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CNN Live Today

U.S. Response to Tsunami Disaster; Relief Efforts; Three Car Bombers Detonate Explosives in Baghdad

Aired January 03, 2005 - 11:00   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.


RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Well, if you're hoping to drop a few of those pounds that you've put on over the holidays, stick around.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: We've got a real treat. A guest who guarantees he can help you reach your goal.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now. Here's a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

More aid arrives in tsunami-ravaged south Asia. Relief workers are scrambling to get supplies to tsunami survivors in Indonesia. Officials said today that 94,000 people were killed in Indonesia alone. The overall death toll from the catastrophe has risen to nearly 155,000.

President Bush is enlisting two former presidents, one of them his father, to help raise money for tsunami victims. Former presidents Bush and Clinton will lead a nationwide fund-raising effort. Just ahead, we will go live to the White House for more on the U.S. response to the tsunami disaster.

And we are expecting an update from the United Nations this hour on the tsunami relief effort. The U.N. says international aid pledges now more and it's totaling $2 billion. Now, a donors' conference is scheduled later this week in Jakarta, Indonesia. We will have much more on this.

Plus, a series of car bombings today killed at least six Iraqi police and National Guard troops. The bombings targeted checkpoints in Baghdad and in Balad, which is north of the city. Also today, the military says two U.S. soldiers were wounded by a roadside bomb in northern Baghdad.

It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 10:00 p.m. in Colombo, Sri Lanka. From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Daryn Kagan today.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. And here we go at the top of the hour.

The unimaginable disaster and the unprecedented relief effort in south Asia continue to be the main focus this hour. More than a week after the monstrous waves from the tsunami struck, the death toll has climbed to nearly 155,000. Authorities say that they are close to giving up hope of finding many more survivors. Thousands upon thousands are still missing. Relief supplies are arriving on ships, planes, helicopters. But aid distribution is hampered by damaged roads and washed out bridges. Relief workers are struggling to try and get supplies to survivors on the west coast of Indonesia's Aceh Province.

NGUYEN: President Bush today asked two former presidents to lead a nationwide fund-raising effort for tsunami victims. We want to go to the White House and CNN's Elaine Quijano with the latest on this.

Good morning, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Betty.

That's right, President Bush said they bring tremendous leadership and good hearts to this role. President Bush just a short time ago in the Roosevelt Room here at the White House saying that his father, former President George H. W. Bush, as well as former President Bill Clinton, will be embarking on a nationwide -- nationwide effort to raise funds for the tsunami victims, encouraging both American citizens as well as businesses to contribute to nongovernmental as well as international organizations.

Now, we understand that the two former leaders will be traveling around the country, participating in media interviews. And during that event, the president noted that already there has been a massive outpouring of private help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're showing the compassion of our nation and the swift response. But the greatest source of America's generosity is not our government. It's the good heart of the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, just a short time ago, Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in southeast Asia. Traveling with him, of course, is President Bush's own brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush. They are part of the U.S. delegation that will be meeting with officials to help assess what the greatest needs are on the ground, and they'll be reporting back to President Bush what they find.

Also today, President Bush noted that in addition to the $350 million the U.S. has pledged, there are also considerable military assets that are on the ground in the affected region. The U.S. president talking today about the U.S. having patrol and cargo aircraft that have been surveying damage and delivering supplies for several days.

We should also tell you, Betty, at this hour, President Bush, as well as the two former presidents, are now embarking on a trip to the embassies here in Washington., several of them, signing condolence books and also paying their respects in person -- Betty.

NGUYEN: CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House for us today. Thank you, Elaine -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: CNN has at least a dozen correspondents that are dispatched across south Asia. They're tracking the developments continuously and updating the story for you. We're going to bring you their live reports from the region throughout this day.

The front lines of the tsunami relief effort are busy, in fact, today. The world is finally getting large amounts of food, water and medicine to the millions who have been suffering.

CNN's Paula Hancocks followed a relief shipment from Europe all the way to Sri Lanka. She's joining us now with how the trek went.

Good evening to you, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello from Sri Lanka, Rick.

Well, there has been a tremendous amount of aid coming into Sri Lanka at the moment from all over the world. A tremendous amount of donations being given as well. But the fact is, many parts of this country are still untouched by the aid.

It does appear that many parts are not getting the aid through to them. They may be more remote, they may be more inaccessible.

A couple of the reasons it has been so difficult for these lorries to get through and give food, water and medicines to the people who need it is the fact that many of the coastal roads have been washed away by the tsunami, and there have been dramatic detours to try and get to these more remote areas. Also, there have been some problems at the airport, at Colombo airport.

It's used to carrying and dealing with about a dozen or so aircraft a day. You can imagine how many aircraft are coming in with all the cargo planes carrying these resources. That has been another problem.

For the last four days, I have been following a U.S. aid agency, AmeriCares, around to see how they reacted when they got here

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Life-saving drugs, packed and ready in Amsterdam, four days later reaching those who need them most. This hospital in Hambantota, on the south coast of Sri Lanka, is the first stop for aid agency Americares. This doctor had to deal with 900 patients in the first two days in a hospital which can cope with just 300.

DR. JONATHAN FINE, AMERICARES: What was revealed to me was the damage done to the infrastructure of the hospitals. The linens are gone because they were used to wrap dead bodies. The hospitals are a mess. They need disinfectants. They're worried about outbreaks of simple diseases like scabies, as well as the diarrheal diseases.

HANCOCKS: The medicine is delivered and Americares walks away with a detailed wish list for the next shipment. A truck that donated food and water arrives just up the road at a coordination center. It will be handed out to more than 30 refugee camps in the area, holding around 1,500 of those whose homes were destroyed. Aid groups are starting to access these areas, but many times on an independent basis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now what is happening is, you know, duplication of work. So a coordinated effort so that, you know, the things will be done to the maximum benefit of the refugees.

HANCOCKS: The Sri Lankan prime minister visited Hambantota, discussing immediate needs with the townspeople.

MAHINDA RAJAPAKSE, PRIME MINISTER, SRI LANKA: We are getting aid and we have a now coordinated -- we have a coordinated committee and we are sending aid to the affected areas, whether it is north, east, south and west.

HANCOCKS: But for many not in refugee camps, food and water remain scarce. Coconuts are being given out in the streets. Many people don't want to leave the area where their or their relatives' houses once stood.

(on camera): We're just a couple of roads down from the hospital here. And this is where the locals are starting their cleanup operation. But it's an extremely delicate process. Most of the people that had lived in this area would have died in their houses. So as locals are sifting through the rubble, they're discovering more bodies.

(voice-over): And it's the state of mind of these volunteers and survivors that is another health concern. Doctors in the area understand medical support for the Sri Lankans is more than just material. Once the immediate physical needs are met, then comes the harder task of helping locals come to terms with what they've been through.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS: So the physical damage is just one aspect of it. The psychological damage is going to be much harder to cure -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: We thank so you much for bringing us up to date on that. A story we'll continue to follow.

Another correspondent now. The number of dead in Indonesia is approaching -- pardon me -- approaching 100,000, as assistance for the living finally begins to arrive in volume. CNN's Mike Chinoy has been following the story and reporting from the devastated province of Aceh. He talked to CNN International earlier this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE CHINOY, CNN SR. ASIA CORRESPONDENT: The scale of the devastation is so immense. I want to show you, this is the center of Aceh, the downtown bustling commercial center of Aceh. You can see that the force of the tsunami threw boats, dozens, scores of boats on to the bridge and on to the shore on the other side. That smoke that you see is from people burning garbage and debris.

The building in front of it was the main market here in Banda Aceh. At 8:30 on a Sunday morning it would have been absolutely packed with people. And, therefore, you have to assume that the casualties in this area alone are immense.

Indonesian army crews have been going around retrieving bodies from the streets and from the water. But just a few hundred meters from where I'm standing, down the road from here, there are hundreds more bodies in the water, sometimes whole families who died together.

