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Colin Powell Tours Banda Aceh; U.S. Military Looks to Increase Helicopter Relief Effort

Aired January 05, 2005 - 15:00   ET

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

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


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: At the top of the hour now, the latest on the tsunami. He came. He saw. He couldn't believe it.
Secretary of State Colin Powell says nothing he's seen as a soldier or statesman prepared him for the near annihilation of Indonesia's Aceh Province. Powell and Florida Governor Jeb Bush toured Aceh by helicopter today, hours before the State Department announced another 20 Americans presumed dead on top of 16 confirmed dead earlier today.

The fates of some 3,500 Americans have yet to be ascertained, though officials say they are making progress in narrowing the list.

Europeans stopped what they were doing at noon today for three minutes of silence for tsunami victims everywhere. The overall death toll now approaches 156,000, three-fifths of those in northern Indonesia. Here in the U.S., a lawmaker is set to propose a global tsunami warning system. Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut will make the announcement tomorrow. That legislation would direct the State and Commerce Department to work with other nations to fill the gaps in detecting tsunamis worldwide.

Only on CNN will you find our depth and breadth of reporting from across the subcontinent. We have dozens of crews and producers supporting 19 correspondents and anchors from Ram Ramgopal to Richard Roth to Atika Shubert, who covered today's visit to Aceh Province by the U.S. secretary of state.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm here at Banda Aceh Airport, where Secretary of State Colin Powell visited very briefly before boarding a helicopter to go see some of the more devastated areas of Aceh province. That being, of course, the hardest hit area in this island of Sumatra, Indonesia.

He was, of course, accompanied by Florida Governor Jeb Bush and also by Indonesia's social minister, Alwi Shihab.

He boarded that helicopter, took a low-flying flight across the most devastated areas of the city. The secretary of state compared what he saw to some of the previous experiences in war. Here's what he said.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I've been in war, and I've been through a number of hurricanes, tornadoes and other relief operations. But I have never seen anything like this.

Flying over Banda Aceh and seeing how the wave came ashore, pushing everything in its path. Cars, ships, freighters overturned, all the way up to the foothills, and then starting up the foothills until finally the waves came to a stop.

SHUBERT: After surveying the devastation, the secretary of state then briefly came down and toured some of the aid relief area here, gathered here at the airport in particular. A makeshift hospital that has been made up here because the hospitals in the city are simply overflowing with injuries that have been brought in from the hardest hit areas.

After doing that, he gave a very brief press briefing along with the Florida governor and Indonesia's social minister, in which the secretary of state promised that the United States would do all it could to help Indonesia's suffering, to help relieve that suffering, including promising more helicopters and making sure that the free flow of aid is able to go unhindered to those survivors who need it the most.

Atika Shubert, CNN, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: There are concerns that some of the children who survived the tsunamis now facing new dangers. UNICEF and other groups warn gangs may be kidnapping orphans and forcing them into slavery or even sexual bondage.

But one Swedish boy who was feared abducted may not have been after all.

CNN's Matthew Chance has been update for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like thousands of others, 12-year-old Kristian Walker is still missing. Swedish police investigating reports he had been kidnapped in Thailand after surviving the tsunami say they found no evidence of foul play.

His disappearance may be far less sinister than first believed, but it's no less tragic. Earlier speculation was fueled by the child's grandfather, who made an urgent appeal in Thailand for information. He said Thai doctors had told him they recognized photographs of Kristian. Thailand's Health Ministry has since said there's no record of him ever being treated.

DANIEL WALKER, GRANDFATHER: Well, I will tell you, I don't know that he's been kidnapped. I should say I'm hoping he's been kidnapped, as opposed to having been killed initially, because, if he's been kidnapped, there's a possibility that he's alive.

CHANCE: But that possibility now looks increasingly unlikely. Aid workers say criminal gangs and pedophiles may well be operating in the aftermath of the tsunami, exploiting this disaster's youngest and most vulnerable. The grief-stricken parents may well hang on to even that as a desperate hope.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Phuket, Thailand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Joining me here in Washington is one of the top officials of Save the Children. He's Mike Kiernan, the group's communication director.

