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American Morning
Threat of Health Crisis Looms Over Southeast Asia; More Than Half of Total Death Toll is in Indonesia; President Busch Scheduled to Speak on Disasters Today
Aired December 29, 2004 - 9:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Rising toll. The Red Cross says 100,000 people may be dead. Without immediate help, thousands and thousands of tsunami survivors could die from disease.
Increased aid. The U.S. kicks in $20 million more. Vast sums are needed, and those who need help most are the hardest to reach.
And gone. An historic Indonesian city completely wiped out, streets littered with bodies. Rescuers only just make their way to Banda Aceh, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
COLLINS: Bill Hemmer and Soledad are off again today. I'm Heidi Collins.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez.
Here's the number. Government estimates are now saying 68,000 people are dead since Sunday's tsunamis. The Red Cross says that could soon climb, as Heidi intimated moments ago, to 100,000.
Relief agencies are overwhelmed by the size of the catastrophe. The U.S. has added more money to the effort. And President Bush is going to make his first statement on the crisis in the next hour.
COLLINS: What these relief agencies are facing is a potential epidemic now. Thousands more people could die from water-borne diseases. Clean water, as you know, is scarce. We're looking to find out how health workers are tackling this crisis just ahead.
In the meantime, though, we're going to check on the headlines with Carol Costello.
Carol, good morning again.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. And good morning to all of you.
"Now in the News," another deadly incident targeting Iraqi police. U.S. military sources say an anonymous caller lured a group of Iraqi police into a booby-trapped house in western Baghdad. You're looking at it right now. At least 28 people killed here. It's believed up to 1,800 pounds of explosives were rigged to go off inside that house.
Senator Joe Lieberman is visiting U.S. troops in Iraq this morning. The senator met with American forces in Baghdad within the past hour, praising them for their service.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: I can't thank the American men and women in uniform here enough. You have just performed bravely and brilliantly. And what's happening here is historic. We're seeing within the Arab world the birth of a real democracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The trip is the final stop on a Middle East tour that also took Lieberman and Minnesota Senator Mark Dayton to Israel and to Jordan.
Comair, a subsidiary of Delta Airlines, says it expects to be fully operational today. The airline was crippled last weekend by a snowstorm and a big computer failure. There's word Comair plans to switch to a new computer system within the next 10 months.
And flash flood warnings in effect this hour in parts of southern California. Yesterday's powerful storm causing flooding and power outages in the area. The bad weather being blamed for at least three deaths. More on what's expected in today's forecast with Chad. That's coming up later on AMERICAN MORNING.
COLLINS: All right, Carol. Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Four days after the massive quake and the tsunamis, the death toll is rising dramatically. It's a disaster with a scope that's rarely been seen on this planet, 11 countries two continents affected by the unfolding tragedy. Nearly 68,000 people confirmed dead, a number that is expected to rise, by the way. And almost half of the dead are now, we learn, in Indonesia.
As many as one-third of the victims may be children. And as international aid pours into the area, relief workers say the immediate need is for food and for drinking water for the survivors.
COLLINS: Getting relief to the remote areas is a challenging process. And with the lack of clean water and medicine, the threat of a health crisis looms over the region. CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in Sri Lanka. He had this report now from there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The biggest goal here in Sri Lanka is to ensure those who survive the tsunami stay living. Health officials warning tonight that as many people may die from disease in these tsunami-devastated areas as died from the actual tsunami itself. And from what we've seen on the ground in Sri Lanka, we'd have to agree. You see, the public health system struggles in the best of times. Now it seems practically nonexistent. Makeshift morgues, burial sites often overflowing with the gruesome sight of decomposing bodies.
Hospitals without reliable electricity, running water or communication systems now treating everything from broken bones and infections to dehydration and heat stroke. But it's an epidemic of infectious diseases that worries doctors here most.
It's the water supply that now poses the biggest danger to those who survived the killer waves of water that swept ashore here Sunday. Water and food contaminated by human waste and saltwater from the sea can lead to diseases like cholera, and dysentery, which can be fatal.
Standing water from the flooding can attract mosquitoes, spawning outbreaks of malaria and Dungee fever. Those left homeless, those trying to survive on the streets, also facing a threat of respiratory illness from bacteria and viruses that quickly spread when unsanitary conditions exist.
Relief efforts now focus on water purification systems and distribution of bottled water being flown in by aid groups, quick burial of bodies and cleanup of sewage and debris, the providing safe and sanitary shelter to those who have been left homeless, as well as clean, temporary medical clinics to treat the sick as well as the injured.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Dr. Sanjay Gupta is joining us now live by phone from Colombo, Sri Lanka.
And Sanjay, you know, it has been three days since the tsunami hit. And we're hearing a lot about how difficult it is, as we saw in your piece, to get the aid there. What is the hold up exactly?
GUPTA: You know, it's really interesting, Heidi. Good evening here from near Colombo.
