Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Live and Continuing Coverage of Haitian Earthquake Devastation

Aired January 13, 2010 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get to our news that's happening right now. Of course this is all regarding the earthquake in Haiti. Some anxious moments for Haitians Americans; people are desperately trying to reach relatives in Haiti to see if they survived that devastating earthquake. We're talking about a 7.0 here. They're also meeting to figure out how to get more aid to their homeland.

Meanwhile countries throughout the world are pledging to help with disaster relief in Haiti. Teams from across the U.S. Government including the Defense and Homeland Security Departments are coordinating efforts to assist quake victims. The U.S. Agency for International Development said a disaster response team will be going in today.

A specialized rescue team from the Los Angeles County Fire Department getting ready to head to the disaster zone in Haiti as well. The unit includes paramedics, search dogs and communications specialists. It also includes rescuers trained in sifting through collapsed buildings to find victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNARD KOUCHNER, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): This is a catastrophe, a terrible catastrophe, very, very serious for Haiti, which did not need this and we also need to think about security because in all these catastrophes which take place in situations of terrible poverty, even the daily seeking for food is very hard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Comments there from the French foreign minister. In the next several minutes, President Obama is going to be talking about the earthquake in Haiti and the U.S. promise of aid. Again, we will bring it to you live just as soon as he makes his way to that podium.

Rescue efforts happening right now in Haiti as many people get a first look at the devastation from the earthquake. It was centered near Port-au-Prince and caused massive damage not only in the capital city but elsewhere. As many as two million of Haiti's nine million people live in the capital.

The head of the United Nations Mission in Haiti is missing. The U.N. headquarters there is one of the many collapsed buildings. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says rescue crews are trying to get to survivors stuck in the rubble. The U.S. Coast Guard assessing the damage from the air right now to see if it's safe for the arrival of American disaster teams. There's also a Coast Guard cutter there now already in order to help with evacuations as need be.

Getting aid in while that clock is ticking and ticking fast. People who survived the quake need help right now, but can search teams and supplies get in there soon enough? The condition of Port- au-Prince's airport has been one of those worries. Jill Dougherty has an update on that now live from the State Department.

Hi, Jill.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hey, Heidi.

When you think of those rescue teams, they're really primed, they're ready to go at any time, but the question is can they get in. So that's why the overflights and the reconnaissance flights by the Coast Guard were so important. Was the airport functioning? The State Department just a few minutes ago did say that their latest information is that the airport is functioning, that it does have electric. And there had been reports about the tower being knocked down but they say that's not true.

COLLINS: Understood.

OK, Jill, forgive me for having to interrupt you. We want to take a moment to get to CNN's Anderson Cooper who is actually in a helicopter above Port-au-Prince at the moment and has more to tell us about exactly what he's able to see -- Anderson.

Anderson, are you with me?

Unfortunately, as you would imagine, communication in a helicopter above Port-au-Prince at the very moment is very difficult. We are continuing to try to make that connection with Anderson and just as soon as we get it, we will go back to him so we might be able to get an idea of what exactly he's seeing right now.

Jill, I want to get back to you, talking more about the airport here and one of the big concerns about whether or not planes are going to be able to land if in fact that control tower has been damaged to the point where it can't control those flow of planes, whether or not radar will be able to be used in order to get those planes down anyway.

DOUGHERTY: Yes. Well, that's all of the question, but the initial indications are that that airport is in some way or another at least physically functioning and they could certainly get some personnel in there to begin to help to get it functioning, to bring those teams in. And those are the teams that really have the manpower and the equipment and the dogs, people who can really go in and find people who need help as quickly as possible.

Also, on the U.S. citizens, there's a surprisingly large number of American citizens in Haiti, 40,000 to 45,000 we are told by the State Department. Initial reports are there are no confirmed reports that anyone has died. That's initial reports. There are some Americans who are gathered at the airport we are told and there will be efforts to get them out as quickly as possible.

And then finally, there are some wounded. They say -- State Department says about a dozen people who were gathered at the embassy. And that includes civilians, it includes some State Department personnel, families, et cetera, who are wounded, who are injured and they are being treated.

And then finally, the Coast Guard ships are going in as well.

