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CNN Live At Daybreak

Tsunami Relief Efforts; U.S. Security Concerns; Disease Threats in Aftermath of Tsunami Disaster

Aired December 29, 2004 - 06:31   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: And good morning to you. Welcome to the last half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
"Now in the News."

Indonesia surpasses Sri Lanka for the number of people killed in the tsunami disaster. The death toll has gone up yet again. It now exceeds 67,000 people, and it's expected to keep climbing. Tens of thousands of people are still missing. The U.S. is running its relief effort from a military base in Thailand this morning.

More than 20 people are dead in Baghdad this morning, after Iraqi police were lured into a booby-trapped house. An interior ministry official says the officers were responding to an anonymous call.

A cost of the Iraq conflict is taking a toll on the Air Force. "The New York Times" reports the Pentagon plans sharp cuts in a new F- 22 fighter jet program to help offset mounting war costs.

And more heavy rains and floods are in store for California this morning. A slow-moving storm roared into the state on Monday, flooding homes and roads and triggering a rock slide. Three deaths are now linked to the weather.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: The United States is sending ships, planes and troops to Asia to aid in the relief effort. The Pentagon says military operations will be run from a base in Thailand. The base will also serve as a staging point for rescue aircraft and medical personnel. At least 700 troops will be on standby for humanitarian efforts.

Let's go live now to Aneesh Raman. He's in Thailand this morning.

Aneesh, bring us up-to-date.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you.

We're in the province of Phang Nga. It's a coastal province in southern mainland Thailand, and it is here that some 60 percent of the death toll perished after those waves came crashing ashore.

As of a few hours ago, more than 1,000 people are confirmed dead, but reports say that could triple when all is said and done. Behind me, devastation from what once stood there -- bungalows, hotels. Bodies are still being pulled out. In the past few hours, about six of them excavated. But the troubling number, Carol, is the 4,000-plus that are missing.

As you go further inland to the hotels such as Sofitel, one of the marquee hotels, it is completely gutted. And the fear is, is that people could be trapped or even perished bodies underneath that rubble. So as rescue efforts begin to fan out, begin to go more inland, it is likely that that death toll will rise.

We're also, Carol, quickly getting a sense of how many of these will be foreigners. The health ministry here is telling us the ratio is likely to be around 2 to 1 -- two foreigners for every Thai that has been killed -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Aneesh, I wanted to ask you about this, you know, because they're finding so many bodies, and they want to get them buried as quickly as possible. On the cover of "The New York Times" this morning -- and CNN also has this picture -- we can see somebody looking at a poster board, and it's full of these pictures. And these are pictures of the dead. Apparently, they're taking pictures of these people before they bury them, and then posting their pictures on the wall in the hopes that family members can identify them and know that their loved ones have died.

Is the same sort of thing happening where you are?

RAMAN: It is, Carol. But as we get further away, as we now get to three and a half days after those waves came through, relatives here will tell you that those are the lucky ones. The bodies that are being found now are unidentifiable. Some of them so decomposed it's unclear who they would be.

So, for relatives who haven't even found the dead ones in those pictures, it now seems all but hopeless that they'll get any closure. The dead that are being pulled are immediately being put into graves.

Next to me all day has been a mother looking out at the devastation behind me. That is where her daughter was last known to have been. That is where she worked. For now, four days the mother has come to sit here, looking out, hoping for the near impossible, but slowly bracing for the reality that it is likely her daughter will not return -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Aneesh Raman reporting live from Thailand this morning. Thank you.

Of course, we've also been bringing you survivor stories this morning. Let's go now to Rick Sanchez, who will have more survivor stories on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning -- Rick.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, it really humanizes this story, Carol. And we are continuing to get stories, amazing stories, of people that have survived.

Take the case of a doctor, a Chicago doctor. His name is Peter Hydaman (ph). He was on vacation. He was in Thailand with his family. Suddenly, after this tsunami hit, he was swept out to sea, had nothing to cling to until finally he was able to find a surfboard, was able to hold on to the surfboard. Some would say what happened next was nothing short of a miracle.

We will complete the story for you here on "AMERICAN MORNING." That and so many other details and so many other stories and interviews with people who are truly affected by this.

Carol -- back to you.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Rick. We'll catch you in about 20 minutes.

SANCHEZ: All right.

COSTELLO: DAYBREAK is ending the year with a look at some of the issues America will face in 2005. Homeland security appears to top the list, and for good reason. Some say the department in charge of protecting America against terrorist attacks is not doing its job.

