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American Morning
President Bush Delivers Statement About Tsunami Disaster
Aired December 29, 2004 - 09:30 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Just about half past the hour on this American morning. I'm Heidi Collins, in for Soledad O'Brien.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez, sitting in for Bill Hemmer.
In all, at least 11 countries are affected by the tsunamis that we've been telling you about throughout the morning. And many of the dead, we learn as well, were tourists. We are going to hear from Thailand in just a couple of minutes, where twice as many tourists were killed as local residents.
COLLINS: Yes, it's unbelievable. In fact, just ahead, we're going to hear from a tourist who survived the tsunami. As the water carried him away, he literally held on for dear life, grabbing anything he could, including power lines. We've got that coming up in just a bit.
In the meantime, though, a check in the headlines with Carol Costello once again this morning.
Hi, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks a lot. Good morning, everyone.
Now in the news, President Bush is expected to give his first public statement at this hour about the tsunami disaster in Southern Asia. The president being brought up to speed on the relief-and- recovery efforts during a National Security Council meeting at his Texas ranch. So far, the U.S. has already pledged $35 million in aid.
Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps is expected to face a judge in Maryland today on a charge of driving under the influence. Police arrested the 19-year-old last month after he apparently ran a stop sign. Phelps also faces a charge of driving and drinking while under the age of 21. No word yet on whether he will plead guilty to those charges.
And a 55-year-old woman has given birth to her own grandchildren. Tina Kay (ph) delivered two boys and a girl by cesarean section. All three of the babies are said to be doing quite well. Kay was acting as a surrogate for her oldest daughter, who had apparently tried for four years to become pregnant, so mom did it for her.
COLLINS: What do you do on Mother's Day?
COSTELLO: That's a good question.
COLLINS: Lots of cards and gifts.
COSTELLO: Yes, exactly.
COLLINS: All right, Carol, thanks for that.
About 71,000 people are now confirmed dead as a result of the tsunamis, and thousands more require help from health agencies to prevent further disease from spreading.
I spoke with Doctor David Nabarro. He's head of crisis operations for the World Health Organization, and asked him what the priorities are regarding aid in Southeast Asia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. DAVID NABARRO, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: There are some extremely urgent issues that we now need to address to ensure those who have survived the tragedy are able to continue and get on with their lives. First of all, we want to be sure that people who have been injured by the affects of the tsunami and the earthquake can get access to medical care and other treatment.
Usually, for every person who dies there are four times as many who are injured. We know hospitals and health services in many parts of the region are just overwhelmed because they have been damaged by water and staff also not able to work.
Then we've got to be sure the rest of survivors can get the food, the water, and the shelter that they need to be healthy. We're particularly concerned about children and old people who tend to be most at risk.
COLLINS: Also, I want to get back to some of the video we've been seeing, unfortunately, over and over again, dead bodies lying in the streets. There has been much talk about how important it will be to get those bodies buried so as not to further spread disease. How big of a concern is that particular task?
NABARRO: Well, thank you for asking that question. Most of us think that a dead body is a source of disease. Partly because there is sometimes a smell of decay, and partly of course because it's an unsightly spectacle.
But I want to stress that the fundamental need at the moment is to look after the well being of living people, and to make sure that they have what they need for life. And the requirement to properly dispose of dead people through burial or some other method in a way that is appropriate for the local tradition, is certainly there, but it's not urgent from the point of view of public health.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Dr. David Nabarro from the World Health Organization. Nations across the world have pledged to contribute more than $85 million for relief funding.
SANCHEZ: We at CNN have been bringing you reports from correspondents who are filing those reports from different parts of the regions that have been affected. In Thailand, the search for missing people continues. Specifically in some of the resort areas that we've been talking about, in some of the smaller islands in the area that were literally swallowed up in some cases, by some of these giant waves.
Aneesh Raman is live now. He's joining us by videophone from Phang Nga. That's in Thailand.
Aneesh, thanks so much for joining us. Bring us the latest, if you possibly would.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rick, good morning to you.
New numbers coming to us just within the hour. The death toll in Thailand now above 1,800. Here alone, in the coastal province of Phang Na, it is just over 1,200 people confirmed dead. Bodies are still being pulled from the enormous wreckage that has become this coastal tourist area. As we were driving through today buses, cars are all miles inland. It gives you a sense of the strength of the waves.
Yesterday, we're told by locals, you couldn't even stand where we are now. The stench of the corpses was just that strong. As they Further inland, they hit hotels, such as the Sofi (ph) Hotel, that have been completely gutted. And the fear is that as they start to remove that debris, more bodies will be found.
Rick, the number of missing remains around 4,000 people. And it's quite difficult to figure out -- and hope is dwindling -- that any of those people will be found alive. We can tell you today is the first full day of rescue and relief efforts where no survivor has been found -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Why are we hearing that tourists were so affected by this particular situation? Why what was the situation there that led to this development that we've been talking so much about this morning?
