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Suffering and Survival in Haiti; Hillary Clinton on the Ground in Haiti
Aired January 16, 2010 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live here at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
Powerful images of human suffering, human survival and, yes, even hope are coming in to CNN from Haiti. But the situation remains desperate.
(VIDEO CLIP)
Take a look at that. This is the kind of scene that is playing out right now in Port-au-Prince where aid is pouring in from around the world, but people are growing increasingly despondent.
You can see there that food is starting to arrive in some neighborhoods and it is drawing frantic crowds in some cases. Understandably, they are pushing, they are shoving because they need help. They need water. They need relief from days and days of suffering.
Success stories are hard to come by. But despite all the challenges, the city remains remarkably calm. U.N. forces are handing out fresh water and tons of supplies are waiting to be distributed. But for some people, it is too late. Bodies can still be seen all across Port-au-Prince.
Look at that. Horrible to look at.
And mass graves have been dug in more desperate areas outside of the city. There is still no official death toll at this hour.
And for now, saving the injured and preventing the spread of disease remain a priority. A new sign that the world is paying some close attention here because the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, is on the ground in Haiti right now, where she has met with the Haitian president. They held a press conference just a short time ago.
And back in Washington, a show of unity and resolve today for American presidents. President Obama has put former Presidents Bush and Clinton in charge of the fundraising effort.
But we start really with a rescue underway right now. It is developing news in Port-au-Prince. A little girl is trapped, but she is alive, four days after a daycare center collapsed.
Our very own Anderson Cooper is there and he joins us now with the very latest -- Anderson.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Don, I'm standing right outside the entrance to what used to be a daycare center. There's actually a corpse of an adult that's about five or 10 feet away from me. But all the action is happening right behind me.
This is where the last six hours, 5 1/2 hours or so, 25 members, men and women from L.A. County Fire Department Search and Rescue Team, have been on the scene searching for initially what they believed was a little girl named Laika (ph), 10 years old, whose mother stopped us at 12:30 this afternoon, despondent, saying that her daughter was alive inside this rubble, four days on since the earthquake and no one was helping.
They stopped. They got out -- our interpreter worked with the L.A. County Fire Department to call out to anyone inside the rubble. They thought they heard a little bit of moaning. They weren't sure. There is so much ambient noise, it's hard to know.
They asked the person inside to tap, they thought they heard tapping. But, again, it's just so noisy here on the street, it's difficult to know. They sent in the dogs, the dogs didn't really pick up a scent.
And yet, the firefighters going on their gut just continued to work and now, here we are at 6:00 at night and just about, in the last 30 minutes or so, they have had two signs of distinct tapping. They have tapped and somebody has tapped back. It is a tap of life. It is a sign of life.
Firefighters are convinced somebody is alive inside and they're working at great risk to themselves, to their own lives, to move forward deep into this structure. Whoever it is, is buried under an awful lot of rubble.
And here's the problem, Don, not only is the daycare center an extremely unstable structure, what remains of it. There's also a seven-story building right next door which is now collapsed to maybe about a four to five story building, but the concern is that, if there is some sort of an aftershock right now, that building could come toppling down, so could this building and so could the day care center.
So, the firefighters are working very carefully. They're trying to be as quick as they can. Not only because they're...
LEMON: CNN's Anderson Cooper reporting...
COOPER: ... may not be able to hang on much longer and if there'd be (ph) an aftershock but they also have to be very careful.
LEMON: Yes, Anderson. Just -- you cut out there just for a little bit, sorry to cut you off. But you're...
COOPER: I hear you, Don. They also have to just be very careful about how they remove the structure. LEMON: Yes. Again, tell our viewers, Anderson, do they...
COOPER: Yes, they have to be careful about how they move the concrete.
LEMON: Yes. How many people do they believe are children that they may believe to be stuck in there? Do they believe this little girl is the only one, or are there possibly other people there?
COOPER: It's possible there's other people, whether (AUDIO BREAK) they're alive or not, we don't know. One person (ph) inside that building in the last four days trying to, to the rescue people, says he's seen two corpses. I see a third corpse right here.
It's a daycare center and we there was a worker inside there. Her brother is outside and believes she may be alive. But again, we don't know. We don't know who's doing this tapping. We know that there were at least two other children inside this building at this time. There may have been more.
But amazingly, Don, what we've recently learned is that a little girl actually crawled out, got out of this building just yesterday, 13 years old. And when no one had told the L.A. County Fire Team when they went by yesterday that somebody had just -- that somebody else was alive in here. So, a little girl got out of here yesterday, but the hope is right now that there may be another child, maybe even more than one, inside right now alive.
LEMON: Hey, Anderson, talk to us about this. And you guys are there on the scene and I know we have sent crews to check out, and we have been doing some digging. We have been getting reports into CNN and we've been getting them on social networking sites, that there are people who were trapped possibly underneath the rubble and who may have been texting or trying to tweet at least people back home, to let people know that they were under the rubble.
