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Loved Ones of Those Missing Call for Information; Parts of Sri Lanka Inaccessible, Slow to Get Aid; World Debates Whether U.S. Sending Enough Aid

Aired December 29, 2004 - 08:30   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: White House officials say the president will deliver a statement following an update on U.S. relief efforts in the region. Secretary of State Colin Powell has been the highest ranking U.S. official to speak out about the recovery efforts so far.
In California, three men accused in a steroids distribution case are scheduled to be back in court. A federal judge is refusing to drop charges against Balco founder Victor Conte and two others, but she is willing to hear arguments their statements were coerced. Those statements implicated some big-name athletes. Yesterday's ruling increases the likelihood the case will go to trial next year.

And Russia is saying nyet no to free rides for U.S. astronauts heading to the international space station. Russia has been the only link to the space station for the past year. Because of a tight budget, Russia's space agency says U.S. astronauts will now be asked to pay a fare starting in 2006. There's been no response so far from NASA. Back to you.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Carol, thanks. In Thailand now, officials say more than 1,500 people are dead, and for every Thai resident killed, two tourists have perished in the disaster.

One of the worst hit beaches in Thailand was on Phuket's west coast. It's called Karon Beach. Our next guest believes that her brother was there. She hasn't heard from him since the tsunamis hit. Barbara Pecarich is joining us now with the story about her brother Pat.

Barbara, thanks for being here. As we mentioned, you think that he is there. What makes you believe that? As we put a picture of him on the screen so that everyone can see Pat, tell us why you think he was there.

BARBARA PECARICH, BROTHER MISSING IN THAILAND: Well, he would travel - he was traveling through Thailand and intended to be in Phuket at Christmas, which is where he spent every Christmas for the last number of years. Phuket is an international community with people who come from all over the world for that time of year, and, you know, they share their children growing up, they share their parents and their grandparents, and it's not just a tourist village. It's a community village of people who have come to know each other over years of time. And my heart goes out to everyone there because I know it must just be horrendous.

COLLINS: Right.

PECARICH: Pat would be there at Christmas, near the Romtap Inn (ph) on Karon Beach. Christmas Day would normally look like being out on the beach in the morning, going for a walk, or sitting in one of the restaurants that's right on the beach.

So, I'm just wondering if anyone had seen him, knows if he was there, or was there on the beach that morning. And there's a whole group of people from Italy, Germany, Swiss, Austria that have known each other for years. And if you have any information, would you please contact me, BarbTaos@yahoo.com or CNN.com? His little girl is in New Mexico. She grew up on that beach.

COLLINS: I think we just saw a picture of her as a baby.

PECARICH: Pluma (ph). And Pluma really is waiting to hear something about her dad. She knows Karon Beach. She knows Thailand. She has a great love for Thailand, as we all do, as it's a gracious country.

COLLINS: And I know that you yourself have been there with him. So do you have any contact then from this group of people that you mentioned?

PECARICH: We haven't been able to contact anyone from that particular group of people. There's cross-networking going on, extensive cross-networking going on, with photographs and people who are looking for people. But I'm sure that it's so chaotic and that everyone is so concerned with what they need to be, with their own families and the disaster, that I'm just asking for anyone who might have any information or who may have seen Pat to let us know so we can begin somewhere. The hospital lists are difficult because there - some of them aren't describing names; they're just...

COLLINS: How are you even able to get a hold of hospital lists?

PECARICH: You can access the hospital lists for Phuket on the net or through the "Phuket Gazette," which is the local newspaper in Phuket. There are sites that have been set up for people to submit photographs. My hope is that somebody will think about who they were with around that period of time and perhaps, as soon as things settle down a little bit, if people have gone back to their countries, if you've gone back to Switzerland or Germany or Amsterdam and you knew that Pat was there or other people, maybe you can call other peoples families and just let them know.

COLLINS: If there's something that you could say to him right now, what would it be?

PECARICH: Be strong and - you know, I know he would want me to say that this isn't just about my brother, that this is about a whole global disaster and to really reflect on that, once we find out who's missing and take care of the people who didn't make it, and the emergency supplies and everything that is going to come from this. But, at some point, to really sit down and reflect on what created this, and it's an environmental disaster of a magnitude we've never seen, and so we need to really consider that maybe the environment is a priority for all of us, that it's not just Indonesia, Asia, India and Thailand, that it's something that went into the making of this.

