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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Death Toll Continues To Rise In Wake Of South Asian Tsunami; Security Tight At New Year's Celebration In Times Square

Aired December 31, 2004 - 17:00   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.


JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS: "Happening Now," ringing in a new year. This is a live picture of the celebration in the Ukraine where crowds are gathered in Kiev's Independence Square.
And this is a live look at New York's Times Square where safety is a top concern. Standing by this hour for a CNN security watch overview, New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

And this just in to CNN. Reports from the Associated Press that the death toll from the tsunami is approaching 150,000.

Stand by for "Hard News" on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

Digging deeper. Stung by that stingy label, the U.S. announces an tenfold increase in disaster aid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: The United States contribution would now go up to $350 million.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Moment of panic. New video shows just how quickly the sea turned deadly. The tsunami didn't choose sides. What happened when the killer waves struck a war zone?

On call. A family of doctors on vacation volunteering to help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I say you (INAUDIBLE), we need to do something (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: In the right place at the right time.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Friday, December 31, 2004.

MESERVE: Thanks for joining us. I'm Jeanne Meserve in for Wolf Blitzer.

The new year is rolling in from time zone to time zone. You're looking at live pictures of Ukraine's capital, Kiev, where midnight revelers are also celebrating an end to their bitter political battles of the year gone by.

And live now to New York's Times Square where the ball won't drop for another seven hours. We will measure the mood there of a time when the world is witnessing so much heartache. But we begin with the tsunami tragedy and the world's answer.

After taking heat for a slow and seemingly paltry response, the Bush administration today upped the ante on the U.S. aid contribution by a stunning amount. From $35 million to $350 million. With millions of people in very desperate shape, aid is beginning to flow in but not everywhere.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's not a single international aid agency or NGO anywhere to be seen here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: From Thailand, a fresh reminder of the awesome power of the killer waves. A British tourist caught the moment of impact when curiosity turned to terror.

As information trickles in from remote areas, the death count continues to climb. Officials in the region estimate that at least 135,000 have lost their lives. According to the Associated Press, the U.N.'s humanitarian chief says the number is approaching 150,000.

Indonesia remains the hardest hit nation. The death toll there is at least 80,000. Officials say it could rise to 100,000. In Sri Lanka, the number of dead rose to about 41,000 after Tamil Tiger leaders reported that 14,000 died in rebel-held areas.

A new amateur video shows the terrifying force of the massive tsunami as it hit the coast of Thailand. But as residents look back on what they've lost, they're already preparing to move forward.

Adrian Britton reports from Phuket, Thailand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADRIAN BRITTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Each with a candle in the tropical breeze and each with a single white rose of mourning. In Phuket tonight they gathered to remember. But how will they ever be able to forget the end of 2004. The year passed away in silent remembrance.

Like the new year, boxing day began in tranquility until fate appeared on the horizon. This video just release from the British family shows how quickly curiosity turned to panic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That wave is a good 15, 20 feet tall easy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get in. Get in. Get in!

BRITTON: This video from an Israeli family shows how rapidly the water rose inside their hotel. Wadding waist high, past floating suitcases and furniture.

Outside, a man grabs on to palm trees to resist the torrents as another man, much older, quite literally hangs on to the only chance of life. And still, they come to the Tsunami Crisis Center in Phuket to identify from photographs relatives and friends they've lost. The British embassy is advising people not to attend mortuaries as bodies are no longer recognizable.

All week Luke Simon (ph) from Summerset (ph) had been holding on to hope that his brother would be found alive. It's now been confirmed that a body discovered in a mortuary is that of Peter Simon (ph).

Joy Mullan (ph) has flown from London to Bangkok to collect her 16 and 12 year old nephews. The boys' mother and father are missing, presumed dead.

JOY MULLAN: On this journey now, it's very important, I'm strong because I've got to be strong when I get there for the boys and that's really, really important.

BRITTON: And to end the year, the people of Thailand wanted to show their strength.

The candles have replaced the traditional new year fireworks. It has been a sorrowful end to 2004 but the government here says that 2005 must start afresh and the rebuilding of Thailand and its ravage beaches must now begin.

Adrian Britton, ITV News, Phuket.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: In Indonesia, it's feared that tens of thousands of victims may never be found. Entire villages were flattened or swept out to sea and the decimated port city of Banda Aceh anger is mounting as residents wait for food and line up for gas. The stench of rotting corpses still hangs over the city as the seemingly impossible clean-up task begins. The area was closest to the epicenter of the quake and was first to be hit by the killer waves.

As the shock wears off, reality is setting in. Survivors realize just how desperate their situation is. CNN's Senior Medical Correspondent Satinder Bindra reports from Southern Sri Lanka.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Eight-year-old Gian Sondacolan (ph) screams in pain. I want my dad, he wails. All his mother can do is watch helplessly and cry herself. Last Sunday Gian was knocked unconscious by the tsunami. Hours later, he was found by strangers who brought him to this hospital. His mother was reunited with him just a few hours ago. I was crying in the village, she says, when someone told me that my son was alive and is in this hospital. I rushed here and found him alive.

Just a few feet away, in another ward of the hospital, silence, but these faces tell a story of loss, of despair and complete helplessness. Retana Dalma Sinul (ph) fractured his leg when he says a 25 foot wave swept him off his perch on a tree. This is an unbelievable incident, he says. We can deal with property damage but what we cannot deal with is the loss of so many human lives. Sinul's wife keeps a close watch over him but it's clear she's consumed by loss. I could only see my son's face as he was being swept away, she says. I managed to catch him at first but I just couldn't hold on. Little comfort that their house is still intact but they want to return home soon so they can be reunited with their other son who's just 2-1/2 years old.

There are 400 casualties at this hospital. Most are suffering from fractures, lacerations and emotional trauma. Some patients were admitted here just yesterday after being injured while running away from what they thought was another tsunami.

That second tsunami never came but this 11-year-old bears the scars of the wild panic that followed the alarm and led to dozens of road accidents. For now, in the room next door, little Gian has stopped crying. But given all he has experienced, sleep alludes him. His mother is worried. She says she just can't muster the courage to tell him his older sister and father are still missing and now presumed dead.

Satinder Bindra, CNN, Galle, Southern Sri Lanka.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Increasing its aid offer, the United States steps up relief efforts in a major way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are people starving to death. We've talked to people who've had no food for five days. That's obviously something that we're very unhappy about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: But will food and water reach the people in need in time?

Protecting the revelers. Extreme security measures taken in Times Square. I'll speak with New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

And, later . . .

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tsunami. My God, it's coming. It's the big one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Devastating impact as tourists captures the massive wave as it approaches and strikes the coast line.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MESERVE: The world's richest nation has been criticized for not measuring up when it comes to disaster donations. But the Bush administration answered that charge today with a tenfold increase.

CNN's Brian Todd joins us now.

Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS: Right, Jeanne.

With that pledge, a dramatic turn in the story of U.S. aid in this crisis and a new round of hand wringing over one central question. Proportionally, is this enough?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD, (voice over): A high level announcement with heavy numbers attached.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: President Bush has decided and we announced from the Crawford White House a little while ago that the United States contribution would now go up to $350 million.

TODD: With that, the United States leap frogs to the very top in sheer dollars among countries and organizations lending assistance to tsunami victims. This, less than five days after the U.N.'s top humanitarian official fired a salvo (ph) at the worlds wealthiest nations for their level of giving during this crisis. Many observers have been critical.

JAMES ZOGBY (ph), ARAB-AMERICAN INSTITUTE: We've done it time and again. The role we play is convening other countries to give and we give what amounts to the smallest amount. For a country that uses a greater percentage of the world's resources, has a greater percentage of the world's wealth and is the mightiest nation on earth.

TODD: Some economists back that up, continually pointing to the fact that America often ranks near the bottom in development assistance to other countries compared to the total value of good and services produced in the U.S. Figuring in that equation, called gross domestic product, the U.S. ranks sixth percentage wise among countries pledging aid to tsunami victims.

For perspective, we spoke to a top ivy league economist, a prominent historian and a former U.S. diplomat who coordinated massive relief efforts in Southeast Asia after the Vietnam War. All agree that America's new pledge and the deployment of Colin Powell and Jeb Bush to the region are important. But the also say the United States has, over the decades, moved away from the philosophy that drove one of the most famous rebuilding projects ever undertaken by a government, putting war torn Europe back together.

LIONEL ROSENBLAIT, REFUGEES INTERNATIONAL: I often feel that the Marshall (ph) plan was still and is still our high water mark. And that ought to be what we emulate to do in any of these emergencies. But, you know, we haven't done that in a long time.

