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Poor in Haiti Hit Hard by Earthquake; Obama Working with Haiti, Global Leaders to Provide Relief; Families Hope for Word from Haiti
Aired January 15, 2010 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: ... somehow get a message to their loved ones. And the message, it's always simple. It's never a complex message. It's always just "I'm alive. I'm alive and I'm OK."
(voice-over) Families seek shade wherever they can. On the streets, the dead are silently carted by. Aid is arriving. Help is coming.
For Eddie Jasmine (ph), it's already too late. He's 10 years old. His father just died. All he has are these three small pictures. All he wants is to be with his father again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And our coverage continues now. Time for me to hand it off to Kyra Phillips in New York.
KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: T.J., thanks so much.
We're looking at a live shot of the White House right now. Any second for the third straight day, President Obama is due to make comments on Haiti. Today, he finally talked by phone with the country's president, promising long-term U.S. help in rebuilding. This is Mr. Obama's only public event of the day, by the way, and you will see it live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
We are four hours away from the 72-hour mark in Haiti, three full days since the earth shook and a third of Haiti's population apparently killed, hurt, or left without shelter, water, or food. At 72 hours plus, rescues aren't impossible. Lives still can be saved, but saving the survivors takes priority.
Huge amounts of aid are still piling up at the airport in Port- au-Prince, and we're getting word that U.S. troops from the 82nd Airborne have started handing some of it out.
Then there's the USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft carrier complete with 51 hospital beds, three operating rooms, a water processing plant and 19 heavy-lift helicopters. The Vinson arrived this morning. We hope to check in at some point with our CNN reporter -- reporter that is on board.
And by Monday as many as 10,000 U.S. troops are due in country or just offshore, helping not only with aid distribution, but law and order. Hunger, anger, desperation all on the rise as time goes by. But I want you to see a peaceful, spontaneity -- spontaneous, rather, demonstration of need. Just moments ago, we actually saw these earthquake survivors marching and chanting in the devastated capital. Just proving not only how spiritual they are, how they're keeping the faith, and trying to get through what they're dealing with day by day.
Now, hundreds of thousands of survivors of Tuesday's quake, what little they had is now gone. Here's our CNN's Jonathan Mann.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the way things have looked in Port-au-Prince since dinnertime on Tuesday. This is a collapsed building that used to belong to Air France. Rescue workers tried to get into the building to see who might still be inside. They gave up. It was beyond their ability, with the hand tools that they had.
That's why what you're seeing now is so important. This is the first heavy machinery that's coming through Port-au-Prince. We began seeing this probably around 12 hours last night. These are the machines that the people of Port-au-Prince need in the final hours of trying to rescue people who may still be trapped under the rubble.
Of course, in this city of more than a million people, most people are not under rubble. They are facing problems of a different kind. The United Nations now estimates 300,000 people may be homeless in this city.
And have a look at where some of them have come. This is one of the tent cities that have sprung up here in Port-au-Prince. This is hardly unique. This is where many people have come because they've lost their homes, because their homes are damaged. I'm just directing our camera and Jerry Simons here away from an enormous hole. Or because they're simply afraid to go back to homes.
We're just grabbing people anywhere we can. I'm here with Vijan Francois (ph), who's our CNN special projects producer and a native Creole speaker. Can we ask this woman how she's doing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She said the house fell upon her. Her foot, her arm is injured.
MANN: How is her family? Is everyone...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She says she came here after it happened. She said she hasn't gone back home to check. It's close to the church, St. Louis, where her house once was.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language) What do you have with you there in this bag?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is her possessions. She's basically with all the possessions that she has. Somebody gave her this thermos for water. And -- and...
MANN: That's it, the clothes on her back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The clothes on her back and...
MANN: And she...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She says she's chilly. She's cold, obviously. It's warm.
MANN: She's out of doors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's got on layers. And yes.
MANN: We're going to keep on. We're going to wish this poor woman good luck. We've got to give people a sense of how many people like this there are out here.
If you come through, we just saw children, a young child, cleaning herself in this fifth. There's nothing polite to say about this. Sanitary conditions are horrible. People are doing the best to wash themselves, wash their possessions, keep their children clean. But we saw women basically trying their best to protect their modesty, undressing outdoors, simply unable to clean themselves any other way.
And if we keep going through the garbage and through the crowd, this just keeps going on. It keeps going on, basically as far as the eye can see. Around this curve, the smell of urine is in the air. The smell of the dirt that we're walking through. These people have no choice. This is where they're going to stay for the time being and for the foreseeable future.