In "USA Today," a former employee had this to say: "There hasn't been the management expertise and experience needed to integrate and effectively organize a huge bureaucratic challenge. Ideally, you need someone who has got corporate experience." That's from Clark Kent Ervin, the former inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security.

And we must add that he is not going back this year. He has mysteriously lost his job, according to "USA Today."

So, we wanted to explore this issue more. To Michael O'Hanlon now, a military analyst for a Washington think tank, and he has another perspective for us.

Good morning.

MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTE: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, everybody is doing these stories, making the Homeland Security Department look like a complete disaster. Is that overstating things?

O'HANLON: Well, anytime you try to create a new bureaucracy of this size, over 200,000 people, it's going to be enormously difficult. And I think one can always debate whether it was worth creating this new department, because you knew there were going to be these kinds of problems. Whenever you try to merge 22 different agencies, and essentially do it in wartime while these agencies had to improve their defenses in so many ways against possible terrorist attacks, that's always going to a point of contention.

I'm not sure the people involved has done a bad job, but I think the very idea of creating this department during this kind of a period was one that was bound to lead to some huge difficulties. And we continue to see them. Thankfully we haven't been attacked. And we have, of course, improved our defenses in a number of areas. But there are huge gaping holes, and that's certainly a reality.

COSTELLO: Some people think one of the biggest problems is there is too much congressional oversight.

O'HANLON: Well, there are too many separate subcommittees that have some hand in this. You know, the 9/11 Commission talked about the need for the intelligence committees in Congress to consolidate, but there are really just two of them, plus a couple of appropriations subcommittees that have a hand.

Whereas on homeland security there are as many as 88 separate subcommittees or committees that have some jurisdiction, because Congress has not wanted to just take the responsibility from individual committees that used to have one hand in, let's say, Health and Human Services or FEMA oversight, or many of the different pieces that used to be separate, and therefore used to be separately overseen by Congress.

Congress has not wanted to simplify and organize its own jurisdictions and create a standing committee on homeland security the way that the federal government has now created this Department of Homeland Security.

COSTELLO: Well, along those lines, there was an editorial in "The Washington Post" yesterday, and I want to read you a snippet. It says: "From the perspective of national security, this fragmented, dysfunctional structure is sheer lunacy. Department officials spend too much time responding to their many congressional masters. Last year alone, Tom Ridge and other department officials testified 145 times before various committees and subcommittees."

Isn't it time for Congress to loosen their grip on the Homeland Security Department and step back?

O'HANLON: Well, I think not to step back, but to step up and realize they've got to get organized, too. They've got to essentially have one committee in each house of Congress that focuses on this issue, even if that means taking away from the turf that was traditionally assigned to some of the other subcommittees and committees that somehow they jealously wanted to keep their hand in this.

Congress needs to be an active participant, because there is so much still to do. And you can't trust any one person or any one government like President Bush's to get it all right. This is a classic case where you want congressional oversight, but it's only going to work if it's efficient, if people have a broad mandate in the Congress as well as the executive branch.

You can create the sort of oversight you used to get from the armed services committees with people like Sam Nunn, who just became giants in the field because they had a broad perspective over all of defense. You need that same sort of role here for Congress on homeland security.

COSTELLO: What about the leader? You know, Tom Ridge is leaving, and we all know about Bernard Kerik and that disaster. So, who is the best candidate to take over?

O'HANLON: Well, as you pointed out earlier, there was this argument by the departing inspector general that we should have someone with business expertise, because there's a need to merge all of these different agencies. It's sort of a like a corporate merger and acquisition strategy in a way that you have to execute here.

On the other hand, we also need somebody who really knows technology, who really knows the terrorist mind, who can anticipate future attacks without simply assuming they're going to be the same kind of attack we've seen in the past.

So, I would want somebody with the ability to merge different agencies and create a strong organization, but also somebody who has a sense of which new biological agents could be dangerous, which overseas countries we've to work with most to improve our security by getting information from overseas. And just who can anticipate a little bit the terrorism minds. So, this is a very, very challenging thing, but...

COSTELLO: It's a tall order.

O'HANLON: Yes, it is.

COSTELLO: Michael O'Hanlon from the Brookings Institute joining DAYBREAK this morning. Thank you.

O'HANLON: My pleasure, Carol.

