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Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund Established; Help from "Little Haiti"; Faces of the Missing

Aired January 16, 2010 - 11:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again from the CNN World Headquarter in Atlanta, Georgia. Thank you for being here on this January 16th. I'm T.J. Holmes.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Good morning, everybody. We appreciate you watching.

It's 11:00 AM here in the East, 8:00 AM out on the West Coast.

HOLMES: Well, in Haiti this morning, it is just desperate, desperate right now, the situation, as humanitarian crisis there continues to widen by the hour. We want to get to what we know right now, some four days now after that quake.

NGUYEN: Yes, scores of Haitians are still missing or unaccounted for, and there is still no official death toll. But, estimates offered by Haitian government officials range in the thousands, upwards to 100,000. There are widespread reports of bodies strewn throughout the capital of Port-au-Prince and beyond, and our own Anderson Cooper reporting his discovery of a mass grave with hundreds of bodies.

Well, as quake survivors plead for help, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in route to Haiti with a contingent of humanitarian relief workers, but much more help is needed and it's needed quickly.

HOLMES: Well, meanwhile, President Obama welcoming his two predecessors back to the Oval Office this morning for the sake of helping Haiti's earthquake victims. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are meeting with President Obama right now, President Obama enlisting both their help.

And as we see them coming out right now. Here are the -- the three most recent presidents coming out to the podium right now, talking about the relief efforts in Haiti.

Let's now listen to President Obama.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good morning, everybody.

In times of great challenge in our country and around the world, Americans have always come together to lend a hand and to serve others and to do what's right. That's what the American people have been doing in recent days with their extraordinary generosity and contributions to the Haitian people.

At this moment, we're moving forward with one of the largest relief efforts in our history, to save lives and to deliver relief that averts an even larger catastrophe.

The two leaders with me today will ensure that this is matched by a historic effort that extends beyond our government, because America has no greater resource than the strength and the compassion of the American people. We just met in the Oval Office, an office they both know well, and I'm pleased that President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton have agreed to lead a major fund-raising effort for relief -- the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund. On behalf of the American people, I want to thank both of you for returning to service and leading this urgent mission.

This is a model that works. After the terrible tsunami in Asia, President Bush turned to President Clinton and the first President Bush to lead a similar fund. That effort raised substantial resources for the victims of that disaster, money that helped save lives, deliver aid, and rebuild communities, and that's exactly what the people of Haiti desperately need right now.

Every day that goes by, and we learn more about the horrifying scope of this catastrophe, destruction and suffering that defies comprehension. Entire communities buried under mountains of concrete, families sleeping in the streets, injured, desperate for care, many thousands feared dead. That's why thousands of American personnel, civilian and military, are on the scene working to distribute clean drinking water and food and medicine, and thousands of tons of emergency food supplies are arriving every day.

It will be difficult. It is an enormous challenge to distribute this aid quickly and safely in a place that has suffered such destruction. That's what we're focused on now, working closely with our partners, the Haitian government, the United Nations, and many organizations and nations, friends from Argentina and France, from the Dominican Republic and Brazil and countries all around the world. And Secretary Hillary Clinton will be in Haiti today to meet with President Preval and continue our close coordination with his government.

But we also know that our longer-term effort will not be measured in days and weeks. It'll be measured in months and even years. And that's why it's so important to enlist and sustain the support of the American people. That's why it's so important to have a point of coordination for all the support that extends beyond our government.

Here at home, Presidents Bush and Clinton will help the American people to do their part, because responding to a disaster must be the work of all of us. Indeed, those wrenching scenes of devastation remind us not only of our common humanity, but also of our common responsibilities. This time of suffering can and must be a time of compassion.

As the scope of the destruction became apparent, I spoke to each of these gentlemen, and they each asked the same simple question -- how can I help? In the days ahead, they'll be asking everyone what they can do, individuals, corporations, NGOs and institutions, and I urge everyone who wants to help to visit www.clintonbushhaitifund.org.

We're fortunate to have the service of these two leaders. President Bush led America's response to the Asian tsunami, aid and relief that prevented even greater loss of life in the months after that disaster, and his administration's efforts to fight against HIV- AIDS in Africa treated more than 10 million men, women, and children.

