Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Tsunami Disaster Relief; Rebuilding Lives; Lepung's Last Man; Financial Wellness

Aired January 03, 2005 - 06:31   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. Welcome to the last half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
"Now in the News."

Secretary of State Colin Powell gets a personal glimpse of the tsunami damage. Powell is heading a U.S. delegation that's due to arrive in Thailand later this morning. Powell also plans to make stops in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

Insurgents step up attacks in Iraq today. About four hours ago a car bomb explodes on a Baghdad street close to the headquarters of Iraq's interim prime minister. Four people were killed. Earlier, an attack in Balad left four Iraqi soldiers dead.

The FBI is investigating another report of a laser beam being pointed at a plane. Pilots of a United Airlines jet reported seeing a green laser beam as they took off from Nashville. It did not cause any problems.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Indonesia is just one of the stops on the planned tour of the region by Secretary of State Colin Powell. Powell will also attend Thursday's U.N.-sponsored donors' conference in Jakarta. He says that while the U.S. is sending aid and support, it would be a bad idea for President Bush himself to travel to the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: These are nations that are spending their time and attention now delivering relief to their citizens. And a visit by the president of the United States with all that entails would be a diversion of their attention from providing support. So, we don't need a big grandstanding event right now, which would essentially, no matter if it's only two capitals, be a significant diversion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Grandstanding is not an issue with other members of Congress. Some lawmakers also are preparing a trip to some of the Asian nations that were hit by those killer tsunamis. Plus, Congress will look at increasing relief aid.

Let's head live to Washington now and CNN congressional correspondent, Ed Henry.

Good morning -- Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So, Congress will meet tomorrow in session.

HENRY: That's right.

COSTELLO: How much money will they talk about?

HENRY: Well, Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut has already said that he thinks the $350 million the president has pledged is a floor and not a ceiling. And so basically I think you're going to see a lot of bipartisan support for increasing the 350 million.

But when I spoke to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist yesterday, what he said is that while he also thinks there will be an increase, they do not want to rush through any money today. They're afraid -- today or this week. They're afraid that if they push too much through early on before they really assess the needs, the money is going to wind up in a -- you know, with supplies in a warehouse somewhere, and they really won't get it to the people who need it.

So, they would rather just pass a resolution in Congress this week expressing the support of the Congress for the victims in Asia. Then people like Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist are going to go themselves to the region, assess the situation, and then later this month Congress plans to pass an emergency spending bill that may increase that 350 million but will have a final figure that's based on what they feel is actually needed.

COSTELLO: Well, I have two questions for you. With all of the costs associated with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where is Congress going to get the money to send even more money for relief efforts?

HENRY: That's such a good question. And the bottom line is nobody has an answer. Right now, we're running deficits of almost $500 billion per year. And any emergency spending of any kind, whether it's to help victims in Asia, whether it's to help farmers in America, it's all going to end up being deficit spending. And I think that's why you're going to see some very tough choices have to be made by both parties in the next few months as Congress one of the biggest issues they'll grapple with is the overall budget. How are they going to get this under control?

Because you're right. In addition to whatever money they end up shelling out for the victims of the tsunami, we're also talking about passing an emergency spending bill of maybe $80 billion for the war in Iraq. And that's obviously money that people in both parties realize have to be spent as this continues.

COSTELLO: OK. And the other question I have, so you have Colin Powell and Jeb Bush already in tsunami country, if you will, looking at the damage, assessing the damage. Why does Bill Frist have to go, too? HENRY: Well, Senator Frist told me that one of the reasons he wants to go himself is, as you know, he's a heart surgeon. And he's hoping that he can actually help some of the victims. He can go over, and he's planning to operate on some people if that's needed. Now, if it ends up just being publicity and it's not really going to help people, he said he's not going to do it. But he wants to be in the region to help if he can.

