>> ALL RIGHT, AL, THANKS VERY MUCH.
LET'S SEND IT BACK TO NEW YORK NOW.
>>> LESTER AND AL, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
FLORIDA'S GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT SAYS THIS IS THE MOST
CATASTROPHIC STORM HIS STATE HAS EVER SEEN AND HE SOUNDED THE
ALARM ALL WEEK FOR PEOPLE TO GET OUT OF ITS WAY.
GOVERNOR SCOTT IS WITH US NOW. GOVERNOR, GOOD MORNING TO YOU,
SIR. >> GOOD MORNING.
WELL, IT IS STARTING TO HIT US. I TALKED TO A FRIEND IN THE KEYS
THIS MORNING AND THEY'RE GETTING POUNDED THERE.
IT IS GOING TO GO UP MY HOMETOWN, NAPLES, FLORIDA, AND
ALL UP THE WEST COAST. WHAT'S REALLY SCARY IS THIS
STORM SURGE. WE PREPARED ALL WEEK, ALTHOUGH
THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING ELSE YOU CAN DO.
MY JOB IS TO PROTECT EVERYBODY. I'M GOING TO DO EVERYTHING I
CAN, SPARE NO RESOURCE, TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S AS SAFE AS
POSSIBLE. >> Y YOU THINK THE WEST COAST W
AS READY AS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING I THINK A LOT
OF FOLKS THOUGHT THIS WAS HEADED TO THE EAST COAST OF YOUR STATE.
>> WELL, I TALKED ALL WEEK ABOUT DON'T BE COMPLACENT ON THE WEST
COAST BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE THESE THINGS ARE GOING TO
GO. WE HAVE NOW OVER 400 SHELTERS
OPEN. PEOPLE ARE -- I LOOKED AT ALL
THE TRAFFIC HAMMERS THIS MORNING.
PEOPLE ARE OFF THE ROADS, I THINK THEY'RE HUNKERING DOWN
NOW, THEY'VE GOTTEN TO OUR SHELTERS.
I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD AND AROUND THE COUNTRY
WANT TO HELP US. TEXT 20222 AND MAKE A $10
DONATION. WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS.
YOU CAN GO TO VOLUNTEERFLORIDA.ORG.
PEOPLE ARE RESILIENT HERE, THEY'RE STRONG, AND THE MOST
IMPORTANT THING WE ARE -- WE HAVE ARE NOT OUR BEACHES OR OUR
PARKS. THEY'RE OUR BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE.
>> GOVERNOR, WE'VE BEEN LOOKING IN ON MIKE SEIDEL ON THE WEATHER
CHANNEL. THAT CITY RIGHT NOW IN MIAMI IS
GETTING ABSOLUTELY BUFFETED BY HIGH WINDS AND SOME HEAVY RAINS.
OVER ON THE OTHER COAST, I WANT
TO MENTION, YOU MENTIONED YOUR HOME NEAR NAPLES.
YOU'RE IN THAT AREA WHERE AL IS TALKING ABOUT THAT TEN-FOOT
STORM SURGE. I GUESS YOU MOVED YOUR FAMILY,
GOTTEN THEM UP TO TALLAHASSEE WHERE YOU ARE.
BUT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD IN NAPLES IS GOING TO TAKE A LOT OF THE
BRUNT OF THIS. >> IT'S GOING TO BE HORRIBLE.
YEAH. I LOOKED AT SOME CAMERAS THIS
MORNING AND THE WAVES WERE ALREADY UP IN THE NAPLES BEACH.
IT'S GOING TO BE 10 TO 15 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND LEVEL.
THAT'S GOING TO BE DEVASTATING. WE'VE WORKED TO GET EVERYBOVERYO
EVACUATE. I HOPE EVERYBODY HAS.
YOU'VE GOT TO HUNKER DOWN NOW. WE NEED EVERYBODY'S PRAYERS.
BUT WE'RE A RESILIENT STATE AND WE'RE GOING TO TAKE CARE OF
EVERYBODY, AND WE'RE GOING TO SPARE NO EXPENSE.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S HERE. STATE GOVERNMENT'S HERE.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT'S HERE. WE'RE GOING TO DO EVERYTHING WE
CAN. WE HAVE GREAT FIRST RESPONDERS.
WE'LL TAKE CARE OF EVERYBODY. >> GOVERNOR, AS A GUY WHO LIVES
IN NAPLES, WALK US THROUGH WHAT TEN FEET OF WATER MIGHT MEAN TO
THAT CITY AREA. >> WELL, IF YOU GO ALONG THE
BEACH AREA, THE TYPICAL HOUSE THAT'S BEEN THERE FOR ANY PERIOD
OF TIME IS TYPICALLY ABOUT 11 FEET ABOVE HIGH TIDE.
IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER ANYMORE THOUGH BECAUSE WHAT THEY'RE
SAYING IS 10 TO 15 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND LEVEL.
WHAT EVERYBODY THOUGHT WAS, THAT'S NOT BAD BECAUSE IT IS
BASED ON HIGH TIDE. IT IS NOT.
IT IS BASED ON GROUND LEVEL AND THIS IS A PRETTY FLAT TOWN.
THE QUESTION IS GOING TO BE HOW FAR IT GOES IN BUT IT WILL BE
DEVASTATING TO ALL TOSE HOMES ON THE BEACHES.
THE QUESTION IS GOING TO BE HOW FAR INLAND IT GOES.
MY GOAL ALL WEEK IS PEOPLE EVACUATE.
PEOPLE IN THE EVACUATION ZONE GET OUT.
NOW WE HAVE TO HUNKER DOWN AND WATCH OUT FOR EACH OTHER.
WE'VE GOT TO PRAY FOR EACH OTHER AND WE KNOW PEOPLE WILL.
>> THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY STORMS YOUR STATE HAS DEALT
WITH, HURRICANE ANDREW STILL LOOMS LARGE.
DO YOU FEAR THAT THIS STORM COULD BE WORSE IN TERMS OF ITS
DAMAGE? >> WELL, IF YOU LOOK AT THE SIDE
OF IT, IT IS SO MUCH BIGGER THAN ANDREW.
I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL BUSINESS WHEN ANDREW HIT.
I EVACUATED HOSPITALS. I HAD A HOSPITAL COMPLETELY
DEMOLISHED. IT LOOKS LIKE ON THE EAST COAST
WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET THE STORM SURGE BUT THEY'RE GETTING
BUFFETED BY ALL THE WINDS.
130-MILE-AN-HOUR WINDS IS DEV A
DEVASTATING TO OUR OWN STATE. NOW IT IS GOING TO AFFECT THE
PANHANDLE. DON'T ANYBODY IN THE STATE BE
COMPLACENT. IT WILL HIT ALL THE WAY UP TO
TAMPA, EVEN UP TO TALLAHASSEE WHERE THE CAPITAL IS.
>> YOU MENTION THAT. THAT'S ONE OF THE PROBLEMS, TOO,
BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO GO SOUTH TO NORTH THROUGHOUT MUCH OF YOUR
STATE, ALL THOSE RESPONDERS, ALL THOSE FEMA RESOURCES ARE STAGED
NORTH OF HERE, AND THEY'VE GOT TO WAIT UNTIL THAT STORM GOES
COMPLETELY THROUGH UNTIL THEY CAN START MAKING THEIR WAY ON
WHATEVER IS LEFT OF THE ROADWAYS DOWN TO THE SOUTH WHERE PEOPLE
NEED THAT STUFF. >> IT'S FEMA.
IT'S OUR UTILITIES. IT'S MOVING WATER AND FOOD.
ALL THOSE THINGS. YOU'VE GOT TO WAIT UNTIL IT
PASSES. I DO DAILY PHONE CALLS WITH ALL
OF OUR UTILITIES,ITIES, TRY TO MANY ASSETS DOWN.
THEY'VE COMMITTED FROM OUT OF STATE 23,000 PEOPLE ARE COMING
DOWN TO HELP GET OUR POWER BACK ON.
WE'RE GOING TO LOSE A LOT OF POWER.
WE DO HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES ALREADY IN ORLANDO SO AS IT
PASSES ORLANDO, WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET THOSE TRUCKS ON THE ROAD AND
GET THEM SOUTH. BUT IT IS GOING TO TAKE A WHILE.
THAT'S WHY WE'VE SAID ALL WEEK, THREE DAYS OF WATER, THREE DAYS
OF FOOD. UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'RE GOING
TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO HELP YOU.
WE'VE GOT TO SAVE EVERYBODY FIRST.
THEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MAKE YOUR
LIFE MORE CONVENIENT. BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO BE
INCONVENIENT. IT IS INCONVENIENT TO BE AT A
FRIEND'S HOUSE OR IN A SHELTER. BUT IF YOU WONDER WHAT I'M
WORRIED ABOUT THE MOST -- IT IS THE STORM SURGE.
ANDREW DIDN'T HAVE A STORM SURGE LIKE THIS.
10 TO 15 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL.
EVEN FIVE OR SIX FEET. IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE ANYBODY
WILL SURVIVE THAT IF IT COMES THROUGH YOUR HOUSE AND JUST --
FLUSHES IN, AND FLUSHES OUT. THAT'S GOING TO BE VERY
DIFFICULT TO SURVIVE. >> GOVERNOR, WE HOPE PEOPLE
HEEDED YOUR WARNINGS. THEY'VE BEEN