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Haitian Crisis Continues; Previewing the State of the Union; Haitians Moving, Port-au-Prince Tent Camps, Personal GPS, Smiling Haitian Boy Rescued
Aired January 23, 2010 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WHITFIELD: The Haitian government says more than 111,000 people died in last week's earthquake. Many of them are buried in mass graves. And two more survivors were pulled from the rubble yesterday. Another survivor, we understand, was found just a short time ago in the rubble of a hotel called Hotel Napoli in central Port-au-Prince.
We heard our CNN international correspondent Hala Gorani describe that there were sounds of a tapping, it's believed that it may be a 20 something-year-old man that is in the rubble of this hotel and upwards of a hundred, if not more so, rescue workers are on the scene trying their best to try to get to him. His brother's say that they believe it's him, their brother, in that rubble, so now rescue workers are trying to feverishly to get to him and pull him out alive. That would be 11 days now after that earthquake struck.
So many are worrying that Haiti is teetering on the brink of yet another disaster -- a second wave of deaths triggered by infectious diseases spread among quake survivors living in make-shift housing. Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows us how close the quarters are in just one tent city.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Well we are here with Atanya (ph) she is a little baby, two month old. She is cute. Her diaper does make my butt look big. She is living here with two other kids, in a tent and this is what it's like to be displaced after an earthquake. Everywhere you look there are tents like this. This is one of the things that people are most concerned when they talk about a potential second wave of death; they are worried about infectious diseases in part because of the living conditions like this.
People living in very close quarters, there is a concern could you start to spread diseases like respiratory illnesses. And what about the water? Is the water clean enough to actually prevent water-borne illnesses as well? Take a look over here, they do a pretty good job here, they have clean water. Very important. You have clean water; you can solve a lot of problems. For the most part if you talk to public health officials they tell us the idea of a second wave of death because of infections is probably overblown.
In fact, if you control some very basic things, including water, making sure they get that, including access to some good, clean food, you can probably stave off a lot of these potential infections. Keep in mind we are talking about Haiti here. Even before the earthquake, about 45 percent of people did not have access to clean drinking water and, of course, this is how they are living in very close quarters. If a disease outbreak were to occur, it could spread very quickly from person-to-person.
One thing that's important to notice as well is how hot it is out here. Forget about infectious diseases, forget about Hepatitis A, and worry about the heat. People are worried about the risk of having heat stroke if they simply don't get enough water. Another concern people hardly ever think about is that all the aid workers that are coming to this area, they need to be inoculated as well. In fact as journalist, we get these immunization cards to make sure that we don't become the carriers and the cause of these outbreaks in a place like this. People are living here and people concerned about infectious disease outbreaks. As things stand now the likelihood of that seems pretty remote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So with so many people who have died and also the great worry about disease, many Haitians are being buried in mass graves. CNN's Brian Todd went to see what is taking place at these mass burials. We want to warn you in advance, however, some of this video is very disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A dump truck pulls up the slope and moves into position. This notch in the open hills just northwest of Port-au-Prince takes in some debris from the earthquake but the massive trench is about ten feet deep serve a much more grim purpose. This is Chetungmay (ph) where a road maintenance company run by the Haitian government is depositing bodies in a mass grave.
We weren't quite sure what was coming out of the dump truck when it was first dumping some cinder block and a lot of rock and some trash. Clearly, you can see a body right there. The smell here is pretty overwhelming. There they go. Watch. In an instant, an earthmover covers them in dirt and gravel. Site manager Foultone Fequiert says tens of thousands have been buried here without ceremony. He received about 6,000 in one day and many of them don't arrive intact.
While we're there, another convoy pulls up. Amidst what is dumped out a human arm protrudes and on the other side, a hand. An official with the International Committee of the Red Cross tells us he does not condemn this practice outright but with a translator's help I asked Fequiert about one criticism the Red Cross does have. There is criticism from the International Red Cross and some churches that you're not allowing bodies to be photographed for identification. What does he say to that?