Have you guys had a chance to check into any of that on the scene?
COOPER: You know, we have. Gary Tuchman was out with an Icelandic search and rescue team. They -- he had heard a story and they had heard a story about someone in a bank texting to relatives, that turned out not to be true. That Icelandic team went to that bank with very high-tech equipment, they did not find anybody alive.
It's very possible, you know, some of this is rumor. Some of it is wishful thinking. It's possible somebody is alive and texting, there's no doubt. But from what we understand, this story about that bank, somebody texting, that seems to be not true.
According to what this one feedback, because we've been hearing that now for about two days and we have had people try to check it out.
LEMON: Hey, Anderson, I have a bit of developing news, I don't know if you were able to listen to the press conference a short while ago with the secretary of state. We're getting word that the secretary of state is -- her pool is traveling with -- and now she's on a C-130 with a group of Americans who will be evacuated to Jamaica. So, they're evacuating people out of the area and sending them to other regions.
Have you been able to witness any of the people who are able to get out of the area and go other places? And if so, where are they taking them besides places like Jamaica and, obviously, in Miami to Jackson Memorial Hospital?
COOPER: You know, I didn't see the press conference because I've been -- I've been here all day. And I have not seen Americans actually being evacuated, but I can tell you, I know there are plenty of Americans who would like to be evacuated. There are several, who were staying in a location that we're staying, who are eager to get out.
I had Americans come up to me in the street who've said, you know, where should I go? How do I get out of here? Should I go to the embassy? Should I go to the airport?
It's been a very confusing situation for Americans and the State Department has been trying to do the best they can to help coordinate that. The priority, of course, is for anyone with injuries, you know, anyone with a life-threatening condition. But, you know, there's such a connection between the United States and Haiti that there's an awful lot of Americans here who are trying to get out.
LEMON: All right. CNN's Anderson Cooper there. You see him on the scene. They're trying to rescue a little girl.
Anderson, we certainly hope they do rescue her and if there's any development, of course, we'll get back to you. Appreciate it.
I'm going to say now that food aid is starting to reach the people who need it the most. Our Karl Penhaul is Port-au-Prince tonight and he joins us.
Karl, when last we saw you, they were dropping aid, and people were really clamoring to get it. What is the scene now?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. And as night falls, in fact, the aid operations stop. Certainly, those that are backed by the United Nations, because they have very strict security guidelines, and, of course, this is one of the problems that the United Nations who has its peacekeeping force here are very mindful, very worried about a potential breakout of violence and also general chaos associated with that food distribution.
Now, as earlier on, as you know, because we were talking at the time, we saw an American helicopter swooping down, hovered about 10 feet off the ground and dumped boxes of aid off the side on to the ground there. That threatened to provoke a stampede among the crowd but it seems there was no harm done. People pushed and shoved, grabbed that aid, they're very needy. And then contrast that with a much slower, much more orderly aid distribution effort by the United Nations, by World Food Program, but that is very slow. And right now, it's the kind of a balance of getting food out fast to the people that need it, but getting it out in a way that is safe that doesn't cause injury either to those distributing the aid or those receiving it. But I think we've got pictures of some of the scenes there to give you a flavor of what it was like in that food distribution line a little earlier on.
LEMON: Yes. We did see that a little bit earlier on. And you have been there. Is there any warning, Karl, or these -- this aid suddenly dropped from the sky, the helicopter just comes and people run to it. Is there any warning? Do you know where they're going to be going? Or does it just show up?
PENHAUL: At that point, they just showed up. There's no prior warning to the people on the ground, "Hey, a helicopter is going to be dropping in," in a certain amount of time.
There is no prior warning to the people on the ground, hey, a helicopter is going to be dropping in a certain amount of time. The helicopter comes over the top, goes into a hovering position. That clears the people out because it's kicking up a lot of dust and debris. And then it comes down to a point where they toss that off.
Now, of course, I wouldn't say -- these pilots are very experienced naval pilots and military pilots -- and I wouldn't say there is any danger necessary to the people on the ground from the helicopter itself. But the very danger is that as the days go on, as these people are desperate for food, there is a potential for fighting amongst themselves to grab that food. But so far, to be honest, I've been surprised. I've been here in Haiti on other occasions after disasters, particularly flooding from hurricanes and tropical storms, and there patience runs out very quickly, and there are food riots for people to get their hands on the food.
But so far, although for the untrained eye things seem somewhat chaotic, there is pushing and shoving, but there's not widespread violence associated with this food distribution so far, Don.
CNN's Karl Penhaul. Karl, we appreciate your reporting.
Retired General Russel Honore knows all about responding to disasters of this magnitude. He commanded the Army's massive response to Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita as well, and is still doing some things to help out there.
If I hadn't eaten for three or four days, I would be running for food as well. So, you really can't say that it's chaos, can you?
LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE (RET.), CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I think what you saw is what could be expected. They've got to get it out as quick as they can, any way they can. I think the U.N. effort is -- that's the textbook way to do it. But when you have trucks load that you can take, and 200 to 300 troops to secure it -- fine. Until you can get that, you will -- hopefully, you'll see more and more of the helicopter drops because while it may not look equal...
LEMON: Yes.
HONORE: ... people are getting that and they share that with folks around them. So, we need to continue to do what we can.
LEMON: Yes. And we're glad. We're going talk more about how people can help. We're glad that people -- and as you said, that the people can share because -- and I looked at this video and I said, you know, people are saying, oh, they're rioting -- it doesn't look like a riot to me. And as I said earlier, if I wanted food, especially water, after a couple of days, I would be struggling and running to that helicopter to try to get it -- to get it as well.
So, listen, there is no warning. No one with a bullhorn going, "We're going to be here." No one dropping pamphlets going: go here if you want food. They just do it in a place where -- is it an open field? How do they do that?
HONORE: Well, I think, what you see there is initiatives of some of the naval pilots down there. They watch this on TV. They're just off the shore. They got to do something. And they want to participate.
They've got the rations. How can you get it out there? They're not integrated yet probably with the U.N. the way they are, but they...
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: So, they're doing it on their own?
HONORE: I think that's what's going on.
LEMON: You don't think that this is part of the U.N. effort?
HONORE: Well, I think it's part of the overall effort to get food on the ground. But until we can get the U.N., as well as all the other ground troops from the U.S. organized, that's going to take a few days. Again, you got to adapt and overcome if you want to save lives.
LEMON: But hang on. I want to make the point here. These are just Good Samaritan pilots who are just going in there and saying, "Hey, I'm going to help these people"?
HONORE: I'll tell you what, I saw those naval pilots in Katrina do some significant things and they went from the gut of their heart and they went -- made it happen and rescued people. And my perception is, and I'll go back and verify this, that they from the Carl Vinson or somewhere near there, and took food and dropped it off. And that's what they need to continue to do.
LEMON: Good for them.
HONORE: Absolutely. LEMON: I thought that was part of the coordinated effort and maybe it is. But if it isn't, I say, Amen, brother...
HONORE: Go for it.
LEMON: ... or sister, keep doing it.
HONORE: Go for it.
LEMON: Go for it.
All right. Thank you very much.
General Russel Honore is going to join us throughout our broadcast here on CNN to help us through this.
You know, I sat here on Thursday and interviewed this father. And he was so excited because he -- his daughter had been rescued and he had gotten a call from the university saying his daughter had been rescued -- she was doing some volunteer work in Haiti -- and that he was going to meet her in Miami.
He gets to Miami, guess what? No sign of her. They held a press conference just moments ago and this really epitomizes what families are going through in this area. We're going to talk to him. We're going to show you him, what he did, just homes ago in a press conference.
Also, we want you to talk to us. Talk to us live here at CNN.
This is how you get on. Go to our social networking sites, go to Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, or iReport.com, and we're going to tell you how you can find people, how you can get information about people, your loved ones, and also, answer your questions as well.
And I'm going to tell you, show you the power of social media here. We join with our online social networking guru, James Andrew, sitting right here with me. He is monitoring everything and we're going to bring to you in just a little bit. James right there is checking the blogs and also creating some -- what do we call it -- a tribe around what we're doing.
We're back in a moment here on CNN. Don't go anywhere. We've got it all for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know, only CNN has the global resources to bring you nonstop live coverage from inside Haiti, thousands of people with relatives and friends in Haiti watching CNN to find out if their loved ones are still alive. CNN.com/HaitiMissing -- CNN.com/HaitiMissing, that is the place that you can find their photos and their descriptions.
For survivors in Haiti, getting to a CNN camera has been the only way that they can let people know that they are OK. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BAKTIJUD (ph), EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR: I am John Baktijud (ph). I want to say to people at Boston, especially my sister, that we're OK in Haiti.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm still alive. I got my family, (INAUDIBLE), Julian, Serge, I lost five cousins and the house down, the house down. I'm safe but I got -- I lost my son.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to let you know that all my family is OK. So, about my daddy, my brother -- my brothers and my sisters, everything is OK. We have no problem. We're all right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, you know what? On Thursday morning, a father screams, "She's alive," after getting word of his daughter, that his daughter, 19-year-old girl, named Britney Gengel, was found alive, right? I did the interview on television with him, he was so excited. He said, "Don, I have to go. I'm going to get on a plane here in Boston and go to Miami and see my little girl."
Well, just hours later, that happiness was ripped right away from him. Britney had not been found. She's still missing, along with other members from her humanitarian group from Florida's Lynn University.
