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American Morning
Tsunami Disaster; '2004: The Last Word'
Aired December 29, 2004 - 07:30 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It is just about half past the hour now on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Heidi Collins in for Soledad O'Brien.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez in for Bill Hemmer.
There are new pictures that have just been coming in to us; in fact, moments ago. We're going to share them with you right here. This is a hotel in Indonesia, as it's described to us. We have been monitoring these as they come in throughout the morning. Nearly half of the 68,000 victims have died now, we've learned, in Indonesia.
In all, at least 11 countries are affected by these tsunamis thus far. We're also going to be hearing from Thailand in just a couple of minutes, where tourists make up the overwhelming number of deaths thus far.
COLLINS: Also, we're going to talk with a father and daughter who are worried about dozens of family members in Sri Lanka, what must is be like for them looking at the places they know and love wiped out and being nearly helpless to get word from family.
SANCHEZ: First, though, to the headlines and Carol Costello checking on things for us.
Carol -- good morning.
COLLINS: Good morning, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Rick. Good morning, Heidi. Good morning to all of you.
"Now in the News."
President Bush is expected to give his first public statement this morning about the tsunami disaster in southern Asia. The president is being updated on relief and recovery efforts during a National Security Council meeting at his Texas ranch. So far, the U.S. has pledged $35 million in aid. a U.N. official said the world's richest nations have been stingy with their contributions.
Hundreds of protesters are gathering outside of Ukraine's government headquarters. They are trying to keep Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych from convening a cabinet. It's part of an effort to pressure him into conceding defeat to rival Viktor Yushchenko following this weekend's repeat presidential election. The prime minister says he'll appeal the results to the country's supreme court.
The man accused of shooting a group of deer hunters is scheduled to appear in a Wisconsin courtroom. Chai Vang is accused of killing six people and wounding two others. Today's hearing is to determine if there is sufficient evidence to order Vang to stand trial.
And a 55-year-old Virginia woman has given birth to her own grandchildren. Tina Kay (ph) delivered two boys and a girl by cesarean section. All three of the newborns are said to be doing well. Kay (ph) was acting as a surrogate for her oldest daughter, who had apparently tried for four years to become pregnant. And thanks to mom she has added to the family.
COLLINS: Wow! I'm not quite sure what to say about that one. Good for them.
COLLINS: Yes
COLLINS: OK. Carol, thanks so much.
SANCHEZ: Thanks, Carol.
COLLINS: We're going to check back a little later on.
Meanwhile, though, in Thailand, the search for missing people continues in resort areas there. Some of the smaller islands in the area were completely swallowed up by the giant waves.
Aneesh Raman is at the tourist resort area in Kalok (ph) in Thailand, and he's joining us now live via videophone.
Aneesh -- hello to you.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, good morning to you.
We are in the coastal province of Phang Nga in southern mainland Thailand. And so far here alone, 1,000-plus people are confirmed dead. Reports are that number could triple as we go forward.
Bodies are still being pulled from the rubble that now just completely covers the beachfront. Cars, buses. We passed one area, where a 100-foot police steel ship is about a mile inland. It gives you a sense of the force of these waves.
Now, the troubling number is that over 4,000 people remain missing. At a hotel not far from where we are, Sofitel, they are reporting some 200 people missing. As we are go forward, now almost three and a half days after those waves came crashing down, the hope of finding any or all of them alive is dwindling fast. Heidi, today was the first full day where no survivor was found.
COLLINS: All right. Aneesh Raman, thanks so much for that. Not good news there. We will continue to check on the story with you as the day goes on here -- Rick. SANCHEZ: More than four days have now passed since the tsunamis wiped away coastlines across Southeast Asia; 23,000 dead across Sri Lanka in particular, as we've been telling you, one of the hardest-hit areas, no doubt. It's where thousands, by the way, also remain missing.
And with each passing day the picture seems to get bleaker. And now family members around the world are just holding out hope that their loved ones have somehow survived.
We've got two of them here with us now. Joining us here are Shanika and Sarath Ranasinghe. They have already lost several family members, and are missing more.
I don't know where to begin, but I suppose the appropriate thing to say is our condolences to both of you. Thanks so much for being with us.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE, SRI LANKA FAMILY MEMBERS MISSING: Thank you.
SARATH RANASINGHE, SRI LANKA FAMILY MEMBERS MISSING: Thanks.
SANCHEZ: This has to be so difficult. According to the information that we've received, you have as many as 30 members of your family in that area around Galle, is that correct?