Jonathan Mann, CNN, Port-au-Prince.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEN GENGEL, DAUGHTER MISSING IN HAITI: She's alive! (UNINTELLIGIBLE) She's alive!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: That's a Massachusetts dad shouting the good news from the rooftops yesterday. His daughter, Britney (ph), survived the Haiti quake. We talked to Len Gengel a couple hours later, just before the flight that rushed him to that reunion with Britney.
Well, we've got an awful turnaround to tell you about. Britney (ph) Gengel and two students with her have actually not been found. Her college blames bad intel out of Haiti.
Countless other families on edge, waiting for word now from loved ones in Haiti. Are they alive? CNN is helping to spread the word about who's lot of and who's found. We'll have more straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Straight to the president of the United States now. He's talking about Haiti.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... Haiti, so that the American people are fully up to date on our efforts there.
This morning I spoke with President Preval of Haiti, who's been in regular contact with our ambassador on the ground. I expressed to President Preval my deepest condolences for the people of Haiti and our strong support for the relief efforts that are under way.
Like so many Haitians, President Preval himself has lost his home, and his government is working under an -- extraordinarily difficult conditions. Many communications are down and remain un -- and many people remain unaccounted for. The scale of devastation is extraordinary, as I think all of us are seeing on television, and the losses are heartbreaking.
I pledged America's continued commitment to the government and the people of Haiti, in the immediate effort to save lives and deliver relief and in the long-term effort to rebuild. President Preval and I agreed that it is absolutely essential that these efforts are well coordinated, among the United States and the government of Haiti, with the United Nations, which continues to play an essential role and with the many international partners and aid organizations that are now on the ground.
Meanwhile, American resources continue to arrive in Haiti. Search-and-rescue efforts continue to work, pulling people out of the rubble. Our team has saved both the lives of American citizens and Haitian citizens, often under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.
This morning the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived, along with helicopters that will be critical in delivering assistance in the days to come. They are preparing to move badly-needed water, food, and other lifesaving supplies to priority areas in Port-au-Prince.
Food, water, and medicine continues to arrive, along with doctors and aid workers. At the airport, help continues to flow in, not just from the United States, but from Brazil, Mexico, Canada, France, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, among others.
This underscores the point that I made to the president this morning. The entire world stands with the government and the people of Haiti, for in Haiti's devastation, we all see the common humanity that we share. And as the international community continues to respond, I do believe that America has a continued responsibility to act.
Our nation has a unique capacity to reach out quickly and broadly and to deliver assistance that can save lives. That responsibility obviously is magnified when the devastation that's been suffered is so near to us. Haitians are our neighbors in the Americas, and for Americans, they are family and friends. It's characteristic of the American people to help others in time of such severe need. That's the spirit that we will need to sustain this effort as it goes forward.
There are going to be many difficult days ahead, so -- so many people are in assistance. The port continues to be closed, and the roads are damaged. Food is scarce, and so is water. It will take time to establish distribution points so that we can ensure that resources are delivered safely and effectively and in an orderly fashion. But I want the people of Haiti to know that we will do what it takes to save lives and to help them get back on their feet.
In this effort, I want to thank our people on the ground, our men and women in uniform who have moved so swiftly; our civilians and embassy staff, many of whom suffered their own losses in this tragedy; and those members of search-and-rescue teams from Florida and California and Virginia, who have left their homes and their families behind to help others. To all of them, I want you to know that you demonstrate the courage and decency of the American people, and we are extraordinarily proud of you.
I also want to thank the American people more broadly. In these tough times, you've shown extraordinary compassion, already donating millions of dollars. I encourage all of you who want to help to do so through WhiteHouse.gov, where you can learn about how to contribute.
And tomorrow I will be meeting with President Clinton and President George W. Bush here at the White House to discuss how to enlist and help the American people in this recovery and rebuilding effort going forward.
I would note that, as I ended my call with President Preval, he said that he has been extremely touched by the friendship and generosity of the American people. It was an emotional moment. And this president, seeing the devastation around him, passed this message to the American people. He said, "From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of the people of Haiti, thank you, thank you, thank you."
So I told the president, we realize that he needs more help, and his country needs more help, much more. And in this difficult hour, we will continue to provide it. Thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: Well, for the third straight day, President Obama making comments on Haiti, and as you heard, in addition to talking about the resources and the aid and what the U.S. is doing to support Haiti, he mentioned the resilience -- the resiliency of the Haitian people.
