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Forces Strike Gadhafi Compound; Nancy Pelosi Hospitalized in Italy; Nuts and Bolts of Libya Attacks; Tips on Making Your Family Emergency Plan

Aired March 21, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. It's Monday, March 21st.

Two countries dominate today's news because both have rapidly changing stories that impact us here at home, as well as abroad. The latest developments on the coalition air strikes on Libya and today's setback at Japan's nuclear power plant. That, in the CNN NEWSROOM. .

I want to get you up to speed on Libya.

The Pentagon says the United States carried out a new round of air strikes on Libyan military targets overnight. A spokesman suggests that U.S. combat operations may have peaked. He says the U.S. role is in the no-fly zone. It is moving from action phase to a patrolling phase today.

Libyan handlers took journalists to see damage inside Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli. That happened earlier today. A possible cruise missile wrecked a four-story building. Now, the Pentagon says that Libyan command and control was not the target -- was, rather, the target, but not Gadhafi.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia, today, just as that country's prime minister turned up the heat. Vladimir Putin ripped the United States for what he called a steady trend of intervention abroad. Gates portrayed the U.S. role as limited.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We expect that in a matter of days to be able to turn over the primary responsibility to others. We will continue to support the coalition. We will be a member of the coalition. We will have a military role in the coalition. But we will not have the preeminent role.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Arab League president Amr Moussa is toning down his criticism of the coalition attacks. Moussa met with U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon in Cairo today, saying that he's still committed to the U.N. resolution on Libya. Yesterday, Moussa complained the military campaign was too broad because he said civilians were killed. And Libya freed four "New York Times" journalists today. The group is now at the Turkish Embassy in Tripoli. The four crossed into rebel- controlled eastern Libya from Egypt without visas. Pro-Gadhafi forces held them for six days.

More now on the war in Libya and the aftermath of the attack on Moammar Gadhafi's compound. A military official insists that the coalition is not targeting Gadhafi. He says the target was the command and control capabilities at the compound.

Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson got a firsthand look at the damage. He joins us from Tripoli.

And Nic, describe what you saw on the ground. What does this compound look like?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, this is an area, a building that's inside a very large palace compound area. And when you go into this compound area, it's several square miles.

You go in through a number of security checkpoints. You go past a barrack area where the security forces who live and provide security in this compound, in this palace area, are barracked. And then you pass through that into sort of an area that's a very large field, possibly the size of three, four, five football fields together.

There are a couple of buildings in there. And the building that we were taken to see was the building that was hit in the missile strike. This is a building that was four stories high, made of heavy, strong rebar, reinforced concrete.

The missiles appear to have hit the roof of the building. There were two circular holes that we could see. We were told that one of the missiles had gone into the building and hadn't exploded until it had reached the basement of the building. The roof was collapsed.

There was concrete debris strewn over an area of perhaps 100 yards or so. Having seen other missile strikes, this particular strike, it appeared to me as if it was not perhaps one of the largest, heaviest missiles in the arsenal that the coalition has. I would like to say how big the explosion was, but I have seen plenty bigger where whole buildings have been demolished and there are huge craters in the ground.

It wasn't like that. Part of the building, the center of the building, was collapsed, and we could still see and even went into rooms on either side of that collapsed area -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Nic, do we know if there were any casualties at the compound? According to a Libyan official, they were talking about that.

And the second thing is, do we know where Gadhafi is?

ROBERTSON: According to a Libyan official there, he told us there were no casualties, there was no one in the building at the time. And as for Gadhafi's whereabouts, I think that's a big mystery right now. The only time he's appeared on TV since these coalition strikes began, it's only his voice that has appeared on state television. No image of him, and it gives you the impression that he doesn't want to give anyone any idea of where he is, not just being seen on TV, but even for the camera crew teams to know where he is.

It seems to be a very well-kept secret right now -- Suzanne

MALVEAUX: And Nic, how has Gadhafi responded to these coalition attacks, particularly on that command and control center?

ROBERTSON: We haven't had any specific response from government officials or Gadhafi himself on the strike on his compound last night. From what we saw of that building there, this was a building that we visited in the middle of the night, and I couldn't see in any of the rooms I went into any signs of electronic equipment.