SARATH RANASINGHE: Yes.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: My father's family, it's the place of his birth, the town of Galle. So, families usually, you know, tend to stay in the same area. So, his family, our entire side of my father's family, is in the town of Galle and in that vicinity.
SANCHEZ: What's difficult about this, I'm sure you have been monitoring the pictures, Galle is by far one of the hardest-hit cities, because it's a coastal town.
SARATH RANASINGHE: True.
SANCHEZ: Some incidents, like, for example, the story of the train that was washed out to sea. Have you seen these pictures?
SARATH RANASINGHE: I have seen, yes. I watched it on the system on...
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: We've been watching it online.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Yes, yes.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: We've seen pictures. And it's -- you know, there's, like, a natural curiosity, and at the same time it's so difficult.
SANCHEZ: It makes you fear the worst.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Exactly. SHANIKA RANASINGHE: It does.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Yes. I cannot find the words to express my grief.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: And there's a fear of, like, recognizing somebody in those pictures.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Exactly.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: The worst way possible.
SANCHEZ: Have you?
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: No, no, we haven't.
SARATH RANASINGHE: No.
SANCHEZ: How are you coping, both of you?
SARATH RANASINGHE: Well...
SANCHEZ: It's very courageous for you to come here and tell your story. And I think it's important. And there's a good that's going to come out of this, and we appreciate it. But it has to be very difficult.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Yes, very difficult, and for the last couple of days I've tried to cope with -- I tend to kind of read religious lines and I go to my temple and talk to the priests.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: We just keep thinking, as much as, you know, our pain is so real to us, as a community, we're a very tightly-knit community...
SARATH RANASINGHE: Yes.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: ... and there are so many others who are in so much more pain. And we just try to share that with them and just come together as a community and focus more on what we can do for the people in Sri Lanka, for our families.
SANCHEZ: You're from Galle.
SARATH RANASINGHE: I'm from Galle, yes.
SANCHEZ: Do you -- can you imagine -- growing up there, did you ever -- were you ever told be careful this could happen? Was there ever talk of a tsunami?
SARATH RANASINGHE: Well, I grew up by -- the ocean was behind my house, right by my house. I never knew that, not even my father. There was no way that...
SANCHEZ: So, can you explain to us what it must have been like there when this happened? What were people doing? SARATH RANASINGHE: Well, I can imagine that time of the day, people must have been waking up. That was a Sunday, I think. Yes, it was Sunday. And some children might have been going to Sunday schools. There must have been people on buses. People must have gone to have their breakfast, some people. Some people going to, like, Sunday fairs, like, buying groceries. And they must have been wiped out.
SANCHEZ: It came out of nowhere.
SARATH RANASINGHE: It came out of nowhere.
SANCHEZ: Your brother, you must miss him terribly.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: Yes.
SARATH RANASINGHE: My brother.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
SARATH RANASINGHE: My brother.
SANCHEZ: When was the last time you spoke with him?
SARATH RANASINGHE: About two months ago. Two months ago.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: We had just actually, just hours before we found out about what happened, my father had said, you know, it will be nice. I'll call him New Year's Day and, you know, say hello and just touch base.
SANCHEZ: We should mention that you are now turning your grief into action. What are you doing?
SARATH RANASINGHE: Well, we have -- we are trying to reach out to the world through our temple, through our organization. I have a few phone numbers here.
SANCHEZ: Anything we can do to help you. If you'd like to give out some of the numbers, please go ahead and do so.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Yes, they are here. Do you want to read the numbers?
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: Sure. Well, the New York Buddhist Sahira (ph), which is in Queens, and the phone number is 718-468-4262.
SANCHEZ: And that's a number that people can call if they would like to give aid.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Right, yes.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: Yes.
SARATH RANASINGHE: There are two more numbers here. SHANIKA RANASINGHE: And the other one is the Staten Island Buddhist Sahara (ph). And that's 718-556-2051. And lastly there's the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, and the number is 212-986-7040.
SANCHEZ: Well, we thank you so much for being with us on this day.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Thank you very much.
SANCHEZ: We certainly wish you the very best. And our thoughts and prayers will be with you.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Thank you very much.
SANCHEZ: You can log on to CNN.com for the latest information on the tsunami disaster and what you can do to help.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: Well, the U.S. upped its pledge for tsunami relief after some criticism. But what exactly is America's responsibility in such a disaster? That's ahead as we examine it on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: It's time now to check in with Toure and the "Question of the Day" this morning.
Still talking about the tsunami.
TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, yes, there's not much on people's minds right now besides that.