Take a look at this video that we got in just a short time ago. And just for a moment, listen to these people who are struggling so desperately right now as they walk the streets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So incredible about this is that it was just a couple days ago we were hearing the sirens. We were hearing people screaming. We were hearing the cries for help. And now, in just three days, we are hearing the faithful, a very spiritual community.
And our Ivan Watson is there. He was actually on the street when the Haitian people broke out in song and gathered together.
Ivan, that is just remarkable, when you see what the people are dealing with, and still, they can come together like that and have faith.
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, they never cease to surprise me here, how people are coping with this disaster.
I'd like to introduce you to this family right here. This is (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and his wife. He got injured on the head. Let's show his scalp here. He's got some wounds, as you can see hear, Kyra. And I'm going to ask him where his mother is.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
WATSON: OK. So, he just said that his mother is at the hospital, and what he explained earlier to me, this cute little kid, is that his mother has a pretty serious head injury. And then the grandmother is right here.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
And she's got some very serious injuries on her face, as well.
And this whole family, Kyra, is living right here, in this park, along with thousands of people, since the earthquake, because their homes were destroyed. I mean, they're cooking right here in the square. They're bathing their children in the park. And there is no future domicile for these people. They just have no homes right now, and this is the situation that is playing itself out all across this city.
And when we ask about aid, about help, you have to understand that even the people who are supposed to help this country, the mission of the United Nations with its peacekeepers, they are suffering, too, right now. They are still digging out some 50 to 100 people out of the rubble.
Let's take a look at video of a senior U.S. mission -- diplomat visiting the U.N. headquarters, which collapsed, just a short while ago, during the earthquake. He visited yesterday. They're still trying to fish bodies and survivors, possibly, out of the United Nations headquarters right now. And they have confirmed 36 of their personnel dead so far, with 50 to 100 also missing -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Ivan, you know, you mentioned this family that you just introduced us to and their injuries and that they say mom is in the hospital. We haven't had a chance to get inside any of those hospitals yet. We just know that there's a desperate need for doctors. There are medical teams finally touching down from the U.S. and other parts of the world to help these families.
How -- how -- how is the hospital operating? Do they just take whoever shows up? Do they pry -- prioritize by injury? How is that working? How did their mom get in? And how did they get treated?
WATSON: It's pretty ad hoc right now. We just saw a man come past. He had a cast on his leg, and he was being carried by four men up the street to a church where he was staying with his family, because his house was destroyed.
We visited with the medical clinics in town over the past several days, and they're simply overwhelmed. There's no electricity to run things like oxygen machines for the severely wounded.
I'm going to ask Dominick (ph) -- I don't know if you can hear us -- our cameraman, to pan over to the right, right now. There's a makeshift first aid station that has been set up for some of the people here. It's run by the mayor of Port-au-Prince.
And the people there have told me, Kyra, that they just don't have enough needles, even, to do sutures, to sew people up, and that's just the first aid station.
My colleague, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, he's been to hospitals here. They're also completely overwhelmed. And we have people out here wounded, sleeping in the streets right now. At this medical station right here, the first aid station, which doesn't have enough supplies, there are injured people laying on the sidewalk, waiting for first-aid treatment, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And, if you don't mind, Ivan, just to bring it back to the video that we saw just a moment ago. We had just gotten it in -- gotten it in to CNN, as we were seeing the Haitian people singing and chanting and marching peacefully down the street.
Can you explain to our viewers, even within all this death and destruction, there is a faithful community, a huge faithful community there in Haiti, predominantly Catholic, that is proving, right here, to be a tremendous source of strength for these people?
WATSON: Well, listen, this is a -- the poorest country in the western hemisphere, and people who have been living below the poverty line, when you take everything away from them -- when you smash their houses, when their relatives are left lying dead in the streets, as we saw, for more than two days, when they're injured and there's little hope for the future -- where else do you turn but to spirituality, to religion?
And what we saw here was a remarkable procession of hundreds of people walking down the street, singing, clapping their hands. And it was not just today that we've seen this type of reaction. Every night here in this big square, where you have thousands of people sleeping night after night since the earthquake, we hear late into the night clapping and singing. And that is one thing that people are turning to, to get them through this difficult time.
There are, however, pockets of lawlessness that we have to worry about here. We have heard reports of scattered looting. I've heard about people fighting over food in other parts of town.
