Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Sunday Morning
South Asian Earthquake's Death Toll Estimated at 18,000
Aired October 09, 2005 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: The numbers, they are simply staggering. Officials say there could be as many as 18,000 dead in the areas hit by yesterday's massive earthquake in South Asia. Whole villages have been destroyed. And we are seeing countless images of mass destruction. Meantime, the world rallies to help all of the victims.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is October 9th. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. 7:00 a.m. here in the East, 4:00 p.m. in Pakistan. Thank you very much for joining us.
NGUYEN: In Western Turkey, bird flu has been detected at a farm where 18,000 birds had died. Turkey's Agriculture Minister believes the birds may have contracted the flu from migrating birds at a nearby aviary haven.
Now it is unknown how many birds actually died from the flu or were killed just a precaution.
And Indonesia may have a bird flu diagnosis on a four-year old boy from Sumatra. Preliminary tests indicate the boy may have a deadly strain of the virus. Now if the diagnosis is correct, it could be Indonesia's sixth case of human contraction of bird flu.
And just this morning for the first time since Hurricane Katrina, rail service is rolling out of New Orleans. Amtrak reinstating departures out of the Crescent City to Memphis, Chicago, and Atlanta today. The first train pulls out in about 20 minutes.
In sports now, the St. Louis Cardinals punched their ticket for a National League Championship berth with a three game sweep by the Padres. The Cards beating San Diego, 7 to 4.
Meanwhile, a little more drama in Houston. Atlanta series, where the Astros went on. A hit parade with Braves pitching. Houston takes a 2 to 1 lead in a best of five series, beating Atlanta 7 to 3. They square off again this afternoon.
HARRIS: Much more to come this hour on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. He chomps on cigars. He's not afraid to tell you what he thinks. And he's the man in charge. Betty just spoke to Lieutenant General Russel Honore just a few moments ago. You'll hear what he had to say later this hour. Also, it is a story of conflict, heartbreak, and hope. We'll tell you about award time diary and the amazing journey it took. And a lot of people want to hear him say "I'm sorry" but is former Education Secretary William Bennett giving them what they want? We'll find out.
NGUYEN: Topping our news, though, with bulldozers, backhoes, and bare hands, the desperate search for survivors or bodies in South Asia. The magnitude 7.6 quake struck yesterday. The Kashmir region, between India and Pakistan, hit the hardest. And in some cases, entire villages are flattened.
The death toll is into the tens of thousands and expected to rise. Landslides, well they are keeping rescue teams from reaching 30 to 40 percent of the devastated areas.
Pakistan's President Musharraf is touring the earthquake region today. And the United Nations has sent an emergency team to coordinate relief efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PRESIDENT, PAKISTAN: We seek assistance internationally. I personally feel what we don't need is manpower. We have tremendous amount of manpower.
What we do need is financial support, so that we can utilize it in any way that we feel is required. Secondly, medicines. And thirdly, tentage and blankets. One more area is transport helicopters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Now most of the dead and injured are in Pakistan. 18,000 or more killed, according to the Pakistani government. But the number will no doubt rise.
In Islamabad, the quake brought down a ten story apartment building. Danny Kemp, the Islamabad deputy bureau chief for the French press agency is joining us now by phone.
Danny, at first light, a day after all this destruction, what were you able to see?
DANNY KEMP, ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN: It looks even grimmer than yesterday. The first thing we heard this morning was that the death toll had jumped from around 2,000 to 18,000. And people who have been up to the devastated areas in the north were telling us many, many villages had simply been sort of washed into rivers and sort of wiped out by landslides. And rescue efforts -- rescuers are really quite stunned by the sight of the situation here.
NGUYEN: Let's talk about those rescue efforts for just a moment, because typically, a person has about 72 hours to survive without food or water. So the situation is definitely dire now some 24 hours into this. What is happening with those rescue efforts? And are they moving full steam ahead?
KEMP: They are. I mean, what we've seen today is some -- a fleet of helicopters, some 30 helicopters have started to make regular missions up to -- particularly up to Pakistani administered Kashmir, which is the -- which has really borne the brunt of this disaster.
They're bringing blankets, food, medicine, anything they can. And they've also been carrying injured people away from the disaster area to hospitals in the capitol, Islamabad.