And just moments ago, I want you guys to pay attention to this because this is -- this is real. This is what dozens and dozens of families are dealing with -- just moments ago, the parents spoke.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEN GENGEL, DAUGHTER MISSING IN HAITI: We are here united as the parents of the four missing Lynn University students that are at the Hotel Montana and the two faculty members, united with the eight students that have returned safely and also united with the Lynn University family.
The names of our four daughters that are missing are: Christine, Stephanie, Courtney, and Britney.
These young ladies are young, intelligent, beautiful girls with their whole lives ahead of them. They traveled to Haiti with Food for the Poor, on a journey called hope. And now they are lost in the collapsed Hotel Montana.
It is our hope and prayer that the federal government hears our cry to send more help to bring our loved ones home. Courtney's parents, the Hayeses, along with the Professor Hartwick's (ph) son, are currently in the Dominican Republic searching all hospitals and transportation centers for the benefit of all of our families. But that simply is not enough. If you have any contacts with anyone in Haiti that can help us, please visit and contact Lynn University at Lynn.edu.
Lastly, we want to thank all of our families, friends and the communities in which we live for their continual prayers and support. And we also want to thank Lynn University who has been absolutely supportive to all of us and our families. God bless them. And God bless our children.
Good night. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: There you go. And, you know, it went on even after that. Some of the mothers spoke.
And I got to say this, I was sitting next to my executive producer here, Lisa, and she started crying. We started crying listening to these families talk about their loved ones. And we're going to -- we're going to try to play more of that for you here because they want to get the word out and they want to help other people.
And we want to say that eight Lynn University students from that group are alive and they are accounted for, but they're still looking for others and we wish them the very best. We certainly hope that they find them.
You know, CNN.com, Facebook, Twitter, the Internet playing a huge -- a huge part in the search and rescue efforts in Haiti.
I want to bring in now James Andrews. He's a co-founder of Everywhere. And he joins me now live to tell us how big a role that the social networks are playing in all of this.
And very huge role, because in the beginning, and not now, and I have to say, I've watched all the coverage everywhere, CNN bringing in the best pictures. I'm so proud to be here right now because of -- because of what we're able to do here.
JAMES ANDREWS, CO-FOUNDER, EVERYWHERE: Yes.
LEMON: At first, everything was coming in through social media, played a big role in this. They played a big role in the situation that happened in Iran.
ANDREWS: Yes.
LEMON: During Hurricane Katrina, wasn't to the -- where it is now.
What's different now about this and how big of a role is it playing, especially when it comes to raising money? You can go so many places online now and do it. ANDREWS: Absolutely. I think the landscape has changed. You know, we're at a time where people now think about things like Twitter and social network as a place to communicate. We saw the emotion of Iran. We saw the emotion of things like Michael Jackson.
But now, we're seeing activists.
LEMON: So, take us to...
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: ... because we're talking about -- if you want to know, you know, we were talking about challenging companies.
ANDREWS: Yes.
LEMON: You guys made record profits last year, you do whatever -- what are you doing for -- what are you doing for Haiti?
ANDREWS: Yes.
LEMON: So, take us through that. What are people doing?
ANDREWS: You know, a couple of things I noticed. One, I just want to start with Google's crisis response. They have a Web site set up. It's very simple. I'm looking for someone, I have information about someone. You can go to HaitiCrisis.Appspot.com -- really awesome.
But when you look at brands, what are brands doing -- I think you can look at a brand like FedEx, which has really done a great job, you know, motivating people, their employees, talking to people about what they can do. They have a really, really awesome blog they've created.
UPS has used Twitter to actually dispel the myth. There was a rumor out on Twitter that they were actually shipping free. Well, that -- you know, that can cause a lot of panic, right?
So, what they've done with their blog is they've actually used their blog to dispel all the rumors about what UPS is really doing in the marketplace.
Just some amazing stuff. I'm also seeing USTREAM being used and people actually streaming live -- you know, in Haitian, having conversations in Creole.
LEMON: Yes.
ANDREWS: It's amazing.
LEMON: So, here's the interesting thing. Like you talked about, everyone thinks: just because you're online...
ANDREWS: Yes.
LEMON: ... doesn't mean that -- that you're representing well or that you're even present just by being online anymore.
ANDREWS: Sure.
LEMON: You have to create a community. And it has to be immediate. Otherwise, just being online is having a billboard behind trees and no one is really watching it.
ANDREWS: Yes.
LEMON: If you have a page saying go to this place and click on it, people want to have interaction online.
ANDREWS: That's right.
LEMON: They want to communicate back and forth. Otherwise, it's just a dead space.
ANDREWS: Yes.
LEMON: And that's what's happening. That's the evolution...
ANDREWS: Sure.
LEMON: ... of online and social media now.
ANDREWS: There's a Facebook group out there called Earthquake Haiti -- 209,000 members of this Facebook group in 24 hours. People are out there. They're sharing stories. They're posting phone numbers. They're giving information. And they're using Facebook the way I believe Facebook was intended to be created: to share and pass along information.
