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CNN Live At Daybreak

Asia Takes a Pounding from Typhoon

Aired September 02, 2002 - 05:32   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: In Asia, they're called typhoons, not hurricanes. But whatever you call them, they are deadly. And that's the case in South Korea. People there have been, have taken a serious pounding from Typhoon Rusa.
Our Seoul bureau chief Sohn Jie-Ae joins us by phone with the very latest.

What can you tell us?

Jie-Ae, can you hear me?

Well, we'll try to get back with -- Sohn Jie-Ae, can you hear me?

We obviously have some problems with that.

I think we have Sohn Jie-Ae on the phone with us now. Do we?

Jie-Ae, can you hear me?

SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I can, Catherine.

CALLAWAY: Can you tell me what the situation there is in South Korea now?

JIE-AE: Well, Catherine, it was a very devastating day for many here in South Korea, especially people on the east coast, where the Typhoon Rusa did hit the most severe. People there had, many of them had a loss of electricity. The roads were cut off. They had no telephone lines. It was the worst typhoon to hit South Korea in more than 40 years.

The death toll right now, officially they are saying that about 88 people are dead. Seventy are reported missing. But they say another nearly 30 could be reported missing or dead. They just haven't figured out whether they are actually dead because of the typhoon or not.

There are more details to be coming up, but there are thousands of rescue workers, soldiers, police, who are there trying to reconnect the roads, clear the tons of mud from the streets. But it's going to be a very, very long process -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: You know, what is, what are the living situations there, Jie-Ae, for people now? I mean this looks like complete devastation. The roads are shut down. You know, what about services, that type of thing? JIE-AE: Oh, they're completely devastated. Many of the neighborhoods are completely isolated. There's no fresh water. They're talking about problems with drinking water. We're talking train tracks flooded. We're talking about collapsed bridges. We're talking about roads that have been cut off. They have no way, access to the outside world.

So many of the officials here say we just won't know the amount of devastation until rescue workers actually can get into some of these neighborhoods. Some of these neighborhoods in the flooded areas won't have power for another week or so. So we're actually looking at the devastation in this area becoming a lot more serious as the days go by -- Catherine.

CALLAWAY: All right, thank you.

That's our Seoul bureau chief, Sohn Jie-Ae.

Thank you, Jie-Ae.

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