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CNN Live Today

$2 Million Raised in Tsunami Relief; Colin Powell Visits Thailand

Aired January 03, 2005 - 10:30   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.


RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY. Countries around the world have now offered more than $2 billion in tsunami disaster aid. Emergency supplies are being brought to the region by air and sea, and in some remote areas, by elephant. Logistics are a problem and in Indonesia's hard-hit Aceh province, the tsunami destroyed many roads and vehicles there.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and the president's brother, Florida governor Jeb Bush, have arrived in Thailand. It is the first stop for them in their tour of the tsunami battered regions in south Asia. Later this week Mr. Powell is going to attend the U.N. donor conference in Jakarta. CNN's John King is traveling with Mr. Powell and we could hear from him, as a matter of fact, during this hour.

A rash of car bombings led to deadly explosions at three checkpoints in Iraq today, killing at least six Iraqis. And a fourth explosion targeted a civilian convoy. That was just west of Baghdad's green zone. The military says two U.S. soldiers were wounded in that assault. The stepped-up attacks come less than four weeks ahead of Iraq's scheduled elections.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Governments around the world have pledged more than $2 billion in aid to the countries reeling from the tsunami disaster. Individuals are also answering the pleas for help. So today's top five tips, that is, will deal with tsunami aid and how to get the most benefit for your buck.

Personal finance correspondent and host of CNN "OPEN HOUSE" Gerri Willis is here to talk about all of this. And Gerri, I want to tell you, though, a lot of people really wanting to give money right now so it gets there quickly, but you say hold off on that for a little bit. Why?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE CORRESPONDENT: Don't rush. Tip number one, you don't want to just send your money to the first person who calls you over the telephone. A lot of different charities have different reputations when it comes to the efficiency with which they spend money. And of course, some of them are not on the up and up. So you need to do some research to make sure the agency or group that you're giving your money can really help out.

NGUYEN: Now, but you need to do your homework. Definitely want to make sure that you're giving to an organization that will get that money to where it needs to go. So, does that include the web? How do you do that? WILLIS: Absolutely. The web is the easiest way to go if you're trying to find out which charity, which 501-C3 organization's going to be the best for your money. Start with charitynavigator.org. At this Web site, you'll find some great information on charities, including ratings on individual charities and information on how efficient they are in spending your money.

The last thing you want is for people to spend your money on overhead and not for the people who need it. Look at guidestar.org to find out information on IRS filings by 501-C3 groups. And at interaction.org, you'll find information on charities that meet some pretty strict guidelines in terms of how they operate.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. And you know, unfortunately, every time something like this comes up, there are those con artists out there looking to get your money and telling you it's going somewhere where it really isn't. How do you avoid that?

WILLIS: Well, it always happens when we have some kind of international crisis, right? You see some scam artists come out. They set up a fake charity. You've got to check these things out, make sure you're getting a charity that's absolutely on the up and up. Remember that states require solicitors over the telephone to identify themselves. Make sure that you give those people who call you on the phone the once-over. You may want to just say, no, I'm not going to give. Or if you really do want to give, ask for more information to be sent by mail.

Mail is another way that some of these artists -- scam artists, that is, talk with people that they want to get money from. So make sure that you're not responding to anything through the mail that includes a sweepstakes offer or something that looks like a bill that is actually a charitable contribution. Those are big warning signs there. Keep in mind that you want to check these guys out first. You're better off contacting them, rather than having them contact you.

NGUYEN: OK, and when it comes to actually giving that money, you say don't give in cash, whatever you do.

WILLIS: Yes, you want to write a check. Giving cash is always a bad idea because first and foremost, you're not going to be able to prove to the IRS that you actually made a charitable donation. So, stroke the check and if somebody asks for you cash, think twice before you give.

NGUYEN: All right. And then you also need to think about some of those other charities, as well, because this may be taking from their pocketbooks.

WILLIS: That's right. You know, a lot of local charities this year will probably be strapped for cash because so much money is going to the tsunami victims. So you may want to write another check for a local charity that maybe you already know about that does good work in your community to make sure they aren't strapped for cash later -- Betty. NGUYEN: All right. Some good advice. Gerri Willis with her top five tips. Thank you, Gerri.

WILLIS: Thank you.

NGUYEN: And if you want to help, our Web site can tell you how. Just go to cnn.com/quake, and under resources, you will find how to donate. There you'll find a list of groups seeking donations and how you can link up with them.