But it's very tough for them because all the roads are down. The communications are down. I think they've really -- hadn't even reached some of the worst affected areas yet. And yes, there's a lot of work ahead.
NGUYEN: Are the hospitals even prepared for the large amount of injured people coming into those areas, looking for assistance and needing immediate medical help?
KEMP: I think the answer's no. I mean, a lot of the -- and particularly in Muzaferbad (ph), the capital of Pakistani Kashmir, the main military hospital there itself has been completely flattened by the earthquake and with the number of casualties there.
And maybe I think the -- we've heard of hospitals in other areas that have struggled to cope. And one hospital in particular, where the patients weren't allowed -- you know, couldn't go into the building because there are still aftershocks and there are fears the village -- the hospital might fall in.
NGUYEN: Yes, I want to ask you about those aftershocks. We heard so many of them occurred yesterday, the largest being 6.3 in magnitude. Have you seen or felt any more aftershocks today?
KEMP: Yes. We had another 6.0 magnitude aftershock about two hours -- just over two hours ago.
NGUYEN: Goodness.
KEMP: And we had another two serious aftershocks overnight. So people here are very tense, very on edge, even in Islamabad, which is the capitol, which is less affected, people are, you know, feel very nervous that you know, something else might happen.
NGUYEN: Well, with good reason. Also I want to ask you about the people who have come out of their homes with these aftershocks. Many are very afraid to stay inside those homes because they could collapse with an aftershock. Where are people sleeping? Where are they congregating?
KEMP: I think wherever they can. I mean, we've -- in a lot of cases, I think particularly in the worst part, some people simply have no homes anymore. And then -- in which to sleep.
But where the buildings are still standing, they've been coming out and sleeping in public areas. Many in the streets outside their houses. Again, people who slept inside their houses said they slept in -- under door frames to try and protect themselves. People really have been made very nervous by this.
NGUYEN: It is just so heartbreaking to hear. Danny Kemp with the French press agency, the Islamabad deputy bureau chief there. We appreciate your time. And of course, we're going to be speaking with you often today. Thank you.
HARRIS: And frankly, that's what you do, you sleep outside.
NGUYEN: You do what you can.
HARRIS: Yes. You can't be sure the structure that is standing, will it withstand another aftershock? Stay with CNN for continuing coverage of the South Asia earthquake. More live reports this hour and throughout the day from the disaster zone.
NGUYEN: Now another natural disaster. Rescue workers in Central America have little hope of finding people still alive under mounds of debris from mudslides. New reports confirm about 500 people are dead in Guatemala, but that number is likely to rise. A town of 800 was literally wiped out by a landslide. And those residents are feared dead.
Now the flooding was triggered by heavy rain from Hurricane Stan last Tuesday, as you recall. The storm soaked Central America and Mexico.
HARRIS: Former President George H. Bush is touring the Gulf Coast to get an up close look at the current needs of hurricane victims. He, along with former President Clinton, have helped raise millions of dollars to help out and want to make sure the money ends up in the right place.
CNN's Dan Simon has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He may be out of office, but the former President George H.W. Bush showed he hasn't lost his touch here at a FEMA trailer park in Waveland, Mississippi for those who lost their homes.
But Mr. Bush's trip to the Gulf Coast was not designed as a photo op. He mostly held private meetings with local officials. Cameras kept at a distance. An exception, this government claim center where he encouraged FEMA workers.
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm just trying to figure out how FEMA's operating here.
SIMON: And expressing sympathy for those asking for government help.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once they get all the sheet rock out, I don't care if I got walls. I'm going back. BUSH: That's the old American spirit.
SIMON: The former president says he and President Clinton have raised more than $109 million for Gulf Coast relief. And he wants to assure Americans the money will be spent wisely.
BUSH: The last thing we need, and my view will have is to have somebody accuse us for a rip-off. If you put this money, you're wasting it. Because we feel a certain fiduciary responsibility to the individuals, the governments, the foundations that are giving a tremendous amount of money to help.
SIMON: The former president's trip came as relief efforts were gearing up a half a world away for victims of the Pakistani earthquake.
BUSH: That's the beautiful thing about America. There is no donor fatigue.