First, a couple of things. When we flew in here, we didn't see what we expected to see in terms of the relief efforts: military planes on the runway, supplies getting to the people, all that sort of stuff getting to the people. We didn't see that. That was sort of surprising.
A couple of holdups. One is that there always appears to be a lack of coordination among the various relief organizations. The U.N. has sent in 12 trucks with a couple of tons worth of medical supplies. But they're not necessarily getting to the right people right now.
Part of that is because the roads have been cut, in part, because of the tsunami. There's debris lying everywhere. It's hard to actually physically navigate the roads.
Also, different districts in Sri Lanka need dramatically different things. Really interesting. It's not -- it can't be looked at as one country.
Ampara, for example, sort of in the southeast, they make a lot of rice. They don't need rice. They need antibiotics.
Whereas if you go a little bit further north, they actually have plenty of antibiotics but need rice. So it's a complicated situation that the relief organizations are trying to get a hold of -- Heidi.
COLLINS: And something else that really stands out as we talk about all of this is the talk that disease there could claim as many lives as the tsunamis themselves. As a doctor, Sanjay, what are your thoughts on that?
GUPTA: I don't think that's hype, I don't think that's hyperbole at all. I think that's very possible. And we're seeing that here. Let me give you a couple of examples, Heidi.
People get scrapes and bruises after a tsunami, you know, just from being battered around. We've heard about that and probably don't think much of it. The problem is, that if you can't get any relief to those people, even to get stitches in their wounds, antibiotics, all of a sudden what would be a rather minor ailment turns into a major problem.
We're hearing about outbreaks of chicken pox amongst certain camps of people who are sort of -- been displaced by the tsunami. Chicken pox, dysentery, cholera, all these things are very treatable problems, which is why I think people tend to not worry about them as much. But if you can't get the simple treatments to these people, people could die of these things.
And I think that's what has got so many people concerned now. I don't think it's hype. I think it can be contained. But it's going to have to move fast in order for that to happen.
COLLINS: Yes. And that is certainly the challenge. All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta coming to us from Sri Lanka today. Thanks so much.
SANCHEZ: Let's talk to somebody now directly affected by this. Because amid the loss, there's also the waiting, the not knowing. Families and friends desperately seeking word on their missing loved ones.
Earlier this week, you may have seen it here on AMERICAN MORNING, we spoke with celebrity interior decorator Nate Berkus. He's been on "Oprah" many times. He was vacationing in Sri Lanka when the deadly waves suddenly hit.
Berkus is a fortunate survivor. But now searching for his traveling companion, Fernando Bengochea.
Joining us now from San Diego is Fernando's brother, Marcelo, who's good enough to share some words with us.
Marcelo, thanks for being with us.
MARCELO BENGOCHEA, BROTHER MISSING IN SRI LANKA: You're welcome.
SANCHEZ: When was the last time that you heard from your brother?
BENGOCHEA: Oh, it's been a while. It's been a couple of days before he actually left on his trip.
SANCHEZ: Why was he there?
BENGOCHEA: Vacationing.
SANCHEZ: Just trying to have a good time?
BENGOCHEA: Yes, it's a beautiful place to vacation.
SANCHEZ: When did you hear about the tsunamis?
BENGOCHEA: I heard it a few hours afterwards, when some friends of Nate actually called us to let us know what was going on.
SANCHEZ: Did you immediately put it together in your -- in your head that your brother was there and, you know, that "Oh, my god" moment that we all go through at moments like that?
BENGOCHEA: Yes, I was not worried for his safety knowing my brother immediately.
SANCHEZ: Why do you say that?
BENGOCHEA: He's a strong person, surfing. He's a big swimmer. He's been in situations where not -- I would not say catastrophe, but delicate situations that he was always able to escape with no scrapes.
SANCHEZ: So you think he's a tough guy?
BENGOCHEA: He's a survivor. He's a tough guy and a very resourceful person, yes.
SANCHEZ: So what have you been able to find out, if anything at all, about him or his whereabouts?
BENGOCHEA: Nothing at all. Really, it's been almost impossible to talk to anybody around that remote area. He was last seen in the area of Arugam Bay, which is pretty remote. And I'm sure that there's almost no communication in that area.
SANCHEZ: What about Nate? Have you spoke within Nate?
BENGOCHEA: No, not personally.
SANCHEZ: Have you spoken with people who have spoke within Nate, since he was the last one to be with your brother?
BENGOCHEA: Yes, I have.
SANCHEZ: What are they telling you? BENGOCHEA: They're telling me that there's all sorts of rescue efforts trying to search for my brother and that we are doing the best that we can. It's not much that we can, being so far away, but we are doing everything we can to try to help their search. That's the reason I'm here.
SANCHEZ: Yes, I was wondering, since you say that, have you thought about just going over there yourself?
BENGOCHEA: Yes. I totally thought about going there. It seems a good idea in the beginning, but rescue efforts are very difficult not knowing the actual area of the accident.