RAMAN: Well, you have to keep in mind that this is one of the prime tourist locations in Southeast Asia, and this is its peak season. So here on the coastal area of southern mainland Thailand, and going further west to the islands of Pepe (ph) and Phuket itself, the vast majority of people that were there at this time would have been foreign tourists. It's likely that the only Thais that would have been directly affected would have been those who work within the tourism industry.
When you get more inland from where we are, you get more of the local communities of Thai, but on all of these areas that were dramatically hit by the walls of water, when they came crashing down, it was Western tourists, on average, more than local Thais, that suffered -- Rick. SANCHEZ: Aneesh, thanks so much for bringing us that report there from Thailand -- Heidi.
COLLINS: What began as a dream vacation turned into a nightmare for a Chicago family. The Heydemann faced Mother Nature's terrifying wrath one day before they returned to the states. Doctor Peter Heydemann was dragged into the sea by the force of the tsunami. I talked with him earlier about his amazing tale of survival.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. PETER HEYDEMANN, SURVIVED TSUNAMI: We were on the veranda at the resort hotel we were at, which was on the high ground, overlooking a small stream, overlooking the beach, a relatively small beach, and we saw several smaller rises and recessions of water. Then -- and those rises and recessions seemed to get farther and farther apart, and they were never too bad. They went up over the beach to street level. And the beach equipment, such as the umbrellas and the beach chairs, all floated away. The bottoms of the stores were all hurt, and it seemed like it was over. I walked down there to the street level, behind the beach, and on the far side of the street were these stores. I was looking in one. In fact, it was a store that we had just purchased something at the day before, and I was looking at how much destruction there was in the store just from the low levels of water that had hit it in the past few minutes. I didn't know the big one was still coming.
And suddenly I heard somebody yell -- I assumed it was something like run, but I had no place to run to. And suddenly I was in water above my head and I was washed into the store. Something broke my arm. I never felt what broke by humerus. And...
COLLINS: So clearly, doctor, you had absolutely no idea -- I mean, as we watch this video day after day, it seems just stunning that people have no idea what is around them. They've not seen it before. You don't just look at this and go, oh, I'm now in the middle of a tsunami. I mean, what were your thoughts?
HEYDEMANN: Well, we recognized -- it was something like a very high tide what started. And -- except the folks who were near us who had been on the beach for a while, said they had never seen a high tide like that, and people wondered whether it was some kind of tidal wave, but, you know, it was relatively minor. And then we watched it happen a couple of times. But nobody really recognized it as something that was preceding the big wave, and that's when I walked back down in that area.
COLLINS: All right, so now you're arm is broke...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: we are going to interrupt our interview with Dr. Peter Heydemann there to bring you the latest videotape that we have of President Bush, coming to us from Crawford, Texas. His comments now on the tsunami disaster.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... to help the countries in need.
As well, we're dispatching a Marine expeditionary unit, the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and the maritime preposition squadron from Guam to the area to help with relief efforts.
Secretary Powell is working hard. He has spoken with his counterparts in Japan, India, Australia, as well as other nations, who are helping with the response, in order to begin building an international coalition for immediate humanitarian relief and long- term recovery and reconstruction efforts.
Based on these discussions, we've established a regional core group with India, Japan and Australia to help coordinate relief efforts. I'm confident more nations will join this core group in short order.
Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman will lead a U.S. task force to work with these partners to help coordinate interagency response in our own government and to encourage other nations to participate in the relief efforts.
These past few days have brought loss and grief to the world that is beyond our comprehension.
The United States will continue to stand with the affected governments as they care for the victims. We will stand with them as they start to rebuild their communities. And together the world will cope with their loss. We will prevail over this destruction.
Let me answer some questions.
QUESTION: Mr. President, more than 50 people died yesterday alone in the Sunni Triangle area.
QUESTION: And with the Sunnis backing out of the elections, how concerned are you that the world and the Iraqis will view this election as credible?
BUSH: Well, you said "with the Sunnis backing out" -- you mean a Sunni party has backed out.
I talked to President Yawer yesterday, who happens to be a Sunni, who, on the one hand, expressed concern about the security situation in Mosul, on the other hand, reminded me that most people in Iraq, Sunni or Shia, want to vote.
And so, the task at hand is to provide as much security as possible for the election officials, as well as for the people inside cities like Mosul, to encourage them to express their will.
Now, Osama bin Laden issued a statement, as you know, which made the stakes of this pretty clear to me. His vision of the world is where people don't participate in democracy. His vision of the world is where people kill innocent lives in order to affect their behavior and affect their way of living. His vision of the world is one in which there is no freedom of expression, freedom of religion and/or freedom of conscience.
And that vision stands in stark contrast to the vision of by far the vast majority of Iraqis and leaders like Prime Minister Allawi and President Yawer, whose vision includes the freedom of expression, the freedom of the right to vote.
And so, the stakes are clear in this upcoming election. It's the difference between the ability for individuals to express themselves and the willingness of an individual to try to impose his dark vision on the world, on the people of Iraq and elsewhere.
