CNN "The Situation Room" - Transcript: Interview with Cory Booker
Interview
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BLITZER: We're following breaking news, the devastating deadly floods in the Northeast caused by rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Get this, the number has just increased, at least 45 people have died across Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and New Jersey.
Let's discuss with Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey. He's the former mayor of Newark, New Jersey.
Senator, thank you so much for joining us. Can you give us an update on where things stand tonight?
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): I mean, Wolf, it's tragic. We've seen as you said the floodwaters, the rain. Tornado hit our state in a way that I cannot remember happening. We set records in rainfall right here in my city in New Jersey before recorded time, never seen something like this. And the death toll has just been risen in our state alone to 23 people.
Not to mention what we imagine is going to be hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars' worth of property damage. It is a wretched moment in our state's history and my heart is hurting.
I've been on the phone all day with local leaders, mayors, as I was a mayor during Hurricane Sandy. And hearing the stories, hearing the challenges folks are going to face, and this is not something that you just cleanup over the weekend and get back to normal.
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Families coming out of situations like this will take months or longer to recover, to get back on their feet, to deal with all the collateral damages that are going to result from this. This is a really sad day for our region at a time that from the Gulf Coast to the fires out west America is suffering.
BLITZER: How did this --
BOOKER: And perhaps --
BLITZER: Yes, go ahead, finish your thought.
BOOKER: I was just going to say perhaps that speaks to, I think the urgency for all of us as Americans, because I've seen the flooding in the Midwest, I've seen the hurricanes hit places like Florida, we are a nation now facing unprecedented times. And we could either sit back and deplore the reality or we can begin to take more significant action.
I know. In the Senate, I've talked to Chuck Schumer and others today of my colleagues about the urgency within this hopefully reconciliation package that we begin to invest in two strategies. One is to stop the ongoing warming of our planet by leading amongst nations.
And then number two, investing in a significant way in America to -- or in resiliency. And making sure from our power grids to our coastal lines to our farmlands, we do the things necessary to be able to withstand weather events that they still are trying to call them 500- year events, like we saw here in New Jersey, but they're just not.
I know our region saw a record rainfall just with Hurricane Henri, the storm that passed through just days ago. And now we're facing yet another record in the same way that we're dealing with every month, it seems we're setting records on heat. This is going to be something that we must begin to invest in and prepare for.
BLITZER: Yes, we clearly have to be better prepared for climate change, because it's having this dramatic impact, as all of us know. Is it too early or can you give us a sense, Senator, how did this huge storm seem to catch everyone in the entire region, whether New Jersey or New York or Pennsylvania or Delaware, completely off guard, they were expecting rains, some flooding, but nothing like this?
BOOKER: No, what I'm told is that there -- it was because of the combining of two weather events that was, forgive the way I'm saying it, but a perfect storm that was coming up from the Gulf Coast, hit some of the weather force coming from the east and really combined to make this a far wetter system than was anticipated. And then you add to that the strange occurrences like a tornado in New Jersey that did some terrible devastation to at least one neighborhood.
So, this again, is something as I've talked to the governor down to mayors from the White House, to fellow senators, we have to as a country, for all of us would -- regardless of the region you live in, begin to do the prudent and responsible thing by making the investment now because this is definitely a moment where we know that if we don't make these investments, we're going to be paying more for the damage. In other words, invest now the billions of dollars necessary in doing strategic investments in infrastructure and resiliency or we're going to be paying a lot more for the damage that climate change is going to inevitably result in.
BLITZER: Yes, these once in a lifetime storms could become once every few year storms unless certain action has been taken. Senator, thank you so much for joining us. Good luck to everyone in New Jersey.
BOOKER: Thank you. I just want to say thank you to the incredible heroism of first responders, local leaders. And my condolences to all those who've lost lives in these weather patterns.
BLITZER: I'll echo that as well. Thank you once again.
BOOKER: Thank you.
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