This was a commercial and residential area. There were shops on the ground floor of these buildings, and people live above them.

I'm actually standing on the roof of a building that clearly was brought down by the quake. And, of course, one of the things that accentuated the destruction was that so many buildings were either destroyed or weakened by the quake. And then when the tsunami came in it was just crushed.

So an immense, immense effort to try and stabilize things for enormous numbers of people here. And if things are bad here, we can only imagine how much worse they'd be in the more remote areas of Aceh -- Charles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mike, at an official level, what is happening? What activity is there away from the scene of devastation in front of which your standing? Is aid coming in? What are officials doing? Are efforts being made to recover the -- well, I suppose it must be many, many thousands, or hundreds, certainly, of bodies just in the immediate area where you are?

CHINOY: Well, a great deal of Banda Aceh looks like this. But amidst the rubble you do have a huge relief effort under way.

The Australians have set up a water purification system that's pumping out 20,000 liters of clean water an hour. That's very important because the water supply from Banda Aceh came from these rivers, and rivers are contaminated because of all of the corpses.

The U.S. military, and now today I think joined by the Australian military, flying helicopter missions from Banda Aceh airport to those remote regions on the western coast that have been cut off ever since the tsunami hit, bringing food, medicine, sometimes bringing medical teams. One of the big problems, though, there are so many different agencies, the United Nations, Doctors Without Borders, the Red Cross, aid agencies from southeast Asia. They're all coming in, but there's no infrastructure.

There aren't enough cars, there aren't places to live, there aren't enough translators. So coordinating an extremely complex operation is really the key. The money seems to be there, the supplies seem to be ready to move in. But simply getting all of the pieces of this hugely complex puzzle to work is the real challenge. And, of course, it's a race against time, because with each passing day where people don't get the help, more people get sick, more people die.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Mike Chinoy following that story for us. We thank you -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Some areas hit by the tsunami are too muddy or hilly for heavy equipment. So elephants have joined in the recovery effort. They're being used to clear away debris in hard-hit areas like Khao Lak, Thailand. Elsewhere in Thailand, six elephants used in the movie "Alexander the Great: were sent to help with the cleanup there. Aid workers are also using elephants to carry supplies to remote regions.

Some Americans still have not heard from relatives unaccounted for since the tsunami disaster. U.S. embassies across south Asia are trying to track down the missing. Earlier on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," we talked with the spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Thailand about the situation there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK LARSEN, U.S. EMBASSY IN THAILAND: Right now, we're estimating slightly less than 400 are unaccounted for. But that number is really based upon the number of e-mails and calls in to our hotline that we've gotten from all over the world and certainly from the U.S., where people have reported, "I haven't heard from Jim, I heard he was in Thailand. Is he OK?"

So that made this list of unaccounted for. And we're now furiously trying to call back people, answer those e-mails...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now, 15 Americans are among the more than 300 non- nationals killed in the tsunami disaster. Thousands of tourists are still listed as missing.

SANCHEZ: As we continue to follow the day's news, a grim visit ahead. We're going to take you inside one of the hospitals in Banda Aceh.

NGUYEN: A home video from a trip to Banda Aceh in 2003. Most of these people are dead or missing now. Hear from a New York man who is preparing to go back to help his family.

SANCHEZ: And meet a Sri Lankan who didn't run from the water but instead toured the water and managed to save lives.

You're watching CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: And welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY.

In a report from Iraq this morning, bloodshed in Baghdad. Three car bombers detonate their explosives. And one was not far from the headquarters of the Iraqi prime minister's political party.

For the latest, we turn to CNN's Jeff Koinange now. He's following the story and joins us form Baghdad.

Jeff, to you.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Rick.

That's right, another bloody day of bombings in Baghdad. The latest one happened a short time ago in a place known as Checkpoint 12.

Now, this on the western edge of what's known as the Green Zone, the heavily-fortified Green Zone housing both the U.S. military and the Iraqi interim government. Well, a suicide bomber there seemed to be targeting westerners, slammed his vehicle into a three-car civilian convoy.

We understand there are casualties. We don't know how many just now, but we do know that U.S. forces are underground securing the area.

Now, earlier in the day, right in the middle of Monday morning rush hour, a suicide truck slammed its way through a police checkpoint on the same street housing the Iraqi National Accord. That is the political party of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. Now, we understand there are four dead there, according to U.S. officials, and 17 wounded, although hospital officials tell us as many as 25 were wounded in that attack.

Now, scenes of utter pandemonium. Civilians running about, black smoke spewing all over as policemen fired in the air to avert a possible follow-up attack.

Ambulances rushed the injured to hospital. And we do know that that death toll may rise in that incident.

So another bloody day of violence here in Baghdad even as there was a two-day lull. It seems like the insurgents have stepped up their attacks in lieu of either delaying or postponing the January 30 elections -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Jeff Koinange with the very latest developing on what seems to be a difficult day there in Baghdad. We thank you, Jeff.

Meanwhile, back here in the United States, tearful reunions between some soldiers just back from Iraq and their loved ones. More than 700 National Guard soldiers were welcomed home to Fort Drum in New York. The troops had been serving abroad for 15 months, nine months on the ground in Iraq. The cheering family members saluted the troops and praised their sacrifices. Among their duties in Iraq, conducting raids and training new Iraqi National Guard members.

NGUYEN: In today's CNN "Security Watch," the FBI is investigating a new report of pilots being targeted by a laser beam. A United Airlines crew reports a laser beam was aimed at them just after taking off from Nashville. The plane landed safely in Chicago, its intended destination.

Similar incidents, though, have been reported in at least six other cities, raising concerns of terrorism. Federal authorities say there's no proof of such a link to terrorists. Earlier today, though, on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," we spoke to an expert on aviation security on whether lasers could be a tool for terrorists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFI RON, PRESIDENT, NEW AGE SECURITY SOLUTIONS: The probability of the beam hitting the pupil of the eye of a pilot during landing is not extremely high, but you cannot rule it out altogether. So as a matter of public safety, I think the issue has to be investigated. And those irresponsible people that are using lasers against aircraft should be dealt with. But this certainly is not -- not an issue of terrorism here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Ron also says the lasers being used on pilots are not the common pointer style but rather a stronger, commercial form that can reach two or three miles.

CNN "Security Watch" keeps you up to date on safety. You'll want to stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

SANCHEZ: If you have been holding out for cheaper airfares, there may be some -- there may be some hope on the horizon. We're going to tell you why changes may be on the way and how you may be able to make the most of it.

NGUYEN: And travel troubles out West. We will have a report from the Sierras. Check it out when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, you might call it the Wild Wild West. Some very wicked weather is pounding the Sierra Nevada region, dropping several feet of snow and dropping several inches of rain on California as well.

Our Ted Rowlands is keeping track of the storms from Soda Springs, California. And he joins us live with all of that.

And Ted, I have to tell you, I've been looking at the video, and that car behind you, stuck for hours. Maybe even days. TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. A lot of work here.

It's still snowing. It's unbelievable. It's just been getting dumped on, this region of the country. And this is a very common scene.

Today it is a little bit lighter, which should give people a chance to literally dig out of their homes and go find their vehicles. Everything around here, it seems, is buried in snow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS (voice-over): For thousands of holiday travelers across the country, getting home has been a nightmare. In the northern California Sierra Mountains, they're used to snow, but not like this. In the mountain town of Soda Springs, where more than eight feet of snow has fallen since Wednesday, parked cars are completely buried, and everywhere in the region highway traffic is treacherous and slow.

SGT. JOHN DIETRICH, CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL: This certainly is the most significant series of storms that I've experienced here. It's pretty much been nonstop.

DEANNE MAAS, SODA SPRINGS RESIDENT: We've been snowed in since Wednesday, so we're just coming up to get some food and supplies.

ROWLANDS: The Maas family lives two miles off the beaten path. They put their two children on a dog sled to get through the snow.