LEMON: Yes. And that's what's happening. You know, every -- and every big company, even here we struggle...
ANDREWS: Sure.
LEMON: ... because it moves so fast.
ANDREWS: Yes.
LEMON: It moves so fast.
As a communication company, you're used to doing things a certain way. This is the way it was done 10 years ago. This is the way it was done. Even the way it was done a month ago, it changes so fast...
ANDREWS: Yes.
LEMON: ... especially in the social networking world.
ANDREWS: Absolutely. There are some stories here that you -- you know, it really what's happening. If you're out there, you know, send them to us. Let us know what's going on.
LEMON: Yes. And we're glad everyone -- because I'm getting tweets.
ANDREWS: Yes.
LEMON: I get messages everywhere, we send them along.
ANDREWS: Yes.
LEMON: We can check them out now. Many times that we go out and we find out about it. So we're working. We're working here and doing it, we're becoming part of it.
James is going to stick around and help us out as well.
ANDREWS: Yes.
LEMON: And we're talking about that about impacting your world. That's how we're doing it here at CNN, impacting your world and telling people.
ANDREWS: I think that's important.
LEMON: Telling people where they can go if they're looking for information, especially about their loved ones and resources.
That's why I want to bring in CNN's Jacqui Jeras. Jacqui Jeras talked to one woman who's children are in Haiti. She has been dealing with our "Impact Your World" and what CNN is doing online in the social media space.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Don. We've been pouring through story after story of people who are missing their relatives. This is on CNN.com/HaitiMissing.
And now that we're starting to get some communication out of Haiti, some cell phones are working -- not all companies -- we're starting to hear some success stories. And, of course, CNN as well is trying to work to help you connect.
And we're joined now on the phone by Cassandre Lorvanis and she lives in Brockton, Massachusetts.
And, Cassandre, I understand your three children, your fiance, were impacted by the quake. Tell us what the latest is on your children and how they're doing.
CASSANDRE LORVANIS, 3 KIDS SURVIVED EARTHQUAKE (via telephone): I spoke with one of my friend who was in Haiti. Her name is (INAUDIBLE). She's one who has my children. And they don't know where my fiance at. They don't know -- they didn't hear nothing from him because he was going to Saint-Marc.
And now, my children don't have no clothes, no water, no food, nothing, nowhere to go. And just -- I ask my friend, she don't have nowhere to sleep with my kids. They're sleeping on the street. The youngest one is 23 months and he's American, he's a citizen American. But the other two was born in Haiti. My youngest son was on vacation with his dad.
JERAS: OK.
LORVANIS: But I'm working here in school.
JERAS: And you're concerned about the welfare of your children. So, all three of your children are safe at this time. They're being cared for by a friend. But you're concerned that the friend is no longer able to care for them?
LORVANIS: Yes. No longer able to care for them. She said she can't even carry them anywhere she'd go because they're kids. She doesn't know where she's going. She can't sleep. She can't do nothing.
They don't have food. They don't have water. And I would like to help my kids, to help them now. I'm their mom and their dad. I would like people to help to find my children and try to bring them to me, please.
JERAS: All right. So, you want to get your children back to the United States so that you know that they're safe.
LORVANIS: Yes.
JERAS: Well, I'm going to tell you, Cassandre, you know, we're going t o try and help you to do that. I know you've been in touch with the U.S. embassy.
If anybody at the State Department or anybody who's watching CNN right now is able to help Cassandre, there you can see her e-mail at the bottom of the screen, at Lortheod@hotmail.com. If you have resource, or you know how you can help bring her children back safely to the United States, one of which is a U.S. citizen, the other two are Haitian citizens -- is that correct, Cassandre?
LORVANIS: Yes. And I would like to say (INAUDIBLE) traumatized is getting sick now. One is getting sick.
JERAS: One is getting sick, did you say?
LORVANIS: Yes.
JERAS: One of your children or...
LORVANIS: Yes, one of them.
JERAS: OK. Well, Cassandre, hang in there. We're going to do everything that we can do to help you. And your fiance, has he been confirmed dead or do you know, is he still missing? Are people still trying to find him?
LORVANIS: He's still missing. And we don't know where he's at now. But he was about to go to Saint-Marc.
JERAS: OK. He was on his way to Saint-Marc. OK. Cassandre Lorvanis, thank you for joining us. Thank you for telling your story with us today.
And, again, if anybody can help her, Lortheod@hotmail.com.
And, Cassandre, we will stay in touch with you and, hopefully, we'll get a happy ending to this story here tonight.
Don, this is just one of many stories that we're seeing on CNN.com. It's good to know that some of these people are being found, but just because people are being found alive doesn't mean they have a whole lot of obstacles that they're still going to have to face ahead of them.
LEMON: Jacqui Jeras, OK, thank you so much. Really sad.
