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American Morning

Day Five of Tsunami Disaster; Relief Efforts Coordinated Worldwide

Aired December 30, 2004 - 07:00 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.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It is day five of the tsunami disaster and the extent of the destruction continues to grow. One official says -- we will have more on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.

COLLINS: Good morning, everybody. I apologize for that, an awful lot going on here today. We just want to make sure we have the most recent information to bring directly to you.

Bill and Soledad are off today. I'm Heidi Collins.

RICK SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez.

These are the latest numbers. Day five of the tsunami disaster and the extent of the death and destruction continues to grow. One official is saying there are so many bodies that they've stopped counting, and the spread of disease may become a greater danger for survivors.

Here is what we now know: as we bring you the very latest, the total death toll now stands at more than 80,000. The U.N. is saying that one in every four people dead in parts of the city Indonesian city of Aceh. Now, U.N. relief workers arrived in Aceh Province on Wednesday to try to being their efforts there. That is right off Sumatra.

The U.S. State Department is saying it is receiving 400 calls per hour, now, from people who are just looking for loved ones.

Indian authorities issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas there, set off a bit of a panic this morning, but scientists are saying there is no new major seismological activity.

COLLINS: As the extent of the destruction grows, more pictures are coming in of the devastating tsunami. These pictures now from Malaysia show a family and their car being caught in the waves as the children rush to shore and cling to a fence for safety.

The U.N. says 65 people are dead in Malaysia from the disaster. Malaysia is among 11 countries hit by the tsunami.

SANCHEZ: The effects of the tsunamis in Southeast Asia, is as you probably know, almost unfathomable, from looking at some of the pictures. More than 80,000 dead, with more than half of the casualties in Indonesia alone.

Many of those deaths, as previously mentioned, in the Aceh Province, it is the area that is closest to the epicenter of the actual earthquake that started the tsunamis. In parts of the region nearly one in every four people has died. Mike Chinoy is live; he's via videophone, joining us from Banda Aceh now, in Indonesia, with the very latest.

Mike, get us started.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rick.

First, I should say you're hearing behind me the call to pray in this predominantly Muslim country, people religious faith really being tested at this time of disaster.

One of the big concerns throughout the week, there has been mounting concern and mounting anxiety about the fate of hundreds of thousands of people along the western coast of Indonesia, that's the landmass closest to the epicenter of the quake. It has been completely cut off ever since last Sunday. No information available on what happened. Well, now we know.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHINOY (voice over): This is ground zero, the western coast of Sumatra, a scene of unimaginable devastation. The region's largest town was Malabo, around 40,000 or 50,000 people lived here, this is what is left.

Indonesia-based British conservationist, Mike Griffiths, flew over the area. He says conditions north of Malabo are even worse.

MIKE GRIFFITHS, CONSERVATIONIST: There was no villages left standing between Malabo and Chilong, which is about 100 kilometers north of Malabo. It's like a nuclear blast has hit the area. And it's completely leveled, everything, except for just a few structures.

CHINOY: Virtually, every sign of life was wiped out.

GRIFFITHS: All you can see, basically, to show that there were villages, is the remains of the foundations of the more strongly constructed houses, that means built out of concrete. We are seeing nothing at all of the ones that are built out of wood and thatched roofs, and that constitutes, probably the most.

CHINOY: And in Chilong, a town of 13,000 people, nothing at all.

GRIFFITH: It's vaporized. There's just nothing left. It is mostly -- in fact, you wouldn't even recognize there was a town there unless you'd known -- unless you had flown over there before and seen it from the air. Then you'd realize that, in fact, a town had once existed there. All you can see now is basically a very vague outline of some of the roads that used to carry traffic.

CHINOY: On a hill, Griffiths spotted around 30 or 40 survivors. No one else in Chilong appeared to be alive. An entire region, home to hundreds of thousands, almost literally wiped off the face of the earth.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHINOY: A few hours ago, the Indonesian military began to airlift some supplies into Malabo, that bigger town that was so badly hit. It's a significant first step, but it is just a small step in the face of enormous calamity -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Mike, often in television, we'll show our viewers a piece of video, of one particular area, and leave it up to them to try and figure out how large an area was affected. So, when you were showing us those pictures of that city that seemed to be wiped out, how large an area of Sumatra is that? How big a coastline was affected by this particular tsunami there?

CHINOY: Well, Mike Griffiths, the man who took those pictures, flew in a light plane up the western coast and from Malabo, from where the pictures began until Chilong, where everything was completely gone, was about 60, 70 miles. That, for sure, we know is what the situation is there.

