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American Morning
Amid Catastrophic Losses, Heartwarming Stories of Survival
Aired December 31, 2004 - 08:00 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: Too many to count -- ahead, at least 80,000 dead, but Indonesia may be ready to give up trying to count. Sending a strong message along with aid. Ahead this hour, U.S. officials of the highest level headed for the scene of devastation. And a father's prayer -- ahead, one man travels around the world to find his son. And with some help from CNN, they're together, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning.
Good morning, everybody.
We are looking at a live shot now coming to you from Sydney Harbor. This is a live shot. And guess what? It is new year's, January 1st there, beautiful shot, just past midnight of January 2005. Over the next couple of hours, the new year will spread from the Far East to South Asia and beyond. So you can see these Australians observing a wonderful time tonight. They actually are planning to observe a moment of silence in response to what has happened with the tsunami. And also trying to raise about $10 million Australian, they say, in order to sort of give their contribution from their continent. There's a lot of talk in that city of Sydney about trying to cancel the celebration. And they decided no, you know what? We're going to go ahead and we're going to do this and try to raise money, in fact.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. Turn it into a reason to celebrate, as a matter of fact, and help the tsunami victims.
COLLINS: Right.
SANCHEZ: Well, six days after disaster struck in Southeast Asia, thousands more are dead and the threat of disease is growing for survivors.
Here's what we know right now as we continue to bring it to you here on CNN.
The total death toll stands at more than 135,000. More than half of those are in Indonesia alone, a development that happened over the last 48 hours. At first, the focus was on Sri Lanka.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, brother of the president, are going to head to the region Sunday to try and assess the humanitarian needs there.
The State Department says thousands of Americans remain unaccounted for. Fourteen Americans are now confirmed dead. And the U.N. says the total amount of aid pledged is now at half a billion dollars, but that much more is still needed.
New photos taken before and after the disaster actually show the full extent of the devastation on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Let's see if we can break it down for you.
This is a satellite image of the city of Banda Aceh, at the island's northern tip. That's before the massive waves hit. Now, change the picture. This is what it looked like after. The city was just 60 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake. Indonesian officials say nearly 80,000 people have died in that region you're looking at right there alone.
COLLINS: Amid the catastrophic losses, also the heartwarming stories of survival. Among them, an American father goes to Thailand in search of his son, feared lost near the coastal tourist resort of Phuket. On arrival, though, Dr. Ed Aleo learned in a call back home that Ed, Jr. is alive and well.
The Aleos are joining us now live once again from Phuket, Thailand.
Hope to have better luck this time around, gentlemen.
Nice to see you.
And I want to ask you, Dr. Aleo, what is it like sitting next to your son now and knowing that he's OK?
DR. ED ALEO, SURVIVOR'S FATHER: It's great. It's really good.
COLLINS: We started to talk before about how long of a journey you made not really having any idea if or when you would be able to find your son.
Can you tell us what happened and what made you want to go directly over?
D.E. ALEO: Well, I heard from my son, as I mentioned before, on Christmas morning at about 8:00 in the morning our time in New York. And then, which was 8:00 at night here. And then 12 hours later, the tsunami came. When I woke up, as I mentioned, I immediately heard the news and started to worry. After some time of not hearing him and calling his cell phone, after about 24 hours, I decided that I would go and find my son.
COLLINS: And Ed, Jr., you know, you were on a pretty remote island.
Did you have any idea the scope of what had happened around you?
ED ALEO, JR., SURVIVED TSUNAMI: No. I didn't realize that it was quite as devastating as it really was. The island that I was on is Kopaina (ph) on the western coast of Thailand. And we got hit by a wall of water high, fast rising water, but it wasn't too much damage on the island, on that island. Nobody died and there wasn't any real serious injuries. So, you know, I heard that people had died, but it really, it didn't hit home because you weren't really seeing it and I didn't really want to travel anywhere at that time, just because I knew other people were, you know, having difficult times and I just thought it would be better to stay where I was. And I tried to get word out that everything was OK, but within the confusion I didn't reach home in time.
So, yes, but as I say, it was pretty normal. Things were going on as normal in Kopaina. So, you know, in my little microcosm, everything seemed OK.
COLLINS: Right. And we've heard similar stories like that, little pockets of places, you know, seemingly normal.
Did you have any idea that your dad was actually going to come over there and try to find you?
E. ALEO, JR.: No. I was on the island. We were doing our thing. And then, you know, there was reports that people were dying and, you know, I knew this was happening. But, again, it didn't hit home because you weren't really seeing it. Everyone else in Thailand and other places in the world were actually seeing this happening, where I wasn't. So after several days, we decided to make a journey back to the mainland. And it wasn't until I got back on the mainland and receive mobile phone service again that, you know, everybody was looking for me and they told me my father is concerned and on his way to Thailand, etc.