It's very important that these elections proceed.
BUSH: And we just got off a conference call with our acting -- not the acting -- the ambassador -- Ambassador Negroponte's not in Baghdad, but Ambassador Jeffries (ph), his number two man, as well as General Casey, talking about how best to provide the security necessary for people to feel comfortable in voting.
QUESTION: Mr. President, were you offended by the suggestion that rich nations have been stingy in the aid over the tsunami? Is this a sign of another rift with the U.N.?
BUSH: Well, I felt like the person who made that statement was very misguided and ill-informed.
Take, for example, in the year 2004, our government provided $2.4 billion in food, in cash, in humanitarian relief to cover the disasters for last year. That's $2.4 billion. That's 40 percent of all the relief aid given in the world last year was provided by the United States government.
We're a very generous, kind-hearted nation, and, you know, what you're beginning to see is a typical response from America.
First of all, we provide immediate cash relief to the tune of about $35 million. And then there will be an assessment of the damage so that the next tranche of relief will be spent wisely. That's what's happening now.
Just got off the phone with the president of Sri Lanka. She asked for help to assess the damage. In other words, not only did they want immediate help, but they wanted help to assess damage so that we can better direct resources.
And so our government is fully prepared to continue to provide assistance and help.
BUSH: It takes money, by the way, to move an expeditionary force into the region. We're diverting assets, which is part of our overall aid package. We'll continue to provide assets. Plus the American people will be very generous themselves. I mean, the $2.4 billion was public money, of course provided by the taxpayers.
But there is also a lot of individual giving in America. In this case, I think it's very important for Americans who want to give to provide cash to organizations that will be able to focus resources and assets to meet specific needs.
In other words, a lot of times Americans, in their desire to help, will send blankets or clothes. That may be necessary, but to me it makes more sense to send cash to organizations that can then use that cash to make sure we match resources with specific needs on the ground. There are many NGOs now involved that understand what is specifically needed to meet the needs of these countries.
This has been a terrible disaster. I mean, it's just beyond our comprehension to think about how many lives have been lost.
I know that our fellow citizens are particularly troubled to learn that many of the deaths were young children. And we grieve for their families, their moms and dads who are just, you know, heartsick during these times.
QUESTION: Schroeder this morning said that the Paris Club nations should put a moratorium on the debt of Somalia and Indonesia. Is that something that people think that the U.S. and other Paris Club nations should do, put a moratorium on these debts?
BUSH: Well, we'll look at all requests.
Right now, we're assessing the short-term needs. There are two issues that are involved obviously in these disasters: one, what can we do immediately to help; and then what needs to happen in the long term to help these countries rebuild.
And we're still in the stage of immediate help. But slowly but surely, the size of the problem will become known, particularly when it comes to rebuilding infrastructure and community to help these affected parts of the world get back up on their feet.
QUESTION: Mr. President, are you that the U.S. West Coast residents, Hawaiian residents, Alaska residents are well enough protected with early warning systems for possible tsunamis affecting this country in coastal waters?
BUSH: I appreciate that question. It's a -- I think part of the long-term strategy in how to deal with a natural disaster is to make sure we, the world, has a proper tsunami warning system.
As a matter of fact, the president of Sri Lanka also mentioned that to me. She said that one of the things that she and the prime minister of India discussed -- I'm not sure if they discussed it, but they're both thinking the same way, let me put it to you that way -- is the development of a proper warning system.
And I think it's going to be very important.
I can't answer your question specifically -- do we have enough of a warning system for the West Coast?
I am going to -- I am now asking that to our agencies and government to let us know. I mean, that's a very legitimate question.
Clearly, there wasn't a proper warning system in place for that part of the world. And it seems like to me it makes sense for the world to come together to develop a warning system that will help all nations.
QUESTION: Being that as we have, does it concern you that we may not have that mechanism in place or is this something we can use through our civil defense air raid siren system?
BUSH: Yes, I just have to look into it. That's a very legitimate question.
I presume that we are in pretty good shape. I think that our location in the world is such that we may be less vulnerable than other parts. But I am not a geologist, as you know. But I think it's a very legitimate question.
I so far have focused on the international approach toward tsunami warning systems, and it seems like to me it makes sense for governments to come together and figure out how best to provide a warning system that will help all nations be prepared for such a disaster.
BUSH: Obviously, such a warning system was not in place.
QUESTION: There continues to be criticism of the speed with which American troops are being armed in Iraq.
BUSH: That the Iraqi troops are being armed?
QUESTION: No, the U.S. troops.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Are you satisfied with the pace with which the U.S. troops are being armed in Iraq?
BUSH: Are you talking about the armored vehicle issue, for example?
QUESTION: That and others.
BUSH: Well, I have looked at the statistics on that and we have stepped up the production of armored Humvees significantly.
