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Chaos After the Quake; Haiti's Hospitals Overwhelmed; The Race to Save Lives

Aired January 14, 2010 - 11:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: For now, I'm Heidi Collins. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Tony Harris.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Exclusive new CNN video shows the stunning moments after the disaster struck Haiti. Now 42 hours after the quake, critical minutes tick by for people trapped under the concrete.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: When you look at people who die in a situation like this, 90 percent of the people die in the first three or four days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Crates of food and medicine and other basic supplies begin arriving in Haiti today as the U.S. scrambles to save lives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can report that the first waves of our rescue and relief workers are on the ground and at work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Extensive coverage of the catastrophe in Haiti in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Day two of the desperate rescue effort in Haiti. Searchers running out of time to find people still breathing beneath the rubble of collapsed homes and buildings. Here's what we know.

Tens of thousands are feared dead. Haiti's president quotes estimates of up to 50,000 killed. The prime minister puts the number at several hundred thousand.

Bodies are being piled up on the streets of the capital. The city is still without power and water after Tuesday's magnitude 7 quake.

Planes from China, France and Spain have arrived in Port-au- Prince, bringing food and other medical supplies. The U.S. has search and rescue teams on the ground there. More relief flights coming in. Let's get you live to the earthquake zone. Our Susan Candiotti joins us now from Port-au-Prince.

And Susan, if you would, tell us what you're seeing.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tony, if you're speaking to me now, I'm sorry, it's awfully difficult to hear, but there are thousands of stories like the one I'm about to tell you happening all around Haiti, people trying to help each other. And here's one example.

The place where we're staying, if you look over the terrace -- I'm going to turn over there now -- and you see what this building, this hotel has done, they have a water hose from the building out into the street, and people, for hours, have been lining up here, bringing whatever kind of water receptacle they can find, from bottles to makeshift things like -- I saw something that looked like a trash can, filling them up so that they have something to drink, something to wash their face with, something to brush their teeth with, something to simply make them feel better and refresh themselves. So this is the kind of thing that is going on.

But not only this. As we're in this same position and walking down the street, rolling down the street, we saw several men, not long ago -- it's past now, but they were rolling someone in a bed on wheels down the street. There was no mattress, it was just the steel frame of the bed. And this man was clearly injured, and they were taking him somewhere, apparently, in an effort to find help.

There are other anecdotal stories from our producer who saw actually with his own eyes from one hospital heavily damaged. There was nothing going on inside the hospital, but people had come outside in sort of a garden or plaza area to seek help. And they were looking for any kind of medicines they could muster to try to help people. For example, they were using -- because they needed an extension cord, they took a string of Christmas lights just to use as an extension cord.

And then there is this from a woman who is a missionary who has been helping people with whatever she could do, people who were very badly injured. And she told me a little bit about it. Listen.

OK, we don't have that sound to play back for you now, but she said that she has been living here for 20 years and works for a charitable institution doing volunteer work. And she was taking care of people with injuries she had never seen before and never thought she would ever see.

But because of the earthquake, everyone is pulling together and trying to help each other out as best they can until more of the official relief comes in from nations including the United States. We know there are people on the ground from Norway, for example, but it's going to take a while to get that rolling. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Tony, back to you. HARRIS: Susan, before I let you go -- and I know I have to because you have other responsibilities to our various networks across several platforms -- you have been to Haiti on a couple of occasions, as I can recall, to cover the aftermath of hurricanes and tropical storms. If you would, take a moment and describe what you're seeing now.

CANDIOTTI: Sure. I've been coming here since the mid-'80s because of political turmoil as well, as well as economic turmoil and problems and natural disasters. You know, it is, indeed, if not the poorest, one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere.

So, on a good day, it is difficult to get around Haiti. It is difficult for these people to make a living. And now you're seeing what little infrastructure they have, which was bad to begin with, come tumbling down, buildings falling apart. I can't even imagine the extent of the work that will have to be done to try to bring them up to at least where they were before.

I'm hearing about something going on right now over here.

What are we looking at, Ross? Tell me. I'm sorry?

Two people with a wooden casket walking down the street, Tony. I mean, this is the kind of thing -- there are two of them, one right behind the other.

We saw this again about a couple of hours ago. This is the kind of we're seeing now. Not only this, but bodies lying in the street covered. And, in fact, in some cases, uncovered, because now they're actually piling up.

