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CNN Live At Daybreak

Aftermath of Tsunami Disaster Keeps Growing

Aired December 28, 2004 - 05:00   ET

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


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


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, thousands dead, thousands missing, thousands homeless. The aftermath of the tsunami disaster is enormous and it just keeps growing.
Plus, the CIA says it sounds like the real thing. A new message to Iraqis from the world's most wanted terrorist.

And the political battle still rages in Ukraine. One man declares victory, but his rival won't go down without a fight.

It is Tuesday, December 28.

This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you.

From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

Now in the news, massive relief efforts under way this morning in the wake of a tsunami disaster in Asia. The death count has reached 26,000 and survivors are in desperate need of food, water and medicine.

A woman charged in a gruesome crime makes an initial court appearance in Missouri today. Lisa Montgomery is accused of strangling a pregnant woman and cutting the baby from the womb.

In northern Iraq, multiple attacks this morning in the Tikrit area. The target? Iraqi police officers. The U.S. military says insurgents attacked police posts, killing at least six officers.

To the forecast center and Chad Myers -- good morning, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: It is still too early to accurately assess the damage and the effect of those massive tsunamis throughout Asia. The death toll just keeps rising. Now more than 26,000 dead and rescuers are just beginning the search for thousands of people who are missing.

We start our coverage today from Phuket, Thailand, where CNN's Aneesh Raman is standing by.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you. The death toll in southern Thailand rising today to above 1,000. And we're now learning that a majority of those casualties are likely to be some of the foreign tourists who were here in the peak season of this area's tourism.

The death toll here on Phuket is just over 200, 203. Overall, Carol, these numbers are just staggering, at times incomprehensible. It is really the small stories that make you realize what took place when those walls of water came crashing down.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

RAMAN (voice-over): The moment a tropical resort became a scene of horror, a massive wave, one of many, roaring into Patong Beach on Phuket Island. An Australian tourist on a rooftop capturing the beginning of a catastrophe -- a wall of water engulfing buildings, surging into the streets carrying people, vehicles and more, one snapshot of a disaster that has ravaged a continent.

Not far away, 26-year-old Belgian tourist Iolia Lebeau was among thousands of vacationers enjoying a break in the tropics.

IOLIA LEBEAU, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: And I was just trying to spend the day on the beach. And suddenly all the water went away and everyone was just looking at it and saying where is all the water? And then suddenly it was all coming at us and people just started to run and scream.

RAMAN: In seconds, pristine tranquility turned into a hellish fight to stay alive.

LEBEAU: The building was collapsing, so I had to jump to another building. And then a second wave came in and a third wave came in and people were injured. I saw dead bodies floating. And so then in a moment we decided with a couple of people just to run for it.

RAMAN: She's now at this hospital, along with hundreds of other survivors from at least 20 countries, all in shock.

LEBEAU: I hope to be back for New Year's with my family. We'll never forget this Christmas.

RAMAN: But at least she has somewhere to go. Many who live here are still missing family members and have no home left.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAMAN: And, Carol, that really is the dual challenge for the Thai government right now, dealing both with the tourists who are so desperate to go home, as well as the local community, who are desperate to rebuild their lives.

COSTELLO: Aneesh, I can't help but notice what's behind you.

Can you describe for us where you're standing? RAMAN: Sure. We're right on a beachfront right on the western coast of Phuket. This was the hardest hit area. We're south of Laguna Beach, which would have suffered the most destruction. No severe structural damage here in Phuket, but litter covers everything, debris from a lot of the shops. Behind me, you see what is left of people's livelihood, the locals who worked here, who were dependent on this tourism industry. Three months of work would be the salary for a year. These were where they had their shops. This is how they made their money and this is what it has become. So for them, they are literally starting over and they have no idea where they go from here.

COSTELLO: So behind you are the remnants? I know we went to video here, but if we could go back to Aneesh right now. Behind you are the remnants of homes or a hotel?

RAMAN: The remnants of small shops, Carol, that lined the beachfront run by the local community, who is part of the tourism industry. So trinkets would have been bought here, other Thai memorabilia for tourists who were here. This was the peak season. This is when they made their money. All of that, as you can imagine, the infrastructure very flimsy, just some wood, all of that immediately washed aside by the waves and now just collected here so it can start to bed taken away.

COSTELLO: Aneesh Raman reporting live for us.