COLLINS: Yes, we understand that as well.

We'll get back to that. Jill, forgive me, I want to try to get to Anderson again who once again is in a helicopter above Port-au- Prince.

Anderson, we see you now. Tell us what you are able to see below.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can tell you we just landed at the Port-au-Prince airport. I flew in a helicopter with Victor Diaz Rua, the minister of public works for the Dominican Republic who's been sent by the president to assess what needs that the Dominican Republic can fulfill.

I got to tell you, I just flew over Port-au-Prince and seeing it for the first time, it's a city I know well, it's incredibly shocking. The presidential palace, as you know, parts of it have collapsed. The (INAUDIBLE) on the front of it has collapsed.

There is smoke rising from some parts of the city. People are congregating on corners, in public parks where a number of people obviously have slept through the night. I passed over Cite Soleil, a city of shanty towns built one on top of the another, there is damage there as well.

It is an eerie scene. Many people just kind of standing around on the streets, not really sure what to do or where to go. And for many, there is nowhere to go.

There, as I said, it seems like the heaviest damage that I could see was in the downtown part around the presidential palace. Major buildings there, some very tall buildings clearly having collapsed. They've pancaked the floors one or top of another. There's very little heavy earth-moving equipment in place here.

I also flew on the chopper with man named Manuel Estrella, whose company which is doing work for the IDB, the International Development Bank. They already -- they have sent in shipments of bulldozers that they have to work on their private construction projects. But I'm not seeing a lot on the streets here right now. People really just milling around. It is very hectic. It is confusing. People aren't sure where to go. The scene at the airport is oddly calm. We were one of the first helicopters to arrive here this morning. There's now just as I've been speaking about two small planes which have arrived with a number of relief workers, some members of the International Red Cross and others. But it is a very confused situation. These are very much the early moments of this and people are just slowly starting to arrive. Aid has yet to arrive. I know there's a lot coming in the pipeline. I've talked to the World Food Program and others, they're trying to get here. But at this point it is the early hours.

And you can see from the air -- what was so eerie, you can see from the air people gathered around collapsed buildings clearly trying to rescue people inside, trying to see if there's anyone trapped beneath the rubble. But it is largely just neighborhoods banding together trying to help one another. It doesn't look like there's any kind of coordinated relief effort in terms of rescue. At this point it is very much (AUDIO GAP) neighborhood by neighborhood people (AUDIO GAP) digging through the rubble.

COLLINS: Wow, Anderson, I just wonder so much, I know you got in by helicopter, obviously that requires a very different type of landing because we're trying to find out more about the aid you speak of around whether or not the planes can get in. Of course, the hospital ship we've been talking about, the cutter that is already there in position.

When you look around, Anderson, and again, I realize you just got on the ground, are people carrying any water bottles? Is there even the slightest bit of food or water best that you can tell?

COOPER: You know, I really don't know what the situation -- I mean, I've been told that the Montana Hotel, which is the main hotel, has been destroyed. But again, I have not seen that with my own eyes. I did not fly over Petionville, but I have been told there is widespread damage there as well. That's a mountainess (ph) area, so we would expect damage there. But some very well-built homes and the Montana was a very well-built hotel. One of the problems with so much of the construction here is they don't use reinforced concrete. There's no steel rebars in the concrete so buildings literally just collapse on whoever is inside.

And I can tell you the situation in the air is chaotic at best. The control tower, I'm told, here at the airport is not functioning. So pilots are sort of coordinating flights by themselves. We came very close to a midair collision right over the presidential palace with a small aircraft, a fixed-wing aircraft, came very close to our helicopter. We literally took evasive maneuvers at the last moment and then quickly decided to just get down on the ground because the situation in the air is confusing.

So in terms of coordinating large-scale aircraft, which is what they're going to need here, while the runway looks OK to the human eye, you know, the control situation in the air is very dicey.

COLLINS: Yes, understood, very well. That's what we're trying to get the best assessment of, whether or not there is any functioning radar whatsoever that's being able to be used if not from that control tower, perhaps somewhere elsewhere they can guide these planes and helicopters and everything else that's going to be needed into the area directly.

Anderson, what's next for you?