Mike, good to have you with us.

First of all, the focus of some of these stories, unfortunately or fortunately, whatever you want to put it, has been a Swedish boy. There are many other children who are in peril right now. And that is something your organization is focusing very carefully on.

MIKE KIERNAN, SAVE THE CHILDREN: Yes.

Children are at risk not, only of disease and lack of shelter, but also they are at risk of the potential child exploitation. There are criminal elements throughout South Asia that are capable of taking advantage of these children. We're working very hard to make sure that does not happen.

O'BRIEN: But when have you something of this magnitude, this size, with so many needs that are so immediate, and there are so few people out there, relatively, who can meet those needs, does this get lost in the shuffle?

KIERNAN: Child protection tends to be a lesser priority in the first phase of the humanitarian response than, say, food, water, shelter, medicines.

But, in this case, the media has focused so much attention on the needs of children and the potential of exploitation that we're -- that there is hope for these kids, I think, because the world -- these predators, these bad actors out there, like to operate in the dark. And the world is shining a light on their potential activity.

I should add that everything we have heard so far is anecdotal, like that one story. And we're hopeful that because all the national governments and the local authorities are aware that this can be a problem, that this problem will be minimized. There will be likely some instances of child exploitation, but we hope we can minimize it.

O'BRIEN: So people are more attuned to it. Governments are more attuned to it on a very local level. People are watching out for each other, except, of course, you have a situation where there's such terrible losses, people losing whole families, that there are apt to be children that have really slipped through the cracks here.

KIERNAN: And that's why we're working in these homeless camps where adults and children have gathered. And we're working as quickly as we can with UNICEF and the International Red Cross to identify children who are who are without their parents, and to try to create safe areas for those children to gather within those camps, to separate those children from the rest of the community, so we can work with them to reunite them with their families, if possible.

O'BRIEN: And, ultimately, you have the long-term problems, which probably have to be addressed pretty quickly, the terrible emotional impact of all of this.

KIERNAN: Yes. But children are enormously resilient. We worked with child soldiers 20 years ago in Mozambique. We did a event study and looked at them as adults. And they have recovered from a lot of the trauma that they experienced. So children are resilient. And if we work with them quickly and with the resources and focus that we need throughout the South Asian communities, I think we can tackle this problem.

O'BRIEN: All right. The group is Save the Children. You can find them on the Web at savethechildren.org. Mike tells me they have already raised $16 million just earmarked for the tsunami relief effort.

KIERNAN: That's correct.

O'BRIEN: That's an extraordinary sum and that...

KIERNAN: Forty thousand people.

O'BRIEN: Forty thousand people for $16 million. That's a wonderful thing. And that speaks volumes about the generosity of the world right now as they try to answer the need here.

Mike Kiernan, thanks for joining us here. We appreciate it.

KIERNAN: Glad to be here.

O'BRIEN: The plight of the littlest victims of the tsunami disasters is the focus of a CNN prime-time special tonight -- or tomorrow, I should say. Join us tomorrow for "Saving the Children" with Anderson Cooper and Christiane Amanpour, 10:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 Pacific, only here on CNN -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: They are proving to be life-saving pieces of equipment in the tsunami aftermath, military helicopters to the rescue and the Pentagon's plan to get more of them on the way.

Also, the men and women making sure the mission to help tsunami victims is accomplished. We'll speak live with the Air Force general about that challenge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back from Washington.

Helicopters are turning out to be the best way to get food, water and medicine to isolated tsunami survivors. According to CNN senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, that has the U.S. looking at ways to double the number of military helicopters being used in relief operations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): With the tsunami having made many roads and bridges impassible, helicopters have been described by relief officials as worth their weight in gold. Now the U.S. is planning to double the number of military helicopters operating in the affected region from the current 46 to more than 90, according to the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific.

ADM. THOMAS FARGO, U.S. PACIFIC COMMANDER: We use medevac helicopters out of Korea. As I said, we're taking helicopters out of Guam, the helicopter detachment we have there, and I think that's going to answer the mail in terms of the capability that we need in these countries.