And the other issue is the rearmament of vehicles that are now in-theater, vehicles that require a different armament structure (ph) than that which they initially were manufactured with. And I am told that those vehicles will be armed up by midsummer of 2005. And what I know is that the Defense Department is working expeditiously with private contractors and with our military to get these vehicles armed up.
Well, listen, thank you all for coming by.
I'm sorry to disrupt your day, but I felt like it was important to talk about what is going to be one of the major natural disasters in world history. And it's important for the world to know that our government is focused and will continue to respond to help those who suffer.
Thank you.
COLLINS: President Bush coming to us live actually. We thought we were going to have to wait for the tape on that, but we were able to bring it to you live instead, from Crawford, Texas, commenting on what's happened in Asia, with the tsunamis, as well as some of the issues in Iraq. We'll get more of that, I'm sure, as the day goes on here.
SANCHEZ: Sometimes the best way to look at some of these stories, including this tsunami, is to get a perspective from up above. Chad has that perspective for us. Chad Myers, standing by at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Rick. Digitalglobe.com, one of our partners here, we use them a lot when it comes to satellite surveillance, whether it's Iraq, or whether it's the hurricane, or for this matter, obviously, the tsunami. Here's a picture of what -- we're going all the way over across the globe, all the way to Sri Lanka. We can actually show you what the beach looked like before. Notice the nice breakers there on the left side, nice little beach. All the areas you see, a row going right along the beachside highway, all completely dry.
Now a few hours after, you can see now that road is no longer brown or gray, it is completely water-filled, mud-filled. And look at the swirl, the intensity of the water trying to rush back into the ocean. The ocean still having waves coming in, but as water goes back out, it took an awful lot of sand with it. You can't even find the beach anymore here. It's absolutely gone. All that sand washed back out to sea as that water rushed in, and then, obviously, it rushed out. And you can see how far the water has pushed on shore, at least three or four blocks here.
We are going to have other images from around that area, around that ring of fire if you will, as the day goes on. Right now, we have a little bit of cloud cover over what we consider the ground zero of this thing, anywhere near Sumatra, some cloud cover here, so we can't get before and after. We have the before, we just don't have the after just yet.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: OK, Chad, thank you. A lot of Americans are looking for ways to help out in the tsunami aftermath. Some U.S. businesses are doing the same. Andy's going to tell us how they're helping. Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Now, we welcome you back at the very bottom of the hour. This is usually when we talk about numbers on Wall Street. But there's another much more important number that we need to share with you now. The wires are now reporting, and CNN has confirmed, that authorities in the region where the tsunamis have taken place are saying that the death toll is up above 80 at this point. That's 80,000 people, if you can believe that. It's a number that just -- leaves you kind of shaking your head.
Andy Serwer joining us now to talk about the numbers on Wall Street, as well.
ANDY SERWER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR, "FORTUNE": That's right, very, very sobering news, Rick. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrials trading down at this hour, about 29 points, you can see here. Not a lot of reaction on Wall Street to these events, but slow trading during the week between Christmas and New Year's.
Corporate America is stepping up to the plate, though, Rick, and beginning to move the ball and make donations here. Johnson & Johnson, the medical supply company, pledging $2 million in cash and also, supplies as well. FedEx, free shipping for relief equipment and aid. And amazon.com, very interesting how you can get involved right away as a consumer -- on their Web site, you can pledge right away. They've already raised $315,000 in the first four hours. $1,300 a minute. They raised $6.8 million for 9/11, so you expect that to go up as well. There's a picture of their Web site.
And just to give you an idea, there's a lot of money sloshing around in corporate America. For instance, the inauguration is going to cost about $35 to $40 million. And corporations like Exxon, United Technology, Coke, Microsoft, pledging hundreds of thousands of dollars. So you anticipate some of them will look to give in this direction as well, at least we hope so.
SANCHEZ: Good to see stepping up to the plate like that. Thanks, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
COLLINS: And Toure, question of the day.
TOURE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the question is what is America's responsibility to our tsunami victims? I'm going to do the second and third one, Carl.
"If Bush was really the Christian he pretends to be," says Lynn, "then he would be donating the $40 million he's getting for his inauguration." And Gabby from Montreal has a strange one: "We constantly see anti-American protests in Indonesia and other Muslim-donimated countries. Now they say the U.S. is stingy in supplying aid. Why would they even accept this aid since they hate the U.S. so much?"
I don't understand that.
SANCHEZ: No response.
SERWER: Well, it's provocative. And it's a timeless question, too, that how much should we give when we have problems here? But that's something we're always dealing with.
COLLINS: Yes, and probably worth repeating right now, since we just got these new numbers in, the new death toll has gone up. As we started this morning, it was at about 68,000, which was horrendous enough. Those numbers have now gone up to 80,000.
SANCHEZ: Above 80,000 or so.
COLLINS: ... that we have heard here at CNN. So wanted to pass that along to you.
SANCHEZ: Let's take it to Atlanta.
COLLINS: In the meantime, we have Daryn Kagan standing by in Atlanta to take things from here on this difficult day with many more difficult days to come -- Daryn.