SANCHEZ: As we continue to cover this story, let's tell you what else we have on tap. People all over the world are coming together to try and help the tsunami relief efforts. But what about animals? Believe it or not, and as you can see, and as aforementioned, even the animals. Even the big pachyderms are helping out.

NGUYEN: Yes, they are. Plus a story of compassion. How a Seattle couple saved the life of this little boy swept up in the tsunami.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: In Thailand and Indonesia, elephants are being put to work to help clear the rubble. Check out this video. In Indonesia's Aceh province, the hardest-hit area of the entire region, elephants are taking the place of heavy equipment, which has not yet reached the devastated area. Now one worker says the pachyderms are helping search for survivors and have located bodies buried under the debris.

SANCHEZ: Surviving the tsunami and its ferocious charge ashore may have been as dependent on luck as skill. Some might say an occasional flash of mercy as well, as in the case of a 20-month-old Swedish boy and his American rescuers.

CNN's Matthew Chance has their story from Phuket, Thailand. He's joining us now live. Matthew, to you.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rick, thanks very much. And so much destruction here in southern Thailand, a country by no means the worst-affected by the tsunami. But even so, thousands of people have been killed here, thousands more are still missing.

But amid all of this tragedy, there are these amazing, remarkable stories of survival. Earlier I spent some time with a couple from Seattle who had an incredible experience here. They came to southern Thailand to relax over the holiday period on the sandy beaches here when the tsunami struck. Let's have a listen to their incredible tale.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So this is what's left of our hotel room. Our bed was here. And we were sleeping.

CHANCE (voice-over): They're survivors amid the tragedy. For Ron Rubin and Rebecca Bedall it was meant to be a dream vacation. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was an absolute tropical paradise. Just miles and miles of perfect sandy beaches, palm trees. You know, Christmas Day, families walking on the beach. It was -- it was -- it was something you'd see in a postcard before the -- before the wave.

I was awoken by this crashing noise. It sounded like a landslide, an earthquake, a plane crashing and a train wreck all at the same time.

CHANCE (on camera): You can see that all along this coastline of Thailand, resort after resort has been crushed by the giant tsunami. Thousands of people were killed, Thais and tourists alike, making the story of Ron and Rebecca all the more incredible. But it doesn't end there because they didn't just save themselves, but one other as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From the roof point where we had been during the tsunami, we got up here, and we thought this was the highest we could go. So this is where we -- ended up. And most people had convened here looking for other lost members.

Everyone was missing somebody. So this is kind of the place people were trickling in to see if they could find each other.

CHANCE: And is this the exact place where you find Hannis (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, exactly.

CHANCE: You didn't know his name was Hannis, did you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, of course not. No. He was laying right over about in that spot right there.

CHANCE (voice-over): They picked up like Hannis Bergstrom (ph) in shock and half drowned and took him to hospital where we first filmed him. A few days later he was reunited with at least some of his Swedish family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very emotional to see that the father was alive and the grandmother was alive. And it's a tragedy that the mother died, but we were just -- we were so happy for him. When we...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he was playing normally, just like a normal kid.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had a toy and he kept squeezing it, and he was talking. And, I mean, he was not like that the day we had him. He was not talking. He was not playing. Not -- he was very out of it. So we were really happy to see he looked perfectly normal again.

CHANCE: But the joy is mixed with sadness, too, that only a few lucky ones could survive where so many perished.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's too much luck. You know, it's too much luck that we both survived. We didn't lose one another. We have no injuries. It's -- it's -- and that's just not the case for the majority of the people that were staying in Khao Lak. So there's really no words to describe how we feel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a miracle to be alive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE: A miracle, indeed, Rick. And I think it's worth remembering how many people weren't so lucky as this Seattle couple, Ron and Rebecca.

According to the Thai government, official figures here, 5,000 people at least confirmed dead, another 6,500 still missing. But anybody who could walk away from the tsunami and save another, like they did, is very lucky indeed.

SANCHEZ: Thank you, Matthew, for bringing us that story. And we also have a programming note for you. Join us tonight for a special edition of ANDERSON COOPER 360. He's going to be reporting directly from the disaster area. He's going to be live from Sri Lanka. That's tonight at 7:00 Eastern, 4:00 Pacific, right here on CNN.

