1,000. JOINING US NOW FROM CENTRAL
PARK, NBC NEWS CORRESPONDENT
GABE GUTIERREZ.
GABE GUTIERREZ. I LIVE IN NEW YORK, I LIVE NEAR
THAT PARK.
THAT PARK. I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS.
TAKE ME INSIDE WHAT IS HAPPENING
IN CENTRAL PARK.
>> Reporter: HI THERE, NICOLE.
QUITE SURREAL.
QUITE SURREAL. LOOK AROUND ME.
THIS IS ACTUALLY STILL BEING
CONSTRUCTED THIS PARK.
CONSTRUCTED BY SAMARITAN’S
PURSE, JUST BY MOUNT SINAI.
AND THIS HAS BEEN GOING UP SINCE
OVER THE WEEKEND.
AND IT’S GOING TO BE 68 HOSPITAL
BEDS IF WE LOOK AT THIS TENT
RIGHT HERE.
RIGHT HERE. PAN IN THERE AND JUST SHOW FROM
A DISTANCE INSIDE WHAT’S GOING
ON IN THERE.
WE WERE GIVEN A TOUR EARLIER.
I SHOULD POINT OUT THIS DOES NOT
OPEN UNTIL TOMORROW.
BUT RIGHT INSIDE YOU SEE THOSE
HOSPITAL BEDS.
HOSPITAL BEDS. YOU SEE CRITICAL VENTILATORS
THAT NEW YORK AUTHORITIES HAVE
BEEN ASKING FOR, THEY SAY THAT
THEY NEED THOUSANDS OF
VENTILATORS, OF COURSE,
PRESIDENT TRUMP SUGGESTED OVER
THE WEEKEND THAT HE WASN’T QUITE
SURE THAT THEY NEEDED QUITE THAT
MANY, BUT NEW YORK AUTHORITIES
INCLUDING THE GOVERNOR,
INCLUDING MAYOR BILL de BLASIO
SAY THIS IS SOMETHING THEY
URGENTLY NEED.
URGENTLY NEED. NOW, NICOLE, WE SHOULD POINT OUT
AGAIN JUST 68 HOSPITAL BEDS
HERE.
HERE. THE USNS COMFORT THAT YOU
MENTIONED HAS ABOUT 1,000 BEDS
COMING.
COMING. THAT IS FAR SHORT OF WHAT LOCAL
AUTHORITIES SAY THEY WILL NEED
IN ORDER TO DEAL WITH THE PEAK
OF THIS CRISIS.
NEW YORK GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO
HAS SAID THAT THIS CITY NEEDS UP
TO 140,000 HOSPITAL BEDS.
SO, THIS IS A SMALL DROP IN THE
BUCKET.
BUCKET. HOWEVER, IT IS MEANT TO EASE THE
STRAIN OF HOSPITALS LIKE MOUNT
SINAI AND ALSO MOUNT SINAI WEST
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CITY.
PATIENTS WILL BE BROUGHT HERE IN
ORDER TO OPEN UP ROOM AT THOSE
E.R.s OVER THERE.
BUT YOU MENTIONED THE GRIM
MILESTONE TODAY, NICOLE, 1,000
DEATHS IN NEW YORK CITY.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT LOCAL
AUTHORITIES SAY THEY EXPECT TO
GET WORSE OVER THE COMING DAYS.
THAT’S WHY THEY’RE BUILDING THIS
HOSPITAL IN THE MOST ICONIC OF
LOCATIONS.
LOCATIONS. >> GABE GUTIERREZ, THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR BEING THERE FOR US.
PHIL AND RICK ARE BOTH BACK WITH
ME.
ME. PHIL RUCKER, THE SCENES IN NEW
YORK, "THE NEW YORK TIMES"
HEADLINE ON THAT STORY ABOUT THE
HOSPITAL ELM HURST WAS ACCURATE
ABOUT ELM HURST BECOMING
INCREASINGLY ACCURATE ABOUT NEW
YORK, APOCALYPTIC.
YORK, APOCALYPTIC. >> YEAH, IT’S HORRIBLE.
FRANKLY TO SEE THESE SCENES AND
TO SEE THE OVERCROWDING AND THE
HOSPITALS AND THE DESPERATION,
BUT THERE’S ALSO SIGNS OF
HEROISM AND I DON’T LIVE IN NEW
YORK, I LIVE IN WASHINGTON.
BUT I’VE BEEN THERE MANY TIMES.
I HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS THERE
WHO HAVE BEEN POSTING INSTAGRAM
VIDEOS AT 7:00 P.M. AT NIGHT
WHEN PEOPLE OPEN THE WINDOWS TO
THEIR APARTMENT BUILDINGS AND
CHEER ALL OF THE HEROES THE
HOSPITAL WORKERS AND SO FORTH
WHO ARE THERE TRYING TO SAVE
LIVES AND KEEP THE CITY RUNNING
AS EVERYONE ELSE IS STUCK
INSIDE.
INSIDE. IT’S A BEAUTIFUL THING TO SEE.
>> RICK STENGEL, YOU KNOW, WE
HAVE SEEN THOSE IMAGES FROM
ITALY, FROM CHINA, FOR SO MANY
MONTHS, AND I THINK THERE’S A
SENSE IT COULDN’T HAPPEN HERE,
BUT AS IT HAPPENS HERE, WHAT ARE
YOUR THOUGHTS?
YOUR THOUGHTS? >> WELL, THOSE PICTURES ARE SO
SOBERING.
SOBERING. I LIVE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE
PARK RIGHT THERE.
AND NOT SOMETHING WE WOULD EVER
EXPECT TO SEE.
IT’S PROBABLY SOMETHING THAT
HASN’T HAPPENED SINCE WORLD WAR
I.
I. I DO THINK THE INCREDIBLE
HEROISM OF PEOPLE NEEDS TO BE --
WE NEED TO REMIND PEOPLE ABOUT
IT ALL THE TIME.
AND OF COURSE, YOUR POINT ABOUT
WHAT’S HAPPENED IN ITALY, WHAT’S
HAPPENED ELSEWHERE, WHAT’S
HAPPENING IN SPAIN NOW, WE
THOUGHT IT COULD NEVER HAPPEN
HERE.
HERE. WE HAVE THE MOST ADVANCED HEALTH
CARE SYSTEM IN THE WORLD.
WE SPEND MORE PER CAPITA ON
HEALTH CARE THAN ANY COUNTRY IN
THE WORLD.
THE WORLD. WE SPEND MORE AS A PERCENTAGE OF
GDP THAN ANY COUNTRY IN THE
WORLD.
WORLD. WHY WOULD THIS HAPPEN?
WILL, WE DIDN’T PLAN WELL.
AND YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS
ABOUT AMERICA, YOU KNOW, WINSTON
CHURCHILL SAID AMERICA ALWAYS
DOES THE RIGHT THING AFTER DOING
EVERYTHING ELSE FIRST LIKE AFTER
WORLD WAR I WE DISBANDED THE
MILITARY.
MILITARY. AFTER WORLD WAR II WE DISBANDED