MCINTYRE: In addition, three ships loaded with helicopters are en route to the region, including the amphibious assault ships USS Fort McHenry from Okinawa and the USS Niagara Falls from Guam, as well as the Marine Corps' Westpac Express. The Westpac Express is a high- speed catamaran that, after it unloads its helicopters, will be used to shuttle personnel and equipment the long distances between Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

Also under consideration, airdrops of prepackaged meals, like the U.S. military did over Bosnia in 1993. The Pentagon said the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are not limiting how much military assistance the U.S. can provide, nor, it insists, is the commitment of more than 20 ships, 75 aircraft and 13,000 troops to disaster relief taking assets away from the war on terror.

(on camera): But relief operations could delay the USS Bonhomme Richard expeditionary strike group and its 2,200 Marines from arriving in Iraq as scheduled in time for the January 30 elections.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Well, as you know, supply power takes people power. And both of them need airpower. Getting Marines, doctors, food, water and clothes to tsunami victims takes all kind of aircraft and intricate strategic planning.

For more detail on how the Air Force is using its airpower, vice commander of Pacific Air Forces, Lieutenant General Gene Renuart. He's on the phone with us from Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.

Sir, nice to have you with us.

LT. GEN. GENE RENUART, PACIFIC AIR FORCES VICE COMMANDER: Hello, Kyra. It's nice to be with you. PHILLIPS: Well, I know you have been coordinating quite a number of aircraft. Tell us about your key assets, airborne-wise, right now for this relief effort.

RENUART: Well, really, there's two aspects to this. It's a little bit like a wholesale and retail operation. We are operating our large strategic aircraft, the C-17, C-5 type aircraft from hubs in the United States and in our bases in the Pacific into a central distribution point initially in Thailand, and we begin to expand that into Colombo, Sri Lanka, and then down into Indonesia.

From there, our C-130 tactical airlift aircraft will operate in a bit of a spoke operation to then distribute out to some of the smaller locations, like Banda Aceh, where they have a small airfield, that we can then transload to helicopters and move those out to the folks in most need.

PHILLIPS: Well, you haven't been just transporting a number of supplies, but people. And I understand now you are getting a group of forensic experts together to head out there. Tell me about this team and the focus.

RENUART: Well, you are correct. We have two forensic teams already on the ground. I say we. That's really the Pacific Command. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command has deployed two teams. They will add three more departing today. They will departing here on C- 17s from Hawaii today.

And their mission will be to assist the host nations in doing the identification and processing of some of the casualties and the remains, so that we can hopefully bring those remains back to their families and allow for proper burial.

PHILLIPS: Yes. It's been part of the devastation of -- just devastating of the process, is all the people that haven't been able to find their loved ones or know where they are.

Now, you are also bringing in dozens of security forces deploying specifically for force protection. Tell us about your main concerns right now with regard to security.

RENUART: Well, I think certainly the host nations are very much interested in getting the aid out to their people. And so we do have to ensure that we can keep, I guess, chaos from breaking out at any of the distribution sites.

But, primarily, these security force teams going out are really to allow us to establish a small secure environment where we can get our aircraft in, unload, and then hand that aid off to either international agencies or host nations. And so, they are really not going out in a proactive mode, but rather to just ensure that we keep a reasonable level of security around our operations as they are ongoing in some of these deployed locations.

PHILLIPS: Sir, lately, we've been talking a lot about the trafficking of children, the fear of abductions, also the insurgency in Sri Lanka, the Tamil Tigers. Will your Marines -- will the Marines involved in your mission take part in any of that aspect?

RENUART: Well, that really is a question that Lieutenant General Blackman, the commander of the task force forward, will have to decide.

But our focus really is on moving the aid to a point where it can be used by the host nations and by the international organizations. And so we'll have to see how that develops, but for now our focus really is on getting that aid out into the people that need it the most.

PHILLIPS: And it's getting there. General Gene Renuart, U.S. Air Force, sir, thank you so much for your time today.

RENUART: My pleasure. Thank you.

Well, the forecast in Kansas City describes the scene as a solid block of ice. A huge storm is icing over and snowing in a bit of that country. Details on that straight ahead.