It's makeshift morgues. It's going to take quite a lot, and I can't imagine how they're going to even begin to make an official effort to try to get sanitation to where it should be, to get -- to try to put these lives back together.

HARRIS: All right. Susan, thank you. Thank you.

Susan Candiotti for us in Port-au-Prince.

President Obama tells the people of Haiti, "You will not be forsaken." Within the last hour, the president updated U.S. rescue and relief efforts in Haiti. He says teams are actively working to save lives and he pledged $100 million in immediate aid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: I've made it clear to each of these leaders that Haiti must be a top priority for their departments and agencies right now. This is one of those moments that calls out for American leadership. For the sake of our citizens who are in Haiti, for the sake of the Haitian people who have suffered so much, and for the sake of our common humanity, we stand in solidarity with our neighbors to the south, knowing that, but for the grace of God, there we go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The first lady, Michelle Obama, making some comments now about Haiti. She is speaking before the Labor Department.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: And our nation's deepest support for the people of Haiti in the wake of this just devastating disaster that they have suffered. The destruction and the suffering that we see the images that are coming out of that country are just overwhelming, and it is important for the people of Haiti to know that we are keeping the victims of this tragedy and their loved ones in our thoughts and our prayers. And that also includes prayers going out to all of the Haitian-Americans who have families and friends there and they're worried about them back home.

It's difficult to get word, people don't know where folks are. This is a tough time for Haitian-American citizens here as well.

And we also want to send our thoughts and prayers out to the American citizens who were working and living in Haiti as well. Right now my husband and the administration are focused on moving as many resources as possible into Haiti, as quickly as possible, so that we can save as many lives as we can. And later today, I'll be taping a public service announcement for the Red Cross, which is providing on- the-ground support -- food, water, medicine -- that's desperately need right now, particularly in this short period of 48, 72 hours after the disaster.

So, for those Americans who are watching this, who are listening, who want to help -- and everyone's help and resources and energy at this time are critically important -- you can go to the White House Web site at www.whitehouse.gov to see what you can do to support our friends in Haiti in this time of urgent need. And as you know, it's not just in the weeks and months ahead, this is going to be something that we're going to have to put our attention to for many years to come.

So, again, our thoughts and prayers go out to the country of Haiti.

HARRIS: There you have the first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, making remarks about Haiti and talking about her plans to record a PSA asking for continued support of the people on the ground in Haiti.

It appears that all departments of this government are devoting whatever resources they have available to the effort in Haiti. It is amazingly heartening.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has cancelled her Asia Pacific trip and returned to Washington to work on the crisis in Haiti. She pledged America's help will be immediate and long term.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Unfortunately, as you know, the government buildings were terribly damaged by the earthquake. A lot of government members unaccounted for. No communications system.

We're supplying a communications system so they can begin to get up and running. We're working with the United Nations, which was equally devastated by the collapse of their headquarters. So, the authorities that existed before the earthquake are not able to fully function. We're going to try to support them as they re-establish authority. The peacekeepers, the U.N. peacekeepers, about 7,000 of them commanded by a Brazilian general, are beginning to clear the roads.

Our Coast Guard has been unbelievable. They got there first, as you might guess, being in the area. We've got the 82nd Airborne and other military assets coming in. We had a military team reopen the airport so we could start to handle the big, heavy planes.

There's an enormous amount of work going on. I'm very proud of our response. We're grateful for the international response. But I think we have a long way ahead of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Running out of bandages, aspirin and other supplies. Still days before the U.S. hospital ship Comfort arrives. The overwhelming need for medical equipment in Haiti 42 hours after the quake.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Forty-two hours after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, and relief organizations are mobilizing to help.

Reverend Franklin Graham, the CEO of Samaritan's Purse, he plans to head to Haiti today. He talked with our Kyra Phillips on "CNN TONIGHT."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: This is not the first time that you'll be going to Haiti. You have been there a number of times in the past. Your ministry has been very involved in Haiti.

Why are the Haitians so close to your heart?

REV. FRANKLIN GRAHAM, SAMARITAN'S PURSE: This is the poorest country in our hemisphere, and this is a country that has been mismanaged, it has been overlooked. The poverty there is just incredible.