As president, Bill Clinton helped restore democracy in Haiti. As a private citizen, he has helped to save the lives of millions of people around the world. And as the United Nations' special envoy to Haiti, he understands intimately the daily struggles and needs of the Haitian people.

And by coming together in this way, these two leaders send an unmistakable message to the people of Haiti and to the people of the world. In these difficult hours, America stands united. We stand united with the people of Haiti, who have shown such incredible resilience, and we will help them to recover and to rebuild.

You know, yesterday we witnessed a small but remarkable display of that determination. Some of you may have seen it, Haitians with little more than the clothes on their back marched peacefully through a ruined neighborhood, and despite all their loss and all their suffering they sang songs of faith and songs of hope. These are the people we're called upon to help. Those are the hopes that we're committed to answering. That's why the three of us are standing together today.

And, with that, I would invite each president to say a few words. I'm going to start with President Bush.

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you, sir.

I join President Obama in expressing my sympathy for the people of Haiti.

I commend the President for his swift and timely response to the disaster. I am so pleased to answer the call to work alongside President Clinton to mobilize the compassion of the American people.

Like most Americans, Laura and I had been following the television coverage from Haiti. Our hearts are broken when we see -- see the scenes of little children struggling without a mom or a dad or the bodies in the streets or the physical damage of the -- of the earthquake.

The challenges down there are immense, but there's a lot of devoted people leading the relief effort, from government personnel who deployed into the disaster zone to the faith-based groups that have made Haiti a calling.

The most effective way for Americans to help the people of Haiti is to contribute money. That money will go to organizations on the ground who and will be -- who will be able to effectively spend it. I know a lot of people want to send blankets or water. Just send your cash. One of the things that the President and I will do is to make sure your money is spent wisely. As President Obama said, you can -- you can look us up on clintonbushhaitifund.org.

The Haitian people have got a tough journey, yet it's amazing how terrible tragedies can bring out the best of the human spirit. We've all seen that first hand when American citizens responded to the tsunami or to Katrina or the earthquake in Pakistan. And President Clinton and I are going to work to tap that same spirit of giving to help our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean.

Toward the end of my presidency, Laura made a trip down to Haiti to -- to look at the emergency plan for aids relief programs down there. I remember clearly her coming back and telling me about the energy and optimism of the people of Haiti. There's just an unbelievable spirit amongst the Haitian people, and while that earthquake destroyed a lot, it didn't destroy their spirit.

So the people of Haiti will recover and rebuild, and, as they do, they know they'll have a friend in the United States of America.

Mr. President, thank you for giving me the chance to -- to serve.

OBAMA: Thank you. I appreciate it.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thanks.

First, I want to thank President Obama for asking President Bush and me to do this, and for what I believe has been a -- a truly extraordinary response on the part of the American government.

Because I've been working down there for nearly a year as the UN special envoy, I've been in constant touch with our people through the UN on the ground and, you know, we lost a lot of our -- our people there, the largest loss of life in the history of the United Nations on a single day.

The United States has been there from the beginning. It -- the military has been great. The response by the State Department AID has been great. I -- I just can't say enough about it, and -- and the people in Haiti know it, and I'm grateful.

Secondly, I'd like to thank President Bush for agreeing to do this and for the concern he showed for Haiti. You know, before this happened, my foundation worked with the (INAUDIBLE) people on the AIDS problem in Haiti, and I saw how good they were and what they did and how many lives they saved.

Finally, let me say that -- I don't have to read the website, because they did, but I want to say something about this. Right now, all we need to do is get food and medicine and water and a secure place for them to be. But when we start the rebuilding effort, we want to do what I did with the President's father in the tsunami. We want to be a place where people can know their money will be well spent, where we will ensure the ongoing integrity of the process. And we want to stay with this over the long run.

My job with the UN basically is not at all in conflict with this because I'm sort of the outside guy. My job is to work with the donor nations, the international agencies, the business people around the world to try to get them to invest there, the non-governmental organizations, the Haitian (INAUDIBLE) community.

I believe, before this earthquake, Haiti had the best chance in my lifetime to escape its history, a history that Hillary and I have shared a tiny part of. I still believe that. The Haitians want to just amend their development plan to take account of what's happened in Port-au-Prince and the West, figure out what they've got to do about that and then go back to implementing it. But it's going to take a lot of help and a long time.