Thank you.

The tsunami disaster struck thousands of miles away from here, but for some Americans, it's hitting close to home.

In Tampa, Florida, an anxious mother waits for word from her 31- year-old son, who is missing in Thailand. He went there to teach English to children. In Kansas City, Missouri, the parents of a professional scuba diver have heard from their daughter. She's also in Thailand. But they're still worried about her as she helps victims of the disaster. And in Huntsville, Alabama, some relief for family and friends of a city councilman who was vacating in Thailand when the tsunami struck. Glen Watson sent them an e-mail saying he's safe, but he says he also saw hundreds of bodies in the aftermath and that he rescued a child from the water.

If you have been affected by the tragedy overseas, we would like to hear from you this morning. You can go to cnn.com/specials/2004 to tell your story or to read other personal accounts. And, of course, we'll share some of those stories later on on DAYBREAK.

In News Across America now, a federal investigation will look into the circumstances surrounding the holiday air travel mess that's still lingering this morning. Thousands of travelers were stranded after Comair had massive computer problems and an unprecedented number of sick calls also caused problems with operations at US Airways. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta says the investigation will look into whether the carriers were properly prepared.

It could take up to two months to fix a giant sinkhole that opened up in Deltona, Florida. Deltona is halfway between Daytona Beach and Orlando. The sinkhole has grown to 225 feet wide, 50 feet deep. It's estimated that crews will need 1,700 truckloads of dirt and concrete to fill the hole.

And Colorado state troopers are ready to start enforcing the state's left lane law. It states that the left lane of highways can only be used for passing. The law went into effect in July, but police have only been issuing warnings during a six month grace period. The measure was intended to cut down on traffic congestion and road rage. Good luck to them out there.

Much more to come this hour on the tsunami disaster in Asia. Americans are lending a hand in the wake of the devastation. We'll tell you how you can help.

Also, what if? Could such a disaster happen here in the United States? The answer might surprise you.

And for survivors, the ordeal is only beginning. The tsunamis have left a flood of health concerns.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning, December 28.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It is 5:11 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

The water supply has become a focus in the areas hit by those killer tsunamis. Contaminated water can carry 50 different deadly diseases, including cholera. Standing water near the dead bodies can also become a breeding ground for mosquitoes that carry malaria.

As many as six Iraqi policemen are dead after a series of attacks on police checkpoints around Tikrit. Insurgents also wounded five other officers in those attacks.

In money news, federal regulators are investigating the compensation package owed to former Fannie Mae chief Franklin Raines. Listen to this. Raines is due to make $114,000 a month for the duration of his life. He resigned a week ago after an investigation turned up accounting irregularities.

In culture, Liza Minelli has been hospitalized after falling out of bed. "People" magazine reports the 58-year-old entertainer knocked herself unconscious when she rolled out of bed in the middle of the night.

In sports, the New York Yankees are being billed more than $25 million for baseball's luxury tax. That's based on a payroll of nearly $190 million last season. The Red Sox and Angels are the only other teams that have to pay the tax for payrolls over $120.5 million.

To the forecast center and Chad.

MYERS: And that's a lot of hot dogs.

COSTELLO: You've got that right.

MYERS: Good morning, everybody.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning. The search for survivors is also going on in Indonesia. Nearly 5,000 people there are reported dead. But that number is expected to rise to well over 10,000.

CNN's Mike Chinoy joins us now from Aceh Province -- hello, Mike.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well, I'm in Banda Aceh, which was the main town closest to the epicenter of that huge quake on Sunday. It's just 100 miles from here. The people that you can see behind me are some of the countless thousands who have lost everything -- lost their homes and are camping out in the streets, waiting desperately for help.

Everybody you talk to here has a story of horror, of terror. People by the hundreds running through the streets to escape walls of water 12 to 15 feet high. Almost everybody you talk to has lost a loved one or a friend. Many people unable to find any news of their relatives.

About 10 minutes' drive from where I'm standing, I just came back from an enormous mass grave. There were about 1,000 bodies dumped in a field. Bulldozers were digging up the earth and covering those bodies.

There is a real concern about the spread of diseases as these bloated remains decompose in the tropical heat. It's a very grim situation. There is a trickle of aid beginning to come in, but an awful lot remains to be done -- Carol.