COSTELLO: Back to our tsunami disaster coverage and more survivor stories in just a moment. You are watching DAYBREAK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And all we heard was this noisy bang, and the next thing (UNINTELLIGIBLE). It was up to there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were absolutely certain that we were going to die. And then we found a safe place up in the mountains.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And these pictures, we're just getting them in overnight. I don't know exactly where this is. This is in Thailand actually. And we're seeing more amateur video of people just in awe of what happened there and taking pictures and not really running to safety as they should have, because who knew that this would be so catastrophic?

They are few and far between, but there are some stories from South Asia that end with a bit of happiness.

CNN's Matthew Chance has the story of a Swedish youngster who has come to symbolize hope.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): At a guess, he's just 2 or 3, gasping for breath and alone. Nurses in this Phuket hospital call him "Boo-Boo," but his real name is lost, like his parents, in the chaos of this tragedy.

Bruised and scratched, he was found half-drowned and in shock. They didn't even know what country he's from.

When he's around people, he gets upset, even angry, his nurse tells us. But when he's alone or with me, he just sits.

Outside the town hall in Phuket, faces of the dead and the missing are pinned to notice boards. As the waters have receded, desperation is swamping this holiday paradise. Families like the Johnsons from Sweden have flown in to find their missing daughter.

MAGET JOHNSON, MOTHER OF MISSING GIRL: Yes, but it's better to be here, instead of sitting home and only see on the television. So we asked to be here and see what we can do and if we can find her or figure out what happened to her.

CHANCE, (on camera): These are still early days in this disaster without precedent. Across the region, casualty figures and the numbers of missing are still rising. Yet amid all of this tragedy, for some at least, there is still hope.

(voice over): For them it's a miracle, but this is one family at least reunited. After a frantic search, Boo-Boo is back in the arms of his grandmother. His real name is Hanis (ph) she, tells me. His father is alive in hospital, his mother still missing, a moment of joy tinged with terrible loss.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Phuket, Thailand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Again, that was Matthew reporting from Thailand.

A United Nations agency says a third of the disaster victims are children.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:46 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Another high-level CIA official is leaving the agency. This time, it's the deputy director for intelligence, Jamie Misick (ph). "The New York Times" is reporting that the decision to leave was not hers. Several top deputies have left or been forced out since Porter Goss took over as director. In money news, buying fast food could get you in shape. Starting next month, showing a receipt from Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KSC, Long John's Silver or A&W gets you a free four-week membership at Bali Total Fitness.

In culture, the BBC is giving Jerry Springer a primetime spot. The network announced plans to air "Jerry Springer the Opera" at 9:00 p.m. on January 9. The live stage show based on Springer's TV show has been a hit in London's West End.

In sports, Gonzaga is a giant killer once again. The Zags (ph) knocked off third-ranked Oklahoma State 78-75. It's the second time this season that Gonzaga has beaten the No. 3 team in the country.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: I think we're going to read survivor stories now from CNN.com/quake. Is that correct? No, not yet. We're going to read these survivor stories after the break, so stick around. You are watching DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Not knowing the fate of a loved one is especially difficult. This morning, Heidi Collins will talk with a family searching for loved ones. She's here to tell us more of what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Carol. And hello, everybody.

We are going to talk about the desperate search for survivors in the aftermath of the tsunamis. Now, a lot of families in the United States are looking for relatives there. In fact, one family here in New York says as many as 30 of their relatives are missing. We're going to speak with Chiniq Ara Singha (ph) and her father, Saroot (ph), to find out what they are doing to find their loved ones.

And, Carol, as you've been reporting all morning, it's so hard to find out any information over there in the wake of all of this. It's just really, really tough for them.

COSTELLO: Yes, absolutely no communication. You know, the phone lines are down. Cell phones don't work very well.

COLLINS: Right.

COSTELLO: And some people have computers; others do not.

COLLINS: Yes, exactly. It's very tough. So, we'll get her story, and we're going to find out a little more about it.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Heidi.

COLLINS: You bet.

COSTELLO: We've been talking this morning, too, about survivors in the tsunami disaster, who are desperate for shelter, food and especially clean water. But drinking water is in short supply, and contaminated water can pose serious health risks.

Lisa Drayer, our nutritionist, joins us now to explain.

LISA DRAYER, REGISTERED DIETITIAN: Good morning, Carol.

That's right. And unfortunately, we can expect additional threats to human life from these contaminated water sources. And when we talk about contamination, we're talking specifically about two main kinds: biological and chemical.

So, for example, biological contamination would come from bacteria that are spread from poor hygiene, insufficient sanitation. This can then go on to cause intestinal diseases.