COOPER: Well, we've got to figure out where to go from here. We literally just landed. I got on the helicopter by myself, as I said, with the minister of public works and Manuel Estrella, who is president of this Estrella Construction company. They were nice enough to give me a lift. They're going to try to coordinate Dominican relief that's waiting at the border.

My team has also just arrived in a fixed-wing aircraft. I see them now walking in and checking in through immigration. Believe it or not, immigration still seems to be functioning so the bureaucracy at least here in the airport is still in place. We're going to try to get the vehicles and just start telling people's stories and go out and see where we can help and see what needs to be done.

COLLINS: All right, Anderson Cooper, sure do appreciate that. We'll be watching and hearing from you throughout the travels there. Anderson Cooper, thank you. Appreciate that.

The major earthquake that hit Haiti was obviously of no surprise to some scientists who said this was coming. We'll find out how accurate they really are and a little bit later on we'll talk with Rob Marciano about that.

In the meantime, I want to get over to Josh Levs because as you can imagine daylight is upon Haiti now, same time zone as Eastern Time Zone so it is a little after 10:00 this morning there. And Josh has been watching some of these pictures that have been coming in and has them now.

Good morning to you once again, Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again to you, Heidi.

We're getting so much video. We were just seeing some while we were seeing Anderson talking. Right here on CNN.com on our main page, when you're there you're actually seeing some of the video right there on the main screen along with it.

What I'm going to do is take you to some of the images we've been picking up from the web because we're seeing a lot of images pass by your eyes. I think if we sit on these for a second, you're going to get a sense of the extent of the horror of what we're talking about.

Daniel Mora was in the capital when this happened. You can see those giant slabs of concrete. If we stood on them for a second, you can see it's not as simple as these buildings kind of crumbling into powder. What you're seeing are massive, in some cases huge pieces, huge slabs of concrete off these building just toppling on top of people, on top of trucks as you're seeing there, on top of everything that was inside those structures, covering roads. Let's go through a couple more here. I want you to see these pictures, we picked these pictures up from Twitpic, which is an online system involving Twitter and sending out your photos. That one right there is really striking because you can see kind of the bright sky behind it and then you see the pure devastation all around it.

Perhaps the most striking is this next one right here where you can see the horror that this woman is going through. We don't know her full story there, if she's stuck inside or if she's one of the people who climbed in after, but we can see the anguish on her face and we can certainly see the devastation that has taken place all over that area.

As part of the story we have a lot going on that's interactive. There's one big thing I want you to know about. One of the biggest things we're hearing from you today is I have relatives there, I have friends there, how can I find them. We have something happening at iReport right now, lots of video coming in from ireport.com and you can just see an example here.

But one of the tasks that we have going on for today at ireport.com is this, if you're looking for your loved ones in Haiti, our folks at ireport.com are setting up a system. Basically, you send in photos of whoever it is you're concerned about and your descriptions of them, and we are encouraging everyone who is in Haiti who is able to see these or is getting any images from Haiti to see if perhaps you recognize any of these people. All at ireport.com, more images to come for you there.

One more thing to mention, a lot of people sharing photos and information. At Twitter today, this is pound CNN Haiti, we are following everything on this hash tag. Tens of millions of people in America alone, let alone around the world, are on Twitter. Pound CNN Haiti, you can send your photos, your videos, your stories, whatever it is you're seeing at any given moment.

And we're just seeing more and more like this throughout the day, these powerful images that helps you understand the extent of the horror that's right there. We'll continue to bring that to you throughout the day -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Josh, thank you. We'll check back with you a little later on.

Meanwhile, this earthquake that hit so hard in Haiti and so big, 7.0, we've been talking about it all morning long. Did some scientists know it was coming? We'll tell you about the warning signs in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Scientists have wondered for years that the island of Hispaniola was at a risk of a major earthquake.

Rob Marciano is here to give us a little more on this. So, Rob, there were signs out there, there were often signs for things like this. But the question is, how do you read them really? How do you know when it's actually the time?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEROLOGIST: Well, the science for predicting earthquakes is pretty rudimentary at this point, and most guys out of the USGS will say there's just no science to back it up at this point.