COSTELLO: You say a trickle of aid. I was going to ask you about doctors.

Are there enough doctors over there?

CHINOY: There's not enough of anything at the moment. There's an acute shortage of medicine. There's an acute shortage of drinking water. Fuel is in short supply. The whole town was devastated by this tidal wave that just swept in as much as three or four miles from the coast. Most of the main buildings have been damaged, including government buildings. So the authorities are really hard pressed to get any kind of relief underway.

Three C130 transport planes from the Indonesian Army did fly in some supplies earlier in the day, but there's an awful lot more that needs to be done. And one big question mark in the more remote areas along the coast where up to a million people live, there's simply no news at the moment. Those areas remain completely cut off. We have no idea, but there are fears that they would have taken the worst of both the quake and the tidal wave that followed, because they would have been so close to the epicenter -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Mike Chinoy live from Indonesia this morning.

Thank you.

Desperate pleas for aid this morning in the wake of that tsunami disaster in Asia. It's triggering what's likely to be one of the biggest worldwide relief efforts in history.

Our Allan Chernoff reports the ripples of the disaster are reaching the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The U.S. State Department.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Americans are answering the call for help, opening their hearts and wallets as they phone in donations to the American Red Cross.

LESLIE GOTTLIEB, AMERICAN RED CROSS: Calls have really increased in the past day, I think, as the enormity of the situation hits home and people realize how devastating this is.

CHERNOFF: Relief workers in Portland are packing medical supplies. A volunteer medical team is scheduled to fly Tuesday morning to Thailand.

BAS VANDERZALM, NORTHWEST MEDICAL TEAMS: Volunteer medical professionals in the Northwest are incredible and very giving. And so we are ready with personnel to be deployed.

CHERNOFF: And the international relief group Doctors Without Borders is seeking volunteers.

CATRIN SCHULTE HILLEN, DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: Our first appeal is to medical personnel and logistic personnel that is available, that can help, yes, we'd be delighted. We need volunteers for the field.

CHERNOFF: Employees of the International Red Cross, CARE and OXFAM are already on the ground, working on the harsh logistics of providing food, drinking water and medical care. Aid workers agree the need will go on for months.

CHRISTOPH GORDER, AMERICARES: The larger task at hand will be keeping the survivors alive. There are millions of people who were displaced and vulnerable, in these unsanitary conditions, to killer diseases like diarrhea and upper respiratory tract infections.

CHERNOFF: Secretary of State Powell announced the U.S. government is starting off with $15 million in assistance. Not enough, argues the head of emergency relief at the United Nations.

JAN EGELAND, U.N. UNDER SECRETARY-GENERAL: It is beyond me why we are -- why are we so stingy, really, when we are, and even at Christmastime should remind many Western countries, at least, how rich we have become.

CHERNOFF (on camera): Relief organizations say Americans should donate money, not goods. That will allow professional aid workers to buy and deliver the goods and services that victims most desperately need.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: And we'll have more on U.S. relief efforts from the State Department's top man. Secretary of State Colin Powell is set to appear on AMERICAN MORNING. That will come your way in the 7:00 a.m. Eastern hour.

The disaster overseas, no doubt it's left many of you wondering if it could happen here.

That story is just ahead.

You are watching DAYBREAK for a Tuesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Well, here's a question for you. Could the killer tsunamis that devastated parts of Asia have happened here in the United States?

As CNN's Adaora Udoji reports, they already have.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The terror of a tsunami triggered by an earthquake swept Valdez, Alaska off the map on Good Friday in 1964. More than 100 people were killed down the coast to California. Since 1946, tsunamis have hit Alaska four times, causing death and destruction all the way to Hawaii.

Today, scientists worry a tsunami could strike North America again. They worry about active fault lines causing earthquakes in the West, a triggering event for monster waves. Government officials worry, too, which is why a federal warning system also monitors other potential triggers -- volcanoes, meteorites and landslides.

D.L. JOHNSON, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE: The warning systems are in their infancy. We're getting better and better at informing the public.

UDOJI: The East Coast hasn't been completely spared. A tidal wave bashed Newfoundland in 1929, killing 27. Another hit Puerto Rico in 1918. PROF. TIM DIXON, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI: We don't have big earthquakes here. We're not going to see that big type of tsunami.