And so when something like that is in your back yard, you cannot ignore it. And so we have been working there for a number of years, and we'll continue to work there. But now it seems as though this whole nation has been just leveled to rubble, and it just breaks my heart.

But we have just a few hours to get shelter material in there. We have just a few hours to get clean water to these people. If we don't get this in there immediately, you're going to see more deaths and you're going to see disease. We have to get in there immediately.

And I do agree with President Clinton -- the world needs to step up. The United Nations needs to step up. But everybody who's watching can be a part of this.

Not only can you make a contribution -- we need help at Samaritan's Purse, you can go to samaritanspurse.org -- but every relief organization that will be going needs not only your financial support, but we need to pray for the responders that are going down for their safety, for their strength, for their health. This is going to take all of us, Kyra. All of us need to do something here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Before the earthquake, basic medical serves that Americans take for granted were hard to come by in Haiti, and the few hospitals or clinics that are operating or hobbled by the disaster.

CNN's Ivan Watson shows us the scene Wednesday afternoon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the reality of the situation here in Port-au-Prince. This is a small medical clinic. There are so many patients, so many victims of this earthquake that they are treating them in the halls and the entryway of the clinic.

And look here. We have wounded people waiting for treatment right now. Let's take a look at this woman right here.

This is Amelika (ph). She says that her leg is broken and she's been here since last night waiting for treatment. And she's not the only one. If we come and take a look over here, there are more wounded people and even the corpse of a small child who could not get treatment.

And it is just overwhelming to see over here the bodies of at least 13 people stacked up on the sidewalk right outside. We have seen these images elsewhere in this overwhelmed city right now. Doctors are telling me they don't have enough medicine to treat these patients. They don't have enough gas to run the generators, to run the medical machines to treat these patients.

And the people of Port-au-Prince are out in the streets, not in their homes, for fear that they, too, could become victims of this earthquake if the aftershocks bring down what's left of their homes.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Port-au-Prince, in Haiti.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: Our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta is on the ground in Haiti. He is visiting the hospitals and tending to people needing medical care. You will see his reports here on CNN, as well as his special this weekend, Saturday and Sunday mornings at 7:30 Eastern Time.

Forty-two hours now after the quake, search and rescue teams from the Carolinas to California are packing up supplies and shipping them to Haiti.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on our top stories now.

The president has a plan to recoup billions in expected losses from the Troubled Asset Relief Program. He is expected to proposing a new 10-year tax on the country's biggest banks. The president will be making that announcement later this hour, and of course we will be bringing it to you live.

The U.S. government says it is watching what it describes as a new credible threat from al Qaeda in Yemen. Two senior officials say that threat is directed at the U.S. homeland, but specifics are unclear.

And R&B loses, boy, a legend. Singer Teddy Pendergrass passed away last night after a long illness. He was 59 years old. Longtime friend and collaborator Kenny Gamble called Pendergrass "a one-of-a- kind artist with a powerful voice and great magnetism."

Forty-two hours after the quake, the Red Cross says it is out of medical supplies in Haiti. More are on the way, but it's uncertain when new medicines will arrive.

A Red Cross worker in Haiti talked to CNN's Anderson Cooper about the sudden scramble.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: But you immediately got out there and did what you do could?

MATT MAREK, AMERICAN RED CROSS: Absolutely. My staff that was there, a security guard, as well as a maintenance man, immediately gathered as much of the supplies that we had access to, and started to administer first aid to the population that were coming down from the (INAUDIBLE) on the mountainside.

COOPER: Because there were a lot of injuries, a lot of destruction up on the mountainside.

In terms of the big picture for the American Red Cross, what are you guys -- what is the focus right now?

MAREK: Right now, the focus is waiting on backup, waiting on resources. We have teams that are getting together in Santo Domingo, medical, telecoms, relief, response, and they should be here tomorrow with everything that they have.

COOPER: So, do you think we will be able to see a big difference on the streets tomorrow?

MAREK: No. No. The impact of what's happened here, it is going to take a lot more than just the ability and the movement of the International Red Cross movement for the people to find any relief.

COOPER: Do you coordinate with other groups and with the Haitian government? I mean, is there -- is there like a daily meeting where people say, you know what, the greatest need is in this area?

MAREK: Right now, coordination efforts on our part are limited to the Red Cross movement within the country, which the Haitian Red Cross, as well, works when they can with the Haitian government. But, as we know, every institution in the Haitian government and any international presence has been affected by this.