But there was a professor out of the University of Havana back in October '08 that said boldly that the Port-au-Prince area would endure an earthquake of 7.2 magnitude soon. So -- and he says because of the smaller earthquakes that were happening previously.

But I spoke with a professor out of Georgia Tech University, Kurt Frankel, and he says there's basically no proven science to back up those kind of predictions, and most scientists out of the USGS would say the same thing. So, that could very well be a matter of somebody swinging for the fences and hitting a home run.

Regardless, it is certainly disturbing when you look at the results of what has happened here. There were a handful of scientists recently that also said it's not a matter of if, but when. And that's just a probability aspect when you have what is essentially a very high risk area. You've got a fault that goes right through here that's the equivalent or similarities to the San Andreas faults in California -- not quite as active. But the same properties, the same physics are happening where you have one item going this way -- or rather this way, and the other one coming this way.

Anyway, this is a map that shows the amount of shaking that was felt here. Notice that it's kind of off the center. The center is here, but most of the shaking was down north and west of the center, closer to the coastline. That could very well be a matter of what kind of rock was there. Typically, you get to the coastline and the rock is looser, it's not as compact, whereas where the epicenter was is it's more bedrock at the higher elevation.

Nonetheless, the amount of strong shaking was felt around Port- au-Prince, so that is where we're seeing most of the damage. We'll slide up and show you the scale here.

When you talk about the number of people that were affected by this -- the number of people here affected by moderate to heavy shaking, over a million people. So, that's why we're seeing that sort of damage there. Bad spot to have this, but given that that's where that fault lies, that's not entirely surprising. But very, very difficult, if not impossible to predict.

COLLINS: Yes, understood. And also so much harder because of the hurricanes that had hit earlier. Hey, Rob, thanks for that.

We want to get now directly to President Barack Obama and his statements on the Haiti earthquake.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This morning I want to extend to the people of Haiti the deep condolences and unwavering support of the American people following yesterday's terrible earthquake.

We are just now beginning to learn the extent of the devastation. But the reports and images that we've seen of collapsed hospitals, crumbled homes and men and women carrying their injured neighbors through the streets are truly heart-wrenching.

Indeed, for a country and a people who are no strangers to hardship and suffering, this tragedy seems especially cruel and incomprehensible.

Our thoughts and prayers are also with the many Haitian-Americans around our country who do not yet know the fate of their families and loved ones back home.

I have directed my administration to respond with a swift, coordinated and aggressive effort to save lives. The people of Haiti will have the full support of the United States in the urgent effort to rescue those trapped beneath the rubble and to deliver the humanitarian relief -- the food, water and medicine -- that Haitians will need in the coming days.

In that effort, our government, especially USAID and the Departments of State and Defense, are working closely together and with our partners in Haiti, the region and around the world.

Right now, our efforts are focused on several urgent priorities.

First, we're working quickly to account for U.S. Embassy personnel and their families in Port-au-Prince as well as the many American citizens who live and work in Haiti.

Americans trying to locate family members in Haiti are encouraged to contact the State Department at 888-407-4747. I'm going to repeat that: 888-407-4747.

Second, we've mobilized resources to help rescue efforts. Military over-flights have assessed the damage and by early afternoon our civilian disaster assistance team are beginning to arrive.

Search and rescue teams from Florida, Virginia and California will arrive throughout today and tomorrow, and more rescue and medical equipment and emergency personnel are being prepared.

Because in disasters such as this the first hours and days are absolutely critical to saving lives and avoiding even greater tragedy, I have directed my teams to be as forward-leaning as possible in getting the help on the ground and coordinating with our international partners, as well.

Third, given the many different resources that are needed, we are taking steps to ensure that our government acts in a unified way. My national security team has led an interagency effort overnight. And to ensure that we coordinate our effort going forward, I've designated the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Dr. Raj Shah, to be our government's unified disaster coordinator. Now, this rescue and recovery effort will be complex and challenging. As we move resources into Haiti we will be working closely with partners on the ground, including the many NGOs from Haiti and across Haiti, the United Nations Stabilization Mission -- which appears to have suffered its own losses -- and our partners in the region and around the world. This must truly be an international effort.