So then I was just like oh, boy.
COLLINS: You were in trouble.
E. ALEO, JR.: Yes.
COLLINS: Doctor Aleo...
E. ALEO, JR.: But it's good to see him and I'm happy that, you know, it worked out so well.
COLLINS: Boy, so are we.
Dr. Aleo, tell me what that was like when you first made eye contact with Ed, Jr. And we are looking at it now on the screen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
D.E. ALEO: Jeez, it's good to see you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
D.E. ALEO: Well, it was great. I was very excited. Of course, as I -- when I was getting on a plane from Bangkok to come to Phuket, I did receive information that my son was OK and that he was in Krabi. At that time, I was going to Phuket. I was already heading for Krabi, but we decided to switch and go to Phuket. So then, you know, so I knew that he was there and so I was quite excited at that point. When I saw him, it was really exciting for me. When you see what happened and you see the carnage and you realize that, how lucky we are as a family and how lucky Americans are that there was 600 Americans, which is devastating, who died, and the Europeans probably 4,000 or better. It's -- it was -- it's terrible. So...
COLLINS: Yes, it certainly is.
D.E. ALEO: So my son and I are lucky. And I personally am excited.
Go ahead.
COLLINS: Well, again, we are very happy to hear your story today. And lucky is certainly the word for it.
Thanks so much, gentlemen, for being with us.
We do appreciate your time.
The Aleos today from Phuket.
Meanwhile, a California couple on a sailing trip off the coast of Phuket, Thailand survived the tsunami, as well, but actually had no idea how bad the disaster was until they became heroes themselves.
Ted Rowlands has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): Back home in Southern California, Julie Sobolewski and John Henke are telling their incredible story of survival and heroism. With Julie's 25-year-old son, Casey, the three were on day seven of 10 day sailing off the coast of Thailand when the tsunami hit.
JOHN HENKE, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: We didn't know how big it was going to be, that it was going to be as big as it was. But we kind of were aware that something big was about to happen.
ROWLANDS: Their boat, one of many in the water at the time, was headed towards a popular sandbar.
JULIE SOBOLEWSKI, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: It gets bigger and bigger. And then the next thing I notice is that the sandbar and the people on it are just gone.
ROWLANDS: Because of the location behind the sandbar, they were able to withstand the waves. Other boats were not.
SOBOLEWSKI: As soon as that water hit those boats, they just pretty much blew apart. And now there are all these people in the water hanging onto pieces of wood or parts of the boats yelling, "Help me, help me." HENKE: You just do what has to be done. We didn't really ever question what we had to do. You know, you grab as many people that you can grab right away and get them to safety.
SOBOLEWSKI: They were very scared and shocked. And they were yelling, "Children, children!" They didn't speak much English. They spoke about enough to say, "Help me" and "Thank you." A lot of "Thank you."
ROWLANDS: After dropping off 21 people, they went back and found more, including this group stranded on a rock. By the time the sun went down, they had been at it for more than six hours. All told, they believe they pulled 35 people from the water.
HENKE: Ten minutes either way could have made a big difference for not only ourselves, but for the 35 people we pulled out of the water.
ROWLANDS: They didn't realize the scope of the disaster until much later.
SOBOLEWSKI: It made me think a little bit about how important our family and our relationships and our friends are and how we're really just here for a short time.
ROWLANDS: Ted Rowlands, CNN, Oceanside, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Here to tell us more about this courageous story is John Henke.
He's joining us now live from San Diego.
John, thank you for being here.
It really is an absolutely incredible story.
How did you have the presence of mind, even though you already had people on your boat, to then go back and try to rescue more people?
HENKE: Well, there just wasn't any doubt. If there's people in the water and the water is too turbulent to move, you -- somebody had to go do something and get them.
COLLINS: Did you have any thoughts that ran through your head like well, maybe we're running out of time. We've got this group of people we need to get to shore quickly? Or were you determined to stay out in the water?
HENKE: We stayed out as much as we could. We were very conscious, because we actually experienced three different sets of waves and went through a second set with a large group of people on the boat. So we were continually watching for more wave. COLLINS: Right. And I know in talking about that, you had 21 survivors on the boat with you at one point. And then you became very worried about it actually capsizing.
What happened then?