And in a few minutes on "INSIDE POLITICS," find out why the rebuttals have started even before California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger makes his state of the state speech tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back as LIVE FROM joins you from Capitol Hill.

Even by winter standards, this is a whale of a storm. And it goes all the way from Oklahoma up into parts of new England. It's a huge snowstorm.

CNN's Rob Marciano is in the middle of it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Chicago and its surrounding suburbs right now bracing for what should be the worst snowstorm of the season. It's been pretty quiet, especially the month of December. And this snow could pile up in some cases over a foot.

Ground pretty warm. Last week and a half, it has been above freezing. So, you see the roads behind me not all that bad yet. But as the snow rates begin to increase, we're going to see the roads begin to cover up. And that could lead to some accidents. You may very well run into a state trooper, not always a bad thing.

Trooper Doug Whitmore joins me here.

You guys overstaffed today. You anticipating some problems.

DOUG WHITMORE, ILLINOIS STATE POLICE: Right. We're at maximum staff today. We have quite a few troopers out here to assist should you get into trouble out here on the roadways today.

MARCIANO: What do you advise folks to do, besides just slow down and maybe stay home if they get themselves in a bit of a gnarly situation?

WHITMORE: Well, I think it's very important, especially in this weather, to be prepared just in case you break down or in case you get into a crash, warm clothing, blankets in your vehicle in case you are stranded out here on the roadway. Those are just the basic little things that might help you be a little bit more safe out here while you're traveling.

MARCIANO: All right, let's say I lose control, I get in a wreck. Do I stay in my car, get out of my car? What do you recommend people to do?

WHITMORE: If you get in a wreck, if you stay in the lanes, try to move your vehicle to the shoulder. Stay in your vehicle. Do not get out of your vehicle because your vehicle provides you more protection than your body would.

Troopers out here in numbers, we'll be out here to help you out as soon as we get to you.

MARCIANO: Roads can be deceiving. They can look wet and often be icy, especially over the overpasses. You lose control, you want to pump the brakes, like old school, or you want to slam on the brakes? What do you want to do?

WHITMORE: Well, it's out with the old school, in with the new. Let's go with the anti-lock brakes now. All you have got to do is stand on them brakes. They won't let you slide. They won't let you slip away too much. So, that's a very, very good product in cars now to help you out here on the road in case you start sliding.

MARCIANO: Very good. And not always a bad thing to see those flashing lights. You guys are out here to help folks, aren't you?

WHITMORE: We're out here to help. And if you mess up, we're here out here to hurt, too. So...

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: You have a great day.

WHITMORE: Thank you.

MARCIANO: Thank you.

Trooper Whitmore out here amongst the other troopers that are here to help you, protect you. But if you go a little too fast, they'll pull you over. That's for sure. Be careful out there, especially south to Chicago and the east. It's going to be really icy. It's going to be ice piling up in places like Cleveland, Ohio, Toledo, places like Fort Wayne, Indiana.

It could be really messy right on through tomorrow and then even New York getting a little slick as well.

For now, though, we're in Chicago and we expect the snow to continue to pile up.

I'm Rob Marciano -- back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(FINANCIAL UPDATE)

PHILLIPS: That wraps up our show, live from Atlanta and Capitol Hill today.

Miles has a lot more from Washington -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Well, I don't have that much more.

(LAUGHTER)

O'BRIEN: But we'll leave it in the steady, solid Washington professional hands, Judy Woodruff.

PHILLIPS: There he goes again, Judy, laying it on thick.

O'BRIEN: I'm just an interloper here. Oh, this is kind of like a little "Brady Bunch" thing we got going here.

PHILLIPS: Exactly.

O'BRIEN: OK.

PHILLIPS: And are we supposed to -- there we go.

O'BRIEN: Supposed to look down and say, oh, hi, Judy.

PHILLIPS: Hi, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: So thick. It's so thick.

O'BRIEN: "INSIDE POLITICS" time, all right?

WOODRUFF: We can hardly breathe. Thank you both very much, Kyra and Miles. We appreciate it.

