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CNN Live At Daybreak
Nation's Top Diplomat Witnesses Tsunami Devastation Firsthand; Aid Organizations Around World in High Gear
Aired January 07, 2005 - 06:00 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Just ahead on DAYBREAK, utter destruction. Mile after mile of vivid description from Kofi Annan after the U.N. chief tours what the killer waves left behind. We'll bring you a CNN exclusive look.
Plus, on the take -- charity scams you should watch out for when donating to tsunami relief.
And a tragedy far more deadly than the tsunamis, but the world barely noticed. Now the story comes to the big screen.
It is Friday.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Now the latest developments from the devastating tsunami in South Asia.
Seventy-seven million dollars in tsunami aid has been raised in a telethon on Saudi Arabian state television. More than $25 million of that came from the Saudi royal family. The Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank will give an additional $500 million.
Congress says you can deduct tsunami aid donations made throughout this month on your 2004 taxes. Still, those donations must be made through U.S. aid groups. President Bush still must sign the bill.
The U.S. military presence in South Asia is costing about $6 million a day. There are more than 13,000 troops and 18 military ships in the area. That $6 million is not part of the $350 million pledged by the United States for relief.
You can keep up with this disaster and the recovery efforts on our Web site, cnn.com/tsunami.
To the forecast center and Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: The nation's top diplomat witnesses the tsunami devastation firsthand. Right now, Colin Powell is preparing to leave South Asia. He spoke just moments ago.
Here's more of what he had to say about the calamity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: As you know, we have always tried to play a helpful role working with our Norwegian colleagues. I have followed the situation here very closely. My deputy secretary, Mr. Armitage, has been deeply involved in the process. I don't think our military presence in any way shapes or affects the political situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Colin Powell said much more than that. Another world leader -- actually, we have John King on the phone, do we not?
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure, Carol.
Good morning.
COSTELLO: All right, John King is on the phone. I wasn't sure if you were there or not.
But you were there when Colin Powell was making his remarks.
Tell us more of what he had to say -- John.
KING: Well, the statement you just heard from Secretary Powell was in reference to this is one of the countries, Sri Lanka, the same as Indonesia, where the relief effort could possibly be complicated by civil strife that sometimes erupts into pretty much civil war. And what Secretary Powell was saying was that the U.S. troops here for the relief effort will not get involved in the disputes between the government and the Tamil Tigers in the north.
And Secretary Powell also saying that more American money and more American Marines will be coming to Sri Lanka, including $10 million now for temporary housing. That announcement after he toured. He took a helicopter ride, a chopper ride, down to the city of Galle early today, where about 4,000 of the 30,000 people who died in Sri Lanka perished. And he saw the devastation along the waterfront, boats literally tossed up onshore like toys.
He visited a relief center and said that he has a very positive assessment from that visit that the medical supplies and the food are getting out to the people as quickly as possible. But there is, Carol, obviously a daunting reconstruction and full relief effort under way here in Indonesia, in Thailand and the other countries affected.
I had an interview with the secretary a short time ago and he offered some personal reflections on his trip, saying that every building he sees, that it's shattered; every piece of debris he sees on the streets is, to him, a life lost in this disaster.
So the secretary is going to report back to the president soon. And it's possible there could be even more U.S. aid if it's necessary.
COSTELLO: John, let me ask you something else about that $10 million that Secretary of State Colin Powell said that the United States would donate to the citizens of Sri Lanka.
Is that in addition to that $350 million figure we're hearing about?
KING: No, that comes out of the $350 million. About $50 million of the $350 million has now been allocated, meaning the government has decided exactly where to spend it. And there's already been some money here at Sri Lanka for medicine and for water and food supplies. And what they have found is they're trying -- they have many Sri Lankans still living in these terrible temporary shelters, essentially under plastic sheeting and the like. So they're going to use that $10 million to buy temporary housing, something a bit more sturdy, while they go through the month long and, in fact, years long process of rebuilding.
Carol, we were just down along the coastline where the tsunami hit. The houses were just turned to crumbs.
COSTELLO: John King reporting live for us this morning.
Thank you.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan was left stunned by what he saw during a tour of Indonesia's coastline.
CNN's United Nations correspondent Richard Roth was with Annan and he filed this report for DAYBREAK a short time ago.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been described as the world's first global disaster and the senior global diplomat in the world, Secretary General Kofi Annan, has now seen it. Annan left Jakarta and then took a one hour helicopter over flying of the disaster zone. Annan was stunned by what he saw. Seated next to his wife, Nane, he continually gestured out the window and remarked at how incredible the devastation was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: It's extraordinary to see the real tragedy (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ROTH: Entire towns and villages wiped out, especially the largest town on the west coast of Sumatra, Malabo. And that's where Annan's first stop was. Annan said it would take 10 years for the people of the region to recover. That's before he saw this damage. Various U.N. agency heads are with Annan, trying to get their first assessment on some of the needs of the people here.