So, while some people band together, others may get so desperate, they -- there are criminals out in the streets that we've heard about. The penitentiary broke open during the earthquake. There are criminals, dangerous criminals, out on the streets that have even reportedly attacked some of the few police squads we've seen. Seeing this wonderful moment of dancing and singing and clapping in the streets certainly was a beautiful, beautiful moment in these trying times.
PHILLIPS: Amen. Ivan Watson, great reporting. Thank you so much.
Some of the other stories that we're following.
The Pentagon out with its review of the Ft. Hood shootings, and it could hold some of the suspect's supervisors accountable. That word today from Defense Secretary Robert gates. A source with knowledge of the report says the review found Major Nidal Hasan was promoted, despite his supervisors' concerns about extremist views and odd behavior.
Iran is warning the opposition not to use cell phones or the Internet to organize rallies. The country's police chief says, if they do, they'll be prosecuted and punished. Iran has been wracked by unrest since its disputed presidential election last summer.
Countless other families on edge, waiting for word from loved ones in Haiti. Are they alive? Well, CNN is helping spread the word about who's lost and who's found.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Thousands of people still unaccounted for in the quake zone, their loved ones desperately frying to make contact any way they can. And CNN is trying to help. Our Betty Nguyen is on the -- heading the missing persons desk.
Betty, explain exactly what you're doing today.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, this is a great resource, Kyra, because all you have to do is go to CNN.com/HaitiMissing, and what that will take you to is this page right here, if you're looking for loved ones in Haiti.
And as I scroll down, you'll be able to see, there are some 375 pages full of people who have pictures out here, information. They are just simply looking for a relative or a loved one that they have not heard of since the quake. So, we've got hundreds and hundreds of people who are missing, in fact.
But if you go to this search bar on this same page, and type in a person's name or just type in the word "found," it will take you to another page, which is one of the best parts of this, is our page, of 56 different areas where you can see that people have been found. Fifty-six different pages, like this. A brother, was found, entire family was found. And so this is a great resource for those who are not only looking, but have indeed gotten word that their loved one is alive.
If you will, go to this page and update it so that other relatives around the nation will have that information, as well, because information is trickling in by the minute, by the hour, and it changes all the time.
And since I got here earlier this morning, there were only 33 pages of people who were found. Today there are 56 at this time. So, it is growing, by each and every hour, which is the good news.
Now, we also want to show you what we have gotten into the CNN NEWSROOM. The beauty of this, is that people are making their way to the CNN cameras and the CNN correspondents and just trying to let their relatives know back in the United States that they, indeed, are alive. So, take a look...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Manfred Alexander Ugazan (ph), and your father still have a life, and your cousin, Maljoral (ph), she's gotten cut in the face and the hands, but I still have a life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Alandour Jean-Philippe (ph), and I would like to say to everybody that I am living, all of my friends, those who are in New York. Me and my family, we're all alive.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jeff, your last name is?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Moussa (ph).
TUCHMAN: Jeff (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Jeff Moussa (ph). Your mom and dad's name? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Esmerdine Moussa (ph) and Chamchaud Tier (ph).
TUCHMAN: OK. So if any of you -- if they're watching, of if any of you know them in Miami, your son is alive and well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joining us now is Jean Max Desous (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm alive, thanks to God.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Ian Fanty (ph). I want to send a message to my sister in Berkeley (ph), and I'm here. I'm safe. I want to let everybody know that everything is OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Alex. I want to say -- to send a message for my family. Everything is all right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Emanuel Gutierrez (ph). I just want to let my family in Maryland, Connecticut and my brother, who is in Iraq, that I'm OK. The (UNINTELLIGIBLE) fell down, but I'm safe and well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And we love getting this video in, because communication obviously is very difficult in and out of the country. Cell phones, you know, being able to get a signal that comes in and out. And so as soon as we can get information to loved ones back here in the U.S. that their family members are alive, it's a beautiful thing.
So, again, if you are looking for a lost loved one or if you have information that one of your relatives has been found, all you have to do is go to this site, CNN.com/HaitiMissing -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Betty, thanks so much.
And getting out of Haiti. A lot of Americans in that country trying to return home right now, but the evacuation process is anything but smooth.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Thousands of Americans were in Haiti when the big earthquake hit, and a lot of them are trying to get out right now, but as evacuations get under way, chaos and confusion mount at the Port- au-Prince airport. Here's CNN's Jason Carroll.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are two groups of people here at Port-au-Prince international airport, hundreds of desperate trying to get out, and a grateful few like Danny Abraham's family who managed to escape on military airlifts.