Also, chemical contamination may come from leaks or flooding, from chemical factories, also gasoline or oil leaks. And these can cause other problems. So water purification...

COSTELLO: And I understand the water from the ocean is salt water and has infiltrated the clean water systems that they have there, and that's also a concern.

DRAYER: Exactly, because humans really can't handle salt water. Salt water is so salty that we would have to excrete so much water from our body that it could lead to dehydration. So...

COSTELLO: OK. I want to ask you about that now. I know we were going to save that until last, but let me ask you about that now. Again, why is salt water so dangerous to drink? And, you know, we've always heard if you boil salt water, it's OK to drink. Is that really true?

DRAYER: Not necessarily. It really depends on the concentration of salt. Generally speaking, the concentration of salt in water is greater than what our blood can handle.

So, there's this process known as an osmotic diruresis (ph) which happens. Basically that means that water comes in, rushes in to dilute the salt in our body. But what happens is our kidneys work extra hard to excrete all of that water from our body. And it's excreting a lot more than what we could drink fluid-wise. That's where dehydration comes into play. And this could possibly lead to death.

So, purification is definitely important for other reasons to get rid of some of the sources of contamination.

COSTELLO: So, other than purification, though, is there anything you can do simply to make salt water drinkable?

DRAYER: Well, what you want to do is you can purify water, again, to remove the contaminants, not necessarily salt water. But if you have tap water, for example, you can boil it for one to three minutes to make sure that it boils for this amount of time. This can help to kill off any microorganisms.

Also, you can take unscented bleach and mix it. So, for example, eight drops per gallon is the amount that you would use. Mix it, and let it sit for about 30 minutes, and that's how you can purify your water that way.

Also, if any food has come into contact with contaminated water, get rid of it immediately, any cutting boards, utensils, if these are contaminated. There's really no safe way to clean them.

COSTELLO: I don't think people have any of those things left out there, Lisa.

DRAYER: Unfortunately no.

COSTELLO: I just don't. You're talking about infected food, and there are many children struggling to survive now.

DRAYER: And unfortunately, children don't have as strong immune systems as adults. So, these individuals, children, are at greater risk, also pregnant women, elderly, individuals with weakened immune systems. Also, any individuals with disease, for example, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, liver disease, cancer. Also, individuals taking antibiotics are at greater risk for infection, because the antibiotics kill some bacteria, but they also may favor the growth of other bacteria. So, these groups need to be extra careful.

And the purification especially is a key issue. Humans can live for a much shorter time without water. Food is a different story. Depending on your body weight, you can last a lot longer without food. But water is different.

COSTELLO: But water, yes.

DRAYER: Yes.

COSTELLO: Well, relief efforts have just begun. They're trying to get stuff in there as quickly as possible, but they have such a massive job.

DRAYER: Definitely.

COSTELLO: Yes. Lisa Drayer, thanks for joining DAYBREAK, as usual on Wednesday.

DRAYER: Thank you.

COSTELLO: This is DAYBREAK for a Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Chad, I'm looking at the newspapers here, a lot of tragic headlines this morning. CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Sure.

COSTELLO: Take a look at the front of the "New York Post." Here it is, a child crying, 68,000 dead.

MYERS: Yes, and that number, you know, it's staggering, but it's people. That's just not a number, you know? And there are so many islands out there that haven't been looked at yet, islands that could have been completely over-washed where everyone was lost.

COSTELLO: I know.

MYERS: And they haven't been there.

COSTELLO: Some of the remote areas. There are a lot of stories of Americans' generosity in the papers this morning. This is from "The Washington Post," the headline here is a fusion of prayers, aid, after tsunami. It says help for Asia's tsunami victims arrived yesterday at the Richmond headquarters of the Christian Children's Fund in the form of a check for $10,000 presented without fanfare to the lobby receptionist. Somebody just walked in, gave them a check, and said, give this to those in need.

The phones in the College Park office of the Association for India's Development, a Maryland-based nonprofit organization, barely stopped ringing. It's almost every minute. A lot of people have given $100. One gave $10,000. People are saying they'd like to go to India and work as volunteers. As of yesterday afternoon, the group's chapters had collected $270,000.

MYERS: You talked to a guy earlier. What did he say was the best place to donate? How did he say to do it?

COSTELLO: Donate to, like, the International Red Cross, and do it in the form of money, because they can buy the things that people really need over there.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: A lot of people are donating clothes and things like that. But, you know, they really want to address specific needs. So, money really is the best form of donation. From the Time Warner...