So I -- I'm just grateful that President Bush wants to help, and I've already figured out how I can get him to do some things that he didn't sign on for.

Again, I have no words to say what I feel. We need -- I was in those hotels that collapsed. I had meals with people who are dead. The cathedral church that Hillary and I sat in 34 years ago is a total rubble.

But what these men have said is true. It is still one of the most remarkable, unique places I have ever been, and they can escape their history and build a better future if we do our part.

And, President Obama, thank you for giving us a chance to do a little of that.

OBAMA: Thank you both.

CLINTON: Thank you.

OBAMA: Well, these gentlemen are going to do an extraordinary job, but, really, what they're going to be doing is just tapping into the incredible generosity, the ingenuity, the can-do spirit of the American people in helping our neighbors in need.

So I want to thank each of them, not only for being here today, but what I know is going to be an extraordinary effort. I want to make sure that everybody got that website one more time. Obviously, we're just standing it up, but it will immediately give people a means to contact our offices. www.clintonbushhaitifund.org.

And I just want to amplify one thing that was said. We were talking in the back. In any extraordinary catastrophe like this, the first several weeks are just going to involve getting immediate relief on the ground, and there are going to be some tough days over the next several days. People are still trying to figure out how to organize themselves. There's going to be fear, anxiety, a sense of desperation in some cases.

I've been in contact with President Preval. I've been talking to the folks on the ground. We are going to be making slow and steady progress, and the -- the key now is to -- for everybody in Haiti to understand that there is going to be sustained help on the way.

But what these gentlemen are going to be able to do is when the news media starts seeing its attention drift to other things, but there's still enormous needs on the ground. These two gentlemen of extraordinary stature, I think, are going to be able to help ensure that these efforts are sustained. And that's why it's so important, and that's why I'm so grateful that they agreed to do it.

Thank you, gentlemen.

CLINTON: Thank you.

BUSH: Thanks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will any of you travel to Haiti soon?

HOLMES: We just heard a reporter trying to get a question in there, asking if any of them would be going to Haiti. No response from the three gentlemen.

But an extraordinary picture to see these three men, the last three to hold the office of President of the United States now walking back in to the Oval Office there at the White House, but President Obama saying there that the next few days -- letting people know that the next few days are going to be tough days. But he has tapped the two former presidents now to start what they call an area where people can know their money is safe.

So many people out there wanting to give, want to find a way. There are so many charities out there, and unfortunately there are some scams. So they are giving a place where everybody can send money and know that their money is being used wisely. Let's put it up for you again. That is the clintonbushhaitifund.org. The clintonbushhaitifund.org. The clintonbushhaitifund.org. That's where you can start giving money, and, as President Bush said.

President Bush, meanwhile, by the way, is somebody we haven't seen a whole lot since he left office. He has been keeping a fairly low profile, but he has come out in a major way, at least on this effort, him saying that the best way that you can give right now is to give money. No blankets. Don't try to send equipment. Don't try to send things down. The best way you can help out right now is send money, and the cash is what they need. They're giving people a safe place, that they know their money is going to spent wisely.

NGUYEN: Because so many people want to do something, they just don't know what or how. And when you see these lists of organizations...

HOLMES: So many.

NGUYEN: ... many people wonder, well, how much is getting on the ground and how long before it gets on the ground to help the people in need?

So we are finding a place where two former presidents are coming together to help the people in Haiti. And as President Obama said at the beginning of this, this is the largest relief effort in our history. So getting a new way to provide for those in need down in Haiti today.

HOLMES: And the UN -- a lot of people don't really keep in mind that President Clinton, certainly a lot of experience, long history there in Haiti, and he was named by the United Nations as special envoy to Haiti. He had been continuing some work for quite some time, at least -- least a year plus, trying to get -- actually just build up that country in such a way that they could be more stable than they are. This is going to set back all those efforts by no doubt years and years and years.

But still, just talking about saving people and just rebuilding those -- those same buildings in the same place. But changing the thinking, changing the infrastructure and changing the way of life there in Haiti so that if something like this happened again, you could be able to sustain yourself a little better.