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Aired December 29, 2004 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Just about half past the hour on this American morning. I'm Heidi Collins, in for Soledad O'Brien.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez, sitting in for Bill Hemmer.
In all, at least 11 countries are affected by the tsunamis that we've been telling you about throughout the morning. And many of the dead, we learn as well, were tourists. We are going to hear from Thailand in just a couple of minutes, where twice as many tourists were killed as local residents.
COLLINS: Yes, it's unbelievable. In fact, just ahead, we're going to hear from a tourist who survived the tsunami. As the water carried him away, he literally held on for dear life, grabbing anything he could, including power lines. We've got that coming up in just a bit.
In the meantime, though, a check in the headlines with Carol Costello once again this morning.
Hi, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks a lot. Good morning, everyone.
Now in the news, President Bush is expected to give his first public statement at this hour about the tsunami disaster in Southern Asia. The president being brought up to speed on the relief-and- recovery efforts during a National Security Council meeting at his Texas ranch. So far, the U.S. has already pledged $35 million in aid.
Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps is expected to face a judge in Maryland today on a charge of driving under the influence. Police arrested the 19-year-old last month after he apparently ran a stop sign. Phelps also faces a charge of driving and drinking while under the age of 21. No word yet on whether he will plead guilty to those charges.
And a 55-year-old woman has given birth to her own grandchildren. Tina Kay (ph) delivered two boys and a girl by cesarean section. All three of the babies are said to be doing quite well. Kay was acting as a surrogate for her oldest daughter, who had apparently tried for four years to become pregnant, so mom did it for her.
COLLINS: What do you do on Mother's Day?
COSTELLO: That's a good question.
COLLINS: Lots of cards and gifts.
COSTELLO: Yes, exactly.
COLLINS: All right, Carol, thanks for that.
About 71,000 people are now confirmed dead as a result of the tsunamis, and thousands more require help from health agencies to prevent further disease from spreading.
I spoke with Doctor David Nabarro. He's head of crisis operations for the World Health Organization, and asked him what the priorities are regarding aid in Southeast Asia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. DAVID NABARRO, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: There are some extremely urgent issues that we now need to address to ensure those who have survived the tragedy are able to continue and get on with their lives. First of all, we want to be sure that people who have been injured by the affects of the tsunami and the earthquake can get access to medical care and other treatment.
Usually, for every person who dies there are four times as many who are injured. We know hospitals and health services in many parts of the region are just overwhelmed because they have been damaged by water and staff also not able to work.
Then we've got to be sure the rest of survivors can get the food, the water, and the shelter that they need to be healthy. We're particularly concerned about children and old people who tend to be most at risk.
COLLINS: Also, I want to get back to some of the video we've been seeing, unfortunately, over and over again, dead bodies lying in the streets. There has been much talk about how important it will be to get those bodies buried so as not to further spread disease. How big of a concern is that particular task?
NABARRO: Well, thank you for asking that question. Most of us think that a dead body is a source of disease. Partly because there is sometimes a smell of decay, and partly of course because it's an unsightly spectacle.
But I want to stress that the fundamental need at the moment is to look after the well being of living people, and to make sure that they have what they need for life. And the requirement to properly dispose of dead people through burial or some other method in a way that is appropriate for the local tradition, is certainly there, but it's not urgent from the point of view of public health.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Dr. David Nabarro from the World Health Organization. Nations across the world have pledged to contribute more than $85 million for relief funding.
SANCHEZ: We at CNN have been bringing you reports from correspondents who are filing those reports from different parts of the regions that have been affected. In Thailand, the search for missing people continues. Specifically in some of the resort areas that we've been talking about, in some of the smaller islands in the area that were literally swallowed up in some cases, by some of these giant waves.
Aneesh Raman is live now. He's joining us by videophone from Phang Nga. That's in Thailand.
Aneesh, thanks so much for joining us. Bring us the latest, if you possibly would.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rick, good morning to you.
New numbers coming to us just within the hour. The death toll in Thailand now above 1,800. Here alone, in the coastal province of Phang Na, it is just over 1,200 people confirmed dead. Bodies are still being pulled from the enormous wreckage that has become this coastal tourist area. As we were driving through today buses, cars are all miles inland. It gives you a sense of the strength of the waves.
Yesterday, we're told by locals, you couldn't even stand where we are now. The stench of the corpses was just that strong. As they Further inland, they hit hotels, such as the Sofi (ph) Hotel, that have been completely gutted. And the fear is that as they start to remove that debris, more bodies will be found.
Rick, the number of missing remains around 4,000 people. And it's quite difficult to figure out -- and hope is dwindling -- that any of those people will be found alive. We can tell you today is the first full day of rescue and relief efforts where no survivor has been found -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Why are we hearing that tourists were so affected by this particular situation? Why what was the situation there that led to this development that we've been talking so much about this morning?