SANCHEZ: Boy, how are you coping? I mean, how are you personally dealing with this? It's got to be very painful.
BENGOCHEA: It is. I'm very hopeful that my brother's still alive. He's just incommunicado without any means or way of reaching us.
It's a very remote area. I'm very positive that he's still alive. It's just a matter of time for him to be able to reach us.
SANCHEZ: You certainly do sound positive. Marcelo Bengochea, thanks once again for taking time to talk us about your brother.
BENGOCHEA: You're welcome. Thank you.
COLLINS: More than 32,000 people are dead in Indonesia in the tsunami, more than half of the total death toll. We get more now from Mike Chinoy in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is what was once the bustling port area of Banda Aceh. In a few moments on Sunday morning it became a disaster area, and it remains so today.
You can see a few meters behind me on the other side of this bridge about 40 bodies. They must have been collected and brought there after the tidal wave. They're covered in blue plastic, but they've been laying there, decomposing in the tropical sun, for at least a few days.
No one has come to collect them. And that's hardly a unique sight around here. There are bodies all over the place. And it's a real public health hazard.
The force of the tsunami is more even than the power of the earthquake, is what people here talk about. And you get a sense of just how powerful those waves were.
These boats were thrown against this bridge, smashed up against this bridge. And another boat on the far side thrown on top of houses on the far shore. All around the ground is littered with the bits and pieces of daily life: I.D. cards, pieces of clothing, a fan, a photograph, testament to an entire community that was completely devastated. And you can see over here just how extensive that devastation was.
Every building has been leveled. It's clear that this big piece of concrete was brought down by the force of the quake. But the smaller pieces were -- the corrugated tin roofs of what were homes and shops completely leveled. And there's no question that there would be bodies decomposing in there.
In fact, the whole issue of bodies is a real problem. You can see over here more bodies that have been lying in the middle of this bridge. The authorities are very concerned about public health implications of this, possible spread of epidemics, the contamination of drinking water.
For the citizens of Banda Aceh, they're walking around this area in a kind of daze. Many of them with kerchiefs to cover their noses because the stench of the decomposing bodies is so unbearable.
People just moving around. There's no aid coming in yet. Too shocked to figure out what to do, not certain where help will come from.
And this is the situation in the center of the capital of a province. God only knows how much worse it must be in the outlying areas, where the fate of hundreds of thousands of other Indonesians remains unknown.
Mike Chinoy, CNN, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: You can log on to cnn.com for the latest information on the tsunami disaster and what you can do to help.
SANCHEZ: And let's take you now to Atlanta and talk to Chad Myers and find out what's going on with the weather across the country.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Later today, we are expecting the president to make his first public comments on the tsunami disaster. We're going to go live to the White House for a preview of that.
SANCHEZ: Also, a man in Maryland tries to turn his own personal grief into help for others. His story ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back.
Twelve Americans have died in -- as a result of the tsunamis that have hit southeast Asia. And President Bush is being brought up to date on the recovery efforts as he is scheduled to address the tragedy, sometime, we're told, in the next hour or so.
CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash is joining us now live from Crawford to bring us up to date on that.
What is the president expected to say, Dana?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rick.
Well, the president is, as you mentioned, expected to speak for the first time publicly in the next hour or so since this tsunami hit about four days ago on Sunday. That is the same day that Mr. Bush came here to Crawford for his weeklong vacation.
And the president is conducting a National Security Council meeting at this hour. He's doing that with his aides, mostly by conference call back in Washington. And it is after that meeting which was previously scheduled -- and it is a meeting where he is expected to get an update on U.S. relief efforts in Asia -- after that, he is going to come to the hangar of his ranch and speak to the American people and the people of the world.
And that is something that he has only done so far through his spokesman, expressed condolences. He has written letters, we understand, to leaders who were affected by this. But he's going to speak for the first time publicly, likely to talk about the fact that he does believe that the U.S. is and plans to give -- be a part of the effort, and a leading part of the effort in the cleanup -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Well, one wonders if he has had any conversations with any international leaders like Tony Blair or others in Europe to try and see if they can coalesce some type of effort so it's not just put upon the United States.
BASH: Well, clearly, the U.S., through the State Department and other diplomatic means, have been working with their partners around the world to try to have a joint effort. That's for sure.
The president's aides have said that he has been reluctant, at least up until now, to make calls to some of the leaders, particularly who were affected, because he understands that they are quite busy in doing what they need to do. But clearly, that is probably going to be what the president is talking to his National Security Council about, exactly how the U.S. is coordinating.
But again, through his spokesman, he has said and made and clear that the U.S. does want to take a leading role. That's likely what we expect to hear from the president, and also perhaps some more about the money and manpower that the U.S. is investing in this effort.
SANCHEZ: Dana, just before we let you go, from a programming standpoint, when do we expect that we'll be able to hear or see the president's message?