NGUYEN: And we have some video that we want to show you right now as well as it's coming in to CNN, Secretary of State Colin Powell arriving in Thailand today, along with Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

SANCHEZ: It's going to be a high-profile trip that they've been scheduling for quite some time. Obviously high priority and high profile, as well, with the president's brother assisting on the trip. Reason given, the president's brother, as you know, had to deal with relief efforts involving not one, two, three, but four hurricanes all back-to-back in the state of Florida, and he has extensive experience putting together efforts like this. Their first comment is that they're going to try and figure out what the need is going to be and report back to USA.

NGUYEN: Very important there. One major airline is also set to undergo some major restructuring, and it could save you lots of money.

SANCHEZ: Yes, still to come. What you can expect the next time you fly Delta.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, it is the first Monday of the new year. Happy New Year, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Thank you very much. Same to you.

NGUYEN: We'll see if it's a Happy New Year on Wall Street today so far.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

SANCHEZ: Some of the most haunting images from the tsunami disaster are those of children, little children in many cases.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. Up next, we will talk with UNICEF's director of emergency services about getting aid to the children whose lives have been just ripped apart.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back to CNN LIVE TODAY. I'm Rick Sanchez. It's estimated a third of all those killed in the tsunamis were children. And it's still not known how many children were orphaned or stranded as a result of this disaster. But health agencies say thousands more could perish due to unsanitary conditions and diseases in crowded refugee camps.

Joining us now from New York is Dan Toole. He's the director of emergency programs for UNICEF.

Mr. Toole, thanks so much for being with us this morning.

DAN TOOLE, UNICEF: Thank you, Rick.

SANCHEZ: You know, when you look at the numbers, a third of the victims may have been children, you're left wondering, why? Why is that number so high? Do you have any sense for that?

TOOLE: First because in Asia a huge percentage of the population is very young. In some countries of Asia up to 50 percent of the population is under 18 years of age. So that's the first thing. The second is that those who are most poor tend to live by the communities near the shore. And in those areas you often have very, very high percentage of children in the household. So those are two of the reasons.

What we've seen, Carol Bellamy was just in Sri Lanka yesterday, and she's reporting that the children who are surviving, they seem to be very small in number. So our 30 percent may even be an underestimation.

SANCHEZ: That's interesting, I've also read, this is a quote from U.S. Aid, that the most vulnerable by far are those that are under the age of 5. I'm wondering after listening to that quote whether you guys are compartmentalizing your aid, and prioritizing, perhaps, the young first and then gradually trying to get to others?

TOOLE: I guess I wouldn't say compartmentalizing. But it is important to focus on life-saving interventions. So for example, with the World Health Organization, we've started already in India a measles campaign to hit all children in those areas that are affected so that they don't have a deadly disease for children under five, which is measles. We're doing the same in Sri Lanka and in Indonesia. Likewise, we're looking at water and sanitation. How do we make sure that the needs of the most vulnerable, that the purification tablets, the gerry (ph) cans, the collapsible containers get to families in need with the smallest children.

So yes, we focus on small kids, at the same time we're starting to put in place some measures to keep other kids active and keep them involved in the process.

SANCHEZ: What about children that have ended up displaced, because they may have unfortunately lost their parents? But there may be an uncle somewhere who may be able to take care of them, but that child is either too small, or too young or just doesn't know where the uncle is. What are you doing for those type of kids?

TOOLE: It's a great question, Rick. And one of the big issues that comes are up is are they ready for adoption? And I would say no. The first thing we have to do is try to find the family of children. Children who lose their parents, they may have a grandmother somewhere, they may have an uncle somewhere, as you've said. And so what we do first is register those kids, we start to post photos of children to make sure that the relatives elsewhere can find them. We work with the International Community of the Red Cross, other organizations, to make sure that we publicize those children who are lost, while protecting them at the same time, to make sure we can make the connection between family members and children.

SANCHEZ: Dan Toole, director of emergency programs with UNICEF. And I know in the end, I'll say it for you, send money, right?

TOOLE: Absolutely. Unicef.org. The American public has been incredibly supportive. We still need more support, and we welcome that for the U.N. as a whole. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much, Dan. We certainly appreciate it, as well -- Betty.