RAMAN: Well, you have to keep in mind that this is one of the prime tourist locations in Southeast Asia, and this is its peak season. So here on the coastal area of southern mainland Thailand, and going further west to the islands of Pepe (ph) and Phuket itself, the vast majority of people that were there at this time would have been foreign tourists. It's likely that the only Thais that would have been directly affected would have been those who work within the tourism industry.
When you get more inland from where we are, you get more of the local communities of Thai, but on all of these areas that were dramatically hit by the walls of water, when they came crashing down, it was Western tourists, on average, more than local Thais, that suffered -- Rick. SANCHEZ: Aneesh, thanks so much for bringing us that report there from Thailand -- Heidi.
COLLINS: What began as a dream vacation turned into a nightmare for a Chicago family. The Heydemann faced Mother Nature's terrifying wrath one day before they returned to the states. Doctor Peter Heydemann was dragged into the sea by the force of the tsunami. I talked with him earlier about his amazing tale of survival.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. PETER HEYDEMANN, SURVIVED TSUNAMI: We were on the veranda at the resort hotel we were at, which was on the high ground, overlooking a small stream, overlooking the beach, a relatively small beach, and we saw several smaller rises and recessions of water. Then -- and those rises and recessions seemed to get farther and farther apart, and they were never too bad. They went up over the beach to street level. And the beach equipment, such as the umbrellas and the beach chairs, all floated away. The bottoms of the stores were all hurt, and it seemed like it was over. I walked down there to the street level, behind the beach, and on the far side of the street were these stores. I was looking in one. In fact, it was a store that we had just purchased something at the day before, and I was looking at how much destruction there was in the store just from the low levels of water that had hit it in the past few minutes. I didn't know the big one was still coming.
And suddenly I heard somebody yell -- I assumed it was something like run, but I had no place to run to. And suddenly I was in water above my head and I was washed into the store. Something broke my arm. I never felt what broke by humerus. And...
COLLINS: So clearly, doctor, you had absolutely no idea -- I mean, as we watch this video day after day, it seems just stunning that people have no idea what is around them. They've not seen it before. You don't just look at this and go, oh, I'm now in the middle of a tsunami. I mean, what were your thoughts?
HEYDEMANN: Well, we recognized -- it was something like a very high tide what started. And -- except the folks who were near us who had been on the beach for a while, said they had never seen a high tide like that, and people wondered whether it was some kind of tidal wave, but, you know, it was relatively minor. And then we watched it happen a couple of times. But nobody really recognized it as something that was preceding the big wave, and that's when I walked back down in that area.
COLLINS: All right, so now you're arm is broke...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: we are going to interrupt our interview with Dr. Peter Heydemann there to bring you the latest videotape that we have of President Bush, coming to us from Crawford, Texas. His comments now on the tsunami disaster.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... to help the countries in need.
As well, we're dispatching a Marine expeditionary unit, the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and the maritime preposition squadron from Guam to the area to help with relief efforts.
Secretary Powell is working hard. He has spoken with his counterparts in Japan, India, Australia, as well as other nations, who are helping with the response, in order to begin building an international coalition for immediate humanitarian relief and long- term recovery and reconstruction efforts.
Based on these discussions, we've established a regional core group with India, Japan and Australia to help coordinate relief efforts. I'm confident more nations will join this core group in short order.
Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman will lead a U.S. task force to work with these partners to help coordinate interagency response in our own government and to encourage other nations to participate in the relief efforts.
These past few days have brought loss and grief to the world that is beyond our comprehension.
The United States will continue to stand with the affected governments as they care for the victims. We will stand with them as they start to rebuild their communities. And together the world will cope with their loss. We will prevail over this destruction.
Let me answer some questions.
QUESTION: Mr. President, more than 50 people died yesterday alone in the Sunni Triangle area.
QUESTION: And with the Sunnis backing out of the elections, how concerned are you that the world and the Iraqis will view this election as credible?
BUSH: Well, you said "with the Sunnis backing out" -- you mean a Sunni party has backed out.
I talked to President Yawer yesterday, who happens to be a Sunni, who, on the one hand, expressed concern about the security situation in Mosul, on the other hand, reminded me that most people in Iraq, Sunni or Shia, want to vote.
And so, the task at hand is to provide as much security as possible for the election officials, as well as for the people inside cities like Mosul, to encourage them to express their will.
Now, Osama bin Laden issued a statement, as you know, which made the stakes of this pretty clear to me. His vision of the world is where people don't participate in democracy. His vision of the world is where people kill innocent lives in order to affect their behavior and affect their way of living. His vision of the world is one in which there is no freedom of expression, freedom of religion and/or freedom of conscience.
And that vision stands in stark contrast to the vision of by far the vast majority of Iraqis and leaders like Prime Minister Allawi and President Yawer, whose vision includes the freedom of expression, the freedom of the right to vote.
And so, the stakes are clear in this upcoming election. It's the difference between the ability for individuals to express themselves and the willingness of an individual to try to impose his dark vision on the world, on the people of Iraq and elsewhere.