O'BRIEN: Bye, Kyra.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired January 5, 2005 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: At the top of the hour now, the latest on the tsunami. He came. He saw. He couldn't believe it.
Secretary of State Colin Powell says nothing he's seen as a soldier or statesman prepared him for the near annihilation of Indonesia's Aceh Province. Powell and Florida Governor Jeb Bush toured Aceh by helicopter today, hours before the State Department announced another 20 Americans presumed dead on top of 16 confirmed dead earlier today.

The fates of some 3,500 Americans have yet to be ascertained, though officials say they are making progress in narrowing the list.

Europeans stopped what they were doing at noon today for three minutes of silence for tsunami victims everywhere. The overall death toll now approaches 156,000, three-fifths of those in northern Indonesia. Here in the U.S., a lawmaker is set to propose a global tsunami warning system. Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut will make the announcement tomorrow. That legislation would direct the State and Commerce Department to work with other nations to fill the gaps in detecting tsunamis worldwide.

Only on CNN will you find our depth and breadth of reporting from across the subcontinent. We have dozens of crews and producers supporting 19 correspondents and anchors from Ram Ramgopal to Richard Roth to Atika Shubert, who covered today's visit to Aceh Province by the U.S. secretary of state.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm here at Banda Aceh Airport, where Secretary of State Colin Powell visited very briefly before boarding a helicopter to go see some of the more devastated areas of Aceh province. That being, of course, the hardest hit area in this island of Sumatra, Indonesia.

He was, of course, accompanied by Florida Governor Jeb Bush and also by Indonesia's social minister, Alwi Shihab.

He boarded that helicopter, took a low-flying flight across the most devastated areas of the city. The secretary of state compared what he saw to some of the previous experiences in war. Here's what he said.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: I've been in war, and I've been through a number of hurricanes, tornadoes and other relief operations. But I have never seen anything like this.

Flying over Banda Aceh and seeing how the wave came ashore, pushing everything in its path. Cars, ships, freighters overturned, all the way up to the foothills, and then starting up the foothills until finally the waves came to a stop.

SHUBERT: After surveying the devastation, the secretary of state then briefly came down and toured some of the aid relief area here, gathered here at the airport in particular. A makeshift hospital that has been made up here because the hospitals in the city are simply overflowing with injuries that have been brought in from the hardest hit areas.

After doing that, he gave a very brief press briefing along with the Florida governor and Indonesia's social minister, in which the secretary of state promised that the United States would do all it could to help Indonesia's suffering, to help relieve that suffering, including promising more helicopters and making sure that the free flow of aid is able to go unhindered to those survivors who need it the most.

Atika Shubert, CNN, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: There are concerns that some of the children who survived the tsunamis now facing new dangers. UNICEF and other groups warn gangs may be kidnapping orphans and forcing them into slavery or even sexual bondage.

But one Swedish boy who was feared abducted may not have been after all.

CNN's Matthew Chance has been update for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like thousands of others, 12-year-old Kristian Walker is still missing. Swedish police investigating reports he had been kidnapped in Thailand after surviving the tsunami say they found no evidence of foul play.

His disappearance may be far less sinister than first believed, but it's no less tragic. Earlier speculation was fueled by the child's grandfather, who made an urgent appeal in Thailand for information. He said Thai doctors had told him they recognized photographs of Kristian. Thailand's Health Ministry has since said there's no record of him ever being treated.

DANIEL WALKER, GRANDFATHER: Well, I will tell you, I don't know that he's been kidnapped. I should say I'm hoping he's been kidnapped, as opposed to having been killed initially, because, if he's been kidnapped, there's a possibility that he's alive.

CHANCE: But that possibility now looks increasingly unlikely. Aid workers say criminal gangs and pedophiles may well be operating in the aftermath of the tsunami, exploiting this disaster's youngest and most vulnerable. The grief-stricken parents may well hang on to even that as a desperate hope.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Phuket, Thailand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Joining me here in Washington is one of the top officials of Save the Children. He's Mike Kiernan, the group's communication director.

Mike, good to have you with us.