UDOJI: But there are theories the East Coast may still be vulnerable. Some argue if the volcano in the Canary Islands near Africa suddenly erupted and collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean, it could send violent ripples to the U.S. coast within nine hours.

Other scientists worry about gasses escaping the continental crust 50 to 100 miles off the coast of North Carolina. The idea of an explosive shift, argues Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Weissel, leads to troubling questions.

PROF. JEFFREY WEISSEL, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: We were surprised. and everybody is surprised, surprised about the amount of gas that we found. And we don't understand the full implications for exciting future submarine landslides, which then might produce dangerous tsunamis.

UDOJI: Scientists say they just can't yet connect all the dots. But many still believe the West Coast has a greater risk of getting hit.

Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: You know, Chad, that brings up a number of interesting questions. There's an article in the "Wall Street Journal" this morning, and I'm quickly reading it. Apparently there are these buoys you can use and you can attach sensors to it and it can detect movement on the bottom of the ocean and actually predict a shifting in those plates down there and issue a warning. The problem is they cost tens of millions of dollars.

MYERS: Yes. Yes. And, you know, typically the East Coast is not very prepared for a tsunami, like the West Coast is, because the West Coast is part of the ring of fire, with all those volcanoes and all those earthquakes that can happen there. There was even a semi tidal basin shift yesterday, or a tsunami, if you will, about 22 centimeters high. So less than, really, almost a foot high. And it actually hit San Diego.

COSTELLO: Oh.

MYERS: It was what was remnants of that bouncing off a couple of other continents, including Australia, finally getting into the Pacific Ocean. And there was even a six centimeter shift in Hilo, Hawaii.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

MYERS: So obviously far reaching effects from that one earthquake.

COSTELLO: Fascinating. You know, something else that we're doing at CNN, on cnn.com we're asking people to e-mail their stories from Sri Lanka and from Indonesia. And we want to read some of their stories that have been e-mailed to us so far.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: This is from Candy Savanka (ph). She's from Sri Lanka. "It's devastating to see six young girls washed away in the coastal town of Galle. They were in the town center shopping. Suddenly, the town filled with water. I saw those girls hanging onto a pillar. But suddenly one girl lost the grip and washed away. Then the other girls purposely did it. For sure, they want to save their friend. Many of them attend Supreme Bliss of Nebana (ph). And that's from Sri Lanka.

MYERS: Yes, I have one. I have another one from Sri Lanka, too. "I was walking down the galley face green at about 11:00 a.m. And then all of a sudden people started flocking to the ocean. This was what they did. This was the reason why, because the ocean was going out. The tide had completely gone out for almost 100 meters. That's about a football field out there. And everyone was out to see what was going on, why was the water going out."

Guess why? Because that was the trough before you get to the ridge in the wave. A wave is like this, up and down, up and down. They got to the down part, the water went out, and then waited for the wave part to come in. "And just two minutes later, the force came in with 15 feet high waves. The good news is I didn't see anyone washed away, but later it was quite apparent that many people were."

COSTELLO: Oh, just so sad.

We're going to read more of these testimonials later on DAYBREAK.

Here's what's all new in the next half hour.

The terrible tsunamis are taking a toll in Sri Lanka, as you know. As the number of deaths climb into the thousands, we'll go live to the region to get you the latest.

Plus, Osama bin Laden -- does he have a message for Iraqis and are the elections in jeopardy?

You are watching DAYBREAK for a Tuesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning to you.

Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK.

From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

Now in the news, the international community is scrambling to help those countries devastated by the killer tsunamis. Right now the death toll stands at 26,000 and bodies are still being found. Most of the dead are in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India. We'll bring you several live reports in just a few minutes.

The woman accused of strangling a pregnant woman and then cutting her baby from her womb has a court date today. Lisa Montgomery will make an initial appearance before the federal judge in Missouri.

In Ukraine, opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko maintains a commanding lead, with nearly all of the votes counted. He's claiming victory. But his opponent refuses to concede. He's vowing to appeal the election results to the supreme court.

To the forecast center and Chad -- good morning.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: More now on our top story, the ever growing aftermath of a tsunami disaster in Asia. The floodwaters have left behind piles of bodies and searches now underway for thousands of people still missing. So far, at least 26,000 are reported dead, mostly in Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka. In the meantime, massive relief efforts are being launched around the region and the world.