It's very important that these elections proceed.
BUSH: And we just got off a conference call with our acting -- not the acting -- the ambassador -- Ambassador Negroponte's not in Baghdad, but Ambassador Jeffries (ph), his number two man, as well as General Casey, talking about how best to provide the security necessary for people to feel comfortable in voting.
QUESTION: Mr. President, were you offended by the suggestion that rich nations have been stingy in the aid over the tsunami? Is this a sign of another rift with the U.N.?
BUSH: Well, I felt like the person who made that statement was very misguided and ill-informed.
Take, for example, in the year 2004, our government provided $2.4 billion in food, in cash, in humanitarian relief to cover the disasters for last year. That's $2.4 billion. That's 40 percent of all the relief aid given in the world last year was provided by the United States government.
We're a very generous, kind-hearted nation, and, you know, what you're beginning to see is a typical response from America.
First of all, we provide immediate cash relief to the tune of about $35 million. And then there will be an assessment of the damage so that the next tranche of relief will be spent wisely. That's what's happening now.
Just got off the phone with the president of Sri Lanka. She asked for help to assess the damage. In other words, not only did they want immediate help, but they wanted help to assess damage so that we can better direct resources.
And so our government is fully prepared to continue to provide assistance and help.
BUSH: It takes money, by the way, to move an expeditionary force into the region. We're diverting assets, which is part of our overall aid package. We'll continue to provide assets. Plus the American people will be very generous themselves. I mean, the $2.4 billion was public money, of course provided by the taxpayers.
But there is also a lot of individual giving in America. In this case, I think it's very important for Americans who want to give to provide cash to organizations that will be able to focus resources and assets to meet specific needs.
In other words, a lot of times Americans, in their desire to help, will send blankets or clothes. That may be necessary, but to me it makes more sense to send cash to organizations that can then use that cash to make sure we match resources with specific needs on the ground. There are many NGOs now involved that understand what is specifically needed to meet the needs of these countries.
This has been a terrible disaster. I mean, it's just beyond our comprehension to think about how many lives have been lost.
I know that our fellow citizens are particularly troubled to learn that many of the deaths were young children. And we grieve for their families, their moms and dads who are just, you know, heartsick during these times.
QUESTION: Schroeder this morning said that the Paris Club nations should put a moratorium on the debt of Somalia and Indonesia. Is that something that people think that the U.S. and other Paris Club nations should do, put a moratorium on these debts?
BUSH: Well, we'll look at all requests.
Right now, we're assessing the short-term needs. There are two issues that are involved obviously in these disasters: one, what can we do immediately to help; and then what needs to happen in the long term to help these countries rebuild.
And we're still in the stage of immediate help. But slowly but surely, the size of the problem will become known, particularly when it comes to rebuilding infrastructure and community to help these affected parts of the world get back up on their feet.
QUESTION: Mr. President, are you that the U.S. West Coast residents, Hawaiian residents, Alaska residents are well enough protected with early warning systems for possible tsunamis affecting this country in coastal waters?
BUSH: I appreciate that question. It's a -- I think part of the long-term strategy in how to deal with a natural disaster is to make sure we, the world, has a proper tsunami warning system.
As a matter of fact, the president of Sri Lanka also mentioned that to me. She said that one of the things that she and the prime minister of India discussed -- I'm not sure if they discussed it, but they're both thinking the same way, let me put it to you that way -- is the development of a proper warning system.
And I think it's going to be very important.
I can't answer your question specifically -- do we have enough of a warning system for the West Coast?
I am going to -- I am now asking that to our agencies and government to let us know. I mean, that's a very legitimate question.
Clearly, there wasn't a proper warning system in place for that part of the world. And it seems like to me it makes sense for the world to come together to develop a warning system that will help all nations.
QUESTION: Being that as we have, does it concern you that we may not have that mechanism in place or is this something we can use through our civil defense air raid siren system?
BUSH: Yes, I just have to look into it. That's a very legitimate question.
I presume that we are in pretty good shape. I think that our location in the world is such that we may be less vulnerable than other parts. But I am not a geologist, as you know. But I think it's a very legitimate question.
I so far have focused on the international approach toward tsunami warning systems, and it seems like to me it makes sense for governments to come together and figure out how best to provide a warning system that will help all nations be prepared for such a disaster.
BUSH: Obviously, such a warning system was not in place.
QUESTION: There continues to be criticism of the speed with which American troops are being armed in Iraq.
BUSH: That the Iraqi troops are being armed?
QUESTION: No, the U.S. troops.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Are you satisfied with the pace with which the U.S. troops are being armed in Iraq?
BUSH: Are you talking about the armored vehicle issue, for example?
QUESTION: That and others.
BUSH: Well, I have looked at the statistics on that and we have stepped up the production of armored Humvees significantly.
And the other issue is the rearmament of vehicles that are now in-theater, vehicles that require a different armament structure (ph) than that which they initially were manufactured with. And I am told that those vehicles will be armed up by midsummer of 2005. And what I know is that the Defense Department is working expeditiously with private contractors and with our military to get these vehicles armed up.