DANNY ABRAHAM, AMERICAN EVACUEE: We lost our house. Thank God nobody was hurt, and we're trying to get them away.
CARROLL: Families with young children and the elderly given priority. Virginia Cary was hurt during the quake.
VIRGINIA CARY, AMERICAN EVACUEE: And I knew I was going to pass out, and I guess I did.
CARROLL: Cary and her husband Lovel are 81 years old. Both from Cleveland, Tennessee. Here for a church conference.
V. CARY: And a wall collapsed on us. The car (INAUDIBLE) one of our men in the front and we were in the backseat.
CARROLL: And so the plan is to get you on one of these planes and get you out of here then, right?
LOVEL CARY, AMERICAN EVACUEE: We hope. We hope. I hope I can find the man who's got our passports.
CARROLL: Some confusion to be expected. Rescue crews saying this is still the early stage of the evacuation.
(on camera): Throughout the day there are a steady stream of planes coming here at the airport. They've got relief supplies. They're coming from all over the world, from Belgium, from Brazil, from Miami, from Spain, from Iceland, just about any place you can imagine.
What happens is as soon as they get those relief supplies off of the planes, then you've got evacuees who are sitting here at the airport anxiously awaiting to get on those flights.
When you have so many different countries trying to do what they can to help, how do you coordinate that?
LT. GEN. P.K. KEEN: It is a very difficult challenge and here is no difference.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get separation. Get them on. I know it seems stupid.
CARROLL (voice-over): Outside the airport, a crowd of those still trying to get out continues to grow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nothing works. So I wait.
CARROLL: So you wait.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I don't know how long it's going to be, but I'm going to wait.
CARROLL: Many here just as frustrated as the U.S. State Department representative who is trying to control the crowd.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to have a security problem here if these people don't get in order.
CARROLL (on camera): Can you just tell us what information would you like to get out there, because people at the airports... UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, because the situation is fluid, OK? What we have is these people are already here. We've got to try to deliver service to them.
CARROLL (voice-over): Many say they would rather stay here and take their chances instead of going back to the city where help still seems very far away.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Once again, that was CNN's Jason Carroll, in Port-au- Prince, Haiti.
He escaped all this when so many others did not. An Oklahoma man home from Haiti. How he got out of the country? Absolutely incredible. I'll ask him about it next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: We could see the buildings going down and the dust rising up. An Oklahoma man watched Port-au-Prince crumble Tuesday, making it out of the city and the country on luck alone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (off camera): How does it feel to be back home?
HUMPHREYS MUNAI, SURVIVOR OF HAITI EARTHQUAKE: Awesome, nice to be home. It is -- what a scene to see. I shouldn't be standing here today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, we're thrilled to have Humphreys Munai here today. He joins us actually on the line from Oklahoma City. Humphreys, we watched that video come in. We've heard about the homecoming. Tell me your story.
How did you get out? You are one of the miraculous stories of someone who was able to get out of there.
MUNAI (via telephone): Yes. The way I was able to get out was I talked to CNN reporters who had arrived at Port-au-Prince airport when we were trying to get out. And they told me basically your best option might be to see if you can go to Dominican Republic and fly out of Santo Domingo.
We talked to a local driver in Haiti. His name is Freddy, and he said he can drive us to the border, and then from the border, we'll have to hire a taxi to get us over to Santo Domingo. And that is how we made the move, and we drove to the border, across the border, into...
PHILLIPS: Did we lose Humphreys?
MUNAI: I'm here. After clearing customs -- hello?
PHILLIPS: Are you still there? We had lost you for a moment, Humphreys. So, you got your way into a taxi and made your way to Santiago?
MUNAI: To Santo Domingo.
PHILLIPS: Oh, Santo Domingo.
MUNAI: To the border of Santo Domingo to the airport, so we are able to fly out.
PHILLIPS: And so once you were able to fly out, tell me what led up to that point. Where were you in Haiti when the earthquake happened? And how did you even make yourself to the point of talking with our CNN folks?
MUNAI: When the earthquake happened, I was at CDT, which is a medical facility. I was feeling dizzy, and I decided let me get checked. And they were basically checking and making sure everything is okay with me.
When I was about to be discharged, that is when the earthquake occurred. Lucky for me and my colleague from Guatemala, Conrad Vergas (ph), the building there is built to withstand such a shock. So, even though it was moving, it did not break.