And, finally, let me just say that this is a time when we are reminded of the common humanity that we all share.

With just a few hundred miles of ocean between us and along history that binds us together, Haitians are our neighbors in the Americas and here at home. So we have to be there for them in their hour of need.

Despite the fact that we are experiencing tough times here at home, I would encourage those Americans who want to support the urgent humanitarian efforts to go to WhiteHouse.gov, where you can learn how to contribute.

We must be prepared for difficult hours and days ahead as we learn about the scope of the tragedy. We will keep the victims and their families in our prayers. We will be resolute in our response. And I pledge to the people of Haiti that you will have a friend and partner in the United States of America today and going forward.

May God bless the people of Haiti and those working on their behalf.

Thank you very much.

COLLINS: All right. President Barack Obama this morning making his statements about the earthquake in Haiti. Vice president Joe Biden standing behind him there, really trying hard now to contact Americans living and working in Haiti.

According to the State Department, that's something like 40,000 to 45,000 people, so that will be a task, as well as all the coordination of the relief efforts that you heard him speak about. Dr. Raj Shaw will be heading up that united effort.

Once again, the number for the State Department -- we're about to put it on screen if you have questions or concerns about family members living or working in Haiti.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: As you would imagine, a lot of challenges this morning for Haiti. The lines of communication certainly spotty right now. Many Haitians here in the United States hanging on to any information that they can get.

One of the people who's keeping them updated in all of this is Ricot Dupuy. He's a DJ in Brooklyn's Haitian community who's been broadcasting through the night and into this morning. He's joining us now live. Ricot, tell us about your show and what you've been hearing. Are people calling into you and asking you questions? What are you able to inform them of?

RICOT DUPUY, D.J./STATION MGR., RADIO SOLEIL D-HAITI: Thank you, Heidi, for having me.

Well, since 6:00 p.m. last night, we've been at it. The station has been deluged with calls from listeners trying to find out the extent of the devastation in Haiti, and certainly trying to find out if their loved ones have been spared.

It's been very frustrating because for a number of hours, we have no communication with Haiti at all. And we didn't know what to tell the people. As a radio station that is a (INAUDIBLE) of the Haitian community here, our job is to provide them information. So we have failed miserably in that sense because the communication system did not work. So, they didn't know what was going on.

So, but now it has hit them with its full impact. It has come true to them, and so this morning, since a quarter to 6:00, they have been calling with intensity trying to -- hoping that I could tell them your area, their area has been spared. But of course I can't do that. So this thing has hit them with the full force in my view today.

COLLINS: Boy, I can only imagine, and I can see the pain on your face there, Ricot. For what it's worth, you haven't failed miserably. It's difficult for all of us trying to get this information out to everyone who so desperately wants to know about family members in Haiti and what the true sense of devastation really is.

We're learning all of that this morning. 10:30 there now in Haiti just as it is here on the East Coast. Do you have family there, Ricot? Have you been able to contact anyone that you personally know?

RICOT DUPUY, D.J./STATION MANAGER, RADIO SLEIL D'HAITI: Well, for 15 hours it's been very, very tense because I could not determine the whereabouts of my family. I have two aunts there in Haiti and a number of cousins whom I'm very, very close to.

So we called them. The phone rang, but nobody picked up. I tended to assume that they were hit, they were killed. But fortunately, 45 minutes ago I was told by my cousin in Montreal that they got in touch with them and they are OK.

COLLINS: Oh, well that's terrific news for you in all of this. I know that you're very worried about many other people, and certainly your listeners are worried about their family members as well. For you, we're very happy for you, and thanks so much for being available to us. I know that you will be working diligently for as long as it takes to get more information out to your listeners. Thanks so much for sharing your story with us, Ricot Dupuy, this morning.

Called into action. A nonprofit development organization turns its attention now to bringing relief to Haiti. We'll talk to the group in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAREL PEDRE, HAITI EATHQUAKE WITNESS: I was driving, driving back to my work. I was stuck in traffic. When I feel like my car was shaking. I thought that some other cars hit me. And when I look in front of me, I see a lot of people falling down and they were crying, crying, crying, crying for help.