And when you feel the impact of so many people losing entire families and livelihoods, you just want to say just stop. Just stop so much violence. Stop and start to really sit down and think about, you know, early warning systems. It's been all over the news. Why - you know, share the information. I read that the government of Thailand had put out a warning, but that it didn't come soon enough.

COLLINS: It didn't. You're right.

PECARICH: So you just - we really need to think about a big picture of what created this and caused this. I mean the greenhouse effect - are we doing nuclear testing? Are we - what are we doing?

COLLINS: There are so many unanswered questions, and we are trying our best to get to the bottom of it as well.

PECARICH: That we're on a fragile...

COLLINS: In the meantime, we have put Pat's picture up here now. We appreciate your story so much. You're brave for coming here, Barbara Pecarich.

PECARICH: Can I just give my web address one more time?

COLLINS: Sure.

PECARICH: Am I still on the air?

COLLINS: Yes, go ahead.

PECARICH: BarbTaos@yahoo.com, if anybody has any information about Pat Pecarich or Patterson Pecarich, please contact me or CNN.com. Thank you.

COLLINS: Thank you again. We appreciate it - Rick.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: We take you to Sri Lanka once again. Authorities have raised the death toll to more than 23,000 people. Massive waves destroyed in particular the southern coast where an atmosphere of shock is now starting to turn to anger as food and medical aid is really slow in arriving, according to many residents.

Satinder Bindra is joining us now. He's joining us by phone from Galle. That's in Sri Lanka, the area where he has been filing reports from. Here's Satinder.

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's right. Some residents are quite angry because relief has taken its time to come, but it is arriving here, and all through the day, Rick, we have seen large amounts of water, food and medication being given out to people. After a long time, people here at least have something to count on, but they feel scared tonight. They don't know if they have a future.

Rick, everything here close to Galle, some 20 miles south, everything in sight is destroyed on the coast, schools, roads, buildings. I'm standing in front of what used to be a restaurant. The whole thing is smashed. The hotel that stood next to it is smashed. The owner of the restaurant and hotel, his house is also here, but really there's nothing left of it.

And people here are also concerned about something else, the spread of disease. There are still large numbers of decomposed bodies that are around, and there's a very strong smell in the area. Officials are concerned, of course, about this. They are trying to organize mass burials, but clearly a lot of work still needs to be done.

SANCHEZ: Is the area of Galle cut off from the rest of Sri Lanka? Is that what is making it so difficult to try and get any relief aid there?

BINDRA: Well, now the roads are open. The road from Colombo, the capital, is open. The roads are still congested. A lot of bridges are down, so instead of a three-hour journey, it's taking probably double the time. But this is one of the better stretches now. Areas in the north and east are still inaccessible. The only way relief can get in there is through helicopters, and helicopters are still in very short supply.

SANCHEZ: Satinder Bindra - bringing us the very latest, once again, from Galle, that area of Sri Lanka that seems to have been the hardest hit by far - Heidi.

(WEATHER REPORT)

SANCHEZ: Americans are answering the call for aid halfway around the world - how doctors and corporate America are teaming up to try and help in any way they can. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: With nearly 68,000 people dead in Southeast Asia, a massive relief effort is on the way to the region. When events like the tsunami catastrophe - excuse me - happen, some very specialized doctors jump into action. Allan Chernoff introduces us to one such expert.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dr. Jonathan Fine was on vacation in Michigan when he first heard of the tsunami. After getting a call for help from AmeriCares, Dr. Fine cut his vacation and rushed home Tuesday mourning to Connecticut so he could travel with AmeriCares to the scene of the disaster in Sri Lanka. DR. JONATHAN FINE, CRITICAL CARE SPECIALIST: I'm terribly saddened, almost tearful about it, just the tremendous suffering, particularly on the scene, the number of children who've been killed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you roll up your sleeve a little more?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And sun block, don't forget the basics.

CHERNOFF: As a critical care specialist, Fine will be assessing the needs in Sri Lanka.

FINE: My emotions are one of great hope that I can be of assistance and assured just that AmeriCares will be.

CAROL SHATTUCK, SR. V.P., AMERICARES: John, what time do we actually arrive in Colombo?

CHERNOFF: Dr. Fine is traveling Carol Shattuck. She's administrative officer for AmeriCares. Tuesday evening the two flew to Amsterdam. From there, they'll accompany an air lift of relief goods, which are to be delivered to local health officials in Sri Lanka.