TODD: One historian believes experiences like the massive involvement in the Vietnam era soured the United States on the concept of pouring tremendous resources into countries far outside its borders. Many observers say that spirit has to be recaptured right now in South Asia.

KEN ROBINSON, CNN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: In the 21st Century with this threat and the fear of having to fight the next two or three generations as they fight this war on terrorism, it makes no sense to not aggressively go after this like a Marshall plan. But there's a short, closing window that we must take advantage of. And, if not, it's ours to lose.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: The former diplomat who we spoke to, Lionel Rosenblait, says all the quibbling over money obscures a vital point, that the real test of America's commitment will be six months to a year down the road and the role played by the U.S. in stabilizing South Asia after the tsunamis -- Jeanne.

MESERVE: (INAUDIBLE) a little more on this subject. With a tragedy as vast as this one the question is, how much is enough? Earlier I spoke with the united nations emergency relief coordinator, Under Secretary General Jan Egeland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE, (voice over): Mr. Egeland, you used the word stingy earlier this week to describe the response of donor countries. Contributions have increased tremendously. Just today, the U.S. announced a tenfold increase in its contribution. Do you feel some sense of vindication here?

JAN EGELAND, U.N. RELIEF COORDINATOR: No, I feel no vindication. I spoke about the decline in overall global assistance from the rich world to those most in need in the recent year. It is my job to advocate for the poorest of the poor and I have seen the world come together like never before for the tsunami victims. Today, we reached $1.2 billion all together. I have never, ever seen anything like it. Forty nations plus have donated. And the biggest donor and the most generous is the United States.

MESERVE: So you don't feel that your remark was a spur? That your remark provoked people into being more generous?

EGELAND: I don't think so. I think it's the images of the devastation that provoke people to really give, as individuals, as private corporations, as non-governmental organizations and as countries. What I hope is that the forgotten and the nameless victims in all the disasters that are not seen (ph) on the television will have an equally generous response in Eastern Congo where we, the U.N., also lead the effort. One thousand people die every day from preventable disease and humanitarian neglect. And that's a tidal wave, if you like, every four months, year after year.

MESERVE: But you mentioned the impact of pictures. And, sooner or later, the world's attention is going to be diverted. Are you worried that over the long haul you're not going to see the financial commitment that is needed to rebuild the affected areas?

EGELAND: I was really afraid of that, as we saw the first devastation on Monday. I'm not so afraid today. There are many pledges of long-term commitment. The United States, $350 million. Britain, $100 million. Sweden, $75 million. China pledged today $63 million U.S. dollars and it keeps coming in. I think this is a tendency for the long haul and maybe, actually, this could be a turning point for a more generous world again, provided that we know how bad it is in so many places.

MESERVE: We are now several days into this crisis. You know better than I that there are many areas that have not yet been reached. Are we getting to the point where people are going to die not just from the tsunami and from the injuries they might have sustained, but from a lack of food, from a lack of water, from a lack of relief supplies? Are we at that point?

EGELAND: Not for lack of food. But I think it's already starting that people will be severely ill and may die from lack of water and sanitation and lack of medical services. 500,000 people, four to five times as many as were killed, were wounded lightly or very severely. A million people, at least, lost their homes. Five million people lost services, water, sanitation. This is going to be an environmental and health disaster for a very long time. There are areas in northern Sumatra and in Aceh where we haven't even been able to reach the people as of yet because our biggest, biggest problem now, our logistics, transport capacity to the flooded areas.

MESERVE: And we have to leave it there. Jan Egeland, U.N. Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Thank you so much for joining us. Good luck in the new year dealing with this.

EGELAND: Thank you very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: "Security Watch." Major efforts to keep tonight's celebrations safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a helicopter fleet of seven helicopter. They'll all be up during this celebration. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Choppers that detect radio active material and more. We're live from Times Square next.

Disco fire. At least 175 people killed in a crowded nightclub.

Also ahead . . .

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, we have visited five camps (ph) and we have treated roughly about 400 patients.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Healing mission. Members of a family of doctors turned their vacation into a personal relief effort.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MESERVE: On this CNN "Security Watch," authorities are getting ready for tonight's New Year's Eve celebration in New York. And once again this year, they're taking precautions against the possibility of a terror attack.

CNN's Jason Carroll is standing by in Times Square.

Jason, what does it look like?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS: Well, I've got to tell you, right now it looks pretty crowded. If you take a look right over here, you can see the thousands of people that have already started to cram themselves into Times Square. The city is expecting 750,000 people to take part in tonight's festivities. And they have a security plan, an extensive one, that's already in place. It covers both the ground and the air.

Starting on the ground, there's going to be thousands of police officers who will be out in full force. Man hole covers in the area have been sealed. So have all the mailboxes just as a precaution. Also, the city has gone high-tech in some ways. Chemical sensors are in place around Times Square and law enforcement officials can test the air quality on an hourly basis.

Heading up into the sky, there will be a fleet of seven helicopters patrolling the area. One chopper is equipped with radio active sensors. That chopper is also equipt with a camera ID, that way it can spot people in the dark from 1,000 feet in the sky.

Mayor Bloomberg, just a little while ago, was encouraging everyone to come out and have a good time. He'll be joining Secretary of State Colin Powell to do the honors and drop the ball. There will be confetti. There will be fireworks and music. One moment of seriousness, and that will come at 8:14 when there will be a moment of silence for the victims of the tsunami -- Jeanne. MESERVE: Jason Carroll in Times Square. Thanks. We'll check back with you tonight.

And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable new about your security. Later this hour I'll speak live with New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

And this programing note. CNN is ringing in the New Year live from Times Square tonight. Anderson Cooper hosts our New Year's Eve tradition with live musical performances by Celine Dion, The Roots and Jerry Jeff Walker. Plus, special appearances by Secretary of State Colin Powell and Green Day. It all begins at 11:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

Moment of impact. Tourists go from innocent bystanders to panic- stricken victims. New home video captures the force of the tsunami crashing into shore.

And we'll take you to a rarely seen area of Sri Lanka controlled by and ravaged by rebels, now devastated by the tsunami.

Plus, as thousands gather in the big apple to ring in the new year, the tsunami tragedy cannot be forgotten. Are people still in the mood to celebrate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MESERVE: Welcome back.

The tsunamis approach. New home video shows the massive wave as it roars toward the coast. But, first, a quick check of other stories now in the news.

Three days of mourning have been declared in Buenos Ares, Argentina, following a terrible nightclub fire. At least 175 people were killed and hundreds more were injured. Investigators believe the blaze began when a flare fired during a rock concert ignited the overcrowded club's foam ceiling. There was a stamped but several doors were locked. The victims included young adults and teenagers and children and babies who were in a makeshift nursery in the women's restroom.

After losing Sunday's repeat presidential election, Ukraine's Viktor Yanukovych has resigned as prime mister. Yanukovych has challenged the results of the election. But in a televised address today, he acknowledged he has little chance of overturning the vote count.

The huge storm that's been pummeling the west coast is causing problems hundreds of miles inland. Floods have forced evacuations in Arizona. Two bodies discovered there are believed to be those of a pair of college students who vanished after their canoe capsized.

And now back to our top story.

The struggle to recover in tsunami devastated parts of South Asia and Africa. We're going to show you a home video taken by a British family that was vacationing in Phuket, Thailand. It's one of our first looks at the tsunami as it approached the island. We have highlighted the wave to make it easier to see.

MESERVE: It is 2005 in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, but there's nothing to celebrate. The bitter aftermath of 2004 is everywhere and aid is arriving very slowly.

Dan Rivers of International Television News is there with that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): New Tear's Eve, Banda Aceh. Its famous mosque shrouded in smoke, the clock frozen at 8:30, the time, the date, the year Indonesia will never forget.

The army has started to clear this central square, determined they will reclaim this city. But 100 feet away, there is still untouched horror.

We've seen so many bodies here, but this is the only one we've seen having any sort of funeral rights performed on it. Hundreds and hundreds of other people, thousands, tens of thousands have just been simply scooped up by diggers and dumped in mass graves.

Out of town refugees are flooding into makeshift camps, chaotic, (INAUDIBLE). For the survivors, this is the only option. This is how they wash up here. Water is too precious to throw away. There are fears of a measles outbreak among the children. Barely any are inoculated. They're surviving on rice donated by locals.