The tsunami disaster is perhaps the worst any of us have ever seen. America is the only remaining superpower, the world's policeman, the biggest member of an increasingly small global community. The Bush administration pledged 15 million in aid and was promptly called stingy by the United Nations emergency relief coordinator. The administration responded by raising the amount of aid to 35 million, and Colin Powell promises more is on the way.
Many citizens are donating money. Some will adopt tsunami orphans. But many are saying I have a hard time paying my own bills. And there are people all over the world who need our help. In Iran, there are victims of last year's earthquake still living in tents. There are homeless people in Falluja. There are hurricane victims in Florida still struggling to get back to normal. There are American soldiers risking their lives every day in Iraq without proper armor. And just outside of our own doors in this country, there are an estimated three and a half million homeless Americans.
Should we be cleaning up another house when ours is messy? Or do we have an obligation to help those who need us?
Our question today: What is America's responsibility to the tsunami victims?
COLLINS: All right.
TOURE: E-mail us at AM@CNN.com.
COLLINS: Yes, I think people are really wondering what it is that they can do right now as they sit at home and they watch these unbelievable pictures that really only seem to get worse as we go.
TOURE: Yes, yes.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: And I've seen e-mails all over being sent by people to, you know, groups and messages and friends asking for help and giving names...
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: And they say money, cash is the best thing right now.
SERWER: Yes, right.
TOURE: Right.
COLLINS: So they can just send it.
SANCHEZ: Too often they send things that end up being bundled in a corner somewhere...
COLLINS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: ... because it's just, you know, something they can't be organized. Like clothing, all too often, it's just not needed.
Let's turn things over to you, Andy, and see what we're talking about. We're talking about giving, how you can give and help your company.
SERWER: Right.
SANCHEZ: And you're going to talk about the markets as well, right?
SERWER: A slightly different angle there, that's right, Rick. Yesterday, the markets shrugged off the news of the tsunamis and the disaster that we've been talking about all morning. Stocks traded up. Some scrutiny of insurance company stocks, but they seem to be holding up pretty well. Basically, a positive consumer confidence number for the month of December buoyed the markets. You can see here, quite a nice day.
There were some other stories in the business world yesterday, particularly of the airline nature. Troubled US Air in the news again. This time, they're putting out a call to their employees, get this, asking them to work for free. Let's say that again. To work for free over the New Year's holiday. That's because the problems that... SANCHEZ: Giving.
SERWER: Giving. Thank you, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
SERWER: That's because of the problems they had over Christmas, trying to get back to normal. Meanwhile, they're still sorting out some of the luggage problems, 10,000 pieces of luggage not attached to persons. Still, they're still sorting that out. They're still looking at how to compensate passengers. It is a mess in Philadelphia. This is basically where they are asking their employees to work for free, Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love in giving.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
COLLINS: Yes, my dad...
SANCHEZ: The theme of the day.
COLLINS: My dad is a great businessman. He always said don't ever work for free.
SERWER: Yes, and don't ask your employees to work for free, either.
COLLINS: Yes.
SERWER: It's not a good policy.
COLLINS: Andy, thank you.
SERWER: You're welcome.
COLLINS: The tsunami death toll is already approaching a staggering 68,000. But in the end, disease across the region could end up dwarfing that tragedy. We'll talk to an official from the World Health Organization in the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Now a bit of the "Auld Lang Syne" and a look back at the people and events that made big news over the year. Today, from Beltway politics to homeruns to celebrity bloopers. Part three of "The Last Word," the winners and losers of 2004.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: The one prayer that whatever Gods may be I was thinking is whoever wins, let them win.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And we got this news just in to CNN. John King is telling us that, in fact, Senator John Kerry has called President Bush to concede the election.
JOE KLEIN, "TIME" MAGAZINE COLUMNIST: In this case, they looked at a guy who stood in the rubble of the World Trade Center with a bullhorn a couple days after the September 11 events, and who later gave a speech and held up a policeman's shield, and they said, this is a guy I can trust.
Well, you've got to say that one of the big winners of this year is Karl Rove. Karl Rove said after the 2000 election that there were four million evangelical voters who hadn't come out for George W. Bush. And he was going to get them the next time. He is a cross between, you know, Moses and the Buddha at this point.
JOSH ELLIOTT, STAFF WRITER, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": To advance to the World Series over the Yankees and do so in the dramatic fashion that they did, winning four straight games after losing the first three, we all thought that there might be some tear in the time/space continuum and that the world as we know would come to an end.
REV. JERRY FALWELL, LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CHANCELLOR: I put myself on the list of losers, because I'm a New York Yankees fan and I'm still in deep mourning.