Again, this was nighttime. And if there was a basement area, we didn't get into it and couldn't see it. But the impression created from what we saw was a building that hadn't been used in a military way. And the journalists there with us told us that they had been in this building a couple of days prior on their way to meet Gadhafi, who has a tent very, very close by.

Where is Gadhafi right now? That's not clear. What is his response to that? The government response has been anger, because they say, as they were telling us on the site there last night, that until that time, the Pentagon had said that there were no targets in this compound area.

MALVEAUX: Right.

ROBERTSON: And they said there were civilians nearby at the time -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Nic Robertson, thank you very much.

All eyes on Libya, what happens there, the whereabouts of Moammar Gadhafi, and just whether or not his own forces will be put down by this coalition force that is being led right now by the United States.

Well, we also want to bring you -- we have some new information that is coming out of Italy. This is about Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.

Our CNN's Dana Bash is following that story.

And Dana, what can you tell us?

DANA BASH, CNN SR. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we can tell you, according to a source familiar with her condition, that Nancy Pelosi was hospitalized today in Rome. She is there on a trip with some other members of Congress. But the good news is, I'm also told that she is now out of the hospital and back at her hotel room.

Suzanne, this certainly came as a surprise when we heard that she was in the hospital, because as you know, she is somebody who is known with so much energy and so much strength. So, the fact that she even went to the hospital at all certainly raised alarm bells big-time for people who know her well.

We don't know exactly what was wrong except that she was not feeling well. We do expect a statement from her office shortly.

She was there, I should tell you, with a group of congressmen for the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. She was also in Afghanistan over the weekend with that same group of congressmen -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Dana, it may a little bit too early to know this, because the statement will be coming out. Do we know if it is something that is serious or if it's something that is minor?

BASH: We do not know that yet. All we are told is that she was not feeling well. But the fact that she was there just for, it looks like, a couple of hours, and now back at her hotel, it looks like -- it indicates that it was not serious. And that is the good news here.

She is 70 years old. She turns 71, Suzanne, this coming Saturday. And she is somebody who is very hard to keep up with. Anybody around her will tell you that.

MALVEAUX: We know that's true, Dana. She is a go-getter. She is a tough, tough woman. So we certainly hope that she is well.

Thanks, Dana. And we'll be back to you if you get any more details about that. Thank you very much.

Well, smoke poured from two reactors at Japan's crippled nuclear plant today, and that prompted the evacuation of hundreds of workers trying to still stabilize this facility. The plant's owner says that all reactors are now wired for electricity, but officials won't turn it on until the pumps that circulate water to cool the nuclear fuel rods are repaired.

The World Health Organization says radiation found in Japan's food supply is now more serious than thought. Japan's government has blocked the sale of spinach and milk produced near the plant. And officials say some tap water in Fukushima prefecture is contaminated as well.

A Japanese teenager and his 80-year-old grandmother are recovering today after nine days under the rubble of their home. Now, the boy says that their house collapsed while the two were in the kitchen. They managed to crawl to get food, water and blankets.

Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on the U.S. involvement in Libya. Our Carol Costello, she's joining us to talk about the "Question of the Day."

And, you know, a lot of people, they might have not been watching over the weekend. But there was a lot that happened, and we are in the lead now of these air strikes in Libya. This is our third military operation.

COSTELLO: Exactly. I can see someone actually waking up this morning, turning on the television, and said, "What? We're at war with Libya?"

MALVEAUX: Exactly.

COSTELLO: I know. The strikes are coming in, Suzanne, not just against Gadhafi's forces, but against President Obama's handling of Libya.

Critics are asking why was there no presidential speech to the nation, or any real explanation of American goals? Republican House Speaker John Boehner put it bluntly: "Before any further military commitments are made, the administration must do a better job of communicating to the American people and to Congress about our mission in Libya."

So, what exactly is America's end game here? Is it to force Gadhafi out? Well, you can say there have been some mixed messages. Right?

Here is President Obama earlier this month.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Colonel Gadhafi needs to step down from power and leave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: That's clear. That's some tough talk, a clear message about Gadhafi.