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Aired December 28, 2004 - 05:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Straight ahead on DAYBREAK, thousands dead, thousands missing, thousands homeless. The aftermath of the tsunami disaster is enormous and it just keeps growing.
Plus, the CIA says it sounds like the real thing. A new message to Iraqis from the world's most wanted terrorist.

And the political battle still rages in Ukraine. One man declares victory, but his rival won't go down without a fight.

It is Tuesday, December 28.

This is DAYBREAK.

And good morning to you.

From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

Now in the news, massive relief efforts under way this morning in the wake of a tsunami disaster in Asia. The death count has reached 26,000 and survivors are in desperate need of food, water and medicine.

A woman charged in a gruesome crime makes an initial court appearance in Missouri today. Lisa Montgomery is accused of strangling a pregnant woman and cutting the baby from the womb.

In northern Iraq, multiple attacks this morning in the Tikrit area. The target? Iraqi police officers. The U.S. military says insurgents attacked police posts, killing at least six officers.

To the forecast center and Chad Myers -- good morning, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: It is still too early to accurately assess the damage and the effect of those massive tsunamis throughout Asia. The death toll just keeps rising. Now more than 26,000 dead and rescuers are just beginning the search for thousands of people who are missing.

We start our coverage today from Phuket, Thailand, where CNN's Aneesh Raman is standing by.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you. The death toll in southern Thailand rising today to above 1,000. And we're now learning that a majority of those casualties are likely to be some of the foreign tourists who were here in the peak season of this area's tourism.

The death toll here on Phuket is just over 200, 203. Overall, Carol, these numbers are just staggering, at times incomprehensible. It is really the small stories that make you realize what took place when those walls of water came crashing down.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

RAMAN (voice-over): The moment a tropical resort became a scene of horror, a massive wave, one of many, roaring into Patong Beach on Phuket Island. An Australian tourist on a rooftop capturing the beginning of a catastrophe -- a wall of water engulfing buildings, surging into the streets carrying people, vehicles and more, one snapshot of a disaster that has ravaged a continent.

Not far away, 26-year-old Belgian tourist Iolia Lebeau was among thousands of vacationers enjoying a break in the tropics.

IOLIA LEBEAU, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: And I was just trying to spend the day on the beach. And suddenly all the water went away and everyone was just looking at it and saying where is all the water? And then suddenly it was all coming at us and people just started to run and scream.

RAMAN: In seconds, pristine tranquility turned into a hellish fight to stay alive.

LEBEAU: The building was collapsing, so I had to jump to another building. And then a second wave came in and a third wave came in and people were injured. I saw dead bodies floating. And so then in a moment we decided with a couple of people just to run for it.

RAMAN: She's now at this hospital, along with hundreds of other survivors from at least 20 countries, all in shock.

LEBEAU: I hope to be back for New Year's with my family. We'll never forget this Christmas.

RAMAN: But at least she has somewhere to go. Many who live here are still missing family members and have no home left.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAMAN: And, Carol, that really is the dual challenge for the Thai government right now, dealing both with the tourists who are so desperate to go home, as well as the local community, who are desperate to rebuild their lives.

COSTELLO: Aneesh, I can't help but notice what's behind you.

Can you describe for us where you're standing? RAMAN: Sure. We're right on a beachfront right on the western coast of Phuket. This was the hardest hit area. We're south of Laguna Beach, which would have suffered the most destruction. No severe structural damage here in Phuket, but litter covers everything, debris from a lot of the shops. Behind me, you see what is left of people's livelihood, the locals who worked here, who were dependent on this tourism industry. Three months of work would be the salary for a year. These were where they had their shops. This is how they made their money and this is what it has become. So for them, they are literally starting over and they have no idea where they go from here.

COSTELLO: So behind you are the remnants? I know we went to video here, but if we could go back to Aneesh right now. Behind you are the remnants of homes or a hotel?

RAMAN: The remnants of small shops, Carol, that lined the beachfront run by the local community, who is part of the tourism industry. So trinkets would have been bought here, other Thai memorabilia for tourists who were here. This was the peak season. This is when they made their money. All of that, as you can imagine, the infrastructure very flimsy, just some wood, all of that immediately washed aside by the waves and now just collected here so it can start to bed taken away.

COSTELLO: Aneesh Raman reporting live for us.

Thank you.

The tsunami disaster struck thousands of miles away from here, but for some Americans, it's hitting close to home.