MYERS: And it is the giving time.

COSTELLO: Yes. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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Aired December 29, 2004 - 06:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. Welcome to the last half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
"Now in the News."

Indonesia surpasses Sri Lanka for the number of people killed in the tsunami disaster. The death toll has gone up yet again. It now exceeds 67,000 people, and it's expected to keep climbing. Tens of thousands of people are still missing. The U.S. is running its relief effort from a military base in Thailand this morning.

More than 20 people are dead in Baghdad this morning, after Iraqi police were lured into a booby-trapped house. An interior ministry official says the officers were responding to an anonymous call.

A cost of the Iraq conflict is taking a toll on the Air Force. "The New York Times" reports the Pentagon plans sharp cuts in a new F- 22 fighter jet program to help offset mounting war costs.

And more heavy rains and floods are in store for California this morning. A slow-moving storm roared into the state on Monday, flooding homes and roads and triggering a rock slide. Three deaths are now linked to the weather.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: The United States is sending ships, planes and troops to Asia to aid in the relief effort. The Pentagon says military operations will be run from a base in Thailand. The base will also serve as a staging point for rescue aircraft and medical personnel. At least 700 troops will be on standby for humanitarian efforts.

Let's go live now to Aneesh Raman. He's in Thailand this morning.

Aneesh, bring us up-to-date.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning to you.

We're in the province of Phang Nga. It's a coastal province in southern mainland Thailand, and it is here that some 60 percent of the death toll perished after those waves came crashing ashore.

As of a few hours ago, more than 1,000 people are confirmed dead, but reports say that could triple when all is said and done. Behind me, devastation from what once stood there -- bungalows, hotels. Bodies are still being pulled out. In the past few hours, about six of them excavated. But the troubling number, Carol, is the 4,000-plus that are missing.

As you go further inland to the hotels such as Sofitel, one of the marquee hotels, it is completely gutted. And the fear is, is that people could be trapped or even perished bodies underneath that rubble. So as rescue efforts begin to fan out, begin to go more inland, it is likely that that death toll will rise.

We're also, Carol, quickly getting a sense of how many of these will be foreigners. The health ministry here is telling us the ratio is likely to be around 2 to 1 -- two foreigners for every Thai that has been killed -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Aneesh, I wanted to ask you about this, you know, because they're finding so many bodies, and they want to get them buried as quickly as possible. On the cover of "The New York Times" this morning -- and CNN also has this picture -- we can see somebody looking at a poster board, and it's full of these pictures. And these are pictures of the dead. Apparently, they're taking pictures of these people before they bury them, and then posting their pictures on the wall in the hopes that family members can identify them and know that their loved ones have died.

Is the same sort of thing happening where you are?

RAMAN: It is, Carol. But as we get further away, as we now get to three and a half days after those waves came through, relatives here will tell you that those are the lucky ones. The bodies that are being found now are unidentifiable. Some of them so decomposed it's unclear who they would be.

So, for relatives who haven't even found the dead ones in those pictures, it now seems all but hopeless that they'll get any closure. The dead that are being pulled are immediately being put into graves.

Next to me all day has been a mother looking out at the devastation behind me. That is where her daughter was last known to have been. That is where she worked. For now, four days the mother has come to sit here, looking out, hoping for the near impossible, but slowly bracing for the reality that it is likely her daughter will not return -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Aneesh Raman reporting live from Thailand this morning. Thank you.

Of course, we've also been bringing you survivor stories this morning. Let's go now to Rick Sanchez, who will have more survivor stories on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning -- Rick.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, it really humanizes this story, Carol. And we are continuing to get stories, amazing stories, of people that have survived.

Take the case of a doctor, a Chicago doctor. His name is Peter Hydaman (ph). He was on vacation. He was in Thailand with his family. Suddenly, after this tsunami hit, he was swept out to sea, had nothing to cling to until finally he was able to find a surfboard, was able to hold on to the surfboard. Some would say what happened next was nothing short of a miracle.

We will complete the story for you here on "AMERICAN MORNING." That and so many other details and so many other stories and interviews with people who are truly affected by this.

Carol -- back to you.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Rick. We'll catch you in about 20 minutes.

SANCHEZ: All right.

COSTELLO: DAYBREAK is ending the year with a look at some of the issues America will face in 2005. Homeland security appears to top the list, and for good reason. Some say the department in charge of protecting America against terrorist attacks is not doing its job.