BASH: A lot of that depends on how long this National Security Council meeting goes, to be honest, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BASH: The president is having that. Once he is done with that he is going to come out and speak before the cameras. But then we're going to hear him, but we won't actually see him until -- if you want to hear the logistics of it -- until the tape gets back to where we are.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BASH: So probably in about an hour.
SANCHEZ: All right. So it's kind of a wait and see. Dana Bash bringing us up to date. We certainly thank you for doing so.
BASH: Thank you.
COLLINS: Here in the United States, some people are gathering food, water and other supplies to send to those devastated by the tsunami tragedy. National correspondent Bob Franken introduces us to one man who has a personal interest in giving a helping hand to survivors in Sri Lanka.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's just a trickle of relief so far.
RIZWAN MOWLANA, ASIA RELIEF: Thanks so much.
FRANKEN: Rizwan Mowlana says he has lost more than 30 members of his family after the tsunami slammed into his native Sri Lanka. But now he's trying to turn his personal grief into help from afar.
MOWLANA: I'm in a place, in a position, better position than most people. And I think it's my -- it's incumbent on me to do something (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
FRANKEN: As word of Mowlana's effort has spread, strangers are gathering what they can and bringing it here to his home, hoping to fill a container that will be shipped to Sri Lanka and fill their need to be involved.
MOWLANA: It was one of the ways that I thought that we could assist in this horrendous disaster
VERONICA MCFADDEN, CONTRIBUTOR: Everyone is tested at some time in their life. And I think it's part of -- part of your life to affect others and give what you can.
FRANKEN: Mowlana works for the Council on American-Islamic relations, but this relief effort, he says, reaches beyond any one group.
MOWLANA: It doesn't matter if you are Jewish or Christians or Hindus or Buddhists. Times of calamity, you've got to be out there. Otherwise, you know, you are less than human being. FRANKEN (on camera): There are obvious questions about these individual efforts, particularly with established, credible organizations sending relief, massive relief.
(voice-over): But Mowlana explains this is his personal way to provide assistance from this country to help the devastated one he left.
Bob Franken, CNN, Gaithersburg, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And this morning in Sri Lanka, the death toll stands at more than 23,000 people with nearly 4,000 more still missing.
SANCHEZ: When the very first wave hit, some people made the mistake of trying to get a closer look. Actually, walking over toward the beach of the shoreline. An American doctor did that and was swept out to sea. Remarkably, though, he lived to tell his story. He tells it to Heidi on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And time to check in with Toure once again, and the "Question of the Day," which is divisive?
TOURE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's divisive. We're seeing a lot -- people are struggling with compassion on this one. It's a difficult day.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
TOURE: If America's the world's policemen, then our response to the tsunami disaster is a test of what that mean. The Bush administration has pledged $35 million in aid, more than any other government. Many citizens are donating money, some will adopt tsunamis orphans.
But there are people all over the world who need our help. In Florida, hurricane victims are still in need. Should we be cleaning up another house when ours is messy? Or do we have an obligation to help those who need help when we can help them?
Our question is: What is America's responsibility to tsunami victims? And people are giving us some tough love.
Eugene from Michigan says, "Something is wrong with our political thinking. Can't buy me love is what I say. Let's put the U.S. first and get ourselves out of debt, meet our own needs first."
Unbelievable.
Shirley from St. Petersburg, Florida, "Being a resident of Florida, which still has people out of homes, my family and I are feeding the homeless on Christmas Day. I am over our country sending aid to other nations when it isn't ever appreciated and it's never enough. The U.S. can never do anything right in the eyes of the world. I say help our own and let the rest of the world do it on their own."
Can you believe that people would -- Mike from Lexington, Ohio, "Not one dime of U.S. taxpayers' money for direct aid while our own citizens are homeless or otherwise suffering because of four hurricanes in Florida this year. By the way, where was the U.N. after our disasters? I didn't see them organizing relief efforts to help our hurricane victims."
And Carmen from New York City, "Given the fact that we have alienated most of the world by going to war in Iraq and by the three previous e-mails, wouldn't be this a good opportunity for the U.S. to regain some respect by showing how compassionate we really are?"
Thank you for a little intelligence.
COLLINS: Your thoughts, Toure?
TOURE: But I don't believe that 60,000 people could be dead and all the others homeless, children losing parent, parents losing children, and people could say, ah, let them help themselves.
SANCHEZ: What are the majority of your e-mails saying?
TOURE: Well...
SANCHEZ: That we need to mind our own?
TOURE: Yes. A lot of them are kind of -- you know, I mean, I think that our sense of invulnerability has been pierced by the last four to five years, all the things that have happened in this country.
SANCHEZ: Right.
TOURE: So we're feeling like, you know, well, they didn't help us when we were in need, so why should we help them? Which is insane.
COLLINS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Toure, thanks.
COLLINS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) out there. A lot of them, too. All right. Thanks so much, Toure.
