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CNN 10
Hurricane Michael Hits Florida Panhandle as Category 4; Rapid Intensification of Storms Explained; How Social Media Effects Restaurants; Indiana State Senate Candidates Debate While Playing Mini-Golf
Aired October 11, 2018 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hi. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10. In recorded history, the Southeastern U.S. state of Florida has taken more direct hits
from hurricanes than any other state. Wednesday afternoon it recorded another from Hurricane Michael. The storm blew ashore at about 1:30 p.m.
making landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida. At that time, Michael was officially a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained wind speeds of 155
miles per hour.
Anything over 156 miles per hour is a Category 5 storm, the most powerful classification of hurricane in terms of wind speed. Michael`s the
strongest hurricane ever to strike this part of Florida, the panhandle. The area that extends over the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. And it`s the
strongest storm to hit the continental U.S. since Hurricane Andrew struck Florida in 1992. CNN had several reporters along the Florida coast as
Michael roared onto land. Derek Van Dam was one of them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Listen we`re in Apalachicola and we have sustained hurricane force winds where we are. But what`s the most
surprising and - - and the most astounding to be quite honest is how quickly the storm surge has taken over this - - this town. Look at the
streets behind me. You can see we`ve had measurements within the past hour of about 6 1/2 above low tide. So high tide hasn`t even occurred yet and
this water is still filling in this area. We`ve seen submerged vehicles. We`ve had dumpsters floating by us. We`ve had all kinds of debris and
stuff. Frankly, it`s getting a little bit difficult to stand up in these conditions.
But the point being is that Apalachicola is taking a really heavy hit from this powerful, powerful storm. There`s a mandatory evacuation that`s
underway. Highway 98, which is the major artery in and out of this location, it goes to Tallahassee and it goes to Panama City. It is no
longer accessible. The bridges are closed off. Emergency personnel are begging for people who decided to ride out the storm to hunker down, stays
indoors. Stay away from windows as the peak of major Hurricane Michael starts to sink it`s teeth into this area.
Just want you to see how incredibly - - how incredibly fast this water has come up. This has changed - - all right guys. We`re going to have to call
it quits. I think this is time where - - where we have to go inside. So, I`m going to send it back to you in the studio and we`re going to get to a
safe location. Because, Hurricane Michael is about it`s strongest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARL AZUZ: Some of the first pictures from Apalachicola and Mexico Beach showed scenes of total destruction. A councilwoman from Mexico Beach said
the storm was like a nightmare. At first, forecasters estimated Hurricane Michael would make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane. Then it
strengthened to a Category 3. By the time it came ashore, it was a Category 4 strength. Why does that matter? These categories on the
Saffir-Simpson Scale denote the wind speeds that hurricanes carry.
The higher the category, the higher the wind speed, the more destructive a hurricane could be. Category 4 and 5 storms bring winds of more than 130
miles per hour. They`re capable of ripping off roofs, knocking down walls, uprooting trees and making an area uninhabitable for months. One thing
that distinguished Hurricane Michael was how quickly it formed and how rapidly it intensified.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rapid intensification is just like it sounds. A storm, a tropical storm, cyclone, typhoon, hurricane, that rapidly intensifies.
Now the definition is 35 miles per hour or greater in 24 hours. Now take Maria, Maria went from a Category 1 to a Category 5 in 15 hours. For true
R.I. or rapid intensification, you need a couple things, 86 degree Fahrenheit water or greater and no sheer. Also of course the water down in
the tropics is very warm. Now what about this sheer thing?
We hear about it in tornadic thunderstorms. Those storms want a lot of sheer, wind blowing in different directions and different speeds with
height. A hurricane wants no sheer. No wind direction change. No wind speed change with height. It wants to be the only thing out there making
it`s own wind, not getting blown apart. So why is rapid intensification important? Well, you can go to bed one night expecting a tropical storm
and have a Category 2 on your doorstep the next morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARL AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. Which of these companies was purchased by Facebook in 2012? Instagram, What`sApp, Oculus, or You Tube. Though
Facebook owns the first three companies on the this list, the only one it bought in 2012 was Instagram.
According to a study by the consumer research group Maru/Matchbox, 69 percent of millennial diners take pictures of their food before they eat
it. And more than 40 percent of people in Generation X, one generation older than millennials say they do the same thing. Yes it`s easier and
more instant than ever to get a good picture and then potentially share it with thousands of people. What`s interesting is how this is affecting
restaurants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s never been easy to make it in the restaurant business. And today, good food is unfortunately rarely enough. More and
more the quickest way to restaurant success isn`t all about food. It`s all about photos. And for burger joint Black Tap, success looks like this, the
"Crazy Shake".
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People kept taking photos and - - and we said, well something is going on here. And we`d always had a strong Instagram
presence but our followers started gaining as people were posting and we were posting. It was going viral at that point.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it enough to just have really great food?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`ve never thought of us being defined by the "Crazy Shake". I think that they`re a lot of different elements from the "Crazy
Shake" to the "Craft Burger" to the music and the design is a very, very important part of it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not every restaurant can strike gold on their first try. Which is why some restaurants get a little help from design companies
like Paperwhite, which helps restaurants and other businesses figure out their brand identity.
We`re at the restaurant Jack`s Wife Freda. Where can I see the Paperwhite touch here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So the menus, fish hors d`oeuvres packets, everything on the exterior, the signage. And then everything down to really the
smallest detail. We did not by any stretch of the imagination design Jack`s Wife Freda for Instagram. A few months into opening we noticed
(inaudible) Instagraming the sugars. So we really just kind of leaned into it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now you can`t not - -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: - - Instagram.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For sure. It would be crazy not to consider it. But it`s a factor in the sense that we know that it`s a platform people are
going to use. By going out and trying to make it such a formula.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But for Black Tap, the same social marketing campaign that brought them viral success also led them to court. They were sued by
former collaborators who believed they helped create the Black Tap brand, including it`s "Crazy Shake`s". And said they were later cut out of
profits from it`s expansion. Black Tap denied their allegations and the companies eventually settled confidentially.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s par for the course. But I think being on the map makes you a little bit more of a target. If we were a little 15 seat, hole
in the wall, you know, having 45 customers a day, I think there`d be less people trying to make waves.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think that customers, Instagram users, can tell the difference between a restaurant that`s doing a - - a stunt food
verse a restaurant that`s really trying to develop something that is connected to their brand?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I absolutely do. You know, if it doesn`t taste good then it`s almost like deceiving the consumer and they`re not going to come
back. So I think a lot of people think that they can come up with these crazy concoctions and people start lining up and I don`t think it works
that`s way. I think things have to be organic. You can put something online and post it on Instagram but if you come in and don`t like it, it`s
going to be a short lifespan for that company.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARL AZUZ: I`ve seen a lot of debate formats here at work. Moderated debates, Lincoln-Douglas debates, town hall debates, never seen a put-put
debate. That`s what two Indiana state Senate candidates got into recently. They didn`t just meet on put-put course and then start arguing. This was
planned and televised with a journalist asking questions and both candidates covering the big issues while they engaged in mini-golf.
There`s no question. They both played through opposing views, taking their best shots and making a pitch to hook more voters. And hoping the slice or
a put a hole in one of their opponent`s arguments while "ironing" out their own. Staying out of the woods and avoiding sand traps or anything out of
bounds that could leave voters "teed off". Were they successful? Well that`s up for debate. I`m Carl Azuz.
END