NGUYEN: Right. And keep in mind, Clinton has some experience at this because he -- he joined up with Bush Sr. after the tsunami disaster, also after Hurricane Katrina, to gather the funds from Americans to help those in need. So this is really just another example of two presidents coming together to help those in a disaster situation.

You're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Of course we're going to continue following the situation in Haiti with live reports. Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Checking our top stories today, Democrats are in a mad dash to wrap up work on health care reform this weekend, but their 60- vote majority may be in jeopardy. The president and Democratic leaders are trying to help salvage Massachusetts's Senate seat for the Democrats.

HOLMES: Democrat Martha Coakley's campaign to take over the late Ted Kennedy's Senate seat could get a boost from President Obama. He's expected to make a last-minute campaign trip for her tomorrow.

Coakley's locked in a very close -- a surprisingly close race with Republican Scott Brown in Tuesday's special election. The tightness of that race caught many Democrats off guard.

NGUYEN: Well, President Obama has some new thoughts about how to pay the bill for the government's bailout plan. In his weekly address, he outlined a proposal to tax banks. His reasoning is simple -- if banks can afford to give their executives millions of dollars in bonuses, then they can pay back taxpayers.

We'll get another check of our top stories in 20 minutes.

HOLMES: Well, South Florida has a huge Haitian population, and many people there are still waiting for word on relatives and friends who are back home.

NGUYEN: And they're doing what they can to help.

Our Ed Lavandera is at a fire station in Miami where relief supplies are being collected there. Hey, Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Betty.

It's been a busy morning here in what's called the Little Haiti neighborhood of Miami. We're just across from the Notre Dame d'Haiti Catholic Church. Vice President Joe Biden just wrapped up a meeting there. His motorcade just pulled out of there.

We're at this fire station that you talked about. You can see here the scene that we've been seeing throughout the city, where people have been dropping off water. All of this was stacked about halfway up to the ceiling with water. Now they're loading it up into the trucks and taking it away as well.

There has been a huge amount of clothes that have been donated as well, and as well as canned goods, and that's all being taken to another place. And throughout this incredibly large neighborhood of Little Haiti here in -- in Miami, people have been coming by and donating these kinds of supplies, which are desperately needed in -- in Haiti as well. So this -- they will begin the process of making sure this gets to the right hands.

So we're seeing this play out everywhere throughout this area of Miami. As you mentioned, a huge population of Haitians, the largest population of -- of Haitians outside -- in the United States lives in this area of -- of Miami. So everywhere you walked around this neighborhood, Betty, you hear these stories of great concern, people worried about loved ones, still trying to get in touch with loved ones that -- that are in Haiti.

So, obviously, this is something that is still heavy on the hearts and minds of the people of this community -- Betty.

HOLMES: And, Ed, Haitians living there, Haitians all over this country are going to be helped out in getting some relief essentially by something that the Obama administration did yesterday.

LAVANDERA: Right. It's called a temporary protective status. This is an immigration status that will essentially help some 30,000 Haitian nationals that live here in the US and were supposed to be leaving the country, but the Obama administration has granted them what -- what is called temporary protective status which allows them for the next 18 months to work legally here in the US.

And the administration says they're doing this for a couple of reasons, the first being what they don't want is 30,000 Haitian immigrants returning to a very difficult situation right now, but also there is concern that Haitian immigrants -- Haitians in Haiti might take to the waters to come here, so that they're hoping that if people could stay here and work legally, they'll be able to send money back home and keep that exodus of people from leaving the island. That is something that they -- they haven't seen any signs of yet, but there's -- something they're definitely aware of and -- and want to prepare for.

HOLMES: All right. Our Ed Lavandera for us, again, in Little Haiti. We appreciate you this morning. Thanks so much.

And a lot of people out there, you certainly can help with the Haiti relief effort out there.

NGUYEN: Yes. All you have to do is log on to our website at cnn.com/impactyourworld. There, you'll find a list of agencies providing emergency relief and you'll also see a "Find Your Loved Ones" module with the State Department's toll-free number and a link to the iReport page, which is "Looking for Loved Ones". There's a photo gallery there where you can look through hundreds and thousands of people that have been posted so far and hopefully find someone that you may know.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, thousands of people are still unaccounted for in Haiti, and many of their friends, relatives, they are simply desperate for any information that is turning up by any means, including the internet.