SIMON: Saturday's trip was the former president's first visit to the devastated South.
BUSH: There's no words in my view to describe the enormity of this tragedy. And I didn't -- you know, I thought I understood it until I flew over the coastline today in a helicopter. And it's enormous.
SIMON (on camera): Now given the enormous needs, the question, how to spend the private funds so they make a meaningful difference.
Dan Simon, CNN, Waveland, Mississippi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And we will hear more on the situation in New Orleans at the bottom of the hour. You'll hear from a man in charge of humanitarian efforts in the Gulf region. Lieutenant General Russel Honore.
NGUYEN: Here's some stories we'll be watching for you this week. Tuesday, the military will bury the remains of 12 servicemen once listed as missing in action. Arlington National Cemetery will be the final resting place for these veterans of the Vietnam War.
Also on Tuesday, Israeli President Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas will try once again to meet and discuss peace. Both leaders called off an earlier meeting because of violence in Gaza.
And hundreds of triathletes, including a 76-year old, will compete in the Iron Man World Championship on Saturday. I was hoping Tony would join that.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: But not this year. HARRIS: How about that old....
NGUYEN: That competition includes a 2.4 mile ocean swim, a 112 mile bike race, and a full marathon on top of that. Just over 26 miles. I'm just tired thinking about it all.
HARRIS: That's it?
NGUYEN: Yes.
HARRIS: Twelve miles -- that's it?
NGUYEN: Right.
HARRIS: No problem at all.
NGUYEN: No, not at all.
All right, dozens of protesters demand an apology from a former Education Secretary. Still to come on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, we will tell you what has got them so riled up.
Plus this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do I think the people were raped after and during Hurricane Katrina? Absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: What really happened in those massive shelters? CNN's investigative unit uncovers some shocking details. That story and much more ahead on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, good morning, everybody. Here are the top stories at this hour. It is 4:15 p.m. in Pakistan, where it's estimated that more than 18,000 people are dead from yesterday's massive earthquake that shook South Central Asia. Rescue efforts are underway in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India.
Guatemala has its owns problems. It's digging out from a massive mudslide that literally wiped out an entire town. All 800 residents of Panabaj are feared dead. Bad weather continues to hinder rescue efforts in Guatemala and neighboring southern Mexico.
And Turkey's Agricultural Minister says bird flu has been detected at a farm where 1800 birds died. Those birds are believed to have contracted the illness from migrating birds. The farm is next to a bird haven.
And Indonesian health officials are trying to confirm preliminary tests on a four-year old boy that indicate he may have contracted a deadly strain of bird flu. If this diagnosis is confirmed, it would be Indonesia's sixth case of avian flu affecting a human being.
And let's get to our e-mail question today. Here it is on the screen. Is the threat of avian flu reaching the United States being overstated? Is there some fear mongering going on here? Let us know what you think about it. Or is there due concern? E-mail us your thoughts to weekends@cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: We all remember the chaos in New Orleans in the immediate days following Hurricane Katrina. This morning, our investigative unit takes a look at what may have really happened inside the Superdome and the Convention Center in those dark, desperate days. Namely, is there truth behind reports that rapes were committed?
CNN's Drew Griffin reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They were caught between the storm and chaos, trapped in a city being shrunk by floodwaters, the people of New Orleans fled to the only shelters they knew were still dry. And they came by the thousands.
All kinds of reports came out of the Convention Center and Superdome. Some of rapes fueled by a police chief who didn't know.
EDDIE COMPASS, FMR. N.O. POLICE SUPT.: Babies getting raped.
GRIFFIN: And days later, denials from rank and file, who say nobody was raped.
LT. DAVE BENELLI, NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPARTMENT: I'm the commander of the sex crimes unit. My unit handles all rapes. We had two reported attempted rapes.
GRIFFIN: Attempted?
BENELLI: Attempted rapes. And they were handled. And the individuals were arrested.
GRIFFIN: Now CNN is learning the truth maybe much more disturbing and painful.
WANDA PEZANT, SEXUAL ASSAULT NURSE EXAMINER: Do I think that people were raped after and during Hurricane Katrina? Absolutely. Have I treated victims from New Orleans that were raped either during or in the immediate aftermath of Katrina, yes.
