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American Morning
Tsunami Death Toll Tops 116,000; Survival Stories; Four-Nation Coalition to try and Organize Humanitarian Relief
Aired December 30, 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: Ground zero Sumatra. One after another where villages once stood now nothing. Ahead, nearly five million people washed from their homes. How long before help arrives?
Panic in the streets. Tens of thousands of people run for higher ground on the warnings of more tsunamis. But was it a false alarm?
And inside the killer wave. Ahead, scuba divers say it was like a hurricane under water. They survived, but that's not all they're thankful for 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: Good morning to you, everybody. Bill and Soledad are off today. I'm Heidi Collins.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez.
It is now day five of the tsunami disaster, and the extent of the tragedy seems to be growing dramatically, somewhat as expected. One official saying there are so many bodies they've simply stopped counting. They can't. And the spread of disease may become an even greater danger for survivors now.
Here is what we know as of this moment. The total death toll now stands at more than 116,000 people, with almost with almost 80,000 dead in Indonesia alone.
U.N. relief workers arrived in Aceh Province Wednesday -- that's in Sumatra -- to begin their efforts. The U.S. State Department says it's receiving 400 calls an hour from people looking for loved ones. And Indian authorities have issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas. But scientists say there's no major seismological activity in the area of India.
COLLINS: As the extent of the destruction grows, more pictures are coming in of the devastating tsunami now. In fact, new video from Phuket, Thailand, shows water coming in waves and flowing past buildings as people react to the sudden wave of water.
And these pictures from Malaysia show a family at the beach as they and their car are caught in the waves. The children quickly rushed ashore and held onto a fence for safety. A Malaysian official says 66 people are dead there from the disaster. Malaysia is among 11 countries hit by the tsunami. SANCHEZ: Once again, the death toll in Indonesia alone now approaching 80,000. More than 1,000 people still reported missing.
The worst of the devastation there concentrated in the northwest Sumatran province of Aceh, as we've been telling you. Many communities in that region literally just wiped out of existence.
For details we go to CNN's Mike Chinoy, one of the first to get there. He's live via videophone. He's joining us from Banda Aceh. That's in Indonesia.
Mike, what's the situation there?
MIKE CHINOY, CNN SR. ASIA CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rick.
Well, I got to Banda Aceh about 48 hours after the disaster, and it was immediately clear that this was no ordinary disaster. The scale of the destruction here in this capital city was immense. There were bodies littering the streets. But as I've been here over the last couple of days, more and more it's become clear that there might -- the big question was, was there even a worse situation elsewhere in this part of Indonesia?
People talked about an information vacuum on the western coast of Sumatra. That's the landmass closest to the epicenter of the earthquake. Nobody knew. There was no communication. We just didn't know what the situation is. Well, now we do know.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHINOY (voice-over): This is ground zero on the western coast of Sumatra, a scene of unimaginable devastation. The region's largest town was Molabo. Around 40,000 or 50,000 people lived here. This is what's left.
Indonesian-based British conservationist Mike Griffiths flew over the area. He says conditions north of Molabo are even worse.
MIKE GRIFFITHS, BRITISH CONSERVATIONIST: There was no villages left standing between Molabo and Chalong, which is about 100 kilometers north of Molabo. It's like a nuclear blast has hit the area. And it's completely leveled everything, except just for a few structures.
CHINOY: Virtually every sign of life is wiped out.
GRIFFITHS: All you can see basically, to show that there were villages, is the remains of the foundations of the more strongly- constructed houses. That means built out of concrete. We're seeing nothing at all of the ones that were built out of wood and thatched roofs. And that constitutes probably the most.
CHINOY: And in Chalong, a town of 13,000 people, nothing at all.
GRIFFITHS: It's vaporized. There's just nothing left. It's mostly -- mostly -- in fact, you wouldn't even recognize that there had been a town there unless you know, unless you'd flown over there before and seen it from the air. Then you'd realize that, in fact, a town had once existed there. All you can see now is basically a very vague outline of some of the roads that used to carry traffic.
CHINOY: On a hill, Griffiths spotted around 30 or 40 survivors. No one else in Chalong appeared to be alive. An entire region home to hundreds of thousands almost literally wiped off the face of the Earth.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHINOY: Those pictures were taken on a 60-mile plane fly up the western coast of Sumatra. But the coastline from there up to where I am is about double that, about 120 miles. And there's no reason to think that along the rest of the coast the situation is any different -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Mike, we understand there's relief already getting to Indonesia. Do you know where it's going and how it's going to get there?
CHINOY: There is now finally a relief effort under way here in Banda Aceh from nine different countries making contributions. The U.N.'s Office of Coordinating Humanitarian Affairs is here. A lot of the main international aid organizations like Doctors Without Borders are here.
Supplies are coming in. They're going out to some hospitals. Some mobile clinics are being set up. But at the moment, it's really just here in Banda Aceh, and even here it's just the beginning.