FOULTONE FEQUIERT, SITE MANAGER, (Translator): He says the Red Cross aren't here and he doesn't know anything about it. So he has to do what he is doing right now because of the smelling of the bodies. TODD: Other members of Fequiert's team say in their bloated dismembered condition, many of these victims cannot be identified. The shovel operator Ester Vixamare points to where she buried several bodies this morning. She says in ten years working construction she never imagined doing this.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): She doesn't know what she is doing. She is a woman and has to do it to help people but against her faith to dig the bodies and doesn't like it.
TODD: The people who are working here say they are doing it for sanitary reasons but the end result is that that person's relatives may never know they are there and they are about to vanish without a trace.
I'm Brian Todd, CNN, Haiti.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Lots of hugs, kisses and tears of joy in Manchester, New Hampshire, as three sisters reunited after the Haiti earthquake took place. Marie Borgella (ph) sisters assumed the worse when they couldn't contact her but once they found out that she and her family had survived the quake they arranged for this emotional reunion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAULETTE DUCLAIR, SISTER: I saw her coming, I'm jumping saying, "she's alive!"
ROSETTE ESPERANCE, SISTER: All I'm thinking is my sister! I tried to call. There was no answer so I was thinking; I didn't have a sister anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The Bogella's (ph) were allowed to come to the U.S. because of the youngest daughter was born in America.
All right. The stars were shining last night to raise money for Haiti earthquake victims. Take a look right now. Haitian born singer Wycliffe Shaun, he was performing and he was just one of dozens of entertainers who took to the stage for the two-hour telethon. Celebrities from Alicia Keys to former President Bill Clinton urged callers to pledge donations. The telethon was aired on 25 American television networks and across the world on CNN International. No word yet on just how much money was raised.
Our stories from Haiti may have you wondering how you can help. Well, we're trying to make it easy for you. Logon to CNN.com/impact and follow the prompts. And there you can make a difference.
President Barack Obama is blasting the U.S. Supreme Court for its ruling this week on campaign spending. The court gave businesses, unions and nonprofit groups more power to spend freely in federal elections. The president responded during his weekly media address.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: By a 5-4 vote the court overturned more than a century of law. Including a bipartisan campaign finance law written by Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold that had barred corporations from using their financial clout to directly interfere with elections by running advertisements for or against candidates in the crucial closing weeks.
This ruling opens the flood gates for an unlimited amount of special interest money into our democracy and it gives the special interest lobbyists new leverage to spend millions on advertising to persuade elected officials to vote their way or to punish those who don't. That means that any public servant who has the courage to stand up to the special interest and stand up for the American people can find himself or herself under assault come election time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: In this weeks Republican address House minority leader John Boehner applauded the results of this week's Senate election in Massachusetts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) MINORITY LEADER: For months now, a political rebellion has been brewing. One born from the American people's opposition to greater government control over our economy and their lives. That rebellion propelled Scott Brown to victory in this week's Massachusetts special election. Scott's win in the bluest of blue states gives us new hope that common sense will prevail, that maybe now the hard work and the entrepreneurship of the American people will no longer be stifled by Washington Democrats constantly job killing agenda, an agenda Republicans have stood on principle and fought tooth and nail against.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. President Barack Obama no doubt mulling over next week's State of the Union Speech. Insiders believe in it, he'll press for another economic recovery package to help struggling communities get back on their feet. And he set the stage during his town hall meeting in a town hard hit by job losses in Ohio and that was just yesterday. Here now is our Ed Henry.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The president had a town hall meeting here at the Lorraine County Community College. What was most interesting was the president's most extensive public comment yet about that Massachusetts's special election debacle for Democrats. The president sort of mocking the pundits back in Washington joking that they are saying will Obama survive all this?