GRIFFIN: Wanda Pezant says over the last weeks, she has counted them. 18 victims, one as young as 13 have now come forward to this sexual assault nurse examiner to say in the confusion of Katrina, they were raped, caught in dark corners in the Superdome, in shelters across Louisiana. Victims and predators she says were suddenly trapped in the same mess. And the predators saw opportunity. PEZANT: When predators are loose in the environment, unsupervised and unchecked by law enforcement, victimization happens.
GRIFFIN: The question for Judy Benitez is how much really did happen. Benitez runs Louisiana's Foundation Against Sexual Assault. Since the hurricane first struck, she says, her 15 crisis centers across the state have been getting calls from rape victims and those who witnessed rapes and either never went to the police, or there were no police to go to.
JUDY BENITEZ, RAPE VICTIM ADVOCATE: Some people have taken the view that because something wasn't reported to the police, that it didn't happen. And that's not really an accurate way to look at things when you're talking about sexual assault.
There are a lot of reasons under normal circumstances why victims don't report sexual assaults to the police. Or they may report them a couple of weeks later.
GRIFFIN: The truth is, says rape counselors, after the hurricane when people lost jobs, homes, and lives, reporting a rape became a lower priority than finding food and shelter.
BENITEZ: It's just one trauma and one tragedy inside another tragedy.
I think it's going to be a while before we get anything that resembles true numbers.
GRIFFIN: Benitez is setting up a statewide reporting system in hopes of a more accurate count of post Katrina sexual assaults.
(on camera): But no matter what the count, there will be no way to make those who committed sexual assaults pay. Here at the Superdome and across Louisiana, predators may have simply gotten away with it.
Too many days have passed. Any evidence to be collected would be unusable.
What do you say to those people?
PEZANT: I tell them that I'm their nurse, and that we're going to take care of them. And we have. And that I can meet their medical need. I can't meet their legal need.
GRIFFIN (voice-over): It has been more than a month since Katrina hit. Rape victims are now finding new homes, reuniting with their families, and finally having the courage to deal with what happened to them during the hurricane. The latest woman to report came forward just this week.
Drew Griffin, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And we will have another investigative unit spotlight for you next Sunday morning.
NGUYEN: Shifting gears now, Tony, most wedding receptions are by invitation only. But one newlywed couple had party crashers of a different sort, shall we say. We'll tell you why this wedding reception fell out of favor and fast.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Jacqui Jeras in the CNN Weather Center. An unbelievably wet weekend across the Northwest, flooding in states like Pennsylvania, as these pictures out of Pikesville, Maryland. We'll let you know when the floodwaters will be receding and what your work week holds. Your nation's forecast is coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: In stories across America this morning, about 30 wedding guests ended up in the hospital with minor injuries after a deck collapsed in Virginia Beach. No fun there. Officials say between 30 and 40 people were standing on the wooden deck when it gave way during a wedding reception last night.
The St. Louis Cardinals that greeted the San Diego Padres, winning 7 to 4 Saturday night for a three game sweep in the first round playoff series. Pay attention, Betty. Pay attention, I know it's sports. Pay attention.
NGUYEN: You said...
HARRIS: St. Louis. Now we'll (INAUDIBLE) the winner of the Houston Atlanta series. And on that note, the Houston Astros are a game away from closing out the Bravos after taking game 3 last night. Game 4 is this afternoon.
New York Police plan to dispatch several teams of counter terror officers to tonight's baseball playoff game.
Between the Yanks and the Angels, police say so-called Atlas teams will board trains bound for the game to patrol around the stadium. Authorities have been beefing up security, as you know, because of an alleged subway threat. Game 4 was postponed Saturday, Jacqui Jeras, because of heavy rain in the area.
Flooding, rain...
NGUYEN: Speaking of rain, you've been dealing with a lot of...
JERAS: Holiday weekend there.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HARRIS: Yes.
JERAS: Unfortunately. Believe it or not, some of that moisture from Tammy.
HARRIS: Really? NGUYEN: Tammy?
JERAS: I do believe, still lingering around.
HARRIS: Hey, it makes sense.
JERAS: That's why it's so heavy. Yes, you got all that tropical moisture.
NGUYEN: Wedding...