Everyone here has a story to tell. Usran (ph) escaped the tsunami by climbing a tree. His three children are dead, so is his wife and his two brothers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I went to find my family. I looked for 12 hours, but couldn't see anyone, but there were a lot of dead bodies.

RIVERS: There must be several thousand refugees now outside the city of Banda Aceh, but despite it's been six days since the earthquake, there is not a single national aid agency or NGO anywhere to be seen here. The missing stare out from posters scanned by the desperate, trying to find their loved ones.

We took one man from the camp back to his village. Iwan (ph) is a fireman and was called out on Boxing Day to put out a fire. It meant he lived, but his wife, his son, his daughters, his two brothers and his two sisters all died.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I just can't say anything. I lost everything I have. I don't know how I feel.

RIVERS (voice-over): In the same village we ran into the UN's most senior official in Indonesia. Everywhere we have been, there has been no aid at all. It's six days after this disaster. Why is it taking such a long time?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think if you make an international comparison, it isn't that long. If you go out to the airport, things are moving fairly rapidly now.

RIVERS: Yeah, but out here, there are people starving to death. We have talked to people who have had no food for five days.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's obviously something we're very unhappy about. That's why we're here, why I'm here personally.

RIVERS: People like Iwan (ph) need help fast. They have nothing, but profound trauma. Dan Rivers, ITV News, Aceh.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOST: Sri Lanka raised its death toll today to 41,000 after the rebel Tamil Tigers announced 14,000 were killed in the areas they control. CNN's Stan Grant paid a rare visit to the Tamil Tigers territory in northeast Sri Lanka and found the tsunami did not choose sides in that war-torn nation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, the area of northern Sri Lanka is not just a disaster zone. It's also a war zone. It has been a war zone for the past two decades. The Tamil Tigers separatists here have fought a battle with the Sri Lankan forces. Now they have established what the call a de facto state in this region and they are trying to focus now on dealing with this humanitarian crisis themselves. They say they need to work with the aid groups, but they do say that everything must be filtered through the Tamil Tigers.

Aid groups that I have spoken to say they are able to cooperate. They are able to facilitate this aid that so desperately needs to get to people here. But everything must go through the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization. As for ourselves, we, today, came across a checkpoint and checked in with the local Tamil headquarters here and have been taken very much everywhere we had to go very much under the supervision of the Tamils.

What have we seen? Well, the Tamil Tigers themselves have said there are 14,000 people in the north and the northeast who have been killed as a result of the tsunami. There's another 5,000 or 6,000, as high as that, who are missing and they say do not expect any survivors. The total death toll here likely to top around 20,000. Add to that another half a million who have been displaced and you have an understanding of the sheer size of this catastrophe.

At the same time, there is the very gruesome task of bringing in those dead. And we have seen today members of the Tamil Tigers going throughout this region and scouring the waters to find more bodies. Where they find the bodies they photograph them and then they cremate them. There have been mass cremations right across this region as they try to stop the spread of disease that will come if these corpses are allowed to rot any further. There is also a big problem with contamination of water, contamination of food. The seafood, which is a staple diet of many of the people up here, also having to be taken off the market, not allowed to be sold in shops. There's also a problem with contamination of air and the Tamil Tigers have sealed off a lot of the very much heavily affected areas here. But the big problem for the moment is coordinating this relief response and despite the efforts of the Tamil Tigers and despite the efforts of the aid groups to work together, we're being told by everyone still not enough aid not enough food, not enough shelter, not enough water is going to the people who need it so badly on the ground. Stan Grant in northern Sri Lanka for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Many of the vacations who survived the tsunamis went home as soon as they could, but CNN senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports from Sri Lanka on some vacationers who stayed put.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At a time when many tourists and vacationers have vividly recounted their stories of survival and loss, one family can tell the story of their own personal relief effort.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we come from the U.K. on holiday and we had to cut short our holiday because of the things that happened here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sri Lanka has never had anything like this before. So, at first we were just in shock and then you're just saying, OK, we're not in the mood to travel around and do holiday stuff anymore. And so, you just think, we need to do something. I need to do something.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, we have visited five camps and we have treated roughly about 400 patients.

GUPTA: The Mahaswaran (ph) family immigrated to the U.K. years ago, but it managed to return to beautiful Sri Lanka for holiday every few years, but as the entire world now knows, this trip was different. Father W.T.(PH) had been a medical doctor for more than 40 years. Dr. Danusha (ph) is 24 years old and has just graduated from medical school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We heard about this on the radio and we were traveling on the car radio.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got here at the right time and we feel like we should be able to do something. So, we couldn't leave really.

GUPTA: Vivia (ph) is 20 years old and in her third year of medical school. The Maswaran (ph) doctors have joined the handful of Sri Lankan doctors who are in their native country to offer their services. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every single day (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and the death toll is just even higher than even ten minutes ago. We're quite lucky that we can give back in some way.

GUPTA: You feel like you did some good here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah. It's really nice to feel like you've actually done something.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Sri Lanka.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Keeping security tight among America's biggest party as thousands of people watch the ball drop, police will be watching them. I'll talk with New York City police commissioner Raymond Kelly about the operations.

In many places around the world, it is already 2005. How many tempered the celebration of the New Year with the tragedy in Asia.

And from the dramatic legal wrangling that captured America's attention to controversial Hollywood pictures that got us talking, it's all part of the year that was 2004. We'll look back, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MESERVE: And now back to our CNN security watch and precautions for tonight's New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square. Joining us to discuss those preparations, New York police commissioner Raymond Kelly. Thanks so much for joining us.

RAYMOND KELLY, NYPD COMMISIONER: Good to be with you, Jeanne.

MESERVE: First, the intelligence picture. Is there any specific and credible information that tonight's celebration in Times Square is going to be targeted?

KELLY: New York City we have no specific information. As a matter of fact, the so-called chatter is at a low. We haven't seen it this low for quite a while. I'm not certain what that means, but what it means right now is no new specific information.

MESERVE: You're taking a lot of precautions, nonetheless. What is new this year? What are you doing that you haven't done in years past?

KELLY: Pretty much the package is the same, the number of police officers we have deployed is the same. We have more undercover officers than perhaps in the past. Not that much more. But we have new technology we brought on board, the new helicopter that has some fairly sophisticated camera capability. It has a FLIR, forward looking infrared capability. We have more observation posts. We have sensor equipment that's out in various locations throughout the city, because we have to be concerned not only about Times Square, but other areas in the city as well. We call it our counterterrorism overlay. We have been doing this for a long time as far as New Year's Eve is concerned, but, of course post-9/11, we have added some additional features. And each year, we get a little better at it.

MESERVE: And what's the price tag for that?

KELLY: Well, it's hard to say. You kind of have to add it up when it's over, but it will at least be a couple million dollar in overtime. We, of course, have to staff this with officers who are, generally speaking, not scheduled to work, because we have to police the rest of the city. So it can be an expensive proposition for us.

MESERVE: I heard about 750,000 expected in Times Square tonight. Are you putting them all through magnetometers? What's your advice to the revelers about what they should bring?

KELLY: Well, our advice is don't bring backpacks, anything, of course, that would raise suspicion. Certainly don't bring alcohol. We are not going to let it into the immediate area. We have magnetometers placed at all of the entry points.

And anybody going into the pens, as we call it. There are 67 pens. Anyone going into those pens will be checked three times before they get there. So don't bring anything that's going to cause us concern and dress warmly, because even though it's warmer than usual, it can get pretty windy and chilly around midnight in Times Square.

MESERVE: It's that time when everybody does their year-end assessments. You went through one of the first post 9/11 political conventions. You had a terrorist threat against financial institution in your city. Sum it all up for me. At the end of the year, what do the numbers tell you about what kind of year this has been for your department?

KELLY: Well, as far as crime is concerned, we're at record lows. Our homicide rate is as low as it's been since 1963 when, of course, the population was significantly less than it is now. We're over 8 million people. I thought the Republican National Convention went very well as far as the police department is concerned. We did had those threats that surfaced in late July, early August that cost us a significant amount of money. Again, as far as overtime is concerned. But all in all, it was a successful year for New York and, as far as I'm concerned, certainly for the police department.

MESERVE: When you hear that murder number, it sort of jumps out at you, that these numbers are as low as they have been since the early '60s. What accounts for that?