The president very bluntly saying, look. I'm going to take some lumps here, but, he said, he had this refrain of, "I'm fighting for you." saying he is going to continue fighting for health reform package and saying he is going to continue fighting for a second jobs package. Take a listen to the sort of populous rhetoric now we're hearing from the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE U.S: So long as I have some breath in me, so long as I have the privilege of serving as your president, I will not stop fighting for you. I will take my lumps, but I won't stop fighting to bring back jobs here! I won't stop fighting for an economy where hard work is rewarded. I won't stop fighting to make sure there is accountability in our financial system. I'm not going to stop fighting until we have jobs for everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: But it's a tough sell, especially here in Ohio. The president, when he arrived, was greeted with bad news. New statistics out here saying the state unemployment rate has gotten worse, gone up from 10.6 percent to 10.9 percent worse than the natural average in the United States.
So the house Republican leader John Boehner who hails from Ohio, charged today that the president's stimulus package did not work, that the president has not been able to create jobs, but I can tell you, we decided to talk to some of the people who were in this crowd, asking them whether they believe in the Republican criticism that the president spent too much time on health care and not enough on jobs and we tracked down one young man who had the courage to ask the president whether they could shake hands or not and he had a successful conclusion.
Did you get to do it t?
JORDAN BROWN: Yes, I did. And it was so exciting. I really wanted to shake his hand and meet him.
HENRY: There was some criticism that he is focusing too much on health care and not enough on jobs. That is big here.
BROWN: Right. For me I believe that he -- I don't think he is focusing too much on health care because it's something that is essential right now and something that we need.
HENRY: Now the president told this crowd that he is going to be pushing this second jobs package that will include more infrastructure spending. Also more small business tax cuts but, so far, that package has gone nowhere on Capitol Hill. We're told by some of the president's advisers in private that he plans to make a strong push for it in his first state of the union message this coming Wednesday night.
But the president, obviously, may have to make some changes to that package, maybe add some more tax cuts to win Republican votes because he is dealing with a whole new dynamic in the U.S. Senate after the election of Republican Scott Brown from Massachusetts.
Ed Henry, CNN, Ohio.
WHITFIELD: All right. We thought perhaps you might need a break about now. Well this week's "Viral Videos" include something that will get you on your feet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: its curtains for Conan O'Brien at NBC. He ended a seven- month run as "The Tonight Show" host. Last night, jabs at the network.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW:" People have been asking me what is going to happen to our studio after we're gone? They just built this thing.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Yeah, I know.
O'BRIEN: People are saying what is going to happen to it? There are actually a few possible uses for our studio being kicked around and I thought I would share some of the ideas with you right now because I think some of them are pretty good, site of Tiger Woods' 1st annual mistress reunion, fitting room for cast of "The Biggest Loser," storage facility for apology notes to NBC stockholders, water park for Max Winberg's illegitimate children, hair and chest oil storage for the "Jersey Shore" cast, future site of "Cooters", the nation's first pantsless sports bar and restaurant, studio preserved as a nice, quiet, peaceful place where the cast of "Chuck" can be alone with their thoughts, magician David Blaine will attempt the impossible by trying to remain in the studio for longer than seven months, leave the studio cold and empty and re-name it "The World's Largest Metaphor for NBC Programming", panic room for Gary Busey after the rise of the fire hydrants, Studio will be air lifted to a location with better luck, like on top of a native American burial ground.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. Well Jay Leno, he will be taking to "The Tonight Show" in March. O'Brien walks away with a $45 million severance package which includes $12 million that he is generously extending to his staff.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Checking top stories right now. Next week the Justice Department plans to appeal the dismissal of charges against five Blackwater employees. The security guards were accused of killing 17 Iraqis during a shoot-out in Baghdad back in 2007. Last month, a federal judge dismissed the case saying prosecutors mishandled evidence and violated the guards' constitutional rights.
And Vice President Joe Biden also weighed in on an election dispute in Iraq. The issue is whether some 500 politicians with ties to Saddam Hussein former party should be allowed to run for office in the March general election. Biden says he is confident the Iraqis will reach a solution. And heightened security in London today. Britain has raised its terror threat level to severe, its second highest level. That means an attack is believed to be highly likely. But officials say there is no intelligence suggesting that an attack is eminent.
Of course, lots more news ahead. But let's take five minutes to have just a little bit fun. Josh Levs has today's best Internet hits in this "Viral Video Rewind."
