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Sept. 14, 1999 - Art Bell
29:09
Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell - Open Lines - Hurricane Floyd (partial)
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art bell
18:15
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Speaker Time Text
art bell
And they've got the eye on the shorter radar, and it is awesome.
My God, that's a big I. The feeder bands are beginning to pound Northeast Florida pretty hard right now.
And it is moving northwest.
The latest information on Hurricane Floyd is it is 125 miles now, very much closer to the Cape, 125 miles actually east-southeast of Cape Canaveral, moving northwest at 13, Russia at 935 millibars, and thus far no weakening in the storm.
I see Titusville, Daytona Beach, down to Vero Beach, and Fort Pierce are feeling the feeder waves of this hurricane.
It is a monster.
2.6 million people are being evacuated.
The largest evacuation in U.S. history.
Where's it coming ashore?
Perhaps Wilmington.
Their best guess right now.
Wilmington, North Carolina.
But that changes with just about every report.
But I see them circling Wilmington right now as the most likely area.
We'll see.
We're talking about the storm, and we're into open lines.
Anything you want to talk about is fair game.
I was off of Titusville, Florida, recording 45-foot storm surges.
Holy moly.
Wonder if that's true.
45-foot storm.
Holy smokes.
And he asks, question, what happens to anyone caught in their cars on these jammed highways?
Well, if they've made it far enough west, hopefully all they have to do is sit it out.
But again, I would say to those of you getting ready to go, you're going to encounter jammed highways, number one.
Number two, gas may be difficult.
Number three, I would take whatever supplies you're able to cram in.
You know, if you've got sleeping bags, camping equipment, something to eat, you know, all that sort of thing, you'd want to get that in the car if possible if you are evacuating, if you're trying to get out of the way of this monster.
We are in open lines and we will stay that way.
East of the Rockies, you're on the air.
unidentified
Hello.
How are you doing?
art bell
I'm doing.
unidentified
This is Ryan from Michigan.
art bell
Hi, Ryan.
unidentified
I just wanted to point out something.
You probably know about webcams, right?
art bell
I'm on a webcam now.
unidentified
Oh, yeah.
art bell
Oh, yeah.
unidentified
They're a lot of fun.
art bell
I've got actually three cameras that go in sequence.
unidentified
Oh, yeah.
art bell
And I also have streaming video.
unidentified
Oh, yeah, that's a lot of fun, too.
Yeah.
What they got is they got webcams all over the world now.
art bell
Oh, I know.
unidentified
So I thought it'd be kind of interesting if you got, like, tomorrow morning.
art bell
I mean, you can watch the crowds going to work in downtown Stockholm if you want to.
unidentified
Well, when I get home in the morning, I'll tell you what I'm going to do is get on the webcams and see if I can get something in Georgia or Florida.
Yeah, well...
art bell
You know, a webcam's all right, but you know right now that CNN is waiting to see exactly where the storm is going to come in, and they're going to send their guy right to where the eye is going to go.
I'm still, I asked, and I'm waiting to see if they're going to email me.
Anybody at CNN or the Weather Channel, I would really like to know how you guys pick out who you're going to send down to stand in the eye.
unidentified
It sounds like it'd be a lot of fun, you know, for me anyways.
art bell
So in other words, if you were a CNN employee, you'd raise your hand and you'd volunteer.
unidentified
Send me, send me.
Oh, yeah.
art bell
Really?
Yeah, I'm not, I'm the same kind of idiot.
I would too.
unidentified
Didn't you chase storms for a long time?
art bell
Yeah, I did.
I did.
I chased tornadoes.
unidentified
Oh, yeah.
I like storms, really.
art bell
And so who am I to call anybody an idiot?
In fact, Lynn Whitlake and I chased tornadoes in a Volkswagen.
That's really stupid.
unidentified
Fun, all right.
It's got to be fun.
art bell
Well, it was fun, and we lived through it, but when you think back on it, it was pretty stupid.
I appreciate your call, sir.
unidentified
All right, thank you.
art bell
Thank you.
Yeah, we chased tornadoes.