But secondly, he wants to wear his hat -- in addition to wearing the hat of a doctor, he wants to wear the hat of the Senate majority leader and be able to, as I said earlier, assess the situation and not just watch it on television. But go see, is more than $350 million from America needed? There have been some suggestions that more money needs to be sent over there, and the Senate majority leaders wants to make sure that this is not money U.S. taxpayer dollars that's wasted. He wants to make sure that it's actually getting to the people who need it.

COSTELLO: Ed Henry reporting live from Washington this morning. Thank you for joining DAYBREAK.

The memories of the tsunamis will follow many survivors for the rests of their lives. But in one Sri Lankan city, they're already trying to rebuild for the future.

CNN's Satinder Bindra reports from Galle in southern Sri Lanka.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Their families are dead. Their homes have been smashed and their livelihoods destroyed. But it will take more than a killer wave to shatter the spirit of many people in Galle. They team up to bring their fishing boats back to the edge of the sea.

For all it's destroyed and the people it's consumed, the ocean here is still rich in fish, and these fishermen realize they must get back to work or they'll starve.

"I'm willing to borrow money at 15 or 20 percent interest to rebuild my boat," says this fisherman. "But I have to go back."

Elsewhere in the city bridges are being rebuilt. Everyone realizes without them, relief efforts will fail and many more Sri Lankans will die.

Last Sunday, this city was flattened by a tsunami. This eyewitness video shows the scale of destruction.

One week after...

(on camera): ... this city is slowly trying to get back on its feet. It's trying to blot out the pain of the past and to secure a future.

(voice over): But for all of their efforts, some residents fall back into a sea of depression. They seek the company of others. Collective grief somehow seems less painful.

"If my mother was alive, I could do everything," says resident Don Viterrana (ph). "Now that my mother has gone, I can't do anything."

Eight members of Don Viterrana's (ph) family died here. Two bodies still haven't been recovered. His business, too, has been wiped out, and he's now moved to a shelter.

"I think it will take all of Sri Lankans," he says, "at least 20 years to recover."

Just a few yards away from Viterrana's (ph) home, his neighbors try to get on with their lives. With their tears slowly drying up, they believe it's time for Galle to move on.

Satinder Bindra, CNN, Galle, southern Sri Lanka.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The desperation of the refugees walking miles over the past week to receive the simplest of human needs. Coming up, the story of the last man standing in one small village.

But first, here are some other stories making headlines this Monday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Getting aid to the incredible number of people affected by last weekend's tsunamis is no easy task. But there is another problem. Some of those needing help are moving toward major cities.

Shane McLeod of Australia's ABC network took a long walk through the Indonesian city of Lepung, where he met Lepung's last man.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHANE MCLEOD, AUSTRALIA'S ABC NETWORK: There are some signs of progress here in Banda Aceh evidenced by the scores of helicopter flights going south. But on a seven-hour walk to possibly the worst- hit area yesterday, we found villages where no help had come at all, and the handful of survivors had given up waiting.

(voice over): They're coming out now, hundreds of them, some who have been walking up Aceh's west coast for six days living off coconuts and leaves. As we passed them walking in to try and find the town of Lepung, we heard stories of unbelievable devastation on the road ahead.

The passage isn't easy. The coast is piled high with debris, the road pulled apart, bridges torn up.

When we arrive in Lepung hours later, we found that what was once a town of around 10,000 people is now just a place now. And we found Zanadrin Ahmed (ph), the last man, entirely alone. His town gone, his fellow survivors fled, his entire family killed.

"I've been trying to find my mother," he says. "So I don't care about help, but not even one helicopter came here."

He points out where the mosque had been and an Islamic boarding school of around 500 students now obliterated, where restaurants and homes and shops once stood. Now, there is instead kilometer after kilometer of splintered junk.

It seems only around 200 or 300 people were left alive here -- 200 or 300 from 10,000.

"I think there are only about 30 children left," he says. "This place was crowded with children, but the water was just too high."

Here is why Lepung was wiped off the face of the map. Further down the coast, the waves surged two and a half kilometers inland. But along this stretch of coast, it crashed onto limestone cliffs just 500 meters behind the beach, flooded up in places 30 to 40 meters high, then roared back out to sea, taking almost everyone and everything with it.