Richard Roth, CNN, Malabo, Indonesia.
COSTELLO: Now for a closer look at what the tsunami was like for those stranded by it. This tape was shot by a 16-year-old boy on vacation with his family. They were touring a rock memorial off India's southern tip. With the ocean, you can see it started to mysteriously disappear. The boy says some of the tourists were tempted to walk across the newly exposed sea floor back to the mainland, just because it was such a weird and incredible sight. Fortunately, nobody did that. But there were about 800 people on the rocks when the waves hit. Luckily, they were all rescued. They were waiting there to be picked up by a ferry. And, of course, when the earthquake struck, the ferries weren't running. So after the tsunami subsided, the boats were sent back out to rescue those 800 stranded on that memorial you're just getting a glimpse of.
Aid organizations around the world are in high gear. Aid has been pouring into hard hit Sri Lanka, where U.S. military helicopters are right now ferrying supplies to the refugees. It is a massive relief effort. Some 350 tons of goods are arriving in Sri Lanka on a daily basis. Some of that aid coming in is for the thousands of people at Sri Lanka's Ampara refugee camp. New life is emerging there amid all the death and destruction that's been hanging over the tsunami survivors.
Let's head live to Harris Whitbeck.
He's at the camp site -- hello, Harris.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
We're in Nugegoda, which is a town of 20,000 people that lost about 10 percent of its population during the tsunami. Today and for the first time, convoys from the U.N. High Commission for Refugees have arrived here and they're distributing what they call a basic housing kit, which includes a water pouch, a bucket, a plastic mat, a plastic tent, a set of cookware, a five liter water bottle and nylon rope. They say that this is enough to get these families into -- that it's the first initial (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of what will eventually be permanent housing.
A lot of the problems that are being faced here is that many of the refugees are being housed in schools and the government needs to get the school year started next January 10. So all of these people have to move back to their land, to the rubble of their houses. They need to start clearing that rubble out. And in the meantime, they will use the materials given to them by the U.N. agency to basically live in tents for what the UNHCR says will be three or four months.
Within three or four months, the U.N. says all of these people will be moved into semi-permanent housing and this procedure is being replicated in hundreds and hundreds of villages throughout southeastern Sumatra, because, you know, that was severely devastated by the tsunamis.
Where we are now, there are about 700 families represented. They have been waiting patiently for several hours for this convoy to arrive. The distribution is going very well. Again, it's very well organized. The kits are pretty much self-contained. People are getting those kits and going directly to their land to start pitching their tents. Those tents will be their homes for the next three or four months -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Harris, we were talking to you earlier, before DAYBREAK began. And in that camp there are at least, what, 500 pregnant women? Tell us of their plight.
WHITBECK: Well, there are over 120 refugee camps in this part of Sri Lanka. There is a very, very high number of expectant mothers and they're scattered throughout all of these camps. We visited one camp yesterday where there were at least half a dozen women in various stages of pregnancy. One woman (UNINTELLIGIBLE) 31 years old. Her baby was due last January 2 and she's been afraid to leave the camp to go to a hospital to have a checkup because she's afraid that the camp won't be there when she comes back.
And she was telling me that after the tsunami hit, they had moved to one camp. That camp was wiped out during a flash flood and they had to move to another location. So what she says they are missing the most at this time is a sense of stability, a sense of security and that obviously is affecting the physical and the mental health of many, many people who are in these camps.
COSTELLO: Harris Whitbeck reporting live for us this morning.
Thank you.
CNN presents a special "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" tonight, "Voices of the Tsunami." You've seen the devastation, now hear the stories from the people who survived one of history's worst natural disasters. That's tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Pacific time.
In News Across America this morning, a white supremacist is under arrest in Mississippi for a murder that took place more than 40 years ago. Eighty-year-old Edgar Ray Killen was indicted on three counts of murder in the 1964 deaths of three civil rights workers. Killen originally faced trial for the murders in 1967, but that trial ended in a mistrial. The case inspired the 1988 movie "Mississippi Burning."
Andrea Yates' husband hopes she will finally be sent to a mental hospital for proper treatment. His comments come after a Texas appellate court overturned the capital murder convictions against his wife. Andrea Yates had been convicted in the drowning deaths of three of her five children. Rusty Yates called the trial a waste of the taxpayers' money.
In Aiken County, South Carolina, at least eight people died from toxins released after a train collision caused a hazardous chemical spill. Two hundred forty other people were treated for respiratory and other ailments. More than 5,000 people within one mile of the crash site were ordered to evacuate.