COOPER: What does the American Red Cross need, I mean, from donors who are out there?

MAREK: Right now, what we need is everything to bring back livelihoods. I think President Clinton said it very well. There's a need for food. There's a need for water. We have to start thinking short term and long term.

We have got to start thinking camp management. And we have got a lot of hygiene and sanitation needs that are going to be coming up very quickly. We are going to need assistance certainly from the U.S. government to really control things down here, because I think, as the days get on, we have a risk of escalation of continued perhaps trouble, perhaps...

COOPER: Do you worry about just the security situation, I mean, as people get frustrated and upset?

MAREK: Certainly. We are not -- we're going to be able to help people less if the security situation worsens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: All right.

As we've mentioned, U.S. search and rescue teams are on the ground in Haiti. The Fairfax, Virginia, Urban Search and Rescue Team arrived in Port-au-Prince just hours ago and has already rescued at least one man.

Josh Levs has been watching what this crew has been doing.

Josh, bring us up to speed.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony. Actually, I just spoke with them. They told me they are the first crew in the world from another country that has arrived, and they've been able to begin these kinds of actions on the ground there. And we have some video of what they have been doing, and it's pretty impressive. What they've done, one of the things that they have done, is they went straight to the U.N. headquarters, and they're trying to pull up as much as they can there, where, as we know, the U.N. compound was just completely devastated.

And you're seeing a picture now of a man whom they say they have pulled from the rubble. Now, clearly, he's not someone who was way, way down there or one of the most injured. We have to get more information, but we do know something about him.

They're saying he was pulled from the rubble. His name is Tarmo Joveer. He's an Estonian and a U.N. security officer. And we actually have a little tape for you now, Tony. This is new video of him speaking with a news crew once he was rescued there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TARMO JOVEER, U.N. SECURITY OFFICER: I lost the footing. You know, I was laying on the floor. That was it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you never lost hope? How was it being there trapped all that time?

JOVEER: It wasn't good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: And one more thing to show you, along with this story, Tony. We have another piece of video of this same group. And what they were doing is spray-painting around some areas, spray-painting some homes, spray-painting some buildings when they get to them. And I'll tell you what we're seeing here if we have that video.

Basically, what they're doing is they're coding these buildings for what they're finding inside there. So, if they find carbon dioxide, if they find something dangerous, they take that big spray -- there you go -- and they spray all over it. And they're also putting on there -- you can see underneath there, "U.S.," which is a sign that they are here from the United States, and they also note that they are the first crew that has arrived there.

Now, we also have some new video, I'm told. It's the USS Carl Vinson that we're just getting right now. Let's go to this new video, Tony. This is yet another sign of these crews that are arriving...

HARRIS: With medicine. Good, good, good.

LEVS: ... and doing what they can. We're seeing helicopters there. I think we can take this video over here. Let's zoom in over here.

And you're seeing that they're arriving with medicines now. As we know, this is one of the immediate concerns we've been hearing. So many people in such devastation, they need basics.

And part of the trick is bringing the medicines and then getting them actually to people. So we do know that this is one of the U.S. crews that's on the way.

And we've also been seeing SOUTHCOM was loading up earlier from -- U.S. Southern Command was loading up in Miami to bring over what they can. So, between this first little image at the U.N., Tony, and this, what we're seeing here, it's a sign of what today's story, you want it to be. You want today's story to be as many rescue crews as possible making it to Haiti, and then ultimately getting that aid to the people on the ground.

HARRIS: We've got a bit of a bottleneck that I'm still concerned about.

And the other thing I'm concerned about is, you know, we have -- OK. All right. We've heard descriptions of the entire city -- and that is a picture, Josh, of the Vinson?

LEVS: It's the USS Carl Vinson. A medical department is on board there, and we're told that this is what they're bringing to Haiti, and this is the equipment that they're bringing with them to Haiti.

And you can see, you know, it's substantial. And the USS Carl Vinson does travel around and has this team that specializes in bringing medical supplies in the wake of disasters.

HARRIS: Great. So here's my concern. Here's a concern that I have.

We've heard descriptions of Haiti, Port-au-Prince being flattened. Most, if not all of Port-au-Prince being flattened.