First of all, the focus of some of these stories, unfortunately or fortunately, whatever you want to put it, has been a Swedish boy. There are many other children who are in peril right now. And that is something your organization is focusing very carefully on.

MIKE KIERNAN, SAVE THE CHILDREN: Yes.

Children are at risk not, only of disease and lack of shelter, but also they are at risk of the potential child exploitation. There are criminal elements throughout South Asia that are capable of taking advantage of these children. We're working very hard to make sure that does not happen.

O'BRIEN: But when have you something of this magnitude, this size, with so many needs that are so immediate, and there are so few people out there, relatively, who can meet those needs, does this get lost in the shuffle?

KIERNAN: Child protection tends to be a lesser priority in the first phase of the humanitarian response than, say, food, water, shelter, medicines.

But, in this case, the media has focused so much attention on the needs of children and the potential of exploitation that we're -- that there is hope for these kids, I think, because the world -- these predators, these bad actors out there, like to operate in the dark. And the world is shining a light on their potential activity.

I should add that everything we have heard so far is anecdotal, like that one story. And we're hopeful that because all the national governments and the local authorities are aware that this can be a problem, that this problem will be minimized. There will be likely some instances of child exploitation, but we hope we can minimize it.

O'BRIEN: So people are more attuned to it. Governments are more attuned to it on a very local level. People are watching out for each other, except, of course, you have a situation where there's such terrible losses, people losing whole families, that there are apt to be children that have really slipped through the cracks here.

KIERNAN: And that's why we're working in these homeless camps where adults and children have gathered. And we're working as quickly as we can with UNICEF and the International Red Cross to identify children who are who are without their parents, and to try to create safe areas for those children to gather within those camps, to separate those children from the rest of the community, so we can work with them to reunite them with their families, if possible.

O'BRIEN: And, ultimately, you have the long-term problems, which probably have to be addressed pretty quickly, the terrible emotional impact of all of this.

KIERNAN: Yes. But children are enormously resilient. We worked with child soldiers 20 years ago in Mozambique. We did a event study and looked at them as adults. And they have recovered from a lot of the trauma that they experienced. So children are resilient. And if we work with them quickly and with the resources and focus that we need throughout the South Asian communities, I think we can tackle this problem.

O'BRIEN: All right. The group is Save the Children. You can find them on the Web at savethechildren.org. Mike tells me they have already raised $16 million just earmarked for the tsunami relief effort.

KIERNAN: That's correct.

O'BRIEN: That's an extraordinary sum and that...

KIERNAN: Forty thousand people.

O'BRIEN: Forty thousand people for $16 million. That's a wonderful thing. And that speaks volumes about the generosity of the world right now as they try to answer the need here.

Mike Kiernan, thanks for joining us here. We appreciate it.

KIERNAN: Glad to be here.

O'BRIEN: The plight of the littlest victims of the tsunami disasters is the focus of a CNN prime-time special tonight -- or tomorrow, I should say. Join us tomorrow for "Saving the Children" with Anderson Cooper and Christiane Amanpour, 10:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 Pacific, only here on CNN -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: They are proving to be life-saving pieces of equipment in the tsunami aftermath, military helicopters to the rescue and the Pentagon's plan to get more of them on the way.

Also, the men and women making sure the mission to help tsunami victims is accomplished. We'll speak live with the Air Force general about that challenge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back from Washington.

Helicopters are turning out to be the best way to get food, water and medicine to isolated tsunami survivors. According to CNN senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, that has the U.S. looking at ways to double the number of military helicopters being used in relief operations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): With the tsunami having made many roads and bridges impassible, helicopters have been described by relief officials as worth their weight in gold. Now the U.S. is planning to double the number of military helicopters operating in the affected region from the current 46 to more than 90, according to the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific.

ADM. THOMAS FARGO, U.S. PACIFIC COMMANDER: We use medevac helicopters out of Korea. As I said, we're taking helicopters out of Guam, the helicopter detachment we have there, and I think that's going to answer the mail in terms of the capability that we need in these countries.