JERAS: Trying to sweep it on out of there. I know, we've got some pictures actually to show you from Philadelphia area. Heavy rainfall there. More than five inches in some locations.
NGUYEN: Look at that.
JERAS: And this is really a several day event. Yes, it's flooded streets. The Schuylkill River has gone out of its banks. The good news is the Schuylkill right now is cresting. So it will be receding now over the next couple of days.
But unfortunately, more rain is on the way into the Northeast. Not quite as heavy into Pennsylvania and farther south into Maryland.
Let's show you where the radar map is and show you some of these rainfall totals that we saw from the weekend. These are the pictures from Pikesville, Maryland from over the weekend. Look at those cars.
HARRIS: Wow.
JERAS: Yes, by the way, don't drive through this stuff, people.
HARRIS: Hey, I know that area.
JERAS: Don't do it.
HARRIS: Yes, that's 695. That's the Pikesville exit of 695. Yes, that's -- that is an area prone to flash flooding. Absolutely.
NGUYEN: And if you don't know how deep it is, the key is to don't go...
HARRIS: Yes.
JERAS: Yes, just don't go through if you can't see the bottom.
HARRIS: Right.
JERAS: That's how people die.
HARRIS: Right.
JERAS: When you go into flooding. More deaths from flooding than anything else, really weather related. Here's some of the numbers for you. Allentown, Pennsylvania, and these are from just yesterday, by the way, not to mention what you got on Friday. More than 8.5 inches of rain. Philadelphia, more than 5.5. Nearly 5 in Salisbury, Maryland. Trenton, New Jersey, pushing 5 inches. And 3.75 in Washington, D.C. at National Airport.
And now you can see that wet weather here again for today. Mostly in the northern parts of New England, very heavy right now into Portland. Boston could get a couple of sprinkles on and off. Expect airport delays across all of the northeast for today.
New York City down to Washington, D.C., you might get a shower or two, but I think it's going to be a lot of cloud cover more than anything else.
And check out all the green on the map here for today from parts of Pennsylvania all the way up into Maine. That's where we have the flood watches and the flood warnings remaining in effect.
Travel is going to be a problem all across the northeast for today. Most of the rain into northern New England. We will see the cloudy conditions. Temperatures are much cooler. It's feeling a lot like fall here today.
Look at all those 60s. You head into the southeast and even looking at cooler than normal temperatures. There, high into Atlanta today, about 73 degrees. You got all -- go all the way down to Florida to get into the 80s and the 90s.
Fall has really arrived.
NGUYEN: Yes.
JERAS: We've got some winter weather, guys. Snow.
NGUYEN: Snow?
JERAS: State City, that's my tease. Stick around. We'll let you know where before the end of the hour.
HARRIS: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Always teasing us, thanks, Jacqui.
Well search and rescue operations are underway in earnest in Pakistan and India this morning. We have a live report from the earthquake ravaged region when we come back.
HARRIS: Plus this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL BENNETT, FMR. EDUCATION SECRETARY: I was putting forward a bad argument in order to shoot it down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, as you can see, Bill Bennett's explanation for questionable comments about African-Americans is doing little to satisfy his critics. His first public appearance since that statement coming up on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
NGUYEN: And a reminder, our e-mail question today. There it is on the screen. We are asking you is the threat of avian flu reaching the United States being overstated? Send us your thoughts to weekends@cnn.com and we'll be reading those responses in about 30 minutes from now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Welcome back everyone to CNN SUNDAY MORNING on this the 9th day of October, 7:32 Eastern time. I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to thank you for waking up with us on this Sunday morning. It is as you mentioned 7:32 in Atlanta, 6:32 in New Orleans and 4:32 in the evening in Pakistan. We want to give you a look at the day's top stories that we are following right now.
Pakistan's president pleads for international help this morning in the wake of yesterday's massive earthquake. Government officials estimate more than 18,000 people are dead in Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. Now in some areas entire villages have collapsed. Many people are still trapped beneath mounds of rubble. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says cargo helicopters and relief supplies are badly needed.
Amtrak rolls again in New Orleans. For the first time since hurricane Katrina struck, Amtrak resumed passenger rail service in the big easy yesterday. The first train arrived from Chicago carrying a handful of evacuees. More are expected to return home today.