KELLY: Well, I think there are several things that account for it. We think some of our strategies and tactics are working, but I think shifting drug use policies I think some early intervention programs we have, as far as domestic violence is concerned. I think a lot of our gun initiatives have helped. So, there's a lot of proactive work being done in the prevention area, and we think that that played a large part. MESERVE: Commissioner, you're an expert in preparedness. You, like everyone else, I'm sure, have been watching these pictures come out of Southeast Asia. I'm sure it's impossible to prepare for any natural disaster of this magnitude, but do you draw lessons from what's happening there?

KELLY: You're right. The magnitude of it is mind boggling, but perhaps we should, as a nation, start thinking more about major catastrophes and drilling for them. We do a fair amount of drills here in New York, but, again, the magnitude and the scope of something this large, perhaps, has to be factored in. I mean, I don't know if we would ever be able to practice anything like this, but perhaps, you know, the scope of our exercises should get larger.

MESERVE: New York City police commissioner, Ray Kelly, thanks so much for joining us tonight.

KELLY: Thank you.

MESERVE: Good luck with the celebrations. Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

And this programming note. CNN is ringing in the New Year live from Times Square tonight. Anderson Cooper hosts New Year's Eve tradition with live musical performances by Celine Dion, the Roots and Jerry Jeff Walker, plus special appearances by Secretary of State Colin Powell and Green Day. That all begins at 11:00 pm live right here on CNN.

In light of this week's tragic events, are we celebrating the New Year differently? Mary Snow is taking the pulse of Americans in Times Square.

Plus, we'll take a look at celebrations around the world when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MESERVE: As you well know, the week between Christmas and New Year's is a time of celebration for Americans, but this year, the celebration is tempered by the tragic news from overseas. As crowds gathered for New Year's Eve celebrations in New York, our Mary Snow decide today visit Times Square to get an idea of the mood. Mary, what did you find?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jeanne as the crowds are turning out, the mood certainly festive. But it's also been a time of reflection. Secretary of State Colin Powell, the honored guest here tonight spoke a short time ago, saying in his years of public service, he never witnessed the kind of devastation he saw this week. He is heading to the region in a short time and, also, tonight, here in Times Square, there will be a moment of silence at about 8:14.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): The pictures tell the story. Tragedy is the back drop as people get ready to celebrate the New Year in Times Square. The nation's largest New Year's Eve party will pause to honor the tsunami victims.

TIM TOMPKINS, TIMES SQUARE ALLIANCE: Earlier that week, we didn't have that element in our program but just as the toll of the disaster grew, we realized we couldn't have a celebration and not acknowledge it.

SNOW: Elsewhere in New York, a stark contrast, where relief efforts continue at a frenzied pace. Today, the Clintons visited a Buddhist temple that has become the nerve center for a Sri Lankan community in queens, raising money for relief aid. What seems a world away in Times Square, people are turning out to ring in 2005.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's somber, but always a new year is a new perspective. So, that's important to realize. Life goes on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really a way of celebrating new times and just being aware of how we are all connected to one another. So I definitely will be thinking of people out there. Sure.

SNOW: Some say their perspective has changed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to get out there and live life. If you want to travel, get out there and do it, life is too short. You don't know when your time is up.

SNOW: And the ritual to mark the New Year, says organizers, can have a curious affect.

TOMPKINS: One of the interesting things, I think, is that the crazier the world gets, whether it's war or natural disasters, the more people seem to hold on to rituals like this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it makes you thankful for the things you do have when you see so many people in tragedy. So, more of a celebration of not just the New Year, but all of our blessings that we have.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (on camera): And the mayor of New York, Mike Bloomberg, also telling New Yorkers this is a time to move away from what he called silly things and a time to look in the mirror and realize how fortune they are. Jeanne?

MESERVE: Mary Snow, thank you.

People around the world are already ringing in the New Year. Many celebrations have been subdued, some canceled as people remember the victims of the Asian disaster.

In Australia, fireworks lit up Sydney Harbor.

There was a traditional New Year's Eve countdown in Hong Kong.

In Japan, a giant temple bell ushered in the New Year with solemn tones.

In hard-hit Thailand, government officials ask that New Year's celebrations not be held. Traditional countdowns were canceled in Bangkok and in the northern city of Chengmai. Elsewhere in Thailand, in Aceh and Phuket, it's a time of mourning and reflection.

People in Sri Lanka are also mourning their devastating loss.

In Russia, people jammed Moscow's Red Square.

At the Vatican, Pope John Paul II is remembering victims of the Asian tsunamis. The 84-year-old pontiff says he hopes the world community will mobilize to aid the affected populations. And that's our look around the world.

People in Ukraine have just celebrated New Year's after a year of remarkable political change. Presidential-elect Viktor Yushchenko toasted in the New Year in Kiev's Independence Square where a massive crowd has gathered.

The year in review. Wolf looks back at the controversy, surprises and historical moments of 2004 next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MESERVE: The year ends with a humanitarian disaster beyond imagining in Asia and Africa and a world reaching out to help. Much of the year was dominated by Iraq and a war not easily won. Wolf Blitzer takes a look back at the year in review.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): 2004 was a year for record highs, a year of traveling to new heights, a year of monuments opening their doors again and a year of curses being broken, but the one story dominating the headlines - war. U.S. forces battle a hidden enemy as a brazen insurgency emerged in Iraq. With elections only 30 days away more than 150,000 troops will begin the new year trying to bring stability to an increasingly unstable country.

At home, weather was the enemy for Florida. Four hurricanes batter the state and its neighbors in quick concession. Charlie, Francis, Ivan and Jeanne, taking more than 100 lives and causing billions of dollars worth of damage.

And it was an election year. The political year began with nine Democrats vying for the chance to challenge President George W. Bush, but over-exuberance toppled the front runner late in the game.

HOWARD DEAN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And we're going to Washington, DC to take back the White House. Eeeayayaiaiaaeeehhh.

BLITZER: And John Kerry won the nomination, setting the stage for an intense race for the White House. Hot topics ranged from the candidate's military service 30 years ago, 9/11 intelligence reforms, Iraq and moral issues, including the definition of marriage. Like 2000, this year's election came down to one state. This time, Ohio. But unlike four years ago, it took only one day for a concession. With 51 percent of the popular vote and 286 electoral votes, George W. Bush won a second term. The year's legal headlines included Martha Stewart's conviction for lying about a stock trade. She is spending New Year's in prison, as is Scott Peterson, convicted of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci. He will have to wait until February to find out whether he will die for the crime.

And deja vu for Michael Jackson, spending another year battling charges of molestation. Hollywood turned out some unlikely and controversial blockbusters, including "The Passion of the Christ" and "Fahrenheit 9/11." On the small screen, we said goodbye to the ladies of "Sex and the City." far more difficult goodbyes this year to some of our favorites, including Superman Christopher Reeve, jazz genius Ray Charles and the godfather, Marlon brand. We also said goodbye to a former actor who went on to become president. A week of tributes culminated in a moving sunset ceremony in which Ronald Reagan was laid to rest in his beloved California.

Now we say goodbye to another year, a year of highs and lows, of comings and goings, surprises and scandals, hope and heartbreak, the year that was 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: In about six hours, Americans will begin ringing in the New Year. Many revelers are expected in Times Square to watch the famous ball drop. What comes down must first go up. And CNN's Jason Carroll is live once again in Times Square with that story. Jason?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you've got that right. Down below, thousands of people have already crammed in to Times Square. They're all looking upward, above the Jumbotron where the ball is, and that's where I am standing. If you have a fear of heights, this is probably not place you want to be. We are 22 stories up, on top of 1 Times Square where we're getting an unprecedented look at the crystal ball before it makes its assent up that pole.

And a little more about this crystal ball here, it weighs 1,000 pounds. There are 700 light bulbs on this ball. It has 96 strobe lights, 90 mirrors. It is 6 feet in diameter. Later on this evening, Mayor Bloomberg, along with Secretary of State Colin Powell, will do the honors when they flip the switch for the ball's release. When it makes it descent, it will come down 77 feet and will take about 60 seconds.

And I got to tell you, when this actually reaches the top, the crowd will go crazy down below, I have to tell you. There will be huge pyrotechnic display when it hits the top. At that point, Jeanne, things will be on here at Times Square. People are going to go crazy. So this is an up-close look at that crystal ball that people get a chance to see on their TV screens. Never been this close to it. Not sure I want to be that close to it again, to be honest. Back to you.

MESERVE: Jason, you're making me nervous. Get down. On behalf of CNN and the entire WOLF BLITZER REPORTS staff, we wish you a safe and happy New Year. Wolf will be back Monday and this Sunday on LATE EDITION. Among his special guests, Secretary of State Colin Powell. That's Sunday, noon Eastern.