You know, aid groups say your donations are needed now more than ever. I want you to logon to our Web site at CNN.com/ImpactYourWorld. We're just talking about that just a second ago. There you'll find a list of agencies providing emergency relief, people trying to locate friends and family in Haiti, will also find help for everyone, along with the link to the iReport, looking for loved ones photo gallery. Make sure you go to cnn.com - or go to ireport.com/impactyourworld. You can help. You can help. They need so much money to recover, so much help there in Haiti.
You don't have to be on the ground really to contribute. On Monday night at 8:00 Eastern, Larry King will be looking at ways to help Haiti. He'll be talking with celebrities and activists to show us how we all can take part in the aid effort for Haiti. That's a very special two-hour "Larry King Live," it's Monday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
An infant child, rescued from the rubble, headed to the U.S. for treatment. Our Elizabeth Cohen is on top of the story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You know, Haiti is in agony tonight. So many survivors are in need of medical treatment, but there are too few doctors, too little medicine. CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is inside one of the temporary hospitals right now. Elizabeth, what is the situation there?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The situation here is quite dire. You have a large number of patients who need surgery within the next 24 hours or they will die. They have infections from their wounds. They have bones sticking out of their skin. The problem is there really isn't a whole lot of places to take them.
In fact, the doctors know one place that is mobile surgical hospital that the Israelis have built. They just got it up and running today and they are - have done about ten surgeries so far. And so the folk here are hoping to shift some of these patients out to Israel who need surgery. Now, what is really the biggest story here is that here will not exist as of tomorrow. The United Nations -- we are right now - I'm standing on United Nations ground. This is the United Nations compound and the United Nations has told this hospital you have to be out of here by tomorrow morning. This has gotten much bigger than we - than was anticipated to be and they say this is a warehouse, it is not safe for patients. The question is where are the patients going to go. Don.
LEMON: And so where is this hospital in case people are watching and they need this information of where they can go to get help, Elizabeth?
COHEN: well, this hospital is so ad hoc. It's so makeshift that there is no one place to go to help it. It is sort of a bunch of different people all together. The main sort of force here is the University of Miami School of Medicine. They're kind of the ones behind it. But there is no official hospital.
I mean, this is a tent. This is a warehouse before the earthquake. So there is no address for this warehouse. This is not an official hospital.
LEMON: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much. Elizabeth, we appreciate it. You know what, darkness in Port-au- Prince, well, that's a concern for looting and rioting, possible looting and rioting there. That has not happened. But we'll find out what is happening on the streets now plus the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, is there.
And there is an update, we told you about a baby, a little child that was being rescued. We have some video of the child being rescued from Haiti and also the child arriving in Florida at the hospital and we will bring that to you. Also, the little girl who was trapped where our very own Anderson Cooper is, what is the situation with her, the latest? We're going to bring you an update.
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LEMON: Well, night fall in Haiti and many people worry about the darkness because the darkness might invite some desperate survivors to take some drastic steps, although it has been relatively calm there. General Honore, we're going to get to him in just a little bit and talk about security there.
But so far reports of looting really have been sporadic. Haitians can only hope the situation won't get any worse. We want to go now to CNN's Chris Lawrence. He joins us now from the capital. We saw you, Chris, it was about to get dark, darkness has now arrived. What are you learning?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, I mean, the situation is desperate. I heard what, you know, Elizabeth was reporting about what the U.N. was telling her, that that warehouse didn't make a proper hospital. And it is, like, yes, look where we are, no kidding. You know, just down there, a few hours ago, I watched some local Haitian authorities set up a mobile clinic, right on the street corner. They got some folding chairs, they put some tables out. They only had one doctor, a couple of people to help him, and they were bringing people in.
You know, one woman, her foot was almost severed. I mean, it was hanging on by a tendon. They're trying to clean the wound, doing what they can. I mean, I think people are making do and I think - that's why it is hard to understand what the U.N. was telling Elizabeth.
But from what I've seen, we have talked so much about international aid agencies, and these huge government agencies, I saw a lot today of Haitians helping Haitians, not only that clinic. But take a look at some of these video. This was a pickup truck, a local church, a couple of men from a local church, got some potato chips, some bottles of water, some juice, and brought it right down here. I mean, that is something that I haven't seen a lot of the big agencies doing.
They just drove it right up to the people, it is a small pickup truck. They didn't have a ton to give out but they gave it out. It got a little bit chaotic, they were able to hand out a little bit of food, a lot of water and some juice. And so that really struck me that these are much less well funded. I mean, these are small branches of the Haitian government, a local church, and yet they're out there. They're on the street and they're trying to bring aid directly to the people. Don.
LEMON: Chris Lawrence. Chris, thank you very much. Chris, if you want to stand by, you can, you can listen to a conversation I'm going to have in a minute with Lieutenant General Russel Honore and if you want to weigh in, you can. If you have to get into another live shot or something, go ahead. But that's our Chris Lawrence on the ground. He may join us in just a little bit.
