>> THE SEARCH AND RESCUES, RECOVERY, ROAD CLEARING, POWER AND CELL CONNECTION, FOOD,
WATER, SUPPLY DRIVE.
THE EMERGENCY WORK UNDER WAY
RIGHT NOW IS MASSIVE AND
MULTILAYERED.
INVOLVED IN THAT ARE FIRST
RESPONDERS FROM RIGHT HERE IN
SOUTH FLORIDA AS YOU SAW FLORIDA
GUARD AND THE U.S. COAST GUARD
ADMIRAL BRENDA MCPHERSON
COMMANDS THE DISTRICT 7 HEAD
QUARTERED IN MIAMI.
TODAY HE JOINS US LIVE FROM
TALLAHASSEE, THE EMERGENCY
OPERATIONS CENTER.
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STATE
FROM WHAT’S GOING ON, BUT I KNOW
YOU ARE PLUGGED IN TO ALL THE
WORKINGS.
GOOD MORNING.
>> YEAH, GOOD MORNING.
IT’S NICE TO BE WITH YOU TODAY.
LET ME JUST START OFF BY SAYING,
I WAS LISTENING TO YOUR
DISCUSSION THERE WITH
REPRESENTATIVE ROACH.
OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO ALL THE
PEOPLE THAT WERE IMPACTED BY
THIS DEVASTATING STORM.
THEY CAN BE REST ASSURED THAT
OUR FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL
PARTNERS ARE THERE FOR THEM.
>> THAT’S GREAT TO HEAR AND A
GREAT WAY TO START OUR
DISCUSSION.
THE COAST GUARD COMES IN,
ADMIRAL, WHEN PARTY IS INVOLVED,
AND WATER RESCUES ARE INVOLVED.
WE HAVE SEEN SOME OF THE MOST
HARROWING VIDEO RIGHT THERE
WE’RE WATCHING.
I KNOW YOU CAN’T SEE, BUT
SOMEONE LOOKS LIKE RAPELLING
DOWN FROM A HELICOPTER FREE FORM
TO LIFT SOMEONE UP IN A BASKET.
PETS AND PEOPLE.
DESCRIBE WHAT KIND OF RESOURCES
IT TAKES AND COORDINATION IT
TAKES TO DO THESE KINDS OF
RESCUES?
>> SO YOU HIT ON IT THERE.
WITHIN HOURS OF THE STORM MAKING
ITS WAY THROUGH FT. MYERS, WE
HAD COAST GUARD HELICOPTERS IN
THE AIR CONDUCTING SEARCH AND
RESCUE CASES.
TO DATE WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO
RESCUE MORE THAN 550 PEOPLE AND
100 PETS.
THAT’S JUST THE COAST GUARD.
MORE THAN 4,000 HAVE BEEN
RESCUED FROM THE NATIONAL GUARD.
FEMA’S URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE
TEAMS.
I HAVE TALKED TO A NUMBER OF THE
COAST GUARD MEN AND WOMEN THAT
ARE LITERALLY ON THE END OF THE
LINE AS YOU SAW THERE GOING DOWN
INTO HARMS WAY TO HELP PEOPLE
OUT.
THIS IS MORE THAN A COAST GUARD
MISSION FOR US.
THESE ARE OUR FRIENDS.
THESE ARE OUR NEIGHBORS.
THESE ARE PEOPLE WE GO TO SCHOOL
WITH AND PEOPLE WE SEE AT
CHURCH.
OUR COAST GUARD IS EMBEDDED
WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
THIS IS ABOUT NEIGHBORS HELPING
NEIGHBORS.
>> HOW DO YOU KNOW, HOW DO THEY
KNOW THERE WHO NEEDS TO BE
RESCUED?
THERE’S NO COMMUNICATION.
THERE’S NO CELL.
THERE’S NO PHONE.
THERE ARE HOMES LITERALLY STILL
UNDERWATER.
THE STREETS ARE FLOODED.