HOLMES: Yes. They're posting pictures and pleas, anything out there that might help. Josh Levs here with more on the searches. Good morning to you again, Josh.

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

And this is a huge part of what's going on in this story all over the world, so many people worried about their loved ones, about their contacts inside Haiti. And one thing they're doing is they're using CNN iReport.com.

We have some video -- some of the photos that iReport has gotten, just some of the latest. And you'll see some close-ups there of people, submitting photos of their brothers, their sisters, their aunts, uncle, grandparents, their contacts, saying I'm desperately looking for this person, where they were last, what names they answer to, what areas they like to hang out in, who their friends were, what their jobs were, any identifying information. People clamoring, really, to find out anything at all about these people who could be trapped under rubble.

Now, I want you to see, on our screen here behind me, how incredibly many we have, currently. This is the page at CNN iReport, where you're looking for loved ones in Haiti. We are now -- we have 448 screens of 12 each, so that's about 5,400 photos that have been submitted here to CNN iReport from people.

And a little bit of hope over here. We have a page that shows how many have been announced found on iReport.com. Here we have 56 screens of -- we have about 500 -- 500 people that have been named found. So that's something. And there has been some hope for people.

Let me show you one example, someone who was found here. This is a little seven year old girl, Prisca Dorce. Earlier today here in the NEWSROOM, I spoke with her adult brother and sister who have some advice for other Haitian Americans looking for loved ones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JODINE DORCE, FIND FATHER AND SISTER IN HAITI: Use every resource possible. Get on CNN iReport; make sure those pictures are out there. I had a friend of mine who works for a company here and sent the information to the field office, and the field office got in contact with my father, as well.

LEVS: Yes.

DORCE: Yesterday. So, every resource.

LEVS: Get the word out. Networking. And more people say, hey, I saw that on iReport, I saw that on Facebook, they tell someone else and maybe someone sees them.

DORCE: Exactly. Exactly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: There you go. That's a little bit of the exchange there. And also that we're doing something on the ground inside Haiti. When we interviewed people, we're also getting information from them about who they are in case their family, their friends are out there looking for them. And we're also handing out some microphones to various people in case there are people out there looking for them. Here's one example.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN BATIJEN: I am Jean Batijen (ph). I want to say to people out in Boston, especially my sister, that we are OK in Haiti.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I want to let you know that all my family is OK. So, about my daddy, my brother, my brothers, my sisters, everyone is OK. We have no problem. We all right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: So, bits of relief for some families. Now, iReport is one place to use. There are also other websites. I want to tune back in because I want to show you something here at iReport, we link you to a couple of other web pages as well. We will take you to desk here from the Red Cross which is called family links. They're helping people find each other. And this also, this from a website called "Connexion," which is helping families find each other.

All you need to know is that if you go to the main page of cnn.com right now, you will see on the main page this right here, looking for loved ones. That's all you got to do. No worries about how to find the web pages. Just go to cnn.com, look for looking for loved ones. When you click on it, it brings you into this whole process where you can enter and post pictures, post, identifying descriptions, anything you've got all in the hopes Betty and T.J. that people are alive and that families will find them.

NGUYEN: All right, Josh, a great resource there, especially when you go to those pages that show people have been found. Thank you so much for that.

The medical help is on the way to Haiti. Doctors and nurses leaving port just moments ago. They are on their way to give comfort to those critically injured in the Quake.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, at this point, folks in Haiti who survived the initial Quake are now holding on and trying to survive. They don't know where their next meal is going to come from. They don't know if they'll have clean drinking water anytime soon. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to arrive in Haiti a little later today. She's going there to monitor the relief efforts.

The U.S. has some equipment and supplies in place. Now more on the way, of course. The International Red Cross is heading into Haiti with a convoy of supplies as we speak. They're driving in from the Dominican Republic, which is right next door, because of the logjam at the Port-au-Prince airport. Also, they'll be taking a 50-bed field hospital and staff in that Red Cross convoy.

NGUYEN: Well, you know, some comfort is on the way to Haiti, and we're talking about the "USNS Comfort," the U.S. Navy's fully equipped hospital ship. It left the dock in Baltimore about 90 minutes ago.