Thanks for joining us. LOU DOBBS TONIGHT starts right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired December 31, 2004 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS: "Happening Now," ringing in a new year. This is a live picture of the celebration in the Ukraine where crowds are gathered in Kiev's Independence Square.
And this is a live look at New York's Times Square where safety is a top concern. Standing by this hour for a CNN security watch overview, New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

And this just in to CNN. Reports from the Associated Press that the death toll from the tsunami is approaching 150,000.

Stand by for "Hard News" on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

Digging deeper. Stung by that stingy label, the U.S. announces an tenfold increase in disaster aid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: The United States contribution would now go up to $350 million.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Moment of panic. New video shows just how quickly the sea turned deadly. The tsunami didn't choose sides. What happened when the killer waves struck a war zone?

On call. A family of doctors on vacation volunteering to help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I say you (INAUDIBLE), we need to do something (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: In the right place at the right time.

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Friday, December 31, 2004.

MESERVE: Thanks for joining us. I'm Jeanne Meserve in for Wolf Blitzer.

The new year is rolling in from time zone to time zone. You're looking at live pictures of Ukraine's capital, Kiev, where midnight revelers are also celebrating an end to their bitter political battles of the year gone by.

And live now to New York's Times Square where the ball won't drop for another seven hours. We will measure the mood there of a time when the world is witnessing so much heartache. But we begin with the tsunami tragedy and the world's answer.

After taking heat for a slow and seemingly paltry response, the Bush administration today upped the ante on the U.S. aid contribution by a stunning amount. From $35 million to $350 million. With millions of people in very desperate shape, aid is beginning to flow in but not everywhere.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's not a single international aid agency or NGO anywhere to be seen here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: From Thailand, a fresh reminder of the awesome power of the killer waves. A British tourist caught the moment of impact when curiosity turned to terror.

As information trickles in from remote areas, the death count continues to climb. Officials in the region estimate that at least 135,000 have lost their lives. According to the Associated Press, the U.N.'s humanitarian chief says the number is approaching 150,000.

Indonesia remains the hardest hit nation. The death toll there is at least 80,000. Officials say it could rise to 100,000. In Sri Lanka, the number of dead rose to about 41,000 after Tamil Tiger leaders reported that 14,000 died in rebel-held areas.

A new amateur video shows the terrifying force of the massive tsunami as it hit the coast of Thailand. But as residents look back on what they've lost, they're already preparing to move forward.

Adrian Britton reports from Phuket, Thailand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ADRIAN BRITTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Each with a candle in the tropical breeze and each with a single white rose of mourning. In Phuket tonight they gathered to remember. But how will they ever be able to forget the end of 2004. The year passed away in silent remembrance.

Like the new year, boxing day began in tranquility until fate appeared on the horizon. This video just release from the British family shows how quickly curiosity turned to panic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That wave is a good 15, 20 feet tall easy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get in. Get in. Get in!

BRITTON: This video from an Israeli family shows how rapidly the water rose inside their hotel. Wadding waist high, past floating suitcases and furniture.

Outside, a man grabs on to palm trees to resist the torrents as another man, much older, quite literally hangs on to the only chance of life. And still, they come to the Tsunami Crisis Center in Phuket to identify from photographs relatives and friends they've lost. The British embassy is advising people not to attend mortuaries as bodies are no longer recognizable.

All week Luke Simon (ph) from Summerset (ph) had been holding on to hope that his brother would be found alive. It's now been confirmed that a body discovered in a mortuary is that of Peter Simon (ph).

Joy Mullan (ph) has flown from London to Bangkok to collect her 16 and 12 year old nephews. The boys' mother and father are missing, presumed dead.

JOY MULLAN: On this journey now, it's very important, I'm strong because I've got to be strong when I get there for the boys and that's really, really important.

BRITTON: And to end the year, the people of Thailand wanted to show their strength.

The candles have replaced the traditional new year fireworks. It has been a sorrowful end to 2004 but the government here says that 2005 must start afresh and the rebuilding of Thailand and its ravage beaches must now begin.

Adrian Britton, ITV News, Phuket.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: In Indonesia, it's feared that tens of thousands of victims may never be found. Entire villages were flattened or swept out to sea and the decimated port city of Banda Aceh anger is mounting as residents wait for food and line up for gas. The stench of rotting corpses still hangs over the city as the seemingly impossible clean-up task begins. The area was closest to the epicenter of the quake and was first to be hit by the killer waves.

As the shock wears off, reality is setting in. Survivors realize just how desperate their situation is. CNN's Senior Medical Correspondent Satinder Bindra reports from Southern Sri Lanka.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Eight-year-old Gian Sondacolan (ph) screams in pain. I want my dad, he wails. All his mother can do is watch helplessly and cry herself. Last Sunday Gian was knocked unconscious by the tsunami. Hours later, he was found by strangers who brought him to this hospital. His mother was reunited with him just a few hours ago. I was crying in the village, she says, when someone told me that my son was alive and is in this hospital. I rushed here and found him alive.

Just a few feet away, in another ward of the hospital, silence, but these faces tell a story of loss, of despair and complete helplessness. Retana Dalma Sinul (ph) fractured his leg when he says a 25 foot wave swept him off his perch on a tree. This is an unbelievable incident, he says. We can deal with property damage but what we cannot deal with is the loss of so many human lives. Sinul's wife keeps a close watch over him but it's clear she's consumed by loss. I could only see my son's face as he was being swept away, she says. I managed to catch him at first but I just couldn't hold on. Little comfort that their house is still intact but they want to return home soon so they can be reunited with their other son who's just 2-1/2 years old.

There are 400 casualties at this hospital. Most are suffering from fractures, lacerations and emotional trauma. Some patients were admitted here just yesterday after being injured while running away from what they thought was another tsunami.

That second tsunami never came but this 11-year-old bears the scars of the wild panic that followed the alarm and led to dozens of road accidents. For now, in the room next door, little Gian has stopped crying. But given all he has experienced, sleep alludes him. His mother is worried. She says she just can't muster the courage to tell him his older sister and father are still missing and now presumed dead.

Satinder Bindra, CNN, Galle, Southern Sri Lanka.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Increasing its aid offer, the United States steps up relief efforts in a major way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are people starving to death. We've talked to people who've had no food for five days. That's obviously something that we're very unhappy about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: But will food and water reach the people in need in time?

Protecting the revelers. Extreme security measures taken in Times Square. I'll speak with New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

And, later . . .

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tsunami. My God, it's coming. It's the big one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Devastating impact as tourists captures the massive wave as it approaches and strikes the coast line.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MESERVE: The world's richest nation has been criticized for not measuring up when it comes to disaster donations. But the Bush administration answered that charge today with a tenfold increase.

CNN's Brian Todd joins us now.

Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS: Right, Jeanne.

With that pledge, a dramatic turn in the story of U.S. aid in this crisis and a new round of hand wringing over one central question. Proportionally, is this enough?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD, (voice over): A high level announcement with heavy numbers attached.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: President Bush has decided and we announced from the Crawford White House a little while ago that the United States contribution would now go up to $350 million.

TODD: With that, the United States leap frogs to the very top in sheer dollars among countries and organizations lending assistance to tsunami victims. This, less than five days after the U.N.'s top humanitarian official fired a salvo (ph) at the worlds wealthiest nations for their level of giving during this crisis. Many observers have been critical.

JAMES ZOGBY (ph), ARAB-AMERICAN INSTITUTE: We've done it time and again. The role we play is convening other countries to give and we give what amounts to the smallest amount. For a country that uses a greater percentage of the world's resources, has a greater percentage of the world's wealth and is the mightiest nation on earth.

TODD: Some economists back that up, continually pointing to the fact that America often ranks near the bottom in development assistance to other countries compared to the total value of good and services produced in the U.S. Figuring in that equation, called gross domestic product, the U.S. ranks sixth percentage wise among countries pledging aid to tsunami victims.

For perspective, we spoke to a top ivy league economist, a prominent historian and a former U.S. diplomat who coordinated massive relief efforts in Southeast Asia after the Vietnam War. All agree that America's new pledge and the deployment of Colin Powell and Jeb Bush to the region are important. But the also say the United States has, over the decades, moved away from the philosophy that drove one of the most famous rebuilding projects ever undertaken by a government, putting war torn Europe back together.

LIONEL ROSENBLAIT, REFUGEES INTERNATIONAL: I often feel that the Marshall (ph) plan was still and is still our high water mark. And that ought to be what we emulate to do in any of these emergencies. But, you know, we haven't done that in a long time.