The tsunami death toll now stand at nearly 68,000. But counting the dead is not the top priority in this crisis. A top official from the World Health Organization joins us ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Aired December 29, 2004 - 9:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Rising toll. The Red Cross says 100,000 people may be dead. Without immediate help, thousands and thousands of tsunami survivors could die from disease.
Increased aid. The U.S. kicks in $20 million more. Vast sums are needed, and those who need help most are the hardest to reach.
And gone. An historic Indonesian city completely wiped out, streets littered with bodies. Rescuers only just make their way to Banda Aceh, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
COLLINS: Bill Hemmer and Soledad are off again today. I'm Heidi Collins.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez.
Here's the number. Government estimates are now saying 68,000 people are dead since Sunday's tsunamis. The Red Cross says that could soon climb, as Heidi intimated moments ago, to 100,000.
Relief agencies are overwhelmed by the size of the catastrophe. The U.S. has added more money to the effort. And President Bush is going to make his first statement on the crisis in the next hour.
COLLINS: What these relief agencies are facing is a potential epidemic now. Thousands more people could die from water-borne diseases. Clean water, as you know, is scarce. We're looking to find out how health workers are tackling this crisis just ahead.
In the meantime, though, we're going to check on the headlines with Carol Costello.
Carol, good morning again.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. And good morning to all of you.
"Now in the News," another deadly incident targeting Iraqi police. U.S. military sources say an anonymous caller lured a group of Iraqi police into a booby-trapped house in western Baghdad. You're looking at it right now. At least 28 people killed here. It's believed up to 1,800 pounds of explosives were rigged to go off inside that house.
Senator Joe Lieberman is visiting U.S. troops in Iraq this morning. The senator met with American forces in Baghdad within the past hour, praising them for their service.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: I can't thank the American men and women in uniform here enough. You have just performed bravely and brilliantly. And what's happening here is historic. We're seeing within the Arab world the birth of a real democracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The trip is the final stop on a Middle East tour that also took Lieberman and Minnesota Senator Mark Dayton to Israel and to Jordan.
Comair, a subsidiary of Delta Airlines, says it expects to be fully operational today. The airline was crippled last weekend by a snowstorm and a big computer failure. There's word Comair plans to switch to a new computer system within the next 10 months.
And flash flood warnings in effect this hour in parts of southern California. Yesterday's powerful storm causing flooding and power outages in the area. The bad weather being blamed for at least three deaths. More on what's expected in today's forecast with Chad. That's coming up later on AMERICAN MORNING.
COLLINS: All right, Carol. Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Four days after the massive quake and the tsunamis, the death toll is rising dramatically. It's a disaster with a scope that's rarely been seen on this planet, 11 countries two continents affected by the unfolding tragedy. Nearly 68,000 people confirmed dead, a number that is expected to rise, by the way. And almost half of the dead are now, we learn, in Indonesia.
As many as one-third of the victims may be children. And as international aid pours into the area, relief workers say the immediate need is for food and for drinking water for the survivors.
COLLINS: Getting relief to the remote areas is a challenging process. And with the lack of clean water and medicine, the threat of a health crisis looms over the region. CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in Sri Lanka. He had this report now from there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The biggest goal here in Sri Lanka is to ensure those who survive the tsunami stay living. Health officials warning tonight that as many people may die from disease in these tsunami-devastated areas as died from the actual tsunami itself. And from what we've seen on the ground in Sri Lanka, we'd have to agree. You see, the public health system struggles in the best of times. Now it seems practically nonexistent. Makeshift morgues, burial sites often overflowing with the gruesome sight of decomposing bodies.
Hospitals without reliable electricity, running water or communication systems now treating everything from broken bones and infections to dehydration and heat stroke. But it's an epidemic of infectious diseases that worries doctors here most.
It's the water supply that now poses the biggest danger to those who survived the killer waves of water that swept ashore here Sunday. Water and food contaminated by human waste and saltwater from the sea can lead to diseases like cholera, and dysentery, which can be fatal.
Standing water from the flooding can attract mosquitoes, spawning outbreaks of malaria and Dungee fever. Those left homeless, those trying to survive on the streets, also facing a threat of respiratory illness from bacteria and viruses that quickly spread when unsanitary conditions exist.
Relief efforts now focus on water purification systems and distribution of bottled water being flown in by aid groups, quick burial of bodies and cleanup of sewage and debris, the providing safe and sanitary shelter to those who have been left homeless, as well as clean, temporary medical clinics to treat the sick as well as the injured.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Dr. Sanjay Gupta is joining us now live by phone from Colombo, Sri Lanka.
And Sanjay, you know, it has been three days since the tsunami hit. And we're hearing a lot about how difficult it is, as we saw in your piece, to get the aid there. What is the hold up exactly?
GUPTA: You know, it's really interesting, Heidi. Good evening here from near Colombo.
First, a couple of things. When we flew in here, we didn't see what we expected to see in terms of the relief efforts: military planes on the runway, supplies getting to the people, all that sort of stuff getting to the people. We didn't see that. That was sort of surprising.