THEY ARE CUT OFF FROM THE
MAINLAND.
HOW DO THE CREWS KNOW WHERE TO
GO?
>> YEAH.
THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY
CHALLENGING AND I THINK
DANGEROUS MISSION FOR US.
IN THE EARLY HOURS AFTER THE
STORM, THE SUN HADN’T EVEN COME
UP YET.
YOU’VE GOT POWER LINES DOWN.
YOU HAVE STANDING WATER.
YOU HAVE FLOOD SURGE.
AND THE AREAS THAT WE’RE
RESCUING ARE UNRECOGNIZABLE.
COMPLETE DEVASTATION AND
DESTRUCTION.
SO WHAT OUR CREWS DO, AND
THEY’VE BEEN WELL TRAINED AND
EQUIPPED TO DO THIS.
WE WILL GO IN THERE AND USE OUR
INFRARED CAMERAS.
EVEN JUST OUR EYEBALLS, AND LOOK
FOR PEOPLE.
IT IS A SEEK AND FIND TYPE OF
MISSION.
YOU DON’T WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO
CALL YOU HELP.
YOU GO FIND PEOPLE WHO NEED
HELP.
THAT’S WHAT THEY DID.
THEY PULLED PEOPLE OFF OF ROOFS,
OUT OF HIGH WATER.
I’M HAPPY TO SAY AT THIS POINT
SEVERAL DAYS INTO THE OPERATION,
WE’RE SEEING MUCH FEWER CASES OF
PEOPLE THAT ARE IN NEED OF
IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.
MOST PEOPLE ARE EITHER STRANDED
OR JUST EXHAUSTED.
AND SO WE’RE WORKING WITH ALL OF
OUR PARTNERS TO GET IN THERE.
WE’LL PROBABLY SEE FEWER AIR
RESCUES AND MORE OF THOSE HELP
AND ASSISTANCE COMING FROM THE
GROUND.
>> WE SEE THE BASKETS LIFTING.
WE SEE THESE TERRIFIED PEOPLE
AND THEIR PETS IN A BASKET
FLYING UP TO THE HELICOPTER.
WHERE DO THEY GO FROM THERE?
I KNOW LOT OF PEOPLE CAME TO
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA HOSPITALS, BUT
WHERE -- WHERE’S THE LANDING?
>> YEAH, THAT’S A GREAT
QUESTION.
SO EVEN PRIOR TO THE STORM’S
LANDFALL, WORKING WITH THE URBAN
SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMS, BOTH
HERE AT THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS
CENTER IN TALLAHASSEE AND THE
SEARCH AND RESCUE ROUTE IN
ORLANDO.
WE MAPPED OUT LOCATIONS WHERE WE
KNEW WE’D HAVE HIGHER LEVEL
GROUND.
AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, HIGH
SCHOOLS, BALL PARKS.
SO WE PREDESIGNATED THOSE AS
LANDING ZONES, LZ’S.
FEMA, WORKING WITH THE STATE AND
LOCAL COUNTY OFFICIALS WOULD
THEN TRANSFER THEM BY LAND
SAFELY TO REUNIFICATION CENTERS
SO THEY COULD BE REUNIFIED WITH
THEIR FAMILIES, THEY COULD
CONTACT THEIR FAMILY, LET THEM
KNOW THEY’RE OKAY.
THEN WE’LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT
STAGE OF THIS WHICH IS RECOVERY
AND RECONSTITUTION.
>> SO WHILE WE ARE RIVETED ON
WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTHEAST
FLORIDA, IAN WENT THROUGH THE
CAROLINAS AS WELL.
I KNOW DISTRICT 7, DISTRICT 7,
THAT’S JURISDICTION OF DISTRICT
7 I GUESS IS MY QUESTION, RIGHT?
THE CAROLINAS ARE ALSO PART OF
YOUR DISTRICT.
>> IT IS.