HENKE: Well, a second set of waves came and we tried to outrun it first. We -- I figured out pretty quickly that we weren't going to outrun it. So we slowed the boat down, turned and to take the waves head on. And, which we did. But there was so much surge, I had a real difficult time controlling the boat and keeping the bow into the surge. And if we had turned sideways, things might have been different. I don't know about a capsize, but it would have been a pretty hairy experience.
COLLINS: Right.
When did you decide it was really, it was time to call it quits, the rescue effort just needed to be over?
HENKE: Our last, the last person we picked up was a fatality. It was a woman that had died snorkeling. And when we got her on board our dinghy, we -- it was shortly after that that we decided, OK, we're done searching. It's time to do -- to take care of this one, which is going to take longer. And we stopped looking.
COLLINS: That must have been very difficult for you.
During those six hours, it was a long time that all of this was going on.
When did you discover that you had survived, really, a much, much bigger tragedy?
HENKE: We really had no idea. That evening, late that evening when -- by the time we're done coming back from town, seeing the authorities, we meet another private yacht that has managed to bring up the BBC. And at that point, all we know is that there's been a large earthquake in Sumatra. But we still, there's no idea of the scope of devastation. And it's not until the very next day, when we're headed back to the base in Phuket, that we learn that this is a world class, a world sized disaster. We were pretty humbled by that.
COLLINS: I'm sure you were and I know that there have been so many thank yous that have come your way...
HENKE: That's true.
COLLINS: ... but probably never enough from those people that you saved.
Thanks for your story here, John.
I appreciate it.
HENKE: You're welcome. Good morning.
COLLINS: And remember, as this story continues to unfold, you can log onto cnn.com for the latest information on the tsunami disaster. There are many more firsthand accounts from survivors and information on relief efforts. It'll show you how to help the victims of this tragedy.
SANCHEZ: A lot of other stories that we're following for you on this New Year's Eve.
And let's check in to get those headlines from Daryn Kagan.
She's standing by at the CNN Center in Atlanta -- hey, Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Rick, good morning.
We begin with a CNN "Security Watch." Federal authorities are probing the latest report of a laser directed at a landing airplane. A pilot at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey says three lasers were shined into his cockpit on Wednesday night, the seventh such report in the past several days. All flights landed safely. It's not clear if these incidents are related.
To New York now, some high tech security preparations are under way for the big ball drop in Times Square. Authorities are putting up barricades, welding down manhole covers. They're also testing air quality every hour. The NYPD's entire fleet of helicopters is expected to patrol from the skies. And down below, officials conducting the annual ball test. The crew even rehearsed the countdown for the New Year's Eve festivities. The city is expecting a million people to watch the ball drop down the 70-foot pole less than 16 hours from now, as 2004 coming to a close.
Let's get some health news in here for you. A new study shows problems with weight are beginning even earlier. Researchers say more than 10 percent of preschoolers between the ages of two and five are overweight. That is up from 7 percent a decade ago. The American Heart Association calls those statistics alarming.
And days after recovering from massive rains, California is now getting pummeled by snow. Blizzard conditions slowing down traffic in the Sierra Nevada. Highway Patrol now only letting vehicles with chains or snow tires use the freeway. At least seven deaths are being blamed on the weather in the western part of the country.
Chad Myers following the weather for us.
You know if you're talking chains, you're talking the West.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
KAGAN: Yes.
MYERS: And there is even -- there's places where you get to pull off and put those chains on. KAGAN: No, no, where you pay somebody to put the chains on for you.
MYERS: Exactly. I was going to say, and then there are entrepreneurs that are out there to put them on for you for a few dollars.
KAGAN: Yes.
MYERS: Yes.
Good morning, Daryn.
Good morning, West Coast.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: Well, you know, you keep hearing about all that wall of water that just washed over Southeast Asia. Well, we've got some stunning news pictures. They're going to show you just how massive it really was. It's a frightening new perspective. It's going to be straight ahead, so stay with us on that.
Also, Sri Lanka was gripped by a civil war when this tsunami hit. Will the warring factions put down their weapons in order to save lives?
And is it possible too much is actually getting in the way of a relief effort? What do we mean? We'll explain, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: As we've been covering this story, we've been getting new video in from time to time. We just received some video. This is coming in from Thailand. We'll look at it together.
As it's described to us, it's a shot of a wave. It's on Patong Beach. That's right there in Phuket, Thailand. There it is. It seems to be crashing over what appeared to be a bit of a seawall just as it came upon one of the luxury hotels there. That's the picture as we see it coming in. Again, that's at Patong Beach. And you saw the size of the wave as it started to come over at the very first. That's why we continue to follow this story.
The latest death toll in Thailand, by the way, at 4,000 at this point.