SHATTUCK: I've been on a couple of other air lifts, and one of the things that I've learned is that it's an overwhelming feeling to land in a country that so needs help.

CHERNOFF: American pharmaceutical companies donate basic supplies to AmeriCares, bandages, syringes, sanitary sponges.

(on camera): But the tsunami tragedy is eliciting new generosity from AmeriCares' corporate donors. They've been helping the organization respond to disasters for more than two decades. Money that AmeriCares raises from the public pays for these goods to be transported.

(voice-over): Dr. Fine concedes he doesn't have an illusion that he personally can rescue many people, but he says, by going, he becomes part of a process that can, in fact, save many lives - Allan Chernoff, CNN, Stanford, Connecticut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Dr. Fine and the members of the AmeriCares' relief team will be arriving in Sri Lanka in the next few days.

SANCHEZ: Is the United States sending enough to the tsunami disaster relief effort? Well, we're going to discuss that. Here to do it, from the left, Democratic consultant Victor Kamber and, from the right, former RNC communications director, Cliff May.

My thanks to both of you fellows for being with us this morning. And, Vic, let me begin with you. U.S. aid increased by something like $20 million. Is the United States being - is the United States reacting quick enough and being generous enough? VICTOR KAMBER, DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT: Well, when I see stories like the one that preceded with Dr. Fine and AmeriCares, you know that the heart of America is there, and there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteers and corporate America, trade union America, all sort of Americans that will pour out their hearts and participate.

I am disappointed that our president - I'm sure his heart is in the right place, but he hasn't stepped forward in a more public way to show his sympathy. And again, this is not political. I don't want to be critical here.

SANCHEZ: Well, I should mention to you the...

KAMBER: And that's his style. That's his style.

SANCHEZ: I should mention to you - we should just mention to the audience that he's going to be doing so in the next couple of hours. The president's going to be making an appearance to talk about just that. What are you saying, it's not soon enough, that he should have been out there a couple days ago?

KAMBER: I think it's - yes. I mean I think, when you see a tragedy of this sort, it is not soon enough. I mean we are the strongest, the most powerful, the wealthiest nation in the world, and I would have liked our leader to step forward at the earliest moment to express his sympathy and throw his support.

Having said that again, I do believe America's heart will be open and generous to help the rest of the world.

SANCHEZ: And when you say America, you are not referring to the administration?

KAMBER: I'm referring to the totality of America, hopefully the administration, as well as corporate America.

SANCHEZ: Cliff, over to you.

CLIFFORD MAY, FORMER RNC COMMUNICATIONS DIR.: Rick, what we had yesterday was a U.N. employee saying or implying that the United States is stingy. I know he's taken it back, but that's because he has got a lot of heat. I think a lot of us are just sort of tired of this sort of reflexive slander of the United States, of Americans and America being the whipping boy.

Not only do we give the most aid on an absolute basis, but the fact is that Americans' giving is not just through government and is not just through the U.N. Your last report showed it, a private charity to which people give.

I've been at disasters I've covered over the past, and there's World Vision, there's Catholic Relief Services, there's a whole slew of church organizations and private philanthropies. And through these organizations, Americans give.

Just because they don't give all their money to the United Nations' bureaucrats - and, by the way, the U.N. deserves some criticism here. They could have been putting up an early warning system in the Indian Ocean for things like this. They have money to do such things as check the snow pack in the alpine ski resorts. Where was the U.N. all this time? Could they not foresee something like this? What in the world are they doing other than holding press conferences and insulting Americans.

SANCHEZ: Vic, back over to you with criticism of the United Nations.

KAMBER: You know, this is not the time. I'm sorry with Cliff to be criticizing and making political shots. The U.N. diplomat that made the statement took it back. He was talking about generosity of western countries as a whole and how it has slipped over the last number of years. I think there's no dispute about that.

Cliff's right; there are lots of generous Americans out there, in terms of non-government agencies. I believe the American government should have stepped forward sooner than it did. The president should have stepped forward sooner, and I would hope our pockets are open much bigger than they have been.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Cliff, how about that, the fact that the United States, as we know, has been criticized because of Iraq throughout the world? Internationally, we've been maligned somewhat. Should the United States be looking for this as an opportunity to really show our benevolence?