Congress did certify President Bush's reelection. It was supposed to be easy, but for Ohio and the Democrats, they stood and challenged the electoral vote in Ohio, delaying the process by four hours. In the end, the GOP dominated Congress rejected that challenge. But, the objecting Democrats say they achieved their goal, by calling attention to the need for aggressive election reform in a state where there were many problems.
Reporter Mark Niquette of the "Columbus Dispatch" has been on that beat.
Mark joins us now live from Columbus.
Good morning, Mark.
MARK NIQUETTE, "COLUMBUS DISPATCH": Good morning.
COSTELLO: So we want you to set us straight on what excellent happened in Ohio during the presidential election. I want to read a quote from -- for you from Representative Deborah Pryce. She's an Ohio Republican. She says: "So eager are they (the Democrats) to abandon their job as public servants, they have cast themselves in the role of Michael Moore, concocting wild conspiracy theories to distract the American public."
Is that fair?
NIQUETTE: Well, it's fair to the extent there were conspiracy theories such as votes migrated from Bush to -- from Kerry to Bush, somehow machines were tampered and so forth. But there were no evidence of that happening. But what did happen is there were several problems here in Ohio -- long lines at the polls, problems with administering the provisional ballots that I think the Democrats did want to, like you said, call attention to so that these things don't happen in future elections.
COSTELLO: Well, tell us the specific problems with the provisional ballots. And I also remember there were awfully long lines of people waiting to vote. Some had to wait, what, 12 hours?
NIQUETTE: Yes, there was a problem here in Ohio with the voting machines. There was questions about how they were allocated. Some thought that too many were sent to suburban or Republican areas at the expense of inner city minority precincts. So there -- and there's an effort under way here in Ohio to replace -- we're predominantly punch cards and the work is under way to replace those with more updated machines.
But the problems, say, with provisional ballots, just inconsistent application. And it's not true just in Ohio. It's nationwide, where some states handle these provisional ballots differently than other states. And I think Congress is, one thing they're going to look at is how can we standardize this so everybody is sort of treating these the same way.
COSTELLO: Was there any evidence of actual fraud in Ohio?
NIQUETTE: Not that came up that would say, you know, the vote has to be questioned. In fact, if you talk to Senator Kerry's campaign, they'll tell you flat out, yes, there were problems. We need to address these things. But, you know, we've seen nothing that suggests the outcome is in question and here in Ohio, President Bush won by more than 118,000 votes. And the mainstream Democrats, at least, will tell you there's just nothing out there that suggests you could change that margin.
COSTELLO: The man in charge of the elections, he was in charge of preparing the provisional ballot idea before the presidential election took place.
What happens to him now?
NIQUETTE: Well, he's actually running for governor here in Ohio. He's one of three statewide Republican office holders who are going to be vying for the governorship in 2006. And he's hoping that the election will be sort of a springboard for him by way of increasing his name recognition and familiarity with the voters and sort of, like I said, give him a boost running into the '06 campaign.
His name is Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell. And he's gotten a lot of criticism from Democrats here, who felt that as chairman of the Bush-Cheney campaign here in Ohio, co-chairman, that he was a little too partisan in how he directed his rulings. But he'll tell you he was just following Ohio law.
COSTELLO: Well, we'll see if the old adage remains true, no publicity is bad publicity.
NIQUETTE: Right. Right.
COSTELLO: Martin Niquette of the "Columbus Dispatch" joining DAYBREAK this morning.
Thank you.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, do you have any idea of what an incident of national significance is? Well, if the Homeland Security Department has its way, you'll soon know exactly what that means.
And it may be hard to imagine, but there are a number of scam artists taking advantage of the tsunami disaster. At 46 minutes past the hour, we'll tell you how to make sure you don't give them your money.
And we'll get a look at an amazing movie. The "Hotel Rwanda" tells the story of what happens when an ordinary man does an extraordinary thing.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's 6:18 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Former CIA Director George Tenet should be held accountable for failures in security before 9/11. That's according to an independent investigator. The "New York Times" reports that an internal investigation found that Tenet failed to allocate adequate resources to combat terrorism.
Nelson Mandela's son has died from complications of AIDS. Doctors say Mandela's 54-year-old son has pneumonia related to his HIV. Nelson Mandela spent most of his time by his son's side during the last few months.
In money news, more and more Sam Adams beer will be flowing out of Cincinnati. The company announced a $7 million expansion of its Cincinnati brewery, which includes a 24 hours beer making operation, to the delight of Chad.
In culture, actress Jane Kaczmarek, you know, mom in "Malcolm In the Middle," is collecting clothes from the Golden Globes. She wants them for an auction to benefit tsunami victims.