The relief for the folks on those coastal areas at this point very, very minimal. I was talking a short while ago with a senior U.N. person who said that it's a daunting task just to figure out where to begin. There are so many people in need -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Mike Chinoy bringing us that story from Banda Aceh. We certainly thank you.
Heidi, over to you.
COLLINS: We've been hearing some astounding stories of survival all morning long. Warren and Julie Lavender, Canadian schoolteachers in Kuwait City, were scuba diving off the southwest coast of Sri Lanka when the tsunami swept over them. Warren and Julie are joining us from Kuwait City to tell us their story.
Good morning to the both of you. And so thankful that you guys are all right.
You know, we have heard a couple of stories about people being out in the water. And I understand you guys were enjoying a beautiful Sunday morning. What happened after you decided to go in the water, Warren?
WARREN LAVENDER, SURVIVED TSUNAMI: Well, at first we thought it was just --- it was going to be another normal dive. But when we got about -- to about 30 feet, I'd say, all of a sudden there was a tremendous -- there was a current, and we were holding onto a pilot rope with all our strength, and we had no idea what it was. We wasn't -- we weren't sure if it's something that normally happened there. But it was just -- it was very unenjoyable.
COLLINS: Well, Warren, what did you feel? I mean, as you were going down in the water, what did it feel like on your person as you went lower and lower?
W. LAVENDER: Well, it basically felt -- when we were going lower and lower, it felt as if there was like an underwater hurricane or something. It was just such a strong current.
We knew that if we let go that we'd just be swept away. And so Julie and myself, both, I was looking up at her. She was a little higher than I was, and I was just looking to see if she could even hang on. It was that bad that I thought for sure one of us was going to get swept away.
COLLINS: And we should make it clear to our viewers that right now we're looking at some video from Sri Lanka, which is where you were. But clearly not in the exact same area. I just want to be clear there.
Julie, what happened when you came up? Did you realize at this point that a tsunami had hit?
JULIE LAVENDER, SURVIVED TSUNAMI: No. We had no idea.
The waves were a little rough going out in the boat up to the dive site, and coming back about the same. When we got closer to the beach we realized that there was no beach anymore, and the buildings along the beach had started to be collapsing. And the drivers of the boat, who were locals -- locals there, the expression on their face, you could tell that there was something they'd never seen before.
So -- so it was pretty scary. And then we saw the debris floating in the water and realized something major had happened. But had no idea what it was.
COLLINS: But you did decide to go to land. Some other people we've spoken with decided to stay out in the water. You guys decided to go on land. What happened next?
W. LAVENDER: Well, the reason we decided to go on land is that we were -- we were supposed to initially land right beside this river. And what had happened is that the tsunami had gone up the river, and it was starting to come back down.
And it was carrying all the debris. And there was furniture, pieces of houses, things like that. And so we just didn't really think we had a choice.
And everyone was screaming at the boat pilot to get us to land. And once we hit land we saw another wave coming in from the ocean. So we just ran. We just -- not in any direction, but just away from the wave.
COLLINS: This is only the fifth time that you guys have done some diving. What are your thoughts now as you look back on this? And as you are safe, looking at some of the reports coming in, how do you feel about things?
J. LAVENDER: Well, I was a little apprehensive about going diving that day anyway. You know, the previous day there was a pretty strong current, too, but nothing like that day.
So after we got back in the boat, I felt safe in the boat. And I thought, oh, I don't think I'll be doing this for a while. And, you know, once we realized what had happened I thought we were so lucky that we -- probably that we were under water when we were.
COLLINS: I know that you were worried about a couple of friends of yours, Mark and Sue Edwards, their sons, Jack and Sam -- Jack and Sam. Tell us quickly about what happened.
W. LAVENDER: Well, we were -- no one had known where they were. And they were just -- they're some colleagues of ours and friends from the -- from the school.
We never really knew where they went. Because in talking to them prior to vacation, we knew they were going to be in Thailand. And they were excited about going to the beach. So we hadn't heard from them until our superintendent called us today from South Africa and told us that they had contacted their parents.
COLLINS: Oh.
W. LAVENDER: So we're extremely relieved.
COLLINS: Oh, wonderful news. I'm so happy to hear it. And again, thrilled to hear your story, as well. To the two of you, Warren and Julie, thanks for being with us.
SANCHEZ: The Bush administration has put together a four-nation coalition to try and organize humanitarian relief for this tsunami disaster. White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is joining us now from Washington with more on the developing relief efforts thus far.
What's the plan, Suzanne?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick, of course the White House is still developing that plan. It was just yesterday that President Bush emerged from his Crawford ranch -- this was four days after the tsunami hit -- to publicly offer his condolences and to talk about a long-term solution here.