If you take a look at a map of Port-au-Prince, we've got aid trying to get into the airport, which is slightly north of the city. In the city, but north of it. And then you've got the port that we understand is damaged, which is south and central Haiti.

But we have people on the eastern edge of Port-au-Prince who desperately need help. And I'm still trying to get an answer as to how an effort is being coordinated to help the people who are on the eastern edges of Port-au-Prince who are being impacted by this as well. I know you're looking into that for me as well. And if you get anything, please let me know.

LEVS: And I'll tell you, we got all over Port-au-Prince. There's also -- if you look at southwest, there's an area called Lakai (ph), which is also devastated. And we have pictures from there that show how bad it is there.

Basically, what needs to happen is, as many crews as possible, given that there's so few roads that are accessible, need to use everything they can to get these crews. But also, who need just tons of equipment.

You were just seeing the group from Fairfax there, I was showing you before. They brought, I believe, 42 tons of equipment with them. So you need the manpower, but you also need this massive equipment to lift off and remove these huge slabs of concrete that are on top of so many people right now while there's still those air pockets and while you still have a prayer at saving lives.

HARRIS: All right. We're going to pull up some mapping here soon and better illustrate what we're talking about here, Port-au- Prince being sort of south and central in Haiti, and the need on the eastern edge of Port-au-Prince as well.

And I've been asking the question, is there a way for folks in the other cities east of Port-au-Prince to help fellow Haitians? But, you know, we're still trying to get answers. But the good news is, is that we've got some help flowing finally into Port-au-Prince.

Appreciate it.

LEVS: It's a sign. And that's what you're saying, is the sign -- that now the help is getting there, it's a sign it can be done. Let's just get the ball rolling.

HARRIS: Yes. All right. Josh, thanks.

Forty-two hours after the quake, Haitians are corresponding with family, friends and with us. iReporters are showing us what they're seeing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. LOUIS ST-GERMAN, IREPORTER: That's one of the biggest hospitals we have. We have a lot of people in the E.R.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Log on to CNN.com/ireport to watch.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: It is a race against time in Haiti. Some 42 hours after the devastating earthquake, here's what we know.

There are still no confirmed numbers of fatalities, but tens of thousands are feared dead. The prime minister says the number may be hundreds of thousands.

Two search and rescue teams from the United States have arrived in Haiti. A team from Fairfax, Virginia, rescued a security officer from the rubble of the U.N. Mission Headquarters today.

And President Obama just a short time ago promised $100 million in immediate relief. His message to the people of Haiti, you will not be forsaken.

Some of Haiti's injured are actually being treated in Miami right now. The University of Miami sent a team of trauma surgeons and nurses to Haiti immediately after the quake. Reporter Kerry Cod (ph) of Miami affiliate WFOR has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KERRY COD, WFOR REPORTER (voice-over): A helping hand from one country to another. Several of the wounded from Haiti's earthquake arrived at Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport Wednesday night in need of medical care.

Dr. Leo Harris from the university of Miami flew to Haiti on Wednesday afternoon and returned in the evening with an injured child cradled in his arms.

DR. LEO HARRIS, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI: There's a compromise of the infrastructure. It's just devastating. A lot of patients are sick. They need lots of help.

COD: At least seven patients along with three nursing students from the University of Miami touched down around 8:00 p.m. Some were carried off the plane, some walked; most were loaded into ambulances and taken into Ryder Trauma Center.

This man picked up a family member.

(on camera): Can you tell us how your loved ones are?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know.

COD (voice-over): Bones may be broken, there are wounds to heal, but the reunion with a family member or friend can begin to heal that pain. As the ambulances prepared to ferry their precious cargo, this man was happy to be with those he loves.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: It has been more than 40 hours since the massive earthquake hit Haiti. Time, obviously, is of the essence. The global effort to assist this country is underway and our CNN resources are bringing you the sound and the pictures you will never forget.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The moment of destruction, we are hearing more now from survivors talking about what it was like when the earthquake started tearing Haiti apart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a big shake. I mean we actually thought it was something that hit the building. But it turned out it was an earthquake and it was only after the event that we realized that it was an earthquake.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody got scared. I never saw such a thing in my entire life. You know, that was like the end of the world.

