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American Morning

Numbers of Dead Continue to Grow; Governor of Baghdad Assassinated

Aired January 04, 2005 - 09:00   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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: And hello back to you Bill. It is 9:00 in the morning where you are. But it is 9:00 in the evening, as we are 12 hours ahead in Phuket, Thailand.
The numbers of dead throughout the region continue to grow. The region, incredible for its tremendous beauty, but the sorrow, also just palpable as folks continue their search for any word, and any information about those who are now missing.

I spoke to a father today who told me the story of what happened to him when the tsunami roared through. He was putting little water wings on his 2-year-old son when they were hit with the wall of water. And he tried his best to hold onto the boy and could not. Today he said he continues to search for the boy because he owes that much to his son. He is hopeful that even though everyone is beginning to think that hope is growing more and more slim.

As Secretary of State Colin Powell made his way through the region he's traveling with Jeb Bush, the president's brother who has great experience in dealing with disasters. And he said the focus right now; the important thing is trying to identify some of the remains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: The difficult challenge that I've seen here this afternoon, I will go back and see if there's not more we can do, has to do with identification of remains. Forensic activity, forensic pathology, and see whether or not there's more we can do to assist Thai authorities and international authorities with the identification effort.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: He made those remarks as he was touring an area that's full of makeshift walls. People have plastered those walls with pictures of those missing. They gather around. It's a tremendously sad place because they gather to try to glean any information about someone they have lost.

But of course hope is growing very, very slim. Because the reality is there are more bodies that arrive, floating through the water, coming up washing onshore, decomposing on islands, and being recovered. They pile up on the piers and they're taken away by workers. It is a sad, sad place to be reporting from this evening here in Thailand. Bill? BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: As you point out, such a beautiful place under normal circumstances. But so much pain all around you now.

Soledad, back to you in a moment. First, I want to update our viewers now what's happening in the area. Let's get you caught up on the latest developments.

The number of dead has gone up over 155,000. In addition to that 4,000 to 5,000 Americans listed as missing. The State Department cautions us on that figure. It believes most of those Americans will be located.

More and bigger American helicopters now bringing relief supplies in remote areas of Sumatra. The Banda Aceh airport where some shipments are going open again this morning. A cargo plane earlier hit a water buffalo. That was later cleared from the runway. Flights are landing there again as of a few hours ago.

There's a marine force in Sri Lanka. Among the half million pounds of supplies they have food and water and medicine and road- building equipment on hand there. And the former presidents, George Bush, the president's father, and Bill Clinton, spearheading an appeal for private donations in this country. Soledad?

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill thanks. Aneesh Raman tells us a story of a special sense of loss I guess it's fair to say, among the local people who became close friends with some of the foreign guests who frequented the resorts here. He's got the story tonight of a hotel manager who says he feels like he has lost members of his family.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The moment devastation struck the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) beach hotel. The world has seen the images and heard the sounds. More than a week later, this is what remains. A sight reminiscent of a war zone. The gargantuan task of rebuilding falls on hotel manager (UNINTELLIGIBLE). He has seen the video enough to never want to see it again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've seen it two or three times, you will remember the whole thing, you know. Just where you work and you live for.

RAMAN: It was just a few hours after the waves came in, that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) inland at his house, came rushing to the scene. His reaction was visceral.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I look around, yelling to double check, to make sure if I -- if someone can hear me or anything so I can help them.

RAMAN: The majority of guests that come here come often. The connection between the staff and tourists is beyond professional, and makes a large number of missing extremely personal. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're like part of my family. They for sure they have to know the name of the staff. So it, it more like a family.

RAMAN, (on camera): The hotel is now a graveyard of sorts. Guests that were in these first floor rooms would have seen the water rise to the ceiling almost instantly. Many of them were sleeping. And as the water rose so high, so quickly, there was no escape. The lucky ones, like these staff members, now clean away the same debris that killed those they knew. The process is surreal. But it must go on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We should be able to prevail this time nightmare.

RAMAN, (voice over): The hotel will be rebuilt. And new guests will arrive. Perhaps unaware of the hallowed ground upon which their holiday retreat stands. But for (UNINTELLIGIBLE), the affects will linger, the missing always haunting him. His guilt is tragic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How I could be able to answer all the questions about missing people. I feel responsible.