MAY: No, I don't think we should be do this as a public relations gambit. I think what we should be doing is what we are doing. Americans, like the doctor in your previous report, are coming back from their vacations and they are doing whatever they can to help people in need. And we know there are just an incredible number of people in need. In certain ways, these kinds of natural catastrophes alert us to a sort of sense of perspective that we may not have in normal times.

But, again, I don't think we should do it because we want the people in France or Belgium to like us better. We should do it because we want to help the people of Asia who are in very desperate need right now, and I think that is what is happening. And I haven't seen any slipping of American philanthropic or charitable spirit over recent years - on the contrary.

SANCHEZ: Cliff May, Vic Kamber, we thank you both for being with us this morning.

KAMBER: Thank you, Rick.

MAY: Thank you, Rick.

SANCHEZ: All right, we appreciate it. Heidi, over to you.

COLLINS: Tourism is the life blood of Southeast Asia, and after the tsunami disaster, can the region recover? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Tourism is all-important for many of the countries ravaged by tsunamis, and with a look at the scope of that, Andy Serwer is here now, "Minding Your Business."

And, boy, that is number one for them.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: It really is. I mean it's difficult, if not impossible, to generalize about this situation because, obviously, you're talking about an area that is thousands and thousands of square miles. But if you go through these countries, tourism is obviously extremely important to many of these countries, in particular, Thailand; 6 percent of its economy is tourism based. The Maldives, 20 percent of its economy is tourism based, Sri Lanka now 5 percent.

You know, some Americans go to these areas, but it's primarily an area for European tourists, Phuket being kind of an exception. That's one area that more and more Americans are starting to know about; $2 billions a year in tourism revenues come from that resort area alone. A Marriott is there, Club Med, Best Western, Holiday Inn, Sheraton, Hilton. The Maldives has two Club Meds.

Many resorts - I know this is contrary to some of the pictures you are seeing here - are reporting that the physical damage is not so bad. And you can sort of understand that, that the big hotels themselves, the structures would be intact. The pool areas, the restaurants have damage, but they're saying they going to be able to fix that within a couple weeks.

The psychological damage, however, may be more severe because you are talking about - there are images in "USA Today," for instance, of workers trying to find bodies in pool areas, which is going to have a lasting impact on many people.

But, overall, a lot of people are reporting over in that area that the SARS epidemic had a worse impact on tourism because it was actually a bigger area and was in China.

Just quickly, other industries, such as oil, telecommunications and manufacturing, not quite as hard hit as tourism because, obviously, the beaches are the area that were hurt the worst.

And if we can shift gears just quickly a little bit and talk about the markets, yesterday a very good one here, Wall Street shrugging off the news of this disaster. Insurance stocks were mildly affected, but overall, consumer confidence here in the United States looking pretty good. But futures are weaker this morning, Heidi. Just a check on the markets there.

COLLINS: All right, Andy. Thank you.

SERWER: You're welcome.

SANCHEZ: And let's talk now about the controversy that often gets involved in stories like this. You know, is the United States or other countries giving enough or too much? Thos are the opinions we seek.

TOURE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, yes. A lot of people are lacking a little compassion, maybe saying where was the rest of the world when we had our recent disasters?

Listen, if America is the world's policemen, then our response to the tsunami disaster will be a test of what that really means. The Bush administration has pledged $35 million in aid, more than any other government. Many citizens are donating money. Some will adopt tsunami orphans, but people all over the world need our help. The Florida hurricane victims are still in need. Should we be cleaning up another house when ours is still messy, or do we have an obligation to help those who need our help?

Our question is, what is America's responsibility to the tsunami victims? We've got answers all over the map.

George from Springfield, Missouri: How do we get money to them without making so many people rich in the process? Here's a thought. Let's pull all the troops from Iraq and send them to help the tsunami victims and get involved in some nation building that will be appreciated and doesn't make rich Americans richer.

Rick from Brooklyn is making me embarrassed to be from Brooklyn. He says the next time some foreign country is going through some issue, we should simply say I'm sorry, but we've got our own issues to attend to.

I mean I don't - you know...

SANCHEZ: Well - and I didn't know you were from Brooklyn.

TOURE: I am.

SANCHEZ: Thank you, Toure.

COLLINS: Now we know. All right, we're going to move on a little bit here now. Where do you begin when the devastation is this massive? In Indonesia alone, there are nearly 33,000 people dead. We'll talk about that in a moment.