Well, listen, thank you all for coming by.
I'm sorry to disrupt your day, but I felt like it was important to talk about what is going to be one of the major natural disasters in world history. And it's important for the world to know that our government is focused and will continue to respond to help those who suffer.
Thank you.
COLLINS: President Bush coming to us live actually. We thought we were going to have to wait for the tape on that, but we were able to bring it to you live instead, from Crawford, Texas, commenting on what's happened in Asia, with the tsunamis, as well as some of the issues in Iraq. We'll get more of that, I'm sure, as the day goes on here.
SANCHEZ: Sometimes the best way to look at some of these stories, including this tsunami, is to get a perspective from up above. Chad has that perspective for us. Chad Myers, standing by at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Rick. Digitalglobe.com, one of our partners here, we use them a lot when it comes to satellite surveillance, whether it's Iraq, or whether it's the hurricane, or for this matter, obviously, the tsunami. Here's a picture of what -- we're going all the way over across the globe, all the way to Sri Lanka. We can actually show you what the beach looked like before. Notice the nice breakers there on the left side, nice little beach. All the areas you see, a row going right along the beachside highway, all completely dry.
Now a few hours after, you can see now that road is no longer brown or gray, it is completely water-filled, mud-filled. And look at the swirl, the intensity of the water trying to rush back into the ocean. The ocean still having waves coming in, but as water goes back out, it took an awful lot of sand with it. You can't even find the beach anymore here. It's absolutely gone. All that sand washed back out to sea as that water rushed in, and then, obviously, it rushed out. And you can see how far the water has pushed on shore, at least three or four blocks here.
We are going to have other images from around that area, around that ring of fire if you will, as the day goes on. Right now, we have a little bit of cloud cover over what we consider the ground zero of this thing, anywhere near Sumatra, some cloud cover here, so we can't get before and after. We have the before, we just don't have the after just yet.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: OK, Chad, thank you. A lot of Americans are looking for ways to help out in the tsunami aftermath. Some U.S. businesses are doing the same. Andy's going to tell us how they're helping. Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Now, we welcome you back at the very bottom of the hour. This is usually when we talk about numbers on Wall Street. But there's another much more important number that we need to share with you now. The wires are now reporting, and CNN has confirmed, that authorities in the region where the tsunamis have taken place are saying that the death toll is up above 80 at this point. That's 80,000 people, if you can believe that. It's a number that just -- leaves you kind of shaking your head.
Andy Serwer joining us now to talk about the numbers on Wall Street, as well.
ANDY SERWER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR, "FORTUNE": That's right, very, very sobering news, Rick. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrials trading down at this hour, about 29 points, you can see here. Not a lot of reaction on Wall Street to these events, but slow trading during the week between Christmas and New Year's.
Corporate America is stepping up to the plate, though, Rick, and beginning to move the ball and make donations here. Johnson & Johnson, the medical supply company, pledging $2 million in cash and also, supplies as well. FedEx, free shipping for relief equipment and aid. And amazon.com, very interesting how you can get involved right away as a consumer -- on their Web site, you can pledge right away. They've already raised $315,000 in the first four hours. $1,300 a minute. They raised $6.8 million for 9/11, so you expect that to go up as well. There's a picture of their Web site.
And just to give you an idea, there's a lot of money sloshing around in corporate America. For instance, the inauguration is going to cost about $35 to $40 million. And corporations like Exxon, United Technology, Coke, Microsoft, pledging hundreds of thousands of dollars. So you anticipate some of them will look to give in this direction as well, at least we hope so.
SANCHEZ: Good to see stepping up to the plate like that. Thanks, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
COLLINS: And Toure, question of the day.
TOURE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the question is what is America's responsibility to our tsunami victims? I'm going to do the second and third one, Carl.
"If Bush was really the Christian he pretends to be," says Lynn, "then he would be donating the $40 million he's getting for his inauguration." And Gabby from Montreal has a strange one: "We constantly see anti-American protests in Indonesia and other Muslim-donimated countries. Now they say the U.S. is stingy in supplying aid. Why would they even accept this aid since they hate the U.S. so much?"
I don't understand that.
SANCHEZ: No response.
SERWER: Well, it's provocative. And it's a timeless question, too, that how much should we give when we have problems here? But that's something we're always dealing with.
COLLINS: Yes, and probably worth repeating right now, since we just got these new numbers in, the new death toll has gone up. As we started this morning, it was at about 68,000, which was horrendous enough. Those numbers have now gone up to 80,000.
SANCHEZ: Above 80,000 or so.
COLLINS: ... that we have heard here at CNN. So wanted to pass that along to you.
SANCHEZ: Let's take it to Atlanta.
COLLINS: In the meantime, we have Daryn Kagan standing by in Atlanta to take things from here on this difficult day with many more difficult days to come -- Daryn.
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