And after that my phone -- I lost communication. The call was dropped. After that, I went out of the car and I realized that was an earthquake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: People in Haiti are getting a better look now at the devastation this morning. Their country badly damaged by a major earthquake. We've seen many buildings toppled like toys. Brick and cement littering the streets of capital Port-au-Prince.

The head of the United Nations mission in Haiti is missing at this time. The hotel housing the U.N. and its headquarters is one of those many buildings appearance collapsed. The U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki- moon said rescue crews are trying to get to survivors stuck in the rubble.

The U.S. Coast Guard assessing the damage from the air right now and there is also a Coast Guard cutter positioned offshore to help. Also hearing that some of the 40,000 to 50,000 Americans in Haiti are gathering at the airport in Port-au-Prince.

FOKAL is a nonprofit organization is focused on helping Haiti develop its infrastructure through youth leadership, and the group is joining many others now to help bring earthquake relief.

Linda Mellon is a consultant and director of FOKAL-USA. She grew up in Port-au-Prince, still has relatives there whom she is desperately trying to reach this morning. Linda Mellon joining us now from New York.

Linda, good morning to you. I know this is a very, very difficult time for you. Give us an update first on the family members you have and have not been able to contact.

LINDA MELLON, CONSULTANT/DIRECTOR, FOKAL-USA: Sure. Good morning, Heidi. By the way, I'm so sorry that we have to reconnect under such circumstances, and I wanted to thank Bill White, president of the Intrepid, for having facilitated our communication.

At this point, what we hear is devastating. From my personal end, I have not yet heard anything from my mother-in-law. She lives in Delma (INAUDIBLE), and unfortunately, for as much as we've tried reaching out to her on the cell, on the house phone, nothing goes through. I have an uncle who lives not too far from her.

He did manage to get out, but unfortunately his house which is close to a four-story house is in ruins right now, so I'm hoping that my uncle will be able to reach out to my mother-in-law. My brother- in-law and his family, from what I understand, are safe. We did not talk to them personally, but we did manage to get word from other family members that they were okay.

My colleagues from FOKAL -- I did hear also from (INAUDIBLE) Karinsky (ph), one of our board members who did manage to get an e- mail somehow from (INAUDIBLE), who used to be the executive director of FOKAL, and we understand they are fine. So, they slept outside. Unfortunately, there were a lot of tremors, but they were okay.

COLLINS: Linda, are you hearing any more about the people of Haiti? I know that your organization is an independent organization that actually is working very hard to shape the future of Haiti. Poorest country in the world, where 80 percent of its people are living in poverty. What are you going to be able to do at this time?

MELLON: Well, it's important to say that FOKAL is not a relief organization. We were founded in '95, and we're an independent organization, an independent foundation supported by the Open Society Institute. Thanks to the generosity of philanthropist George Soros, we've been operational for many years now.

Unfortunately, even though we're not a relief organization, we have to step up and help in relief efforts one way or the other because the country is in ruins because the country is in ruins. Buildings have collapsed. And the needs are great.

So, even with the multitude of NGOs on the ground, the need is so great that everybody has to pull in together and try and do something to help. And so, I think that's where FOKAL comes in. We have a web of about 35 libraries throughout the country, and I'm hoping that they're still standing and that the buildings are not demolished and that somehow people can congregate to those libraries and have access to the Internet or meet with members of the community and assess the needs on the spot.

And we're also from the U.S., we're accepting contributions online through our Web site and it's fokal-usa.org. They can also mail contributions to FOKAL in the U.S. and so they can send it to FOKAL-USA at 400 West 59th Street, New York, New York, 10019. And they should list that it's for relief effort.

But I can confirm to you, Heidi, that all the funds that we receive today going forward will be for relief efforts. And 100 percent of those funds, because we don't take anything for operational expenses. Those are covered separately.

COLLINS: Quickly before we let you go, Linda, how far back, is it even possible to discuss all of the work that your organization does regarding education and economic activity and everything you guys have done. Something like this of this magnitude, it seems to push Haiti back many, many steps. And the work that will have to be done.

MELLON: It does, it does. It does. It sets us back, but I think the Haitian people are very resilient, and the one thing that FOKAL has always been strong at is basically saying that Haitians are there on the ground helping other Haitians. So, it's a matter of empowering one another because we focus on the youth, we focus on marginalized people, on peasants, and we also focus on women.