Now fast forward to last Friday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We are not going to use force to go beyond a well-defined goal, specifically the protection of civilians in Libya.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Mr. Obama may have softened his stance because of the U.N. resolution and the need for a coalition. But is it realistic to assume the United States' mission will end quickly if Gadhafi remains in power? Remember, in Iraq, the U.S. policed a no-fly zone for 12 years, but it became a full-scale war with U.S. ground troops that eventually toppled Saddam Hussein.

So, "Talk Back" today: Does the U.S. have a clear mission in Libya in your mind?

Write to me on Facebook.com/CarolCNN, and I will read your answers later this hour.

MALVEAUX: And I think one of the difficult things, Carol, is that the mission evolves, it's changing. And a lot of people are asking -- COSTELLO: It evolved backwards, though.

MALVEAUX: -- about mission creep. Just how involved are we going to be in the weeks to come? We know the president and military officials say days. How do we know that?

COSTELLO: Well, Defense Secretary Gates says we do know that. But I don't know exactly how.

But you talk about mission creep, the mission creep reversed itself. And maybe once we get the no-fly zone established and we can fly freely over there, but Gadhafi stays in power, maybe the mission creep will creep forward again. It's very confusing.

MALVEAUX: It's confusing. And boy, big questions about long term, what happens in that country.

COSTELLO: Yes. And we could be there for a long time.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol. Appreciate it.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Here is a look at what is ahead "On the Rundown."

The strikes on Libya, the military operation, and the mission, as well as the United States role.

Also, the response from the Arab League to the campaign.

Plus, how the unrest in Libya and the disaster in Japan are affecting the financial markets.

And then, contributor Jim Walsh and the latest on Japan's nuclear crisis.

And finally, survivor stories from the earthquake and tsunami.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very lucky.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Coalition forces control the skies over Libya right now, enforcing a no-fly zone. We want to get into the nuts and bolts of this operation. We also want to take a look at the U.S. role in particular. I want to bring in our Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence.

And Chris, tell us first -- obviously, we are taking the lead on this. The use of Tomahawk missiles on attacks in Libya, this happened over the weekend. We are now moving into Monday. What do we know so far? CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Suzanne. They were used because they could strike some of Moammar Gadhafi's air defense sites, take out some of his surface-to-air missiles.

Now, these Tomahawks can move well over 500 miles an hour. Some of the first were fired at 2:00 in the afternoon, but they didn't hit their targets until 3:00 in the afternoon. And you wonder why the time gap. It's because some were fired well out of the range of their target in opposite directions. They would then draw some of the attention from some of Libya's early warning radar sites, and then other Tomahawks could just hang out in an area after they were fired and then bear down on their target afterwards.

Also, U.S. officials are pushing back on some of Moammar Gadhafi's claims that civilians were killed in some of these strikes. Normally, with the Tomahawks you program their target before you launch them, but a lot of these Tomahawks that were fired over the weekend have the ability to be reprogrammed already in flight.

Now, the Navy is saying they didn't even have to use that capability. Normally, you would use that if you thought there was danger to civilians. You could alter its course, you could change the target mid-flight. But the Navy is saying, well, if you don't have to reprogram your missiles, you're fairly confident that what you are hitting is a military target -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: So they don't believe they've had any casualties so far?

LAWRENCE: They don't believe there's been any civilian casualties so far. Distinction between that and some of the Gadhafi forces.

MALVEAUX: Sure. And what about this report of an additional strike on Moammar Gadhafi's compound, that there was supposed to be a second one, plans for a second one in play?

LAWRENCE: Yes, that's right. We confirmed with coalition officials that they did hit Moammar Gadhafi's compound. They say it was targeting the compound, not the man, saying that he has certain command and control abilities there, the ability to reach out and talk to his forces, command his forces. That's what they were hitting inside this sprawling compound.

There was supposed to be a second strike last night on that compound. I talked with the British Ministry of Defense, who have told me that mission was called off because of a danger to civilians there. The MOD saying they had scrambled some British jets and they were on their way, but then the mission was pulled back and aborted because of the danger to civilians.

MALVEAUX: And Chris, this may be a tough question, but military officials who you speak with, how do they define the end of this mission? How do we know if the United States has in fact succeeded and it's time to pull back?