RAMAN: One hotel of thousands trying to start anew, aware that as much as everyone might try, what happened here can never be forgotten.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAMAN: And that really is the crux of what the people here face. They have an economic imperative to rebuild and rebuild quickly. All the while dealing with this enormous tragedy, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: A huge problem on top of another huge problem. Aneesh Raman, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Finally we want to tell the story here this evening of a man named Franky Gun. He tells a story articulately of someone who survived. And yet with his survival has had an insurmountable loss. Here's Franky Gun.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKY GUN: First the power went down. So everything got quiet. And then outside I heard people running and screaming. And at the same time you could hear the sound of the water, but at that time I didn't know what it was all about. So I didn't know it's water. Thought maybe there's a fire or something like that.

And then you could just hear houses breaking and trees falling. And you could hear the sound of the electric poles falling down. Because they were all in a row. And they just --

O'BRIEN, (on camera): Like dominoes.

GUN: The earth was shaking. And it was just like a terrible sound. You cannot describe it if you haven't heard it. It's just like all mixes up into like a very, weird tone. You know, it's just terrible.

O'BRIEN: You were hit by the water. I know that you were in the bungalow along with your mom and dad, who are in their 70s.

GUN: Yes.

O'BRIEN: What happened to you?

GUN: So we were in the house, and first when I saw the water, my mother was screaming the water's coming, the water's coming. I still didn't -- I still didn't know what's going on. So I thought that a water tower fell down or something like that. And then I said OK, it's just like 10,000 liters of water, it's better to stay inside, it's safer.

But then we saw that the water was going up, and very rapidly going up, because we had glass front doors. And I just shouted we have to get out of here, try to open the kitchen door, and was not possible because of the water outside. And then I wanted to throw something into the window or something. At that time the water was about this high, one meter or something like that and the front door broke.

O'BRIEN: And the water rushed in.

GUN: And the water just rushed in. And it just basically flushed me through the kitchen window and my parents went through the kitchen door. We were all flushed out of the house. There was no chance to hold onto anything.

O'BRIEN: Was that the last time that you've seen your parents?

GUN: Exactly, yes. I turned around after I went through the window; I turned around and tried to locate them. And I looked at the house and at that time the water was this high up to the ceiling. And I didn't see anybody there. And I was just shouting at the house, Mom, Dad, you have to get out of there. You have to get out of there. And then the second wave came and it just like hit me and pushed me under water.

O'BRIEN: You've seen the damage and how bad it is and you've seen what they've been recovering. Do you think your parents have survived this?

GUN: To be honest, no. Because I almost drowned. And I was in the dive (ph) industry for about seven years before. So I'm a diving instructor and have to do a lot with water and everything. And I almost drowned in it. And it was like, there was the force behind the water, you cannot -- if you haven't felt it yourself, you know, you cannot imagine how hard it hits you.

O'BRIEN: And the descriptions have been unbelievable.

GUN: And my parents, they were 75 and 64 years old. And they were not that sporty anymore. And my father, he had a heart pacemaker. O'BRIEN: You don't think there's any way they could have made it?

GUN: When it was over, I just like instinctively knew that they couldn't have made it. Otherwise it must be a miracle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Franky Gun says in spite of his tremendous loss, really, in ways that cannot be measured, he intends to stay and rebuild. And he expects that the tourists will come back to this island, as well. Bill, back to you in New York.

HEMMER: it is amazing twist of irony that he's a diving instructor there. It may have perhaps saved his life in all of that. Soledad, thanks. Back with you a bit later this hour.

Also on this story, after being chosen by President Bush to drum up donations for more private aid here in this country, former presidents Bush and Clinton sat down last night for an hour on LARRY KING. Listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FMR PRESIDENT: I kind of choked up when I saw a little duck, little bathtub duck under the reading wall at one of the embassies. And I thought of the children. My heart was overflowing with it. You can't help but be moved.

BILL CLINTON, FMR PRESIDENT: To me it's humbling. It reminds us that we are not in control. That our faith is constantly tested by circumstances. But it should be deepened when we see the courageous response people are having and the determination to endure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Presidents Clinton and Bush last night on LARRY KING. Both former presidents emphasizing the need for money at this point, instead of supplies for the victims from overseas.