NGUYEN: It's 10:56 on the East Coast, and 7:56 where it is snowing in parts of the West. Stay with us. We'll be right back with a check of your morning forecast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

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Aired January 3, 2005 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY. Countries around the world have now offered more than $2 billion in tsunami disaster aid. Emergency supplies are being brought to the region by air and sea, and in some remote areas, by elephant. Logistics are a problem and in Indonesia's hard-hit Aceh province, the tsunami destroyed many roads and vehicles there.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and the president's brother, Florida governor Jeb Bush, have arrived in Thailand. It is the first stop for them in their tour of the tsunami battered regions in south Asia. Later this week Mr. Powell is going to attend the U.N. donor conference in Jakarta. CNN's John King is traveling with Mr. Powell and we could hear from him, as a matter of fact, during this hour.

A rash of car bombings led to deadly explosions at three checkpoints in Iraq today, killing at least six Iraqis. And a fourth explosion targeted a civilian convoy. That was just west of Baghdad's green zone. The military says two U.S. soldiers were wounded in that assault. The stepped-up attacks come less than four weeks ahead of Iraq's scheduled elections.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Governments around the world have pledged more than $2 billion in aid to the countries reeling from the tsunami disaster. Individuals are also answering the pleas for help. So today's top five tips, that is, will deal with tsunami aid and how to get the most benefit for your buck.

Personal finance correspondent and host of CNN "OPEN HOUSE" Gerri Willis is here to talk about all of this. And Gerri, I want to tell you, though, a lot of people really wanting to give money right now so it gets there quickly, but you say hold off on that for a little bit. Why?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE CORRESPONDENT: Don't rush. Tip number one, you don't want to just send your money to the first person who calls you over the telephone. A lot of different charities have different reputations when it comes to the efficiency with which they spend money. And of course, some of them are not on the up and up. So you need to do some research to make sure the agency or group that you're giving your money can really help out.

NGUYEN: Now, but you need to do your homework. Definitely want to make sure that you're giving to an organization that will get that money to where it needs to go. So, does that include the web? How do you do that? WILLIS: Absolutely. The web is the easiest way to go if you're trying to find out which charity, which 501-C3 organization's going to be the best for your money. Start with charitynavigator.org. At this Web site, you'll find some great information on charities, including ratings on individual charities and information on how efficient they are in spending your money.

The last thing you want is for people to spend your money on overhead and not for the people who need it. Look at guidestar.org to find out information on IRS filings by 501-C3 groups. And at interaction.org, you'll find information on charities that meet some pretty strict guidelines in terms of how they operate.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. And you know, unfortunately, every time something like this comes up, there are those con artists out there looking to get your money and telling you it's going somewhere where it really isn't. How do you avoid that?

WILLIS: Well, it always happens when we have some kind of international crisis, right? You see some scam artists come out. They set up a fake charity. You've got to check these things out, make sure you're getting a charity that's absolutely on the up and up. Remember that states require solicitors over the telephone to identify themselves. Make sure that you give those people who call you on the phone the once-over. You may want to just say, no, I'm not going to give. Or if you really do want to give, ask for more information to be sent by mail.

Mail is another way that some of these artists -- scam artists, that is, talk with people that they want to get money from. So make sure that you're not responding to anything through the mail that includes a sweepstakes offer or something that looks like a bill that is actually a charitable contribution. Those are big warning signs there. Keep in mind that you want to check these guys out first. You're better off contacting them, rather than having them contact you.

NGUYEN: OK, and when it comes to actually giving that money, you say don't give in cash, whatever you do.

WILLIS: Yes, you want to write a check. Giving cash is always a bad idea because first and foremost, you're not going to be able to prove to the IRS that you actually made a charitable donation. So, stroke the check and if somebody asks for you cash, think twice before you give.

NGUYEN: All right. And then you also need to think about some of those other charities, as well, because this may be taking from their pocketbooks.

WILLIS: That's right. You know, a lot of local charities this year will probably be strapped for cash because so much money is going to the tsunami victims. So you may want to write another check for a local charity that maybe you already know about that does good work in your community to make sure they aren't strapped for cash later -- Betty. NGUYEN: All right. Some good advice. Gerri Willis with her top five tips. Thank you, Gerri.

WILLIS: Thank you.

NGUYEN: And if you want to help, our Web site can tell you how. Just go to cnn.com/quake, and under resources, you will find how to donate. There you'll find a list of groups seeking donations and how you can link up with them.