LAWRENCE: Well, military officials say that's up to the administration, really, to decide that. You know, you listen to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs yesterday, he said he could envision an end with Moammar Gadhafi still in power. But that's defined at the higher levels. And there, you get a difference among the allies.

British and French officials seem to suggest that Gadhafi staying in power is untenable, whereas from the U.S. side, that's not been clearly defined. So there seems to not be a consensus among all of the allies as to exactly what the final stage of this mission is supposed to be.

MALVEAUX: And that is the question. That's the big question today. Thank you, Chris. We appreciate that.

So, what is the end game in Libya? Coming up at half past the hour, we're going to speak with retired General Russel Honore about the U.S. role in this war.

And rumblings from the Arab League that the air strikes on Libya go beyond the agreement to simply protect civilians. Our CNN's Ivan Watson, he is on the phone from Cairo from that vantage point.

Ivan, the heart of Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli, it's in ruins after the bombing by the allied forces on Sunday night. A big condition of the U.N. no-fly zone was that the Arab League was standing behind action in Libya.

Are they still standing by that action now?

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's been a big question. And as Chris alluded in his report just now, a question of consensus among the allies.

You had the Arab League less than two weeks ago calling on the United Nation Security Council to help impose a no-fly zone. And then, over the weekend, as the Tomahawk missiles and air strikes started raining down, you had the general secretary of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, come out saying that the Western military had gone beyond that initial no-fly zone, that they were now bombing civilians. It was a very different message coming from the Arab League.

Today, the secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, stood side by side with Amr Moussa and said, you know, it's time for us to speak with one voice vis-a-vis Libya, that this is an operation, a military operation, to protect civilians from being killed by the Gadhafi regime. And Amr Moussa seemed to backpedal a bit, saying that he did respect the United Nations Security Council resolution calling for this no-fly zone.

I asked Amr Moussa whether or not he felt there needed to be a bigger Arab face or participation in this military operation. So far, Suzanne, only Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have talked about contributing some kind of military assets. And he also avoided that answer, saying that this was a bilateral question, it was up to individual member states, implying that he's not going to be trying to rally Arab support for this military operation that's really being carried out by the U.S., Canada and European countries so far. MALVEAUX: So, Ivan, how much do you think of this as kind of playing to the Arab street, if you will, their domestic audiences back home in the Middle East? Or is this really some sincere, genuine frustration and suspicion coming from the Arab leaders?

WATSON: I think it's a combination of all of this. You know, there is a lot of skepticism and suspicion about the past experiences of Western governments, and in particular militaries, in Arab Muslim countries.

At the same time, the Arab League is made up of predominantly authoritarian, dictatorial governments. They are not necessarily eager to see popular uprising succeed which have come up in their own countries as well, which threaten their own credibility and legitimacy. That's a concern as well, and definitely something that people are dealing with here.

Another thing to keep in mind, Suzanne, I'm in Egypt now. This isn't even on the front pages of the newspapers here. Egypt is so caught up with its own turmoil -- it just had its own constitutional referendum over the weekend -- that it is much more concerned with stability and the progress of its own revolution rather than what is taking place across the border in Libya.

MALVEAUX: Amazing, those circumstances there.

Ivan Watson.

A very complicated situation happening in the Middle East.

Appreciate it.

So, how are all of the crises impacting the global economies? In a moment, we're going to look at how investors are moving the markets from Tokyo to New York, and the effect on your wallet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: New troubles at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Smoke was spotted coming from two of the damaged reactors. That happened earlier today. The remaining workers were evacuated.

Now, an official with Japan's nuclear agency says there was no evidence of an explosion or a spike in radiation. Tons of water have been sprayed on those reactors trying to cool them down.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

MALVEAUX: Reynolds Wolf, bringing in the Spring for us.

Isn't that great? I love it. Winter is over.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know. We're talking Spring, but, I mean, in some places it does still feel like winter.

We still have some snow to deal with out towards the East, some out towards the West. Let's show you the whole deal.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's a look at what's ahead on the rundown. The United States Military in another war. Retired General Russel Honore breaks down the mission in Libya.

Plus, more questions than answers on those crippled nuclear reactors in Japan. Contributor Jim Walsh is joining us with a status report.

Also, what to do when disaster strikes. Tips to prevent your family in an emergency.