In Tampa, Florida, an anxious mother waits for word from her 31- year-old son, who is missing in Thailand. He went there to teach English to children. In Kansas City, Missouri, the parents of a professional scuba diver have heard from their daughter. She's also in Thailand. But they're still worried about her as she helps victims of the disaster. And in Huntsville, Alabama, some relief for family and friends of a city councilman who was vacating in Thailand when the tsunami struck. Glen Watson sent them an e-mail saying he's safe, but he says he also saw hundreds of bodies in the aftermath and that he rescued a child from the water.

If you have been affected by the tragedy overseas, we would like to hear from you this morning. You can go to cnn.com/specials/2004 to tell your story or to read other personal accounts. And, of course, we'll share some of those stories later on on DAYBREAK.

In News Across America now, a federal investigation will look into the circumstances surrounding the holiday air travel mess that's still lingering this morning. Thousands of travelers were stranded after Comair had massive computer problems and an unprecedented number of sick calls also caused problems with operations at US Airways. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta says the investigation will look into whether the carriers were properly prepared.

It could take up to two months to fix a giant sinkhole that opened up in Deltona, Florida. Deltona is halfway between Daytona Beach and Orlando. The sinkhole has grown to 225 feet wide, 50 feet deep. It's estimated that crews will need 1,700 truckloads of dirt and concrete to fill the hole.

And Colorado state troopers are ready to start enforcing the state's left lane law. It states that the left lane of highways can only be used for passing. The law went into effect in July, but police have only been issuing warnings during a six month grace period. The measure was intended to cut down on traffic congestion and road rage. Good luck to them out there.

Much more to come this hour on the tsunami disaster in Asia. Americans are lending a hand in the wake of the devastation. We'll tell you how you can help.

Also, what if? Could such a disaster happen here in the United States? The answer might surprise you.

And for survivors, the ordeal is only beginning. The tsunamis have left a flood of health concerns.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Tuesday morning, December 28.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.

It is 5:11 Eastern.

Here's what's all new this morning.

The water supply has become a focus in the areas hit by those killer tsunamis. Contaminated water can carry 50 different deadly diseases, including cholera. Standing water near the dead bodies can also become a breeding ground for mosquitoes that carry malaria.

As many as six Iraqi policemen are dead after a series of attacks on police checkpoints around Tikrit. Insurgents also wounded five other officers in those attacks.

In money news, federal regulators are investigating the compensation package owed to former Fannie Mae chief Franklin Raines. Listen to this. Raines is due to make $114,000 a month for the duration of his life. He resigned a week ago after an investigation turned up accounting irregularities.

In culture, Liza Minelli has been hospitalized after falling out of bed. "People" magazine reports the 58-year-old entertainer knocked herself unconscious when she rolled out of bed in the middle of the night.

In sports, the New York Yankees are being billed more than $25 million for baseball's luxury tax. That's based on a payroll of nearly $190 million last season. The Red Sox and Angels are the only other teams that have to pay the tax for payrolls over $120.5 million.

To the forecast center and Chad.

MYERS: And that's a lot of hot dogs.

COSTELLO: You've got that right.

MYERS: Good morning, everybody.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Those are the latest headlines for you this morning. The search for survivors is also going on in Indonesia. Nearly 5,000 people there are reported dead. But that number is expected to rise to well over 10,000.

CNN's Mike Chinoy joins us now from Aceh Province -- hello, Mike.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well, I'm in Banda Aceh, which was the main town closest to the epicenter of that huge quake on Sunday. It's just 100 miles from here. The people that you can see behind me are some of the countless thousands who have lost everything -- lost their homes and are camping out in the streets, waiting desperately for help.

Everybody you talk to here has a story of horror, of terror. People by the hundreds running through the streets to escape walls of water 12 to 15 feet high. Almost everybody you talk to has lost a loved one or a friend. Many people unable to find any news of their relatives.

About 10 minutes' drive from where I'm standing, I just came back from an enormous mass grave. There were about 1,000 bodies dumped in a field. Bulldozers were digging up the earth and covering those bodies.

There is a real concern about the spread of diseases as these bloated remains decompose in the tropical heat. It's a very grim situation. There is a trickle of aid beginning to come in, but an awful lot remains to be done -- Carol.

COSTELLO: You say a trickle of aid. I was going to ask you about doctors.