Hitting a few kilometers back north, we catch up with Lepung's other survivors. They're heading for Banda Aceh, around 150 refugees, but there area only around a dozen children.

Shocked speechless, they weave in and out of a nightmare landscape, dotted with the skeletons of something quite inconceivable. And 10 kilometers behind them, Zanadrin (ph) is walking, too. It's time for the last man to leave. Now, there is no one left at all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Again, that was Shane McLeod of Australia's ABC Network.

And as our own Mike Chinoy pointed out earlier, one big need in the region: forensics experts for the task of handling and identifying so many dead bodies.

We'll hear more from survivors of the tsunami all day on CNN and stories of aid on the way. Bill Hemmer joins us live now with a look ahead to "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol. Good morning to you.

It's really tough to get your arms around this story now 10 days into it at this point. Help is on the way. We know that, Carol. But, again, there are some countries actually rejecting any form of international aid. Many say it's a surprising response. We'll talk to Mark Larson (ph). He's with the U.S. embassy in Thailand, one of the two countries turning money away, and we'll get his response on that. Also, my partner, Soledad, is in Thailand. We'll get to her at the top of the hour as well and let you know what we are finding out on the ground today on this Monday morning.

Carol -- see you in about 15 minutes.

COSTELLO: All right.

HEMMER: At the top of the hour.

COSTELLO: Thanks, Bill.

HEMMER: Sure.

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:46 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Two suicide car bombings in Iraq this morning. One happened at an Iraqi police checkpoint near a key political office in Baghdad. At least three police officers were killed. The other attack targeted an Iraqi National Guard checkpoint north of the capital, killing four Iraqi soldiers.

In Buenos Aires, grieving relatives bury the victims of Thursday's nightclub fire. Nearly 200 people were killed, 700 injured. Protestors demand an investigation amid reports emergency exits were locked.

People in some parts of the country better have money to burn if they want to buy firewood this winter. Demand had pushed the cost to firewood way up. People are looking for alternative ways of heating due to sky-high prices for oil and kerosene.

In culture, Pulitzer Prize winning humorist Dave Barry says yesterday's column was his last for now. But Barry says he may write again from time to time if, as he puts it, something really important happens like a cow exploding -- I can't even say it. Like a cow exploding in a boat toilet, a direct quote from him.

In sports, the Indianapolis Colts had little to win or lose, so Peyton Manning sat through most of the game. And the Denver Broncos won, earning a playoff rematch next week with the Indianapolis Colts.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Chad, wouldn't it be nice if you had a bit more cash in 2005?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Man, I think it would be really nice, too. Coming up, Ali Velshi will tell us how we can make wise decisions on Wall Street without really being there. This is DAYBREAK for a Monday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: I don't know if you knew this, but this is financial wellness month. And our DAYBREAK contributor, Ali Velshi, is here to tell you how to invest wisely without an emotional rollercoaster that matches the stock market. So...

ALI VELSHI, CNN DAYBREAK CONTRIBUTOR: Happy financial wellness month. Happy New Year to you. Good to see you.

You know, Mondays are these days the best trading day. January 3, the first trading of the year today, is typically a good day. Ten out of the last 15 years it's been a good day for the markets.

All of this only matters if you follow the markets very closely, and you invest that way, which I think a lot of people think they do, but most of have day jobs.

COSTELLO: Well, who has the time?

VELSHI: We've got other things to do.

COSTELLO: Right.

VELSHI: Even if you work in and around financial markets, as I do, this is not something you want to be doing on a day-to-day basis.

So, I want to talk a little bit about dollar cost averaging. Now, a lot of people will say this is a little basic. It's a little beginner for a lot of you out there. That's not true. Dollar cost averaging is a good strategy whether you're a beginner or you're conservative. It's good for a lot of people, because people like sales on everything except stocks.

When stocks go down, investors run for the exits. They're worried. They're worthless. They're going down. They're going to fall. When prices go up in the markets, investors stay back thinking it's inflated. There is too much going on.