Even if you went further north around the tip of Sumatra, and back over towards where we are, in Banda Aceh, the likelihood is you'd see the same thing. People who have been in cars, and driven 20 kilometers, 12 miles or so, west from here are reporting the same kinds of scenes. Just vast stretches completely flattened. In fact, if I got in a car and drove 15 minutes from where I'm standing you would see acres and acres of what had been buildings, totally leveled -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: So, you're saying there could be as many as 60 to 70 miles of shoreline that are now desolate, where people once had communities?

CHINOY: Absolutely. And probably more than that because that flight turned back at that last town, Chilong, but there is more coastline to go -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Mike Chinoy, we thank you for bringing us up to date on that. Coming up next hour on AMERICAN MORNING, as we follow this story, we're going to talk to Mike Griffiths. He is the man who took those aerial pictures that Mike was just referring to. And we're going to get a first hand account of what he say with his own eyes -- Heidi.

COLLINS: People from all over the world were vacationing in Thailand when the tsunami hit. One group of tourists survived the tsunami from underwater, while they were scuba diving. I talked with Bernd Bahlke, and Allan Levy, who are now in Tokyo, about their experience, which actually began early Sunday morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BERND BAHLKE, SCUBA DIVING WHEN TSUNAMI HIT: We were sitting there having breakfast and I felt some vibration in my chair, and I saw ripples on the pool that were totally unusual. For us living in Tokyo, we are sensitized to earthquake. I told my wife, "Honey, I think I felt an earthquake."

And then I turned over to Mr. Levy, and I said, "Hey, Alan, did you feel anything? He said, "Hey, looks like a small earthquake hit here." So, this is how our day started that morning.

COLLINS: But to put in perspective, as you said, you were used to do that. And so the plan to dive, that you had coming up in just a little while, after breakfast, was something you went ahead with anyway?

BAHLKE: Yes, we basically -- I pushed that at that moment far away because in the area where we were, tsunamis were not heard about. Earthquakes were not prone in that area, so didn't really think about that any further. It was, it felt like a three on a Richter Scale earthquake. A very small shake.

COLLINS: So, you and your wife were scuba diving. Your children were actually at the surface of the water. Tell us what happened.

BAHLKE: What happened is we jumped in the water about a mile off the beach area to dive a shallow reef. We had Mr. Levy and my wife, Suzanna, and myself, together with the diving instructor, Aleke Schlurer (ph), from Germany. We went into the water, dove.

The kids decided to stay snorkeling on the surface together with Mrs. Levy. And they had life preservers on, their scuba masks on, snorkels. They are, eight, nine and ten years old. We decided they observe us while we were diving at 45 feet of depth on a very beautiful reef.

COLLINS: What happened under water as you were down 45 feet below the surface?

BAHLKE: It was -- we were about 10 minutes into the dive, I think, and it was beautiful, no problem at all when all of a sudden a milky wall came towards us. We did not know what it was, but we got hit like with a sledgehammer. As a current that you cannot describe pushed us back.

Allen and I stayed together. I lost the sight of my wife. She was swept away. Luckily enough our dive instructor saw her, going after her, and what we did next is basically we went down to the bottom of the ocean and hung on to coral and reef formation as good as we could.

COLLINS: Wow.

Mr. Levy, you were down below the water with your friends. What did you start to feel? You saw this milky wall as well, right?

ALLAN LEVY, SCUBA DIVING WHEN TSUNAMI HIT: All I know is a very, very strong current that took us out about a hundred yards out to sea. And I've never dove in a current that strong. All I could think about really were the kids and my wife on the surface of the ocean. And luckily we were able to hold on to some rock formations down there and not get swept out any further.

But very quickly after that, it kind of died down for a few seconds and we were able to swim back to the mooring holding the boat. And at that point in time, it switched directions completely. You could hardly see because so much sand was coming up from the bottom, but we were holding on to a rope completely horizontal with an unbelievable force pushing us towards the shore.

At that point in time, I had one hand on the rope and the other hand on my mask and regulator, and after a few seconds I couldn't hold on anymore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Bernd Bahlke and Allan Levy speaking to us from Tokyo about surviving the tsunami in Thailand, while they were scuba diving. And just to let you know, all of their party, including the children, who were snorkeling at the time survived and are doing all right.

Keep many mind, you can always log on to CNN.com for the latest information on the tsunami disaster. There are many more first-hand accounts from survivors and information on relief efforts. It will show you what to do to help the victims of the tragedy.