And what is next for Moammar Gadhafi?

Finally, President Obama in Latin America.

What is the ultimate mission in Libya? Are the U.S. and the rest of the coalition just protecting civilians, or getting involved in something a lot bigger?

Joining me from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, retired U.S. General and CNN contributor Russel Honore.

General Honore, thank you for joining us here. The U.S. not very much engaged in its third war. We're talking Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Libya.

Do you think we are overstretched?

RET. GENERAL RUSSEL HONORE, U.S. ARMY (RET.): I think from actions you've seen over the weekend, for a short term operation, that this mission can be accomplished. I think the ambiguity of what's the policy and intent has confused Colonel Gadhafi. But at the same time it has put questions in people's mind is that our policy has been stated is to protect the freedom fighters.

But the underlying intent, isn't to get rid of Gadhafi. And I think Ambassador Rice has work to go back to the U.N. and get that intent clarified, because clearly, the life of the freedom fighters won't get better until Gadhafi is gone.

MALVEAUX: So what kind of position does that put President Obama in now? He said Gadhafi's got to go. You have a new U.N. resolution here that says protecting the citizens is the goal. But, as you mentioned, if Gadhafi stays, this is a mission that's going to continue.

HONORE: Well, in spite of all that's been said, on this team, the president of the United States is the quarterback for this team. He's going to have to make the call and he's got to drive the policy.

MALVEAUX: What does he need to tell the American people right now, because I think it is very unclear in terms of what is our role, our involvement with our own fighter jets over Libya.

HONORE: I don't think we have the capacity or the will of the American people to reengage be engaged in another long war. I think history will try to paint this as a conflict to ease the pain and suffering of the freedom fighters.

I think the role of the president and Secretary Rice who I've worked with before up at the U.N. is going to have to turn this thing and say at the end of the day, we've got to continue the military pressure on the military by destroying it.

And then number two, for diplomacy under Secretary Clinton, to leave a back door so Gadhafi to leave. Otherwise, the other objective is to target him which could cause collateral damage. But at the end of the day, our purpose won't be achieved with him still in Libya. Otherwise you got to (INAUDIBLE) to civil war and who's going to support that.

MALVEAUX: General, what kind of out would you give Gadhafi at this point, because a lot of people look at the scenario and we've backed him into a corner.

HONORE: Absolutely. You know, there may be -- he may still have friends around the world and he's going to have to leave with enough money. I mean, all this will have to be a part of the deal. What I find very surprising, Suzanne, is the amount of open policy and discussions we've had. It's almost like conducting a battle on social network. Each side telecasting what the next move is. And I think once we take another look at this in the next 48 to 72 hours that that's going to have to be adjusted.

MALVEAUX: Now, is that a failure of leadership on someone's part? Whether it's -- is it President Obama, is it the United Nations?

HONORE: No, we have to act quickly. You know, he was about to go into Benghazi and destroy those people and thanks for the amount of technology that we've been given in our Military and capability and cooperation with the French. They were able to get there to keep them from destroying Benghazi.

It creates a lot of ambiguity by people. But at the same time, that ambiguity could work as a strength for us because Gadhafi don't know what's going to happen next. And the fact that we targeted his compound to take out that --what was perceived to be a command of control, he should be getting uneasy now. And hopefully, we've got diplomatic line talking to him, to try to convince him to leave.

MALVEAUX: Very quickly, General, the president and Military officials have said we're taking the lead in days, not weeks, that our role is going to be pulled back.

Can they really even guarantee that to the American people? Do we really have assurances at all?

HONORE: I think that's their intent. But remember, Suzanne, the enemy has a vote. And the first thing to get change when you go to war is the plan. The plan never survived contact with the enemy. That's why I've said through diplomatic means and senior policy, they need to adjust what the mission is. And the mission now appears to be Gadhafi must go.

MALVEAUX: All right, General Honore, appreciate your perspective. We'll keep a close eye on what's happening on the ground.

Thank you, General.

Plumes of smoke rising from the damaged nuclear reactors in Japan today. We're going to have the latest on the continuing effort to avert a nuclear disaster.