So, after everything settled down and we made it back to our world neighbors' office, which was still standing, but there was a building leaning against it. So, we decided to basically sleep on the road in front of the office, because that's where basically everybody was sitting down to pass the night.
The next day morning, we walked to our hotel. But we found out that the hotel was no more. Hotel Montana was already gone. So, we went back to the office and decided it's time to go to the airport to see if we could get out of the country, because we knew food was going to be an issue. And as the longer we took, the more harder it will become, so we were thinking we might be among the first people out.
When we got to the airport, we were told, no, the airport is closed. There are no planes going out. The terminal is closed or damaged. So, then we sat out there and started talking to people. When CNN folks arrived we basically -- I thought the best thing was to at least just give them my business card, for them just to mention my name and my colleague's name, that we're alive. That's all we needed.
But they were generous enough to do an interview with me live there, and including CNN Radio, and during conversations with them and letting them know what's happening inside of Port-au-Prince, where we've come from, where the houses are -- basically people are buried under their houses, they told me, you might want to try and see if you can get to Santo Domingo and fly from there, because they did not experience an earthquake on that end.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's just remarkable that you got out of there and you got home. I can't even imagine what it was like to touch down in Oklahoma. We saw the tears. You are one of the lucky stories, Humphreys Munai, thank you so much for sharing that with me.
And just the opposite, though, of what you heard from Humphreys, of course, the thousands, hundreds of thousands -- we still haven't been able to put a number on those that have died in this horrific earthquake.
And one of the things that we've been talking about, how do you deal with the dead? We've heard from our correspondents talking about the dead bodies lined up on the street. You see here coffins carrying sometimes more than one body within, trying to respectfully deal with the dead.
We know we've talked with Health and Human Services. They've got mortuary units on the way there to Haiti to try and deal with the dead bodies and prevent infectious disease.
And then we heard just a short time ago now, apparently, our correspondents are starting to see mass graves. Our Anderson Cooper on the line with us now, just outside Port-au-Prince. Anderson, I know you've been working your way all around the area, and you have unfortunately come across one of these mass graves, I understand.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Yes. You know, Kyra, we've been following rumors all day that they were burning bodies, and that kind of rumor's been sweeping around Port-au-Prince. We went out to try to figure out what is actually happening with the bodies.
At the cemetery yesterday, we saw a number of bodies being tossed into crypts above-ground tombs they use here. Just now, we discovered what is the first mass grave that we have seen. It's on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, not in the city itself, and it is -- I mean, it is a gruesome sight as you can imagine.
I'm here right now. The stench is overwhelming. There are dozens of bodies that have literally just been dumped here, by dump trucks. And there's a bulldozer that's idle right now. There's not an operator for it. There's actually no one around.
My team is the only one here, but there are several open pits, which are about half filled. We can see approximately, probably about 100 or so people's bodies that have been left out here in the open. There are a number of pits which have clearly already been covered over, so I'm estimating that there are several hundred people at this one mass grave site. I don't know if there are others. All I know is what I've seen with my own eyes.
But it is a sight that is truly horrific. There's -- the people are -- there's no system. You know, in Sri Lanka, we see have seen mass graves before in Sri Lanka in the wake of the tsunami. That's how many of the victims there were buried. But at least there was a system in place -- time had passed, there was a system for photographing the dead. So, even there was a small possibility that someone's loved one could identify the body even though they were often unrecognizable.
There's no system like that in place here. Literally, these people are being collected off the streets, dumped into a dump truck, and then brought out here and dumped into these pits. Some of them aren't even in the pits. They are literally dumped, and then a bulldozer will come and literally dump them into the pits.
And then they're left -- at first you don't know you're looking at bodies. It looks like a pile of refuse. Because there's doors, there's pieces of wood. There's white cloth. Right now, I am looking at a refrigerator. And you're wondering, for goodness' sake, why is there a refrigerator here? Someone was put into the refrigerator and carried into an old unused refrigerator.
So, the bodies are mixed with refuse and they're just being dumped into the pits. There's a public health need to get the body -- and an emotional and psychological need to get the bodies off the streets. It's a quite somber sight, a sobering sight to see what is happening.
We talked about getting dignity in death. There is no dignity in death right now in Port-au-Prince.
PHILLPS: And not only respectfully dealing with the dead, you brought up one of the main concerns. You and Sanjay were actually talking about this, Anderson, that once these bodies are buried, that folks are never going to know who they are. And that has been the biggest struggle for people, not only in Haiti, but all around the world, wondering will they ever know what happened to their loved ones.