He said that the $35 million is really just the beginning. That he's been on the phone with world leaders of those countries most effected by the tsunami. And, of course, that they'll be working with a group, Japan, India and Australia, to help coordinate the relief efforts. Now, as over the last couple of days, Bush critics have said the president has squandered the opportunity to show world leadership and compassion by not coming out earlier publicly to show his support. But aides say that the president was assessing the information, that he did not want to come out publicly until they had the specifics on U.S. aid. And the president again dismissing this notion, the suggestion that perhaps the U.S. and other wealthy nations have been stingy in their aid to needy countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I felt like the person who made that statement was very misguided, and ill informed. The -- 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, in fairness to that person, the U.N. relief official earlier on AMERICAN MORNING of course saying that he was not specifically talking about the United States or this particular disaster. But that in general he felt that wealthy nations could contribute more.
Now, Rick, I should let you know as well, not included in that $35 million figure is the massive relief effort that the Pentagon has undertaken, the humanitarian effort we actually have seen in Japan. They are releasing supplies, giving out supplies from cargo ships, cargo planes. There's also a USS aircraft carrier that's on the way, as well as other warships that will be intimately involved in this relief effort -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Suzanne Malveaux following things there for us. We thank you, Suzanne.
And remember, you can always logon to cnn.com for the very latest information on the tsunami disaster. There are more really incredible stories from survivors coming in hourly, and information on relief efforts, as well. It's going to show you what to do if you want to help the victims of the tragedy, as well -- Heidi.
COLLINS: There is other news going on, though, as well. And Carol Costello is here to tell us all about it.
Hi, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I am. Good morning. Good morning to you.
"Now in the News," just one month ahead of Iraqi elections, insurgents launching separate attacks on four police stations in Baghdad. The assaults sparking an overnight firefight killing at least three insurgents. The clash came as militants used explosives to attack an American outpost in the northern city of Mosul. At least one U.S. soldier has now died of injury sustained during that fighting.
In the Middle East, Israeli forces are launching a new incursion in southern Gaza. Palestinian forces say at least three Palestinians were killed when Israeli troops fired rockets into a refugee camp. In the meantime, Israeli troops backed by tanks rolled into the area overnight in another operation aimed at rooting out Hamas fighters.
Here in the United States, Democrat Christine Gregoire is expected to be certified today as the winner in Washington State's extra-close governor's race. But, her rival, Republican Dino Rossi, is calling for a revote to the revote to the original vote. He says it's the only way to ensure people have faith in the government. A hand recount in the state showed Gregoire beat Rossi by just 129 votes.
And in northern Arizona, authorities are assessing the damage this morning after a powerful winter storm. Record rainfall triggering mudslides and flooding causing water levels to rise at least a foot in parts of the state. A search also expected to get under way again shortly for two college students swept up in the floodwaters you're seeing here.
And I guess, Chad, it's not over yet there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: All right. Thanks a lot, Chad.
Our tsunami coverage continues. And for one American family, it's a horrific ordeal that finally comes to an end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People screaming as maybe the water hit them. There were trees cracking. It was just so horrible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: A mother, father and two young daughters outrun a deadly wall of water. What they saw before coming home to their loved ones.
COLLINS: And just how strong was the earthquake that caused the tsunamis? Would you believe it altered the Earth's rotation? Some amazing tsunami science ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Nearly 70 earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 or greater have struck in the Indian Ocean region since Sunday's initial quake. An aftershock measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale struck the nearby Nicobar Islands, for example.
Here to try and help us get a since of this historic seismic event and its continuing aftermath is John Mutter, professor of geophysics at Columbia University's Earth Institute. Professor, thanks so much for being with us.
JOHN MUTTER, PROFESSOR OF GEOPHYSICS: Oh, you're very welcome.
SANCHEZ: Let's start with some of these aftershocks. We understand as many as 70 of them?
MUTTER: Yes. All large earthquakes. All earthquakes generate aftershocks.
What happened was the main shock occurred just off Sumatra. But it opened a gash in the Earth more than 1,000 kilometers long, north of where the epicenter occurred.
All along there, there will be continued shocks following the main shock. So they're called aftershocks. They'll all be smaller and get smaller with time. But because the first shock was a magnitude 9, really very large, the aftershocks are also fairly large.
SANCHEZ: But yet in India this morning there was a report of a tsunami warning issued by the government or people in the government that caused a bit of a panic in some of the coastal areas. How do you explain that? Did they overreact?
MUTTER: I don't know that they did. A large aftershock magnitude 6 or 7 is sure to cause some sort of a tidal wave. It will not be as large as the one that was experienced on the 26th.
SANCHEZ: Are you saying it's possible that as a result of some of these aftershocks that are being felt -- for example, Nicobar Island, we mentioned something 6.2 magnitude I think was the highest they've registered there. That -- is that enough to cause yet another tsunami experience?
MUTTER: It could certainly cause another one. It would not be as large. They will scale with the size of the earthquake.
SANCHEZ: So if you were guiding the effort there in these countries, what would you tell them that they should be doing as far as preparing people for what the eventuality of another one then?
MUTTER: Another one in the next few days?
SANCHEZ: Another tsunami in that region. Should they keep people off the coast, for example?
MUTTER: They can't keep people off the coast. They've got to clear the coast, make people safe, get them out of the way, build better, stronger structures. In the next few days the size of the earthquakes will diminish. The tsunami risk will diminish with it.