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We look forward to this.
WHITFIELD: We do! It's a lot of fun.
LEVS: It is, it is a break from all week. It's like dessert. Here is the thing. This particular week, I had a lot of fun sorting through the viral videos out there. I loved the first one and so will you. It's a clip from the Don Francisco show on the Spanish language channel Univision.
This dog, look at him go. He does not stop. Look that. They got the dance down all the way.
WHITFIELD: I love it!
LEVS: The dog looks happy. I don't know if I should say he or she.
WHITFIELD: Smiling!
LEVS: That is a happy dog. Look, look! The twirl! People are going wild online. What is better than that? This dog has got better moves than a lot of people on the dance floor.
WHITFIELD: Plus the skirt.
LEVS: The skirt is too good.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEVS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: It's cute.
LEVS: Adorable. Got to love it.
WHITFIELD: You don't notice him because of the dog!
LEVS: What do they say? If you're an actor, never perform with babies and dogs. No one is noticing him. He's the side-kick. The dog looks happy! Speaking of fun, cool videos from TV.
WHITFIELD: We can't turn away!
LEVS: We can't. It's time to go to the next one. I want to see the dog keep dancing. It's almost done anyway. There you go.
WHITFIELD: Cha-cha 'cha! LEVS: There you go. That was that. I knew it wouldn't last forever. Unfortunately, another one. Sometimes the most popular videos are these wacky moments from Japanese TV. Take a look at this. Check it out. He is going to get a strike. Watch. Look at that! Have you ever seen bowing like that?
WHITFIELD: I got to see that move one more time.
LEVS: Someone else now with crazy moves. Look at that. These shows out of Japan have cornered the market in the viral word, they take these ordinary things, in this case bowling, and make them wild and funny and impressive. Look at that another strike. You just don't see anything like that.
WHITFIELD: Me either.
LEVS: I'm going to mention this. We keep hearing from people where can I find the links? You can find all of them at my facebook page, joshlevscnn as soon as I'm off the air. You will be able to go there and click all of them yourself. Now here is an interesting one, a change of pace. Have you ever wondered what you might look at a particular age? Don't answer that? You have? Really? This might inspire you. Take a look.
WHITFIELD: Oh, no!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): 5.
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): 7.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): 8.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: This video is supposed to be a portal film festival and three minutes it presents every person from age 1 through 100. It's like celebrate your age whatever it is. Check out the end. They go all the way up to a hundred.
WHITFIELD: Yes!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): I'm 96 years old!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: That's sweet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): How old are you?
(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): I am 98. (UNIDENTIFIED MALE): 99.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): 100.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: I love the dignity, too.
WHITFIELD: I love the drums, the drum accompaniment.
LEVS: It was a brilliant idea. It's catching on.
WHITFIELD: I like that. Almost every age.
LEVS: Yes. It's something to celebrate. Here is the deal. We're going to serious for a second. Whenever major story in the news of destruction some of you see happen online is people like to flock to some videos that are about beautiful places in the world that are about the earth's beauty. Little surprise the past week, this video has taken off. Take a look.
WHITFIELD: OK.
LEVS: Twenty four hours over the Alps, very calming. You and I like our own moments of Zen.
WHITFIELD: I like that.
LEVS: It's by this website magic time lapse.ch and what they do is they follow time lapse photography in different places. This one of the Alps. Listen to that. This has to be better than ambient.
You're watching CNN. I got more videos for you.
WHITFIELD: I'm feeling so much more relaxed now and I was a little wound up but now OK.
LEVS: We even it out here. We go to opposite end of Beethoven.
WHITFIELD: Now make us crazy again!
LEVS: You're my yo-yo for these viral videos. Listen to this.
It's not the finch. It's an actual finch. That little birdie is the punk rocker of the week online.
WHITFIELD: OK.
Definitely not what I expected.
LEVS: You didn't see that coming did you?
WHITFIELD: No.
LEVS: Did you ever think these guys would be so musical? A French artist has a show opening up next month in London. He amped up his electric guitars in a roomful of finches. Grammy? Like that?