But you also bring out the point that there's a huge concern about infectious disease and -- and getting sick by -- by these rotting bodies on the streets.
And then you bring up another point. Psychologically, you're right, when people are trying to move on and they're trying to stay positive and they're trying to remain faithful -- I mean, what two different scenes we've seen today. About an hour ago, we saw parades of people chanting, singing spiritual chants, trying to be positive, show their resiliency. And now, here you are, looking at -- at mass graves.
COOPER: Yes. It's, you know, it is -- I don't want to sound too critical, because look, this is the reality of a large-scale disaster. I mean, mass graves is often what we have seen before.
But it is, for family members, it is a horrific thought for loved ones all around the world who are wondering, you know, are their relatives alive, will they be able to find them? These people are just going to disappear. They will vanish, and no one will know where their remains lie. No one will know exactly what happened to them. And that's just -- that's just one of the many horrors of -- of what is happening here.
PHILLIPS: Our Anderson cooper. Appreciate you calling in, Anderson, thanks.
COOPER: Certainly.
PHILLIPS: American doctors are trying to save lives in Haiti, and they now have an idea what it was like to be a surgeon 150 years ago.
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PHILLIPS: All right. Let's get to our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen. She's actually with the team of American doctors in Port-au-Prince. Doctors who have had to make do under some pretty tough situations.
How are you, Elizabeth? I haven't had a chance to talk to you yet since you touched down on the ground and what the doctors are up to, and what the scene is like.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, I'm at a makeshift hospital on the grounds of the United Nations compound, which is right outside the airport. About 250 patients have been through here, and they are receiving the most rudimentary care. I think that doctors think that rudimentary may be too nice of a word.
There's not a whole lot they can do for the patients, but they can try to clean up their wounds a little, try to set their splints, their fractures, sometimes with a cardboard box. I just gave someone a granola box, actually -- the box that you use for granola bars is now being used to splint somebody.
Now, you can see behind me, there is a tour of doctors who just came in from the University of Miami, new doctors to help out. The issue here is that there are not enough doctors. The issue is that there is not an operating room to truly help these people.
As a matter of fact, just a couple of hours, I witnessed an amputation that was done by the side of the road. A woman got her foot amputated with no general anesthesia. She was awake and had local anesthesia and some sedation. But I'll tell you, Kyra, it is horrifying to watch a woman lose her foot on the side of the road while she is watching. Kyra.
PHILLIPS: What is the doctors' worst fears for these patients?
COHEN: Their worst fear is that the wounds are going to turn into huge infections, a blood-borne infection called septicemia. Because once a infection goes from the wound into the blood, it can shut down all of the organs quickly.
Septicemia sets in six days after a wound occurs, and we are not at six days post-hurricane (sic) yet, but they are afraid that we are experiencing the calm before the storm. Most of the patients are doing okay, but they are really afraid that since they have gashing wounds that a couple of days from now, we are going to see that mortality rate climb.
PHILLIPS: Wow. Elizabeth Cohen, we will continue to stay in touch with you. Appreciate it.
Next hour, we will talk to someone who is working with the doctors in Haiti. No comforts, no high-tech equipment. We're talking about very basic life saving.
And a hard road in Haiti for one CNN crew. We've got the Backstory on their risky run for the border.
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PHILLIPS: One year ago today, remember what happened? Do the words "We are going to be in the Hudson" ring a bell? We will revisit one of 2009's greatest hits next hour.
Also, the former American president, now the current champion for Haiti. Bill Clinton talks with CNN about his heartbreak and his hope for that desperate country.
Getting out of Haiti is hard hit right now, but getting in may be even harder. As CNN deploys more resources to the quake zone, our crews are running into some major roadblocks. Michael Holmes here with the Backstory of a dangerous detour. Michael?
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good to see you, Kyra.
This whole earthquake story broke during "BACKSTORY" on CNN International, and then I went on to do a bunch of live shots that night. And I was standing over at the international desk area watching as our team mobilized our crews. Dozens of people down there now. I think more than 40. Watching that is incredible.
One of the people who went is someone who knows Haiti very well. And that is our own Karl Penhaul. He and Terrence Burke from New York have met up -- Karl came from Colombia and Terrence from New York. And they met up with Dave ruse from Atlanta and made their journey through the Dominican Tepublic to get to Haiti to cover the story.