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 December 29, 2004 - 08:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: White House officials say the president will deliver a statement following an update on U.S. relief efforts in the region. Secretary of State Colin Powell has been the highest ranking U.S. official to speak out about the recovery efforts so far.
In California, three men accused in a steroids distribution case are scheduled to be back in court. A federal judge is refusing to drop charges against Balco founder Victor Conte and two others, but she is willing to hear arguments their statements were coerced. Those statements implicated some big-name athletes. Yesterday's ruling increases the likelihood the case will go to trial next year.

And Russia is saying nyet no to free rides for U.S. astronauts heading to the international space station. Russia has been the only link to the space station for the past year. Because of a tight budget, Russia's space agency says U.S. astronauts will now be asked to pay a fare starting in 2006. There's been no response so far from NASA. Back to you.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Carol, thanks. In Thailand now, officials say more than 1,500 people are dead, and for every Thai resident killed, two tourists have perished in the disaster.

One of the worst hit beaches in Thailand was on Phuket's west coast. It's called Karon Beach. Our next guest believes that her brother was there. She hasn't heard from him since the tsunamis hit. Barbara Pecarich is joining us now with the story about her brother Pat.

Barbara, thanks for being here. As we mentioned, you think that he is there. What makes you believe that? As we put a picture of him on the screen so that everyone can see Pat, tell us why you think he was there.

BARBARA PECARICH, BROTHER MISSING IN THAILAND: Well, he would travel - he was traveling through Thailand and intended to be in Phuket at Christmas, which is where he spent every Christmas for the last number of years. Phuket is an international community with people who come from all over the world for that time of year, and, you know, they share their children growing up, they share their parents and their grandparents, and it's not just a tourist village. It's a community village of people who have come to know each other over years of time. And my heart goes out to everyone there because I know it must just be horrendous.

COLLINS: Right.

PECARICH: Pat would be there at Christmas, near the Romtap Inn (ph) on Karon Beach. Christmas Day would normally look like being out on the beach in the morning, going for a walk, or sitting in one of the restaurants that's right on the beach.

So, I'm just wondering if anyone had seen him, knows if he was there, or was there on the beach that morning. And there's a whole group of people from Italy, Germany, Swiss, Austria that have known each other for years. And if you have any information, would you please contact me, BarbTaos@yahoo.com or CNN.com? His little girl is in New Mexico. She grew up on that beach.

COLLINS: I think we just saw a picture of her as a baby.

PECARICH: Pluma (ph). And Pluma really is waiting to hear something about her dad. She knows Karon Beach. She knows Thailand. She has a great love for Thailand, as we all do, as it's a gracious country.

COLLINS: And I know that you yourself have been there with him. So do you have any contact then from this group of people that you mentioned?

PECARICH: We haven't been able to contact anyone from that particular group of people. There's cross-networking going on, extensive cross-networking going on, with photographs and people who are looking for people. But I'm sure that it's so chaotic and that everyone is so concerned with what they need to be, with their own families and the disaster, that I'm just asking for anyone who might have any information or who may have seen Pat to let us know so we can begin somewhere. The hospital lists are difficult because there - some of them aren't describing names; they're just...

COLLINS: How are you even able to get a hold of hospital lists?

PECARICH: You can access the hospital lists for Phuket on the net or through the "Phuket Gazette," which is the local newspaper in Phuket. There are sites that have been set up for people to submit photographs. My hope is that somebody will think about who they were with around that period of time and perhaps, as soon as things settle down a little bit, if people have gone back to their countries, if you've gone back to Switzerland or Germany or Amsterdam and you knew that Pat was there or other people, maybe you can call other peoples families and just let them know.

COLLINS: If there's something that you could say to him right now, what would it be?

PECARICH: Be strong and - you know, I know he would want me to say that this isn't just about my brother, that this is about a whole global disaster and to really reflect on that, once we find out who's missing and take care of the people who didn't make it, and the emergency supplies and everything that is going to come from this. But, at some point, to really sit down and reflect on what created this, and it's an environmental disaster of a magnitude we've never seen, and so we need to really consider that maybe the environment is a priority for all of us, that it's not just Indonesia, Asia, India and Thailand, that it's something that went into the making of this.