WHITFIELD: OK. I'll go with that.
LEVS: They can go to the Grammy's in a little cage.
WHITFIELD: I'll be positive.
LEVS: Interesting acceptance speech. The next couple we just look at really quickly because it's not what you think. Take a look. This is from an illusion file. It makes you think you're looking at a cube. People spend a lot of time coming up with their viral videos. Look at this. He laid out this ribbon on the doors and doorway so carefully that from one specific angle you think you're seeing a cube. One more video like it. It looks like an x but as it gets closer, what you see is there is nothing three-dimensional. And there is nothing coming towards you at all. It's just ribbons in different places. Some people playing with depth perception and if that is your thing, why not? Clearly, there are millions of people out there with nothing to do.
WHITFIELD: You have to think they did a lot of time coming up with that one.
LEVS: You have to think they did a lot of trial and error to make that work.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. Interesting.
LEVS: Funky. Finally Fred, we are going to end today the way we do every weekend with dancing storm troopers!
WHITFIELD: Another kind of funky.
This is my first time seeing this.
LEVS: Just playing.
WHITFIELD: Interesting.
LEVS: Maybe not win any dance reality show, but given that they are basically wearing hard plastic shells from the whole "Star Wars" franchise, the moves aren't so bad.
WHITFIELD: You know what they are going to do next?
LEVS: What is that?
WHITFIELD: You know they are going to do "Thriller."
LEVS: Maybe they will now.
WHITFIELD: This is a warm-up to that. You get a large group of people together and they can make -- they have to do "Thriller."
LEVS: The storm troopers will do their own thing. This is pretty cool song, "Nobody" by Wonder Girls. Here is how you can see the links and send us your favorite viral videos. There I am! We have this come up for you every Saturday at this time! Greatest viral videos in the world for that particular week.
WHITFIELD: It's a fun break.
LEVS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: It really is. You get to see how creative, really creative people can get.
LEVS: It's art. It really is.
WHITFIELD: It is. I love it. Thank you, Josh. Appreciate that. That was a lot of fun.
LEVS: You got it.
WHITFIELD: All right. If you're into gadgets you will have fun with this, too. We are going to find out how you can have a GPS without really have it in your car and just having it accessible in a way. Maybe in your car? If that makes any sense.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, now an update on Haiti. Here is what we know right now. Funeral services were held today for one of the most prominent victims of Haiti's earthquake, the archbishop of Port-au- Prince. Throngs of mourners turned out including Haiti's president, Rene Preval. And the Haitian's government says more than 111,000 people died in last week's earthquake. Many of them are buried in mass graves like this one.
And two more survivors pulled from the rubble yesterday and another survivor is believed to be under the rubble, today, 11 days after the earthquake and apparently more than a hundred rescue workers are at the scene trying to get to him. He is believed to be a young man maybe in his early 20s.
All right, many Haitians are giving up on Port-au-Prince, they're picking up their meager belongings and they're trying to get out. CNN's Karl Penhaul reports on the exodus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Cheerful-colored busses with passengers fleeing tragedy, destination -- anywhere but here. The mass exodus is underway, thousands of survivors are abandoning the ruins of Port-au- Prince, not so much searching for new life, just looking for any old way to survive. For many, it may be a one-way ticket.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not come back to Port-au-Prince. And Port-au- prince is finished, finished.
PENHAUL: Outside, the temperature hits the mid-90s Fahrenheit. Inside this rust bucket bus, it's boiling over. They're headed for a southern town of Jeremie. (on camera): As they leave, these people take the only possessions they have left with them. They know it should take about ten hours to their destination, but they have no idea when they may be back.
(voice-over): If you've ever wondered what it really means to lose everything, look at the 1,000-yard stare in Rosie Nelson's eyes. She was working at a kindergarten. Her five-year-old son, Sonsong (ph) and 18-month-old daughter, Dashney (ph) were crushed to death at home.
"It's best not to cry because everybody's dead. It's over with now. I only cried the first day," she says. She doesn't even have photos of her children. I asked her if at least she had a chance to bury them.