Are there enough doctors over there?

CHINOY: There's not enough of anything at the moment. There's an acute shortage of medicine. There's an acute shortage of drinking water. Fuel is in short supply. The whole town was devastated by this tidal wave that just swept in as much as three or four miles from the coast. Most of the main buildings have been damaged, including government buildings. So the authorities are really hard pressed to get any kind of relief underway.

Three C130 transport planes from the Indonesian Army did fly in some supplies earlier in the day, but there's an awful lot more that needs to be done. And one big question mark in the more remote areas along the coast where up to a million people live, there's simply no news at the moment. Those areas remain completely cut off. We have no idea, but there are fears that they would have taken the worst of both the quake and the tidal wave that followed, because they would have been so close to the epicenter -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Mike Chinoy live from Indonesia this morning.

Thank you.

Desperate pleas for aid this morning in the wake of that tsunami disaster in Asia. It's triggering what's likely to be one of the biggest worldwide relief efforts in history.

Our Allan Chernoff reports the ripples of the disaster are reaching the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The U.S. State Department.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Americans are answering the call for help, opening their hearts and wallets as they phone in donations to the American Red Cross.

LESLIE GOTTLIEB, AMERICAN RED CROSS: Calls have really increased in the past day, I think, as the enormity of the situation hits home and people realize how devastating this is.

CHERNOFF: Relief workers in Portland are packing medical supplies. A volunteer medical team is scheduled to fly Tuesday morning to Thailand.

BAS VANDERZALM, NORTHWEST MEDICAL TEAMS: Volunteer medical professionals in the Northwest are incredible and very giving. And so we are ready with personnel to be deployed.

CHERNOFF: And the international relief group Doctors Without Borders is seeking volunteers.

CATRIN SCHULTE HILLEN, DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: Our first appeal is to medical personnel and logistic personnel that is available, that can help, yes, we'd be delighted. We need volunteers for the field.

CHERNOFF: Employees of the International Red Cross, CARE and OXFAM are already on the ground, working on the harsh logistics of providing food, drinking water and medical care. Aid workers agree the need will go on for months.

CHRISTOPH GORDER, AMERICARES: The larger task at hand will be keeping the survivors alive. There are millions of people who were displaced and vulnerable, in these unsanitary conditions, to killer diseases like diarrhea and upper respiratory tract infections.

CHERNOFF: Secretary of State Powell announced the U.S. government is starting off with $15 million in assistance. Not enough, argues the head of emergency relief at the United Nations.

JAN EGELAND, U.N. UNDER SECRETARY-GENERAL: It is beyond me why we are -- why are we so stingy, really, when we are, and even at Christmastime should remind many Western countries, at least, how rich we have become.

CHERNOFF (on camera): Relief organizations say Americans should donate money, not goods. That will allow professional aid workers to buy and deliver the goods and services that victims most desperately need.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: And we'll have more on U.S. relief efforts from the State Department's top man. Secretary of State Colin Powell is set to appear on AMERICAN MORNING. That will come your way in the 7:00 a.m. Eastern hour.

The disaster overseas, no doubt it's left many of you wondering if it could happen here.

That story is just ahead.

You are watching DAYBREAK for a Tuesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Well, here's a question for you. Could the killer tsunamis that devastated parts of Asia have happened here in the United States?

As CNN's Adaora Udoji reports, they already have.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The terror of a tsunami triggered by an earthquake swept Valdez, Alaska off the map on Good Friday in 1964. More than 100 people were killed down the coast to California. Since 1946, tsunamis have hit Alaska four times, causing death and destruction all the way to Hawaii.

Today, scientists worry a tsunami could strike North America again. They worry about active fault lines causing earthquakes in the West, a triggering event for monster waves. Government officials worry, too, which is why a federal warning system also monitors other potential triggers -- volcanoes, meteorites and landslides.

D.L. JOHNSON, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE: The warning systems are in their infancy. We're getting better and better at informing the public.

UDOJI: The East Coast hasn't been completely spared. A tidal wave bashed Newfoundland in 1929, killing 27. Another hit Puerto Rico in 1918. PROF. TIM DIXON, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI: We don't have big earthquakes here. We're not going to see that big type of tsunami.

UDOJI: But there are theories the East Coast may still be vulnerable. Some argue if the volcano in the Canary Islands near Africa suddenly erupted and collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean, it could send violent ripples to the U.S. coast within nine hours.