MAAS: It's so deep, and little kids can't walk two miles in this kind of snow.

ROWLANDS: For ski resorts the snow means the best conditions in years. But for some spots it's actually been too much of a good thing because it is so difficult to get here.

GREG MURTHA, SUGAR BOWL SKI RESORT: It's the busiest week of the year in the ski business. And, you know, we were hoping for a little bit of a break. It didn't happen.

ROWLANDS: Even many of those that make a living off the snow, like the Maas family -- they charter dog sled trips -- say it's time for a break.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I go in now?

MAAS: You can go in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS: And it is expected to lighten up into tomorrow. They should have a little bit of a respite, according to forecasters in most counties in the Sierras. But then, Betty, another storm is slated to come rolling in by the end of the week.

NGUYEN: Coming back into the area. All right. Ted Rowlands, stay warm. Thank you for that.

SANCHEZ: A lot of news that we're following now for you on this day. Disturbing pictures in the crisis of the aftermath of the tsunami. We'll bring you those just ahead.

NGUYEN: And we're going to take you inside a hospital in Indonesia where the battles of life and death are still under way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Jan Egeland is the emergency relief coordinator for the United Nations. He says there's still 1.8 million people needing help in that region. He's talking to reporters now. Let's listen in.

JAN EGELAND, EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR, U.N.: Many of the traditional donors also surpassing themselves. In Sweden, the government gave nearly $10 per capita, and now the public is giving the same, $10 per capita.

In the United States, a very, very sizable government grant coming very early is now being also surpassed by private sector efforts. And I would really like to express the appreciation of the United Nations of the most recent initiative of President Bush, together with Presidents Bush Sr. and President Clinton, to fund-raise in the private sector in the United States. I've had some of the biggest private corporations in the United States saying that they will use their national and their international assets to help.

But finally, more than anything, we have seen the value of military and civil defense assets in a situation when we, the humanitarians, were helpless because of lack of communications and have come back to the situation in Indonesia, in particular.

We've had an outstanding cooperation with very many countries. I'd like to mention, in particular, the importance for me it has been to have had the Deputy Secretary of State Mark Grossman, every night chairing meetings that I participated in, together with other states, having assets in the area.

Whatever we've asked, it's been delivered the next day. And that is what's now producing results quicker and more -- and more immediately to those in most need than we've had in any other similar disaster situation before. I've been in contact with the EU commissioner, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with the administer for foreign assistance of the UK, all respond immediately as we ask for special efforts.

In many communities, we have already come to the stage where we are discussing rebuilding their livelihoods. And we, then being the local communities, the national authorities and international community. Fishermen want to have their nets and go back to fishing. They don't want us to give them fish to eat. They want to be back, get their vessels back, get the communities going.

In India, in Somalia, even in Sri Lanka, certainly in Burma (ph) (UNINTELLIGIBLE), in Thailand, in Malaysia, that is now actually more and more the case. We're looking at rebuilding livelihoods that are gone. Certainly, still Sri Lanka is in the midst of an enormous emergency effort. Also, the Nicobar Islands for example, of India in the midst of an emergency effort.

But nowhere, nowhere, do we have the kind of problems that we're seeing in Sumatra and much Aceh. And as we are getting in substantial relief finally to Aceh, we are concentrating now our main attention as an operation to the western coast of northern Sumatra.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE: Emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland talking to reporters about the situation. Some good news coming from Mr. Egeland. He mentioned moments ago in some parts they are starting to rebuild communities.

In other words, it's not just an emphasis on just trying to feed the people who are hungry, but actually helping them put their lives back together again by putting their businesses back together again. You may have that quote just moments ago where he said the fishermen want us to help fix their nets, not just to give them fish.

We also heard earlier today from Kofi Annan. He was briefing reporters about a trip he's going to be making to the areas affected by the folks who had been affected by the tsunamis, I should say. He was asked by our own U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth, about what affect his presence will have in some of these regions. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I think my presence in the region and the mission I'm going to have with the leaders of the region hopefully will send two messages. A message of determination by the leaders of the region and the international community to do whatever it can, whatever is necessary to help get -- to help give them relief and help put their lives back together.

The second, I hope it will give them a message of hope. A message of hope that they are not alone. That their leaders are joined by the international community, and we are all determined to pool our efforts to improve their situation. And get them out of their misery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan speaking to reporters just a short time ago as we turn that tape around. We will obviously continue to bring you the latest developments on the story and any of comments from any of the newsmakers as we have been here on CNN this morning. Betty over to you.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE: In the meantime, as people rush to escape the killer tsunami waves, others headed directly into danger trying to save lives. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the story of those heroic efforts in the midst of that disaster. He reports now from a village in Sri Lanka.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We jump -- we jump and first of all, we save these two kids.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): You're actually jumping in the water in the middle of the tsunami to save the kids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

GUPTA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) has lived on these waters his entire life. Like most people, he had never seen a tsunami. But he was one of the first to know something was wrong.

GUPTA, (on camera): What did it look like that day? Everyone keeps saying the water was rising. What happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You see suddenly, the water goes up like this and then goes down like that.

GUPTA: All along this beach?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All along the beach.

GUPTA: How high did it get?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Up to before my size. About six foot.

GUPTA, (voice over): And so, as most people ran desperately from the tsunami, Tusol (ph) and the rest of the village boys dove into it to save the lives of others.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We needed to help our people. We are running away, who's going to help us? No police were there, no army was there. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) No time to come, because it happened in one minute.

GUPTA: On that day, Tusol (ph) saved at least two lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of the people were getting panicked. I said to my team, we have to get together and you know send the women and children away because, screaming at them, go away, go away. Run.

GUPTA: A fisherman's son, Tusol (ph) today owns a water sports business. He sees and feels the destruction of the tsunami firsthand. Most people see it from the land. Tusol (ph) sees it from the water. In a place where tourism and fishing are the only livelihoods, it will be a long time before this town recovers from the tsunami. But for Tusol (ph), the recovery is just the beginning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

GUPTA: Are you surprised that you have guests go water (ph) skiing (ph)? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Normal life starts to get back to normal now. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Sri Lanka.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: In other news, relief workers say the Indian government is hampering their efforts by keeping barring them from the remote Adamon (ph) and Nicobar Islands. More than a week after the tsunami hit, what little information that is emerging from the area is grim. ITV's Martin Geisler is one of the few correspondents to reach the Nicobar Islands.

MARTIN GEISLER, ITV CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): For a week we have heard refugees talk about the destruction on these islands. Today we saw it firsthand. Our group floated onto Carr (ph) Nicobar by the Indian air force, the first foreigners here for years.

This place is just 200 miles from the earthquake's epicenter. The coastline has been torn apart. The waves plowed through everything, up to half a mile inland.

GEISLER, (on camera): More than 20,000 people live on Carr (ph) Nicobar. Most in communities by the sea. There's no accurate death toll for the island yet because some of the villages are still completely cut off. But in places like this, it's difficult to see how anyone could possibly have survived.

Certainly thousands died here and many thousands more are still gathered inland, desperately waiting for aid. This is just one island. In the ocean all around here, there are dozens more where the story is exactly the same.

GEISLER, (voice over): This man has, perhaps, the worst job imaginable. He has to identify the bodies of his fellow villagers. Then with the equipment he carries they are disposed of.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are burning the dead bodies.

GEISLER: You are burning how many?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, 19.

GEISLER: Nineteen?

UNIDENTIFIED PARTICIPANT: Nineteen. Yes.

GEISLER: This is all that's left of the village of Milaca (ph). Some of the survivors here have come back looking for loved ones, sifting through the rubble. I lost everything, says this man.

Some, the lucky ones have made it off the island. In an old school in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) capital, Port Blare (ph), hundreds of refugees are sheltering. Whole communities trekked through the jungle to be airlifted here. Some mercifully too young to appreciate their desperate situation. They have nothing to go back to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) so many people. I have lost my uncle and aunty and my cousins and sister and their son. In my family, 13 dead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) People are -- dead bodies are laying there. They're out in sight.