When it took place, like everybody was just doing their normal thing and then all of a sudden we heard that noise. I mean myself, first of all, I thought it was like a plane, you know, landing. And then all of a sudden everything was just falling apart. You know, all over the place. People was crying and, you know, the roof, like the ceiling was falling and there was no place to hide.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody was shaking like thinking that we were going to die because the building and the airport was like collapsing with us.

CAREL PEDRE, EARTHQUAKE WITNESS: I was driving. I was stuck in traffic a little bit. I was talking on the phone with some friends who were doing a radio show. And I felt that my car was shaking. What I did, I thought that some other cars hit me. When I look in front of me, I saw a lot of people falling down and I see that the woodwork was shaking. That's when I realized that it was an earthquake.

Every two step, I saw like a house collapse. Every two step, I saw people bleeding. Every two step, I saw young children with big hit in their head. I saw that there was a lot of traffic, everybody were on the street. And I see that someplace I used to go collapsed.

JONATHAN DE LA DURANTAYE, WITNESS: I was driving back home, so I was driving from the north part of the country back into Port-au- Prince when the earthquake struck. And I had to drive through Croix des Bouquets, the town where we live, before I could get home so I was able to see quite a bit of damage firsthand.

Houses had collapsed. Three-story houses just each floor collapsed onto the one below it. I saw fences, block-wall fences that had fallen onto motorcycle. One woman, I could only see her head and the rest of her body was trapped under the fence, under a block wall. She had -- obviously I think she was dead because she had blood coming out of her eyes and nose and ears.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Because of Haiti's extreme poverty and political instability, aid agencies were working in the country well before the earthquake, but they still got hit by the disaster as well. That is complicating logistics and slowing aid. CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour talked with the Salvation Army's director of disaster services in Haiti.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Is there any electricity? Is there any running water? Are the people getting food?

BOB POFF, SALVATION ARMY REPRESENTATIVE IN HAITI (via telephone): No. There's very little water. There's no running water, which is not uncommon, but now, of course, our bottled water supplies are almost gone.

We have some stores of food available but we're rationing them because we're very concerned about when the next shipment of food may arrive.

There's no electricity. We happen to have power inverter here with solar panels, that's how we've had electricity today, but there's no electricity from the government. The infrastructure is down, what infrastructure there was is completely, completely destroyed.

AMANPOUR: Now I don't know whether you've been able to get out and around. We're hearing that most of the damage is concentrated around the capital, around the Port-au-Prince area. Do you know, are you in contact with anybody elsewhere in other parts of the country to know what's happened?

POFF: We have 63 Salvation Army units around Haiti and we've been trying to be in touch with most of them. We understand that the city of Jacmel in the south has been extensively damaged and we have heard from one or two others there might be some minor damage again in the south, Fond de Neg reports some minor damage. But most of the damage, certainly the extensive damage is in and around Port-au- Prince.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Checking our top stories now.

Just minutes from now President Obama is expected to call for a new ten-year tax on the nation's largest banks. The proposed tax is designed to ensure that taxpayers don't lose money from the financial bailout. Live coverage of the president's remarks set for 11:50 a.m. Eastern time.

The United States government is watching what's described as a new credible threat from al Qaeda in Yemen aimed at the U.S. homeland. That's according to two senior officials who say the specifics are unclear.

The people of Haiti needing water, food, shelter and each other. It has been nearly 43 hours and supplies are just arriving.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Former President Bill Clinton says even more people will die in Haiti without a swift and organized aid operation. Clinton serves as the U.N.'s special envoy to Haiti. He is calling on Americans to donate money for food, water and shelter. Clinton says government and aid groups will handle the heavy lifting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM J. CLINTON, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO HAITI & FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: The greatest needs from the point of view of government support are for more search and rescue teams and more medical teams. We just need the help. We've got to go through and -- we need more helicopters because some of the roads are closed. And we need to get the moving equipment, the earth-moving equipment that the Haitians have in play and then some more from the Dominican Republic and elsewhere to clear off the big debris and free up as many roads as possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Let's get you to President Obama now, announcing his plan to recoup billions in expected losses from the TARP program.

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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... banks and financial institutions. Firms took reckless risks in pursuit of short-term profits and soaring bonuses, triggering a financial crisis that nearly pulled the economy into a second great depression.

It was little more than a year ago that we stood on that precipice, and several of the world's largest financial institutions had already failed, credit markets froze and banks refused to lend. Trillions of dollars in household savings evaporated as stocks, pensions and home values plummeted. And we were losing hundreds of thousands of jobs each month.