Other scientists worry about gasses escaping the continental crust 50 to 100 miles off the coast of North Carolina. The idea of an explosive shift, argues Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Weissel, leads to troubling questions.

PROF. JEFFREY WEISSEL, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: We were surprised. and everybody is surprised, surprised about the amount of gas that we found. And we don't understand the full implications for exciting future submarine landslides, which then might produce dangerous tsunamis.

UDOJI: Scientists say they just can't yet connect all the dots. But many still believe the West Coast has a greater risk of getting hit.

Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: You know, Chad, that brings up a number of interesting questions. There's an article in the "Wall Street Journal" this morning, and I'm quickly reading it. Apparently there are these buoys you can use and you can attach sensors to it and it can detect movement on the bottom of the ocean and actually predict a shifting in those plates down there and issue a warning. The problem is they cost tens of millions of dollars.

MYERS: Yes. Yes. And, you know, typically the East Coast is not very prepared for a tsunami, like the West Coast is, because the West Coast is part of the ring of fire, with all those volcanoes and all those earthquakes that can happen there. There was even a semi tidal basin shift yesterday, or a tsunami, if you will, about 22 centimeters high. So less than, really, almost a foot high. And it actually hit San Diego.

COSTELLO: Oh.

MYERS: It was what was remnants of that bouncing off a couple of other continents, including Australia, finally getting into the Pacific Ocean. And there was even a six centimeter shift in Hilo, Hawaii.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

MYERS: So obviously far reaching effects from that one earthquake.

COSTELLO: Fascinating. You know, something else that we're doing at CNN, on cnn.com we're asking people to e-mail their stories from Sri Lanka and from Indonesia. And we want to read some of their stories that have been e-mailed to us so far.

MYERS: Right.

COSTELLO: This is from Candy Savanka (ph). She's from Sri Lanka. "It's devastating to see six young girls washed away in the coastal town of Galle. They were in the town center shopping. Suddenly, the town filled with water. I saw those girls hanging onto a pillar. But suddenly one girl lost the grip and washed away. Then the other girls purposely did it. For sure, they want to save their friend. Many of them attend Supreme Bliss of Nebana (ph). And that's from Sri Lanka.

MYERS: Yes, I have one. I have another one from Sri Lanka, too. "I was walking down the galley face green at about 11:00 a.m. And then all of a sudden people started flocking to the ocean. This was what they did. This was the reason why, because the ocean was going out. The tide had completely gone out for almost 100 meters. That's about a football field out there. And everyone was out to see what was going on, why was the water going out."

Guess why? Because that was the trough before you get to the ridge in the wave. A wave is like this, up and down, up and down. They got to the down part, the water went out, and then waited for the wave part to come in. "And just two minutes later, the force came in with 15 feet high waves. The good news is I didn't see anyone washed away, but later it was quite apparent that many people were."

COSTELLO: Oh, just so sad.

We're going to read more of these testimonials later on DAYBREAK.

Here's what's all new in the next half hour.

The terrible tsunamis are taking a toll in Sri Lanka, as you know. As the number of deaths climb into the thousands, we'll go live to the region to get you the latest.

Plus, Osama bin Laden -- does he have a message for Iraqis and are the elections in jeopardy?

You are watching DAYBREAK for a Tuesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And good morning to you.

Welcome to the second half hour of DAYBREAK.

From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.

Now in the news, the international community is scrambling to help those countries devastated by the killer tsunamis. Right now the death toll stands at 26,000 and bodies are still being found. Most of the dead are in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India. We'll bring you several live reports in just a few minutes.

The woman accused of strangling a pregnant woman and then cutting her baby from her womb has a court date today. Lisa Montgomery will make an initial appearance before the federal judge in Missouri.

In Ukraine, opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko maintains a commanding lead, with nearly all of the votes counted. He's claiming victory. But his opponent refuses to concede. He's vowing to appeal the election results to the supreme court.

To the forecast center and Chad -- good morning.

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: More now on our top story, the ever growing aftermath of a tsunami disaster in Asia. The floodwaters have left behind piles of bodies and searches now underway for thousands of people still missing. So far, at least 26,000 are reported dead, mostly in Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka. In the meantime, massive relief efforts are being launched around the region and the world.

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