GEISLER: The rescue teams face an almost impossible task. These islands are scattered over 500 miles. Even when aid arrives there are problems. Hundreds gathered on this beach when they saw a boat coming. But the jetty has been destroyed so the supplies can't be landed.

They can only watch as the food they need sits just yards away. Some of the desperate ones who tried to swim were eaten by crocodiles. The Indian authorities are reluctant to accept outside help. Foreign aid agencies are here and waiting, but they're not being as much as able to look at the problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The situation is not nice and it requires attention. That attention needs to be given as soon as possible.

GEISLER: The (UNINTELLIGIBLE) administration comfortably predicts normality can be restored here. But the rebuilding work alone will take years. For some, if not most of the population, life will never be the same again. Martin Geisler, ITV News, on the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and Nicobar Islands.

SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, when we come back we'll look at airfares and the airlines in general, all six of the big ones. What are they doing to try to keep their head above waters? We'll share the story of at least one strategy coming from Delta Airlines. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Many hospitals in Indonesia's Aceh Province were damaged or simply washed away. Those that do remain, they are overwhelmed. Britain's ITV Correspondent, Dan Rivers takes a look. We do want to caution you now; these pictures are not easy to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, ITV CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): It's early morning and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) hospital reverberates to screams of agony. This woman has two broken legs. She's been in excruciating pain for a week.

The wounded are being carried in from outlying villages. Many have been trying to get here for days. The chaotic operating there is already in full swing. There's no anesthetic, just immediate surgery to try and save lives.

I watched survivors with bones jutting from their limbs endure medieval surgery. Hands bound to stretchers to hold them still. The surgeons say many wounds are festering. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

RIVERS, (on camera): There's maggots, worms?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Little worms.

RIVERS, (voice over): We visit the wards. It's lunchtime. There appears only to be rice and boiled egg on the menu. But some haven't eaten for days. There are orphaned children in the corridors traumatized at all they've seen, screaming for their parents. And there are many more.

By mid-afternoon, an Australian army field hospital is being set up in a disused wing. So more people can be treated in safe, sterile conditions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If any of you are sick, we'll see you inside shortly. We'll just set up, OK. We won't be long. We're here to help.

RIVERS: Many have had limbs amputated because of injuries gone septic.

RIVERS, (on camera): As you can see, these wards are packed to bursting point. The patients are crammed into every available space. The doctors are working flat out. They're completely overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of injured.

RIVERS, (voice over): There is also widespread psychological trauma. Foreign medical supplies have arrived. Even so, there are still shortages of the most basic kind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're really low on hydrogen peroxide. Really low on scalpels right now. There could be other things as well. Heavy painkillers. The painkillers we're using now are basically aspirin.

RIVERS: This hospital is filthy, stiflingly hot, and desperately overcrowded. Each day, 400 to 500 new patients are arriving. Later, we found this woman, calling out for her children. We left the ward for just ten minutes. But when we returned, she was dead.

Dan Rivers, ITV News, Aceh.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We welcome you back. Delta Airlines looks ready to try and reinvent itself. Cheaper fares, fewer restrictions. The number three is mimicking low-cost airlines hoping to stay out of bankruptcy in 2005. Sally Donnelly is writing about Delta's makeover and what it means for flyers in the latest issue of "Time" magazine.

She joins us from Washington. Sally, we have the big six. They all seem to be in some kind of trouble, but Delta has a different strategy, shall we call it. What is it? SALLY DONNELLY, "TIME" MAGAZINE: That's right. They have a plan. What they're going to do, we expect next week is announce they're lowering their fares across the board, across the nation. Sort of mimicking Southwest and JetBlue and something that America West airlines did last year.

And it's going to lower the top price to probably $599, $499 one way nationwide. And also remove rules like that irritating Saturday night stay requirement. It's good news all around.

SANCHEZ: By doing something like this, you would imagine the other ones are probably going to look over their shoulder and say, uh- oh. We might have to do the same thing. Right?

DONNELLY: Right. And some airlines are already conducting little experiments. US Airways in Philadelphia, American Airlines in Miami. But yes. They'll probably have to roll this out nationwide just like Delta is.

SANCHEZ: Delta has a branch called Song, which is kind a takeoff on JetBlue. Some would say even better. Is that experiment working for them?

DONNELLY: To some extent. JetBlue is a really tough competitor. And Song has found that. In terms of lowering the fares and making fewer fares and simpler rules and regulations, Delta has found that Song has attracted customers. They're basically stealing a little bit from Song's playbook and putting it on the main line carrier.

SANCHEZ: This is obviously something that Delta is trying to do to survive like the rest of the airlines are. They don't want to go into chapter 11. But in the end, those who benefit from this will be the consumers, the rest of us who fly.

DONNELLY: Absolutely. The short term is going to be great. Fares will have to come down across the board. Long term, that might drive out some of these airlines and, therefore, you might have fewer carriers. I don't know, two, three years from now. But we'll wait and see.

SANCHEZ: Sally Donnelly with "Time" magazine. Good enough to join us and tell us about her story on some new strategy being unveiled over at Delta Airlines. We thank you, Sally.

DONNELLY: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Betty?

NGUYEN: Coming up, returning home. A father and son prepare to go back to Sri Lanka to help with relief efforts there and search for their relatives.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: You want to stay tuned to LARRY KING LIVE tonight at 9:00 Eastern where former presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton will be talking about tsunami relief efforts.

SANCHEZ: Within a larger story of the devastation brought on by the tsunami disaster, there are millions of smaller tales of those affected. The lost brother, the surviving sister, even whole families in some cases swept into the sea.

NGUYEN: And as the enormity of the tragedy comes into focus, our Alina Cho reports how the toll of devastation took a very heavy one on one family.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): These were happier times for Usmann Dinin. Home video from a trip in 2003 to his native Banda Aceh, Indonesia. He hadn't been back in more than 40 years until his son, Greg, bought him a plane ticket as a retirement gift. On the video, Dinin records for him a lesson in Indonesian culture.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you want to eat this, try all this food. One day we'll come here, you and me.

CHO: He also introduces him to family members his American-born son has never met.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Say hello. Hi, Gregory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Gregory.

CHO: But that was more than a year ago. Just a week ago when a massive earthquake triggered a tsunami, Banda Aceh was ground zero, devastated. Nearly one in three people in the city are missing and feared dead, including 24 of Dinin's immediate family, the people you see here in this video.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my brother's family.

CHO: Dinin's brother survived, but his entire family was swept away. The same is true for their sister and her family. Dinin still remembers hearing the news in a phone call from his nephew.

USMANN DININ, RELATIVE OF VICTIMS: Uncle, I said, please he said, I hope you're strong enough to hear this news. He said. Our family's missing, he said. I cannot say how I feel. The children, the beautiful children that I hold in the year 2003. And suddenly, if I go back this time, they're not there.

CHO: Greg also has regrets for not taking the trip with his father back home.

GREG: I shouldn't have hesitated. I should have when the with him that time. I gave him the ticket. I should have bought two.

CHO, (on camera): Do you feel like the videotape is a mixed blessing in some ways?

GREG: Sometimes I think giving my dad the ticket is a blessing because he got to meet them. Before a lot of them perished. It's also a curse because now he has reconnected with all these people after 40 years and now, the pain is much more intense.

CHO, (voice over): Next week, both father and son will travel to Banda Aceh, under the saddest of circumstances. They are hoping to help their extended family, the ones who survive to rebuild, praying they can make a difference in their family's greatest hour of need. Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: So many personal tragedies coming out of this.

SANCHEZ: What a story. Jacqui Jeras standing by. She'll bring us up to date on what's going on with the weather, especially the problems that have been developing in the western portion of the United States.

WEATHER REPORT

NGUYEN: That's all of our time. I want to thank you for joining us.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. Let's toss things over now to our colleague Wolf Blitzer who is standing by in Washington with a lot more on this day. Wolf, over to you.