TODD: One historian believes experiences like the massive involvement in the Vietnam era soured the United States on the concept of pouring tremendous resources into countries far outside its borders. Many observers say that spirit has to be recaptured right now in South Asia.

KEN ROBINSON, CNN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: In the 21st Century with this threat and the fear of having to fight the next two or three generations as they fight this war on terrorism, it makes no sense to not aggressively go after this like a Marshall plan. But there's a short, closing window that we must take advantage of. And, if not, it's ours to lose.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: The former diplomat who we spoke to, Lionel Rosenblait, says all the quibbling over money obscures a vital point, that the real test of America's commitment will be six months to a year down the road and the role played by the U.S. in stabilizing South Asia after the tsunamis -- Jeanne.

MESERVE: (INAUDIBLE) a little more on this subject. With a tragedy as vast as this one the question is, how much is enough? Earlier I spoke with the united nations emergency relief coordinator, Under Secretary General Jan Egeland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE, (voice over): Mr. Egeland, you used the word stingy earlier this week to describe the response of donor countries. Contributions have increased tremendously. Just today, the U.S. announced a tenfold increase in its contribution. Do you feel some sense of vindication here?

JAN EGELAND, U.N. RELIEF COORDINATOR: No, I feel no vindication. I spoke about the decline in overall global assistance from the rich world to those most in need in the recent year. It is my job to advocate for the poorest of the poor and I have seen the world come together like never before for the tsunami victims. Today, we reached $1.2 billion all together. I have never, ever seen anything like it. Forty nations plus have donated. And the biggest donor and the most generous is the United States.

MESERVE: So you don't feel that your remark was a spur? That your remark provoked people into being more generous?

EGELAND: I don't think so. I think it's the images of the devastation that provoke people to really give, as individuals, as private corporations, as non-governmental organizations and as countries. What I hope is that the forgotten and the nameless victims in all the disasters that are not seen (ph) on the television will have an equally generous response in Eastern Congo where we, the U.N., also lead the effort. One thousand people die every day from preventable disease and humanitarian neglect. And that's a tidal wave, if you like, every four months, year after year.

MESERVE: But you mentioned the impact of pictures. And, sooner or later, the world's attention is going to be diverted. Are you worried that over the long haul you're not going to see the financial commitment that is needed to rebuild the affected areas?

EGELAND: I was really afraid of that, as we saw the first devastation on Monday. I'm not so afraid today. There are many pledges of long-term commitment. The United States, $350 million. Britain, $100 million. Sweden, $75 million. China pledged today $63 million U.S. dollars and it keeps coming in. I think this is a tendency for the long haul and maybe, actually, this could be a turning point for a more generous world again, provided that we know how bad it is in so many places.

MESERVE: We are now several days into this crisis. You know better than I that there are many areas that have not yet been reached. Are we getting to the point where people are going to die not just from the tsunami and from the injuries they might have sustained, but from a lack of food, from a lack of water, from a lack of relief supplies? Are we at that point?

EGELAND: Not for lack of food. But I think it's already starting that people will be severely ill and may die from lack of water and sanitation and lack of medical services. 500,000 people, four to five times as many as were killed, were wounded lightly or very severely. A million people, at least, lost their homes. Five million people lost services, water, sanitation. This is going to be an environmental and health disaster for a very long time. There are areas in northern Sumatra and in Aceh where we haven't even been able to reach the people as of yet because our biggest, biggest problem now, our logistics, transport capacity to the flooded areas.

MESERVE: And we have to leave it there. Jan Egeland, U.N. Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Thank you so much for joining us. Good luck in the new year dealing with this.

EGELAND: Thank you very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: "Security Watch." Major efforts to keep tonight's celebrations safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a helicopter fleet of seven helicopter. They'll all be up during this celebration. (END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Choppers that detect radio active material and more. We're live from Times Square next.

Disco fire. At least 175 people killed in a crowded nightclub.

Also ahead . . .

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, we have visited five camps (ph) and we have treated roughly about 400 patients.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Healing mission. Members of a family of doctors turned their vacation into a personal relief effort.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MESERVE: On this CNN "Security Watch," authorities are getting ready for tonight's New Year's Eve celebration in New York. And once again this year, they're taking precautions against the possibility of a terror attack.

CNN's Jason Carroll is standing by in Times Square.

Jason, what does it look like?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS: Well, I've got to tell you, right now it looks pretty crowded. If you take a look right over here, you can see the thousands of people that have already started to cram themselves into Times Square. The city is expecting 750,000 people to take part in tonight's festivities. And they have a security plan, an extensive one, that's already in place. It covers both the ground and the air.

Starting on the ground, there's going to be thousands of police officers who will be out in full force. Man hole covers in the area have been sealed. So have all the mailboxes just as a precaution. Also, the city has gone high-tech in some ways. Chemical sensors are in place around Times Square and law enforcement officials can test the air quality on an hourly basis.

Heading up into the sky, there will be a fleet of seven helicopters patrolling the area. One chopper is equipped with radio active sensors. That chopper is also equipt with a camera ID, that way it can spot people in the dark from 1,000 feet in the sky.

Mayor Bloomberg, just a little while ago, was encouraging everyone to come out and have a good time. He'll be joining Secretary of State Colin Powell to do the honors and drop the ball. There will be confetti. There will be fireworks and music. One moment of seriousness, and that will come at 8:14 when there will be a moment of silence for the victims of the tsunami -- Jeanne. MESERVE: Jason Carroll in Times Square. Thanks. We'll check back with you tonight.

And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable new about your security. Later this hour I'll speak live with New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

And this programing note. CNN is ringing in the New Year live from Times Square tonight. Anderson Cooper hosts our New Year's Eve tradition with live musical performances by Celine Dion, The Roots and Jerry Jeff Walker. Plus, special appearances by Secretary of State Colin Powell and Green Day. It all begins at 11:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

Moment of impact. Tourists go from innocent bystanders to panic- stricken victims. New home video captures the force of the tsunami crashing into shore.

And we'll take you to a rarely seen area of Sri Lanka controlled by and ravaged by rebels, now devastated by the tsunami.

Plus, as thousands gather in the big apple to ring in the new year, the tsunami tragedy cannot be forgotten. Are people still in the mood to celebrate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MESERVE: Welcome back.

The tsunamis approach. New home video shows the massive wave as it roars toward the coast. But, first, a quick check of other stories now in the news.

Three days of mourning have been declared in Buenos Ares, Argentina, following a terrible nightclub fire. At least 175 people were killed and hundreds more were injured. Investigators believe the blaze began when a flare fired during a rock concert ignited the overcrowded club's foam ceiling. There was a stamped but several doors were locked. The victims included young adults and teenagers and children and babies who were in a makeshift nursery in the women's restroom.

After losing Sunday's repeat presidential election, Ukraine's Viktor Yanukovych has resigned as prime mister. Yanukovych has challenged the results of the election. But in a televised address today, he acknowledged he has little chance of overturning the vote count.

The huge storm that's been pummeling the west coast is causing problems hundreds of miles inland. Floods have forced evacuations in Arizona. Two bodies discovered there are believed to be those of a pair of college students who vanished after their canoe capsized.

And now back to our top story.

The struggle to recover in tsunami devastated parts of South Asia and Africa. We're going to show you a home video taken by a British family that was vacationing in Phuket, Thailand. It's one of our first looks at the tsunami as it approached the island. We have highlighted the wave to make it easier to see.

MESERVE: It is 2005 in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, but there's nothing to celebrate. The bitter aftermath of 2004 is everywhere and aid is arriving very slowly.

Dan Rivers of International Television News is there with that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): New Tear's Eve, Banda Aceh. Its famous mosque shrouded in smoke, the clock frozen at 8:30, the time, the date, the year Indonesia will never forget.

The army has started to clear this central square, determined they will reclaim this city. But 100 feet away, there is still untouched horror.

We've seen so many bodies here, but this is the only one we've seen having any sort of funeral rights performed on it. Hundreds and hundreds of other people, thousands, tens of thousands have just been simply scooped up by diggers and dumped in mass graves.

Out of town refugees are flooding into makeshift camps, chaotic, (INAUDIBLE). For the survivors, this is the only option. This is how they wash up here. Water is too precious to throw away. There are fears of a measles outbreak among the children. Barely any are inoculated. They're surviving on rice donated by locals.

Everyone here has a story to tell. Usran (ph) escaped the tsunami by climbing a tree. His three children are dead, so is his wife and his two brothers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I went to find my family. I looked for 12 hours, but couldn't see anyone, but there were a lot of dead bodies.