In fact, we chased some cells right up into Oklahoma from Amarillo.
That Volkswagen.
Man, we had some close calls, too.
Lynn, or as he is known down in Lake Charles, Robin, I think they call him Robin down there.
unidentified
His real name is Lynn Whitlake.
art bell
When we were in the Air Force at Amarillo, we used to chase him.
I don't know how we lived through that.
Yeah, really, you know, I joke about this, but I would volunteer.
I'd be the idiot who'd raise his hand and say, yes.
I mean, it would be exciting, in a way.
But that would be with a lesser storm.
You know, when you get something this size, you sure as hell wouldn't want to be standing on a barrier island, for example, because it might not exist.
Now, standing inland a little bit in an eye, maybe.
But not with these kinds of winds.
I don't think so.
We'll have to see what they do.
West of the Rockies, you're on air.
Hello.
unidentified
Hello, Art.
art bell
Hi.
unidentified
Yeah, I'm going to sound like I'm right off the wall with this.
art bell
Well, then you'll be right at home here, so go ahead.
unidentified
Okay, no tornado is actually going, or I mean, no hurricane is actually going to hit the continental United States in 99.
art bell
Well, that's an interesting prediction.
unidentified
It won't do any more.
art bell
What are you basing this on?
unidentified
Perception, put it that way.
I gave you all kinds of predictions back in 95 in letters that I wrote to you, and you didn't believe any of them.
art bell
Well, how do you know?
unidentified
Well, some of them that I gave you six, eight months, a year before anybody else even brought up the subject, you gave credit to other people to your various prophets.
art bell
Oh, now, come on.
You know that I get a million, million.
unidentified
I assume that you either forgot, by that point you had forgotten entirely that I had given you predictions.
art bell
Look, let me help you out here a little bit, all right?
unidentified
Yeah.
art bell
When I open my email, which is several times a day, every time I open it, I have six to seven hundred emails.
unidentified
Oh, I believe it.
art bell
When I go to get my mail, or actually when my wife does, it probably weighs 500 to 1,000 pounds.
We bring in between 5 and 7 bins of mail.
Do you know what a bin is?
unidentified
Yeah.
art bell
Okay, so that's the kind of input that I'm getting.
So, you know, that's why I said, how do you know I didn't believe it?
It's just that I get a ton of stuff, sir, and I really mean a ton, a literal ton.
unidentified
Well, I kind of assume that if you had have believed it, then you would have made an attempt to contact me since I gave you contact information.
Well, so.
art bell
Well, what special ability do you have that allows you to make these predictions?
unidentified
I can't really say that I have any special ability.
I've been accused of being the head servant of Satan.
I've also been called a modern-day prophet of God.
I kind of hope it's the latter, although to tell you the truth, I've also been accused of being a nut and just completely off my rocker.
Time will tell just exactly which is actually true.
art bell
Which one do you lean toward?
unidentified
A totally unworthy prophet of God.
art bell
In other words, you're an optimist.
unidentified
Yeah, I guess you could put it that way.
art bell
I did.
All right.
Thank you very much for the call.
I'm sorry, but yes, obviously, if I have a guest on the air who's made a specific prediction, then that is memorable as well as being memorialized.
If you have just sent me a letter and said, I am a prophet of God or something or another, and I make the following predictions, it may slip through the cracks.
I'm sorry.
That is the kind of volume of mail and communication I get from all of you out there.
And I try to pay the best attention I can to it, but some of it does slip through my fingers.
East of the Rockies, you're on the air.
Tally-ho.
Hello.
unidentified
Hello?
art bell
Hi.
Turn your radio off.
unidentified
Turn the radio off.
art bell
That's good.
unidentified
What are we talking to?
art bell
Well, take a guess.
unidentified
This is Art Bell?
Bingo.
Good, sure.
I just called it.
I listened to your show for the last three years now.
I'm calling from Halifax, Nova Scotia, by the way.
art bell
Way up in Nova Scotia.
unidentified
Way up in Nova Scotia.
One of the reasons I asked you a question, I look at your website, but the one thing I couldn't find on there was a replay from the Swiss error back to September 2nd.