CRYSTAL MCCRARY ANTHONY, AUTHOR, "GOTHAM DIARIES": I would say the biggest winner in politics this year would be Reverend Al Sharpton. Think about it. He was castigated by the Democratic Party and essentially rose to a primetime speaker during the Democratic Convention.
REV. AL SHARPTON, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I hope he's watching tonight. I would like to answer your questions, Mr. President.
The irony is that after the speech I was welcomed to the sky box of the chairman of the Democratic Party to sit the rest of the night, but there were no guarantees that would happen. And clearly I was willing to take the risk.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: This was a huge year for computer-generated characters like "Shrek," "The Incredibles," and Britney Spears.
TOURE: Two of the big flops this year were historical films. I mean, Colin Farrell, "Alexander," he spent 14 months. Too bad. That's a year plus down the drain. And, you know, Brad Pitt thought that "Troy" would be his gladiator. Not quite. I mean, it's a tough year for some people.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: I am never going to be able to get that image of Colin Farrell with his blond bob out of my head! I mean, that was one of the worst moments of 2004. Why? Why did they put him in that movie?
SERWER: Maybe the product of the year was the iPod just really taking the country by storm. The ultimate Christmas gift for 2004. And, you know, no one really saw this coming. It has just captured the nation's attention, this little product producing billions of dollars of revenue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God, who watches this trash?
E. JEAN CARROLL, "ELLE" ADVICE COLUMNIST: I liked "Desperate Housewives," because "Desperate Housewives," the ratings are higher in the red states than they are in the blue states.
FALWELL: I haven't seen "Desperate Housewives," but I've certainly heard about it. There's no question that you can put hard- core porn on in primetime and get a significant audience, because all of the people who think that way would gather around the set.
SHARPTON: I watched "Desperate Housewives" one time. I think it shows a lot of the state of culture in this country. We are fascinated with naughtiness.
BOROWITZ: Ben Affleck, I think, continued to be a tremendous loser. No one went to any of his movies. But after a certain point when you lose that much, your losing in and of itself becomes heroic. So, he may be poised to be a winner
BERNARD: Paris Hilton is one of the few people that spans the winners' and losers' category of 2004. For some reason -- and I'm guilty of this, I admit -- we have become Paris-obsessed.
B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Who is Paris Hilton? What is Paris Hilton? I get asked that all the time. What? Paris, Paris, Paris, Paris.
MARIO CANTONE, COMEDIAN/ACTOR: Paris Hilton is a loser. She is ridiculous. I don't care how rich she is or how many hotel towels she has in her linen closet from the Hilton hotels. Who are you and why?
SIGESMUND: The biggest winner of the year clearly in the movie world was Mel Gibson. He took a chance and he invested 25 or 30 million of his own money in "The Passion of the Christ." He did it outside the studio system. And look what it did. Look where it went.
TOURE: Even Michael Moore in his own way, this fat, schlumpy (ph), bearded, Midwestern, working-class guy. But give him a camera, and he becomes a super hero.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: In tomorrow's "The Last Word," some of the more shocking moments of 2004. A hint: It's the year that made the words, "wardrobe malfunction," a household phrase, for some people, not everybody -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: And, of course, we're going to be focus continually this morning on the tsunami disaster. We'll have more in a moment, including the devastation that has stunned the world. But in one country hit by the tsunamis, shock is turning to anger. We'll tell you why on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Get the latest news every morning in your e-mail. Just sign up for AMERICAN MORNING quick news at CNN.com/am.
Still to come this morning, the tsunami disaster is already a monumental tragedy. But health experts say an even bigger crisis may be on the horizon. A look at that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: It goes even higher. The tsunami death toll is now at nearly 68,000, nearly half of them in Indonesia, we learn. One historic Indonesian city is completely wiped out.
The relief crisis. The U.S. adds more money to the race to get help to the living before disease takes the lives of thousands more.
And survivors. A supermodel's harrowing experience and her search for her missing boyfriend on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcaster center in New York, this AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
SANCHEZ: And hello once again, everyone. Bill and Soledad are off this morning. I'm Rick Sanchez.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.
The World Health Organization has said as many people could die from disease as were killed by the tsunami itself. But with so many in need in areas so vast and access so difficult, we're going to see how hard it's going to be to save lives there.
SANCHEZ: There is something interesting about natural disasters like these. In this particular case, a tsunami, it did not discriminate. The richest and the poorest were taken on Sunday. Among the survivor stories, we will hear the supermodel who survived as well as what happened to the family of filmmaker Sir Richard Attenborough right here.