And when you feel the impact of so many people losing entire families and livelihoods, you just want to say just stop. Just stop so much violence. Stop and start to really sit down and think about, you know, early warning systems. It's been all over the news. Why - you know, share the information. I read that the government of Thailand had put out a warning, but that it didn't come soon enough.

COLLINS: It didn't. You're right.

PECARICH: So you just - we really need to think about a big picture of what created this and caused this. I mean the greenhouse effect - are we doing nuclear testing? Are we - what are we doing?

COLLINS: There are so many unanswered questions, and we are trying our best to get to the bottom of it as well.

PECARICH: That we're on a fragile...

COLLINS: In the meantime, we have put Pat's picture up here now. We appreciate your story so much. You're brave for coming here, Barbara Pecarich.

PECARICH: Can I just give my web address one more time?

COLLINS: Sure.

PECARICH: Am I still on the air?

COLLINS: Yes, go ahead.

PECARICH: BarbTaos@yahoo.com, if anybody has any information about Pat Pecarich or Patterson Pecarich, please contact me or CNN.com. Thank you.

COLLINS: Thank you again. We appreciate it - Rick.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: We take you to Sri Lanka once again. Authorities have raised the death toll to more than 23,000 people. Massive waves destroyed in particular the southern coast where an atmosphere of shock is now starting to turn to anger as food and medical aid is really slow in arriving, according to many residents.

Satinder Bindra is joining us now. He's joining us by phone from Galle. That's in Sri Lanka, the area where he has been filing reports from. Here's Satinder.

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That's right. Some residents are quite angry because relief has taken its time to come, but it is arriving here, and all through the day, Rick, we have seen large amounts of water, food and medication being given out to people. After a long time, people here at least have something to count on, but they feel scared tonight. They don't know if they have a future.

Rick, everything here close to Galle, some 20 miles south, everything in sight is destroyed on the coast, schools, roads, buildings. I'm standing in front of what used to be a restaurant. The whole thing is smashed. The hotel that stood next to it is smashed. The owner of the restaurant and hotel, his house is also here, but really there's nothing left of it.

And people here are also concerned about something else, the spread of disease. There are still large numbers of decomposed bodies that are around, and there's a very strong smell in the area. Officials are concerned, of course, about this. They are trying to organize mass burials, but clearly a lot of work still needs to be done.

SANCHEZ: Is the area of Galle cut off from the rest of Sri Lanka? Is that what is making it so difficult to try and get any relief aid there?

BINDRA: Well, now the roads are open. The road from Colombo, the capital, is open. The roads are still congested. A lot of bridges are down, so instead of a three-hour journey, it's taking probably double the time. But this is one of the better stretches now. Areas in the north and east are still inaccessible. The only way relief can get in there is through helicopters, and helicopters are still in very short supply.

SANCHEZ: Satinder Bindra - bringing us the very latest, once again, from Galle, that area of Sri Lanka that seems to have been the hardest hit by far - Heidi.

(WEATHER REPORT)

SANCHEZ: Americans are answering the call for aid halfway around the world - how doctors and corporate America are teaming up to try and help in any way they can. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: With nearly 68,000 people dead in Southeast Asia, a massive relief effort is on the way to the region. When events like the tsunami catastrophe - excuse me - happen, some very specialized doctors jump into action. Allan Chernoff introduces us to one such expert.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dr. Jonathan Fine was on vacation in Michigan when he first heard of the tsunami. After getting a call for help from AmeriCares, Dr. Fine cut his vacation and rushed home Tuesday mourning to Connecticut so he could travel with AmeriCares to the scene of the disaster in Sri Lanka. DR. JONATHAN FINE, CRITICAL CARE SPECIALIST: I'm terribly saddened, almost tearful about it, just the tremendous suffering, particularly on the scene, the number of children who've been killed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you roll up your sleeve a little more?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And sun block, don't forget the basics.

CHERNOFF: As a critical care specialist, Fine will be assessing the needs in Sri Lanka.

FINE: My emotions are one of great hope that I can be of assistance and assured just that AmeriCares will be.

CAROL SHATTUCK, SR. V.P., AMERICARES: John, what time do we actually arrive in Colombo?

CHERNOFF: Dr. Fine is traveling Carol Shattuck. She's administrative officer for AmeriCares. Tuesday evening the two flew to Amsterdam. From there, they'll accompany an air lift of relief goods, which are to be delivered to local health officials in Sri Lanka.