SANCHEZ: Let me ask you about the actual earthquake that took place between these two. Was it, what, the Burmese and the Indian plate?
MUTTER: Yes. SANCHEZ: One essentially just climbed on top of the other? Is that what happened?
MUTTER: Really one pushes down beneath the other.
SANCHEZ: One goes underneath the other. Explain to us how that caused the shift in the ocean and the waves, the waves' activity.
MUTTER: Basically what happened, in a gash more than 1,000 kilometers long, so 700 miles or so, the earth beneath the ocean instantaneously dropped something like 30 meters. So that instantaneously creates sort of a trough in the ocean, which creates a wave. And that propagates away from the source in a line to the west towards Sri Lanka and India.
SANCHEZ: Two quick questions before we run out of time. A, is it true that it actually changed or altered the Earth's rotation? And B, could it happen here?
MUTTER: Very slightly, by a few thousandths of a second.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
MUTTER: But yes, the mass of the Earth was shifted enough that its rotation speed actually changed. So the length of the day actually changed very slightly.
SANCHEZ: And could it happen in one of our coasts?
MUTTER: Not quite the same. You can generate a tsunami from an underwater landslide, and that's possible in the islands, the Canary Islands. You had a piece earlier on this morning on this.
It's unlikely to generate a tsunami anything like the same size. But even a 10 or 15-foot wave coming in to the low-lying areas around Manhattan would be tremendously destructive.
SANCHEZ: Thank you, professor. Good to talk to somebody who knows as much as you do about something like this. Thanks for helping us out.
MUTTER: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Heidi, back over to you.
COLLINS: This morning, one American family has finally made it home from a tsunami-ravaged island in Thailand. They survived the ordeal by rushing to higher ground. The father, mother and two children have been reunited now with thrilled family members. Rusty Dornin was at the airport in San Francisco as the family came home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The fears and anxieties...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There they are.
DORNIN: ... finally erased as the Firmage family comes home. James, Vivian, Caitlin, 10, and 7-year-old Makayla (ph), outran a wall of water on Phi Phi Island in Thailand. They were on the beach and noticed the water behaving strangely.
VIVIAN FIRMAGE, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: It really sucked really far back out, and then you could just see this ridge of water. And then one of the locals tapped my little one and said, "Start to run."
DORNIN: So they ran for their lives. Caitlin couldn't see what was coming, but she could hear it.
CAITLIN FIRMAGE, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: The sound was just horrible. It sounded like a jet engine just right maybe five feet behind you. People screaming as maybe the water hit them. And the trees cracking in half, floating. It was just so horrible.
DORNIN: Their hotel was leveled, their belongings sucked out to sea. They spent the night on a hill with about 200 other survivors, awed by their survival and the kindness of the local people.
JAMES FIRMAGE, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: They were so generous. They were missing their village, they were missing their families, and they would -- they brought up food and supplies. And we all sort of camped out on top of this jungle.
DORNIN: So much death and devastation. The Firmages said they tried to hide their girls from much of it, but the images won't be forgotten. Seven-year-old Makayla (ph) was keeping a journal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know if I really want to write about it because it was pretty scary.
DORNIN: Both James and Vivian didn't think they would make it out alive, let alone make it home.
V. FIRMAGE: I can't describe it. I just -- I'm just so glad to be home. I just want to go home.
DORNIN: And that they did.
Rusty Dornin, CNN, San Francisco.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Other family members are no doubt relieved. They're calling the family's homecoming a miracle.
SANCHEZ: They were sucked into the ocean, a giant wall of water rushing overhead. And shockingly, getting caught in the wave may have actually saved their lives. It's a lucky couple sharing their remarkable story on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back to AMERICAN MORNING. Time to check in with Toure and the "Question of the Day."
TOURE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. We've got some good answers now. The "Question of the Day" is, what should America's resolution -- New Year's resolution be for 2005?
Charles from Savannah, Georgia, "We need to understand being the world's only superpower does not mean we have the right to be the world's biggest bully, but rather we have the responsibility to be the world's moral leader."
Lisa from Central Islip says, "In light of the tsunami devastation asking the question, 'Could this happen here,' highlights the 'it's all about me attitude' and diminishes the notion of what we can do for them."
And the e-mail of the day from Lisa in Minnesota. "We should require President Bush and all world leaders, corporate and political, to practice bikram yoga daily. Perhaps 90 minutes of thoughtful body movement in a 110-degree room with no distractions could help them feel more compassionate toward others."
Love that Lisa.
SANCHEZ: You big on yoga, are you?
TOURE: Yes, I like yoga. Yes. You get your workout, you see some girls. It's a great hour to have.
SANCHEZ: You see some girls.
COLLINS: What does that have to do with anything?
TOURE: They're all there.
SANCHEZ: It's a good answer, young man.
COLLINS: All right, Toure. Thank you. We'll check back a little later.