"There was no burial. I just threw them away. I tossed them away," she says.
Nelson shows me the only treasures left in her world -- a kid's memo pad, an old slip for a $90 money transfer from Canada, and her bible. Psalms 46, "The lord is my refuge and my strength," she recruits.
Others draw comfort from the small things they carry -- a plastic water jug, a grubby Winnie-the-Pooh. And right behind them, more people fight for a seat on a bus to an uncertain future.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Port-au-Prince.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Many of the Haitians who remain in Port-au-Prince are living in outdoor camps. CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour gives us a look at that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For days now, you've been seeing these tent villages springing up in parts of Port- au-Prince, which have really become little areas of domestic industry. People are cooking outside, of course. People are also selling anything from charcoal, to try to make a little bit of money, doing their laundry outside, selling whatever fruit they can manage to find, try to sell that and make some money to be able to buy some food and some water.
Now, one of the good things is that there are increasing water points propping up. For instance, here, UNICEF, the children's fund, has brought one great, big plastic bladder of water, and people lining up to get their water outside.
Various buildings -- for instance, hotels that are still standing -- some of them have opened up their water lines to the people. And you know what? People for want of anywhere better to go are having to wash right there, stay clean and hygienic, but do it right outside on the path in full view. There's no privacy in situations like this.
Refugees or internally displaced people have to suddenly perform all their most intimate daily chores right out into the open, because there's no chance to do anything else. They don't have a roof over their head.
And as we move to the presidential palace, where there are, it's estimated, thousands and thousands of people who have lost their homes, who have now gathered there in these impromptu tent cities, that's where -- that's where the government think it is going to relocate all those people, some half a million or so.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And Anderson Cooper will be hosting an hour-long report on Haiti, tonight. A special edition of ANDERSON COOPER 360 "Saving Haiti" begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.
Meantime, two more U.S. banks have failed. We'll tell you where the banks are and what is going to happen to those deposits.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories, right now. Today U.S. Marines ended their nearly seven-year presence in Iraq. In a ceremony in Ramadi, the marines formally turned over control to the Army. If all goes as planned, most of the rest of the U.S. forces could be leaving in the coming months.
And more bank failures overnight. Regulators shut down two small banks in Florida and Missouri making them the fifth and sixth banks to close so far this year alone. Customers at both banks are protected by FDIC.
And farewell Conan O'Brien, at least for now. The "Tonight show" host thanked fans last night during his final show. As almost everyone knows by now Brian is being replaced by the guy he took over for just seven months ago, Jay Leno. O'Brien told the audience if his next gig is doing a show in a 7-Eleven parking lot he'd find a way to make that fun, as well.
And finally, some relief for southern California. The region has a few days to try out before the next Pacific storm actually moves in. Right now, six counties are under a state of emergency. But good news in Los Angeles County, mandatory evacuation orders are lifted for hundreds of people who left their homes because of a mudslide threat.
Jacqui Jeras is in the Severe Weather Center. Wet there and it's going to be wet in a few other places and is already wet.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know, you know, the flood threat has been out west all week long. And we have had a lot of those mudslides but nothing major, so we got lucky overall with this one, other than some of the people who had flooding problems in their homes and things like that.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Wow sever stuff. All right, thank you, Jacqui. All right, a personal GPS as close as your cell phone. One high-tech operator is giving away its navigation software in its new smart phones. What could it mean to you and what about the dashboard GPS units, anyway? Joshua Topolsky, editor in chief for Engadget.com is checking them out for us. He's joining us from New York.
Good to see you.
JOSHUA TOPOLSKY, EDGADGET.COM: Good to see you.
WHITFIELD: OK, let's begin with this Nexus One phone with a GPS on it.
TOPOLSKY: Yeah. I've got it right here. This is Google's first foray into selling their own phone. And Google made the announcement a few months ago with the release of the Droid on Verizon they were going to start giving away basically free turn-by-turn navigation on all of their devices and it was big news in the technology world, it was big news for the people who make traditional turn-by-turn devices. In fact, we saw the stock of those company's plummet like 40 percent the day that Google made this announcement.