And these are really four core groups of people that are in need of dire help. The headquarters of FOKAL in Haiti is on Avenue Cristof. Up until now, I have no idea how the headquarters has survived, but I'm hoping that the structure is still standing, we'll see...

COLLINS: Understood.

MELLON: ... But I'd like to tell my other Haitian fellow members, Kand-be-a (ph). Hang in there, and do not despair because we will all band together and work to rebuild the country. We have to; it's a matter of priority right now.

COLLINS: Linda Mellon with FOKAL-USA. The very best of luck to you, and we'll stay in touch to learn as much as possible in the continuing days here. Thanks once again. Linda, thanks once ago.

I also want to let everybody know one of our correspondents, Ivan Watson, has just now landed in Port-au-Prince. We'll have his report for you coming to you live after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: As promised, we want to get straight to one of our correspondents who has just now landed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Ivan Watson is standing by now to tell us what he is seeing there. Ivan, what do you have? What can you tell us about the condition of the airport?

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): We're at the airport right now. I confess, I can't hear terribly well because there's a propeller plane that's just taking off now.

The airport itself is damaged. You can see structural damage to the two- or three-story building with large cracks up and down its facade. People here have been telling me that they are describing just the sheer violence of yesterday's tremors.

One man here, one of the baggage porters, saying that it was only thanks to God that he survived. He said his house was completely destroyed. But mercifully, his family survived last night's earthquake.

COLLINS: So, tell us a little bit more, Ivan, if you could about what you're seeing there at the airport. The only reason why I ask is because obviously there are questions about whether or not planes, helicopters, any other aircraft can get in and out of that area because that is where most of the aid would be coming.

WATSON: Right. Well, you may be able to hear over this satellite phone that I'm talking on the sound of propeller planes, small craft that have been taking off. We just flew in on one within the last hour, and there are helicopters buzzing in and out, including two military helicopters.

I haven't figured out which country those come from yet. We have not seen large-fixed wing planes taking on or off yet, but the tarmac right here does look fine, and the airport does seem to be functioning. In fact, there are people here stamping passports and checking customs documents as you come in.

COLLINS: Wow. Wow. All right. Ivan, please let us know. I know that you are headed out and will be talking with people just as soon as you can to find out a little bit more about what's going on, and as we speak those rescue efforts are certainly in full swing.

Once again, Ivan Watson reporting live for us this morning from Port-au-Prince, where he has just now landed at the airport.

The head of the U.N. mission to Haiti missing this morning. Rescue crews there at the collapsed headquarters right now searching for survivors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Checking the latest now from the aftermath of that incredible earthquake that hit Haiti. Our Anderson Cooper has just arrived in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and reports extensive damage in the downtown area. He says there is no coordinated relief effort on the ground as of yet, even though individuals have been trying to help people who are trapped by debris.

Our Jill Dougherty reporting from the State Department, saying the Port-au-Prince airport is functioning. Of course, that's critical to getting rescue teams, aid workers and supplies in. One U.S. Coast Guard cutter has docked in Haiti, another is due out this afternoon. The Red Cross has about three million people, one in three Haitians have been affected by the earthquake.

Exact casualty figures not even close to available at this time.

The headquarters of the United Nations mission in Haiti is one of the buildings that collapsed in the quake, and rescuers are sifting through the rubble to find any survivors. CNN's senior United Nations correspondent Richard Roth is joining us live from New York.

Richard, what's the latest that you have?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Senior U.N. officials grappling with a major disaster on their hands along with the heavy devastation on the island of Haiti. The U.N. compound, the U.N. headquarters building, a former hotel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, collapsed right when the quake occurred. And now, there's a desperate rescue effort on for that.

The United Nations has a peacekeeping mission on the island of Haiti, and they have had that there since 1994. The United Nations Security Council approved and did a moment of silence, ambassadors around the table standing in recognition as the council put it for the loss of life. U.N. staffers who are unaccounted for and the people of Haiti. The Security Council at the U.N. has been heavily involved in Haiti in the '90s and in this decade in providing assistance and peacekeeping.