It's hard to time the markets. It's hard to know when to get in. That's the toughest decision people have to make.

So, let's talk about dollar cost averaging. It's a system of buying shares in a stock or a mutual fund using a fixed amount of money on a regular basis regardless of market conditions. It doesn't matter whether they're up or down, you are investing a set amount.

COSTELLO: And that's a good thing.

VELSHI: It's an excellent thing. And let me tell you why. First of all, I'll show you how it works.

Here's how it works. You invest each month either each pay period or once a month. You automatically have money that comes out of your account, and it gets invested in stocks, whether they're low or high. You create a pre-determined dollar amount that you put in -- $50, $100, $200. Be carefully you're not being stung by commissions. And if you're using dollar cost averaging, you've got to do it to a program that actually is set up for you putting these small amounts of money in.

They can be small amounts. They can be big amounts of money, too. Your investment program at work, your 401(k), your investment account at Schwab or wherever, will have a way of investing a certain amount of money and spreading it evenly across your investment. So, $100 can buy stock, in this case AOL Time Warner, or you can buy stock of your entire portfolio.

COSTELLO: A lot of great buys right now.

VELSHI: But if you're dollar cost averaging, you might not think it's not a great buy, because you don't have a set price that you go in.

COSTELLO: But it does matter what stock you buy. Shouldn't you invest that money in safe stocks, a variety of safe stocks?

VELSHI: Yes, you should diversify. And that's a pet theme of mine, except that studies have shown that if you diversify well and you invest with discipline, you actually do better than trying to sit it out and say this is a good week to buy GE and this is a good week to sell AOL.

None of this excuses you from making good financial decisions or getting help if you don't know how to make them. But the discipline of investing on a regular basis outweighs so much of that.

And I'll tell you, as I said, this is not just for beginners. This is good if you have a limited amount of money or a fixed amount of money that you can spare every month -- $100 or $200 a month. It's great if you're risk-averse or you're financially conservative or you don't know how to time markets or you don't understand markets. This is a good philosophy for people without discipline. If you think you want to time the market but you don't know how to, this just gets you in and it gets you...

COSTELLO: So, it takes the emotion out of it.

VELSHI: That's exactly what it is.

COSTELLO: It takes that competitive thing we all have out of it.

VELSHI: Right. It just says you're getting into the market. You'll probably do better. I mean, once you've got that down pat, then you get a little more sophisticated about how you make your choices. But at least you get in.

COSTELLO: Exactly. Thank you, Ali. We appreciate it.

VELSHI: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Change is in the air at Delta Airlines, and that means a late Christmas present just for you. "TIME" magazine says the nation's second-biggest carrier plans to radically change its pricing policy. Delta is the first of the major U.S. carriers to go this far. The move follows a tough holiday season, which saw some airlines canceling flights and, of course, losing luggage.

First off, Delta plans to cut fares on everything from first class to last-minute tickets. The airline is also scrapping those irritating ticket rules, like requiring Saturday night stays. And it's cutting fees for ticket changes in half.

It's about time, don't you think?

VELSHI: I love it.

COSTELLO: That's Ali nodding his head over there.

VELSHI: See you, I'm flying off.

COSTELLO: Sure you are. This is DAYBREAK for a Monday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We want to update the death toll for you now: 156,000 are now reportedly killed in the tsunamis in South Asia.

Chad, I was looking at the headlines this morning.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: And, of course, many of the headlines are dealing with the tsunamis. A particularly disturbing story is in the "New York Post" this morning. It's about this woman. She sold a coveted Web site address for $99.00 on the Web, and the address was tsunamirelief.com. And guess what happened?

MYERS: Somebody scammed her.

COSTELLO: Yes. She, like, was looking on eBay, and she saw that Web site address for sale for $50,000.

MYERS: Well, that's not a scam.

COSTELLO: Well, it's not a scam, because nothing illegal was done. But the kid said that, you know, he was going to use the $50,000 for relief. You know, he was going to send it in, but she's not so sure. So there you have it.

That does it for us this morning. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

MYERS: See you tomorrow.

