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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Growing Crisis in Devastated Nepal; World Rushes Aid To Nepal; Earthquake's Devastating Damage; Freddie Gray Funeral Today. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired April 27, 2015 - 05:30   ET

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

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: It's 29 minutes past the hour this Monday morning. Let's begin in Nepal where there is untold devastation this morning from Saturday's huge magnitude 7.8 earthquake and the ongoing aftershocks.

Now the latest government figures put the death toll at 3,432. Another 6,500 injured. That number of casualties is certain to rise once those killed in the remote countryside are counted.

There are fears that entire villages have been flattened. The frequent aftershocks threatened to topple more buildings. Terrified residents are living in the streets and in tent cities this morning.

Standing by live for us in Kathmandu is international correspondent, Sumnima Udas. She is a native of Nepal. What can you tell us about the recovery at this hour?

SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So very much underway, Christine especially in the rural parts, we know that a lot of helicopter authorities have been out around the epicenter to see if they can find any survivors.

Those helicopters, we have not received any new information as far as what they found there. We know that the army here is holding a press conference in the next half an hour so hopefully we'll have more details then.

But from what we are understanding right now, the government still doesn't have a complete picture of the true extent of the devastation, the magnitude of the devastation. Behind me, you can see people, regular people, foreign volunteers and local volunteers and Nepali police.

They are still digging and going through what used to be a temple from the 16th Century. They are digging with their bare hands. Some of them have spades, some using the steel plates. That is what people used to eat out of.

They are saying they are not using heavy duty equipment also because they don't want to damage any of the artifacts, these price less artifacts. These temples are using every single beam or plank is carved again this is from 16th Century.

These are objects or even parts of this temple would normally be in the museum elsewhere. It's part of the living culture here. People worship the deities inside, the human loss and the homes that people have lost.

The fact that people have to live out or stay out in tents or some of them without shelter, that is devastating, but when I talked to Nepalis here, everyone just points to this. They are completely shocked. Their temples behind me are not there anymore.

ROMANS: For you, you are covering a story that is your home country, you and your producer both. You were telling us earlier, in fact, for some years now, officials had been warning that this was a country that was ripe for an earthquake.

UDAS: That's right. Since the early '90s, we've heard about this impending earthquake. The experts, astrologers, geologists, everyone has been talking about the massive earthquake that is supposed to hit Nepal.

The last one that was of this size was really back in 1934 because of Nepal's geographic location -- Nepal is in the Himalayans. Many millions of years ago, the Indian continent collided into the Tibetan plateau that's how the Himalayas were created.

Kathmandu is a valley in the Himalayas. So there is always that pressure there and every 60 or 70 years, a huge earthquake is expected. We are 80 years since 1934 roughly. In some ways, this earthquake was long overdue.

But people have been expecting this. There's been a lot of awareness. U.N. and NGOs have been going door-to-door and village-to- village preparing people. Now that it has happened, people are shocked and surprised although they were aware that this would happen.

ROMANS: All right, Sumnima Udas, thank you so much for that in Kathmandu for us this morning. Governments all over the world now are leaping to meet Nepal's huge need for international assistance.

A Pentagon cargo plane is now in the air with 70 disaster relief and rescue specialists and 45 tons of gear. The U.S. Embassy providing $1 million in immediate assistance.

Poland, Belgium, Australia, Israel and the UAE, and many other countries, they are sending personnel and equipment and relief supplies and financial aid packages.

I want to go to Dubai. I want to go to CNN's John Defterios. He's got more on the help being sent Nepal's way. Good morning, good afternoon, to you, John.

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Christine. In fact, you can see the relief action taking place here in the first 48 hours between now and 48 hours.

[05:35:09] We are expecting four jumbo jets to leave Dubai, two from the Royal Concourse and two from Dubai World Central, which is very close to us. I'm standing in a warehouse at the International Humanitarian Cities.

You can see what is going out. In the initial phase here, Christine, there are three priorities, shelter and first aid and telecommunications. To give you a sense of what is going out in the first load here. This is a world food program, a batch of 90 tarpaulins purchased from Irish aids.

There are 15 organizations involved in getting out the first wave in the first 48 hours. Tarpaulins going out, when it comes to first aid kits because we see the number of injured rising, and then even the basics in terms of I.T. in telecommunications and logistics on the ground and getting things into the country quickly.

There is also the absorption capacity on the ground in Kathmandu. We did not know if shipments can get in to the airport. You can deliver 90,000 tons every load. By the end of the week, they would like to see 400,000 tons go in. They are waiting to see how much they can absorb on the other end.

In the second wave, after the initial tarpaulins and I.T. and first aid, they will be sending food as well. This is the largest logistics hub in the world. They had a lot of experience because of what has taken place in Vanuatu and the Philippines as well, Christine, all taking shape. The first shipment from this hub is going out in the next 16 hours.