A couple of holdups. One is that there always appears to be a lack of coordination among the various relief organizations. The U.N. has sent in 12 trucks with a couple of tons worth of medical supplies. But they're not necessarily getting to the right people right now.
Part of that is because the roads have been cut, in part, because of the tsunami. There's debris lying everywhere. It's hard to actually physically navigate the roads.
Also, different districts in Sri Lanka need dramatically different things. Really interesting. It's not -- it can't be looked at as one country.
Ampara, for example, sort of in the southeast, they make a lot of rice. They don't need rice. They need antibiotics.
Whereas if you go a little bit further north, they actually have plenty of antibiotics but need rice. So it's a complicated situation that the relief organizations are trying to get a hold of -- Heidi.
COLLINS: And something else that really stands out as we talk about all of this is the talk that disease there could claim as many lives as the tsunamis themselves. As a doctor, Sanjay, what are your thoughts on that?
GUPTA: I don't think that's hype, I don't think that's hyperbole at all. I think that's very possible. And we're seeing that here. Let me give you a couple of examples, Heidi.
People get scrapes and bruises after a tsunami, you know, just from being battered around. We've heard about that and probably don't think much of it. The problem is, that if you can't get any relief to those people, even to get stitches in their wounds, antibiotics, all of a sudden what would be a rather minor ailment turns into a major problem.
We're hearing about outbreaks of chicken pox amongst certain camps of people who are sort of -- been displaced by the tsunami. Chicken pox, dysentery, cholera, all these things are very treatable problems, which is why I think people tend to not worry about them as much. But if you can't get the simple treatments to these people, people could die of these things.
And I think that's what has got so many people concerned now. I don't think it's hype. I think it can be contained. But it's going to have to move fast in order for that to happen.
COLLINS: Yes. And that is certainly the challenge. All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta coming to us from Sri Lanka today. Thanks so much.
SANCHEZ: Let's talk to somebody now directly affected by this. Because amid the loss, there's also the waiting, the not knowing. Families and friends desperately seeking word on their missing loved ones.
Earlier this week, you may have seen it here on AMERICAN MORNING, we spoke with celebrity interior decorator Nate Berkus. He's been on "Oprah" many times. He was vacationing in Sri Lanka when the deadly waves suddenly hit.
Berkus is a fortunate survivor. But now searching for his traveling companion, Fernando Bengochea.
Joining us now from San Diego is Fernando's brother, Marcelo, who's good enough to share some words with us.
Marcelo, thanks for being with us.
MARCELO BENGOCHEA, BROTHER MISSING IN SRI LANKA: You're welcome.
SANCHEZ: When was the last time that you heard from your brother?
BENGOCHEA: Oh, it's been a while. It's been a couple of days before he actually left on his trip.
SANCHEZ: Why was he there?
BENGOCHEA: Vacationing.
SANCHEZ: Just trying to have a good time?
BENGOCHEA: Yes, it's a beautiful place to vacation.
SANCHEZ: When did you hear about the tsunamis?
BENGOCHEA: I heard it a few hours afterwards, when some friends of Nate actually called us to let us know what was going on.
SANCHEZ: Did you immediately put it together in your -- in your head that your brother was there and, you know, that "Oh, my god" moment that we all go through at moments like that?
BENGOCHEA: Yes, I was not worried for his safety knowing my brother immediately.
SANCHEZ: Why do you say that?
BENGOCHEA: He's a strong person, surfing. He's a big swimmer. He's been in situations where not -- I would not say catastrophe, but delicate situations that he was always able to escape with no scrapes.
SANCHEZ: So you think he's a tough guy?
BENGOCHEA: He's a survivor. He's a tough guy and a very resourceful person, yes.
SANCHEZ: So what have you been able to find out, if anything at all, about him or his whereabouts?
BENGOCHEA: Nothing at all. Really, it's been almost impossible to talk to anybody around that remote area. He was last seen in the area of Arugam Bay, which is pretty remote. And I'm sure that there's almost no communication in that area.
SANCHEZ: What about Nate? Have you spoke within Nate?
BENGOCHEA: No, not personally.
SANCHEZ: Have you spoken with people who have spoke within Nate, since he was the last one to be with your brother?
BENGOCHEA: Yes, I have.
SANCHEZ: What are they telling you? BENGOCHEA: They're telling me that there's all sorts of rescue efforts trying to search for my brother and that we are doing the best that we can. It's not much that we can, being so far away, but we are doing everything we can to try to help their search. That's the reason I'm here.
SANCHEZ: Yes, I was wondering, since you say that, have you thought about just going over there yourself?
BENGOCHEA: Yes. I totally thought about going there. It seems a good idea in the beginning, but rescue efforts are very difficult not knowing the actual area of the accident.
SANCHEZ: Boy, how are you coping? I mean, how are you personally dealing with this? It's got to be very painful.