Heidi Collins back with me now looking at the headlines. If you saw that last night, it was remarkable how much power these men have. They were describing how they would take a cab -- well it was a limo ride across town to visit the embassies there in Washington.

And the Former President Bush carries a black berry. And he says he was given an e-mail by a friend of his who says here's a million dollars. And on the way back, President Clinton would get a phone call from a friend who said here's a million dollars.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: It's wonderful way to use the power, too.

HEMMER: That's exactly right.

COLLINS: All right, Bill thanks so much for that. Want to make sure we get you updated on some of the other news happening across the world.

A new Congress reports for work in just about three hours from now. And right now, members of Congress are attending a prayer service at the Lutheran Church of Reformation. House speaker Dennis Hastert arriving at the church just a few minutes ago. Congress will officially convene for a roll call at noon eastern.

And there's word some Social Security benefits could be trimmed. According to sources cited by "The Washington Post," President Bush is proposing changes to the way initial benefits are calculated. The new formula would linked benefits to inflation rates, not rises in wages. If approved, future benefits could be slashed by one-third.

And overseas now, a bloody morning in Iraq. The governor of Baghdad was killed in an early-morning ambush. At least one of his bodyguards also killed in a later gun battle.

And also in Baghdad, a suicide truck bomb exploded near the so- called green zone killing at least ten people. Wounding dozens of others. Officials expect violence in Iraq to increase ahead of the January 30th elections.

California continues to get battered by massive winter storms. The storm dropped up to 20 inches of snow in the mountains yesterday, shutting a 40-mile stretch of interstate five north of L.A. Forecasters say another round of storms is expected to move in later this week. Check on the weather now with Chad Myers.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: Many families now traveling to Asia to find relatives caught in the tsunami. What about their own risks to their health? A look at that side of the story in a moment.

COLLINS: Also the agent who blew the whistle on the FBI talks again. Now retired, does she think the bureau is still broken?

HEMMER: Also this morning, more violence again in Iraq, and what about those elections? What does Senator Joe Lieberman think? He's just back from the country. He's my guest next here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: From Iraq today, the governor of Baghdad was assassinated this morning. And eight Iraqi policemen among those killed by a suicide bomber near the green zone. Also a U.S. marine killed in action in al Anbar Province. All that violence in Iraq casting a shadow over the elections scheduled for the 30th of January. At least some Iraqis believe those elections should be put off for some time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADNAN PACKMACHI (ph), IRAQI NATIONAL COUNCIL MEMBER: First of all, to ensure as wide a participation as possible. And the second one is to give a chance for an improvement in the security situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Senator Joseph Lieberman is just back from that country, Iraq. He's my guest now down in Washington. Senator, welcome back. Nice to see you. Happy New Year to you.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN, (D) CONNECTICUT: Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: You say these elections must continue. What convinces you of that after this past visit?

LIEBERMAN: The fact is there's nothing to be gained by delaying the elections except to give some victory to the terrorists. That's exactly what they want to do. And we've got to understand, as was so clear to me when I was over there last week, there's at best several thousand Saddam allies, and Osama bin Laden allies who are together and a truly evil alliance.

And they're trying to stop the 25 million Iraqis from enjoying liberation from Saddam and holding an elections. They're murderers. And if you got several thousand murderers, they unfortunately, as we saw today in that heartbreaking assassination of the governor, mayor of Baghdad, can create chaos.

But, to stop the elections would give them a victory. And there's no promise that it would get any better. They just keep killing. The fact is in two thirds of the country, outside the city triangle there is stability and people are ready to vote. Let's let them vote.

HEMMER: Let me try and add on some numbers here. A country of 25 million. You believe only several thousand are opposed to these elections?

LIEBERMAN: Yes. It's hard to get an exact number. The highest I heard is 20,000. Most people think it's a lot less than that. So you've got an infinitesimal minority of fanatics and murderers that is consciously killing as many Iraqis -- they're killing many more Iraqis than Americans. They're the enemies of the Iraqi people. Most of the Iraqis get that. That's why they want to go ahead and vote.

HEMMER: Senator, help me understand this. You were back there in July, right?

LIEBERMAN: Yes.

HEMMER: Before this past visit. What was the biggest difference you saw during your last visit as opposed to the one over the summer?

