all that was around the riverfront, downtown, the Biltmore Village area. And all those are wiped out. So the heart of Asheville is gone right now.

BROWN: And it's devastating. I love Asheville. I have been there. It's got so much charm and character. And just to think how Helene just wiped out towns like Asheville, and you have to wonder how in the world are they going to rebuild.

That is why we're going to stay on top of this story, not just now, but moving forward as well.

Joseph, our hearts are with you and your family and those two precious 6-year-olds, and as you figure out how you're going to break this devastating news to them that their beloved teacher died drowning from Hurricane Helene. Thank you for your time today.

MCELROY: Yes. Thank you so much.

BROWN: I want to go back to Art delaCruz. He is the CEO of Team Rubicon.

And, Art, hopefully we're all good now. When we lost the connection, I was asking you about how long you're going to stay there. And I just want to point out to how important the work you're doing and the other volunteers, as we're hearing from the DHS secretary that FEMA's running out of money this hurricane season.

This country could increasingly rely on volunteers like you and Team Rubicon, given what the federal government is facing. Tell us about how long you plan to be there and the work you continue to do.

DELACRUZ: Yes, the reality is, with our route clearance team, we sprinted into a marathon.

And we're now in this phase across these six states where this is a monthslong game of recovery for these individuals. Hearing that last interview and what they are experiencing with the breadth of Helene, it's -- I think it's important to understand that it's not isolated to the coast of Florida.

[11:15:00]

It extends a significant amount of geographic expanse and impacts millions of people. So this is going to take months and months. And one of my biggest fears is, right now, we're above the fold in the news.

And our biggest worry, as you talk about funding and attention is, once it falls below the attention of the nation, we worry that organizations like ours and others around the country that are doing work, once you fall off attention, you begin to see a drop-off in funding. And volunteering is going to be incredibly important. BROWN: Yes, I think that's an important point and why we are vowing

on this show to stay on top of it, continue to shine a spotlight. In my home state of Kentucky after the devastating flooding there, we -- I went back months later to show what was going on.

It's very important to stay on top of the story, not just now, but later on too.

Art delaCruz, thank you so much. Keep up the important work you and the other volunteers are doing.

DELACRUZ: Thank you for having me.

BROWN: And still ahead this hour: the destruction in Asheville, so severe that people are still trapped in their homes a week later, and many people still haven't heard from their loved ones. I will speak live with the North Carolina National Guard about the ticking clock to airlift people to safety.

Plus, explosive new details from prosecutors in the Donald Trump election subversion case. More details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:20:56]

BROWN: Well, thousands of people are in North Carolina right now helping with storm rescue and recovery efforts, but some people worry that they're just still aren't enough resources to help everyone in need.

And Asheville's mayor says the help cannot come fast enough.

Major General Todd Hunt from the North Carolina National Guard joins us now.

If you could, please give us a sense of just the sheer magnitude of the damage that you're seeing there and the challenges that all of that creates to help these storm victims.

MAJ. GEN. TODD HUNT, NORTH CAROLINA NATIONAL GUARD: Yes, ma'am. Thank you for time today.

And our hearts go out to the citizens of the Western North Carolina and our prayers go out to the service men and women who are out there helping our fellow North Carolinians.

I will tell you, I was out there Monday. It is bad. And the areas are vast. I would like to give some context. This is some steep and tough terrain. And the lines of communication, whether it's road networks, cells or power, has been cut off to a lot of villages and towns.

So we are in the process of making communication with those as well. I would also like to say that we have a lot of soldiers and airmen that are out there pushing commodities right now. In the last couple of days, we have pushed over a million pounds of commodities to the region.

And a lot of those commodities are being airlifted in just due to the fact that the road systems are cut off. So, we are making a push to every county that's been affected. And we will continue to push further into these counties as the roads and network systems open up.

BROWN: Yes, I want to follow up on that. You talk about the road systems. There have been these reports of people being evacuated by the National Guard, but then having to return because there were no routes or access out of the area.

What are people supposed to do in that situation?

HUNT: Yes, ma'am. That's a great question.

So the National Guard itself has rescued over 1,400 people, and from every single county in North Carolina. Like you said, the road systems have been cut off. We take them to a point of distribution and we let the Red Cross and emergency management deal with relocation of the personnel we pull out.

I would like to say also that our commodities are being flown in. So, this is a dynamic mission for them. We have had several examples where we will take first responders into a community, we will airlift those citizens out of the community and provide commodities along the way. We have been doing that every single flight mission we have.

BROWN: All right.

Well, Major General Todd Hunt, thank you for bringing us the latest on the work of the North Carolina National Guard.

HUNT: Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

BROWN: Well, people who live across Helene's 500-mile path of destruction still need those basic necessities. Find out how you can help at CNN.com/Impact.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:28:58]

BROWN: A developing story.

Right now, heavy smoke is rising over Beirut after Israel says it has struck Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in the city. And this comes as Israel's ambassador to the U.N. is vowing a -- quote -- "strong, painful response for this week's attack by Iran."

Let's discuss more now with Republican Congressman Mike Waltz of Florida. He is a member of the House Armed Services, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees. He is also a Green Beret who served in Afghanistan and Africa and a retired colonel from the National Guard.

Congressman, thanks for being here.

REP. MICHAEL WALTZ (R-FL): Thanks, Pam.

BROWN: Are you concerned that an Israeli response could trigger an all-out conflict in the Middle East?

WALTZ: Well, Pam, I would kind of change the premise of the question there.

I think we already have an all-out conflict in the Middle East. And, frankly, that started October 7. But I think, even before that, Iran has been confident over and over again that there would not be any consequences to Iran itself for unleashing its proxies in a reign of terror all over the Middle East and for its stated goal of destroying Israel.

Iran is behind Hezbollah, behind Hamas, behind the Houthis that have virtually shut down international shipping through the Straits of Hormuz.

[11:30:00]