SANCHEZ: The information continues to pour in on the tsunamis. And we're going to have it for you this morning. But let's do this now, let's go over to Carol Costello. Check on other stories making news this morning.

Carol, good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning, Rick. Good morning to all of you.

"Now in the News": A fierce battle in Baghdad just one month ahead of Iraqi elections. Insurgents launched assaults on four separate police stations around the capital city over night, sparking a firefight, which killed at least three insurgents.

In the meantime, police are detaining at least one suspect after dozens of rebels set up a fake checkpoint in the northwest section of the city.

Here in the United States, Democrat Christine Gregoire is expected to be certified today as the winner in Washington State's extra close governor's race. But her rival, is not giving up so easily. Republican Dino Rossi, yesterday, sent a letter to Gregoire urging her to agree to a revote. A hand recount gave Gregoire a 129 vote lead over Rossi. Gregoire's camp is calling Rossi's request for a revote, irresponsible.

A huge fire at a church in Philadelphia is forcing many residents in the area to flee their homes. The fire broke out about three hours ago. Authorities say no one was inside the church at the time. Firefighters appear to be getting the upper hand on the blaze. No reports or injuries here.

And in Prescott, Arizona, a search expected to get underway, again this morning for two college students swept up in raging flood waters. Record rainfall, triggering mudslides and flooding causing water levels to rise at least a foot in parts of the state. Hundreds of people have been evacuated from flooded homes in the Sedona area. Officials plan to survey the damage today. So, is any more rain expected?

(WEATHER FORECAST)

COLLINS: Our tsunami coverage continues. For one American family, a horrific ordeal finally ends.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There they are! There they are!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: A mother, father and two young daughters outrun a deadly wall of water. What they saw before coming home to their loved ones.

SANCHEZ: Here's what we're going to have next for you, President Bush authorizes $35 million for relief. But the White House has a new plan that may go even further. A live report ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The Bush administration put together a four-nation coalition to organize humanitarian relief for the tsunami disaster. White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us now from Washington with more on developing relief efforts.

Good morning to you, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

President Bush emerged from his Crawford ranch yesterday, this is four days after the tsunami hit, to offer his condolences and also long-term support from the United States.

He pledged that it would be much more than the $35 million initially offered by the United States. He also said he was working the phones, calling the leaders of those most affected by the disaster, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Also said that the U.S. is going to be part of an international coalition, working with Japan, India and Australia to help coordinate the relief efforts.

Now critics, as you know, for the last couple of days have been criticizing the president saying he has squandered an opportunity to show world leadership and compassion, by not coming out earlier publicly vowing support. That the U.S. president needed to appear more engaged.

Well, White House aides say the president was assessing the situation. That he was not going to come out and talk publicly, until of course, he could give more specifics. But he definitely took issue yesterday with a U.N. relief worker, who said that generally speaking rich nations were being stingy in their aid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I felt like the person who made that statement was very misguided and ill-informed.

Just take, for example, in the year 2004, our government provided $2.4 billion in food and cash and humanitarian relief to cover the disasters for last year. That's $2.4 billion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, Heidi, just to give you a sense of what these figures mean, it was last year that Congress approved $13 billion for hurricane relief effort in the United States. No one expects that that dollar figure is going to come any where close to it, but perhaps in the hundreds of millions of dollars, when it is ultimately said.

Already, it is becoming a political issue as well. Some are saying, where are we getting the money from? You have to ask Congress for that, for an additional supplemental. Also, of course, there are some Democrats who are saying perhaps we should shift some of the money from Iraq reconstruction, that hasn't been used, to the Southeast Asia tragedy -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Suzanne Malveaux coming to us from the White House this morning.

Suzanne, thank you.

SANCHEZ: This morning one American family has finally made it home from the tsunami ravaged island in Thailand. They survived the ordeal by rushing to higher ground. The father, mother, and two children, have been reunited with thrilled family members, as you might imagine. In fact, you will be able to see part of that for yourself. Rusty Dornin, she was at the airport in San Francisco, as the Firmage family came home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The fears and anxieties...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There they are!

DORNIN: ... finally erased as the Firmage family comes home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, you guys! DORNIN: James, Vivian, Caitlin, ten, and seven-year-old Mikhala outran a wall of water on Pi-Vi (ph) in Thailand. They were on the beach and noticed the water behaving strangely.

VIVIAN FIRMAGE, SURVIVED TSUNAMI: Really sucked really far back out and then you could just see this ridge of water. And then one of the locals tapped my little one and said, start to run.

DORNIN: So, they ran for their lives. Caitlin couldn't see what was coming, but she could hear it.