WHITFIELD: And they were hot for awhile and maybe not so hot. Instead, what is hot is your phone being able to do everything. And a Nokia has something out that they promise can compete?
TOPOLSKY: Yes, I've got a Nokia device, here, as well. And this offer for this one is coming on January 28. But they just made a huge announcement. Now, Nokia is the largest manufacturer of cell phones in the world. I mean, they sell more phones than anybody, pretty much. And they just made announcement saying they are going to be releasing turn-by-turn navigation for tens of millions of customers for free, so all over the world, dozens of countries, dozens of languages and it's available to download on your phone and use whenever you want.
WHITFIELD: And so that was the Nokia N-97?
TOPOLSKY: Yeah. That's right.
WHITFIELD: Now, what about for all of those dashboard mounted GPS systems? You talk about stock plummeting, but what about those who have it or those who thought they were about to buy one? They probably changed their mind about it now.
TOPOLSKY: Yeah, so I mean, traditionally, we're used to having these dashboard mounted maybe four-inch devices, it's something you have to keep in your car, it's something that you've got to carry around with you when you're traveling. And like I said, the stock has taken a hit for these companies since these announcements. And the thing is, that as smart phones more comfortable and more advanced people don't want to carry around five or six devices around with them, right? They have want to have one thing. So, if you can take your smart phone and throw it in your car and have it do the navigation, what is the point of having one of these devices? So, it's problematic for those companies. WHITFIELD: Absolutely, something tells me those GPS making companies now have to get back to the drawing board quickly and try to figure out what else can we make this thing do that a smart phone can't so that they don't find themselves obsolete.
TOPOLSKY: Yeah. I mean, and that's the big question.
WHITFIELD: What would that be?
TOPOLSKY: Most people are buying them to put them in their car and if you can do that with your cell phone, why would you buy one of these? What will it do that your cell phone doesn't do?
WHITFIELD: That's amazing how quickly how things change. I mean, you get use to something in two months and something else kind of supersedes it and obviates that need. So, amazing stuff.
TOPOLSKY: It's true.
WHITFIELD: Quick changes. All right, thanks so much, Joshua, we appreciate it.
TOPOLSKY: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Joshua Topolsky, am I saying that last name right?
TOPOLSKY: That sounds right. Yeah, Topolsky.
WHITFIELD: OK, good, good. All right, from Engadget.com. Good to see you this Saturday, appreciate it. Have a great rest of the weekend.
TOPOLSKY: You, too. Thanks.
WHITFIELD: OK.
All right, well each week, we bring you a "CNN Hero" and this week a special choice. We're honoring the people of Haiti doing what they must to help each other.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Instead of honoring one person doing extraordinary things as our "CNN Hero" of the week, we've decided to salute the heroes in Haiti. Everyday people showing tremendous courage and resilience since the earthquake.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (voice-over): One of the worst ever natural disasters in the Western Hemisphere couldn't have chosen a more fragile target. Through it all, the Haitian people rallied their strength and persevered. People dig through rubble with their bare hands, searching for trapped relatives and rescuing neighbors.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we're here (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is she alive? Is she OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes. She's OK. She's all right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Survivors share food and water and in random moments high above the ruins, a new sound -- hope.
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid because God is with me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the midst of grave tragedy, the Haitian people remain hopeful, embracing life and each other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The survivors of the Haiti earthquake are still in dire need of food, water and medical supplies. For more information on how you can help, visit CNN.com/heroes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, despite difficult economic times in the U.S., Americans are opening their wallets to help Haiti. CNN's Alina Cho looks at your money in action.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: The phones at UNICEF are ringing off the hook, millions pouring in online. So following the money, where are those dollars going, and how fast?
CHO (on camera): When you click on that "donate" button and you give your money, how quickly does that money start getting used?
LISA SZARKOWSKI, UNICEF: That money is converted into aid within hours.
CHO (voice-over): UNICEF's Lisa Szarkowski says these early days of crucial.