SANCHEZ: As we continue to cover this story, let's tell you what else we have on tap. People all over the world are coming together to try and help the tsunami relief efforts. But what about animals? Believe it or not, and as you can see, and as aforementioned, even the animals. Even the big pachyderms are helping out.

NGUYEN: Yes, they are. Plus a story of compassion. How a Seattle couple saved the life of this little boy swept up in the tsunami.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: In Thailand and Indonesia, elephants are being put to work to help clear the rubble. Check out this video. In Indonesia's Aceh province, the hardest-hit area of the entire region, elephants are taking the place of heavy equipment, which has not yet reached the devastated area. Now one worker says the pachyderms are helping search for survivors and have located bodies buried under the debris.

SANCHEZ: Surviving the tsunami and its ferocious charge ashore may have been as dependent on luck as skill. Some might say an occasional flash of mercy as well, as in the case of a 20-month-old Swedish boy and his American rescuers.

CNN's Matthew Chance has their story from Phuket, Thailand. He's joining us now live. Matthew, to you.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rick, thanks very much. And so much destruction here in southern Thailand, a country by no means the worst-affected by the tsunami. But even so, thousands of people have been killed here, thousands more are still missing.

But amid all of this tragedy, there are these amazing, remarkable stories of survival. Earlier I spent some time with a couple from Seattle who had an incredible experience here. They came to southern Thailand to relax over the holiday period on the sandy beaches here when the tsunami struck. Let's have a listen to their incredible tale.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So this is what's left of our hotel room. Our bed was here. And we were sleeping.

CHANCE (voice-over): They're survivors amid the tragedy. For Ron Rubin and Rebecca Bedall it was meant to be a dream vacation. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was an absolute tropical paradise. Just miles and miles of perfect sandy beaches, palm trees. You know, Christmas Day, families walking on the beach. It was -- it was -- it was something you'd see in a postcard before the -- before the wave.

I was awoken by this crashing noise. It sounded like a landslide, an earthquake, a plane crashing and a train wreck all at the same time.

CHANCE (on camera): You can see that all along this coastline of Thailand, resort after resort has been crushed by the giant tsunami. Thousands of people were killed, Thais and tourists alike, making the story of Ron and Rebecca all the more incredible. But it doesn't end there because they didn't just save themselves, but one other as well.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From the roof point where we had been during the tsunami, we got up here, and we thought this was the highest we could go. So this is where we -- ended up. And most people had convened here looking for other lost members.

Everyone was missing somebody. So this is kind of the place people were trickling in to see if they could find each other.

CHANCE: And is this the exact place where you find Hannis (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, exactly.

CHANCE: You didn't know his name was Hannis, did you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, of course not. No. He was laying right over about in that spot right there.

CHANCE (voice-over): They picked up like Hannis Bergstrom (ph) in shock and half drowned and took him to hospital where we first filmed him. A few days later he was reunited with at least some of his Swedish family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was very emotional to see that the father was alive and the grandmother was alive. And it's a tragedy that the mother died, but we were just -- we were so happy for him. When we...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And he was playing normally, just like a normal kid.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had a toy and he kept squeezing it, and he was talking. And, I mean, he was not like that the day we had him. He was not talking. He was not playing. Not -- he was very out of it. So we were really happy to see he looked perfectly normal again.

CHANCE: But the joy is mixed with sadness, too, that only a few lucky ones could survive where so many perished.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's too much luck. You know, it's too much luck that we both survived. We didn't lose one another. We have no injuries. It's -- it's -- and that's just not the case for the majority of the people that were staying in Khao Lak. So there's really no words to describe how we feel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a miracle to be alive.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE: A miracle, indeed, Rick. And I think it's worth remembering how many people weren't so lucky as this Seattle couple, Ron and Rebecca.

According to the Thai government, official figures here, 5,000 people at least confirmed dead, another 6,500 still missing. But anybody who could walk away from the tsunami and save another, like they did, is very lucky indeed.

SANCHEZ: Thank you, Matthew, for bringing us that story. And we also have a programming note for you. Join us tonight for a special edition of ANDERSON COOPER 360. He's going to be reporting directly from the disaster area. He's going to be live from Sri Lanka. That's tonight at 7:00 Eastern, 4:00 Pacific, right here on CNN.