In "USA Today," a former employee had this to say: "There hasn't been the management expertise and experience needed to integrate and effectively organize a huge bureaucratic challenge. Ideally, you need someone who has got corporate experience." That's from Clark Kent Ervin, the former inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security.

And we must add that he is not going back this year. He has mysteriously lost his job, according to "USA Today."

So, we wanted to explore this issue more. To Michael O'Hanlon now, a military analyst for a Washington think tank, and he has another perspective for us.

Good morning.

MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTE: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: You know, everybody is doing these stories, making the Homeland Security Department look like a complete disaster. Is that overstating things?

O'HANLON: Well, anytime you try to create a new bureaucracy of this size, over 200,000 people, it's going to be enormously difficult. And I think one can always debate whether it was worth creating this new department, because you knew there were going to be these kinds of problems. Whenever you try to merge 22 different agencies, and essentially do it in wartime while these agencies had to improve their defenses in so many ways against possible terrorist attacks, that's always going to a point of contention.

I'm not sure the people involved has done a bad job, but I think the very idea of creating this department during this kind of a period was one that was bound to lead to some huge difficulties. And we continue to see them. Thankfully we haven't been attacked. And we have, of course, improved our defenses in a number of areas. But there are huge gaping holes, and that's certainly a reality.

COSTELLO: Some people think one of the biggest problems is there is too much congressional oversight.

O'HANLON: Well, there are too many separate subcommittees that have some hand in this. You know, the 9/11 Commission talked about the need for the intelligence committees in Congress to consolidate, but there are really just two of them, plus a couple of appropriations subcommittees that have a hand.

Whereas on homeland security there are as many as 88 separate subcommittees or committees that have some jurisdiction, because Congress has not wanted to just take the responsibility from individual committees that used to have one hand in, let's say, Health and Human Services or FEMA oversight, or many of the different pieces that used to be separate, and therefore used to be separately overseen by Congress.

Congress has not wanted to simplify and organize its own jurisdictions and create a standing committee on homeland security the way that the federal government has now created this Department of Homeland Security.

COSTELLO: Well, along those lines, there was an editorial in "The Washington Post" yesterday, and I want to read you a snippet. It says: "From the perspective of national security, this fragmented, dysfunctional structure is sheer lunacy. Department officials spend too much time responding to their many congressional masters. Last year alone, Tom Ridge and other department officials testified 145 times before various committees and subcommittees."

Isn't it time for Congress to loosen their grip on the Homeland Security Department and step back?

O'HANLON: Well, I think not to step back, but to step up and realize they've got to get organized, too. They've got to essentially have one committee in each house of Congress that focuses on this issue, even if that means taking away from the turf that was traditionally assigned to some of the other subcommittees and committees that somehow they jealously wanted to keep their hand in this.

Congress needs to be an active participant, because there is so much still to do. And you can't trust any one person or any one government like President Bush's to get it all right. This is a classic case where you want congressional oversight, but it's only going to work if it's efficient, if people have a broad mandate in the Congress as well as the executive branch.

You can create the sort of oversight you used to get from the armed services committees with people like Sam Nunn, who just became giants in the field because they had a broad perspective over all of defense. You need that same sort of role here for Congress on homeland security.

COSTELLO: What about the leader? You know, Tom Ridge is leaving, and we all know about Bernard Kerik and that disaster. So, who is the best candidate to take over?

O'HANLON: Well, as you pointed out earlier, there was this argument by the departing inspector general that we should have someone with business expertise, because there's a need to merge all of these different agencies. It's sort of a like a corporate merger and acquisition strategy in a way that you have to execute here.

On the other hand, we also need somebody who really knows technology, who really knows the terrorist mind, who can anticipate future attacks without simply assuming they're going to be the same kind of attack we've seen in the past.

So, I would want somebody with the ability to merge different agencies and create a strong organization, but also somebody who has a sense of which new biological agents could be dangerous, which overseas countries we've to work with most to improve our security by getting information from overseas. And just who can anticipate a little bit the terrorism minds. So, this is a very, very challenging thing, but...

COSTELLO: It's a tall order.

O'HANLON: Yes, it is.

COSTELLO: Michael O'Hanlon from the Brookings Institute joining DAYBREAK this morning. Thank you.

O'HANLON: My pleasure, Carol.