(on camera): This critical window is now. How long does it last?
SZARKOWSKI: I would say for the next week. The disease post-disaster has the potential to kill as many if not more people than the occurrence itself of the earthquake.
CHO (voice-over): Which is why charity experts say getting your money to the right organization is key. Rule No. 1, think big.
TREVOR NIELSON, GLOBAL PHILANTHROPY GROUP: Think about the organizations that are most likely to get the dollar you donate directly to the people of Haiti. That's unlikely to be a small local organization. That's why the U.N. is such an attractive place to donate money right now or the Red Cross.
CHO: UNICEF is a U.N. agency, and its first wave of donations is going toward essential supplies. And it doesn't take much to make a difference -- water purification tablets, plastic jugs to hold clean water, first aid kits -- total cost, pennies because UNICEF buys in bulk.
What the victims in Haiti need right now, supplies that could save lives.
SZARKOWSKI: This is something called oral rehydration salts. These cost seven cents for this package it literally can bring a child back to life.
CHO: How much does a tent like this cost?
SZARKOWSKI: About $700 for a tent. And it literally is a shelter, it's a community center, it can be a hospital.
CHO (voice-over): Even a school. This school in a box costs $190 and provides supplies for 80 children. These will be sent to Haiti in the coming weeks.
SZARKOWSKI: It's often surprising to people that this would be such a priority, but if we don't do it now and soon, our years of experience show us it can cripple children and really seriously impede their recovery. What we need to do immediately is restore some sense of normalcy, literally a safe haven.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And if you're one of the many people making a charitable donation for the earthquake victims in Haiti, you can write those off on your 2009 taxes. Congress rushed a bill through this week and the president signed it last night. Those donations, however, must be made before March 1.
And you may be wondering how you can help. We're making it easy for you. Logon to CNN.com/impact and follow the prompts.
And if you saw it, you cannot forget the smile. A look at the rescue that had us cheering.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: And now a story of triumph. After eight days trapped in the rubble in Haiti, a little boy was pulled to safety. His rescue captured so many hearts, including our own Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We usually go for laughs, but with this story we'll settle for a smile. What a smile.
MATTHEW MCDERMOTT, AMERICARES/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER: We're amazed. I mean -- afterwards we just kind of all sat there like, did that just happen? We had to go back and look at the back of our cameras to check.
MOOS: A 7-year-old kid named Kiki dug out alive and well after being buried for 7-1/2 days. A crew from NBC shot video of the rescue. When they finally reached the boy, he was scared and wouldn't come out until rescue workers brought a relative in the yellow tank top to coax him.
His pants may be lost, but he was found.
MCDERMOTT: He was like a rabbit out of the hat. He popped out, arms went straight up in the air and just turned and smiled.
MOOS: A tattooed freelance photographer from New York City named Matthew McDermott captured the image while shooting for the humanitarian group, AmeriCares.
(On camera): Do you think -- I mean this is kind of crass, but do you think of things like Pulitzer Prize-winning when you take a photo like that?
MCDERMOTT: No, no, not at all. That would be a little arrogant. You know, I don't sit around, patting ourselves in the back. Around every corner there's photograph here that needs to be taken.
MOOS (voice-over): The rescue workers were from units based in New York City and Virginia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you feeling right now?
JOE DOWNEY, NEW YORK TASK FORCE ONE: Unbelievable. I just want to hug my compadre, Dario Gomez. This is unbelievable feeling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gonzales.
DOWNEY: Gonzales. Who knows?
MOOS: They also rescued Kiki's older sister. The image McDermott shot will likely be used by AmeriCares to inspire donations. From photos in an earthquake to photos from another earth-shaking event, previously McDermott's most famous photos were from 9/11. After shooting so much death in Haiti...
(On camera): Was that the biggest smile you ever saw on the littlest kid?
MCDERMOTT: It was amazing. I'm sorry, my lungs are a little messed. I mean nine days of breathing death and dust.
MOOS (voice-over): Which makes this a breath of fresh air. Touchdown.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