ROMANS: And the focus on shelter and first aid and communication. Our Oren Liebermann, John, was just reporting this amazing story of the Israeli government getting in there and getting babies who were being born via surrogates and getting them out of the country in the hours after that earthquake when you think of the incredible angles, human angles to the story. John Defterios in Dubai for us, thanks, John.

Saturday's earthquake also touched off terrifying avalanches across the mountainous country. The moment an avalanche hit Everest base camp was caught on camera by this German climber, Jost Kobusch. Watch.

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ROMANS: Breathing is very difficult in the thin air as they are racing to find shelter in those tents. Kobusch survived the avalanche, but tells everyone to stay together. Not every was one lucky.

Many climbers and Sherpas did survive the avalanches, but more than a dozen did not. That is in addition to the thousands who died in Nepal's cities. Our national reporter, Nick Valencia, has more on the Americans among the climbers who perished.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We want to give you meaning to those numbers and bring you some personal stories of some of the victims of the earthquake. We know that at least 17 people lost their lives as a result of an avalanche that was triggered by the earthquake when they were hiking on Mt. Everest. Dan Fredinburg, an executive at Google was one of those

victims. He was an avid adventurer and mountain climber and was on his trek through Mt. Everest when he was swept away by the avalanche.

Just a day after that avalanche took his life, his sister went on Instagram to deliver this message saying, "This is Dan's little sister Megan. I regret to inform all who loved him that during the avalanche on Everest early this morning, our Dan suffered from a major head injury and didn't make it. We appreciate all of the love that has been sent our way thus far and know his soul and his spirit will live on in so many of us."

Eve Girawong was another American on the trip on Mt. Everest from New Jersey. She was also, as I mentioned, one that was swept away. Medicine was her passion. She was in the process of getting a second master's degree in mountain medicine.

Her employer posted this message on Facebook, "Our hearts are broken. Eve perished in the aftermath of the avalanche that struck the base camp area following the devastating Nepal earthquake earlier today."

So many victims still -- survivors also that need help there on the ground in Nepal and we encourage you, if you are looking to help and support those people affected by the devastating earthquake, visit CNN.com/impact -- Christine.

BERMAN: All right, Nick Valencia, thank you for that. Nepal faces a difficult recovery. The total cost of reconstruction could top $5 billion. That's according to early analysis from the research firm, IHS. That is 20 percent of the country's economic output.

That is just an early estimate. It will go much higher. One of the reasons the damage was so devastating is the standard of housing construction is low.

[05:40:02] With annual GDP per capita, per person is around $1,000, most families live in poverty. Tourism is one of the few drivers in the economy, foreign climbers pay up to $100,000 to climb Mt. Everest. That industry is clearly at risk given the danger two years in a row now of very dangerous accidents on Mt. Everest.

The community demanding answers here in this country, but Freddie Gray's family is demanding calm. They are preparing to lay him to rest today. We bring you a report from Baltimore next.

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ROMANS: Freddie Gray will be laid to rest in Baltimore today. Family and friends turned out Sunday to pay respects at a wake for the man who died after suffering a severe spinal injury in police custody. Freddie Gray's family is now calling for calm after three dozen people were arrested when violence broke out during an anti-police violence protest Saturday.

We get more this morning from CNN's Athena Jones. ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good Morning, Christine. The funeral for Freddie Gray will be held just a few hours from now at a church in West Baltimore. A local pastor who is one of the leaders of some of the demonstrations we have seen in the city over the last several days will be delivering the eulogy. Freddie Gray's family attended church on Sunday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many more of our sons and daughters must die before our black lives are treated as equal? I know I'm not the only one up to here with this country systematically slaughtering our people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[05:45:09] JONES: Now Reverend Bryant was echoing the sentiments of many people in this community and in cities across the country, who feel like they are under constant threat from law enforcement simply because they are black.

We expect him to touch on the theme in his remarks today. We understand that Maryland Congressman Eli Cummings will be among the speakers at the funeral services.

And we are told that the family of Eric Garner is planning to attend. Of course, Eric Garner is the Statin Island man who died after being put in a chokehold by police there last summer.

Of course, we are still waiting for answers about just what happened to Freddie Gray in that police van. The Baltimore Police Department says they are going to finish their investigation into the incident this week.

Hand over their information on Friday to the state's attorney's office and they will decide how to proceed whether or not to file charges. We will be watching for that. Of course, today is about honoring Freddie Gray and laying him to rest -- Christine.

ROMANS: Athena Jones, absolutely. That is exactly right.

It's 46 minutes past the hour. I want to look at what is coming up on "NEW DAY." Alisyn Camerota joins us now. The story in Nepal, just these early hours still of this rescue is unbelievable.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: It's so true, Christine. We are going to have team coverage live on the ground in Nepal including Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who right now is inside a hospital in Nepal where he just performed brain surgery on a young survivor.

Plus, we will talk to people who are desperate to find their loved ones. There is also evidence that scientists have been expecting a quake like this there. Is it possible to predict earthquakes?