CAITLIN FIRMAGE, SURVIVED TSUNAMI: The sound was just horrible. It sounded like a jet engine just right, maybe five feet behind you, people screaming as maybe the water hit them. And the trees cracking. Houses were floating. It was just so horrible.

DORNIN: Their hotel was leveled, their belongings suck out to sea. They spent the night on a hill with about 200 others survivors, awed by their survival and the kindness of the local people.

JAMES FIRMAGE, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: They were so generous. They were missing a village, they were missing their families, and they brought up food and supplies. And we all sort of camped out on top of this jungle.

DORNIN: So much death and devastation. The Firmages said they tried to hide their girls from much of it, but the images won't be forgotten. Seven-year-old Mikhala was keeping a journal.

MIKHALA FIRMAGE, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: I don't know if I want to write about it, because it was pretty scary.

DORNIN: Both James and Vivian didn't think they would make it out alive, let alone make it home.

V FIRMAGE: I can't describe it. I'm just so glad to be home. I just want to go home.

DORNIN: And that, they did -- Rusty Dornin, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: As a side note to that story, the Thai government is reporting that 519 foreigners visiting their country are confirmed dead, there. And that is expected to rise, because more than 5,000 people, overall, are still missing.

COLLINS: Corporate America gets a lot of heat for what some people see as greed, but in a time of crisis, America's deepest pockets are pitching. Andy tells us what they're doing to help, ahead, on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. There's been a lot of talk about how much money the United States government is going to give to help the tsunami victims.

But there is a wonderful thing about our country, and that is we don't always rely on the government. A lot of people, citizens, on their own, corporations for example, can also come to the aid without having to have the government tell them what to do. Andy Serwer here to talk about just that.

ANDY SERWER, COLUMNIST, "FORTUNE": Yes, Rick, it's very encouraging to see corporate America stepping up to the plate. If we needed any more reminding those pictures of the devastation in western Sumatra this morning, that we're seeing are just mind numbing.

Just to give you some updates on some of the stories we reported yesterday, Amazon.com, yesterday we had said they had raised $300,000, they have now raised over $3 million. That comes directly from its customers, if you go to their web site.

As far as big companies giving directly, though, one that is really stepping up is Pfizer, which has pledged $40 million in aide and products, antibiotics, anti-infection drugs. Quite, frankly, of course, this is a company that could use good publicity at this point. But it is nice to see them doing that.

General Electric donating $1 million out right, and then donating employee contributions. ExxonMobil, a very interesting case here, they have a very large facility, in Sumatra. And they've had a lot of problems there, actually, with rebels. Still they are stepping up to the plate as well. And Sears giving, that probably clothing there, from the Lands End division as well.

So, you can see, there are really some positive developments on that front, Rick. Later we'll be talking about how individuals can donate and what to actually look out for when making those donations.

SANCHEZ: Good stuff. Thanks, Andy.

SERWER: Thank you, Rick.

COLLINS: And time now, for the "Question of the Day", from Toure.

Good morning.

TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, as the year draws to a close, there's an apocalyptic feel in the air because there are so many serious problems in the world right now.

Scientists say it's possible another earthquake could create a killer tsunami on the East Coast of the U.S. Yet there's no tsunami alert system in place.

Iraq remains chaotic and moving unsteadily toward elections, shepherded there by soldiers without sufficient armor. Worldwide terrorism remains a constant and pernicious fear as bin Laden continues to taunt us through the media. And our homeland security systems are still porous. The U.S. economy is still in the doldrums. And there is a deep cultural division in country, as the as well as millions who are without healthcare or are homeless. There's lots of problems.

And as the last grains of 2004 run out, we hand you the magic wand and ask for serious suggestions for improving the country. Our question: What should be America's New Year's resolution for 2005?

SANCHEZ: Big question.

TOURE: Big one. Right?

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

TOURE: Well, the year's ending. Time for big thoughts.

COLLINS: You mentioned that these earth earthquakes that we're hearing about, there's a lot of discussion about whether or not any one of the earthquakes could actually trigger another tsunami. We have more coming up on that later, too.

SANCHEZ: Yes, there have been 70 aftershocks.

SERWER: Well, was a big -- a very big earthquake. And that will happen, right?

SANCHEZ: Some of them with at magnitude of 6.0 and above. It's quite serious.

Well, until this week, people went to Phuket Island, in Thailand, just for the resorts and sunny beaches. Well, after the tsunamis, it's taken on a much more important role for that country. We're going to tell you what that new role is, right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired December 30, 2004 - 07:00 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 day five of the tsunami disaster and the extent of the destruction continues to grow. One official says -- we will have more on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.