SHATTUCK: I've been on a couple of other air lifts, and one of the things that I've learned is that it's an overwhelming feeling to land in a country that so needs help.

CHERNOFF: American pharmaceutical companies donate basic supplies to AmeriCares, bandages, syringes, sanitary sponges.

(on camera): But the tsunami tragedy is eliciting new generosity from AmeriCares' corporate donors. They've been helping the organization respond to disasters for more than two decades. Money that AmeriCares raises from the public pays for these goods to be transported.

(voice-over): Dr. Fine concedes he doesn't have an illusion that he personally can rescue many people, but he says, by going, he becomes part of a process that can, in fact, save many lives - Allan Chernoff, CNN, Stanford, Connecticut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Dr. Fine and the members of the AmeriCares' relief team will be arriving in Sri Lanka in the next few days.

SANCHEZ: Is the United States sending enough to the tsunami disaster relief effort? Well, we're going to discuss that. Here to do it, from the left, Democratic consultant Victor Kamber and, from the right, former RNC communications director, Cliff May.

My thanks to both of you fellows for being with us this morning. And, Vic, let me begin with you. U.S. aid increased by something like $20 million. Is the United States being - is the United States reacting quick enough and being generous enough? VICTOR KAMBER, DEMOCRATIC CONSULTANT: Well, when I see stories like the one that preceded with Dr. Fine and AmeriCares, you know that the heart of America is there, and there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteers and corporate America, trade union America, all sort of Americans that will pour out their hearts and participate.

I am disappointed that our president - I'm sure his heart is in the right place, but he hasn't stepped forward in a more public way to show his sympathy. And again, this is not political. I don't want to be critical here.

SANCHEZ: Well, I should mention to you the...

KAMBER: And that's his style. That's his style.

SANCHEZ: I should mention to you - we should just mention to the audience that he's going to be doing so in the next couple of hours. The president's going to be making an appearance to talk about just that. What are you saying, it's not soon enough, that he should have been out there a couple days ago?

KAMBER: I think it's - yes. I mean I think, when you see a tragedy of this sort, it is not soon enough. I mean we are the strongest, the most powerful, the wealthiest nation in the world, and I would have liked our leader to step forward at the earliest moment to express his sympathy and throw his support.

Having said that again, I do believe America's heart will be open and generous to help the rest of the world.

SANCHEZ: And when you say America, you are not referring to the administration?

KAMBER: I'm referring to the totality of America, hopefully the administration, as well as corporate America.

SANCHEZ: Cliff, over to you.

CLIFFORD MAY, FORMER RNC COMMUNICATIONS DIR.: Rick, what we had yesterday was a U.N. employee saying or implying that the United States is stingy. I know he's taken it back, but that's because he has got a lot of heat. I think a lot of us are just sort of tired of this sort of reflexive slander of the United States, of Americans and America being the whipping boy.

Not only do we give the most aid on an absolute basis, but the fact is that Americans' giving is not just through government and is not just through the U.N. Your last report showed it, a private charity to which people give.

I've been at disasters I've covered over the past, and there's World Vision, there's Catholic Relief Services, there's a whole slew of church organizations and private philanthropies. And through these organizations, Americans give.

Just because they don't give all their money to the United Nations' bureaucrats - and, by the way, the U.N. deserves some criticism here. They could have been putting up an early warning system in the Indian Ocean for things like this. They have money to do such things as check the snow pack in the alpine ski resorts. Where was the U.N. all this time? Could they not foresee something like this? What in the world are they doing other than holding press conferences and insulting Americans.

SANCHEZ: Vic, back over to you with criticism of the United Nations.

KAMBER: You know, this is not the time. I'm sorry with Cliff to be criticizing and making political shots. The U.N. diplomat that made the statement took it back. He was talking about generosity of western countries as a whole and how it has slipped over the last number of years. I think there's no dispute about that.

Cliff's right; there are lots of generous Americans out there, in terms of non-government agencies. I believe the American government should have stepped forward sooner than it did. The president should have stepped forward sooner, and I would hope our pockets are open much bigger than they have been.

SANCHEZ: Yes, Cliff, how about that, the fact that the United States, as we know, has been criticized because of Iraq throughout the world? Internationally, we've been maligned somewhat. Should the United States be looking for this as an opportunity to really show our benevolence?