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Aired December 29, 2004 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It is just about half past the hour now on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Heidi Collins in for Soledad O'Brien.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez in for Bill Hemmer.
There are new pictures that have just been coming in to us; in fact, moments ago. We're going to share them with you right here. This is a hotel in Indonesia, as it's described to us. We have been monitoring these as they come in throughout the morning. Nearly half of the 68,000 victims have died now, we've learned, in Indonesia.
In all, at least 11 countries are affected by these tsunamis thus far. We're also going to be hearing from Thailand in just a couple of minutes, where tourists make up the overwhelming number of deaths thus far.
COLLINS: Also, we're going to talk with a father and daughter who are worried about dozens of family members in Sri Lanka, what must is be like for them looking at the places they know and love wiped out and being nearly helpless to get word from family.
SANCHEZ: First, though, to the headlines and Carol Costello checking on things for us.
Carol -- good morning.
COLLINS: Good morning, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Rick. Good morning, Heidi. Good morning to all of you.
"Now in the News."
President Bush is expected to give his first public statement this morning about the tsunami disaster in southern Asia. The president is being updated on relief and recovery efforts during a National Security Council meeting at his Texas ranch. So far, the U.S. has pledged $35 million in aid. a U.N. official said the world's richest nations have been stingy with their contributions.
Hundreds of protesters are gathering outside of Ukraine's government headquarters. They are trying to keep Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych from convening a cabinet. It's part of an effort to pressure him into conceding defeat to rival Viktor Yushchenko following this weekend's repeat presidential election. The prime minister says he'll appeal the results to the country's supreme court.
The man accused of shooting a group of deer hunters is scheduled to appear in a Wisconsin courtroom. Chai Vang is accused of killing six people and wounding two others. Today's hearing is to determine if there is sufficient evidence to order Vang to stand trial.
And a 55-year-old Virginia woman has given birth to her own grandchildren. Tina Kay (ph) delivered two boys and a girl by cesarean section. All three of the newborns are said to be doing well. Kay (ph) was acting as a surrogate for her oldest daughter, who had apparently tried for four years to become pregnant. And thanks to mom she has added to the family.
COLLINS: Wow! I'm not quite sure what to say about that one. Good for them.
COLLINS: Yes
COLLINS: OK. Carol, thanks so much.
SANCHEZ: Thanks, Carol.
COLLINS: We're going to check back a little later on.
Meanwhile, though, in Thailand, the search for missing people continues in resort areas there. Some of the smaller islands in the area were completely swallowed up by the giant waves.
Aneesh Raman is at the tourist resort area in Kalok (ph) in Thailand, and he's joining us now live via videophone.
Aneesh -- hello to you.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, good morning to you.
We are in the coastal province of Phang Nga in southern mainland Thailand. And so far here alone, 1,000-plus people are confirmed dead. Reports are that number could triple as we go forward.
Bodies are still being pulled from the rubble that now just completely covers the beachfront. Cars, buses. We passed one area, where a 100-foot police steel ship is about a mile inland. It gives you a sense of the force of these waves.
Now, the troubling number is that over 4,000 people remain missing. At a hotel not far from where we are, Sofitel, they are reporting some 200 people missing. As we are go forward, now almost three and a half days after those waves came crashing down, the hope of finding any or all of them alive is dwindling fast. Heidi, today was the first full day where no survivor was found.
COLLINS: All right. Aneesh Raman, thanks so much for that. Not good news there. We will continue to check on the story with you as the day goes on here -- Rick. SANCHEZ: More than four days have now passed since the tsunamis wiped away coastlines across Southeast Asia; 23,000 dead across Sri Lanka in particular, as we've been telling you, one of the hardest-hit areas, no doubt. It's where thousands, by the way, also remain missing.
And with each passing day the picture seems to get bleaker. And now family members around the world are just holding out hope that their loved ones have somehow survived.
We've got two of them here with us now. Joining us here are Shanika and Sarath Ranasinghe. They have already lost several family members, and are missing more.
I don't know where to begin, but I suppose the appropriate thing to say is our condolences to both of you. Thanks so much for being with us.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE, SRI LANKA FAMILY MEMBERS MISSING: Thank you.
SARATH RANASINGHE, SRI LANKA FAMILY MEMBERS MISSING: Thanks.
SANCHEZ: This has to be so difficult. According to the information that we've received, you have as many as 30 members of your family in that area around Galle, is that correct?
SARATH RANASINGHE: Yes.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: My father's family, it's the place of his birth, the town of Galle. So, families usually, you know, tend to stay in the same area. So, his family, our entire side of my father's family, is in the town of Galle and in that vicinity.