The International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies have launched their largest humanitarian operation in decades. And to fund the tsunami relief, they're appealing for $59 million now.
Mostafa Monaghegh is helping to coordinate the agency's efforts.
And he's joining us now from Geneva, Switzerland.
Let's start there, the $59 million figure that you hope will come from the United States.
Why $59 million? How did you come on that figure?
MOSTAFA MONAGHEGH, INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION OF RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT: Yes, good morning to you.
I think we have to start in every disaster response operation from the field development. So, the people who are first to respond. And then the second thing is actually, based on the assessment information that we received, we plan to react to the disaster.
We appealed in the first day of the disaster, based on the information we had, for about $6 million. Then a few days later, two days ago, that was revised based on the new information we got from the field for about $59 million U.S. And, of course, the assessment is going on based on new information and then the data and information we get from the field, we have to expand our program.
So this is a normal process in disaster response.
SANCHEZ: There's at least one report that we have followed that says there could be five million people with just the bare necessities to get by, five million people. That is a lot of people.
How do you decide which ones get the aid first?
MONAGHEGH: Yes. I guess that this number is the total number of the people who are affected.
SANCHEZ: Right.
MONAGHEGH: When the total population is affected, of course, the number is big. Among these people, there are those who have lost everything. They are in need of the immediate relief supplies. There are some people who have lost their properties, houses. So they're classified in different categories and groups.
But the five million actually is the total number of people who we know, until now, are affected by the disaster.
SANCHEZ: Now, Peter Rees, who's one of your operations guys, says that unsolicited goods are now creating confusion to the point where they're actually getting in the way.
Explain to people here watching this broadcast now who may be interested in helping what you mean -- what he means by that, what Mr. Rees means when he says unsolicited goods possibly getting in the way.
MONAGHEGH: Yes. The philosophy behind this logical statement is that when such a big disaster happens and occurs, the social infrastructure is destroyed. Therefore, there is a minimum capacity and facilities to organize response and relief operations, talking about communications, transportation, whatever.
Therefore, this minimum capacity should be kept and maintained to provide the relevant, immediate needs or supplies to the people who are in need. Unsolicited contributions or assistance or those which are not based on the needs or priorities, they are sent and they need actually the same handling -- transportation facilities. And that makes the job even more difficult.
Therefore, our message is that the contributions should be based on the needs and also on the priorities so that this available capacity in the field is enough to handle the distribution.
SANCHEZ: So the best thing to do is then send funds so that you guys can figure out what you're going to do with those funds and then buy the things necessary, don't be sending clothes or other merchandise that'll be hard for you guys to warehouse.
Message clear.
Mostafa Monaghegh with the Red Cross and the Red Crescent.
We thank you, sir, for bringing us up to date on this vital information -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Lieutenant Michael Penny (ph) faces deadly risks every day in Iraq. But worries about a newborn son back home overshadow those concerns. His touching story ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We want to go ahead and check in with Toure' now and The Question of the Day -- good morning.
TOURE', CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: How are you, Heidi?
COLLINS: Good.
TOURE': Listen, as the last grains of 2004 sift away, it's clear, at least to me, this was the year of schaudenfraude, the enjoyment of another's downfall. It was the year we loved to laugh at one another. Republicans laughed at Democrats after the election. Red Sox fans laughed at Yankees fans, but not this year. And many of us felt no guilt enjoying the figurative falls of Martha, Kobe, Rush, Bill O'Reilly and Bernie Kerik, and the literal fall of Castro. It was the year the mighty fell and the rest of us enjoyed the show.
But what do you think? Our question is what made 2004 unforgettable?
J.R. from Vicksburg, Mississippi says: "This year marked an unforgettable and irreversible turn in America's repetition as a democratic, dignified country to a warmongering smirking nation in the eyes of the world. George Bush has run up a moral tab that our children will be forced to pay."
Jerry from Georgia: "We can see people playing on the beach from outer space and yet we were unable to warn hundreds of thousands of imminent danger. It's time for the United Nations to set new strategies and redefine its purpose." Eugene from Michigan: "2004 was the most blatantly biased and bigoted year Americans ever lived on all fronts. We were deadly divided instead of united. No outside enemy could ever bring the U.S. down, but a divided house falls from within."
Interesting.
COLLINS: Yes. Are you getting a lot of them this morning?
TOURE': Yes. It was a big year, lots of thoughts on everyone's minds.
COLLINS: Yes, I'm sure.
All right, we're going to check in with you a little bit later on.
TOURE': Good.
COLLINS: Thanks, Toure'.