And CNN'S Sandra Endo joins us live from Baltimore. Sandy, how long it will going to take for "Comfort" to actually reach Haiti?

SANDRA ENDO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, it will take several days before "Comfort" reaches the island nation, and we're expecting it to arrive around sometime late in the week, but it did leave the dock here in Baltimore earlier this morning to start its journey down to Haiti.

It will have several days at sea, of course, before getting there. And we understand the medical team on board will run through several types of procedures as a dry run so to speak to make sure everything is up and ready by the time they get there.

Now, on board their mission is really to get to Haiti to treat the injured and try to save some lives. It took several days, though, to get the vessel fully operational and fully loaded with all the supplies they'll need. We took a tour on board the ship, though, before it left, and it has 250 hospital beds with personnel, a medical team of 550 people.

It's also stockpiled with medicine and medical supplies, which are desperately needed in Haiti. And of course, the real challenge for the crew once they get to Haiti is to treat just the sheer number of people in need of medical attention.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ENSIGN SHANNON WALKER, U.S. COAST GUARD: Our mission is to go and do everything we can for the people in Haiti right now. We're supposed to bring relief to them and do everything we can though to relieve some of the stress that they're going through right now. This is a horrible, horrible experience for them.

LT. CMDR. THOMAS OLVIERO, CHIEF NURSE FOR THE OPERATING ROOM: We're anticipating the worst. That's what we're preparing for. So, we figure a lot of orthopedic injuries, a lot of head injuries, crush injuries. That's what we're planning for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENDO: And the medical team on board anticipates seeing around 750 patients a day. They do have four fully operational operating rooms on board as well. But right now we understand that they have a full supply of medical supplies and food and water for the crew and patients that will be on board to last about 45 days. But they can get restocked for as long as the mission lasts, and we anticipate that'll be a while -- Betty.

NGUYEN: So doubt, considering the immense need on the ground there. But it is on its way. And that is some good news today. Sandra, thanks so much for that report. You know, scam artists are taking advantage of the pleas for help in Haiti. We are going to show you how to safely donate online without getting taken.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, some of the top stories. Others story, we're keeping an eye on this morning, democratic lawmakers crafting at health care reform bill are in the homestretch of completing the massive legislative proposal. A draft version of most of the bill could be bound for the congressional budget office later this weekend for a cost estimate.

NGUYEN: Well, the health care initiative figures large into Massachusetts's special election set for Tuesday. Democrat Martha Coakley getting stiff opposition from republican Scott Brown in the race to fill the late Senator Ted Kennedy's seat. A GOP victory would deprive democrats of the 60-vote majority needed to pass the health care reform bill in the senate.

HOLMES: Federal regulators are criticizing the makers of Tylenol, saying the company should have acted faster in pulling potentially contaminated products from store shelves. Some consumers reported a moldy smell and feeling sick after taking the pain relieving medication. Johnson & Johnson now expanding their voluntary recall of over-the-counter drugs including Tylenol, Motrin, and St. Joseph's aspirin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: All right. So, many of you have sent donations to help the earthquake survivors in Haiti, but you have to be careful who you're sending to online. CNN's Errol Barnett is at the Haiti desk to help you sort out the legitimate pleas for help from the scams. Errol, so many people want to help, they're just not sure where to go.

ERROL BARNETT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You're exactly right, Betty. Experts actually believe that hundreds of internet addresses have popped up in relation to Haiti Quake relief efforts. But if we look back to hurricane Katrina, the FBI found more than 5,000 charitable websites they suspected most of them were fraudulent. So, definitely this is a time to be cautious. We've been referencing this around the clock, and it deserves to be mentioned more often.

Cnn.com/impact is basically a one-stop resource for more than two dozen aid organizations. But we did put all of these organizations through a vetting process. And if you have -- if you're suspicious of a certain site, let me tell you where you can get some help.

You can head to charitynavigator.org. They're independent, they're nonprofit. They rate thousands of charities based on two criteria, really, effectiveness and financial stability, making sure that your money makes it to where it needs to go. They have four-star ratings here, as well.