And in sports, the Randy Johnson deal close to being done. The 41-year-old pitcher agreed to a two year, $32 million contract extension with the Yankees. But, he still has to pass a physical before his trade from Arizona becomes official -- Chad.
MYERS: There's still hope for all our forty something men out there after all.
COSTELLO: That's right.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, Tom Ridge unveils a national emergency response plan. But will it work? We're going to take a look.
And beware when donating to tsunami relief efforts. You want to make sure your money is going to the right place. Ali Velshi tells us about charity scams later this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: There is a new national plan in place to help ensure your security. It's called the national response plan. The secretary of homeland defense, Tom Ridge, says for the first time, every department in the federal government will use the same play book when there is a major incident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: It is a new day in a post-9/11 world and our response as a new department is to build on the relationships we have with the states and the locals and the tribes and the private sector, because only when we take advantage of all the capacity, the people and technology and all the ability and all the training and all the experience all around the country do we maximize our own ability as a country to be as strong and as secure and as safe as we possibly can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: I know what you're thinking. You're thinking what?
CNN security analyst Mike Brooks joins us now from Atlanta with more on these changes -- and, Mike, the plan itself is some 400 pages long. Officials even say it's a dull read. But you have read it and we're proud of you.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'll tell you, you know, Carol, this is it right here, 426 pages, 152 acronyms, which you do need a guide for the acronyms because that's the way the government works.
But I took a look at this, Carol, and I was a little skeptical to begin with. But having been looking at it, it is a playbook. And I looked at it more as a toolbox for all federal agencies to work together. It takes the old response plan and another -- a number of other response plans from other agencies and puts them all together.
I was, as I said, skeptical. Taking a look at this, I think it will work. But they're going to phase it in over about a four month period and they're going to take a whole year to look at it.
But you just can't take this and put it on the shelf. You have to go out with the state, local, federal. They all have to work together and they have to actually do exercises. And there is a plan in here to do that.
COSTELLO: OK, well, stop right there for a second.
BROOKS: OK.
COSTELLO: Because that's the key, when the feds and the local authorities come together.
BROOKS: Right.
COSTELLO: Sometimes that's not a great mix.
Tell us of the problems in the past with that as it involved a terror incident.
BROOKS: Well, a lot of times the feds will come in, they try to big foot everyone, push all the little guys out of the way and say hey, we are in charge. The emphasis on this plan says we're not going to do that unless the local entities are totally overwhelmed, except, of course, if it's a terrorist incident and then you will see the federal -- they talk about federal first responders for the joint terrorist task force and those kind of things. They will be there on the ground.
But if it's a, let's say, an incident like we have in South Carolina going on right now with the chlorine leak, if that had of gotten even bigger and all of the local entities and all of the local resources had totally been exhausted, then they could say hey, state government, we need the feds to come in and give us a hand. That's where this plan comes in.
And we talked about an incident of national significance. Some people say well, what is that? It's incidents from a HAZMAT incident all the way to a terrorist incident. And it also addresses being proactive. You know, I like to call them -- we called back first responders. Now we're talking about first preventers, if you will.
But out of page three of what is an incident of national significance, it is "those of high impact events that require a coordinated and effective response by an appropriate combination of federal, state, local, tribal, private sector -- which we haven't really heard too much about in the past -- and non-governmental entities in order to save lives, minimize damage, provide the basis for long-term community recovery and mitigation activities."
And that's one of the things, Carol, is the private sector. We haven't seen the private sector involved in these things or never heard of them involved in the past. This addresses the private sector and what the private sector can do to help these communities get back on their feet.
COSTELLO: OK, bottom line, should I feel safer because of this?
BROOKS: You know, I don't know if you should feel safer, but I think this will help the recovery when something does happen. It'll be a better response and a better recovery after we try to get back to normalcy after a big incident. I think it will work, but it has to be tested and it has to be, you know, gone over and making sure that everything in it works.
COSTELLO: Mike Brooks live from Atlanta.
Thank you.
BROOKS: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Be sure to stay tuned in to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, if you donate to the tsunami relief effort, how can you be sure your money will really go to those in need? We'll warn you of some tsunami scams.
And he's been called the Schindler of Rwanda. And his story is coming to the big screen nationwide this weekend. Still ahead, we take a closer look at "Hotel Rwanda."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "HOTEL RWANDA," COURTESY UNITED ARTISTS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not as peacemakers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got trouble at the gate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a four start hotel, not a refugee camp.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no means to protect...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning to you.