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 January 3, 2005 - 06:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. Welcome to the last half-hour of DAYBREAK. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
"Now in the News."

Secretary of State Colin Powell gets a personal glimpse of the tsunami damage. Powell is heading a U.S. delegation that's due to arrive in Thailand later this morning. Powell also plans to make stops in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

Insurgents step up attacks in Iraq today. About four hours ago a car bomb explodes on a Baghdad street close to the headquarters of Iraq's interim prime minister. Four people were killed. Earlier, an attack in Balad left four Iraqi soldiers dead.

The FBI is investigating another report of a laser beam being pointed at a plane. Pilots of a United Airlines jet reported seeing a green laser beam as they took off from Nashville. It did not cause any problems.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Indonesia is just one of the stops on the planned tour of the region by Secretary of State Colin Powell. Powell will also attend Thursday's U.N.-sponsored donors' conference in Jakarta. He says that while the U.S. is sending aid and support, it would be a bad idea for President Bush himself to travel to the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: These are nations that are spending their time and attention now delivering relief to their citizens. And a visit by the president of the United States with all that entails would be a diversion of their attention from providing support. So, we don't need a big grandstanding event right now, which would essentially, no matter if it's only two capitals, be a significant diversion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Grandstanding is not an issue with other members of Congress. Some lawmakers also are preparing a trip to some of the Asian nations that were hit by those killer tsunamis. Plus, Congress will look at increasing relief aid.

Let's head live to Washington now and CNN congressional correspondent, Ed Henry.

Good morning -- Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: So, Congress will meet tomorrow in session.

HENRY: That's right.

COSTELLO: How much money will they talk about?

HENRY: Well, Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut has already said that he thinks the $350 million the president has pledged is a floor and not a ceiling. And so basically I think you're going to see a lot of bipartisan support for increasing the 350 million.

But when I spoke to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist yesterday, what he said is that while he also thinks there will be an increase, they do not want to rush through any money today. They're afraid -- today or this week. They're afraid that if they push too much through early on before they really assess the needs, the money is going to wind up in a -- you know, with supplies in a warehouse somewhere, and they really won't get it to the people who need it.

So, they would rather just pass a resolution in Congress this week expressing the support of the Congress for the victims in Asia. Then people like Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist are going to go themselves to the region, assess the situation, and then later this month Congress plans to pass an emergency spending bill that may increase that 350 million but will have a final figure that's based on what they feel is actually needed.

COSTELLO: Well, I have two questions for you. With all of the costs associated with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where is Congress going to get the money to send even more money for relief efforts?

HENRY: That's such a good question. And the bottom line is nobody has an answer. Right now, we're running deficits of almost $500 billion per year. And any emergency spending of any kind, whether it's to help victims in Asia, whether it's to help farmers in America, it's all going to end up being deficit spending. And I think that's why you're going to see some very tough choices have to be made by both parties in the next few months as Congress one of the biggest issues they'll grapple with is the overall budget. How are they going to get this under control?

Because you're right. In addition to whatever money they end up shelling out for the victims of the tsunami, we're also talking about passing an emergency spending bill of maybe $80 billion for the war in Iraq. And that's obviously money that people in both parties realize have to be spent as this continues.

COSTELLO: OK. And the other question I have, so you have Colin Powell and Jeb Bush already in tsunami country, if you will, looking at the damage, assessing the damage. Why does Bill Frist have to go, too? HENRY: Well, Senator Frist told me that one of the reasons he wants to go himself is, as you know, he's a heart surgeon. And he's hoping that he can actually help some of the victims. He can go over, and he's planning to operate on some people if that's needed. Now, if it ends up just being publicity and it's not really going to help people, he said he's not going to do it. But he wants to be in the region to help if he can.

But secondly, he wants to wear his hat -- in addition to wearing the hat of a doctor, he wants to wear the hat of the Senate majority leader and be able to, as I said earlier, assess the situation and not just watch it on television. But go see, is more than $350 million from America needed? There have been some suggestions that more money needs to be sent over there, and the Senate majority leaders wants to make sure that this is not money U.S. taxpayer dollars that's wasted. He wants to make sure that it's actually getting to the people who need it.