SANCHEZ: What's difficult about this, I'm sure you have been monitoring the pictures, Galle is by far one of the hardest-hit cities, because it's a coastal town.
SARATH RANASINGHE: True.
SANCHEZ: Some incidents, like, for example, the story of the train that was washed out to sea. Have you seen these pictures?
SARATH RANASINGHE: I have seen, yes. I watched it on the system on...
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: We've been watching it online.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Yes, yes.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: We've seen pictures. And it's -- you know, there's, like, a natural curiosity, and at the same time it's so difficult.
SANCHEZ: It makes you fear the worst.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Exactly. SHANIKA RANASINGHE: It does.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Yes. I cannot find the words to express my grief.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: And there's a fear of, like, recognizing somebody in those pictures.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Exactly.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: The worst way possible.
SANCHEZ: Have you?
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: No, no, we haven't.
SARATH RANASINGHE: No.
SANCHEZ: How are you coping, both of you?
SARATH RANASINGHE: Well...
SANCHEZ: It's very courageous for you to come here and tell your story. And I think it's important. And there's a good that's going to come out of this, and we appreciate it. But it has to be very difficult.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Yes, very difficult, and for the last couple of days I've tried to cope with -- I tend to kind of read religious lines and I go to my temple and talk to the priests.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: We just keep thinking, as much as, you know, our pain is so real to us, as a community, we're a very tightly-knit community...
SARATH RANASINGHE: Yes.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: ... and there are so many others who are in so much more pain. And we just try to share that with them and just come together as a community and focus more on what we can do for the people in Sri Lanka, for our families.
SANCHEZ: You're from Galle.
SARATH RANASINGHE: I'm from Galle, yes.
SANCHEZ: Do you -- can you imagine -- growing up there, did you ever -- were you ever told be careful this could happen? Was there ever talk of a tsunami?
SARATH RANASINGHE: Well, I grew up by -- the ocean was behind my house, right by my house. I never knew that, not even my father. There was no way that...
SANCHEZ: So, can you explain to us what it must have been like there when this happened? What were people doing? SARATH RANASINGHE: Well, I can imagine that time of the day, people must have been waking up. That was a Sunday, I think. Yes, it was Sunday. And some children might have been going to Sunday schools. There must have been people on buses. People must have gone to have their breakfast, some people. Some people going to, like, Sunday fairs, like, buying groceries. And they must have been wiped out.
SANCHEZ: It came out of nowhere.
SARATH RANASINGHE: It came out of nowhere.
SANCHEZ: Your brother, you must miss him terribly.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: Yes.
SARATH RANASINGHE: My brother.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
SARATH RANASINGHE: My brother.
SANCHEZ: When was the last time you spoke with him?
SARATH RANASINGHE: About two months ago. Two months ago.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: We had just actually, just hours before we found out about what happened, my father had said, you know, it will be nice. I'll call him New Year's Day and, you know, say hello and just touch base.
SANCHEZ: We should mention that you are now turning your grief into action. What are you doing?
SARATH RANASINGHE: Well, we have -- we are trying to reach out to the world through our temple, through our organization. I have a few phone numbers here.
SANCHEZ: Anything we can do to help you. If you'd like to give out some of the numbers, please go ahead and do so.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Yes, they are here. Do you want to read the numbers?
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: Sure. Well, the New York Buddhist Sahira (ph), which is in Queens, and the phone number is 718-468-4262.
SANCHEZ: And that's a number that people can call if they would like to give aid.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Right, yes.
SHANIKA RANASINGHE: Yes.
SARATH RANASINGHE: There are two more numbers here. SHANIKA RANASINGHE: And the other one is the Staten Island Buddhist Sahara (ph). And that's 718-556-2051. And lastly there's the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, and the number is 212-986-7040.
SANCHEZ: Well, we thank you so much for being with us on this day.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Thank you very much.
SANCHEZ: We certainly wish you the very best. And our thoughts and prayers will be with you.
SARATH RANASINGHE: Thank you very much.
SANCHEZ: You can log on to CNN.com for the latest information on the tsunami disaster and what you can do to help.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: Well, the U.S. upped its pledge for tsunami relief after some criticism. But what exactly is America's responsibility in such a disaster? That's ahead as we examine it on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: It's time now to check in with Toure and the "Question of the Day" this morning.
Still talking about the tsunami.
TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, yes, there's not much on people's minds right now besides that.