I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Relief teams are trying to contend with the enormous scope of the tsunami devastation, this is U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan tours the damage and appeals to countries to come up with their promised aid 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 January 7, 2005 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Just ahead on DAYBREAK, utter destruction. Mile after mile of vivid description from Kofi Annan after the U.N. chief tours what the killer waves left behind. We'll bring you a CNN exclusive look.
Plus, on the take -- charity scams you should watch out for when donating to tsunami relief.
And a tragedy far more deadly than the tsunamis, but the world barely noticed. Now the story comes to the big screen.
It is Friday.
You are watching DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Now the latest developments from the devastating tsunami in South Asia.
Seventy-seven million dollars in tsunami aid has been raised in a telethon on Saudi Arabian state television. More than $25 million of that came from the Saudi royal family. The Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank will give an additional $500 million.
Congress says you can deduct tsunami aid donations made throughout this month on your 2004 taxes. Still, those donations must be made through U.S. aid groups. President Bush still must sign the bill.
The U.S. military presence in South Asia is costing about $6 million a day. There are more than 13,000 troops and 18 military ships in the area. That $6 million is not part of the $350 million pledged by the United States for relief.
You can keep up with this disaster and the recovery efforts on our Web site, cnn.com/tsunami.
To the forecast center and Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: The nation's top diplomat witnesses the tsunami devastation firsthand. Right now, Colin Powell is preparing to leave South Asia. He spoke just moments ago.
Here's more of what he had to say about the calamity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: As you know, we have always tried to play a helpful role working with our Norwegian colleagues. I have followed the situation here very closely. My deputy secretary, Mr. Armitage, has been deeply involved in the process. I don't think our military presence in any way shapes or affects the political situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Colin Powell said much more than that. Another world leader -- actually, we have John King on the phone, do we not?
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure, Carol.
Good morning.
COSTELLO: All right, John King is on the phone. I wasn't sure if you were there or not.
But you were there when Colin Powell was making his remarks.
Tell us more of what he had to say -- John.
KING: Well, the statement you just heard from Secretary Powell was in reference to this is one of the countries, Sri Lanka, the same as Indonesia, where the relief effort could possibly be complicated by civil strife that sometimes erupts into pretty much civil war. And what Secretary Powell was saying was that the U.S. troops here for the relief effort will not get involved in the disputes between the government and the Tamil Tigers in the north.
And Secretary Powell also saying that more American money and more American Marines will be coming to Sri Lanka, including $10 million now for temporary housing. That announcement after he toured. He took a helicopter ride, a chopper ride, down to the city of Galle early today, where about 4,000 of the 30,000 people who died in Sri Lanka perished. And he saw the devastation along the waterfront, boats literally tossed up onshore like toys.
He visited a relief center and said that he has a very positive assessment from that visit that the medical supplies and the food are getting out to the people as quickly as possible. But there is, Carol, obviously a daunting reconstruction and full relief effort under way here in Indonesia, in Thailand and the other countries affected.
I had an interview with the secretary a short time ago and he offered some personal reflections on his trip, saying that every building he sees, that it's shattered; every piece of debris he sees on the streets is, to him, a life lost in this disaster.
So the secretary is going to report back to the president soon. And it's possible there could be even more U.S. aid if it's necessary.
COSTELLO: John, let me ask you something else about that $10 million that Secretary of State Colin Powell said that the United States would donate to the citizens of Sri Lanka.
Is that in addition to that $350 million figure we're hearing about?
KING: No, that comes out of the $350 million. About $50 million of the $350 million has now been allocated, meaning the government has decided exactly where to spend it. And there's already been some money here at Sri Lanka for medicine and for water and food supplies. And what they have found is they're trying -- they have many Sri Lankans still living in these terrible temporary shelters, essentially under plastic sheeting and the like. So they're going to use that $10 million to buy temporary housing, something a bit more sturdy, while they go through the month long and, in fact, years long process of rebuilding.
Carol, we were just down along the coastline where the tsunami hit. The houses were just turned to crumbs.
COSTELLO: John King reporting live for us this morning.
Thank you.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan was left stunned by what he saw during a tour of Indonesia's coastline.
CNN's United Nations correspondent Richard Roth was with Annan and he filed this report for DAYBREAK a short time ago.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been described as the world's first global disaster and the senior global diplomat in the world, Secretary General Kofi Annan, has now seen it. Annan left Jakarta and then took a one hour helicopter over flying of the disaster zone. Annan was stunned by what he saw. Seated next to his wife, Nane, he continually gestured out the window and remarked at how incredible the devastation was.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: It's extraordinary to see the real tragedy (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
ROTH: Entire towns and villages wiped out, especially the largest town on the west coast of Sumatra, Malabo. And that's where Annan's first stop was. Annan said it would take 10 years for the people of the region to recover. That's before he saw this damage. Various U.N. agency heads are with Annan, trying to get their first assessment on some of the needs of the people here.