And, again, as I said, I'm going talk to General Russel Honore about some of the things that Chris reported a little bit. Before we get to him, I want to report this. President Barack Obama is calling on two former presidents to lead the fund-raising effort in Haiti. On Thursday, the president made some announcements. President Bill Clinton and George W. Bush joined Mr. Obama this morning at the White House.
President Obama says the two will spearhead the Clinton-Bush Haiti fund. It is similar to the appeal launched after the 2004 Asian tsunami.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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 and must be a time of compassion. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The two former presidents echoed Mr. Obama's remarks and called on Americans to give generously.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: 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 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.
BILL CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have no words to say of what I feel. When you - 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: President Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will be live on "State of the Union" with John King tomorrow, "State of the Union" with John King tomorrow, they're going to discuss their Haiti relief efforts, 9:00 a.m. Eastern, 9:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
The secretary of state Hillary Clinton left Haiti just a few minutes ago. She spent several hours there today. CNN foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty is in Washington tonight. Jill, good to see you. A big deal to see those three gentlemen together and it's also a big deal that the secretary of state is on the ground and some of the really worst hit places there.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It is. And you know, some people when asked the question why was she going at this particular point, because after all, you know, you could make the case that that would deflect attention from the rescue mission, but she actually talked about that before she left. And she said she needed to get down there, she felt to see it with her own eyes, assess the situation.
This is part of the responsibility of the State Department and USAID, by the way, which is to oversee the rescue mission in conjunction with the U.S. military. And then also senior administration official tells us this trip came about at the request of the Haitian President Rene Preval. So she was there to show support to him and also to counter that impression that some have had that the U.S. is, as one official said the other day, taking over Haiti.
They, of course, would say, that is not the case. What they're doing there is at the behest of the Haitian government. Secretary Clinton herself said it was backing up the government, not supplanting it. And she also had a message for the Haitian people that the United States is here for Haiti, as she said, today, tomorrow and in the days ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I want to assure the people of Haiti that the United States is a friend, a partner and a supporter. And we will work with your government under the direction of President Preval to assist in every way we can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOUGHERTY: And by the way, the man that you see over her shoulder, Rajiv Shah. He is the brand new head of USAID and they're the people whoa re pulling this operation together. Secretary Clinton had an update on some of it. She said that the priorities are communication, electricity, transportation, that there are 30 international rescue teams on the ground right now. 14 aid distribution sites.
And, by the way, Don, when she comes back, she's bringing 50 Americans out of Haiti, those are people who live there and had requested to be taken out by plane. And they will be going to Jamaica. Some we understand might be coming back here to D.C. and then just a quick final thing, tomorrow, the secretary said that they would be issuing a joint communique. She and the Haitian president, which will give the U.S. much wider authority, so it can do really what it needs to do to help with this relief effort.
LEMON: All right. Jill Dougherty, thank you very much. Jill giving us some valuable information as did our Chris Lawrence and our General Russel Honore standing by. We're going to talk to him a little bit about all the information that we have learned from those two reporters concerning security and also with the secretary of state is doing on the ground as well. The general is going to join us in just a little bit.
In the meantime, singer songwriter Melky Jean voicing her concerns about Haiti, directly to vice president Joe Biden. We're going to talk to her next.
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LEMON: Vice president Joe Biden met today with member of the Haitian American community in south Florida to pledge support for victims of the earthquake. Singer songwriter Melky Jean met with the vice president to voice her concerns. She is the younger sister of the Fuji's member, Wyclef Jean and she joins us now via Skype to discuss her efforts to help the people of Haiti.
Good to see you. So take me inside that meeting with vice president. What did you say to him?
MELKY JEAN, SINGER/SONGWRITER: I asked him a simple question. (INAUDIBLE) Foundation has been in Haiti I have people who depend on me and I cannot get the aid to the people who really need it, who have been depending on me for the past couple of years. So I asked the vice president what he was going to do to make sure that small NGOs, mom and pop organizations like (INAUDIBLE) foundations that have been in Haiti that have people who have been depending on them, how do you make sure we get to our people.
LEMON: And his response?
JEAN: Well, Secretary Napolitano said it would take a few days, of course, with a relief effort like this. It will take a few days. And she said that if by tomorrow my people hadn't received anything to make sure that I gave the office another call.
LEMON: Listen, we know that your brother, Wyclef, went to Haiti to search for friends and family members. Have they all been accounted for? Do you know?
JEAN: No. All of our family has not been accounted for. On a personal note, I have an orphanage where outside of (INAUDIBLE) and I have 30 kids who I take care of. And I still have not heard about my 30 children or their caretakers.