RIVERS: There must be several thousand refugees now outside the city of Banda Aceh, but despite it's been six days since the earthquake, there is not a single national aid agency or NGO anywhere to be seen here. The missing stare out from posters scanned by the desperate, trying to find their loved ones.

We took one man from the camp back to his village. Iwan (ph) is a fireman and was called out on Boxing Day to put out a fire. It meant he lived, but his wife, his son, his daughters, his two brothers and his two sisters all died.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I just can't say anything. I lost everything I have. I don't know how I feel.

RIVERS (voice-over): In the same village we ran into the UN's most senior official in Indonesia. Everywhere we have been, there has been no aid at all. It's six days after this disaster. Why is it taking such a long time?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think if you make an international comparison, it isn't that long. If you go out to the airport, things are moving fairly rapidly now.

RIVERS: Yeah, but out here, there are people starving to death. We have talked to people who have had no food for five days.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's obviously something we're very unhappy about. That's why we're here, why I'm here personally.

RIVERS: People like Iwan (ph) need help fast. They have nothing, but profound trauma. Dan Rivers, ITV News, Aceh.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOST: Sri Lanka raised its death toll today to 41,000 after the rebel Tamil Tigers announced 14,000 were killed in the areas they control. CNN's Stan Grant paid a rare visit to the Tamil Tigers territory in northeast Sri Lanka and found the tsunami did not choose sides in that war-torn nation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, the area of northern Sri Lanka is not just a disaster zone. It's also a war zone. It has been a war zone for the past two decades. The Tamil Tigers separatists here have fought a battle with the Sri Lankan forces. Now they have established what the call a de facto state in this region and they are trying to focus now on dealing with this humanitarian crisis themselves. They say they need to work with the aid groups, but they do say that everything must be filtered through the Tamil Tigers.

Aid groups that I have spoken to say they are able to cooperate. They are able to facilitate this aid that so desperately needs to get to people here. But everything must go through the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization. As for ourselves, we, today, came across a checkpoint and checked in with the local Tamil headquarters here and have been taken very much everywhere we had to go very much under the supervision of the Tamils.

What have we seen? Well, the Tamil Tigers themselves have said there are 14,000 people in the north and the northeast who have been killed as a result of the tsunami. There's another 5,000 or 6,000, as high as that, who are missing and they say do not expect any survivors. The total death toll here likely to top around 20,000. Add to that another half a million who have been displaced and you have an understanding of the sheer size of this catastrophe.

At the same time, there is the very gruesome task of bringing in those dead. And we have seen today members of the Tamil Tigers going throughout this region and scouring the waters to find more bodies. Where they find the bodies they photograph them and then they cremate them. There have been mass cremations right across this region as they try to stop the spread of disease that will come if these corpses are allowed to rot any further. There is also a big problem with contamination of water, contamination of food. The seafood, which is a staple diet of many of the people up here, also having to be taken off the market, not allowed to be sold in shops. There's also a problem with contamination of air and the Tamil Tigers have sealed off a lot of the very much heavily affected areas here. But the big problem for the moment is coordinating this relief response and despite the efforts of the Tamil Tigers and despite the efforts of the aid groups to work together, we're being told by everyone still not enough aid not enough food, not enough shelter, not enough water is going to the people who need it so badly on the ground. Stan Grant in northern Sri Lanka for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Many of the vacations who survived the tsunamis went home as soon as they could, but CNN senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports from Sri Lanka on some vacationers who stayed put.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At a time when many tourists and vacationers have vividly recounted their stories of survival and loss, one family can tell the story of their own personal relief effort.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we come from the U.K. on holiday and we had to cut short our holiday because of the things that happened here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sri Lanka has never had anything like this before. So, at first we were just in shock and then you're just saying, OK, we're not in the mood to travel around and do holiday stuff anymore. And so, you just think, we need to do something. I need to do something.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, we have visited five camps and we have treated roughly about 400 patients.

GUPTA: The Mahaswaran (ph) family immigrated to the U.K. years ago, but it managed to return to beautiful Sri Lanka for holiday every few years, but as the entire world now knows, this trip was different. Father W.T.(PH) had been a medical doctor for more than 40 years. Dr. Danusha (ph) is 24 years old and has just graduated from medical school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We heard about this on the radio and we were traveling on the car radio.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got here at the right time and we feel like we should be able to do something. So, we couldn't leave really.

GUPTA: Vivia (ph) is 20 years old and in her third year of medical school. The Maswaran (ph) doctors have joined the handful of Sri Lankan doctors who are in their native country to offer their services. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every single day (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and the death toll is just even higher than even ten minutes ago. We're quite lucky that we can give back in some way.

GUPTA: You feel like you did some good here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah. It's really nice to feel like you've actually done something.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Sri Lanka.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Keeping security tight among America's biggest party as thousands of people watch the ball drop, police will be watching them. I'll talk with New York City police commissioner Raymond Kelly about the operations.

In many places around the world, it is already 2005. How many tempered the celebration of the New Year with the tragedy in Asia.

And from the dramatic legal wrangling that captured America's attention to controversial Hollywood pictures that got us talking, it's all part of the year that was 2004. We'll look back, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MESERVE: And now back to our CNN security watch and precautions for tonight's New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square. Joining us to discuss those preparations, New York police commissioner Raymond Kelly. Thanks so much for joining us.

RAYMOND KELLY, NYPD COMMISIONER: Good to be with you, Jeanne.

MESERVE: First, the intelligence picture. Is there any specific and credible information that tonight's celebration in Times Square is going to be targeted?

KELLY: New York City we have no specific information. As a matter of fact, the so-called chatter is at a low. We haven't seen it this low for quite a while. I'm not certain what that means, but what it means right now is no new specific information.

MESERVE: You're taking a lot of precautions, nonetheless. What is new this year? What are you doing that you haven't done in years past?

KELLY: Pretty much the package is the same, the number of police officers we have deployed is the same. We have more undercover officers than perhaps in the past. Not that much more. But we have new technology we brought on board, the new helicopter that has some fairly sophisticated camera capability. It has a FLIR, forward looking infrared capability. We have more observation posts. We have sensor equipment that's out in various locations throughout the city, because we have to be concerned not only about Times Square, but other areas in the city as well. We call it our counterterrorism overlay. We have been doing this for a long time as far as New Year's Eve is concerned, but, of course post-9/11, we have added some additional features. And each year, we get a little better at it.

MESERVE: And what's the price tag for that?

KELLY: Well, it's hard to say. You kind of have to add it up when it's over, but it will at least be a couple million dollar in overtime. We, of course, have to staff this with officers who are, generally speaking, not scheduled to work, because we have to police the rest of the city. So it can be an expensive proposition for us.

MESERVE: I heard about 750,000 expected in Times Square tonight. Are you putting them all through magnetometers? What's your advice to the revelers about what they should bring?

KELLY: Well, our advice is don't bring backpacks, anything, of course, that would raise suspicion. Certainly don't bring alcohol. We are not going to let it into the immediate area. We have magnetometers placed at all of the entry points.

And anybody going into the pens, as we call it. There are 67 pens. Anyone going into those pens will be checked three times before they get there. So don't bring anything that's going to cause us concern and dress warmly, because even though it's warmer than usual, it can get pretty windy and chilly around midnight in Times Square.

MESERVE: It's that time when everybody does their year-end assessments. You went through one of the first post 9/11 political conventions. You had a terrorist threat against financial institution in your city. Sum it all up for me. At the end of the year, what do the numbers tell you about what kind of year this has been for your department?

KELLY: Well, as far as crime is concerned, we're at record lows. Our homicide rate is as low as it's been since 1963 when, of course, the population was significantly less than it is now. We're over 8 million people. I thought the Republican National Convention went very well as far as the police department is concerned. We did had those threats that surfaced in late July, early August that cost us a significant amount of money. Again, as far as overtime is concerned. But all in all, it was a successful year for New York and, as far as I'm concerned, certainly for the police department.

MESERVE: When you hear that murder number, it sort of jumps out at you, that these numbers are as low as they have been since the early '60s. What accounts for that?

KELLY: Well, I think there are several things that account for it. We think some of our strategies and tactics are working, but I think shifting drug use policies I think some early intervention programs we have, as far as domestic violence is concerned. I think a lot of our gun initiatives have helped. So, there's a lot of proactive work being done in the prevention area, and we think that that played a large part. MESERVE: Commissioner, you're an expert in preparedness. You, like everyone else, I'm sure, have been watching these pictures come out of Southeast Asia. I'm sure it's impossible to prepare for any natural disaster of this magnitude, but do you draw lessons from what's happening there?