Can I get that somehow?
art bell
Yes, you may.
Let's see.
Any guest appearance that we have is chronicled and available on tape by calling 1-800-917-917-4278.
unidentified
4278?
art bell
Yes, sir.
unidentified
Great.
art bell
All right.
unidentified
Thank you.
art bell
Does that help you?
unidentified
That helps me a lot.
art bell
I take it.
It's calm and cool in Nova Scotia.
unidentified
Actually, no, it's windy and rainy.
Right now.
art bell
This shows you what the hell I know.
Thank you for the call, sir.
unidentified
Thank you.
art bell
Take care.
Indeed, rainy.
Wildcard line, you're on the air.
Hi.
unidentified
Kate and Master in California.
art bell
Oh, here she is.
Oh, my, you've made it in.
unidentified
Early.
art bell
Early and frequently of late.
It's nice to be hearing your cheery little voice again.
unidentified
It is.
Well, I think cats meditate.
Do you think cats meditate?
art bell
How the hell would I know?
unidentified
Well, listen, you know, and they're in that alpha state, you know.
art bell
No, no, cats clearly see things that we don't see.
unidentified
I know.
art bell
Now, stupid humans look at that and they say, what the hell's the matter with that cat?
Look at it.
Well, it's probably seeing something that we just can't see.
That's what I think.
unidentified
Well, I think they meditate.
art bell
I might even, I thought they even see rods.
You know what rods are.
unidentified
Yeah, that rod thing.
I always wondered about that.
art bell
Don't you think that's possible?
unidentified
I think it's possible that they want to see things and they just get tired of not seeing anything.
They just pounce on it.
art bell
And so they make them up?
unidentified
Yeah, like my feet, when I don't want them to pounce on them.
art bell
Yeah, I wonder why they do that.
unidentified
To irritate you.
Cats communicate with us on a certain level, you know.
art bell
No, a foot under a cover is not like a foot.
It's not the same thing as a foot at all.
It's a mystery object that appears to be moving under the covers.
unidentified
I agree.
And they don't know what it is.
By the way, I have special powers.
As you recall, I am a goddess.
art bell
Oh, I'll ask you about that in a moment.
But first, let me read this to you in case you missed it earlier.
unidentified
Okay.
art bell
When a cat, since you brought up cats, right?
When a cat is dropped, it always lands on its feet.
When toast is dropped, it always lands on the butter side down.
So John Carter of Northridge, California, sent me this.
He said, I propose to strap buttered toast to the back of a cat with the butter facing up.
The two, obviously, will hover in midair, spinning inches above the ground.
With a giant buttered toast cat array, a high-speed monorail could easily link Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
unidentified
Yeah, it's like instead of a levatron, it's a catatron, huh?
art bell
Somehow, I picture these miles and miles of cats meowing with buttered bread strapped to them.
unidentified
Yeah, the PETA people would really hate that.
art bell
Every train, a new cruelty.
unidentified
Yeah, they'd be protesting everywhere.
Rare, rare!
You're silly.
art bell
I know.
unidentified
You are definitely silly.
Well, well.
Are you going to ask me about being a goddess?
art bell
Yep.
unidentified
Okay, ask.
art bell
Well, what kind of goddess are you?
unidentified
I'm a fertility goddess.
art bell
Jesus, I should have figured.
A fertility goddess.
And what does a fertility?
unidentified
You're so easy.
art bell
what does a fertility goddess?
No, I shouldn't be asking this question.
unidentified
Go ahead, ask, ask away.
art bell
Oh, what the hell?
What does a fertility goddess do in the normal course of a goddess's daily duties?
unidentified
Okay.
art bell
Well, and night.
unidentified
First, I open my email and answer all my prayers that have been sent to me.
Well.
Then I cause crops to grow.
art bell
You cause crops to grow?
unidentified
Yes.
And I also punish people.
Good and bad.
With drought.
Oh.
That's damn.
art bell
So you stand in judgment of people?
unidentified
Yes, I do.
That's heavy, huh?
art bell
Yeah, it's a pretty heavy responsibility.
unidentified
I know.