COLLINS: Good morning, everybody. I apologize for that, an awful lot going on here today. We just want to make sure we have the most recent information to bring directly to you.

Bill and Soledad are off today. I'm Heidi Collins.

RICK SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez.

These are the latest numbers. Day five of the tsunami disaster and the extent of the death and destruction continues to grow. One official is saying there are so many bodies that they've stopped counting, and the spread of disease may become a greater danger for survivors.

Here is what we now know: as we bring you the very latest, the total death toll now stands at more than 80,000. The U.N. is saying that one in every four people dead in parts of the city Indonesian city of Aceh. Now, U.N. relief workers arrived in Aceh Province on Wednesday to try to being their efforts there. That is right off Sumatra.

The U.S. State Department is saying it is receiving 400 calls per hour, now, from people who are just looking for loved ones.

Indian authorities issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas there, set off a bit of a panic this morning, but scientists are saying there is no new major seismological activity.

COLLINS: As the extent of the destruction grows, more pictures are coming in of the devastating tsunami. These pictures now from Malaysia show a family and their car being caught in the waves as the children rush to shore and cling to a fence for safety.

The U.N. says 65 people are dead in Malaysia from the disaster. Malaysia is among 11 countries hit by the tsunami.

SANCHEZ: The effects of the tsunamis in Southeast Asia, is as you probably know, almost unfathomable, from looking at some of the pictures. More than 80,000 dead, with more than half of the casualties in Indonesia alone.

Many of those deaths, as previously mentioned, in the Aceh Province, it is the area that is closest to the epicenter of the actual earthquake that started the tsunamis. In parts of the region nearly one in every four people has died. Mike Chinoy is live; he's via videophone, joining us from Banda Aceh now, in Indonesia, with the very latest.

Mike, get us started.

MIKE CHINOY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rick.

First, I should say you're hearing behind me the call to pray in this predominantly Muslim country, people religious faith really being tested at this time of disaster.

One of the big concerns throughout the week, there has been mounting concern and mounting anxiety about the fate of hundreds of thousands of people along the western coast of Indonesia, that's the landmass closest to the epicenter of the quake. It has been completely cut off ever since last Sunday. No information available on what happened. Well, now we know.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHINOY (voice over): This is ground zero, the western coast of Sumatra, a scene of unimaginable devastation. The region's largest town was Malabo, around 40,000 or 50,000 people lived here, this is what is left.

Indonesia-based British conservationist, Mike Griffiths, flew over the area. He says conditions north of Malabo are even worse.

MIKE GRIFFITHS, CONSERVATIONIST: There was no villages left standing between Malabo and Chilong, which is about 100 kilometers north of Malabo. It's like a nuclear blast has hit the area. And it's completely leveled, everything, except for just a few structures.

CHINOY: Virtually, every sign of life was wiped out.

GRIFFITHS: All you can see, basically, to show that there were villages, is the remains of the foundations of the more strongly constructed houses, that means built out of concrete. We are seeing nothing at all of the ones that are built out of wood and thatched roofs, and that constitutes, probably the most.

CHINOY: And in Chilong, a town of 13,000 people, nothing at all.

GRIFFITH: It's vaporized. There's just nothing left. It is mostly -- in fact, you wouldn't even recognize there was a town there unless you'd known -- unless you had flown over there before and seen it from the air. Then you'd realize that, in fact, a town had once existed there. All you can see now is basically a very vague outline of some of the roads that used to carry traffic.

CHINOY: On a hill, Griffiths spotted around 30 or 40 survivors. No one else in Chilong appeared to be alive. An entire region, home to hundreds of thousands, almost literally wiped off the face of the earth.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHINOY: A few hours ago, the Indonesian military began to airlift some supplies into Malabo, that bigger town that was so badly hit. It's a significant first step, but it is just a small step in the face of enormous calamity -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Mike, often in television, we'll show our viewers a piece of video, of one particular area, and leave it up to them to try and figure out how large an area was affected. So, when you were showing us those pictures of that city that seemed to be wiped out, how large an area of Sumatra is that? How big a coastline was affected by this particular tsunami there?

CHINOY: Well, Mike Griffiths, the man who took those pictures, flew in a light plane up the western coast and from Malabo, from where the pictures began until Chilong, where everything was completely gone, was about 60, 70 miles. That, for sure, we know is what the situation is there.