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 3, 2005 - 11:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Well, if you're hoping to drop a few of those pounds that you've put on over the holidays, stick around.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: We've got a real treat. A guest who guarantees he can help you reach your goal.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now. Here's a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

More aid arrives in tsunami-ravaged south Asia. Relief workers are scrambling to get supplies to tsunami survivors in Indonesia. Officials said today that 94,000 people were killed in Indonesia alone. The overall death toll from the catastrophe has risen to nearly 155,000.

President Bush is enlisting two former presidents, one of them his father, to help raise money for tsunami victims. Former presidents Bush and Clinton will lead a nationwide fund-raising effort. Just ahead, we will go live to the White House for more on the U.S. response to the tsunami disaster.

And we are expecting an update from the United Nations this hour on the tsunami relief effort. The U.N. says international aid pledges now more and it's totaling $2 billion. Now, a donors' conference is scheduled later this week in Jakarta, Indonesia. We will have much more on this.

Plus, a series of car bombings today killed at least six Iraqi police and National Guard troops. The bombings targeted checkpoints in Baghdad and in Balad, which is north of the city. Also today, the military says two U.S. soldiers were wounded by a roadside bomb in northern Baghdad.

It is 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 10:00 p.m. in Colombo, Sri Lanka. From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Daryn Kagan today.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. And here we go at the top of the hour.

The unimaginable disaster and the unprecedented relief effort in south Asia continue to be the main focus this hour. More than a week after the monstrous waves from the tsunami struck, the death toll has climbed to nearly 155,000. Authorities say that they are close to giving up hope of finding many more survivors. Thousands upon thousands are still missing. Relief supplies are arriving on ships, planes, helicopters. But aid distribution is hampered by damaged roads and washed out bridges. Relief workers are struggling to try and get supplies to survivors on the west coast of Indonesia's Aceh Province.

NGUYEN: President Bush today asked two former presidents to lead a nationwide fund-raising effort for tsunami victims. We want to go to the White House and CNN's Elaine Quijano with the latest on this.

Good morning, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Betty.

That's right, President Bush said they bring tremendous leadership and good hearts to this role. President Bush just a short time ago in the Roosevelt Room here at the White House saying that his father, former President George H. W. Bush, as well as former President Bill Clinton, will be embarking on a nationwide -- nationwide effort to raise funds for the tsunami victims, encouraging both American citizens as well as businesses to contribute to nongovernmental as well as international organizations.

Now, we understand that the two former leaders will be traveling around the country, participating in media interviews. And during that event, the president noted that already there has been a massive outpouring of private help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're showing the compassion of our nation and the swift response. But the greatest source of America's generosity is not our government. It's the good heart of the American people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, just a short time ago, Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in southeast Asia. Traveling with him, of course, is President Bush's own brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush. They are part of the U.S. delegation that will be meeting with officials to help assess what the greatest needs are on the ground, and they'll be reporting back to President Bush what they find.

Also today, President Bush noted that in addition to the $350 million the U.S. has pledged, there are also considerable military assets that are on the ground in the affected region. The U.S. president talking today about the U.S. having patrol and cargo aircraft that have been surveying damage and delivering supplies for several days.

We should also tell you, Betty, at this hour, President Bush, as well as the two former presidents, are now embarking on a trip to the embassies here in Washington., several of them, signing condolence books and also paying their respects in person -- Betty.

NGUYEN: CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House for us today. Thank you, Elaine -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: CNN has at least a dozen correspondents that are dispatched across south Asia. They're tracking the developments continuously and updating the story for you. We're going to bring you their live reports from the region throughout this day.

The front lines of the tsunami relief effort are busy, in fact, today. The world is finally getting large amounts of food, water and medicine to the millions who have been suffering.

CNN's Paula Hancocks followed a relief shipment from Europe all the way to Sri Lanka. She's joining us now with how the trek went.

Good evening to you, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello from Sri Lanka, Rick.

Well, there has been a tremendous amount of aid coming into Sri Lanka at the moment from all over the world. A tremendous amount of donations being given as well. But the fact is, many parts of this country are still untouched by the aid.

It does appear that many parts are not getting the aid through to them. They may be more remote, they may be more inaccessible.

A couple of the reasons it has been so difficult for these lorries to get through and give food, water and medicines to the people who need it is the fact that many of the coastal roads have been washed away by the tsunami, and there have been dramatic detours to try and get to these more remote areas. Also, there have been some problems at the airport, at Colombo airport.

It's used to carrying and dealing with about a dozen or so aircraft a day. You can imagine how many aircraft are coming in with all the cargo planes carrying these resources. That has been another problem.

For the last four days, I have been following a U.S. aid agency, AmeriCares, around to see how they reacted when they got here

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Life-saving drugs, packed and ready in Amsterdam, four days later reaching those who need them most. This hospital in Hambantota, on the south coast of Sri Lanka, is the first stop for aid agency Americares. This doctor had to deal with 900 patients in the first two days in a hospital which can cope with just 300.

DR. JONATHAN FINE, AMERICARES: What was revealed to me was the damage done to the infrastructure of the hospitals. The linens are gone because they were used to wrap dead bodies. The hospitals are a mess. They need disinfectants. They're worried about outbreaks of simple diseases like scabies, as well as the diarrheal diseases.

HANCOCKS: The medicine is delivered and Americares walks away with a detailed wish list for the next shipment. A truck that donated food and water arrives just up the road at a coordination center. It will be handed out to more than 30 refugee camps in the area, holding around 1,500 of those whose homes were destroyed. Aid groups are starting to access these areas, but many times on an independent basis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now what is happening is, you know, duplication of work. So a coordinated effort so that, you know, the things will be done to the maximum benefit of the refugees.

HANCOCKS: The Sri Lankan prime minister visited Hambantota, discussing immediate needs with the townspeople.

MAHINDA RAJAPAKSE, PRIME MINISTER, SRI LANKA: We are getting aid and we have a now coordinated -- we have a coordinated committee and we are sending aid to the affected areas, whether it is north, east, south and west.

HANCOCKS: But for many not in refugee camps, food and water remain scarce. Coconuts are being given out in the streets. Many people don't want to leave the area where their or their relatives' houses once stood.

(on camera): We're just a couple of roads down from the hospital here. And this is where the locals are starting their cleanup operation. But it's an extremely delicate process. Most of the people that had lived in this area would have died in their houses. So as locals are sifting through the rubble, they're discovering more bodies.

(voice-over): And it's the state of mind of these volunteers and survivors that is another health concern. Doctors in the area understand medical support for the Sri Lankans is more than just material. Once the immediate physical needs are met, then comes the harder task of helping locals come to terms with what they've been through.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS: So the physical damage is just one aspect of it. The psychological damage is going to be much harder to cure -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: We thank so you much for bringing us up to date on that. A story we'll continue to follow.

Another correspondent now. The number of dead in Indonesia is approaching -- pardon me -- approaching 100,000, as assistance for the living finally begins to arrive in volume. CNN's Mike Chinoy has been following the story and reporting from the devastated province of Aceh. He talked to CNN International earlier this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE CHINOY, CNN SR. ASIA CORRESPONDENT: The scale of the devastation is so immense. I want to show you, this is the center of Aceh, the downtown bustling commercial center of Aceh. You can see that the force of the tsunami threw boats, dozens, scores of boats on to the bridge and on to the shore on the other side. That smoke that you see is from people burning garbage and debris.

The building in front of it was the main market here in Banda Aceh. At 8:30 on a Sunday morning it would have been absolutely packed with people. And, therefore, you have to assume that the casualties in this area alone are immense.

Indonesian army crews have been going around retrieving bodies from the streets and from the water. But just a few hundred meters from where I'm standing, down the road from here, there are hundreds more bodies in the water, sometimes whole families who died together.

This was a commercial and residential area. There were shops on the ground floor of these buildings, and people live above them.