Richard Roth, CNN, Malabo, Indonesia.
COSTELLO: Now for a closer look at what the tsunami was like for those stranded by it. This tape was shot by a 16-year-old boy on vacation with his family. They were touring a rock memorial off India's southern tip. With the ocean, you can see it started to mysteriously disappear. The boy says some of the tourists were tempted to walk across the newly exposed sea floor back to the mainland, just because it was such a weird and incredible sight. Fortunately, nobody did that. But there were about 800 people on the rocks when the waves hit. Luckily, they were all rescued. They were waiting there to be picked up by a ferry. And, of course, when the earthquake struck, the ferries weren't running. So after the tsunami subsided, the boats were sent back out to rescue those 800 stranded on that memorial you're just getting a glimpse of.
Aid organizations around the world are in high gear. Aid has been pouring into hard hit Sri Lanka, where U.S. military helicopters are right now ferrying supplies to the refugees. It is a massive relief effort. Some 350 tons of goods are arriving in Sri Lanka on a daily basis. Some of that aid coming in is for the thousands of people at Sri Lanka's Ampara refugee camp. New life is emerging there amid all the death and destruction that's been hanging over the tsunami survivors.
Let's head live to Harris Whitbeck.
He's at the camp site -- hello, Harris.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
We're in Nugegoda, which is a town of 20,000 people that lost about 10 percent of its population during the tsunami. Today and for the first time, convoys from the U.N. High Commission for Refugees have arrived here and they're distributing what they call a basic housing kit, which includes a water pouch, a bucket, a plastic mat, a plastic tent, a set of cookware, a five liter water bottle and nylon rope. They say that this is enough to get these families into -- that it's the first initial (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of what will eventually be permanent housing.
A lot of the problems that are being faced here is that many of the refugees are being housed in schools and the government needs to get the school year started next January 10. So all of these people have to move back to their land, to the rubble of their houses. They need to start clearing that rubble out. And in the meantime, they will use the materials given to them by the U.N. agency to basically live in tents for what the UNHCR says will be three or four months.
Within three or four months, the U.N. says all of these people will be moved into semi-permanent housing and this procedure is being replicated in hundreds and hundreds of villages throughout southeastern Sumatra, because, you know, that was severely devastated by the tsunamis.
Where we are now, there are about 700 families represented. They have been waiting patiently for several hours for this convoy to arrive. The distribution is going very well. Again, it's very well organized. The kits are pretty much self-contained. People are getting those kits and going directly to their land to start pitching their tents. Those tents will be their homes for the next three or four months -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Harris, we were talking to you earlier, before DAYBREAK began. And in that camp there are at least, what, 500 pregnant women? Tell us of their plight.
WHITBECK: Well, there are over 120 refugee camps in this part of Sri Lanka. There is a very, very high number of expectant mothers and they're scattered throughout all of these camps. We visited one camp yesterday where there were at least half a dozen women in various stages of pregnancy. One woman (UNINTELLIGIBLE) 31 years old. Her baby was due last January 2 and she's been afraid to leave the camp to go to a hospital to have a checkup because she's afraid that the camp won't be there when she comes back.
And she was telling me that after the tsunami hit, they had moved to one camp. That camp was wiped out during a flash flood and they had to move to another location. So what she says they are missing the most at this time is a sense of stability, a sense of security and that obviously is affecting the physical and the mental health of many, many people who are in these camps.
COSTELLO: Harris Whitbeck reporting live for us this morning.
Thank you.
CNN presents a special "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" tonight, "Voices of the Tsunami." You've seen the devastation, now hear the stories from the people who survived one of history's worst natural disasters. That's tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 p.m. Pacific time.
In News Across America this morning, a white supremacist is under arrest in Mississippi for a murder that took place more than 40 years ago. Eighty-year-old Edgar Ray Killen was indicted on three counts of murder in the 1964 deaths of three civil rights workers. Killen originally faced trial for the murders in 1967, but that trial ended in a mistrial. The case inspired the 1988 movie "Mississippi Burning."
Andrea Yates' husband hopes she will finally be sent to a mental hospital for proper treatment. His comments come after a Texas appellate court overturned the capital murder convictions against his wife. Andrea Yates had been convicted in the drowning deaths of three of her five children. Rusty Yates called the trial a waste of the taxpayers' money.
In Aiken County, South Carolina, at least eight people died from toxins released after a train collision caused a hazardous chemical spill. Two hundred forty other people were treated for respiratory and other ailments. More than 5,000 people within one mile of the crash site were ordered to evacuate.