MCINTYRE: In addition, three ships loaded with helicopters are en route to the region, including the amphibious assault ships USS Fort McHenry from Okinawa and the USS Niagara Falls from Guam, as well as the Marine Corps' Westpac Express. The Westpac Express is a high- speed catamaran that, after it unloads its helicopters, will be used to shuttle personnel and equipment the long distances between Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

Also under consideration, airdrops of prepackaged meals, like the U.S. military did over Bosnia in 1993. The Pentagon said the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are not limiting how much military assistance the U.S. can provide, nor, it insists, is the commitment of more than 20 ships, 75 aircraft and 13,000 troops to disaster relief taking assets away from the war on terror.

(on camera): But relief operations could delay the USS Bonhomme Richard expeditionary strike group and its 2,200 Marines from arriving in Iraq as scheduled in time for the January 30 elections.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Well, as you know, supply power takes people power. And both of them need airpower. Getting Marines, doctors, food, water and clothes to tsunami victims takes all kind of aircraft and intricate strategic planning.

For more detail on how the Air Force is using its airpower, vice commander of Pacific Air Forces, Lieutenant General Gene Renuart. He's on the phone with us from Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.

Sir, nice to have you with us.

LT. GEN. GENE RENUART, PACIFIC AIR FORCES VICE COMMANDER: Hello, Kyra. It's nice to be with you. PHILLIPS: Well, I know you have been coordinating quite a number of aircraft. Tell us about your key assets, airborne-wise, right now for this relief effort.

RENUART: Well, really, there's two aspects to this. It's a little bit like a wholesale and retail operation. We are operating our large strategic aircraft, the C-17, C-5 type aircraft from hubs in the United States and in our bases in the Pacific into a central distribution point initially in Thailand, and we begin to expand that into Colombo, Sri Lanka, and then down into Indonesia.

From there, our C-130 tactical airlift aircraft will operate in a bit of a spoke operation to then distribute out to some of the smaller locations, like Banda Aceh, where they have a small airfield, that we can then transload to helicopters and move those out to the folks in most need.

PHILLIPS: Well, you haven't been just transporting a number of supplies, but people. And I understand now you are getting a group of forensic experts together to head out there. Tell me about this team and the focus.

RENUART: Well, you are correct. We have two forensic teams already on the ground. I say we. That's really the Pacific Command. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command has deployed two teams. They will add three more departing today. They will departing here on C- 17s from Hawaii today.

And their mission will be to assist the host nations in doing the identification and processing of some of the casualties and the remains, so that we can hopefully bring those remains back to their families and allow for proper burial.

PHILLIPS: Yes. It's been part of the devastation of -- just devastating of the process, is all the people that haven't been able to find their loved ones or know where they are.

Now, you are also bringing in dozens of security forces deploying specifically for force protection. Tell us about your main concerns right now with regard to security.

RENUART: Well, I think certainly the host nations are very much interested in getting the aid out to their people. And so we do have to ensure that we can keep, I guess, chaos from breaking out at any of the distribution sites.

But, primarily, these security force teams going out are really to allow us to establish a small secure environment where we can get our aircraft in, unload, and then hand that aid off to either international agencies or host nations. And so, they are really not going out in a proactive mode, but rather to just ensure that we keep a reasonable level of security around our operations as they are ongoing in some of these deployed locations.

PHILLIPS: Sir, lately, we've been talking a lot about the trafficking of children, the fear of abductions, also the insurgency in Sri Lanka, the Tamil Tigers. Will your Marines -- will the Marines involved in your mission take part in any of that aspect?

RENUART: Well, that really is a question that Lieutenant General Blackman, the commander of the task force forward, will have to decide.

But our focus really is on moving the aid to a point where it can be used by the host nations and by the international organizations. And so we'll have to see how that develops, but for now our focus really is on getting that aid out into the people that need it the most.

PHILLIPS: And it's getting there. General Gene Renuart, U.S. Air Force, sir, thank you so much for your time today.

RENUART: My pleasure. Thank you.

Well, the forecast in Kansas City describes the scene as a solid block of ice. A huge storm is icing over and snowing in a bit of that country. Details on that straight ahead.