That's why I meditate a lot.
I have a very stressful day.
Then, of course, I take over the question of mammalian fertility.
art bell
Really?
unidentified
Yeah, I get lots of prayers over that.
art bell
Can you make a young man who is not fertile, fertile?
unidentified
Of course.
art bell
Really?
And a young woman who is not fertile, fertile?
unidentified
Of course.
That's my job.
I also am.
art bell
Do you ever remove fertility from the unworthy?
unidentified
There are people who should never, ever have children.
art bell
Well, that's what I was asking.
unidentified
Yeah, well.
art bell
As a goddess.
unidentified
That's right.
And I get lots of prayers about children.
art bell
How do you do that, by the way, as a goddess?
Do you just sort of close your eyes, squinch them together, and say, squeeze a tube shut?
unidentified
No, actually, what I'll do is I'll give her a case of acne.
And then he doesn't like her.
art bell
That's just as it is.
You are so bad.
unidentified
You're bad.
You're worse than I am.
art bell
Hey.
unidentified
But you are the best thing in radio.
art bell
All right.
Well, thanks for the call.
unidentified
Love you.
art bell
See you later.
You picture that tube closing.
And there it is closed.
I don't have to do that.
I just give a racne.
East of the Rockies, you're on the air.
unidentified
Hi.
Hi.
art bell
Hello.
Where are you?
unidentified
I'm in Kansas City.
art bell
Kansas City.
unidentified
Yeah.
art bell
All right.
Welcome.
You're on the air?
unidentified
I'm on the air.
art bell
You bet.
unidentified
Okay.
Hey, I was gonna tell Art about the.
art bell
Oh, wait a minute.
I am Art.
unidentified
Oh, you are?
art bell
I am.
unidentified
I'm ridiculous.
The sterilization of the cockpit.
We have a 38 system, which when we take off, we have 3-minute sterilized cockpit.
And on landing, on the approach, it's an 8-minute.
art bell
Are you a commercial?
unidentified
That's correct.
An eight-minute sterilized cockpit.
So there's nobody gets in and out of the way.
art bell
Okay, what kind of aircraft do you fly?
unidentified
Well, it depends on the situation.
art bell
So in other words, the sterilization only lasts so long?
unidentified
Well, no.
art bell
At which point of the flight is it okay for the stew to come up and sit on a lap?
unidentified
Well, never.
art bell
Never?
unidentified
Absolutely not.
art bell
What kind of flying is that?
unidentified
Well, what kind would you think if you were a passenger?
You could have control of it.
What I'm saying is on takeoff, it's a three-minute sterilization in the cockpit, eight minutes on the landing.
And we try to do everything we can to make a safe journey for everyone.
And that's all I wanted to say.
Thank you.
art bell
All right, sir.
I appreciate your saying.
Well, the first officer who called a while ago did burst some balloons for me.
No stewardesses ever in the cockpit, ever.
So I guess they have to go back and get their own coffee, huh?
I wonder how the coffee gets.
Maybe it comes in a little chute or something.
And then this sterilized business.
In other words, you're not allowed to talk about anything, the wife, the kids, nothing, just the duty at hand, which is flying.
And I suppose from the flying public's point of view, these are all good things, but it does seem like it, you know, takes a lot of the romance out of the way it used to be.
But on the other hand, maybe we have fewer crashes.
So I guess it's all right.
We're watching the hurricane with you through the night tonight, and probably tomorrow, too.
We will have Whitley here for a short time tomorrow night talking about the weather.
unidentified
I can see her lying back in her satin dress In a room where you do what you don't confess Someday you better take care If I find you been creeping around my back stairs Someday you better take care If I find you been creeping around my back stairs She's been looking
like a queen in a sailor's dream And she don't always say what she really means Sometimes I think it's a shame And I get feeling better when...
art bell
Reported that northwest of the eye wall, they had a buoy that just recorded 52-foot seas.
I repeat, 52-foot seas.
Try and let your mind imagine that.
The largest evacuation of U.S. citizens in U.S. history, 2.6 million are fleeing this storm.