Even if you went further north around the tip of Sumatra, and back over towards where we are, in Banda Aceh, the likelihood is you'd see the same thing. People who have been in cars, and driven 20 kilometers, 12 miles or so, west from here are reporting the same kinds of scenes. Just vast stretches completely flattened. In fact, if I got in a car and drove 15 minutes from where I'm standing you would see acres and acres of what had been buildings, totally leveled -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: So, you're saying there could be as many as 60 to 70 miles of shoreline that are now desolate, where people once had communities?

CHINOY: Absolutely. And probably more than that because that flight turned back at that last town, Chilong, but there is more coastline to go -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Mike Chinoy, we thank you for bringing us up to date on that. Coming up next hour on AMERICAN MORNING, as we follow this story, we're going to talk to Mike Griffiths. He is the man who took those aerial pictures that Mike was just referring to. And we're going to get a first hand account of what he say with his own eyes -- Heidi.

COLLINS: People from all over the world were vacationing in Thailand when the tsunami hit. One group of tourists survived the tsunami from underwater, while they were scuba diving. I talked with Bernd Bahlke, and Allan Levy, who are now in Tokyo, about their experience, which actually began early Sunday morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BERND BAHLKE, SCUBA DIVING WHEN TSUNAMI HIT: We were sitting there having breakfast and I felt some vibration in my chair, and I saw ripples on the pool that were totally unusual. For us living in Tokyo, we are sensitized to earthquake. I told my wife, "Honey, I think I felt an earthquake."

And then I turned over to Mr. Levy, and I said, "Hey, Alan, did you feel anything? He said, "Hey, looks like a small earthquake hit here." So, this is how our day started that morning.

COLLINS: But to put in perspective, as you said, you were used to do that. And so the plan to dive, that you had coming up in just a little while, after breakfast, was something you went ahead with anyway?

BAHLKE: Yes, we basically -- I pushed that at that moment far away because in the area where we were, tsunamis were not heard about. Earthquakes were not prone in that area, so didn't really think about that any further. It was, it felt like a three on a Richter Scale earthquake. A very small shake.

COLLINS: So, you and your wife were scuba diving. Your children were actually at the surface of the water. Tell us what happened.

BAHLKE: What happened is we jumped in the water about a mile off the beach area to dive a shallow reef. We had Mr. Levy and my wife, Suzanna, and myself, together with the diving instructor, Aleke Schlurer (ph), from Germany. We went into the water, dove.

The kids decided to stay snorkeling on the surface together with Mrs. Levy. And they had life preservers on, their scuba masks on, snorkels. They are, eight, nine and ten years old. We decided they observe us while we were diving at 45 feet of depth on a very beautiful reef.

COLLINS: What happened under water as you were down 45 feet below the surface?

BAHLKE: It was -- we were about 10 minutes into the dive, I think, and it was beautiful, no problem at all when all of a sudden a milky wall came towards us. We did not know what it was, but we got hit like with a sledgehammer. As a current that you cannot describe pushed us back.

Allen and I stayed together. I lost the sight of my wife. She was swept away. Luckily enough our dive instructor saw her, going after her, and what we did next is basically we went down to the bottom of the ocean and hung on to coral and reef formation as good as we could.

COLLINS: Wow.

Mr. Levy, you were down below the water with your friends. What did you start to feel? You saw this milky wall as well, right?

ALLAN LEVY, SCUBA DIVING WHEN TSUNAMI HIT: All I know is a very, very strong current that took us out about a hundred yards out to sea. And I've never dove in a current that strong. All I could think about really were the kids and my wife on the surface of the ocean. And luckily we were able to hold on to some rock formations down there and not get swept out any further.

But very quickly after that, it kind of died down for a few seconds and we were able to swim back to the mooring holding the boat. And at that point in time, it switched directions completely. You could hardly see because so much sand was coming up from the bottom, but we were holding on to a rope completely horizontal with an unbelievable force pushing us towards the shore.

At that point in time, I had one hand on the rope and the other hand on my mask and regulator, and after a few seconds I couldn't hold on anymore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Bernd Bahlke and Allan Levy speaking to us from Tokyo about surviving the tsunami in Thailand, while they were scuba diving. And just to let you know, all of their party, including the children, who were snorkeling at the time survived and are doing all right.

Keep many mind, you can always log on to CNN.com for the latest information on the tsunami disaster. There are many more first-hand accounts from survivors and information on relief efforts. It will show you what to do to help the victims of the tragedy.

SANCHEZ: The information continues to pour in on the tsunamis. And we're going to have it for you this morning. But let's do this now, let's go over to Carol Costello. Check on other stories making news this morning.