And in a few minutes on "INSIDE POLITICS," find out why the rebuttals have started even before California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger makes his state of the state speech tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back as LIVE FROM joins you from Capitol Hill.

Even by winter standards, this is a whale of a storm. And it goes all the way from Oklahoma up into parts of new England. It's a huge snowstorm.

CNN's Rob Marciano is in the middle of it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Chicago and its surrounding suburbs right now bracing for what should be the worst snowstorm of the season. It's been pretty quiet, especially the month of December. And this snow could pile up in some cases over a foot.

Ground pretty warm. Last week and a half, it has been above freezing. So, you see the roads behind me not all that bad yet. But as the snow rates begin to increase, we're going to see the roads begin to cover up. And that could lead to some accidents. You may very well run into a state trooper, not always a bad thing.

Trooper Doug Whitmore joins me here.

You guys overstaffed today. You anticipating some problems.

DOUG WHITMORE, ILLINOIS STATE POLICE: Right. We're at maximum staff today. We have quite a few troopers out here to assist should you get into trouble out here on the roadways today.

MARCIANO: What do you advise folks to do, besides just slow down and maybe stay home if they get themselves in a bit of a gnarly situation?

WHITMORE: Well, I think it's very important, especially in this weather, to be prepared just in case you break down or in case you get into a crash, warm clothing, blankets in your vehicle in case you are stranded out here on the roadway. Those are just the basic little things that might help you be a little bit more safe out here while you're traveling.

MARCIANO: All right, let's say I lose control, I get in a wreck. Do I stay in my car, get out of my car? What do you recommend people to do?

WHITMORE: If you get in a wreck, if you stay in the lanes, try to move your vehicle to the shoulder. Stay in your vehicle. Do not get out of your vehicle because your vehicle provides you more protection than your body would.

Troopers out here in numbers, we'll be out here to help you out as soon as we get to you.

MARCIANO: Roads can be deceiving. They can look wet and often be icy, especially over the overpasses. You lose control, you want to pump the brakes, like old school, or you want to slam on the brakes? What do you want to do?

WHITMORE: Well, it's out with the old school, in with the new. Let's go with the anti-lock brakes now. All you have got to do is stand on them brakes. They won't let you slide. They won't let you slip away too much. So, that's a very, very good product in cars now to help you out here on the road in case you start sliding.

MARCIANO: Very good. And not always a bad thing to see those flashing lights. You guys are out here to help folks, aren't you?

WHITMORE: We're out here to help. And if you mess up, we're here out here to hurt, too. So...

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: You have a great day.

WHITMORE: Thank you.

MARCIANO: Thank you.

Trooper Whitmore out here amongst the other troopers that are here to help you, protect you. But if you go a little too fast, they'll pull you over. That's for sure. Be careful out there, especially south to Chicago and the east. It's going to be really icy. It's going to be ice piling up in places like Cleveland, Ohio, Toledo, places like Fort Wayne, Indiana.

It could be really messy right on through tomorrow and then even New York getting a little slick as well.

For now, though, we're in Chicago and we expect the snow to continue to pile up.

I'm Rob Marciano -- back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(FINANCIAL UPDATE)

PHILLIPS: That wraps up our show, live from Atlanta and Capitol Hill today.

Miles has a lot more from Washington -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Well, I don't have that much more.

(LAUGHTER)

O'BRIEN: But we'll leave it in the steady, solid Washington professional hands, Judy Woodruff.

PHILLIPS: There he goes again, Judy, laying it on thick.

O'BRIEN: I'm just an interloper here. Oh, this is kind of like a little "Brady Bunch" thing we got going here.

PHILLIPS: Exactly.

O'BRIEN: OK.

PHILLIPS: And are we supposed to -- there we go.

O'BRIEN: Supposed to look down and say, oh, hi, Judy.

PHILLIPS: Hi, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: So thick. It's so thick.

O'BRIEN: "INSIDE POLITICS" time, all right?

WOODRUFF: We can hardly breathe. Thank you both very much, Kyra and Miles. We appreciate it.

O'BRIEN: Bye, Kyra.

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