I quickly want to tell you about what the biggest name on the web is doing in relation to relief efforts in Haiti. Google has added a link to their home page which takes you to this relief and disaster support page. They're offering free phone calls through Google voice.

They're also posting links to charitable organizations that they've put through a vetting process, and they've also added some pictures, some recent satellite images that GLI has developed of how downtown Port-au-Prince looks right now, Betty. So, you definitely want to be cautious of sites and charitable organizations because people are using generosity to take advantage of people at this moment.

NGUYEN: You know, on that same note, though, a lot of times you'll get e-mails that maybe you might not want to open just in case that particular e-mail or that link or what not might be to hack into your computer. Is that correct?

BARNETT: Absolutely. This is a time you want to be careful. What we find is each time there is a major event hackers will use your search term as an opportunity to send out spam or scareware. Let me show you an example. We have a youtube video which basically shows you how this works. So, I'll play it and take it full stream for you if I can. Let's play it.

So, this is an example of someone who's searching for Haiti help on Google. And what happens is that when you click on a certain link or scroll forward, the screen will pop up and spyware will begin to get downloaded. This person just Googled Haiti relief. And when they clicked on a link, you want to make sure that nothing pops up, nothing starts to down load, because this is an example from just a few days it's been posted online of spyware being spread.

So, you always want to be sure if you are planning on even exploring these options online, that you trust the website you go to, don't open any links if you don't trust them, the same is true of e- mails, as well, Betty. The first few hours we've noted that there are some people imitating the British Red Cross online and sending out e- mails. So, when in doubt, don't click an open even though what people need is more aid. Just head to cnn.com/impact. But consider that your one-stop resource, Betty for some trusted aid organizations of people on the ground in Haiti.

NUYEN: Yes, you know, it is, though, just so sad that in time of need like this people are taking advantage of that.

BARNETT: Yes.

NGUYEN: But you're right. If you go to the impact your world site at CNN, there are vetted sites on there, different organizations, so it is a trusted site. Errol, thank you so much for bringing that to our attention.

BARNETT: Sure.

HOLMES: A lot of people are getting in on the act of raising money for relief, and that includes a lot of pro athletes and also sports leagues and the sports team getting into the act. We're checking with our Rick Horrow by after the break.

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HOLMES: Well, professional athletes are responding in a big way to what we've been seeing in Haiti especially those of course have relatives who were still in Haiti. Pro football and basketball teams here in the U.S. are helping to raise the whole lot of money.

We want to bring in our business sports Analyst and author of "When the Game is on the Line." Our Rick Horrow. Buddy, thanks so much for being with us this weekend, and we usually do see some kind of response often times. Let's start here The leagues and different teams and individual athletes, but the two organizations really that are closest to Haiti, I guess, you could say, Miami Heat and Orlando Magic, two NBA teams.

RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Well, you know, NBA has started a signal, baseball's given $1 million. But the Miami Heat have a collection center set up, it's near little Haiti. So, that's a big deal obviously. The Magic working with Unicef who has been in Haiti since 1949 set up their joint venture. It's important for teams to continue to respond. Because that was very visible out there and everybody can help most immediately through some of the sports teams.

HOLMES: We're talking about the NBA. It turns to the NFL has some two dozen pro players with links to Haiti some kind of Haitian roots and also the NFL this, as a whole getting involved this weekend as well with the big playoff weekend. HORROW: Well, clearly, they did with Katrina, they're doing it here. Jonathan Velmo of the Saints has a Haitian relative who is doing a significant commercial. There are lots of other athletes who are looking for family members who have had family members in Haiti are taking their time obviously to spearhead some of their relief efforts. So, during the four playoffs games this weekend you'll see a lot of that.

HOLMES: And a lot of these players, it's been amazing to see so many of them throughout the year, they just love the social media and they love tweeting quite frankly. So, now, with something like this where help is needed, they don't have to wait and call a member of the media, they don't have to wait for a microphone and camera show up, they can just sent a quick text.

HORROW: Let's support, let's give money. Saints, Dunbar, 76ERS, Haitian, has asked for that. Obviously, Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns done the same kind of thing. As we said, social media very important in the reporting of these stories for you, but also very important in raising money as well.

