REMARKABLE. THIS IS UNLIKE ANY OF THE
EVACUATION SHELTERS THAT I HAVE SEEN THUS FAR.
BEHIND ME IS THE END OF THE LINE, AND THIS LINE SNAKES
AROUND THE ARENA HERE AND AS MY CAMERAMAN PANS AWAY, YOU CAN SEE
KIND OF -- THIS IS JUST THE VERY END OF THIS LINE.
AS WE KEEP WALKING, THOMAS, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE NOW
TRYING TO GET INTO THIS SHELTER IN LEE COUNTY.
WE WERE JUST IN COLLIER COUNTY TO OUR SOUTH.
WE WERE IN NAPLES. AUTHORITIES THERE SAID MORE THAN
11,000 PEOPLE HAD BEEN IN SHELTERS IN COLLIER COUNTY.
THOSE ARE FULL. SO WHAT IS HAPPENING IS ALL
THESE PEOPLE ARE COMING TO THE ARENA FROM SURROUNDING COUNTIES,
AND IT'S ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE HERE.
WE'VE SPOKEN WITH SEVERAL OF THEM.
IF I TURN HERE, WE CAN CONTINUE TO SEE HOW LONG THIS LINE IS.
PEOPLE ARE TELLING US THAT HAVE BEEN WAITING HERE FOR MORE THAN
FIVE HOURS. THEY SHOWED UP HERE BEFORE
MIDNIGHT. WHEN THAT TRACK SHIFTED TO THE
WEST, THEY -- MANY OF THESE FOLKS HAD DECIDED NOT TO
EVACUATE BEFOREHAND, BUT WHEN THAT TRACK SHIFTED, THEY CHANGED
THEIR MINDS. THEY ARE HUGE FEARS ABOUT STORM
SURGE. WE ARE GOING TO KEEP WALKING.
WE'RE NOT EVEN A THIRD -- NOT EVEN CLOSE, NOT EVEN A QUARTER
OF THE WAY DONE WITH THIS LINE. IT WRAPS AROUND THE ENTIRE
ARENA, AND THERE ARE PEOPLE HERE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.
THERE ARE SENIOR CITIZENS. THERE ARE KIDS HERE.
YOU CAN SEE PETS THERE. SEE MEMBERS OF THE ARMY NATIONAL
GUARD. IT'S UNLIKE -- IT REA REALLY WA
AMAZING TO WALK IN HERE AND SEE HOW LONG THIS LINE WAS.
WE EXPECTED THERE TO BE A LONG LINE.
WE HAD HEARD WHEN WE WERE DOWN IN NAPLES, THEY HAD OPENED A --
AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND WE HAD HEARD FRUSTRATION FROM PEOPLE
THAT HAD BEEN TO THREE OR FOUR SHELTERS AND THEY AREN'T EVEN --
THEY HAD GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE THEY WERE FRUSTRATED
BECAUSE EACH ONE WAS FILLED TO CAPACITY.
SO THEN WE DECIDED TO COME UP HERE, BECAUSE WE HEARD THAT THIS
ONE WAS THE NEWLY OPENED ONE. AND PEOPLE, AGAIN, HAVE BEEN
TELLING US THEY'VE BEEN WAITING IN THE HEAT FOR OVER FIVE HOURS.
THERE HAVE BEEN RAIN BANDS THAT HAVE COME THROUGH HERE.
AND ONE WOMAN TOLD US SHE WAS JUST ABSOLUTELY DESPERATE AND AS
AARON PANS AROUND OVER HERE, WE'RE STILL NOT EVEN HALFWAY
DONE. AND SO THOMAS, IT'S REALLY
REMARKABLE TO SEE JUST A FEW HOURS BEFORE THE STORM, THE
QUESTION BECOMES, WHERE DO THESE PEOPLE GO?
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS IF THEY CAN'T GET INSIDE?
NOW, THE CAPACITY HERE, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, IS 7,000 OR 8,000
INSIDE THIS ARENA. WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN AN ACTUAL
COUNT OF HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE HERE WAITING OUTSIDE.