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MALVEAUX: Radiation from Japan's quake and tsunami damaged nuclear plant is seeping into some of the food supply. Japan's government has blocked the sale of spinach and milk produced near the plant. Officials say some tap water is Fukushima prefecture (ph) contaminated as well. Smoke poured from two reactors at the crippled nuclear plant, that happened today. And it prompted the evacuation of hundreds of workers who have been trying to stabilize this facility.

Now the plant's owner says all reactors are now wired for electricity. But officials won't turn it on until the pumps that circulate water to cool the nuclear fuel are repaired.

Our CNN contributor and international security analyst Jim Walsh is joining us from Boston.

Jim, thank you for being here.

We've been keeping a very close eye on the plant. What is the status today? Is it still a danger?

JIM WALSH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well certainly the fires are a surprise. They have been making progress, as you had said, Suzanne, laying power lines to all the reactors. And then you had first, a fire at reactor number three. It's allegedly near the spent fuel pond.

You'll remember a couple days ago, and it's hard to keep track now, that there had been two fires at the spent fuel pond at reactor four, where they store the nuclear waste. So whether this is a repeat of that type of fire, possibility, but fundamentally, we don't know.

But soon after that fire -- and they did put the fire out at reactor three -- then another fire, this time at reactor number two. Does this have something to do with restoring electricity? We don't know. And we're not going to know for a little while. I'm sure they're trying to get cameras in there right now. But I think it is a setback for today.

Today, they were planning actually to get electricity in the control room in reactor two, you know, look at some gauges. And my guess is that's been put on hold, at least for the near term.

MALVEAUX: And Jim, do we know if that means there's still radiation that's spewing from any of these reactors?

WALSH: Well, at reactor number three, it's alleged that they're -- you know, they were going to vent and then they didn't vent. I'm sure there's radiation coming from the spent fuel ponds if there isn't enough water in there. So, overall they say -- overall TEPCO is reporting that the radiation levels have stabilized. But if you have exposed fuel or exposed waste at reactor three and reactor four, that does generates radiation.

MALVEAUX: Jim, do we have any idea, an update on the health, the status of those workers who've been in the trenches since the earthquake and tsunami struck? They have been exposed to potentially lethal doses of radiation.

WALSH: Yes. We really don't, Suzanne. The company has kept them pretty closed off. They did have a press conference the other day. Very difficult to watch, you know, very emotional, very hard. But we certainly don't have medical data on them. And my guess is we're not going to get any -- at least for the near term. But this is going to be an ongoing story because clearly, they face risk going forward.

But, at this point, we're not getting -- like so many things on this story, Suzanne, we are not getting information.

MALVEAUX: We are certainly trying to get that information, not for lack of trying.

Thank you so much, Jim. We appreciate that.

WALSH: Thank you.

Earthquakes, floods, hurricanes. It's important -- right -- to have a disaster plan to protect your family, as well as your belongings. Well, learn what you should do to prepare for the worst case scenario.

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MALVEAUX: We're all seeing this tragic disaster unfold in Japan. But no matter where you live, you need a family emergency plan.

Our Stephanie Elam, she has tips about what you need to know to be safe, your family to be safe. And, Steph, you know, my family just figured out how to do a list for e-mail so we can communicate to each other all at once.

But that's really just the beginning, right?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's so huge. And we went through it after 9/11. My dad was on a plane, we didn't know where everyone was and we finally drilled down and said, someone has to know in the family, where you are at all times. I know you're busy, folks, but you go to do this.

MALVEAUX: Exactly.

ELAM: No one wants to think about all of these things. You don't want to think about disasters. But you got to make sure you've got a plan together with your family before disaster strikes.

So what's the first step? Figure out what emergencies are most common for where you live. Rick Thistle, with the American Red Cross says for most folks, fire is probably the biggest threat. But depending on where you live, you need to be ready for other emergencies like earthquakes and wild fires in California and on the west coast, although today it's just torrential rain. And then tornadoes, something like that in the Midwest is a huge issue.

And you can learn more about how to best prepare for these hazards by calling your local emergency management office or your local Red Cross office, as well. And you can also find specific plans for a variety of different situations as well as the appropriate supplies that you're going to need to get prepared and get trained by going to that section on preparing and getting trained at redcross.org, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: How do you make sure everybody is on the same page about the family's plan? That can be pretty difficult. Everybody has different ideas about where they should be, how they should communicate, who should know what?