Carol, good morning.

COSTELLO: Good morning, Rick. Good morning to all of you.

"Now in the News": A fierce battle in Baghdad just one month ahead of Iraqi elections. Insurgents launched assaults on four separate police stations around the capital city over night, sparking a firefight, which killed at least three insurgents.

In the meantime, police are detaining at least one suspect after dozens of rebels set up a fake checkpoint in the northwest section of the city.

Here in the United States, Democrat Christine Gregoire is expected to be certified today as the winner in Washington State's extra close governor's race. But her rival, is not giving up so easily. Republican Dino Rossi, yesterday, sent a letter to Gregoire urging her to agree to a revote. A hand recount gave Gregoire a 129 vote lead over Rossi. Gregoire's camp is calling Rossi's request for a revote, irresponsible.

A huge fire at a church in Philadelphia is forcing many residents in the area to flee their homes. The fire broke out about three hours ago. Authorities say no one was inside the church at the time. Firefighters appear to be getting the upper hand on the blaze. No reports or injuries here.

And in Prescott, Arizona, a search expected to get underway, again this morning for two college students swept up in raging flood waters. Record rainfall, triggering mudslides and flooding causing water levels to rise at least a foot in parts of the state. Hundreds of people have been evacuated from flooded homes in the Sedona area. Officials plan to survey the damage today. So, is any more rain expected?

(WEATHER FORECAST)

COLLINS: Our tsunami coverage continues. For one American family, a horrific ordeal finally ends.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There they are! There they are!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: A mother, father and two young daughters outrun a deadly wall of water. What they saw before coming home to their loved ones.

SANCHEZ: Here's what we're going to have next for you, President Bush authorizes $35 million for relief. But the White House has a new plan that may go even further. A live report ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The Bush administration put together a four-nation coalition to organize humanitarian relief for the tsunami disaster. White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us now from Washington with more on developing relief efforts.

Good morning to you, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

President Bush emerged from his Crawford ranch yesterday, this is four days after the tsunami hit, to offer his condolences and also long-term support from the United States.

He pledged that it would be much more than the $35 million initially offered by the United States. He also said he was working the phones, calling the leaders of those most affected by the disaster, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Also said that the U.S. is going to be part of an international coalition, working with Japan, India and Australia to help coordinate the relief efforts.

Now critics, as you know, for the last couple of days have been criticizing the president saying he has squandered an opportunity to show world leadership and compassion, by not coming out earlier publicly vowing support. That the U.S. president needed to appear more engaged.

Well, White House aides say the president was assessing the situation. That he was not going to come out and talk publicly, until of course, he could give more specifics. But he definitely took issue yesterday with a U.N. relief worker, who said that generally speaking rich nations were being stingy in their aid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I felt like the person who made that statement was very misguided and ill-informed.

Just take, for example, in the year 2004, our government provided $2.4 billion in food and cash and humanitarian relief to cover the disasters for last year. That's $2.4 billion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, Heidi, just to give you a sense of what these figures mean, it was last year that Congress approved $13 billion for hurricane relief effort in the United States. No one expects that that dollar figure is going to come any where close to it, but perhaps in the hundreds of millions of dollars, when it is ultimately said.

Already, it is becoming a political issue as well. Some are saying, where are we getting the money from? You have to ask Congress for that, for an additional supplemental. Also, of course, there are some Democrats who are saying perhaps we should shift some of the money from Iraq reconstruction, that hasn't been used, to the Southeast Asia tragedy -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Suzanne Malveaux coming to us from the White House this morning.

Suzanne, thank you.

SANCHEZ: This morning one American family has finally made it home from the tsunami ravaged island in Thailand. They survived the ordeal by rushing to higher ground. The father, mother, and two children, have been reunited with thrilled family members, as you might imagine. In fact, you will be able to see part of that for yourself. Rusty Dornin, she was at the airport in San Francisco, as the Firmage family came home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The fears and anxieties...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There they are!

DORNIN: ... finally erased as the Firmage family comes home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, you guys! DORNIN: James, Vivian, Caitlin, ten, and seven-year-old Mikhala outran a wall of water on Pi-Vi (ph) in Thailand. They were on the beach and noticed the water behaving strangely.

VIVIAN FIRMAGE, SURVIVED TSUNAMI: Really sucked really far back out and then you could just see this ridge of water. And then one of the locals tapped my little one and said, start to run.

DORNIN: So, they ran for their lives. Caitlin couldn't see what was coming, but she could hear it.