LIEBERMAN: I appreciate the question. Look, when I was there last summer there was this crisis in Najaf, remember, with the militia of the Shia (ph) cleric Muqtada al Sadr. That ended with a success for the allies, and for democracy. Muqtada al Sadr is now a candidate for election in the January 30th election. His militia has pretty much put down their arms.

Another big change, when I was there in July, there was one battalion on the Iraqi army up and ready to fight. Today there's 18 battalions. They're not all at the level that we want them to be. But they're getting there. And ultimately, they're going to be the great protectors of Iraqi security against these Saddam loyalists and al Qaeda loyalists.

HEMMER: About 26 days on the calendar before those elections take place if they hold true on January 30th. Another topic I want to bring up with you today. "Washington Post" first had the story this morning, Dana Bash of the White House confirming with us here at CNN. And Bill Frist the senate majority leader talked about this about two hours ago here on AMERICAN MORNING.

The issue is this; there is the possibility of a Republican proposal on Social Security that would essentially cut benefits by as much as a third. If you were to adjust the way wages are -- sorry, benefits are given out. In other words, using a technique known as price fixing, or use inflation rates as opposed to workers' wages.

Would you support that? Knowing that Social Security is teetering on this point and a solution has to be found for so many millions of Americans in the decades to come?

LIEBERMAN: To give you a real direct answer, I have to wait and see what they're actually proposing. But the fact is, let's say this, Social Security is one of the best things the government has ever done. Tens of millions of senior citizens in this country are above the poverty level only because of Social Security.

But in the long run, Social Security is not sustainable. There's not enough money going in to pay the benefits that people deserve. The people who are receiving benefits now, and in the short term, mid- term years to come, you're OK. Don't worry. But long-term we've got to do something.

And that's why even tough proposals like this, Bill, have to be on the table, along with other ideas that will help us provide Social Security for the long term for seniors in America. So tough medicine, but I give whoever has put this on the table credit for at least putting it on the table.

HEMMER: So in a word you're not dismissing it?

LIEBERMAN: I'm not dismissing it. I'm not embracing it. But I think in fairness you can't dismiss anything, if we want to keep Social Security secure for seniors in America for the long term.

HEMMER: Thank you, Senator. Good to see you.

LIEBERMAN: Thank you. Have a good day.

HEMMER: U.S. tsunami relief pouring into Southeast Asia now. How long will America have to commit to that effort? Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Time now to check in with Jack and a very pertinent question of the day.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you Heidi. Only four Arab countries so far offering to help the tsunami victims. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have reportedly offered an official grand total of $24 million. Saudi Arabia has come up with $10 million. Saudi Arabia came up with $155 million in 2002 for the families of Palestinian suicide bombers.

So where's the support from these Middle East countries that have long-standing ties with Southeast Asia? Indonesia is the most heavily populated Muslim nation on earth. The question this morning is are Arab countries doing enough to aid the tsunami victims? Dan in Sarasota writes. Give these guys a break. Saudis spend lots of money on terrorism so they can't afford to help out the needy. Now maybe the world will come to see what the Saudis are really all about.

Roy writes this, why should you expect these whose religion mandates compassion to react with compassion? The roots of monotheism have become so corrupted by the whims of their leaders that the canon of the day seems to be intolerance and revenge.

Reg from Thunder Bay, Ontario, normal Arab aid would not help at this time anyway, Jack. You cannot eat AK-47s.

And Jody from Phoenix, Arizona, thank you, Jack, for bringing this issue up. Of course they're not doing enough. The Islamic culture today teaches intolerance and blame. They blame their problems on the United States. But it is their own closed society that hurts them. When there's a tragedy like this do you hear the victims saying where is Saudi Arabia? No, they ask where's the United States? Maybe some day they'll figure out who really cares.

COLLINS: Hmm.

HEMMER: Japan gave $500 million? Pretty strong statement. Trying to be a player in that region again. Kuwait has a budget surplus; I was just reading about this, this year --

CAFFERTY: $10 billion.

COLLINS: $10 billion. Roughly.

CAFFERTY: And the oil that they sit on over there is generating I think a little revenue in the current world marketplace, is it not?

HEMMER: Good topic. Thank you Jack.