It was at this time that many large financial firms, those left standing, teetered on the brink of collapse, overwhelmed by the consequences of their irresponsible decisions.

Now, even though these firms were largely facing a crisis of their own making, their failure could have led to an even greater calamity for the country. So the Federal Reserve and other agencies took emergency measures to prevent that outcome, and the previous administration started a program, the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, to provide these financial institutions with funds to survive the turmoil that they had helped unleash. It was a distasteful but necessary thing to do.

Now, we've worked over the last year to manage this program effectively, to hold firms accountable and to recoup as much tax money as possible. Many originally feared that most of the $700 billion in TARP money would be lost.

But because of the management of this program by Secretary Geithner and my economic team, we've now recovered the majority of the funds provided to banks.

As far as I'm concerned, however, that's not good enough. My commitment is to the taxpayer. My commitment is to recover every single dime the American people are owed. And my determination to achieve this goal is only heightened when I see reports of massive profits and obscene bonuses at some of the very firms who owe their continued existence to the American people, folks who have not been made whole and who continue to face real hardship in this recession.

OBAMA: We want our money back! And we're going to get it. And that's why I'm proposing a financial crisis responsibility fee to be imposed on major financial firms until the American people are fully compensated for the extraordinary assistance they provided to Wall Street.

If these companies are in good enough shape to afford massive bonuses, they are surely in good enough shape to afford paying back every penny to taxpayers.

Now, our estimate is that the TARP program will end up costing taxpayers around $117 billion. Obviously, a lot less than the $700 billion that people have feared, but still a lot of money.

The fee will be in place for 10 years, or as long as it takes to raise the full amount necessary to cover all taxpayer losses.

This will not be a cost borne by community banks or small financial firms. Only the largest firms, with more than $50 billion in assets, will be affected. And the size of the fee each bank owes will be based on its size and exposure to debt, so that we are recovering tax dollars while promoting reform of the banking practices that contributed to this crisis.

Now, the fact is, these financial institutions are essential to our economy. They provide capital and credit to families purchasing homes, students attending college, businesses seeking to start-up or expand.

And that's why the rescue program was as necessary as it was unfortunate. And that is why through this fee and broader reforms that we seek, our goal is not to punish Wall Street firms, but rather to prevent the abuse and excess that nearly caused the collapse of many of these firms and the financial system itself.

We cannot go back to business as usual. And when we see reports of firms once again engaging in risk bets to reap quick rewards, when we see a return to compensation practices that seem not to reflect what the country's been through, all that looks like business as usual to me.

The financial industry has even launched a massive lobbying campaign, locking arms with the opposition party to stand in the way of reforms to prevent another crisis. That, too, unfortunately is business as usual. And we're already hearing a hue and cry from Wall Street suggesting that this proposed fee is not only unwelcome, but unfair, that by some twisted logic, it is more appropriate for the American people to bear the costs of the bailout, rather than the industry that benefited from it, even though these executives are out there giving themselves huge bonuses.

What I'd say to these executives is this. Instead of sending a phalanx of lobbyists to fight this proposal, or employing an army of lawyers and accountants to help evade the fee, I'd suggest you might want to consider simply meeting your responsibilities and I'd urge you to cover the costs of the rescue not by sticking it to your shareholders or your customers or fellow citizens with the bill, but by rolling back bonuses for top earners and executives.

And more broadly, I am continuing to call on these firms to put greater effort into helping families stay in their homes, to provide small businesses with needed loans, and to embrace, rather than fight, serious financial reform.

Ultimately, it is by taking responsibility on Wall Street, here in Washington, all the way to Main Street, that we're going to move past this period of turmoil. That's how we're going to avoid the cycles of boom and bust that have caused so much havoc. That's how we're going to promote vibrant markets that reward innovation and entrepreneurship and hard work. That's how we're going to create sustained growth without the looming threat of another costly crisis. That's not only in the best interests of the economy as a whole, it's actually in the interests of these large banks.

So I am going to be working closely with Congress on this proposal. And on behalf of the American people, I look forward to signing it into law.

Thank you very much.