For now, though, the race is on to keep a staggering death toll from going even further. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in Sri Lanka. He's going to tell us about the biggest challenges facing doctors there right now ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired December 30, 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: Ground zero Sumatra. One after another where villages once stood now nothing. Ahead, nearly five million people washed from their homes. How long before help arrives?
Panic in the streets. Tens of thousands of people run for higher ground on the warnings of more tsunamis. But was it a false alarm?
And inside the killer wave. Ahead, scuba divers say it was like a hurricane under water. They survived, but that's not all they're thankful for 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: Good morning to you, everybody. Bill and Soledad are off today. I'm Heidi Collins.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez.
It is now day five of the tsunami disaster, and the extent of the tragedy seems to be growing dramatically, somewhat as expected. One official saying there are so many bodies they've simply stopped counting. They can't. And the spread of disease may become an even greater danger for survivors now.
Here is what we know as of this moment. The total death toll now stands at more than 116,000 people, with almost with almost 80,000 dead in Indonesia alone.
U.N. relief workers arrived in Aceh Province Wednesday -- that's in Sumatra -- to begin their efforts. The U.S. State Department says it's receiving 400 calls an hour from people looking for loved ones. And Indian authorities have issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas. But scientists say there's no major seismological activity in the area of India.
COLLINS: As the extent of the destruction grows, more pictures are coming in of the devastating tsunami now. In fact, new video from Phuket, Thailand, shows water coming in waves and flowing past buildings as people react to the sudden wave of water.
And these pictures from Malaysia show a family at the beach as they and their car are caught in the waves. The children quickly rushed ashore and held onto a fence for safety. A Malaysian official says 66 people are dead there from the disaster. Malaysia is among 11 countries hit by the tsunami. SANCHEZ: Once again, the death toll in Indonesia alone now approaching 80,000. More than 1,000 people still reported missing.
The worst of the devastation there concentrated in the northwest Sumatran province of Aceh, as we've been telling you. Many communities in that region literally just wiped out of existence.
For details we go to CNN's Mike Chinoy, one of the first to get there. He's live via videophone. He's joining us from Banda Aceh. That's in Indonesia.
Mike, what's the situation there?
MIKE CHINOY, CNN SR. ASIA CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rick.
Well, I got to Banda Aceh about 48 hours after the disaster, and it was immediately clear that this was no ordinary disaster. The scale of the destruction here in this capital city was immense. There were bodies littering the streets. But as I've been here over the last couple of days, more and more it's become clear that there might -- the big question was, was there even a worse situation elsewhere in this part of Indonesia?
People talked about an information vacuum on the western coast of Sumatra. That's the landmass closest to the epicenter of the earthquake. Nobody knew. There was no communication. We just didn't know what the situation is. Well, now we do know.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHINOY (voice-over): This is ground zero on the western coast of Sumatra, a scene of unimaginable devastation. The region's largest town was Molabo. Around 40,000 or 50,000 people lived here. This is what's left.
Indonesian-based British conservationist Mike Griffiths flew over the area. He says conditions north of Molabo are even worse.
MIKE GRIFFITHS, BRITISH CONSERVATIONIST: There was no villages left standing between Molabo and Chalong, which is about 100 kilometers north of Molabo. It's like a nuclear blast has hit the area. And it's completely leveled everything, except just for a few structures.
CHINOY: Virtually every sign of life is wiped out.
GRIFFITHS: All you can see basically, to show that there were villages, is the remains of the foundations of the more strongly- constructed houses. That means built out of concrete. We're seeing nothing at all of the ones that were built out of wood and thatched roofs. And that constitutes probably the most.
CHINOY: And in Chalong, a town of 13,000 people, nothing at all.
GRIFFITHS: It's vaporized. There's just nothing left. It's mostly -- mostly -- in fact, you wouldn't even recognize that there had been a town there unless you know, unless you'd flown over there before and seen it from the air. Then you'd realize that, in fact, a town had once existed there. All you can see now is basically a very vague outline of some of the roads that used to carry traffic.
CHINOY: On a hill, Griffiths spotted around 30 or 40 survivors. No one else in Chalong appeared to be alive. An entire region home to hundreds of thousands almost literally wiped off the face of the Earth.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHINOY: Those pictures were taken on a 60-mile plane fly up the western coast of Sumatra. But the coastline from there up to where I am is about double that, about 120 miles. And there's no reason to think that along the rest of the coast the situation is any different -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Mike, we understand there's relief already getting to Indonesia. Do you know where it's going and how it's going to get there?
CHINOY: There is now finally a relief effort under way here in Banda Aceh from nine different countries making contributions. The U.N.'s Office of Coordinating Humanitarian Affairs is here. A lot of the main international aid organizations like Doctors Without Borders are here.
Supplies are coming in. They're going out to some hospitals. Some mobile clinics are being set up. But at the moment, it's really just here in Banda Aceh, and even here it's just the beginning.
The relief for the folks on those coastal areas at this point very, very minimal. I was talking a short while ago with a senior U.N. person who said that it's a daunting task just to figure out where to begin. There are so many people in need -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Mike Chinoy bringing us that story from Banda Aceh. We certainly thank you.