A break here. In a moment old political rivals teaming up now. How will a couple of former presidents shape the tsunami relief effort? We're on to the White House in that topic after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) 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 4, 2005 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: And hello back to you Bill. It is 9:00 in the morning where you are. But it is 9:00 in the evening, as we are 12 hours ahead in Phuket, Thailand.
The numbers of dead throughout the region continue to grow. The region, incredible for its tremendous beauty, but the sorrow, also just palpable as folks continue their search for any word, and any information about those who are now missing.

I spoke to a father today who told me the story of what happened to him when the tsunami roared through. He was putting little water wings on his 2-year-old son when they were hit with the wall of water. And he tried his best to hold onto the boy and could not. Today he said he continues to search for the boy because he owes that much to his son. He is hopeful that even though everyone is beginning to think that hope is growing more and more slim.

As Secretary of State Colin Powell made his way through the region he's traveling with Jeb Bush, the president's brother who has great experience in dealing with disasters. And he said the focus right now; the important thing is trying to identify some of the remains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: The difficult challenge that I've seen here this afternoon, I will go back and see if there's not more we can do, has to do with identification of remains. Forensic activity, forensic pathology, and see whether or not there's more we can do to assist Thai authorities and international authorities with the identification effort.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: He made those remarks as he was touring an area that's full of makeshift walls. People have plastered those walls with pictures of those missing. They gather around. It's a tremendously sad place because they gather to try to glean any information about someone they have lost.

But of course hope is growing very, very slim. Because the reality is there are more bodies that arrive, floating through the water, coming up washing onshore, decomposing on islands, and being recovered. They pile up on the piers and they're taken away by workers. It is a sad, sad place to be reporting from this evening here in Thailand. Bill? BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: As you point out, such a beautiful place under normal circumstances. But so much pain all around you now.

Soledad, back to you in a moment. First, I want to update our viewers now what's happening in the area. Let's get you caught up on the latest developments.

The number of dead has gone up over 155,000. In addition to that 4,000 to 5,000 Americans listed as missing. The State Department cautions us on that figure. It believes most of those Americans will be located.

More and bigger American helicopters now bringing relief supplies in remote areas of Sumatra. The Banda Aceh airport where some shipments are going open again this morning. A cargo plane earlier hit a water buffalo. That was later cleared from the runway. Flights are landing there again as of a few hours ago.

There's a marine force in Sri Lanka. Among the half million pounds of supplies they have food and water and medicine and road- building equipment on hand there. And the former presidents, George Bush, the president's father, and Bill Clinton, spearheading an appeal for private donations in this country. Soledad?

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill thanks. Aneesh Raman tells us a story of a special sense of loss I guess it's fair to say, among the local people who became close friends with some of the foreign guests who frequented the resorts here. He's got the story tonight of a hotel manager who says he feels like he has lost members of his family.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The moment devastation struck the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) beach hotel. The world has seen the images and heard the sounds. More than a week later, this is what remains. A sight reminiscent of a war zone. The gargantuan task of rebuilding falls on hotel manager (UNINTELLIGIBLE). He has seen the video enough to never want to see it again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've seen it two or three times, you will remember the whole thing, you know. Just where you work and you live for.

RAMAN: It was just a few hours after the waves came in, that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) inland at his house, came rushing to the scene. His reaction was visceral.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I look around, yelling to double check, to make sure if I -- if someone can hear me or anything so I can help them.

RAMAN: The majority of guests that come here come often. The connection between the staff and tourists is beyond professional, and makes a large number of missing extremely personal. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're like part of my family. They for sure they have to know the name of the staff. So it, it more like a family.

RAMAN, (on camera): The hotel is now a graveyard of sorts. Guests that were in these first floor rooms would have seen the water rise to the ceiling almost instantly. Many of them were sleeping. And as the water rose so high, so quickly, there was no escape. The lucky ones, like these staff members, now clean away the same debris that killed those they knew. The process is surreal. But it must go on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We should be able to prevail this time nightmare.

RAMAN, (voice over): The hotel will be rebuilt. And new guests will arrive. Perhaps unaware of the hallowed ground upon which their holiday retreat stands. But for (UNINTELLIGIBLE), the affects will linger, the missing always haunting him. His guilt is tragic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How I could be able to answer all the questions about missing people. I feel responsible.