CAITLIN FIRMAGE, SURVIVED TSUNAMI: The sound was just horrible. It sounded like a jet engine just right, maybe five feet behind you, people screaming as maybe the water hit them. And the trees cracking. Houses were floating. It was just so horrible.

DORNIN: Their hotel was leveled, their belongings suck out to sea. They spent the night on a hill with about 200 others survivors, awed by their survival and the kindness of the local people.

JAMES FIRMAGE, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: They were so generous. They were missing a village, they were missing their families, and they brought up food and supplies. And we all sort of camped out on top of this jungle.

DORNIN: So much death and devastation. The Firmages said they tried to hide their girls from much of it, but the images won't be forgotten. Seven-year-old Mikhala was keeping a journal.

MIKHALA FIRMAGE, TSUNAMI SURVIVOR: I don't know if I want to write about it, because it was pretty scary.

DORNIN: Both James and Vivian didn't think they would make it out alive, let alone make it home.

V FIRMAGE: I can't describe it. I'm just so glad to be home. I just want to go home.

DORNIN: And that, they did -- Rusty Dornin, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: As a side note to that story, the Thai government is reporting that 519 foreigners visiting their country are confirmed dead, there. And that is expected to rise, because more than 5,000 people, overall, are still missing.

COLLINS: Corporate America gets a lot of heat for what some people see as greed, but in a time of crisis, America's deepest pockets are pitching. Andy tells us what they're doing to help, ahead, on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. There's been a lot of talk about how much money the United States government is going to give to help the tsunami victims.

But there is a wonderful thing about our country, and that is we don't always rely on the government. A lot of people, citizens, on their own, corporations for example, can also come to the aid without having to have the government tell them what to do. Andy Serwer here to talk about just that.

ANDY SERWER, COLUMNIST, "FORTUNE": Yes, Rick, it's very encouraging to see corporate America stepping up to the plate. If we needed any more reminding those pictures of the devastation in western Sumatra this morning, that we're seeing are just mind numbing.

Just to give you some updates on some of the stories we reported yesterday, Amazon.com, yesterday we had said they had raised $300,000, they have now raised over $3 million. That comes directly from its customers, if you go to their web site.

As far as big companies giving directly, though, one that is really stepping up is Pfizer, which has pledged $40 million in aide and products, antibiotics, anti-infection drugs. Quite, frankly, of course, this is a company that could use good publicity at this point. But it is nice to see them doing that.

General Electric donating $1 million out right, and then donating employee contributions. ExxonMobil, a very interesting case here, they have a very large facility, in Sumatra. And they've had a lot of problems there, actually, with rebels. Still they are stepping up to the plate as well. And Sears giving, that probably clothing there, from the Lands End division as well.

So, you can see, there are really some positive developments on that front, Rick. Later we'll be talking about how individuals can donate and what to actually look out for when making those donations.

SANCHEZ: Good stuff. Thanks, Andy.

SERWER: Thank you, Rick.

COLLINS: And time now, for the "Question of the Day", from Toure.

Good morning.

TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, as the year draws to a close, there's an apocalyptic feel in the air because there are so many serious problems in the world right now.

Scientists say it's possible another earthquake could create a killer tsunami on the East Coast of the U.S. Yet there's no tsunami alert system in place.

Iraq remains chaotic and moving unsteadily toward elections, shepherded there by soldiers without sufficient armor. Worldwide terrorism remains a constant and pernicious fear as bin Laden continues to taunt us through the media. And our homeland security systems are still porous. The U.S. economy is still in the doldrums. And there is a deep cultural division in country, as the as well as millions who are without healthcare or are homeless. There's lots of problems.

And as the last grains of 2004 run out, we hand you the magic wand and ask for serious suggestions for improving the country. Our question: What should be America's New Year's resolution for 2005?

SANCHEZ: Big question.

TOURE: Big one. Right?

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

TOURE: Well, the year's ending. Time for big thoughts.

COLLINS: You mentioned that these earth earthquakes that we're hearing about, there's a lot of discussion about whether or not any one of the earthquakes could actually trigger another tsunami. We have more coming up on that later, too.

SANCHEZ: Yes, there have been 70 aftershocks.

SERWER: Well, was a big -- a very big earthquake. And that will happen, right?

SANCHEZ: Some of them with at magnitude of 6.0 and above. It's quite serious.

Well, until this week, people went to Phuket Island, in Thailand, just for the resorts and sunny beaches. Well, after the tsunamis, it's taken on a much more important role for that country. We're going to tell you what that new role is, right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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