SANCHEZ: In one Asian country, the tsunamis were so powerful that even the barriers of war couldn't withstand them. That's right, civil wars in several areas. It's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired December 31, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Too many to count -- ahead, at least 80,000 dead, but Indonesia may be ready to give up trying to count. Sending a strong message along with aid. Ahead this hour, U.S. officials of the highest level headed for the scene of devastation. And a father's prayer -- ahead, one man travels around the world to find his son. And with some help from CNN, they're together, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning.
Good morning, everybody.
We are looking at a live shot now coming to you from Sydney Harbor. This is a live shot. And guess what? It is new year's, January 1st there, beautiful shot, just past midnight of January 2005. Over the next couple of hours, the new year will spread from the Far East to South Asia and beyond. So you can see these Australians observing a wonderful time tonight. They actually are planning to observe a moment of silence in response to what has happened with the tsunami. And also trying to raise about $10 million Australian, they say, in order to sort of give their contribution from their continent. There's a lot of talk in that city of Sydney about trying to cancel the celebration. And they decided no, you know what? We're going to go ahead and we're going to do this and try to raise money, in fact.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. Turn it into a reason to celebrate, as a matter of fact, and help the tsunami victims.
COLLINS: Right.
SANCHEZ: Well, six days after disaster struck in Southeast Asia, thousands more are dead and the threat of disease is growing for survivors.
Here's what we know right now as we continue to bring it to you here on CNN.
The total death toll stands at more than 135,000. More than half of those are in Indonesia alone, a development that happened over the last 48 hours. At first, the focus was on Sri Lanka.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, brother of the president, are going to head to the region Sunday to try and assess the humanitarian needs there.
The State Department says thousands of Americans remain unaccounted for. Fourteen Americans are now confirmed dead. And the U.N. says the total amount of aid pledged is now at half a billion dollars, but that much more is still needed.
New photos taken before and after the disaster actually show the full extent of the devastation on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Let's see if we can break it down for you.
This is a satellite image of the city of Banda Aceh, at the island's northern tip. That's before the massive waves hit. Now, change the picture. This is what it looked like after. The city was just 60 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake. Indonesian officials say nearly 80,000 people have died in that region you're looking at right there alone.
COLLINS: Amid the catastrophic losses, also the heartwarming stories of survival. Among them, an American father goes to Thailand in search of his son, feared lost near the coastal tourist resort of Phuket. On arrival, though, Dr. Ed Aleo learned in a call back home that Ed, Jr. is alive and well.
The Aleos are joining us now live once again from Phuket, Thailand.
Hope to have better luck this time around, gentlemen.
Nice to see you.
And I want to ask you, Dr. Aleo, what is it like sitting next to your son now and knowing that he's OK?
DR. ED ALEO, SURVIVOR'S FATHER: It's great. It's really good.
COLLINS: We started to talk before about how long of a journey you made not really having any idea if or when you would be able to find your son.
Can you tell us what happened and what made you want to go directly over?
D.E. ALEO: Well, I heard from my son, as I mentioned before, on Christmas morning at about 8:00 in the morning our time in New York. And then, which was 8:00 at night here. And then 12 hours later, the tsunami came. When I woke up, as I mentioned, I immediately heard the news and started to worry. After some time of not hearing him and calling his cell phone, after about 24 hours, I decided that I would go and find my son.
COLLINS: And Ed, Jr., you know, you were on a pretty remote island.
Did you have any idea the scope of what had happened around you?
ED ALEO, JR., SURVIVED TSUNAMI: No. I didn't realize that it was quite as devastating as it really was. The island that I was on is Kopaina (ph) on the western coast of Thailand. And we got hit by a wall of water high, fast rising water, but it wasn't too much damage on the island, on that island. Nobody died and there wasn't any real serious injuries. So, you know, I heard that people had died, but it really, it didn't hit home because you weren't really seeing it and I didn't really want to travel anywhere at that time, just because I knew other people were, you know, having difficult times and I just thought it would be better to stay where I was. And I tried to get word out that everything was OK, but within the confusion I didn't reach home in time.
So, yes, but as I say, it was pretty normal. Things were going on as normal in Kopaina. So, you know, in my little microcosm, everything seemed OK.
COLLINS: Right. And we've heard similar stories like that, little pockets of places, you know, seemingly normal.
Did you have any idea that your dad was actually going to come over there and try to find you?
E. ALEO, JR.: No. I was on the island. We were doing our thing. And then, you know, there was reports that people were dying and, you know, I knew this was happening. But, again, it didn't hit home because you weren't really seeing it. Everyone else in Thailand and other places in the world were actually seeing this happening, where I wasn't. So after several days, we decided to make a journey back to the mainland. And it wasn't until I got back on the mainland and receive mobile phone service again that, you know, everybody was looking for me and they told me my father is concerned and on his way to Thailand, etc.