Heidi, over to you.
COLLINS: We've been hearing some astounding stories of survival all morning long. Warren and Julie Lavender, Canadian schoolteachers in Kuwait City, were scuba diving off the southwest coast of Sri Lanka when the tsunami swept over them. Warren and Julie are joining us from Kuwait City to tell us their story.
Good morning to the both of you. And so thankful that you guys are all right.
You know, we have heard a couple of stories about people being out in the water. And I understand you guys were enjoying a beautiful Sunday morning. What happened after you decided to go in the water, Warren?
WARREN LAVENDER, SURVIVED TSUNAMI: Well, at first we thought it was just --- it was going to be another normal dive. But when we got about -- to about 30 feet, I'd say, all of a sudden there was a tremendous -- there was a current, and we were holding onto a pilot rope with all our strength, and we had no idea what it was. We wasn't -- we weren't sure if it's something that normally happened there. But it was just -- it was very unenjoyable.
COLLINS: Well, Warren, what did you feel? I mean, as you were going down in the water, what did it feel like on your person as you went lower and lower?
W. LAVENDER: Well, it basically felt -- when we were going lower and lower, it felt as if there was like an underwater hurricane or something. It was just such a strong current.
We knew that if we let go that we'd just be swept away. And so Julie and myself, both, I was looking up at her. She was a little higher than I was, and I was just looking to see if she could even hang on. It was that bad that I thought for sure one of us was going to get swept away.
COLLINS: And we should make it clear to our viewers that right now we're looking at some video from Sri Lanka, which is where you were. But clearly not in the exact same area. I just want to be clear there.
Julie, what happened when you came up? Did you realize at this point that a tsunami had hit?
JULIE LAVENDER, SURVIVED TSUNAMI: No. We had no idea.
The waves were a little rough going out in the boat up to the dive site, and coming back about the same. When we got closer to the beach we realized that there was no beach anymore, and the buildings along the beach had started to be collapsing. And the drivers of the boat, who were locals -- locals there, the expression on their face, you could tell that there was something they'd never seen before.
So -- so it was pretty scary. And then we saw the debris floating in the water and realized something major had happened. But had no idea what it was.
COLLINS: But you did decide to go to land. Some other people we've spoken with decided to stay out in the water. You guys decided to go on land. What happened next?
W. LAVENDER: Well, the reason we decided to go on land is that we were -- we were supposed to initially land right beside this river. And what had happened is that the tsunami had gone up the river, and it was starting to come back down.
And it was carrying all the debris. And there was furniture, pieces of houses, things like that. And so we just didn't really think we had a choice.
And everyone was screaming at the boat pilot to get us to land. And once we hit land we saw another wave coming in from the ocean. So we just ran. We just -- not in any direction, but just away from the wave.
COLLINS: This is only the fifth time that you guys have done some diving. What are your thoughts now as you look back on this? And as you are safe, looking at some of the reports coming in, how do you feel about things?
J. LAVENDER: Well, I was a little apprehensive about going diving that day anyway. You know, the previous day there was a pretty strong current, too, but nothing like that day.
So after we got back in the boat, I felt safe in the boat. And I thought, oh, I don't think I'll be doing this for a while. And, you know, once we realized what had happened I thought we were so lucky that we -- probably that we were under water when we were.
COLLINS: I know that you were worried about a couple of friends of yours, Mark and Sue Edwards, their sons, Jack and Sam -- Jack and Sam. Tell us quickly about what happened.
W. LAVENDER: Well, we were -- no one had known where they were. And they were just -- they're some colleagues of ours and friends from the -- from the school.
We never really knew where they went. Because in talking to them prior to vacation, we knew they were going to be in Thailand. And they were excited about going to the beach. So we hadn't heard from them until our superintendent called us today from South Africa and told us that they had contacted their parents.
COLLINS: Oh.
W. LAVENDER: So we're extremely relieved.
COLLINS: Oh, wonderful news. I'm so happy to hear it. And again, thrilled to hear your story, as well. To the two of you, Warren and Julie, thanks for being with us.
SANCHEZ: The Bush administration has put together a four-nation coalition to try and organize humanitarian relief for this tsunami disaster. White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is joining us now from Washington with more on the developing relief efforts thus far.
What's the plan, Suzanne?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rick, of course the White House is still developing that plan. It was just yesterday that President Bush emerged from his Crawford ranch -- this was four days after the tsunami hit -- to publicly offer his condolences and to talk about a long-term solution here.
He said that the $35 million is really just the beginning. That he's been on the phone with world leaders of those countries most effected by the tsunami. And, of course, that they'll be working with a group, Japan, India and Australia, to help coordinate the relief efforts. Now, as over the last couple of days, Bush critics have said the president has squandered the opportunity to show world leadership and compassion by not coming out earlier publicly to show his support. But aides say that the president was assessing the information, that he did not want to come out publicly until they had the specifics on U.S. aid. And the president again dismissing this notion, the suggestion that perhaps the U.S. and other wealthy nations have been stingy in their aid to needy countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I felt like the person who made that statement was very misguided, and ill informed. The -- 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, in fairness to that person, the U.N. relief official earlier on AMERICAN MORNING of course saying that he was not specifically talking about the United States or this particular disaster. But that in general he felt that wealthy nations could contribute more.