The tsunami disaster is perhaps the worst any of us have ever seen. America is the only remaining superpower, the world's policeman, the biggest member of an increasingly small global community. The Bush administration pledged 15 million in aid and was promptly called stingy by the United Nations emergency relief coordinator. The administration responded by raising the amount of aid to 35 million, and Colin Powell promises more is on the way.
Many citizens are donating money. Some will adopt tsunami orphans. But many are saying I have a hard time paying my own bills. And there are people all over the world who need our help. In Iran, there are victims of last year's earthquake still living in tents. There are homeless people in Falluja. There are hurricane victims in Florida still struggling to get back to normal. There are American soldiers risking their lives every day in Iraq without proper armor. And just outside of our own doors in this country, there are an estimated three and a half million homeless Americans.
Should we be cleaning up another house when ours is messy? Or do we have an obligation to help those who need us?
Our question today: What is America's responsibility to the tsunami victims?
COLLINS: All right.
TOURE: E-mail us at AM@CNN.com.
COLLINS: Yes, I think people are really wondering what it is that they can do right now as they sit at home and they watch these unbelievable pictures that really only seem to get worse as we go.
TOURE: Yes, yes.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: And I've seen e-mails all over being sent by people to, you know, groups and messages and friends asking for help and giving names...
(CROSSTALK)
COLLINS: And they say money, cash is the best thing right now.
SERWER: Yes, right.
TOURE: Right.
COLLINS: So they can just send it.
SANCHEZ: Too often they send things that end up being bundled in a corner somewhere...
COLLINS: Yes.
SANCHEZ: ... because it's just, you know, something they can't be organized. Like clothing, all too often, it's just not needed.
Let's turn things over to you, Andy, and see what we're talking about. We're talking about giving, how you can give and help your company.
SERWER: Right.
SANCHEZ: And you're going to talk about the markets as well, right?
SERWER: A slightly different angle there, that's right, Rick. Yesterday, the markets shrugged off the news of the tsunamis and the disaster that we've been talking about all morning. Stocks traded up. Some scrutiny of insurance company stocks, but they seem to be holding up pretty well. Basically, a positive consumer confidence number for the month of December buoyed the markets. You can see here, quite a nice day.
There were some other stories in the business world yesterday, particularly of the airline nature. Troubled US Air in the news again. This time, they're putting out a call to their employees, get this, asking them to work for free. Let's say that again. To work for free over the New Year's holiday. That's because the problems that... SANCHEZ: Giving.
SERWER: Giving. Thank you, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
SERWER: That's because of the problems they had over Christmas, trying to get back to normal. Meanwhile, they're still sorting out some of the luggage problems, 10,000 pieces of luggage not attached to persons. Still, they're still sorting that out. They're still looking at how to compensate passengers. It is a mess in Philadelphia. This is basically where they are asking their employees to work for free, Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love in giving.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
COLLINS: Yes, my dad...
SANCHEZ: The theme of the day.
COLLINS: My dad is a great businessman. He always said don't ever work for free.
SERWER: Yes, and don't ask your employees to work for free, either.
COLLINS: Yes.
SERWER: It's not a good policy.
COLLINS: Andy, thank you.
SERWER: You're welcome.
COLLINS: The tsunami death toll is already approaching a staggering 68,000. But in the end, disease across the region could end up dwarfing that tragedy. We'll talk to an official from the World Health Organization in the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Now a bit of the "Auld Lang Syne" and a look back at the people and events that made big news over the year. Today, from Beltway politics to homeruns to celebrity bloopers. Part three of "The Last Word," the winners and losers of 2004.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: The one prayer that whatever Gods may be I was thinking is whoever wins, let them win.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And we got this news just in to CNN. John King is telling us that, in fact, Senator John Kerry has called President Bush to concede the election.
JOE KLEIN, "TIME" MAGAZINE COLUMNIST: In this case, they looked at a guy who stood in the rubble of the World Trade Center with a bullhorn a couple days after the September 11 events, and who later gave a speech and held up a policeman's shield, and they said, this is a guy I can trust.
Well, you've got to say that one of the big winners of this year is Karl Rove. Karl Rove said after the 2000 election that there were four million evangelical voters who hadn't come out for George W. Bush. And he was going to get them the next time. He is a cross between, you know, Moses and the Buddha at this point.
JOSH ELLIOTT, STAFF WRITER, "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED": To advance to the World Series over the Yankees and do so in the dramatic fashion that they did, winning four straight games after losing the first three, we all thought that there might be some tear in the time/space continuum and that the world as we know would come to an end.
REV. JERRY FALWELL, LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CHANCELLOR: I put myself on the list of losers, because I'm a New York Yankees fan and I'm still in deep mourning.