RAMAN: One hotel of thousands trying to start anew, aware that as much as everyone might try, what happened here can never be forgotten.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAMAN: And that really is the crux of what the people here face. They have an economic imperative to rebuild and rebuild quickly. All the while dealing with this enormous tragedy, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: A huge problem on top of another huge problem. Aneesh Raman, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Finally we want to tell the story here this evening of a man named Franky Gun. He tells a story articulately of someone who survived. And yet with his survival has had an insurmountable loss. Here's Franky Gun.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKY GUN: First the power went down. So everything got quiet. And then outside I heard people running and screaming. And at the same time you could hear the sound of the water, but at that time I didn't know what it was all about. So I didn't know it's water. Thought maybe there's a fire or something like that.

And then you could just hear houses breaking and trees falling. And you could hear the sound of the electric poles falling down. Because they were all in a row. And they just --

O'BRIEN, (on camera): Like dominoes.

GUN: The earth was shaking. And it was just like a terrible sound. You cannot describe it if you haven't heard it. It's just like all mixes up into like a very, weird tone. You know, it's just terrible.

O'BRIEN: You were hit by the water. I know that you were in the bungalow along with your mom and dad, who are in their 70s.

GUN: Yes.

O'BRIEN: What happened to you?

GUN: So we were in the house, and first when I saw the water, my mother was screaming the water's coming, the water's coming. I still didn't -- I still didn't know what's going on. So I thought that a water tower fell down or something like that. And then I said OK, it's just like 10,000 liters of water, it's better to stay inside, it's safer.

But then we saw that the water was going up, and very rapidly going up, because we had glass front doors. And I just shouted we have to get out of here, try to open the kitchen door, and was not possible because of the water outside. And then I wanted to throw something into the window or something. At that time the water was about this high, one meter or something like that and the front door broke.

O'BRIEN: And the water rushed in.

GUN: And the water just rushed in. And it just basically flushed me through the kitchen window and my parents went through the kitchen door. We were all flushed out of the house. There was no chance to hold onto anything.

O'BRIEN: Was that the last time that you've seen your parents?

GUN: Exactly, yes. I turned around after I went through the window; I turned around and tried to locate them. And I looked at the house and at that time the water was this high up to the ceiling. And I didn't see anybody there. And I was just shouting at the house, Mom, Dad, you have to get out of there. You have to get out of there. And then the second wave came and it just like hit me and pushed me under water.

O'BRIEN: You've seen the damage and how bad it is and you've seen what they've been recovering. Do you think your parents have survived this?

GUN: To be honest, no. Because I almost drowned. And I was in the dive (ph) industry for about seven years before. So I'm a diving instructor and have to do a lot with water and everything. And I almost drowned in it. And it was like, there was the force behind the water, you cannot -- if you haven't felt it yourself, you know, you cannot imagine how hard it hits you.

O'BRIEN: And the descriptions have been unbelievable.

GUN: And my parents, they were 75 and 64 years old. And they were not that sporty anymore. And my father, he had a heart pacemaker. O'BRIEN: You don't think there's any way they could have made it?

GUN: When it was over, I just like instinctively knew that they couldn't have made it. Otherwise it must be a miracle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Franky Gun says in spite of his tremendous loss, really, in ways that cannot be measured, he intends to stay and rebuild. And he expects that the tourists will come back to this island, as well. Bill, back to you in New York.

HEMMER: it is amazing twist of irony that he's a diving instructor there. It may have perhaps saved his life in all of that. Soledad, thanks. Back with you a bit later this hour.

Also on this story, after being chosen by President Bush to drum up donations for more private aid here in this country, former presidents Bush and Clinton sat down last night for an hour on LARRY KING. Listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FMR PRESIDENT: I kind of choked up when I saw a little duck, little bathtub duck under the reading wall at one of the embassies. And I thought of the children. My heart was overflowing with it. You can't help but be moved.

BILL CLINTON, FMR PRESIDENT: To me it's humbling. It reminds us that we are not in control. That our faith is constantly tested by circumstances. But it should be deepened when we see the courageous response people are having and the determination to endure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Presidents Clinton and Bush last night on LARRY KING. Both former presidents emphasizing the need for money at this point, instead of supplies for the victims from overseas.

Heidi Collins back with me now looking at the headlines. If you saw that last night, it was remarkable how much power these men have. They were describing how they would take a cab -- well it was a limo ride across town to visit the embassies there in Washington.