So then I was just like oh, boy.
COLLINS: You were in trouble.
E. ALEO, JR.: Yes.
COLLINS: Doctor Aleo...
E. ALEO, JR.: But it's good to see him and I'm happy that, you know, it worked out so well.
COLLINS: Boy, so are we.
Dr. Aleo, tell me what that was like when you first made eye contact with Ed, Jr. And we are looking at it now on the screen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
D.E. ALEO: Jeez, it's good to see you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
D.E. ALEO: Well, it was great. I was very excited. Of course, as I -- when I was getting on a plane from Bangkok to come to Phuket, I did receive information that my son was OK and that he was in Krabi. At that time, I was going to Phuket. I was already heading for Krabi, but we decided to switch and go to Phuket. So then, you know, so I knew that he was there and so I was quite excited at that point. When I saw him, it was really exciting for me. When you see what happened and you see the carnage and you realize that, how lucky we are as a family and how lucky Americans are that there was 600 Americans, which is devastating, who died, and the Europeans probably 4,000 or better. It's -- it was -- it's terrible. So...
COLLINS: Yes, it certainly is.
D.E. ALEO: So my son and I are lucky. And I personally am excited.
Go ahead.
COLLINS: Well, again, we are very happy to hear your story today. And lucky is certainly the word for it.
Thanks so much, gentlemen, for being with us.
We do appreciate your time.
The Aleos today from Phuket.
Meanwhile, a California couple on a sailing trip off the coast of Phuket, Thailand survived the tsunami, as well, but actually had no idea how bad the disaster was until they became heroes themselves.
Ted Rowlands has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): Back home in Southern California, Julie Sobolewski and John Henke are telling their incredible story of survival and heroism. With Julie's 25-year-old son, Casey, the three were on day seven of 10 day sailing off the coast of Thailand when the tsunami hit.
JOHN HENKE, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: We didn't know how big it was going to be, that it was going to be as big as it was. But we kind of were aware that something big was about to happen.
ROWLANDS: Their boat, one of many in the water at the time, was headed towards a popular sandbar.
JULIE SOBOLEWSKI, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: It gets bigger and bigger. And then the next thing I notice is that the sandbar and the people on it are just gone.
ROWLANDS: Because of the location behind the sandbar, they were able to withstand the waves. Other boats were not.
SOBOLEWSKI: As soon as that water hit those boats, they just pretty much blew apart. And now there are all these people in the water hanging onto pieces of wood or parts of the boats yelling, "Help me, help me." HENKE: You just do what has to be done. We didn't really ever question what we had to do. You know, you grab as many people that you can grab right away and get them to safety.
SOBOLEWSKI: They were very scared and shocked. And they were yelling, "Children, children!" They didn't speak much English. They spoke about enough to say, "Help me" and "Thank you." A lot of "Thank you."
ROWLANDS: After dropping off 21 people, they went back and found more, including this group stranded on a rock. By the time the sun went down, they had been at it for more than six hours. All told, they believe they pulled 35 people from the water.
HENKE: Ten minutes either way could have made a big difference for not only ourselves, but for the 35 people we pulled out of the water.
ROWLANDS: They didn't realize the scope of the disaster until much later.
SOBOLEWSKI: It made me think a little bit about how important our family and our relationships and our friends are and how we're really just here for a short time.
ROWLANDS: Ted Rowlands, CNN, Oceanside, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Here to tell us more about this courageous story is John Henke.
He's joining us now live from San Diego.
John, thank you for being here.
It really is an absolutely incredible story.
How did you have the presence of mind, even though you already had people on your boat, to then go back and try to rescue more people?
HENKE: Well, there just wasn't any doubt. If there's people in the water and the water is too turbulent to move, you -- somebody had to go do something and get them.
COLLINS: Did you have any thoughts that ran through your head like well, maybe we're running out of time. We've got this group of people we need to get to shore quickly? Or were you determined to stay out in the water?
HENKE: We stayed out as much as we could. We were very conscious, because we actually experienced three different sets of waves and went through a second set with a large group of people on the boat. So we were continually watching for more wave. COLLINS: Right. And I know in talking about that, you had 21 survivors on the boat with you at one point. And then you became very worried about it actually capsizing.
What happened then?
HENKE: Well, a second set of waves came and we tried to outrun it first. We -- I figured out pretty quickly that we weren't going to outrun it. So we slowed the boat down, turned and to take the waves head on. And, which we did. But there was so much surge, I had a real difficult time controlling the boat and keeping the bow into the surge. And if we had turned sideways, things might have been different. I don't know about a capsize, but it would have been a pretty hairy experience.