BENGOCHEA: It is. I'm very hopeful that my brother's still alive. He's just incommunicado without any means or way of reaching us.
It's a very remote area. I'm very positive that he's still alive. It's just a matter of time for him to be able to reach us.
SANCHEZ: You certainly do sound positive. Marcelo Bengochea, thanks once again for taking time to talk us about your brother.
BENGOCHEA: You're welcome. Thank you.
COLLINS: More than 32,000 people are dead in Indonesia in the tsunami, more than half of the total death toll. We get more now from Mike Chinoy in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is what was once the bustling port area of Banda Aceh. In a few moments on Sunday morning it became a disaster area, and it remains so today.
You can see a few meters behind me on the other side of this bridge about 40 bodies. They must have been collected and brought there after the tidal wave. They're covered in blue plastic, but they've been laying there, decomposing in the tropical sun, for at least a few days.
No one has come to collect them. And that's hardly a unique sight around here. There are bodies all over the place. And it's a real public health hazard.
The force of the tsunami is more even than the power of the earthquake, is what people here talk about. And you get a sense of just how powerful those waves were.
These boats were thrown against this bridge, smashed up against this bridge. And another boat on the far side thrown on top of houses on the far shore. All around the ground is littered with the bits and pieces of daily life: I.D. cards, pieces of clothing, a fan, a photograph, testament to an entire community that was completely devastated. And you can see over here just how extensive that devastation was.
Every building has been leveled. It's clear that this big piece of concrete was brought down by the force of the quake. But the smaller pieces were -- the corrugated tin roofs of what were homes and shops completely leveled. And there's no question that there would be bodies decomposing in there.
In fact, the whole issue of bodies is a real problem. You can see over here more bodies that have been lying in the middle of this bridge. The authorities are very concerned about public health implications of this, possible spread of epidemics, the contamination of drinking water.
For the citizens of Banda Aceh, they're walking around this area in a kind of daze. Many of them with kerchiefs to cover their noses because the stench of the decomposing bodies is so unbearable.
People just moving around. There's no aid coming in yet. Too shocked to figure out what to do, not certain where help will come from.
And this is the situation in the center of the capital of a province. God only knows how much worse it must be in the outlying areas, where the fate of hundreds of thousands of other Indonesians remains unknown.
Mike Chinoy, CNN, Banda Aceh, Indonesia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: You can log on to cnn.com for the latest information on the tsunami disaster and what you can do to help.
SANCHEZ: And let's take you now to Atlanta and talk to Chad Myers and find out what's going on with the weather across the country.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Later today, we are expecting the president to make his first public comments on the tsunami disaster. We're going to go live to the White House for a preview of that.
SANCHEZ: Also, a man in Maryland tries to turn his own personal grief into help for others. His story ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back.
Twelve Americans have died in -- as a result of the tsunamis that have hit southeast Asia. And President Bush is being brought up to date on the recovery efforts as he is scheduled to address the tragedy, sometime, we're told, in the next hour or so.
CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash is joining us now live from Crawford to bring us up to date on that.
What is the president expected to say, Dana?
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rick.
Well, the president is, as you mentioned, expected to speak for the first time publicly in the next hour or so since this tsunami hit about four days ago on Sunday. That is the same day that Mr. Bush came here to Crawford for his weeklong vacation.
And the president is conducting a National Security Council meeting at this hour. He's doing that with his aides, mostly by conference call back in Washington. And it is after that meeting which was previously scheduled -- and it is a meeting where he is expected to get an update on U.S. relief efforts in Asia -- after that, he is going to come to the hangar of his ranch and speak to the American people and the people of the world.
And that is something that he has only done so far through his spokesman, expressed condolences. He has written letters, we understand, to leaders who were affected by this. But he's going to speak for the first time publicly, likely to talk about the fact that he does believe that the U.S. is and plans to give -- be a part of the effort, and a leading part of the effort in the cleanup -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Well, one wonders if he has had any conversations with any international leaders like Tony Blair or others in Europe to try and see if they can coalesce some type of effort so it's not just put upon the United States.
BASH: Well, clearly, the U.S., through the State Department and other diplomatic means, have been working with their partners around the world to try to have a joint effort. That's for sure.
The president's aides have said that he has been reluctant, at least up until now, to make calls to some of the leaders, particularly who were affected, because he understands that they are quite busy in doing what they need to do. But clearly, that is probably going to be what the president is talking to his National Security Council about, exactly how the U.S. is coordinating.
But again, through his spokesman, he has said and made and clear that the U.S. does want to take a leading role. That's likely what we expect to hear from the president, and also perhaps some more about the money and manpower that the U.S. is investing in this effort.
SANCHEZ: Dana, just before we let you go, from a programming standpoint, when do we expect that we'll be able to hear or see the president's message?