>> WERE YOUR TEAMS THERE, TOO?
>> YEAH.
I WANT TO GO BACK A LITTLE BIT
FURTHER.
IT WASN’T LONG AGO THAT
HURRICANE FIONA HIT PUERTO RICO,
ALL PART OF 7 DISTRICT.
>> OF COURSE.
>> WE’VE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS,
MY TEAM.
REALLY PLEASED WITH THEIR
EFFORTS.
WE’VE BEEN AT THIS NOW FOR
COMING UP ON THREE WEEKS NOW.
FIRST WITH PUERTO RICO.
LAST WEEK I WAS IN PUERTO RICO
CHECKING ON PROGRESS THERE FOR
OUR SUPPORT TO THE GOVERNMENT OF
PUERTO RICO.
THEN IMMEDIATELY CAME TO
TALLAHASSEE, AS WE SAW THE STORM
BEARING DOWN HERE.
AS YOU INDICATED, WE ALL HAD TO
BE READY FOR A SECOND LANDFALL
IN THE U.S.
THIRD IF YOU COUNT THE ISLAND OF
CUBA FOR HURRICANE IAN.
SO WE DID THAT.
WE PREPOSITIONED OUR RESOURCES.
WE MOVED OUR CRITICAL ASSETS TO
PEOPLE OUT OF THE STORM IN SOUTH
CAROLINA.
THE GOOD NEWS THERE, WE DID NOT
HAVE MANY CALLS FOR RESCUE
ASSISTANCE THERE.
WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE PORTS
OPENED VERY, VERY QUICKLY.
OBVIOUSLY, MUCH LESS OF AN
IMPACT THAN WE ARE SEEING HERE.
WE ARE STILL SENSITIVE TO THE
FACT THAT EVEN FOLKS UP THERE
DUE TO RAIN AND HIGH WATER, THEY
NEED SOME HELP THERE.
WE’RE THERE TO HELP THEM AS
WELL.
>> THIS MAY BE TOO SOON, BUT ANY
LESSONS LEARNED FROM THIS?
>> YEAH.
I MEAN, IT JUST REINFORCES THE
NEED TO LISTEN TO YOUR STATE AND
LOCAL OFFICIALS ON EVACUATIONS.
I MEAN, IN THIS CASE, WE HAD A
PRETTY GOOD WARNING THAT THIS
STORM WAS COMING.
IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OR
ANYBODY ELSE TO REALLY PINPOINT
WHERE LANDFALL WAS GOING TO BE
UNTIL VERY LATE.
BUT THEY PUT OUT WARNINGS.
WE DID EVACUATIONS.
I THINK MOST PEOPLE LISTENED TO
THAT, TO THOSE EVACUATIONS, BOTH
VOLUNTARY AND MANDATORY.
I HAVE NO DOUBT HAD THEY NOT
LISTENED TO THOSE, WE’D BE
DEALING WITH A VERY DIFFERENT
SITUATION.
ANY LOSS OF LIFE IS TRAGIC, AND
WE KNOW.
WE’RE SEEING REPORTS OF THAT.
BUT I THINK THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN
ON A SCOPE AND SCALE THAT WOULD
HAVE BEEN UNPRECEDENTED HAD
PEOPLE NOT HEEDED THOSE
EVACUATIONS.
AS ALWAYS, PREPARE AHEAD OF TIME
FOR THESE STORMS.
LISTEN TO YOUR LOCAL OFFICIALS.
>> I THINK THE SCOPE AND SCALE
HAS LEFT TO BE REVEALED, A LOT
OF THAT.
>> THAT’S TRUE.
>> REAR ADMIRAL BRANDON
MCPHERSON OUT OF MIAMI, SO GREAT
TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
WE SO APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I’D ALSO JUST LIKE TO SAY THE
GOVERNOR, HIS TEAM HERE UNDER
THE LEADERSHIP OF KEVIN GUTHRIE,
DIVISION OF EMERGENCY