NGUYEN: And we have some video that we want to show you right now as well as it's coming in to CNN, Secretary of State Colin Powell arriving in Thailand today, along with Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

SANCHEZ: It's going to be a high-profile trip that they've been scheduling for quite some time. Obviously high priority and high profile, as well, with the president's brother assisting on the trip. Reason given, the president's brother, as you know, had to deal with relief efforts involving not one, two, three, but four hurricanes all back-to-back in the state of Florida, and he has extensive experience putting together efforts like this. Their first comment is that they're going to try and figure out what the need is going to be and report back to USA.

NGUYEN: Very important there. One major airline is also set to undergo some major restructuring, and it could save you lots of money.

SANCHEZ: Yes, still to come. What you can expect the next time you fly Delta.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, it is the first Monday of the new year. Happy New Year, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Thank you very much. Same to you.

NGUYEN: We'll see if it's a Happy New Year on Wall Street today so far.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

SANCHEZ: Some of the most haunting images from the tsunami disaster are those of children, little children in many cases.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. Up next, we will talk with UNICEF's director of emergency services about getting aid to the children whose lives have been just ripped apart.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back to CNN LIVE TODAY. I'm Rick Sanchez. It's estimated a third of all those killed in the tsunamis were children. And it's still not known how many children were orphaned or stranded as a result of this disaster. But health agencies say thousands more could perish due to unsanitary conditions and diseases in crowded refugee camps.

Joining us now from New York is Dan Toole. He's the director of emergency programs for UNICEF.

Mr. Toole, thanks so much for being with us this morning.

DAN TOOLE, UNICEF: Thank you, Rick.

SANCHEZ: You know, when you look at the numbers, a third of the victims may have been children, you're left wondering, why? Why is that number so high? Do you have any sense for that?

TOOLE: First because in Asia a huge percentage of the population is very young. In some countries of Asia up to 50 percent of the population is under 18 years of age. So that's the first thing. The second is that those who are most poor tend to live by the communities near the shore. And in those areas you often have very, very high percentage of children in the household. So those are two of the reasons.

What we've seen, Carol Bellamy was just in Sri Lanka yesterday, and she's reporting that the children who are surviving, they seem to be very small in number. So our 30 percent may even be an underestimation.

SANCHEZ: That's interesting, I've also read, this is a quote from U.S. Aid, that the most vulnerable by far are those that are under the age of 5. I'm wondering after listening to that quote whether you guys are compartmentalizing your aid, and prioritizing, perhaps, the young first and then gradually trying to get to others?

TOOLE: I guess I wouldn't say compartmentalizing. But it is important to focus on life-saving interventions. So for example, with the World Health Organization, we've started already in India a measles campaign to hit all children in those areas that are affected so that they don't have a deadly disease for children under five, which is measles. We're doing the same in Sri Lanka and in Indonesia. Likewise, we're looking at water and sanitation. How do we make sure that the needs of the most vulnerable, that the purification tablets, the gerry (ph) cans, the collapsible containers get to families in need with the smallest children.

So yes, we focus on small kids, at the same time we're starting to put in place some measures to keep other kids active and keep them involved in the process.

SANCHEZ: What about children that have ended up displaced, because they may have unfortunately lost their parents? But there may be an uncle somewhere who may be able to take care of them, but that child is either too small, or too young or just doesn't know where the uncle is. What are you doing for those type of kids?

TOOLE: It's a great question, Rick. And one of the big issues that comes are up is are they ready for adoption? And I would say no. The first thing we have to do is try to find the family of children. Children who lose their parents, they may have a grandmother somewhere, they may have an uncle somewhere, as you've said. And so what we do first is register those kids, we start to post photos of children to make sure that the relatives elsewhere can find them. We work with the International Community of the Red Cross, other organizations, to make sure that we publicize those children who are lost, while protecting them at the same time, to make sure we can make the connection between family members and children.

SANCHEZ: Dan Toole, director of emergency programs with UNICEF. And I know in the end, I'll say it for you, send money, right?

TOOLE: Absolutely. Unicef.org. The American public has been incredibly supportive. We still need more support, and we welcome that for the U.N. as a whole. Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Thanks so much, Dan. We certainly appreciate it, as well -- Betty.

NGUYEN: It's 10:56 on the East Coast, and 7:56 where it is snowing in parts of the West. Stay with us. We'll be right back with a check of your morning forecast.

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