Congress did certify President Bush's reelection. It was supposed to be easy, but for Ohio and the Democrats, they stood and challenged the electoral vote in Ohio, delaying the process by four hours. In the end, the GOP dominated Congress rejected that challenge. But, the objecting Democrats say they achieved their goal, by calling attention to the need for aggressive election reform in a state where there were many problems.
Reporter Mark Niquette of the "Columbus Dispatch" has been on that beat.
Mark joins us now live from Columbus.
Good morning, Mark.
MARK NIQUETTE, "COLUMBUS DISPATCH": Good morning.
COSTELLO: So we want you to set us straight on what excellent happened in Ohio during the presidential election. I want to read a quote from -- for you from Representative Deborah Pryce. She's an Ohio Republican. She says: "So eager are they (the Democrats) to abandon their job as public servants, they have cast themselves in the role of Michael Moore, concocting wild conspiracy theories to distract the American public."
Is that fair?
NIQUETTE: Well, it's fair to the extent there were conspiracy theories such as votes migrated from Bush to -- from Kerry to Bush, somehow machines were tampered and so forth. But there were no evidence of that happening. But what did happen is there were several problems here in Ohio -- long lines at the polls, problems with administering the provisional ballots that I think the Democrats did want to, like you said, call attention to so that these things don't happen in future elections.
COSTELLO: Well, tell us the specific problems with the provisional ballots. And I also remember there were awfully long lines of people waiting to vote. Some had to wait, what, 12 hours?
NIQUETTE: Yes, there was a problem here in Ohio with the voting machines. There was questions about how they were allocated. Some thought that too many were sent to suburban or Republican areas at the expense of inner city minority precincts. So there -- and there's an effort under way here in Ohio to replace -- we're predominantly punch cards and the work is under way to replace those with more updated machines.
But the problems, say, with provisional ballots, just inconsistent application. And it's not true just in Ohio. It's nationwide, where some states handle these provisional ballots differently than other states. And I think Congress is, one thing they're going to look at is how can we standardize this so everybody is sort of treating these the same way.
COSTELLO: Was there any evidence of actual fraud in Ohio?
NIQUETTE: Not that came up that would say, you know, the vote has to be questioned. In fact, if you talk to Senator Kerry's campaign, they'll tell you flat out, yes, there were problems. We need to address these things. But, you know, we've seen nothing that suggests the outcome is in question and here in Ohio, President Bush won by more than 118,000 votes. And the mainstream Democrats, at least, will tell you there's just nothing out there that suggests you could change that margin.
COSTELLO: The man in charge of the elections, he was in charge of preparing the provisional ballot idea before the presidential election took place.
What happens to him now?
NIQUETTE: Well, he's actually running for governor here in Ohio. He's one of three statewide Republican office holders who are going to be vying for the governorship in 2006. And he's hoping that the election will be sort of a springboard for him by way of increasing his name recognition and familiarity with the voters and sort of, like I said, give him a boost running into the '06 campaign.
His name is Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell. And he's gotten a lot of criticism from Democrats here, who felt that as chairman of the Bush-Cheney campaign here in Ohio, co-chairman, that he was a little too partisan in how he directed his rulings. But he'll tell you he was just following Ohio law.
COSTELLO: Well, we'll see if the old adage remains true, no publicity is bad publicity.
NIQUETTE: Right. Right.
COSTELLO: Martin Niquette of the "Columbus Dispatch" joining DAYBREAK this morning.
Thank you.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, do you have any idea of what an incident of national significance is? Well, if the Homeland Security Department has its way, you'll soon know exactly what that means.
And it may be hard to imagine, but there are a number of scam artists taking advantage of the tsunami disaster. At 46 minutes past the hour, we'll tell you how to make sure you don't give them your money.
And we'll get a look at an amazing movie. The "Hotel Rwanda" tells the story of what happens when an ordinary man does an extraordinary thing.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's 6:18 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
Former CIA Director George Tenet should be held accountable for failures in security before 9/11. That's according to an independent investigator. The "New York Times" reports that an internal investigation found that Tenet failed to allocate adequate resources to combat terrorism.
Nelson Mandela's son has died from complications of AIDS. Doctors say Mandela's 54-year-old son has pneumonia related to his HIV. Nelson Mandela spent most of his time by his son's side during the last few months.
In money news, more and more Sam Adams beer will be flowing out of Cincinnati. The company announced a $7 million expansion of its Cincinnati brewery, which includes a 24 hours beer making operation, to the delight of Chad.
In culture, actress Jane Kaczmarek, you know, mom in "Malcolm In the Middle," is collecting clothes from the Golden Globes. She wants them for an auction to benefit tsunami victims.