I'm actually standing on the roof of a building that clearly was brought down by the quake. And, of course, one of the things that accentuated the destruction was that so many buildings were either destroyed or weakened by the quake. And then when the tsunami came in it was just crushed.

So an immense, immense effort to try and stabilize things for enormous numbers of people here. And if things are bad here, we can only imagine how much worse they'd be in the more remote areas of Aceh -- Charles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mike, at an official level, what is happening? What activity is there away from the scene of devastation in front of which your standing? Is aid coming in? What are officials doing? Are efforts being made to recover the -- well, I suppose it must be many, many thousands, or hundreds, certainly, of bodies just in the immediate area where you are?

CHINOY: Well, a great deal of Banda Aceh looks like this. But amidst the rubble you do have a huge relief effort under way.

The Australians have set up a water purification system that's pumping out 20,000 liters of clean water an hour. That's very important because the water supply from Banda Aceh came from these rivers, and rivers are contaminated because of all of the corpses.

The U.S. military, and now today I think joined by the Australian military, flying helicopter missions from Banda Aceh airport to those remote regions on the western coast that have been cut off ever since the tsunami hit, bringing food, medicine, sometimes bringing medical teams. One of the big problems, though, there are so many different agencies, the United Nations, Doctors Without Borders, the Red Cross, aid agencies from southeast Asia. They're all coming in, but there's no infrastructure.

There aren't enough cars, there aren't places to live, there aren't enough translators. So coordinating an extremely complex operation is really the key. The money seems to be there, the supplies seem to be ready to move in. But simply getting all of the pieces of this hugely complex puzzle to work is the real challenge. And, of course, it's a race against time, because with each passing day where people don't get the help, more people get sick, more people die.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Mike Chinoy following that story for us. We thank you -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Some areas hit by the tsunami are too muddy or hilly for heavy equipment. So elephants have joined in the recovery effort. They're being used to clear away debris in hard-hit areas like Khao Lak, Thailand. Elsewhere in Thailand, six elephants used in the movie "Alexander the Great: were sent to help with the cleanup there. Aid workers are also using elephants to carry supplies to remote regions.

Some Americans still have not heard from relatives unaccounted for since the tsunami disaster. U.S. embassies across south Asia are trying to track down the missing. Earlier on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," we talked with the spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Thailand about the situation there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK LARSEN, U.S. EMBASSY IN THAILAND: Right now, we're estimating slightly less than 400 are unaccounted for. But that number is really based upon the number of e-mails and calls in to our hotline that we've gotten from all over the world and certainly from the U.S., where people have reported, "I haven't heard from Jim, I heard he was in Thailand. Is he OK?"

So that made this list of unaccounted for. And we're now furiously trying to call back people, answer those e-mails...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now, 15 Americans are among the more than 300 non- nationals killed in the tsunami disaster. Thousands of tourists are still listed as missing.

SANCHEZ: As we continue to follow the day's news, a grim visit ahead. We're going to take you inside one of the hospitals in Banda Aceh.

NGUYEN: A home video from a trip to Banda Aceh in 2003. Most of these people are dead or missing now. Hear from a New York man who is preparing to go back to help his family.

SANCHEZ: And meet a Sri Lankan who didn't run from the water but instead toured the water and managed to save lives.

You're watching CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: And welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY.

In a report from Iraq this morning, bloodshed in Baghdad. Three car bombers detonate their explosives. And one was not far from the headquarters of the Iraqi prime minister's political party.

For the latest, we turn to CNN's Jeff Koinange now. He's following the story and joins us form Baghdad.

Jeff, to you.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Rick.

That's right, another bloody day of bombings in Baghdad. The latest one happened a short time ago in a place known as Checkpoint 12.

Now, this on the western edge of what's known as the Green Zone, the heavily-fortified Green Zone housing both the U.S. military and the Iraqi interim government. Well, a suicide bomber there seemed to be targeting westerners, slammed his vehicle into a three-car civilian convoy.

We understand there are casualties. We don't know how many just now, but we do know that U.S. forces are underground securing the area.

Now, earlier in the day, right in the middle of Monday morning rush hour, a suicide truck slammed its way through a police checkpoint on the same street housing the Iraqi National Accord. That is the political party of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. Now, we understand there are four dead there, according to U.S. officials, and 17 wounded, although hospital officials tell us as many as 25 were wounded in that attack.

Now, scenes of utter pandemonium. Civilians running about, black smoke spewing all over as policemen fired in the air to avert a possible follow-up attack.

Ambulances rushed the injured to hospital. And we do know that that death toll may rise in that incident.

So another bloody day of violence here in Baghdad even as there was a two-day lull. It seems like the insurgents have stepped up their attacks in lieu of either delaying or postponing the January 30 elections -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Jeff Koinange with the very latest developing on what seems to be a difficult day there in Baghdad. We thank you, Jeff.

Meanwhile, back here in the United States, tearful reunions between some soldiers just back from Iraq and their loved ones. More than 700 National Guard soldiers were welcomed home to Fort Drum in New York. The troops had been serving abroad for 15 months, nine months on the ground in Iraq. The cheering family members saluted the troops and praised their sacrifices. Among their duties in Iraq, conducting raids and training new Iraqi National Guard members.

NGUYEN: In today's CNN "Security Watch," the FBI is investigating a new report of pilots being targeted by a laser beam. A United Airlines crew reports a laser beam was aimed at them just after taking off from Nashville. The plane landed safely in Chicago, its intended destination.

Similar incidents, though, have been reported in at least six other cities, raising concerns of terrorism. Federal authorities say there's no proof of such a link to terrorists. Earlier today, though, on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," we spoke to an expert on aviation security on whether lasers could be a tool for terrorists.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFI RON, PRESIDENT, NEW AGE SECURITY SOLUTIONS: The probability of the beam hitting the pupil of the eye of a pilot during landing is not extremely high, but you cannot rule it out altogether. So as a matter of public safety, I think the issue has to be investigated. And those irresponsible people that are using lasers against aircraft should be dealt with. But this certainly is not -- not an issue of terrorism here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Ron also says the lasers being used on pilots are not the common pointer style but rather a stronger, commercial form that can reach two or three miles.

CNN "Security Watch" keeps you up to date on safety. You'll want to stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

SANCHEZ: If you have been holding out for cheaper airfares, there may be some -- there may be some hope on the horizon. We're going to tell you why changes may be on the way and how you may be able to make the most of it.

NGUYEN: And travel troubles out West. We will have a report from the Sierras. Check it out when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, you might call it the Wild Wild West. Some very wicked weather is pounding the Sierra Nevada region, dropping several feet of snow and dropping several inches of rain on California as well.

Our Ted Rowlands is keeping track of the storms from Soda Springs, California. And he joins us live with all of that.

And Ted, I have to tell you, I've been looking at the video, and that car behind you, stuck for hours. Maybe even days. TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. A lot of work here.

It's still snowing. It's unbelievable. It's just been getting dumped on, this region of the country. And this is a very common scene.

Today it is a little bit lighter, which should give people a chance to literally dig out of their homes and go find their vehicles. Everything around here, it seems, is buried in snow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS (voice-over): For thousands of holiday travelers across the country, getting home has been a nightmare. In the northern California Sierra Mountains, they're used to snow, but not like this. In the mountain town of Soda Springs, where more than eight feet of snow has fallen since Wednesday, parked cars are completely buried, and everywhere in the region highway traffic is treacherous and slow.

SGT. JOHN DIETRICH, CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL: This certainly is the most significant series of storms that I've experienced here. It's pretty much been nonstop.

DEANNE MAAS, SODA SPRINGS RESIDENT: We've been snowed in since Wednesday, so we're just coming up to get some food and supplies.

ROWLANDS: The Maas family lives two miles off the beaten path. They put their two children on a dog sled to get through the snow.

MAAS: It's so deep, and little kids can't walk two miles in this kind of snow.