COSTELLO: Ed Henry reporting live from Washington this morning. Thank you for joining DAYBREAK.

The memories of the tsunamis will follow many survivors for the rests of their lives. But in one Sri Lankan city, they're already trying to rebuild for the future.

CNN's Satinder Bindra reports from Galle in southern Sri Lanka.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Their families are dead. Their homes have been smashed and their livelihoods destroyed. But it will take more than a killer wave to shatter the spirit of many people in Galle. They team up to bring their fishing boats back to the edge of the sea.

For all it's destroyed and the people it's consumed, the ocean here is still rich in fish, and these fishermen realize they must get back to work or they'll starve.

"I'm willing to borrow money at 15 or 20 percent interest to rebuild my boat," says this fisherman. "But I have to go back."

Elsewhere in the city bridges are being rebuilt. Everyone realizes without them, relief efforts will fail and many more Sri Lankans will die.

Last Sunday, this city was flattened by a tsunami. This eyewitness video shows the scale of destruction.

One week after...

(on camera): ... this city is slowly trying to get back on its feet. It's trying to blot out the pain of the past and to secure a future.

(voice over): But for all of their efforts, some residents fall back into a sea of depression. They seek the company of others. Collective grief somehow seems less painful.

"If my mother was alive, I could do everything," says resident Don Viterrana (ph). "Now that my mother has gone, I can't do anything."

Eight members of Don Viterrana's (ph) family died here. Two bodies still haven't been recovered. His business, too, has been wiped out, and he's now moved to a shelter.

"I think it will take all of Sri Lankans," he says, "at least 20 years to recover."

Just a few yards away from Viterrana's (ph) home, his neighbors try to get on with their lives. With their tears slowly drying up, they believe it's time for Galle to move on.

Satinder Bindra, CNN, Galle, southern Sri Lanka.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: The desperation of the refugees walking miles over the past week to receive the simplest of human needs. Coming up, the story of the last man standing in one small village.

But first, here are some other stories making headlines this Monday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Getting aid to the incredible number of people affected by last weekend's tsunamis is no easy task. But there is another problem. Some of those needing help are moving toward major cities.

Shane McLeod of Australia's ABC network took a long walk through the Indonesian city of Lepung, where he met Lepung's last man.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHANE MCLEOD, AUSTRALIA'S ABC NETWORK: There are some signs of progress here in Banda Aceh evidenced by the scores of helicopter flights going south. But on a seven-hour walk to possibly the worst- hit area yesterday, we found villages where no help had come at all, and the handful of survivors had given up waiting.

(voice over): They're coming out now, hundreds of them, some who have been walking up Aceh's west coast for six days living off coconuts and leaves. As we passed them walking in to try and find the town of Lepung, we heard stories of unbelievable devastation on the road ahead.

The passage isn't easy. The coast is piled high with debris, the road pulled apart, bridges torn up.

When we arrive in Lepung hours later, we found that what was once a town of around 10,000 people is now just a place now. And we found Zanadrin Ahmed (ph), the last man, entirely alone. His town gone, his fellow survivors fled, his entire family killed.

"I've been trying to find my mother," he says. "So I don't care about help, but not even one helicopter came here."

He points out where the mosque had been and an Islamic boarding school of around 500 students now obliterated, where restaurants and homes and shops once stood. Now, there is instead kilometer after kilometer of splintered junk.

It seems only around 200 or 300 people were left alive here -- 200 or 300 from 10,000.

"I think there are only about 30 children left," he says. "This place was crowded with children, but the water was just too high."

Here is why Lepung was wiped off the face of the map. Further down the coast, the waves surged two and a half kilometers inland. But along this stretch of coast, it crashed onto limestone cliffs just 500 meters behind the beach, flooded up in places 30 to 40 meters high, then roared back out to sea, taking almost everyone and everything with it.