COSTELLO: Back to our tsunami disaster coverage and more survivor stories in just a moment. You are watching DAYBREAK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And all we heard was this noisy bang, and the next thing (UNINTELLIGIBLE). It was up to there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were absolutely certain that we were going to die. And then we found a safe place up in the mountains.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And these pictures, we're just getting them in overnight. I don't know exactly where this is. This is in Thailand actually. And we're seeing more amateur video of people just in awe of what happened there and taking pictures and not really running to safety as they should have, because who knew that this would be so catastrophic?

They are few and far between, but there are some stories from South Asia that end with a bit of happiness.

CNN's Matthew Chance has the story of a Swedish youngster who has come to symbolize hope.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): At a guess, he's just 2 or 3, gasping for breath and alone. Nurses in this Phuket hospital call him "Boo-Boo," but his real name is lost, like his parents, in the chaos of this tragedy.

Bruised and scratched, he was found half-drowned and in shock. They didn't even know what country he's from.

When he's around people, he gets upset, even angry, his nurse tells us. But when he's alone or with me, he just sits.

Outside the town hall in Phuket, faces of the dead and the missing are pinned to notice boards. As the waters have receded, desperation is swamping this holiday paradise. Families like the Johnsons from Sweden have flown in to find their missing daughter.

MAGET JOHNSON, MOTHER OF MISSING GIRL: Yes, but it's better to be here, instead of sitting home and only see on the television. So we asked to be here and see what we can do and if we can find her or figure out what happened to her.

CHANCE, (on camera): These are still early days in this disaster without precedent. Across the region, casualty figures and the numbers of missing are still rising. Yet amid all of this tragedy, for some at least, there is still hope.

(voice over): For them it's a miracle, but this is one family at least reunited. After a frantic search, Boo-Boo is back in the arms of his grandmother. His real name is Hanis (ph) she, tells me. His father is alive in hospital, his mother still missing, a moment of joy tinged with terrible loss.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Phuket, Thailand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Again, that was Matthew reporting from Thailand.

A United Nations agency says a third of the disaster victims are children.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:46 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Another high-level CIA official is leaving the agency. This time, it's the deputy director for intelligence, Jamie Misick (ph). "The New York Times" is reporting that the decision to leave was not hers. Several top deputies have left or been forced out since Porter Goss took over as director. In money news, buying fast food could get you in shape. Starting next month, showing a receipt from Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KSC, Long John's Silver or A&W gets you a free four-week membership at Bali Total Fitness.

In culture, the BBC is giving Jerry Springer a primetime spot. The network announced plans to air "Jerry Springer the Opera" at 9:00 p.m. on January 9. The live stage show based on Springer's TV show has been a hit in London's West End.

In sports, Gonzaga is a giant killer once again. The Zags (ph) knocked off third-ranked Oklahoma State 78-75. It's the second time this season that Gonzaga has beaten the No. 3 team in the country.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: I think we're going to read survivor stories now from CNN.com/quake. Is that correct? No, not yet. We're going to read these survivor stories after the break, so stick around. You are watching DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Not knowing the fate of a loved one is especially difficult. This morning, Heidi Collins will talk with a family searching for loved ones. She's here to tell us more of what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Carol. And hello, everybody.

We are going to talk about the desperate search for survivors in the aftermath of the tsunamis. Now, a lot of families in the United States are looking for relatives there. In fact, one family here in New York says as many as 30 of their relatives are missing. We're going to speak with Chiniq Ara Singha (ph) and her father, Saroot (ph), to find out what they are doing to find their loved ones.

And, Carol, as you've been reporting all morning, it's so hard to find out any information over there in the wake of all of this. It's just really, really tough for them.

COSTELLO: Yes, absolutely no communication. You know, the phone lines are down. Cell phones don't work very well.

COLLINS: Right.

COSTELLO: And some people have computers; others do not.

COLLINS: Yes, exactly. It's very tough. So, we'll get her story, and we're going to find out a little more about it.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Heidi.

COLLINS: You bet.

COSTELLO: We've been talking this morning, too, about survivors in the tsunami disaster, who are desperate for shelter, food and especially clean water. But drinking water is in short supply, and contaminated water can pose serious health risks.

Lisa Drayer, our nutritionist, joins us now to explain.

LISA DRAYER, REGISTERED DIETITIAN: Good morning, Carol.

That's right. And unfortunately, we can expect additional threats to human life from these contaminated water sources. And when we talk about contamination, we're talking specifically about two main kinds: biological and chemical.

So, for example, biological contamination would come from bacteria that are spread from poor hygiene, insufficient sanitation. This can then go on to cause intestinal diseases.

Also, chemical contamination may come from leaks or flooding, from chemical factories, also gasoline or oil leaks. And these can cause other problems. So water purification...