BASH: A lot of that depends on how long this National Security Council meeting goes, to be honest, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BASH: The president is having that. Once he is done with that he is going to come out and speak before the cameras. But then we're going to hear him, but we won't actually see him until -- if you want to hear the logistics of it -- until the tape gets back to where we are.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
BASH: So probably in about an hour.
SANCHEZ: All right. So it's kind of a wait and see. Dana Bash bringing us up to date. We certainly thank you for doing so.
BASH: Thank you.
COLLINS: Here in the United States, some people are gathering food, water and other supplies to send to those devastated by the tsunami tragedy. National correspondent Bob Franken introduces us to one man who has a personal interest in giving a helping hand to survivors in Sri Lanka.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's just a trickle of relief so far.
RIZWAN MOWLANA, ASIA RELIEF: Thanks so much.
FRANKEN: Rizwan Mowlana says he has lost more than 30 members of his family after the tsunami slammed into his native Sri Lanka. But now he's trying to turn his personal grief into help from afar.
MOWLANA: I'm in a place, in a position, better position than most people. And I think it's my -- it's incumbent on me to do something (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
FRANKEN: As word of Mowlana's effort has spread, strangers are gathering what they can and bringing it here to his home, hoping to fill a container that will be shipped to Sri Lanka and fill their need to be involved.
MOWLANA: It was one of the ways that I thought that we could assist in this horrendous disaster
VERONICA MCFADDEN, CONTRIBUTOR: Everyone is tested at some time in their life. And I think it's part of -- part of your life to affect others and give what you can.
FRANKEN: Mowlana works for the Council on American-Islamic relations, but this relief effort, he says, reaches beyond any one group.
MOWLANA: It doesn't matter if you are Jewish or Christians or Hindus or Buddhists. Times of calamity, you've got to be out there. Otherwise, you know, you are less than human being. FRANKEN (on camera): There are obvious questions about these individual efforts, particularly with established, credible organizations sending relief, massive relief.
(voice-over): But Mowlana explains this is his personal way to provide assistance from this country to help the devastated one he left.
Bob Franken, CNN, Gaithersburg, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And this morning in Sri Lanka, the death toll stands at more than 23,000 people with nearly 4,000 more still missing.
SANCHEZ: When the very first wave hit, some people made the mistake of trying to get a closer look. Actually, walking over toward the beach of the shoreline. An American doctor did that and was swept out to sea. Remarkably, though, he lived to tell his story. He tells it to Heidi on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And time to check in with Toure once again, and the "Question of the Day," which is divisive?
TOURE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's divisive. We're seeing a lot -- people are struggling with compassion on this one. It's a difficult day.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
TOURE: If America's the world's policemen, then our response to the tsunami disaster is a test of what that mean. The Bush administration has pledged $35 million in aid, more than any other government. Many citizens are donating money, some will adopt tsunamis orphans.
But there are people all over the world who need our help. In Florida, hurricane victims are still in need. Should we be cleaning up another house when ours is messy? Or do we have an obligation to help those who need help when we can help them?
Our question is: What is America's responsibility to tsunami victims? And people are giving us some tough love.
Eugene from Michigan says, "Something is wrong with our political thinking. Can't buy me love is what I say. Let's put the U.S. first and get ourselves out of debt, meet our own needs first."
Unbelievable.
Shirley from St. Petersburg, Florida, "Being a resident of Florida, which still has people out of homes, my family and I are feeding the homeless on Christmas Day. I am over our country sending aid to other nations when it isn't ever appreciated and it's never enough. The U.S. can never do anything right in the eyes of the world. I say help our own and let the rest of the world do it on their own."
Can you believe that people would -- Mike from Lexington, Ohio, "Not one dime of U.S. taxpayers' money for direct aid while our own citizens are homeless or otherwise suffering because of four hurricanes in Florida this year. By the way, where was the U.N. after our disasters? I didn't see them organizing relief efforts to help our hurricane victims."
And Carmen from New York City, "Given the fact that we have alienated most of the world by going to war in Iraq and by the three previous e-mails, wouldn't be this a good opportunity for the U.S. to regain some respect by showing how compassionate we really are?"
Thank you for a little intelligence.
COLLINS: Your thoughts, Toure?
TOURE: But I don't believe that 60,000 people could be dead and all the others homeless, children losing parent, parents losing children, and people could say, ah, let them help themselves.
SANCHEZ: What are the majority of your e-mails saying?
TOURE: Well...
SANCHEZ: That we need to mind our own?
TOURE: Yes. A lot of them are kind of -- you know, I mean, I think that our sense of invulnerability has been pierced by the last four to five years, all the things that have happened in this country.
SANCHEZ: Right.
TOURE: So we're feeling like, you know, well, they didn't help us when we were in need, so why should we help them? Which is insane.
COLLINS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Toure, thanks.
COLLINS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) out there. A lot of them, too. All right. Thanks so much, Toure.
The tsunami death toll now stand at nearly 68,000. But counting the dead is not the top priority in this crisis. A top official from the World Health Organization joins us ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