CRYSTAL MCCRARY ANTHONY, AUTHOR, "GOTHAM DIARIES": I would say the biggest winner in politics this year would be Reverend Al Sharpton. Think about it. He was castigated by the Democratic Party and essentially rose to a primetime speaker during the Democratic Convention.
REV. AL SHARPTON, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I hope he's watching tonight. I would like to answer your questions, Mr. President.
The irony is that after the speech I was welcomed to the sky box of the chairman of the Democratic Party to sit the rest of the night, but there were no guarantees that would happen. And clearly I was willing to take the risk.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: This was a huge year for computer-generated characters like "Shrek," "The Incredibles," and Britney Spears.
TOURE: Two of the big flops this year were historical films. I mean, Colin Farrell, "Alexander," he spent 14 months. Too bad. That's a year plus down the drain. And, you know, Brad Pitt thought that "Troy" would be his gladiator. Not quite. I mean, it's a tough year for some people.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: I am never going to be able to get that image of Colin Farrell with his blond bob out of my head! I mean, that was one of the worst moments of 2004. Why? Why did they put him in that movie?
SERWER: Maybe the product of the year was the iPod just really taking the country by storm. The ultimate Christmas gift for 2004. And, you know, no one really saw this coming. It has just captured the nation's attention, this little product producing billions of dollars of revenue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God, who watches this trash?
E. JEAN CARROLL, "ELLE" ADVICE COLUMNIST: I liked "Desperate Housewives," because "Desperate Housewives," the ratings are higher in the red states than they are in the blue states.
FALWELL: I haven't seen "Desperate Housewives," but I've certainly heard about it. There's no question that you can put hard- core porn on in primetime and get a significant audience, because all of the people who think that way would gather around the set.
SHARPTON: I watched "Desperate Housewives" one time. I think it shows a lot of the state of culture in this country. We are fascinated with naughtiness.
BOROWITZ: Ben Affleck, I think, continued to be a tremendous loser. No one went to any of his movies. But after a certain point when you lose that much, your losing in and of itself becomes heroic. So, he may be poised to be a winner
BERNARD: Paris Hilton is one of the few people that spans the winners' and losers' category of 2004. For some reason -- and I'm guilty of this, I admit -- we have become Paris-obsessed.
B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Who is Paris Hilton? What is Paris Hilton? I get asked that all the time. What? Paris, Paris, Paris, Paris.
MARIO CANTONE, COMEDIAN/ACTOR: Paris Hilton is a loser. She is ridiculous. I don't care how rich she is or how many hotel towels she has in her linen closet from the Hilton hotels. Who are you and why?
SIGESMUND: The biggest winner of the year clearly in the movie world was Mel Gibson. He took a chance and he invested 25 or 30 million of his own money in "The Passion of the Christ." He did it outside the studio system. And look what it did. Look where it went.
TOURE: Even Michael Moore in his own way, this fat, schlumpy (ph), bearded, Midwestern, working-class guy. But give him a camera, and he becomes a super hero.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: In tomorrow's "The Last Word," some of the more shocking moments of 2004. A hint: It's the year that made the words, "wardrobe malfunction," a household phrase, for some people, not everybody -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: And, of course, we're going to be focus continually this morning on the tsunami disaster. We'll have more in a moment, including the devastation that has stunned the world. But in one country hit by the tsunamis, shock is turning to anger. We'll tell you why on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Get the latest news every morning in your e-mail. Just sign up for AMERICAN MORNING quick news at CNN.com/am.
Still to come this morning, the tsunami disaster is already a monumental tragedy. But health experts say an even bigger crisis may be on the horizon. A look at that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: It goes even higher. The tsunami death toll is now at nearly 68,000, nearly half of them in Indonesia, we learn. One historic Indonesian city is completely wiped out.
The relief crisis. The U.S. adds more money to the race to get help to the living before disease takes the lives of thousands more.
And survivors. A supermodel's harrowing experience and her search for her missing boyfriend on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcaster center in New York, this AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
SANCHEZ: And hello once again, everyone. Bill and Soledad are off this morning. I'm Rick Sanchez.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.
The World Health Organization has said as many people could die from disease as were killed by the tsunami itself. But with so many in need in areas so vast and access so difficult, we're going to see how hard it's going to be to save lives there.
SANCHEZ: There is something interesting about natural disasters like these. In this particular case, a tsunami, it did not discriminate. The richest and the poorest were taken on Sunday. Among the survivor stories, we will hear the supermodel who survived as well as what happened to the family of filmmaker Sir Richard Attenborough right here.
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