ROWLANDS: For ski resorts the snow means the best conditions in years. But for some spots it's actually been too much of a good thing because it is so difficult to get here.

GREG MURTHA, SUGAR BOWL SKI RESORT: It's the busiest week of the year in the ski business. And, you know, we were hoping for a little bit of a break. It didn't happen.

ROWLANDS: Even many of those that make a living off the snow, like the Maas family -- they charter dog sled trips -- say it's time for a break.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can I go in now?

MAAS: You can go in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS: And it is expected to lighten up into tomorrow. They should have a little bit of a respite, according to forecasters in most counties in the Sierras. But then, Betty, another storm is slated to come rolling in by the end of the week.

NGUYEN: Coming back into the area. All right. Ted Rowlands, stay warm. Thank you for that.

SANCHEZ: A lot of news that we're following now for you on this day. Disturbing pictures in the crisis of the aftermath of the tsunami. We'll bring you those just ahead.

NGUYEN: And we're going to take you inside a hospital in Indonesia where the battles of life and death are still under way.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Jan Egeland is the emergency relief coordinator for the United Nations. He says there's still 1.8 million people needing help in that region. He's talking to reporters now. Let's listen in.

JAN EGELAND, EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR, U.N.: Many of the traditional donors also surpassing themselves. In Sweden, the government gave nearly $10 per capita, and now the public is giving the same, $10 per capita.

In the United States, a very, very sizable government grant coming very early is now being also surpassed by private sector efforts. And I would really like to express the appreciation of the United Nations of the most recent initiative of President Bush, together with Presidents Bush Sr. and President Clinton, to fund-raise in the private sector in the United States. I've had some of the biggest private corporations in the United States saying that they will use their national and their international assets to help.

But finally, more than anything, we have seen the value of military and civil defense assets in a situation when we, the humanitarians, were helpless because of lack of communications and have come back to the situation in Indonesia, in particular.

We've had an outstanding cooperation with very many countries. I'd like to mention, in particular, the importance for me it has been to have had the Deputy Secretary of State Mark Grossman, every night chairing meetings that I participated in, together with other states, having assets in the area.

Whatever we've asked, it's been delivered the next day. And that is what's now producing results quicker and more -- and more immediately to those in most need than we've had in any other similar disaster situation before. I've been in contact with the EU commissioner, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with the administer for foreign assistance of the UK, all respond immediately as we ask for special efforts.

In many communities, we have already come to the stage where we are discussing rebuilding their livelihoods. And we, then being the local communities, the national authorities and international community. Fishermen want to have their nets and go back to fishing. They don't want us to give them fish to eat. They want to be back, get their vessels back, get the communities going.

In India, in Somalia, even in Sri Lanka, certainly in Burma (ph) (UNINTELLIGIBLE), in Thailand, in Malaysia, that is now actually more and more the case. We're looking at rebuilding livelihoods that are gone. Certainly, still Sri Lanka is in the midst of an enormous emergency effort. Also, the Nicobar Islands for example, of India in the midst of an emergency effort.

But nowhere, nowhere, do we have the kind of problems that we're seeing in Sumatra and much Aceh. And as we are getting in substantial relief finally to Aceh, we are concentrating now our main attention as an operation to the western coast of northern Sumatra.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE: Emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland talking to reporters about the situation. Some good news coming from Mr. Egeland. He mentioned moments ago in some parts they are starting to rebuild communities.

In other words, it's not just an emphasis on just trying to feed the people who are hungry, but actually helping them put their lives back together again by putting their businesses back together again. You may have that quote just moments ago where he said the fishermen want us to help fix their nets, not just to give them fish.

We also heard earlier today from Kofi Annan. He was briefing reporters about a trip he's going to be making to the areas affected by the folks who had been affected by the tsunamis, I should say. He was asked by our own U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth, about what affect his presence will have in some of these regions. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I think my presence in the region and the mission I'm going to have with the leaders of the region hopefully will send two messages. A message of determination by the leaders of the region and the international community to do whatever it can, whatever is necessary to help get -- to help give them relief and help put their lives back together.

The second, I hope it will give them a message of hope. A message of hope that they are not alone. That their leaders are joined by the international community, and we are all determined to pool our efforts to improve their situation. And get them out of their misery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan speaking to reporters just a short time ago as we turn that tape around. We will obviously continue to bring you the latest developments on the story and any of comments from any of the newsmakers as we have been here on CNN this morning. Betty over to you.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE: In the meantime, as people rush to escape the killer tsunami waves, others headed directly into danger trying to save lives. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the story of those heroic efforts in the midst of that disaster. He reports now from a village in Sri Lanka.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We jump -- we jump and first of all, we save these two kids.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): You're actually jumping in the water in the middle of the tsunami to save the kids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

GUPTA: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) has lived on these waters his entire life. Like most people, he had never seen a tsunami. But he was one of the first to know something was wrong.

GUPTA, (on camera): What did it look like that day? Everyone keeps saying the water was rising. What happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You see suddenly, the water goes up like this and then goes down like that.

GUPTA: All along this beach?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All along the beach.

GUPTA: How high did it get?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Up to before my size. About six foot.

GUPTA, (voice over): And so, as most people ran desperately from the tsunami, Tusol (ph) and the rest of the village boys dove into it to save the lives of others.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We needed to help our people. We are running away, who's going to help us? No police were there, no army was there. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) No time to come, because it happened in one minute.

GUPTA: On that day, Tusol (ph) saved at least two lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most of the people were getting panicked. I said to my team, we have to get together and you know send the women and children away because, screaming at them, go away, go away. Run.

GUPTA: A fisherman's son, Tusol (ph) today owns a water sports business. He sees and feels the destruction of the tsunami firsthand. Most people see it from the land. Tusol (ph) sees it from the water. In a place where tourism and fishing are the only livelihoods, it will be a long time before this town recovers from the tsunami. But for Tusol (ph), the recovery is just the beginning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

GUPTA: Are you surprised that you have guests go water (ph) skiing (ph)? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Normal life starts to get back to normal now. (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Sri Lanka.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: In other news, relief workers say the Indian government is hampering their efforts by keeping barring them from the remote Adamon (ph) and Nicobar Islands. More than a week after the tsunami hit, what little information that is emerging from the area is grim. ITV's Martin Geisler is one of the few correspondents to reach the Nicobar Islands.

MARTIN GEISLER, ITV CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): For a week we have heard refugees talk about the destruction on these islands. Today we saw it firsthand. Our group floated onto Carr (ph) Nicobar by the Indian air force, the first foreigners here for years.

This place is just 200 miles from the earthquake's epicenter. The coastline has been torn apart. The waves plowed through everything, up to half a mile inland.

GEISLER, (on camera): More than 20,000 people live on Carr (ph) Nicobar. Most in communities by the sea. There's no accurate death toll for the island yet because some of the villages are still completely cut off. But in places like this, it's difficult to see how anyone could possibly have survived.

Certainly thousands died here and many thousands more are still gathered inland, desperately waiting for aid. This is just one island. In the ocean all around here, there are dozens more where the story is exactly the same.

GEISLER, (voice over): This man has, perhaps, the worst job imaginable. He has to identify the bodies of his fellow villagers. Then with the equipment he carries they are disposed of.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are burning the dead bodies.

GEISLER: You are burning how many?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, 19.

GEISLER: Nineteen?

UNIDENTIFIED PARTICIPANT: Nineteen. Yes.

GEISLER: This is all that's left of the village of Milaca (ph). Some of the survivors here have come back looking for loved ones, sifting through the rubble. I lost everything, says this man.

Some, the lucky ones have made it off the island. In an old school in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) capital, Port Blare (ph), hundreds of refugees are sheltering. Whole communities trekked through the jungle to be airlifted here. Some mercifully too young to appreciate their desperate situation. They have nothing to go back to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) so many people. I have lost my uncle and aunty and my cousins and sister and their son. In my family, 13 dead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) People are -- dead bodies are laying there. They're out in sight.