MAY: No, I don't think we should be do this as a public relations gambit. I think what we should be doing is what we are doing. Americans, like the doctor in your previous report, are coming back from their vacations and they are doing whatever they can to help people in need. And we know there are just an incredible number of people in need. In certain ways, these kinds of natural catastrophes alert us to a sort of sense of perspective that we may not have in normal times.

But, again, I don't think we should do it because we want the people in France or Belgium to like us better. We should do it because we want to help the people of Asia who are in very desperate need right now, and I think that is what is happening. And I haven't seen any slipping of American philanthropic or charitable spirit over recent years - on the contrary.

SANCHEZ: Cliff May, Vic Kamber, we thank you both for being with us this morning.

KAMBER: Thank you, Rick.

MAY: Thank you, Rick.

SANCHEZ: All right, we appreciate it. Heidi, over to you.

COLLINS: Tourism is the life blood of Southeast Asia, and after the tsunami disaster, can the region recover? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Tourism is all-important for many of the countries ravaged by tsunamis, and with a look at the scope of that, Andy Serwer is here now, "Minding Your Business."

And, boy, that is number one for them.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: It really is. I mean it's difficult, if not impossible, to generalize about this situation because, obviously, you're talking about an area that is thousands and thousands of square miles. But if you go through these countries, tourism is obviously extremely important to many of these countries, in particular, Thailand; 6 percent of its economy is tourism based. The Maldives, 20 percent of its economy is tourism based, Sri Lanka now 5 percent.

You know, some Americans go to these areas, but it's primarily an area for European tourists, Phuket being kind of an exception. That's one area that more and more Americans are starting to know about; $2 billions a year in tourism revenues come from that resort area alone. A Marriott is there, Club Med, Best Western, Holiday Inn, Sheraton, Hilton. The Maldives has two Club Meds.

Many resorts - I know this is contrary to some of the pictures you are seeing here - are reporting that the physical damage is not so bad. And you can sort of understand that, that the big hotels themselves, the structures would be intact. The pool areas, the restaurants have damage, but they're saying they going to be able to fix that within a couple weeks.

The psychological damage, however, may be more severe because you are talking about - there are images in "USA Today," for instance, of workers trying to find bodies in pool areas, which is going to have a lasting impact on many people.

But, overall, a lot of people are reporting over in that area that the SARS epidemic had a worse impact on tourism because it was actually a bigger area and was in China.

Just quickly, other industries, such as oil, telecommunications and manufacturing, not quite as hard hit as tourism because, obviously, the beaches are the area that were hurt the worst.

And if we can shift gears just quickly a little bit and talk about the markets, yesterday a very good one here, Wall Street shrugging off the news of this disaster. Insurance stocks were mildly affected, but overall, consumer confidence here in the United States looking pretty good. But futures are weaker this morning, Heidi. Just a check on the markets there.

COLLINS: All right, Andy. Thank you.

SERWER: You're welcome.

SANCHEZ: And let's talk now about the controversy that often gets involved in stories like this. You know, is the United States or other countries giving enough or too much? Thos are the opinions we seek.

TOURE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, yes. A lot of people are lacking a little compassion, maybe saying where was the rest of the world when we had our recent disasters?

Listen, if America is the world's policemen, then our response to the tsunami disaster will be a test of what that really means. The Bush administration has pledged $35 million in aid, more than any other government. Many citizens are donating money. Some will adopt tsunami orphans, but people all over the world need our help. The Florida hurricane victims are still in need. Should we be cleaning up another house when ours is still messy, or do we have an obligation to help those who need our help?

Our question is, what is America's responsibility to the tsunami victims? We've got answers all over the map.

George from Springfield, Missouri: How do we get money to them without making so many people rich in the process? Here's a thought. Let's pull all the troops from Iraq and send them to help the tsunami victims and get involved in some nation building that will be appreciated and doesn't make rich Americans richer.

Rick from Brooklyn is making me embarrassed to be from Brooklyn. He says the next time some foreign country is going through some issue, we should simply say I'm sorry, but we've got our own issues to attend to.

I mean I don't - you know...

SANCHEZ: Well - and I didn't know you were from Brooklyn.

TOURE: I am.

SANCHEZ: Thank you, Toure.

COLLINS: Now we know. All right, we're going to move on a little bit here now. Where do you begin when the devastation is this massive? In Indonesia alone, there are nearly 33,000 people dead. We'll talk about that in a moment.

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