And the Former President Bush carries a black berry. And he says he was given an e-mail by a friend of his who says here's a million dollars. And on the way back, President Clinton would get a phone call from a friend who said here's a million dollars.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: It's wonderful way to use the power, too.

HEMMER: That's exactly right.

COLLINS: All right, Bill thanks so much for that. Want to make sure we get you updated on some of the other news happening across the world.

A new Congress reports for work in just about three hours from now. And right now, members of Congress are attending a prayer service at the Lutheran Church of Reformation. House speaker Dennis Hastert arriving at the church just a few minutes ago. Congress will officially convene for a roll call at noon eastern.

And there's word some Social Security benefits could be trimmed. According to sources cited by "The Washington Post," President Bush is proposing changes to the way initial benefits are calculated. The new formula would linked benefits to inflation rates, not rises in wages. If approved, future benefits could be slashed by one-third.

And overseas now, a bloody morning in Iraq. The governor of Baghdad was killed in an early-morning ambush. At least one of his bodyguards also killed in a later gun battle.

And also in Baghdad, a suicide truck bomb exploded near the so- called green zone killing at least ten people. Wounding dozens of others. Officials expect violence in Iraq to increase ahead of the January 30th elections.

California continues to get battered by massive winter storms. The storm dropped up to 20 inches of snow in the mountains yesterday, shutting a 40-mile stretch of interstate five north of L.A. Forecasters say another round of storms is expected to move in later this week. Check on the weather now with Chad Myers.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: Many families now traveling to Asia to find relatives caught in the tsunami. What about their own risks to their health? A look at that side of the story in a moment.

COLLINS: Also the agent who blew the whistle on the FBI talks again. Now retired, does she think the bureau is still broken?

HEMMER: Also this morning, more violence again in Iraq, and what about those elections? What does Senator Joe Lieberman think? He's just back from the country. He's my guest next here on AMERICAN MORNING.

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HEMMER: From Iraq today, the governor of Baghdad was assassinated this morning. And eight Iraqi policemen among those killed by a suicide bomber near the green zone. Also a U.S. marine killed in action in al Anbar Province. All that violence in Iraq casting a shadow over the elections scheduled for the 30th of January. At least some Iraqis believe those elections should be put off for some time.

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ADNAN PACKMACHI (ph), IRAQI NATIONAL COUNCIL MEMBER: First of all, to ensure as wide a participation as possible. And the second one is to give a chance for an improvement in the security situation.

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HEMMER: Senator Joseph Lieberman is just back from that country, Iraq. He's my guest now down in Washington. Senator, welcome back. Nice to see you. Happy New Year to you.

SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN, (D) CONNECTICUT: Thank you, Bill.

HEMMER: You say these elections must continue. What convinces you of that after this past visit?

LIEBERMAN: The fact is there's nothing to be gained by delaying the elections except to give some victory to the terrorists. That's exactly what they want to do. And we've got to understand, as was so clear to me when I was over there last week, there's at best several thousand Saddam allies, and Osama bin Laden allies who are together and a truly evil alliance.

And they're trying to stop the 25 million Iraqis from enjoying liberation from Saddam and holding an elections. They're murderers. And if you got several thousand murderers, they unfortunately, as we saw today in that heartbreaking assassination of the governor, mayor of Baghdad, can create chaos.

But, to stop the elections would give them a victory. And there's no promise that it would get any better. They just keep killing. The fact is in two thirds of the country, outside the city triangle there is stability and people are ready to vote. Let's let them vote.

HEMMER: Let me try and add on some numbers here. A country of 25 million. You believe only several thousand are opposed to these elections?

LIEBERMAN: Yes. It's hard to get an exact number. The highest I heard is 20,000. Most people think it's a lot less than that. So you've got an infinitesimal minority of fanatics and murderers that is consciously killing as many Iraqis -- they're killing many more Iraqis than Americans. They're the enemies of the Iraqi people. Most of the Iraqis get that. That's why they want to go ahead and vote.

HEMMER: Senator, help me understand this. You were back there in July, right?

LIEBERMAN: Yes.

HEMMER: Before this past visit. What was the biggest difference you saw during your last visit as opposed to the one over the summer?