Now, the leader of the U.N. Peacekeeping effort there is Hedi Annabi, a Tunisian, a long-time U.N. veteran diplomat peacekeeping official. He is still unaccounted for, along with his deputy in that mission. The U.N.'s deputy peacekeeping director was asked about the quality of the construction of that U.N. building in Port-au-Prince.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDMOND MULET, U.N. ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GEN. FOR PEACEKEEPING: This is one of the most important buildings of Port-au-Prince, a very solid, concrete building. And -- but as we have seen on TV, many other buildings include the National Palace also were severely damaged. So, I believe that this Christopher Hotel building, our headquarters, were right on the fault of, or on the path of the main earthquake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: U.N. officials say there are at least somewhere between 150 to 200 U.N. staff members unaccounted for at this time. Of course, communications have been heavily damaged. The U.N. secretary-general saying at least hundreds missing, presumed dead, on the island of Haiti. The United Nations requesting logistical airlift capability to help with the rescue effort of their own staff and the people on that island. Heidi.

COLLINS: Richard Roth for us this morning from the U.N. Richard, sure do appreciate that. We'll continue to check in with you throughout the morning.

For now, a quick break. We're back in just a moment right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Waiting and wondering. Boy, it definitely has been tough for Haitian Americans desperately trying to contact relatives back home, as you would imagine. We are told most of Port-au-Prince has been completely destroyed. Trying very, very hard to get assessments of that. We have crews in place and actually crews on the way.

And Josh, I know that you're getting a lot of information in.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So many coming in at the last second. I can show you some that are popping in on iReport.com. Also CNN.com. We have some right here from Le-Kai (ph), which is part of southern Haiti.

This is from the airport actually, but take a look over here. These are some that we got from Le-Kai, just popped into CNN iReport. You can see the devastation on some of these buildings, the way they're collapsing. In some cases, it does appear on top of people. We are following these continuously throughout the day.

We also have some photos that have just come in from the Associated Press. Let's get to those right away if we can. Again, every time we see one of those shots -- oh, okay, we'll have those next hour -- what they're showing us is the power of the devastation. I've got to tell you, the way that the world is following this today, they're following it with us, and they are following it online tremendously with these really strong images and every type of social media.

So, we're camped out throughout the day. Here you go. Just came in from the Associated Press. We're seeing all sorts of buildings. We've been seeing churches, we've been seeing office buildings, we've been seeing homes all falling apart. As you know, Heidi, we've been hearing descriptions about where this earthquake was and about the extent to which these areas are populated, and why in the end, it had such a massive impact, especially in some of these dense areas. Some places that are...

COLLINS: Look at that.

LEVS: Look at that.

COLLINS: Rob was telling us earlier the equivalent of 7.0 is something like 32 tons of TNT dynamite.

LEVS: Thirty-two tons of TNT. And also we were talking about the depth of where it took place. It was strong enough to really shatter these buildings. So many people in that area; we're also hearing about U.S. missionaries who are missing. I'll tell you coming up in the next hour about how we at online CNN are helping people track down their missing loved ones.

COLLINS: All right, very good, Josh. Appreciate that.

We want to get a closer look for you at Haiti so we really know what we're talking about here. The Caribbean nation is home to about nine million people. It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. More than about half of the population live on less than $1 a day. We've been talking about it all morning long.

Haiti's already limited infrastructure was further damaged, as you know, and remember back in 2008 when those four tropical storms hit that nation. Haiti also suffer from high crime, widespread disease, including AIDS. Plagued by political violence, too, for most of its history.

About 8,000 U.N. peacekeepers have been stationed there since 2004. The political rebellion that took place to maintain some sort of civil order. So, we are watching all of this, a very complicated story on many levels. But first and foremost, we continue to say the clock is ticking. Seventy-two hours we're always told for rescue and search missions, and the coming days are going to be beyond tough.

LEVS: You know, we're seeing aerial images now popping in and obviously we all know -- a lot of people crossing their fingers, holding out hope for the victims.

COLLINS: No question about it. Josh, again, thank you. We'll be continuing to follow this story throughout the entire day right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. It continues now with Tony Harris.