KELLY: You're right. The magnitude of it is mind boggling, but perhaps we should, as a nation, start thinking more about major catastrophes and drilling for them. We do a fair amount of drills here in New York, but, again, the magnitude and the scope of something this large, perhaps, has to be factored in. I mean, I don't know if we would ever be able to practice anything like this, but perhaps, you know, the scope of our exercises should get larger.

MESERVE: New York City police commissioner, Ray Kelly, thanks so much for joining us tonight.

KELLY: Thank you.

MESERVE: Good luck with the celebrations. Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

And this programming note. CNN is ringing in the New Year live from Times Square tonight. Anderson Cooper hosts New Year's Eve tradition with live musical performances by Celine Dion, the Roots and Jerry Jeff Walker, plus special appearances by Secretary of State Colin Powell and Green Day. That all begins at 11:00 pm live right here on CNN.

In light of this week's tragic events, are we celebrating the New Year differently? Mary Snow is taking the pulse of Americans in Times Square.

Plus, we'll take a look at celebrations around the world when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MESERVE: As you well know, the week between Christmas and New Year's is a time of celebration for Americans, but this year, the celebration is tempered by the tragic news from overseas. As crowds gathered for New Year's Eve celebrations in New York, our Mary Snow decide today visit Times Square to get an idea of the mood. Mary, what did you find?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jeanne as the crowds are turning out, the mood certainly festive. But it's also been a time of reflection. Secretary of State Colin Powell, the honored guest here tonight spoke a short time ago, saying in his years of public service, he never witnessed the kind of devastation he saw this week. He is heading to the region in a short time and, also, tonight, here in Times Square, there will be a moment of silence at about 8:14.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): The pictures tell the story. Tragedy is the back drop as people get ready to celebrate the New Year in Times Square. The nation's largest New Year's Eve party will pause to honor the tsunami victims.

TIM TOMPKINS, TIMES SQUARE ALLIANCE: Earlier that week, we didn't have that element in our program but just as the toll of the disaster grew, we realized we couldn't have a celebration and not acknowledge it.

SNOW: Elsewhere in New York, a stark contrast, where relief efforts continue at a frenzied pace. Today, the Clintons visited a Buddhist temple that has become the nerve center for a Sri Lankan community in queens, raising money for relief aid. What seems a world away in Times Square, people are turning out to ring in 2005.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's somber, but always a new year is a new perspective. So, that's important to realize. Life goes on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really a way of celebrating new times and just being aware of how we are all connected to one another. So I definitely will be thinking of people out there. Sure.

SNOW: Some say their perspective has changed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to get out there and live life. If you want to travel, get out there and do it, life is too short. You don't know when your time is up.

SNOW: And the ritual to mark the New Year, says organizers, can have a curious affect.

TOMPKINS: One of the interesting things, I think, is that the crazier the world gets, whether it's war or natural disasters, the more people seem to hold on to rituals like this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it makes you thankful for the things you do have when you see so many people in tragedy. So, more of a celebration of not just the New Year, but all of our blessings that we have.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (on camera): And the mayor of New York, Mike Bloomberg, also telling New Yorkers this is a time to move away from what he called silly things and a time to look in the mirror and realize how fortune they are. Jeanne?

MESERVE: Mary Snow, thank you.

People around the world are already ringing in the New Year. Many celebrations have been subdued, some canceled as people remember the victims of the Asian disaster.

In Australia, fireworks lit up Sydney Harbor.

There was a traditional New Year's Eve countdown in Hong Kong.

In Japan, a giant temple bell ushered in the New Year with solemn tones.

In hard-hit Thailand, government officials ask that New Year's celebrations not be held. Traditional countdowns were canceled in Bangkok and in the northern city of Chengmai. Elsewhere in Thailand, in Aceh and Phuket, it's a time of mourning and reflection.

People in Sri Lanka are also mourning their devastating loss.

In Russia, people jammed Moscow's Red Square.

At the Vatican, Pope John Paul II is remembering victims of the Asian tsunamis. The 84-year-old pontiff says he hopes the world community will mobilize to aid the affected populations. And that's our look around the world.

People in Ukraine have just celebrated New Year's after a year of remarkable political change. Presidential-elect Viktor Yushchenko toasted in the New Year in Kiev's Independence Square where a massive crowd has gathered.

The year in review. Wolf looks back at the controversy, surprises and historical moments of 2004 next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MESERVE: The year ends with a humanitarian disaster beyond imagining in Asia and Africa and a world reaching out to help. Much of the year was dominated by Iraq and a war not easily won. Wolf Blitzer takes a look back at the year in review.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): 2004 was a year for record highs, a year of traveling to new heights, a year of monuments opening their doors again and a year of curses being broken, but the one story dominating the headlines - war. U.S. forces battle a hidden enemy as a brazen insurgency emerged in Iraq. With elections only 30 days away more than 150,000 troops will begin the new year trying to bring stability to an increasingly unstable country.

At home, weather was the enemy for Florida. Four hurricanes batter the state and its neighbors in quick concession. Charlie, Francis, Ivan and Jeanne, taking more than 100 lives and causing billions of dollars worth of damage.

And it was an election year. The political year began with nine Democrats vying for the chance to challenge President George W. Bush, but over-exuberance toppled the front runner late in the game.

HOWARD DEAN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And we're going to Washington, DC to take back the White House. Eeeayayaiaiaaeeehhh.

BLITZER: And John Kerry won the nomination, setting the stage for an intense race for the White House. Hot topics ranged from the candidate's military service 30 years ago, 9/11 intelligence reforms, Iraq and moral issues, including the definition of marriage. Like 2000, this year's election came down to one state. This time, Ohio. But unlike four years ago, it took only one day for a concession. With 51 percent of the popular vote and 286 electoral votes, George W. Bush won a second term. The year's legal headlines included Martha Stewart's conviction for lying about a stock trade. She is spending New Year's in prison, as is Scott Peterson, convicted of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci. He will have to wait until February to find out whether he will die for the crime.

And deja vu for Michael Jackson, spending another year battling charges of molestation. Hollywood turned out some unlikely and controversial blockbusters, including "The Passion of the Christ" and "Fahrenheit 9/11." On the small screen, we said goodbye to the ladies of "Sex and the City." far more difficult goodbyes this year to some of our favorites, including Superman Christopher Reeve, jazz genius Ray Charles and the godfather, Marlon brand. We also said goodbye to a former actor who went on to become president. A week of tributes culminated in a moving sunset ceremony in which Ronald Reagan was laid to rest in his beloved California.

Now we say goodbye to another year, a year of highs and lows, of comings and goings, surprises and scandals, hope and heartbreak, the year that was 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: In about six hours, Americans will begin ringing in the New Year. Many revelers are expected in Times Square to watch the famous ball drop. What comes down must first go up. And CNN's Jason Carroll is live once again in Times Square with that story. Jason?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you've got that right. Down below, thousands of people have already crammed in to Times Square. They're all looking upward, above the Jumbotron where the ball is, and that's where I am standing. If you have a fear of heights, this is probably not place you want to be. We are 22 stories up, on top of 1 Times Square where we're getting an unprecedented look at the crystal ball before it makes its assent up that pole.

And a little more about this crystal ball here, it weighs 1,000 pounds. There are 700 light bulbs on this ball. It has 96 strobe lights, 90 mirrors. It is 6 feet in diameter. Later on this evening, Mayor Bloomberg, along with Secretary of State Colin Powell, will do the honors when they flip the switch for the ball's release. When it makes it descent, it will come down 77 feet and will take about 60 seconds.

And I got to tell you, when this actually reaches the top, the crowd will go crazy down below, I have to tell you. There will be huge pyrotechnic display when it hits the top. At that point, Jeanne, things will be on here at Times Square. People are going to go crazy. So this is an up-close look at that crystal ball that people get a chance to see on their TV screens. Never been this close to it. Not sure I want to be that close to it again, to be honest. Back to you.

MESERVE: Jason, you're making me nervous. Get down. On behalf of CNN and the entire WOLF BLITZER REPORTS staff, we wish you a safe and happy New Year. Wolf will be back Monday and this Sunday on LATE EDITION. Among his special guests, Secretary of State Colin Powell. That's Sunday, noon Eastern.

Thanks for joining us. LOU DOBBS TONIGHT starts right now.

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