COLLINS: Right.
When did you decide it was really, it was time to call it quits, the rescue effort just needed to be over?
HENKE: Our last, the last person we picked up was a fatality. It was a woman that had died snorkeling. And when we got her on board our dinghy, we -- it was shortly after that that we decided, OK, we're done searching. It's time to do -- to take care of this one, which is going to take longer. And we stopped looking.
COLLINS: That must have been very difficult for you.
During those six hours, it was a long time that all of this was going on.
When did you discover that you had survived, really, a much, much bigger tragedy?
HENKE: We really had no idea. That evening, late that evening when -- by the time we're done coming back from town, seeing the authorities, we meet another private yacht that has managed to bring up the BBC. And at that point, all we know is that there's been a large earthquake in Sumatra. But we still, there's no idea of the scope of devastation. And it's not until the very next day, when we're headed back to the base in Phuket, that we learn that this is a world class, a world sized disaster. We were pretty humbled by that.
COLLINS: I'm sure you were and I know that there have been so many thank yous that have come your way...
HENKE: That's true.
COLLINS: ... but probably never enough from those people that you saved.
Thanks for your story here, John.
I appreciate it.
HENKE: You're welcome. Good morning.
COLLINS: And remember, as this story continues to unfold, you can log onto cnn.com for the latest information on the tsunami disaster. There are many more firsthand accounts from survivors and information on relief efforts. It'll show you how to help the victims of this tragedy.
SANCHEZ: A lot of other stories that we're following for you on this New Year's Eve.
And let's check in to get those headlines from Daryn Kagan.
She's standing by at the CNN Center in Atlanta -- hey, Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Rick, good morning.
We begin with a CNN "Security Watch." Federal authorities are probing the latest report of a laser directed at a landing airplane. A pilot at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey says three lasers were shined into his cockpit on Wednesday night, the seventh such report in the past several days. All flights landed safely. It's not clear if these incidents are related.
To New York now, some high tech security preparations are under way for the big ball drop in Times Square. Authorities are putting up barricades, welding down manhole covers. They're also testing air quality every hour. The NYPD's entire fleet of helicopters is expected to patrol from the skies. And down below, officials conducting the annual ball test. The crew even rehearsed the countdown for the New Year's Eve festivities. The city is expecting a million people to watch the ball drop down the 70-foot pole less than 16 hours from now, as 2004 coming to a close.
Let's get some health news in here for you. A new study shows problems with weight are beginning even earlier. Researchers say more than 10 percent of preschoolers between the ages of two and five are overweight. That is up from 7 percent a decade ago. The American Heart Association calls those statistics alarming.
And days after recovering from massive rains, California is now getting pummeled by snow. Blizzard conditions slowing down traffic in the Sierra Nevada. Highway Patrol now only letting vehicles with chains or snow tires use the freeway. At least seven deaths are being blamed on the weather in the western part of the country.
Chad Myers following the weather for us.
You know if you're talking chains, you're talking the West.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
KAGAN: Yes.
MYERS: And there is even -- there's places where you get to pull off and put those chains on. KAGAN: No, no, where you pay somebody to put the chains on for you.
MYERS: Exactly. I was going to say, and then there are entrepreneurs that are out there to put them on for you for a few dollars.
KAGAN: Yes.
MYERS: Yes.
Good morning, Daryn.
Good morning, West Coast.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: Well, you know, you keep hearing about all that wall of water that just washed over Southeast Asia. Well, we've got some stunning news pictures. They're going to show you just how massive it really was. It's a frightening new perspective. It's going to be straight ahead, so stay with us on that.
Also, Sri Lanka was gripped by a civil war when this tsunami hit. Will the warring factions put down their weapons in order to save lives?
And is it possible too much is actually getting in the way of a relief effort? What do we mean? We'll explain, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: As we've been covering this story, we've been getting new video in from time to time. We just received some video. This is coming in from Thailand. We'll look at it together.
As it's described to us, it's a shot of a wave. It's on Patong Beach. That's right there in Phuket, Thailand. There it is. It seems to be crashing over what appeared to be a bit of a seawall just as it came upon one of the luxury hotels there. That's the picture as we see it coming in. Again, that's at Patong Beach. And you saw the size of the wave as it started to come over at the very first. That's why we continue to follow this story.
The latest death toll in Thailand, by the way, at 4,000 at this point.
The International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies have launched their largest humanitarian operation in decades. And to fund the tsunami relief, they're appealing for $59 million now.