GEISLER: The rescue teams face an almost impossible task. These islands are scattered over 500 miles. Even when aid arrives there are problems. Hundreds gathered on this beach when they saw a boat coming. But the jetty has been destroyed so the supplies can't be landed.

They can only watch as the food they need sits just yards away. Some of the desperate ones who tried to swim were eaten by crocodiles. The Indian authorities are reluctant to accept outside help. Foreign aid agencies are here and waiting, but they're not being as much as able to look at the problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The situation is not nice and it requires attention. That attention needs to be given as soon as possible.

GEISLER: The (UNINTELLIGIBLE) administration comfortably predicts normality can be restored here. But the rebuilding work alone will take years. For some, if not most of the population, life will never be the same again. Martin Geisler, ITV News, on the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and Nicobar Islands.

SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, when we come back we'll look at airfares and the airlines in general, all six of the big ones. What are they doing to try to keep their head above waters? We'll share the story of at least one strategy coming from Delta Airlines. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Many hospitals in Indonesia's Aceh Province were damaged or simply washed away. Those that do remain, they are overwhelmed. Britain's ITV Correspondent, Dan Rivers takes a look. We do want to caution you now; these pictures are not easy to watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, ITV CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): It's early morning and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) hospital reverberates to screams of agony. This woman has two broken legs. She's been in excruciating pain for a week.

The wounded are being carried in from outlying villages. Many have been trying to get here for days. The chaotic operating there is already in full swing. There's no anesthetic, just immediate surgery to try and save lives.

I watched survivors with bones jutting from their limbs endure medieval surgery. Hands bound to stretchers to hold them still. The surgeons say many wounds are festering. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

RIVERS, (on camera): There's maggots, worms?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Little worms.

RIVERS, (voice over): We visit the wards. It's lunchtime. There appears only to be rice and boiled egg on the menu. But some haven't eaten for days. There are orphaned children in the corridors traumatized at all they've seen, screaming for their parents. And there are many more.

By mid-afternoon, an Australian army field hospital is being set up in a disused wing. So more people can be treated in safe, sterile conditions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If any of you are sick, we'll see you inside shortly. We'll just set up, OK. We won't be long. We're here to help.

RIVERS: Many have had limbs amputated because of injuries gone septic.

RIVERS, (on camera): As you can see, these wards are packed to bursting point. The patients are crammed into every available space. The doctors are working flat out. They're completely overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of injured.

RIVERS, (voice over): There is also widespread psychological trauma. Foreign medical supplies have arrived. Even so, there are still shortages of the most basic kind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're really low on hydrogen peroxide. Really low on scalpels right now. There could be other things as well. Heavy painkillers. The painkillers we're using now are basically aspirin.

RIVERS: This hospital is filthy, stiflingly hot, and desperately overcrowded. Each day, 400 to 500 new patients are arriving. Later, we found this woman, calling out for her children. We left the ward for just ten minutes. But when we returned, she was dead.

Dan Rivers, ITV News, Aceh.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We welcome you back. Delta Airlines looks ready to try and reinvent itself. Cheaper fares, fewer restrictions. The number three is mimicking low-cost airlines hoping to stay out of bankruptcy in 2005. Sally Donnelly is writing about Delta's makeover and what it means for flyers in the latest issue of "Time" magazine.

She joins us from Washington. Sally, we have the big six. They all seem to be in some kind of trouble, but Delta has a different strategy, shall we call it. What is it? SALLY DONNELLY, "TIME" MAGAZINE: That's right. They have a plan. What they're going to do, we expect next week is announce they're lowering their fares across the board, across the nation. Sort of mimicking Southwest and JetBlue and something that America West airlines did last year.

And it's going to lower the top price to probably $599, $499 one way nationwide. And also remove rules like that irritating Saturday night stay requirement. It's good news all around.

SANCHEZ: By doing something like this, you would imagine the other ones are probably going to look over their shoulder and say, uh- oh. We might have to do the same thing. Right?

DONNELLY: Right. And some airlines are already conducting little experiments. US Airways in Philadelphia, American Airlines in Miami. But yes. They'll probably have to roll this out nationwide just like Delta is.

SANCHEZ: Delta has a branch called Song, which is kind a takeoff on JetBlue. Some would say even better. Is that experiment working for them?

DONNELLY: To some extent. JetBlue is a really tough competitor. And Song has found that. In terms of lowering the fares and making fewer fares and simpler rules and regulations, Delta has found that Song has attracted customers. They're basically stealing a little bit from Song's playbook and putting it on the main line carrier.

SANCHEZ: This is obviously something that Delta is trying to do to survive like the rest of the airlines are. They don't want to go into chapter 11. But in the end, those who benefit from this will be the consumers, the rest of us who fly.

DONNELLY: Absolutely. The short term is going to be great. Fares will have to come down across the board. Long term, that might drive out some of these airlines and, therefore, you might have fewer carriers. I don't know, two, three years from now. But we'll wait and see.

SANCHEZ: Sally Donnelly with "Time" magazine. Good enough to join us and tell us about her story on some new strategy being unveiled over at Delta Airlines. We thank you, Sally.

DONNELLY: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Betty?

NGUYEN: Coming up, returning home. A father and son prepare to go back to Sri Lanka to help with relief efforts there and search for their relatives.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: You want to stay tuned to LARRY KING LIVE tonight at 9:00 Eastern where former presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton will be talking about tsunami relief efforts.

SANCHEZ: Within a larger story of the devastation brought on by the tsunami disaster, there are millions of smaller tales of those affected. The lost brother, the surviving sister, even whole families in some cases swept into the sea.

NGUYEN: And as the enormity of the tragedy comes into focus, our Alina Cho reports how the toll of devastation took a very heavy one on one family.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): These were happier times for Usmann Dinin. Home video from a trip in 2003 to his native Banda Aceh, Indonesia. He hadn't been back in more than 40 years until his son, Greg, bought him a plane ticket as a retirement gift. On the video, Dinin records for him a lesson in Indonesian culture.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you want to eat this, try all this food. One day we'll come here, you and me.

CHO: He also introduces him to family members his American-born son has never met.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Say hello. Hi, Gregory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Gregory.

CHO: But that was more than a year ago. Just a week ago when a massive earthquake triggered a tsunami, Banda Aceh was ground zero, devastated. Nearly one in three people in the city are missing and feared dead, including 24 of Dinin's immediate family, the people you see here in this video.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is my brother's family.

CHO: Dinin's brother survived, but his entire family was swept away. The same is true for their sister and her family. Dinin still remembers hearing the news in a phone call from his nephew.

USMANN DININ, RELATIVE OF VICTIMS: Uncle, I said, please he said, I hope you're strong enough to hear this news. He said. Our family's missing, he said. I cannot say how I feel. The children, the beautiful children that I hold in the year 2003. And suddenly, if I go back this time, they're not there.

CHO: Greg also has regrets for not taking the trip with his father back home.

GREG: I shouldn't have hesitated. I should have when the with him that time. I gave him the ticket. I should have bought two.

CHO, (on camera): Do you feel like the videotape is a mixed blessing in some ways?

GREG: Sometimes I think giving my dad the ticket is a blessing because he got to meet them. Before a lot of them perished. It's also a curse because now he has reconnected with all these people after 40 years and now, the pain is much more intense.

CHO, (voice over): Next week, both father and son will travel to Banda Aceh, under the saddest of circumstances. They are hoping to help their extended family, the ones who survive to rebuild, praying they can make a difference in their family's greatest hour of need. Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: So many personal tragedies coming out of this.

SANCHEZ: What a story. Jacqui Jeras standing by. She'll bring us up to date on what's going on with the weather, especially the problems that have been developing in the western portion of the United States.

WEATHER REPORT

NGUYEN: That's all of our time. I want to thank you for joining us.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. Let's toss things over now to our colleague Wolf Blitzer who is standing by in Washington with a lot more on this day. Wolf, over to you.

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