LEMON: Oh, boy. Let us know about that. Listen, I have to ask you because I know that you have probably read this in the news, there have been some things written and said about your brother's foundation, Yele, about money and that sort of thing. He put out a statement today saying "my commitment to Haiti is unique and an everlasting bond and that all of the money is going to the right place." How do you respond to the accusations that there may be some disparity as to where the money is going for Yele?
JEAN: I think that, you know, when you look at my brother's history in Haiti and you see the love that Haiti has for Clef. Clef didn't start helping Haiti on January 12th. He's been helping Haiti. He's been in Haiti for a few years. So I think his history speaks for itself.
LEMON: So people should be confident that their money is going to go to the right place?
JEAN: I mean, I think number one it is all about donating right now because that's the right thing to do. In a tragedy like this, yes.
LEMON: Let's move on and talk about your foundation. Your foundation is called Karma Foundation. So what are you doing for the people? Tell us more about Karma Foundation.
JEAN: Well, one of the things that karmafoundation.org has done and has partnered up with poweredbyaction. For the exact same reason that you're saying that people want to know where their money are going. Well, if they go to the web site of poweredbyaction.org. Poweredbyaction.org, they can see exactly where their money is going. Poweredbyaction is helping us to be able to do the and have donation sites and we'll be able to reach a broader spectrum of people in the United States who want to give back.
LEMON: Well, Melky, you are joining us from Skype. You can see it is not as clear as it is. Melky, very beautiful woman, not just looking, but her heart is in the right place. So we wish you luck with your family, and your friends and also with the people that you are looking for outside of that. Next time I hope that you can join us on set. So that we can do this in person. Best of luck to you, OK.
JEAN: Thank you, Don.
LEMON: Thank you very much.
Listen, we are going to talk all these stuff, about giving, about security, about relief. Everything. What is being done right? What is being done wrong? What about those doctors who ran out on sick patients in the middle of the night? General Honore is going to talk to us about that. Also the mother of Lynn University student also spoke a short time ago. You want to hear what she has to say.
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LEMON: OK. So you know, it has been really hell on earth for some families who have been waiting to hear about their loved ones. University students from Lynn University in Florida on a relief mission there and then the earthquake happened. Some of them have been accounted for, some have not. The parents spoke out just moments ago. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN GIANACACI, DAUGHTER MISSING IN HAITI: Those kids could have gone anywhere on J-term (ph). They could have, you know, done cinematography for j-term. Lynn University has many offerings for J- term. Our children chose to go on Journey of Hope. No one forced them to go there. We paid for them to go on this trip. They are dedicated, loving people and this is what they chose to do. So - and the people that came back were the same way. So we are so proud that this is what they chose to do to help others but now they need others to help them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Parents really dealing right now with a nightmare. We certainly wish them well. I'm going to show you that eight other members of that humanitarian student group are alive and accounted for.
So we turn now to Lt. Gen. Russell Honore. Because he knows about responding to disasters of this magnitude. Took care of Hurricane Katrina, everyone knows your face and your name right now. Got to ask you this real quickly. All right. Sad what these families are going through. Again, we wish them well.
LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Absolutely.
LEMON: We are talking about the humanitarian aid being dropped. This one came to me on Facebook and his name is Douglas. He said wouldn't it make more sense to have helicopters wench down huge pallets of water and food and take food in grids. The pallets should be loaded with the water and some food and what have you. Would that make more sense for them to do it that way? That this person on Facebook says?
HONORE: I wouldn't dispute it, but I can tell you the Navy pilots that are doing this to try and get food and water out there is probably doing the most expeditious way they can and the safest way they can. Some of the best pilots in the world. They land the helicopter on a moving ship. They have to take all the factors in, whether you - because when you tether something off that helicopter that is more dangerous than dropping something from that helicopter.
LEMON: Watching all the coverage that you have seen today, that you and I have sitting here watching, we have Chris Lawrence out there, we got Anderson Cooper out there, we've got Karl Penhaul, everyone, all these folks out there reporting what they're seeing and what they're doing, what do you see that they are doing right this time and what do they need help on?
HONORE: Well, I think they are doing a good job showing balance. That everybody in Haiti is not somebody that wants to hurt anybody.
LEMON: I don't mean the reporters, I meant the people who are on the ground trying to help and rescue people, the rescue effort as well.
HONORE: You know, they are getting where they can as quick as they can. And I think just working well and the flow is going to open in the next couple of days, as you get more capacity on the ground. There will be more food distributed. But the big piece is that we don't characterize the people because they will rough it up a little bit around food distribution and like we did the people in New Orleans.
LEMON: And they were saying there were rioting.
HONORE: Right.
LEMON: I said wouldn't you do a similar thing?
HONORE: That's right.
LEMON: Thank you so much, Lt. Gen.. We really appreciated that. But that's it for us here, right now. I'm going to see you back here at 10:00.
In the meantime, my colleague Anderson Cooper has a very special edition of the Haiti disaster for you.