It is one of the situations where, of course, while our thoughts are with those suffering the enormous tragedy, -- it is a little look at how we the media have to try to get into places that are pretty hard to get into. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I got into the DR, into Santo Domingo and (INAUDIBLE) maddening, given that I should have been here last night and by now inside of Haiti, but the airline that we were coming on that we didn't make -- didn't make the connection, so I had to stay overnight. So -- that is no great experience, because you are ready to get out to the job. And then you kind of develop a nervous twitch, because you are not there. But hopefully now this afternoon, things will fall into place, and I will get in there to join the rest of the crew.
Okay. So, I am getting happen year here, because I went from one airport in Santo Domingo to another airport, which is where there is a CNN logistical producer, Terrence, who has been sorting out to planes and helicopters and that kind of stuff. And I just got a phone call from him, and now he says that the airport in Port-au-Prince has been closed to all but aid flights.
Now, you can understand that, because the Port-au-Prince airport is a single-strip runway. But that is not going to help us. It is frustrating as hell to think that I will have to overnight here as well. So, the other option may be to drive to the border. That is not the problem, but to drive to the border Port-au-Prince from the border on the other side. None of us really know what the security situation is like, so it is a bit of a toss-up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, we have a lot of gear coming n and we need to get it from across town to here on a plane and get it onto another plane to get it into Haiti to do more broadcasting.
PENHAUL: Right. But that is not the big problem. What is the big problem right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The big problem from what we understand is that the air space in Haiti is closed for everything except for aid flights. So this airport that you can see here, around us here, filled with aid workers and journalists who cannot get in from here, because they are flying charter flights. Charter flights are not being allowed into Haiti right now, and so we are stuck. We can't go anywhere right now.
There are so many more people here at this airport than yesterday. I mean, at least three or four more times here today than yesterday.
What is this?
PENHAUL: Yes, come back. You move off and I will.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To be perfectly honest, I have barely spoken to anybody in Haiti, because communications are impossible, so it is kind of like a triangulated thing where I am talking to the International Desk in Atlanta, and the International Desk in Atlanta talks directly to Haiti by sat phones, and we communicate amongst each other about the needs.
The fuel supply is short in Haiti, and to be able to run a generator to be able to broadcast, you need fuel, and you cannot fly fuel. You are not allowed to. It is against the aviation restrictions there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The confusing thing is that so many aid agencies there, and you think, hey, it is just a phone call and everything will be here.
And based on the past events, that is not how it works. Everything kind of lurches along, and everybody has great intentions, but coordination seems to break down, and then the timing of everything is just so slow. So, what the Haitians are living one meal to the next and have to wait two to three days for food, and then as soon as they come to start -- and you know, if you were to walk in Port-au-Prince now with a box of water like that, you would have a riot on your hands. And I'm not saying that lightly; I'm saying that based on the past experience. You run around there with a glass of water, boom, and you have a riot on your hands. Men and women and children -- everybody get involved -- so I don't know, it is a lurch from one mess to another, I guess.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: According to what Santo Domingo is telling us, the air space is completely shut. They are trying to decongest the air space, because right now, it is too dangerous and it's like an accident waiting to happen.
There is no radar control, and we are on our own separation looking out for other aircraft. Probably about 16 to 18 aircraft holding just to -- waiting in line just to land.
PENHAUL: And they're just cutting in front of one another?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, the aircraft started to cut in the front.
PENHAUL: That sound like a pretty dangerous situation, isn't it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, thank God, we have a collision avoidance system, but -- it was too much work. We had to pretty much force the landing. We had to tell them, ok, wheels down. We are on final, that it is. It was -- I don't know. It was a lot of work. Too many airplanes.
PENHAUL: What is your advice, don't go by road?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't go by road, no.
PENHAUL: What about in normal time when it is regular and no earthquake, dangerous to go in certain places? bandits?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, especially the foreigners.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Yes, especially foreigners. And guess what they did, Kyra? They did go by road. They hooked up with a convoy heading down there; they have made it to Port-au-Prince and it is one of the A- teams. You have Terrence Kiel and Dave Rusk and if I know them, they will go somewhere where nobody else is, and they will be filing for us from there. Amazing stuff.
PHILLIPS: We know that Karl Penhaul brings us the amazing stories. You're right.
Michael Holmes, appreciate it so much. Great "BACKSTORY." If you want to see more from Michael and the team, just check out CNN.com/backstory. You'll find more right there on the page.