Now, Rick, I should let you know as well, not included in that $35 million figure is the massive relief effort that the Pentagon has undertaken, the humanitarian effort we actually have seen in Japan. They are releasing supplies, giving out supplies from cargo ships, cargo planes. There's also a USS aircraft carrier that's on the way, as well as other warships that will be intimately involved in this relief effort -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Suzanne Malveaux following things there for us. We thank you, Suzanne.
And remember, you can always logon to cnn.com for the very latest information on the tsunami disaster. There are more really incredible stories from survivors coming in hourly, and information on relief efforts, as well. It's going to show you what to do if you want to help the victims of the tragedy, as well -- Heidi.
COLLINS: There is other news going on, though, as well. And Carol Costello is here to tell us all about it.
Hi, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I am. Good morning. Good morning to you.
"Now in the News," just one month ahead of Iraqi elections, insurgents launching separate attacks on four police stations in Baghdad. The assaults sparking an overnight firefight killing at least three insurgents. The clash came as militants used explosives to attack an American outpost in the northern city of Mosul. At least one U.S. soldier has now died of injury sustained during that fighting.
In the Middle East, Israeli forces are launching a new incursion in southern Gaza. Palestinian forces say at least three Palestinians were killed when Israeli troops fired rockets into a refugee camp. In the meantime, Israeli troops backed by tanks rolled into the area overnight in another operation aimed at rooting out Hamas fighters.
Here in the United States, Democrat Christine Gregoire is expected to be certified today as the winner in Washington State's extra-close governor's race. But, her rival, Republican Dino Rossi, is calling for a revote to the revote to the original vote. He says it's the only way to ensure people have faith in the government. A hand recount in the state showed Gregoire beat Rossi by just 129 votes.
And in northern Arizona, authorities are assessing the damage this morning after a powerful winter storm. Record rainfall triggering mudslides and flooding causing water levels to rise at least a foot in parts of the state. A search also expected to get under way again shortly for two college students swept up in the floodwaters you're seeing here.
And I guess, Chad, it's not over yet there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: All right. Thanks a lot, Chad.
Our tsunami coverage continues. And for one American family, it's a horrific ordeal that finally comes to an end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People screaming as maybe the water hit them. There were trees cracking. It was just so horrible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: A mother, father and two young daughters outrun a deadly wall of water. What they saw before coming home to their loved ones.
COLLINS: And just how strong was the earthquake that caused the tsunamis? Would you believe it altered the Earth's rotation? Some amazing tsunami science ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Nearly 70 earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 or greater have struck in the Indian Ocean region since Sunday's initial quake. An aftershock measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale struck the nearby Nicobar Islands, for example.
Here to try and help us get a since of this historic seismic event and its continuing aftermath is John Mutter, professor of geophysics at Columbia University's Earth Institute. Professor, thanks so much for being with us.
JOHN MUTTER, PROFESSOR OF GEOPHYSICS: Oh, you're very welcome.
SANCHEZ: Let's start with some of these aftershocks. We understand as many as 70 of them?
MUTTER: Yes. All large earthquakes. All earthquakes generate aftershocks.
What happened was the main shock occurred just off Sumatra. But it opened a gash in the Earth more than 1,000 kilometers long, north of where the epicenter occurred.
All along there, there will be continued shocks following the main shock. So they're called aftershocks. They'll all be smaller and get smaller with time. But because the first shock was a magnitude 9, really very large, the aftershocks are also fairly large.
SANCHEZ: But yet in India this morning there was a report of a tsunami warning issued by the government or people in the government that caused a bit of a panic in some of the coastal areas. How do you explain that? Did they overreact?
MUTTER: I don't know that they did. A large aftershock magnitude 6 or 7 is sure to cause some sort of a tidal wave. It will not be as large as the one that was experienced on the 26th.
SANCHEZ: Are you saying it's possible that as a result of some of these aftershocks that are being felt -- for example, Nicobar Island, we mentioned something 6.2 magnitude I think was the highest they've registered there. That -- is that enough to cause yet another tsunami experience?
MUTTER: It could certainly cause another one. It would not be as large. They will scale with the size of the earthquake.
SANCHEZ: So if you were guiding the effort there in these countries, what would you tell them that they should be doing as far as preparing people for what the eventuality of another one then?
MUTTER: Another one in the next few days?
SANCHEZ: Another tsunami in that region. Should they keep people off the coast, for example?
MUTTER: They can't keep people off the coast. They've got to clear the coast, make people safe, get them out of the way, build better, stronger structures. In the next few days the size of the earthquakes will diminish. The tsunami risk will diminish with it.