We will bring you the response to the Bruce Jenner's big interview about his gender transition. We will have all of that and more for you when we see you at the top of the hour.

ROMANS: All right, see you then, thank you so much, Alisyn.

A severe weather threat in the gulf, your first look at the forecast for the week is next.

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[05:50:41]

ROMANS: Welcome back. I'm Christine Romans. There is a threat of severe weather along the gulf coast today. Let's bring in meteorologist, Ivan Cabrera, with an early look at your forecast -- Ivan.

IVAN CABRERA, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Christine, again, this is the day three of more severe weather on the way and we will be talking about damaging winds and hail and frequent lightning and even the possibility of some tornadoes later on this afternoon especially in New Orleans. We will watch the line moving through in the afternoon hours.

Watch, I'll put this in motion. You can see this line barreling through New Orleans. That is about 3:00 p.m. so watch out for that. If you hear thunder, the likelihood of the severity of the thunderstorm is high and then all of this pushes down towards Florida heading into the next few days.

A lot of rainfall too, this will produce flash flooding in spots anywhere from 2 inches to as much as 4 inches of rainfall. The severe weather threat continues for tomorrow. It pushes further to the east from Pensacola to Tallahassee. The I-10 corridor is under the gun for severe weather on Tuesday -- Christine.

ROMANS: All right, Ivan, thank you for that.

The long awaited trial for Colorado movie theater gunman, James Holmes begins today with opening statements. It has been nearly three years since 12 people were killed and 70 people wounded in the theater.

The defense does not dispute that Holmes did it. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to all 166 charges including murder and attempted murder. If convicted of the most serious charges, Holmes could face the death penalty.

Loretta Lynch poised to make history today after a long delayed confirmation vote in the Senate on Friday. Vice President Joe Biden will officially swear in Lynch as attorney general of the Department of Justice.

Lynch will become the first African-American woman to serve as the country's top law enforcement official. She replaces Eric Holder as the first African-American at the helm. That ceremony will be at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

Airlines are saving billions of dollars on fuel so why aren't ticket prices falling? That's next.

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[05:30:00]

ROMANS: I'm Christine Romans. Let's get an early start on your money this Monday morning. U.S. stock futures barely moving, really, but look, stocks are at record highs. Both the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 ended last week at highs. The first time that has happened since the peak of the dot-com bubble 15 years ago.

A lot for investors to consider today including Apple earnings, those come out after the closing bell. That will include a first look at Apple Watch numbers. Apple, the most valuable company in the world, the company will need to crush forecasts to satisfy Wall Street's very high expectations.

Corinthian Colleges are closing all campuses today. The for- profit network once had 100 college campuses across the country and today, the remaining 28 will be shuttered. The Department of Education is forcing the company to close or sell because it gave misleading information.

Corinthian accused of preying on low income people with very expensive loans. More than 100 students from the school are refusing to pay their student loans claiming the degree is worthless and Corinthian lied about what their job prospects would be after graduation.

Fuel is cheap. Why isn't air fare? The first quarter the four major air carriers saved $3.4 billion on fuel. That allowed them to post record profits, but the average fare only fell 66 cents. Fuel is the airline's largest expense.

Demand for air travel though remains strong so carriers have no reason to lower prices. Now the airline industry says don't worry. Margins are very low. It is using the extra money for investments that you will feel in an improved experience.

Much more on that cleanup of the earthquake devastating Nepal. The death toll is spiking again. "NEW DAY" picks up the story now on the ground with the latest and more starting right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: The death toll now at 3,432.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The room shaking and I saw the water tank falling, the building falling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The hospitals don't have any shelter for patients.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a triage area. This is normally a lobby.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Road infrastructures have been totally wiped out. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Avalanche of that scale, there is very little you can do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In Baltimore, 25-year-old Freddie Gray will be laid to rest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Protests became violent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please stop the violence. Freddie Gray would not want this.

BRUCE JENNER: For all intents and purposes, I am a woman.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is genuinely doing it to make the world a better place.

JENNER: I would like to think we could save lives here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to your NEW DAY. It's Monday, April 27th, 6:00 in the east and we welcome our viewers in the U.S. and around the world.

The crisis in Nepal is now clear for all to see, a third day of search and rescue operations underway after Saturday's 7.8 magnitude earthquake and powerful aftershocks. Right now, the death toll is still climbing. More than 3,700 lives lost.

CAMEROTA: Aftershocks continue to traumatize survivors as rescuers struggle to reach those still stranded or buried in the rubble. The quake triggering landslides in Kathmandu and that deadly avalanche at Mount Everest.

We have this disaster covered the only way CNN can. Let's begin with CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta at a hospital in Kathmandu. He has just performed brain surgery on a victim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cheers from the crowd of survivors continue to be pulled from the rubble this morning. Nepal's death toll rising into the thousands as millions suffer through the country's strongest earthquake in more than 80 years. The country now in the verge of a humanitarian crisis.