The latest projections show it coming ashore at the North Carolina, South Carolina border.
But that seems to change each time they get a new forecast.
The last one seemed to show it jogging a little to the west.
You know, the last part of the little jog was toward the west.
So who knows, the ridge is weakening a little bit that would have affected the storm.
And everybody's got to be on the lookout.
And I mean everybody.
It's still east-southeast of the Cape by about 125 miles.
And it's still moving northwest as far as we know.
We should have new information soon.
Obviously, we're going to be dealing with this tonight.
Tomorrow night, we'll have Whitley Strieber here a little bit.
Whitley and I have authored a new book called The Coming Superstorm.
And the subject matter is entirely appropriate to what's going on.
So we'll have him on and talk with him a little bit.
But basically, we're going to be doing open lines so that we can kind of keep in touch with what's going on.
Now, listen, any of you out there that have appropriate photographs, personal photographs is what we really want, that have to do with this storm, we'd love to have you send them to my webmaster.
He is webmaster.
He's Romant, actually.
Webmaster at artbell.com.
So, we're looking for personally oriented type photographs.
We also have a link to the webcams in the path of the hurricane.
So, during the day, that'll be very useful.
At night, not very useful unless they've got, you know, night vision equipment.
But during the day, tomorrow, or later today now, actually, in my time zone, and yours, I'm sure, you'll be able to go to my website and look at those webcams.
It is an awesome site.
They're in the blackout zone where they don't really have new satellite information yet.
It's coming shortly on the hurricane.
But they do have it on radar.
And, woo, you ought to see the eye as defined on radar.
It is incredible.
George Kennedy for Can Doo.
Arthritis, man.
They're part of the family, right?
Well, then take food for them because likely they will need it.
And for yourself, and, you know, whatever you've got around that's camping stuff, it'd be a real good idea to have with you.
So, we're sort of tracking this monster, and a monster it is.
The feeder bands now, bearing in mind where it is, east-southeast by 125 miles of the Cape, the feeder bands are slamming into North Carolina with heavy rain.
Can you imagine the size of a hurricane that would do that?
It's down still east-southeast of the Cape, and yet slamming feeder bands into North Carolina.
That is one big mother-in-storm.
First time calling a line, you're on the air.
Hi.
unidentified
All right.
Yes.
This is taking you back a while, but I'm trying to see if you can recall a guest you had on your show several years ago named David Horowitz.
art bell
Sure.
Dr. Horowitz.
unidentified
Dr. Horowitz, he wrote a book, something about virus or...
art bell
But yeah, you're right.
I recall, not exactly.
unidentified
It was several years ago, and I'm trying to locate either if I could get a copy of the tape or if you can recall the book that he wrote because I've searched lively.
art bell
Okay, well, you can absolutely.
Well, there's two ways to handle it.
One is you can call the number, the 800 number, and get a tape.
As for the last Dr. Horowitz guest.
unidentified
So we're talking about David Horowitz, right?
art bell
Right.
unidentified
And do you remember the conversation about pharmaceutical companies injecting or infecting or whatever you say?
art bell
I think he was talking about vaccinations, wasn't he?
unidentified
He was talking about the program was about how way back in the 50s that we were inoculated with viruses that the pharmaceutical companies gave us.
art bell
All right, I've got it for you here.
unidentified
Oh, I'm sorry.
art bell
All right, are you ready?
unidentified
It's called.
art bell
I was writing.
Listen to me now.
It's called Emerging Viruses, AIDS, and Ebola.
unidentified
Exactly.
art bell
Nature, Accident, or Intentional by Dr. Leonard G. Horowitz.
unidentified
Leonard, not David.
No wonder I couldn't find it.
art bell
Yes, Leonard.
unidentified
Please bear with me.
I'm writing emergency.
art bell
No, no, no.
Emerging.
unidentified
Okay.
Emerging.
art bell
Viruses.
unidentified
Viruses.
art bell
AIDS and Ebola.
unidentified
Okay.
art bell
Actually, if you just have emerging viruses, that'll be enough.
unidentified
AIDS and Ebola.
art bell
And it's Leonard G. Horowitz.
unidentified
No wonder I couldn't find him under David.