SANCHEZ: Let me ask you about the actual earthquake that took place between these two. Was it, what, the Burmese and the Indian plate?
MUTTER: Yes. SANCHEZ: One essentially just climbed on top of the other? Is that what happened?
MUTTER: Really one pushes down beneath the other.
SANCHEZ: One goes underneath the other. Explain to us how that caused the shift in the ocean and the waves, the waves' activity.
MUTTER: Basically what happened, in a gash more than 1,000 kilometers long, so 700 miles or so, the earth beneath the ocean instantaneously dropped something like 30 meters. So that instantaneously creates sort of a trough in the ocean, which creates a wave. And that propagates away from the source in a line to the west towards Sri Lanka and India.
SANCHEZ: Two quick questions before we run out of time. A, is it true that it actually changed or altered the Earth's rotation? And B, could it happen here?
MUTTER: Very slightly, by a few thousandths of a second.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
MUTTER: But yes, the mass of the Earth was shifted enough that its rotation speed actually changed. So the length of the day actually changed very slightly.
SANCHEZ: And could it happen in one of our coasts?
MUTTER: Not quite the same. You can generate a tsunami from an underwater landslide, and that's possible in the islands, the Canary Islands. You had a piece earlier on this morning on this.
It's unlikely to generate a tsunami anything like the same size. But even a 10 or 15-foot wave coming in to the low-lying areas around Manhattan would be tremendously destructive.
SANCHEZ: Thank you, professor. Good to talk to somebody who knows as much as you do about something like this. Thanks for helping us out.
MUTTER: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Heidi, back over to you.
COLLINS: This morning, one American family has finally made it home from a tsunami-ravaged island in Thailand. They survived the ordeal by rushing to higher ground. The father, mother and two children have been reunited now with thrilled family members. Rusty Dornin was at the airport in San Francisco as the family came home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The fears and anxieties...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There they are.
DORNIN: ... finally erased as the Firmage family comes home. James, Vivian, Caitlin, 10, and 7-year-old Makayla (ph), outran a wall of water on Phi Phi Island in Thailand. They were on the beach and noticed the water behaving strangely.
VIVIAN FIRMAGE, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: It really sucked really far back out, and then you could just see this ridge of water. And then one of the locals tapped my little one and said, "Start to run."
DORNIN: So they ran for their lives. Caitlin couldn't see what was coming, but she could hear it.
CAITLIN FIRMAGE, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: The sound was just horrible. It sounded like a jet engine just right maybe five feet behind you. People screaming as maybe the water hit them. And the trees cracking in half, floating. It was just so horrible.
DORNIN: Their hotel was leveled, their belongings sucked out to sea. They spent the night on a hill with about 200 other survivors, awed by their survival and the kindness of the local people.
JAMES FIRMAGE, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: They were so generous. They were missing their village, they were missing their families, and they would -- they brought up food and supplies. And we all sort of camped out on top of this jungle.
DORNIN: So much death and devastation. The Firmages said they tried to hide their girls from much of it, but the images won't be forgotten. Seven-year-old Makayla (ph) was keeping a journal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know if I really want to write about it because it was pretty scary.
DORNIN: Both James and Vivian didn't think they would make it out alive, let alone make it home.
V. FIRMAGE: I can't describe it. I just -- I'm just so glad to be home. I just want to go home.
DORNIN: And that they did.
Rusty Dornin, CNN, San Francisco.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Other family members are no doubt relieved. They're calling the family's homecoming a miracle.
SANCHEZ: They were sucked into the ocean, a giant wall of water rushing overhead. And shockingly, getting caught in the wave may have actually saved their lives. It's a lucky couple sharing their remarkable story on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back to AMERICAN MORNING. Time to check in with Toure and the "Question of the Day."
TOURE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. We've got some good answers now. The "Question of the Day" is, what should America's resolution -- New Year's resolution be for 2005?
Charles from Savannah, Georgia, "We need to understand being the world's only superpower does not mean we have the right to be the world's biggest bully, but rather we have the responsibility to be the world's moral leader."
Lisa from Central Islip says, "In light of the tsunami devastation asking the question, 'Could this happen here,' highlights the 'it's all about me attitude' and diminishes the notion of what we can do for them."
And the e-mail of the day from Lisa in Minnesota. "We should require President Bush and all world leaders, corporate and political, to practice bikram yoga daily. Perhaps 90 minutes of thoughtful body movement in a 110-degree room with no distractions could help them feel more compassionate toward others."
Love that Lisa.
SANCHEZ: You big on yoga, are you?
TOURE: Yes, I like yoga. Yes. You get your workout, you see some girls. It's a great hour to have.
SANCHEZ: You see some girls.
COLLINS: What does that have to do with anything?
TOURE: They're all there.
SANCHEZ: It's a good answer, young man.
COLLINS: All right, Toure. Thank you. We'll check back a little later.
For now, though, the race is on to keep a staggering death toll from going even further. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in Sri Lanka. He's going to tell us about the biggest challenges facing doctors there right now ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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