LIEBERMAN: I appreciate the question. Look, when I was there last summer there was this crisis in Najaf, remember, with the militia of the Shia (ph) cleric Muqtada al Sadr. That ended with a success for the allies, and for democracy. Muqtada al Sadr is now a candidate for election in the January 30th election. His militia has pretty much put down their arms.

Another big change, when I was there in July, there was one battalion on the Iraqi army up and ready to fight. Today there's 18 battalions. They're not all at the level that we want them to be. But they're getting there. And ultimately, they're going to be the great protectors of Iraqi security against these Saddam loyalists and al Qaeda loyalists.

HEMMER: About 26 days on the calendar before those elections take place if they hold true on January 30th. Another topic I want to bring up with you today. "Washington Post" first had the story this morning, Dana Bash of the White House confirming with us here at CNN. And Bill Frist the senate majority leader talked about this about two hours ago here on AMERICAN MORNING.

The issue is this; there is the possibility of a Republican proposal on Social Security that would essentially cut benefits by as much as a third. If you were to adjust the way wages are -- sorry, benefits are given out. In other words, using a technique known as price fixing, or use inflation rates as opposed to workers' wages.

Would you support that? Knowing that Social Security is teetering on this point and a solution has to be found for so many millions of Americans in the decades to come?

LIEBERMAN: To give you a real direct answer, I have to wait and see what they're actually proposing. But the fact is, let's say this, Social Security is one of the best things the government has ever done. Tens of millions of senior citizens in this country are above the poverty level only because of Social Security.

But in the long run, Social Security is not sustainable. There's not enough money going in to pay the benefits that people deserve. The people who are receiving benefits now, and in the short term, mid- term years to come, you're OK. Don't worry. But long-term we've got to do something.

And that's why even tough proposals like this, Bill, have to be on the table, along with other ideas that will help us provide Social Security for the long term for seniors in America. So tough medicine, but I give whoever has put this on the table credit for at least putting it on the table.

HEMMER: So in a word you're not dismissing it?

LIEBERMAN: I'm not dismissing it. I'm not embracing it. But I think in fairness you can't dismiss anything, if we want to keep Social Security secure for seniors in America for the long term.

HEMMER: Thank you, Senator. Good to see you.

LIEBERMAN: Thank you. Have a good day.

HEMMER: U.S. tsunami relief pouring into Southeast Asia now. How long will America have to commit to that effort? Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Time now to check in with Jack and a very pertinent question of the day.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you Heidi. Only four Arab countries so far offering to help the tsunami victims. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have reportedly offered an official grand total of $24 million. Saudi Arabia has come up with $10 million. Saudi Arabia came up with $155 million in 2002 for the families of Palestinian suicide bombers.

So where's the support from these Middle East countries that have long-standing ties with Southeast Asia? Indonesia is the most heavily populated Muslim nation on earth. The question this morning is are Arab countries doing enough to aid the tsunami victims? Dan in Sarasota writes. Give these guys a break. Saudis spend lots of money on terrorism so they can't afford to help out the needy. Now maybe the world will come to see what the Saudis are really all about.

Roy writes this, why should you expect these whose religion mandates compassion to react with compassion? The roots of monotheism have become so corrupted by the whims of their leaders that the canon of the day seems to be intolerance and revenge.

Reg from Thunder Bay, Ontario, normal Arab aid would not help at this time anyway, Jack. You cannot eat AK-47s.

And Jody from Phoenix, Arizona, thank you, Jack, for bringing this issue up. Of course they're not doing enough. The Islamic culture today teaches intolerance and blame. They blame their problems on the United States. But it is their own closed society that hurts them. When there's a tragedy like this do you hear the victims saying where is Saudi Arabia? No, they ask where's the United States? Maybe some day they'll figure out who really cares.

COLLINS: Hmm.

HEMMER: Japan gave $500 million? Pretty strong statement. Trying to be a player in that region again. Kuwait has a budget surplus; I was just reading about this, this year --

CAFFERTY: $10 billion.

COLLINS: $10 billion. Roughly.

CAFFERTY: And the oil that they sit on over there is generating I think a little revenue in the current world marketplace, is it not?

HEMMER: Good topic. Thank you Jack.

A break here. In a moment old political rivals teaming up now. How will a couple of former presidents shape the tsunami relief effort? We're on to the White House in that topic after this.

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