Okay?
art bell
You got it?
unidentified
Leonard Horowitz.
Did you spell Horowitz?
art bell
H-O-R-O-W-I-T-Z.
Okay?
unidentified
And a library would have that.
And can I get your take of that program?
art bell
Well, you call 1-800-917-4278.
unidentified
917-4278.
art bell
Yes, ma'am, that's it.
Thank you very much, and good luck.
But with the correct title and name, you've got it.
I've had a lot of Davids on, so I forgot myself.
It's Leonard G. Horowitz, actually.
Wildcard line, you're on the air.
unidentified
Hi.
Honor!
Yes.
This is Squam in my big truck here heading westbound on the PA5.
I've got a question to ask you.
All right.
Well, they're right.
You don't sound the same on the phone.
art bell
Yeah, I know.
That's what everybody says.
But if you think I don't sound the same, you ought to hear how you sound right now.
unidentified
I'll bet.
Anyway, you're streaming video on your computer.
art bell
Yes.
unidentified
I noticed that most of your guests have got computers or websites or that sort of thing.
Would it be possible for you to have a setup where you on the internet where you can have a split screen where you would be on one side and your guests would be on the other side so the best people at home when we were watching on the internet, we could watch play the same thing?
art bell
That would be so cool, wouldn't it?
Let me explain to you on the air what that would take, though, and why we can't do it right now.
In order to have the streaming video that, for example, I have right now that you can see and hear, it requires a very special line to be installed by the phone company.
It's a frame rate, it's called a frame rate line.
And in this case, it goes straight from here to Dallas, where broadcast.com is, and delivers a very fast stream to broadcast.com.
And then, of course, I've got cameras and I've got lighting and all of that to contend with.
So trying to set that up for each and every guest that we would have on the program would be logistically, absolutely, completely, utterly impossible.
Now, if a guest had a camera already set up, trying to think about this.
I don't think that we could get streaming video, but we might be able to get the webcam that I've got so you would see a photograph of the guest if they already had a computer and the right program and a camera.
But even that is kind of difficult logistically, so I don't know.
East of the Rockies, you're on the air.
Good morning.
unidentified
Hi.
Hi.
Calling for art?
art bell
That would be me.
Turn your radio off.
unidentified
Okay.
art bell
Well, wait while you do that.
unidentified
My name is Angela.
I'm calling from Cape Coral, Florida.
art bell
Cape Coral, Florida, huh?
unidentified
Yes.
I was calling to say that this is a huge storm, and we are over in the west, in the Gulf of Mexico, and we are getting some rain bands and some wind.
It's not a lot, but it is affecting us over here in the Gulf.
and I was worried about Cape Canaveral and the space shuttles.
art bell
I was wondering Everybody else who works at the Cape took off.
So they've got, I don't know, maybe 125 people there.
Everybody else took off.
And all the Disney stuff in Florida is closed.
It's amazing.
unidentified
I know that all of our hotels and things are booked up.
And, you know, people.
art bell
In other words, people coming from the east out toward you.
unidentified
Yeah, they're not finding any place to go, so I don't know.
And I've heard a comparison that if you imagine Floyd as being a dime, or rather a half a dollar, and a dime as being Andrew, that sort of would give you a comparison of the storm size.
art bell
God, it's a monster.
It's a monster.
Yeah, you're absolutely right.
Thank you.
You know, looking at the map of the southeastern U.S., this hurricane is so large that it's literally like a piece of a puzzle headed up to fill that entire gap, the sort of U-shaped area or crescent-shaped area would be more like it, that forms from Florida up through North Carolina.
It will just fill that entire area when it gets there.
It's incredible.
Absolutely incredible.
West of the Rockies, you're on the air.
Hi.
unidentified
Hello, this is Fritz calling.
art bell
Well, hi, Fritz.
I understand you guys have had some pretty wild weather down in Arizona.
unidentified
But it's beautiful lightning.
It's just a fantastic show of creation.
I mean, you know what creation can do.
art bell
But anyhow, it's coming to the weather.
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