BUT ASSUMING IT TAKES SEVERAL MORE HOURS, WE'RE EXPECTING, YOU
KNOW, THE WINDS TO PICK UP. WE SEE SOME GUSTS HERE RIGHT
NOW. AND WE SEE SOME OF THESE RAIN
BANDS PICKING UP. THESE FOLKS ARE WORRIED THAT
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET INSIDE AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS
IS, IF THEY CAN'T GET INSIDE, WHERE DO THEY GO?
BECAUSE THEY KEEP BEING TOLD THIS MIGHT BE THE LAST SHELTER
THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GO TO.
SO WE HAVE EMS HERE. WE'VE SEEN SOME PEOPLE WITH HEAT
EXHAUSTION. WE'VE SEEN SOME PEOPLE HERE WITH
BOTTLED WATER. PARKING IS A SITUATION HERE.
THE FOLKS THAT ARE TRYING TO DROP OFF THEIR CARS, THEY'RE
PARKING QUITE A WAYS AWAY. WE'RE STARTING TO GET TO MAYBE
THE LAST SECTION OF THE LINE HERE, BUT IT'S JUST REALLY
REMARKABLE, THOMAS, WHEN YOU SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE JUST A FEW HOURS
BEFORE HURRICANE IRMA MAKES LANDFALL, THIS IS A DESPERATE
SITUATION THAT WAS ONE WOMAN WHO TOLD US, THIS IS -- THIS IS A
POINT WHEN DESPERATION SETS IN, WHEN YOU GET TO THE LOCATION --
TO A SHELTER, YOU THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T NEED TO EVACUATE.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, IT HITS YOU, YOU'VE GOT TO GO AND THEN YOU
REALIZE THERE'S NO PLACE TO GO. AND WE'RE ABOUT READY TO FINISH.
>> THE GOVERNOR HAD SAID -- GABE, THE GOVERNOR HAD SAID THAT
EVACUATIONS ARE NOT MEANT TO BE CONVENIENT, BUT TO KEEP YOU
SAFE, BUT 450,000 PEOPLE ARE IN SHELTERS RIGHT NOW, AND HE SAID
THAT THERE IS STILL ROOM FOR MORE.
HAVE YOU TALKED WITH ANY OFFICIALS ON SITE TO EXPLAIN THE
LAG TIME FOR PROCESSING, TO LET THESE PEOPLE GET IN SAFELY SINCE
THE GOVERNOR HAS RECOMMENDED THAT MORE PEOPLE LEAVE THEIR
HOMES, ESPECIALLY FOR THE WEST COAST?
>> Reporter: WELL, WE HAVE ASKED, SO FAR, AND HAVEN'T BEEN
ABLE TO SPEAK WITH ANYBODY ON SITE.
THEY DO SAY THEY'RE PROCESSING -- YOU KNOW, THE
FOLKS -- THE WORKERS HERE ARE TRYING TO PROCESS PEOPLE AS FAST
AS POSSIBLE AND I CAN TELL YOU, THOMAS, WE'VE JUST GOTTEN TO THE
HEAD OF THE LINE. THIS IS WHERE PEOPLE ARE BEING
LET IN. WE CAN TELL YOU, THOUGH, THERE'S
BEEN A FRUSTRATION AMONG MANY OF THE PEOPLE IN LINE THAT THERE
HASN'T BEEN ENOUGH INFORMATION. THEY DON'T KNOW WHEN -- WHAT THE
CAPACITY IS GOING TO BE AND WHAT THE ANSWER IS.
WE'RE TRYING TO FIND OUT IF THIS DOES REACH CAPACITY, WHAT
HAPPENS TO THE PEOPLE LEFT IN LINE, WHERE DO THEY GO AND WHAT
OTHER OPTIONS DO THEY HAVE? LOCAL AUTHORITIES HERE ON THE
WEST COAST AND EAST COAST HAVE BEEN OPENING UP MORE AND MORE
SHELTERS BUT TIME IS RUNNING OUT.
WE ONLY HAVE VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIMOF TIME BEFORE THE STORM
AND SO I SUSPECT THAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE TOWARDS THE END OF
THIS LINE MIGHT GET FRUSTRATED AND IF WE GET SOME RAIN BANDS IN
THE NEXT FEW HOURS, THEY MIGHT DECIDE, LISTEN, IT'S JUST NOT
WORTH IT, I MEAN GOING TO GO HOME AND RIDE THIS O