Hitting a few kilometers back north, we catch up with Lepung's other survivors. They're heading for Banda Aceh, around 150 refugees, but there area only around a dozen children.

Shocked speechless, they weave in and out of a nightmare landscape, dotted with the skeletons of something quite inconceivable. And 10 kilometers behind them, Zanadrin (ph) is walking, too. It's time for the last man to leave. Now, there is no one left at all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Again, that was Shane McLeod of Australia's ABC Network.

And as our own Mike Chinoy pointed out earlier, one big need in the region: forensics experts for the task of handling and identifying so many dead bodies.

We'll hear more from survivors of the tsunami all day on CNN and stories of aid on the way. Bill Hemmer joins us live now with a look ahead to "AMERICAN MORNING."

Good morning.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol. Good morning to you.

It's really tough to get your arms around this story now 10 days into it at this point. Help is on the way. We know that, Carol. But, again, there are some countries actually rejecting any form of international aid. Many say it's a surprising response. We'll talk to Mark Larson (ph). He's with the U.S. embassy in Thailand, one of the two countries turning money away, and we'll get his response on that. Also, my partner, Soledad, is in Thailand. We'll get to her at the top of the hour as well and let you know what we are finding out on the ground today on this Monday morning.

Carol -- see you in about 15 minutes.

COSTELLO: All right.

HEMMER: At the top of the hour.

COSTELLO: Thanks, Bill.

HEMMER: Sure.

COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports. It is 6:46 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Two suicide car bombings in Iraq this morning. One happened at an Iraqi police checkpoint near a key political office in Baghdad. At least three police officers were killed. The other attack targeted an Iraqi National Guard checkpoint north of the capital, killing four Iraqi soldiers.

In Buenos Aires, grieving relatives bury the victims of Thursday's nightclub fire. Nearly 200 people were killed, 700 injured. Protestors demand an investigation amid reports emergency exits were locked.

People in some parts of the country better have money to burn if they want to buy firewood this winter. Demand had pushed the cost to firewood way up. People are looking for alternative ways of heating due to sky-high prices for oil and kerosene.

In culture, Pulitzer Prize winning humorist Dave Barry says yesterday's column was his last for now. But Barry says he may write again from time to time if, as he puts it, something really important happens like a cow exploding -- I can't even say it. Like a cow exploding in a boat toilet, a direct quote from him.

In sports, the Indianapolis Colts had little to win or lose, so Peyton Manning sat through most of the game. And the Denver Broncos won, earning a playoff rematch next week with the Indianapolis Colts.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Chad, wouldn't it be nice if you had a bit more cash in 2005?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Man, I think it would be really nice, too. Coming up, Ali Velshi will tell us how we can make wise decisions on Wall Street without really being there. This is DAYBREAK for a Monday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: I don't know if you knew this, but this is financial wellness month. And our DAYBREAK contributor, Ali Velshi, is here to tell you how to invest wisely without an emotional rollercoaster that matches the stock market. So...

ALI VELSHI, CNN DAYBREAK CONTRIBUTOR: Happy financial wellness month. Happy New Year to you. Good to see you.

You know, Mondays are these days the best trading day. January 3, the first trading of the year today, is typically a good day. Ten out of the last 15 years it's been a good day for the markets.

All of this only matters if you follow the markets very closely, and you invest that way, which I think a lot of people think they do, but most of have day jobs.

COSTELLO: Well, who has the time?

VELSHI: We've got other things to do.

COSTELLO: Right.

VELSHI: Even if you work in and around financial markets, as I do, this is not something you want to be doing on a day-to-day basis.

So, I want to talk a little bit about dollar cost averaging. Now, a lot of people will say this is a little basic. It's a little beginner for a lot of you out there. That's not true. Dollar cost averaging is a good strategy whether you're a beginner or you're conservative. It's good for a lot of people, because people like sales on everything except stocks.

When stocks go down, investors run for the exits. They're worried. They're worthless. They're going down. They're going to fall. When prices go up in the markets, investors stay back thinking it's inflated. There is too much going on.