HOLMES: And we saw, and you just brought this up to me. And I'm glad you did. But we say during, of course, Katrina, how sports, sports teams and even sports facilities can play a role in a recovery of an area that's been devastated, and we're seeing that with the soccer stadium in Port-au-Prince.

HORROW: Stadium Sylvio Cator where three years ago it was a celebrated home of the Haitian National Team and Brazil with an exhibition is now being set up as a triage unit I am told with the United States being involved, it reminds us of the important role of the Silver Dome in new Orleans during Katrina and you realize how important infrastructure is of all kinds in facilitating this relief effort.

HOLMES: Yes. All right. Rick you know, certainly sports can be important in a lot of way, and it's entertaining but in times like this is good to see them respond when the need is there. Rick, always good to see you. Appreciate you, buddy. We'll talk to you again next weekend.

HORROW: Yes, we'll keep following the story obviously.

HOLMES: All right, buddy.

NGUYEN: Yes, and you can help with the Haiti relief effort. Logon to our website, at cnn.com/impact your world, there you will find a list of agencies providing emergency relief and you also see a find your loved ones module with the state department's toll-free number and a link to the iReport looking for loved ones photo gallery.

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NGUYEN: The light going on today in the NEWSROOM does continue at the top of the hour with Fredricka Whitfield. She joins us now with the preview. Hey, Fred. FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you all.

HOLMES: Hello.

WHITFIELD: Of course, President Obama, Clinton and Bush are committed to the growing need in Haiti. Vice President Joe Biden also on the ground in Miami in little Haiti.

We're going to talk about how this administration and past presidents all coming together to address the needs of Haitians as well as they're already looking forward into the rebuilding efforts to come. But first, the immediate needs of getting water on the ground and medical assistance as well. And there are other items of the interest throughout the day.

Our legal guys who are going to be with us. We are going to talk about some interesting legal cases including how now military doctors and officers are now being held accountable if there was anything they could have done to prevent the shooter from going off on the defense there in Fort Hood.

We're going to be talking about the legal ramifications ahead on that. As well as Gilbert Arenas, the Wizards' player, he is pled guilty. What now are some interesting perspectives on what may happen from this day forward?

Talking about anywhere from probation to possibly up to six years in jail. That this Wizards' player could be facing. All that straight ahead of course, our continuing coverage of all its taking place and unfolding and what's isn't unfolding...

NGUYEN: In Haiti.

WHITFIELD: ... for the people in Haiti.

HOLMES: All right. Fredricka, thank you so much. We will see you here in just a minute.

WHITFIELD: OK.

NGUYEN: Thanks.

HOLMES: An important connection to Haiti that has been cut off. We'll take a look at that impact when we come back.

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HOLMES: Well, food supplies are beginning to trickle in for survivors who have gone without it for four days now. One of the main ways Haitians got their food and supplies before the Quake is now shut down.

NGUYEN: Yes, CNN's Jonathan Mann takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JONATHAN MANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So much help has been promised. So much aid is on the way. So much of it is bottlenecked outside of the court or at the airport. The big question now is, how to get help to the people who need it. Well, Haitians themselves have known how to do that for years. There's an entire network of money transfers. Money coming in from abroad being distributed informally, formally, easily every day by Haitians overseas to their families here in the country.

Here's how it works. We're right outside one of the many transfer shops, and we're outside a supermarket. You can call from overseas essentially arrange to pay for food and have it delivered. You can have money delivered. The people of Haiti depend so heavily on money transfers, foreign remittances. It's an enormous part of this fragile country's tiny economy.

These shops are all through Port-au-Prince. We passed six of them on the way. This is the seventh. All seven are closed. Haiti's economy is going to receive an enormous boost, the people of Haiti are going to receive enormous help once the international aids are produced under way. But a key sign, the key thing to watch for, will be here on the streets of Port-au-Prince waiting for shops like this to reopen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And you know, that might take a while, considering the need on the ground right now.

HOLMES: And there seems to be so much slow-going at this point, but we'll continue to follow it. Stay with us here at CNN. We have our people on the ground continuing to follow the ever-changing situation, just hoping and waiting for the change to be a good one.

NGUYEN: Yes and CNN NEWSROOM does continue right now with Fredricka Whitfield. She joins us. Hey, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much T.J. and Betty. You all have a great day.