And in sports, the Randy Johnson deal close to being done. The 41-year-old pitcher agreed to a two year, $32 million contract extension with the Yankees. But, he still has to pass a physical before his trade from Arizona becomes official -- Chad.
MYERS: There's still hope for all our forty something men out there after all.
COSTELLO: That's right.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Still to come on DAYBREAK, Tom Ridge unveils a national emergency response plan. But will it work? We're going to take a look.
And beware when donating to tsunami relief efforts. You want to make sure your money is going to the right place. Ali Velshi tells us about charity scams later this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: There is a new national plan in place to help ensure your security. It's called the national response plan. The secretary of homeland defense, Tom Ridge, says for the first time, every department in the federal government will use the same play book when there is a major incident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: It is a new day in a post-9/11 world and our response as a new department is to build on the relationships we have with the states and the locals and the tribes and the private sector, because only when we take advantage of all the capacity, the people and technology and all the ability and all the training and all the experience all around the country do we maximize our own ability as a country to be as strong and as secure and as safe as we possibly can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: I know what you're thinking. You're thinking what?
CNN security analyst Mike Brooks joins us now from Atlanta with more on these changes -- and, Mike, the plan itself is some 400 pages long. Officials even say it's a dull read. But you have read it and we're proud of you.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'll tell you, you know, Carol, this is it right here, 426 pages, 152 acronyms, which you do need a guide for the acronyms because that's the way the government works.
But I took a look at this, Carol, and I was a little skeptical to begin with. But having been looking at it, it is a playbook. And I looked at it more as a toolbox for all federal agencies to work together. It takes the old response plan and another -- a number of other response plans from other agencies and puts them all together.
I was, as I said, skeptical. Taking a look at this, I think it will work. But they're going to phase it in over about a four month period and they're going to take a whole year to look at it.
But you just can't take this and put it on the shelf. You have to go out with the state, local, federal. They all have to work together and they have to actually do exercises. And there is a plan in here to do that.
COSTELLO: OK, well, stop right there for a second.
BROOKS: OK.
COSTELLO: Because that's the key, when the feds and the local authorities come together.
BROOKS: Right.
COSTELLO: Sometimes that's not a great mix.
Tell us of the problems in the past with that as it involved a terror incident.
BROOKS: Well, a lot of times the feds will come in, they try to big foot everyone, push all the little guys out of the way and say hey, we are in charge. The emphasis on this plan says we're not going to do that unless the local entities are totally overwhelmed, except, of course, if it's a terrorist incident and then you will see the federal -- they talk about federal first responders for the joint terrorist task force and those kind of things. They will be there on the ground.
But if it's a, let's say, an incident like we have in South Carolina going on right now with the chlorine leak, if that had of gotten even bigger and all of the local entities and all of the local resources had totally been exhausted, then they could say hey, state government, we need the feds to come in and give us a hand. That's where this plan comes in.
And we talked about an incident of national significance. Some people say well, what is that? It's incidents from a HAZMAT incident all the way to a terrorist incident. And it also addresses being proactive. You know, I like to call them -- we called back first responders. Now we're talking about first preventers, if you will.
But out of page three of what is an incident of national significance, it is "those of high impact events that require a coordinated and effective response by an appropriate combination of federal, state, local, tribal, private sector -- which we haven't really heard too much about in the past -- and non-governmental entities in order to save lives, minimize damage, provide the basis for long-term community recovery and mitigation activities."
And that's one of the things, Carol, is the private sector. We haven't seen the private sector involved in these things or never heard of them involved in the past. This addresses the private sector and what the private sector can do to help these communities get back on their feet.
COSTELLO: OK, bottom line, should I feel safer because of this?
BROOKS: You know, I don't know if you should feel safer, but I think this will help the recovery when something does happen. It'll be a better response and a better recovery after we try to get back to normalcy after a big incident. I think it will work, but it has to be tested and it has to be, you know, gone over and making sure that everything in it works.
COSTELLO: Mike Brooks live from Atlanta.
Thank you.
BROOKS: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Be sure to stay tuned in to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Still to come on DAYBREAK, if you donate to the tsunami relief effort, how can you be sure your money will really go to those in need? We'll warn you of some tsunami scams.
And he's been called the Schindler of Rwanda. And his story is coming to the big screen nationwide this weekend. Still ahead, we take a closer look at "Hotel Rwanda."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "HOTEL RWANDA," COURTESY UNITED ARTISTS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not as peacemakers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got trouble at the gate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a four start hotel, not a refugee camp.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no means to protect...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Good morning to you.
I'm Carol Costello, along with Chad Myers.
Relief teams are trying to contend with the enormous scope of the tsunami devastation, this is U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan tours the damage and appeals to countries to come up with their promised aid right now.
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