Mostafa Monaghegh is helping to coordinate the agency's efforts.
And he's joining us now from Geneva, Switzerland.
Let's start there, the $59 million figure that you hope will come from the United States.
Why $59 million? How did you come on that figure?
MOSTAFA MONAGHEGH, INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION OF RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT: Yes, good morning to you.
I think we have to start in every disaster response operation from the field development. So, the people who are first to respond. And then the second thing is actually, based on the assessment information that we received, we plan to react to the disaster.
We appealed in the first day of the disaster, based on the information we had, for about $6 million. Then a few days later, two days ago, that was revised based on the new information we got from the field for about $59 million U.S. And, of course, the assessment is going on based on new information and then the data and information we get from the field, we have to expand our program.
So this is a normal process in disaster response.
SANCHEZ: There's at least one report that we have followed that says there could be five million people with just the bare necessities to get by, five million people. That is a lot of people.
How do you decide which ones get the aid first?
MONAGHEGH: Yes. I guess that this number is the total number of the people who are affected.
SANCHEZ: Right.
MONAGHEGH: When the total population is affected, of course, the number is big. Among these people, there are those who have lost everything. They are in need of the immediate relief supplies. There are some people who have lost their properties, houses. So they're classified in different categories and groups.
But the five million actually is the total number of people who we know, until now, are affected by the disaster.
SANCHEZ: Now, Peter Rees, who's one of your operations guys, says that unsolicited goods are now creating confusion to the point where they're actually getting in the way.
Explain to people here watching this broadcast now who may be interested in helping what you mean -- what he means by that, what Mr. Rees means when he says unsolicited goods possibly getting in the way.
MONAGHEGH: Yes. The philosophy behind this logical statement is that when such a big disaster happens and occurs, the social infrastructure is destroyed. Therefore, there is a minimum capacity and facilities to organize response and relief operations, talking about communications, transportation, whatever.
Therefore, this minimum capacity should be kept and maintained to provide the relevant, immediate needs or supplies to the people who are in need. Unsolicited contributions or assistance or those which are not based on the needs or priorities, they are sent and they need actually the same handling -- transportation facilities. And that makes the job even more difficult.
Therefore, our message is that the contributions should be based on the needs and also on the priorities so that this available capacity in the field is enough to handle the distribution.
SANCHEZ: So the best thing to do is then send funds so that you guys can figure out what you're going to do with those funds and then buy the things necessary, don't be sending clothes or other merchandise that'll be hard for you guys to warehouse.
Message clear.
Mostafa Monaghegh with the Red Cross and the Red Crescent.
We thank you, sir, for bringing us up to date on this vital information -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Lieutenant Michael Penny (ph) faces deadly risks every day in Iraq. But worries about a newborn son back home overshadow those concerns. His touching story ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: We want to go ahead and check in with Toure' now and The Question of the Day -- good morning.
TOURE', CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT, "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: How are you, Heidi?
COLLINS: Good.
TOURE': Listen, as the last grains of 2004 sift away, it's clear, at least to me, this was the year of schaudenfraude, the enjoyment of another's downfall. It was the year we loved to laugh at one another. Republicans laughed at Democrats after the election. Red Sox fans laughed at Yankees fans, but not this year. And many of us felt no guilt enjoying the figurative falls of Martha, Kobe, Rush, Bill O'Reilly and Bernie Kerik, and the literal fall of Castro. It was the year the mighty fell and the rest of us enjoyed the show.
But what do you think? Our question is what made 2004 unforgettable?
J.R. from Vicksburg, Mississippi says: "This year marked an unforgettable and irreversible turn in America's repetition as a democratic, dignified country to a warmongering smirking nation in the eyes of the world. George Bush has run up a moral tab that our children will be forced to pay."
Jerry from Georgia: "We can see people playing on the beach from outer space and yet we were unable to warn hundreds of thousands of imminent danger. It's time for the United Nations to set new strategies and redefine its purpose." Eugene from Michigan: "2004 was the most blatantly biased and bigoted year Americans ever lived on all fronts. We were deadly divided instead of united. No outside enemy could ever bring the U.S. down, but a divided house falls from within."
Interesting.
COLLINS: Yes. Are you getting a lot of them this morning?
TOURE': Yes. It was a big year, lots of thoughts on everyone's minds.
COLLINS: Yes, I'm sure.
All right, we're going to check in with you a little bit later on.
TOURE': Good.
COLLINS: Thanks, Toure'.
SANCHEZ: In one Asian country, the tsunamis were so powerful that even the barriers of war couldn't withstand them. That's right, civil wars in several areas. It's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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