COSTELLO: And I understand the water from the ocean is salt water and has infiltrated the clean water systems that they have there, and that's also a concern.

DRAYER: Exactly, because humans really can't handle salt water. Salt water is so salty that we would have to excrete so much water from our body that it could lead to dehydration. So...

COSTELLO: OK. I want to ask you about that now. I know we were going to save that until last, but let me ask you about that now. Again, why is salt water so dangerous to drink? And, you know, we've always heard if you boil salt water, it's OK to drink. Is that really true?

DRAYER: Not necessarily. It really depends on the concentration of salt. Generally speaking, the concentration of salt in water is greater than what our blood can handle.

So, there's this process known as an osmotic diruresis (ph) which happens. Basically that means that water comes in, rushes in to dilute the salt in our body. But what happens is our kidneys work extra hard to excrete all of that water from our body. And it's excreting a lot more than what we could drink fluid-wise. That's where dehydration comes into play. And this could possibly lead to death.

So, purification is definitely important for other reasons to get rid of some of the sources of contamination.

COSTELLO: So, other than purification, though, is there anything you can do simply to make salt water drinkable?

DRAYER: Well, what you want to do is you can purify water, again, to remove the contaminants, not necessarily salt water. But if you have tap water, for example, you can boil it for one to three minutes to make sure that it boils for this amount of time. This can help to kill off any microorganisms.

Also, you can take unscented bleach and mix it. So, for example, eight drops per gallon is the amount that you would use. Mix it, and let it sit for about 30 minutes, and that's how you can purify your water that way.

Also, if any food has come into contact with contaminated water, get rid of it immediately, any cutting boards, utensils, if these are contaminated. There's really no safe way to clean them.

COSTELLO: I don't think people have any of those things left out there, Lisa.

DRAYER: Unfortunately no.

COSTELLO: I just don't. You're talking about infected food, and there are many children struggling to survive now.

DRAYER: And unfortunately, children don't have as strong immune systems as adults. So, these individuals, children, are at greater risk, also pregnant women, elderly, individuals with weakened immune systems. Also, any individuals with disease, for example, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, liver disease, cancer. Also, individuals taking antibiotics are at greater risk for infection, because the antibiotics kill some bacteria, but they also may favor the growth of other bacteria. So, these groups need to be extra careful.

And the purification especially is a key issue. Humans can live for a much shorter time without water. Food is a different story. Depending on your body weight, you can last a lot longer without food. But water is different.

COSTELLO: But water, yes.

DRAYER: Yes.

COSTELLO: Well, relief efforts have just begun. They're trying to get stuff in there as quickly as possible, but they have such a massive job.

DRAYER: Definitely.

COSTELLO: Yes. Lisa Drayer, thanks for joining DAYBREAK, as usual on Wednesday.

DRAYER: Thank you.

COSTELLO: This is DAYBREAK for a Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Chad, I'm looking at the newspapers here, a lot of tragic headlines this morning. CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Sure.

COSTELLO: Take a look at the front of the "New York Post." Here it is, a child crying, 68,000 dead.

MYERS: Yes, and that number, you know, it's staggering, but it's people. That's just not a number, you know? And there are so many islands out there that haven't been looked at yet, islands that could have been completely over-washed where everyone was lost.

COSTELLO: I know.

MYERS: And they haven't been there.

COSTELLO: Some of the remote areas. There are a lot of stories of Americans' generosity in the papers this morning. This is from "The Washington Post," the headline here is a fusion of prayers, aid, after tsunami. It says help for Asia's tsunami victims arrived yesterday at the Richmond headquarters of the Christian Children's Fund in the form of a check for $10,000 presented without fanfare to the lobby receptionist. Somebody just walked in, gave them a check, and said, give this to those in need.

The phones in the College Park office of the Association for India's Development, a Maryland-based nonprofit organization, barely stopped ringing. It's almost every minute. A lot of people have given $100. One gave $10,000. People are saying they'd like to go to India and work as volunteers. As of yesterday afternoon, the group's chapters had collected $270,000.

MYERS: You talked to a guy earlier. What did he say was the best place to donate? How did he say to do it?

COSTELLO: Donate to, like, the International Red Cross, and do it in the form of money, because they can buy the things that people really need over there.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: A lot of people are donating clothes and things like that. But, you know, they really want to address specific needs. So, money really is the best form of donation. From the Time Warner...

MYERS: And it is the giving time.

COSTELLO: Yes. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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