It's hard to time the markets. It's hard to know when to get in. That's the toughest decision people have to make.

So, let's talk about dollar cost averaging. It's a system of buying shares in a stock or a mutual fund using a fixed amount of money on a regular basis regardless of market conditions. It doesn't matter whether they're up or down, you are investing a set amount.

COSTELLO: And that's a good thing.

VELSHI: It's an excellent thing. And let me tell you why. First of all, I'll show you how it works.

Here's how it works. You invest each month either each pay period or once a month. You automatically have money that comes out of your account, and it gets invested in stocks, whether they're low or high. You create a pre-determined dollar amount that you put in -- $50, $100, $200. Be carefully you're not being stung by commissions. And if you're using dollar cost averaging, you've got to do it to a program that actually is set up for you putting these small amounts of money in.

They can be small amounts. They can be big amounts of money, too. Your investment program at work, your 401(k), your investment account at Schwab or wherever, will have a way of investing a certain amount of money and spreading it evenly across your investment. So, $100 can buy stock, in this case AOL Time Warner, or you can buy stock of your entire portfolio.

COSTELLO: A lot of great buys right now.

VELSHI: But if you're dollar cost averaging, you might not think it's not a great buy, because you don't have a set price that you go in.

COSTELLO: But it does matter what stock you buy. Shouldn't you invest that money in safe stocks, a variety of safe stocks?

VELSHI: Yes, you should diversify. And that's a pet theme of mine, except that studies have shown that if you diversify well and you invest with discipline, you actually do better than trying to sit it out and say this is a good week to buy GE and this is a good week to sell AOL.

None of this excuses you from making good financial decisions or getting help if you don't know how to make them. But the discipline of investing on a regular basis outweighs so much of that.

And I'll tell you, as I said, this is not just for beginners. This is good if you have a limited amount of money or a fixed amount of money that you can spare every month -- $100 or $200 a month. It's great if you're risk-averse or you're financially conservative or you don't know how to time markets or you don't understand markets. This is a good philosophy for people without discipline. If you think you want to time the market but you don't know how to, this just gets you in and it gets you...

COSTELLO: So, it takes the emotion out of it.

VELSHI: That's exactly what it is.

COSTELLO: It takes that competitive thing we all have out of it.

VELSHI: Right. It just says you're getting into the market. You'll probably do better. I mean, once you've got that down pat, then you get a little more sophisticated about how you make your choices. But at least you get in.

COSTELLO: Exactly. Thank you, Ali. We appreciate it.

VELSHI: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Change is in the air at Delta Airlines, and that means a late Christmas present just for you. "TIME" magazine says the nation's second-biggest carrier plans to radically change its pricing policy. Delta is the first of the major U.S. carriers to go this far. The move follows a tough holiday season, which saw some airlines canceling flights and, of course, losing luggage.

First off, Delta plans to cut fares on everything from first class to last-minute tickets. The airline is also scrapping those irritating ticket rules, like requiring Saturday night stays. And it's cutting fees for ticket changes in half.

It's about time, don't you think?

VELSHI: I love it.

COSTELLO: That's Ali nodding his head over there.

VELSHI: See you, I'm flying off.

COSTELLO: Sure you are. This is DAYBREAK for a Monday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We want to update the death toll for you now: 156,000 are now reportedly killed in the tsunamis in South Asia.

Chad, I was looking at the headlines this morning.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: And, of course, many of the headlines are dealing with the tsunamis. A particularly disturbing story is in the "New York Post" this morning. It's about this woman. She sold a coveted Web site address for $99.00 on the Web, and the address was tsunamirelief.com. And guess what happened?

MYERS: Somebody scammed her.

COSTELLO: Yes. She, like, was looking on eBay, and she saw that Web site address for sale for $50,000.

MYERS: Well, that's not a scam.

COSTELLO: Well, it's not a scam, because nothing illegal was done. But the kid said that, you know, he was going to use the $50,000 for relief. You know, he was going to send it in, but she's not so sure. So there you have it.

That does it for us this morning. From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

MYERS: See you tomorrow.

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