HARRIS: All right, there you have it. The president wants to recoup every single dime the taxpayer is owed for the TARP program. The president said we want our money back. Yes. The president announcing an increase in fees to the nation's largest financial institutions designed to recoup $90 billion in taxpayer dollars over 10 years, more than 60 percent of that money to come from the biggest financial institutions.

We will break down these numbers, the fees, with Susan Lisovicz next.

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HARRIS: OK. As we just heard, President Obama wants to make sure the government get its bailout money back, and it plans to do so by imposing new fees on the nation's biggest banks. But the bank executives have already said, well, they had their say yesterday, testifying on Capitol Hill.

Let's bring in Susan Lisovicz. And, Susan, first things first here, let's talk about what the president just announced moments ago, and then we'll talk about -- in some cases shocking -- sorry, my word, not yours -- testimony on Capitol Hill from some of the big bankers.

The president wants to recoup every single dime the taxpayer is owed. We want our money back. Yes, we do.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And, you know, the interesting thing, Tony, a lot of these financial companies have been paying their money back. In fact, we've recouped more than half of the $700 billion in TARP that was given out to prop up the nation's financial industry.

But I think the timing here is particularly striking, and the president addressed it directly in a quote. You know, there are these big profits. The president called them "obscene bonuses" that are now being distributed to hundreds, if not thousands, of bank employees. And so the president said, quote, "My commitment is to recover every single dime the American people are owed, and my determination to achieve this goal is only heightened when I see reports of massive profits and obscene bonuses at the very firms who owe their continued existence to the American people who have not been able to make themselves whole, who continue to face real hardship in this recession."

So, the timing here is particularly striking, because a lot of this money has been repaid. But I think obviously there's some recognition that, for instance, the automakers are going to have problems repaying taxpayers, AIG, Fannie Mae have, Freddie Mac. And so that is going to be borne by not only some of the biggest beneficiaries of TARP with an additional tax, but some companies who never received TARP money because indirectly they were beneficiaries by the fact that the financial industry was stabilized, Tony.

HARRIS: Well, you know, I guess we don't have time to do it right now, but I wanted to turn the corner and make the pivot to the testimony yesterday on Capitol Hill from the top bankers -- Marty (ph), do we not have time to do this?

LISOVICZ: Well, it was pretty -- it was very theatrical, I'll say that, Tony.

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

Let me get clarity on this. Do we have time to do this or not, Marty? All right, we're going to make a little time here.

Pretty theatrical, as you mentioned. Make this pivot to some of the testimony. And I know this Jamie Dimon is a star on Wall Street, but it was a bit shocking to listen to testimony from him yesterday.

LISOVICZ: That's right. I mean, to quote "The New York Times," Tony, "the four bankers of the apocalypse strolled into the congressional hearing room and formed a crooked line."

It was the first time the commission formed to investigate what caused the financial crisis got an opportunity to grill the executives of the four biggest firms -- Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America. It was reminiscent of the tobacco executives, the shamed baseball players who had earlier squirmed in their chairs.

HARRIS: Yes.

LISOVICZ: And all of the executives said they made mistakes and apologized, but no one accepted blame for the financial crisis. And Jamie Dimon, who you cite specifically, said financial crises are normal.

HARRIS: Hmm. OK. All right.

LISOVICZ: Are we not going to play the sound bite because we don't have time?

HARRIS: I guess we don't have time. But we're going to pull it together.

LISOVICZ: OK.

HARRIS: And we'll talk through it, maybe. All right, OK, I'm going to leave it right there.

LISOVICZ: OK. Well, he -- we have a sound bite that addresses the fact that these are cyclical, Tony, if you will.

It did not sit well with the chairman of the committee who said that -- who compared these masters of the universe, if you will, to used car salesmen. In particular, he said the practice of selling risky securities and then using a firm's own money to place bets against them was like selling a car with faulty brakes and then buying an insurance policy on the buyer of those cars. So, yes.

HARRIS: Storming the Bastille! I say.

All right, Susan, I just don't quite get it. We'll talk about it more next hour. Thank you.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

HARRIS: Turning, again, to our focus, the Haiti earthquake.

In the next few days and weeks, you will hear a lot of organizations asking for help and their efforts in Haiti. If you don't already have a charity you normally give to, just go to CNN.com/impact. "Impact Your World" will be offering a list, I think it's up online right now, of charities and organizations that will use your money to provide relief that you can count on. CNNMoney.com, it's "Impact Your World."

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