ELAM: It's so true. And it's hard, especially the bigger the family you have. I have a huge family so that's hard. But, you know what? You got to be all for one and one for all.

And the Red Cross says work as a team by giving everyone in your family an individual responsibility. And when it comes to the plan, pick two places to meet, one right outside the home in case of a fire. But also another one outside your neighborhood in case you need to evacuate. And you've got to practice that plan to escape from your house at least twice a year. And make sure you think about your pets, as well.

And separation is always a big concern during emergency situations. So make sure everyone has the number of a designated out-of-town family member or a friend who can field calls from everybody and be the messenger and let everyone know that everyone's OK, that they've heard from everybody.

And you can also print up a small wallet-size emergency contact card for all members of the family, which you can get off the Red Cross web site. I actually printed it out here. It's really easy to see. You just fill in everyone's contact numbers, cell phone numbers, school numbers, work numbers, everything you need, along with your outside contact who you're going to reach out to, outside of the area.

Have this ready in your wallet and all these little steps can actually help make a difference so that if something's happening, you at least know you guys can get together, contact each other and be safe, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And that is worth so much. Just peace of mind, knowing that you've got a plan just in case.

ELAM: Seriously.

MALVEAUX: Yes. All right. Stephanie, thanks. She's going to be back with what you can do right now to protect your family.

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MALVEAUX: And we're back with Stephanie Elam. When it comes to your finances, you say that there are things that you can do right now to protect your family in case something happens?

What can we do, Steph?

ELAM: Yes, and money's always important. So what you want to do is create an emergency file. And this is where you can put any important documents, your passports, copy of birth certificates, tax records, anything that you need to get your hands on quickly. Put it in a fire-proof portable file, grab and go box. If for some reason you need to be evacuated, you could just grab.

Next, make sure you create an emergency fund. Put some cash in your emergency file box. And then on top of that, Kiplinger advises keeping three to six months of living expenses in a liquid account. I know we talk about it all the time, but you want to make sure you can access this money quickly to cover all of your expenses from rent to debt, utilities, everything else that you may need.

I know people laugh when talk about putting away that much cash. But you got to start somewhere, right Suzanne? So start with trying to just save $1,000 and put that away. And if a disaster does hits your area, make sure you keep receipts from all your living expenses, just in case you're able to get reimbursed by your insurer.

But all in all, just be prepared, because no one ever knows exactly when disaster is going to strike.

MALVEAUX: Great advice. Thank you, Stephanie.

Well survivors starting over from scratch in Japan, rebuilding their country and their lives, one shovel at a time.

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MALVEAUX: Now your chance to Talk Back on one of the big stories of the day. The U.S. conducted missile strikes overnight in Libya. It's part of a no-fly zone in Libya that was approved by United Nations last week. But what are the long-term goals for our country, for the United States.

Well, Carol Costello, she joins us with today's Talk Back.

And Carol, a lot of people didn't even realize that this was going on this weekend. If were you out and about having fun, you didn't realize, we went to war with another country.

COSTELLO: Yes. You wake up Monday morning and you say, what the heck is going on over in Libya? And a lot of people are confused about the end game.

So our Talk Back question today was, "Does the U.S. have a clear mission in Libya?"

This from Jim. "Not even close. What's the difference between Libya and all the other regimes killing their own people? Are they next? Is that our new foreign policy?"

This from Stack. "The mission in Libya is damned if you do and damned if you don't. The entire world, including the Arab League wanted to help and criticized the lack of action. But now that actions are being taken, they are criticized, as well."

This from Carl. "The U.S. has helped establish a no-fly zone now. Now it's time to get out of there. If we don't it's clear we'll end up in another war that can't be positive for our nation as whole."

And this from Tina. "I don't think the mission has been made clear. How many countries are in the United Nations? Yet it's always the United States and the U.K. that are the ones that send troops into these countries and our countries suffer the casualties."

Keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/carolCNN -- facebook.com/carolCNN -- and I'll see you again in an about 10 minutes.

MALVEAUX: All right. Great. Thank you, Carol.