In baseball playoff action, look at this, St. Louis is moving to the next round, sweeping San Diego. The Cardinals beat the Padres 7-4 to win the NL division series.
And Houston takes a two game to one lead over Atlanta in their series. The Astros beat the Braves 7-3. Game four is this afternoon.
Well, with bulldozers, backhoes and bare hands, the desperate search for survivors or bodies in south Asia continues.
HARRIS: The magnitude 7.6 quake struck yesterday. The Kashmir region between India and Pakistan hit the hardest, in some cases entire villages are flattened. The death toll is into the tens of thousands now and expected to rise. Landslides are keeping rescue teams from reaching 30 to 40 percent of the devastated areas. Pakistan's President Musharraf is touring the earthquake region today. The United Nations has sent an emergency team to coordinate relief efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT PERVEZ MUSHARRAF, PAKISTAN: We seek assistance internationally. I, personally feel what we don't need is manpower. We have tremendous amount of manpower. What we do need is financial support, so that we can utilize it in any way that we feel is required. Secondly, medicines, and thirdly tents and blankets. One more area is transport helicopters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: President Musharraf is appealing for international help and the U.S., China, Russia and Japan are among nations sending rescue teams and sniffer dogs. Senior international correspondent Matthew Chance has an update from Islamabad and Matthews joins us by the phone by the way, but Matthew, let me have you start. The last time we saw you on television actually was just an hour or so ago on CNN international and you were at the scene of a collapsed building where there appeared to be a rescue operation under way. Maybe you can start by updating us on that operation.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure thing Tony. (INAUDIBLE) all of the tragedy we're seeing all across this region, 19,136 people according to the Pakistani interior ministry now believed to be dead as a result of this earthquake around the region. Here at this apartment block of Islamabad, one of the only buildings affected in the Pakistani capital, a big (INAUDIBLE) effort is under way to try and get to people who are trapped underneath that rubble out safely.
Teams have already rescued over the past seven or eight hours some two people (INAUDIBLE) this national teams that have arrived, they rescued two people alive using high tech sensoring equipment. There's a lot of activity under way on top of that mound of rubble, because they've also located what they describe as a young woman who is literally shouting for help and they're trying to get to her desperately. They detected her through using microphones and through hearing her screams. She's trapped inside a void there. It's a delicate operation though Tony, trying to get to that individual through those several meters of reinforced concrete that are crushed around her, trying not to disturb that concrete too much in case there are more injuries if you may already have. So this is an operation that could take several hours to complete Tony.
HARRIS: And we can certainly imagine, Matthew, that that kind of drama is playing out throughout the country today. Matthew Chance for us in Islamabad, Pakistan and Matthew, thank you. Stay with CNN for continuing coverage of the Pakistan earthquake. More live reports this hour and throughout the day from the disaster zone.
NGUYEN: We want to give you the latest now on the road to recovery after hurricane Katrina. If you hear him talk and you know he speaks his mind and I spoke with him just within the last hour. I'm talking about Lieutenant General Russel Honore, the man in charge of the military's relief efforts. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE, CMDR FIRST US ARMY: All the news (ph) are beginning the cleanup phase, the debris removal is the operative term we use, has started well on its way throughout Mississippi and in Louisiana. Jefferson Parish is well on its way to completing that task on initial debris removal.
NGUYEN: What about the heavily damaged ninth ward? Where does that area stand right now?
HONORE: The ninth ward, as you know, a part of it we still pulling a little bit of sludge out of there, using some pumps that, supportable pumps and the ninth ward as you said, heavily damaged and the whole situation there is, those houses sat under water for the longest amount of time there in St. Bernard Parish and there's significant damage to the structure.
NGUYEN: Now, you spoke with former President Clinton last week. I don't know if you got a chance to speak with former President Bush yesterday. Have any of these men provided any kind of insight, any kind of advice as all of us move forward after Katrina?
HONORE: Well, as you know, they're targeting and attempting to make assessments on the distribution of the donations that have been made by very generous people as to how to best distribute those and they've been here consulting with the governors and the mayors and in some case, the parish presidents on how to best utilize those funds that have been donated from around the world. Over.
NGUYEN: Speaking of the future, you are from Louisiana and as a native obviously you're very concerned with how this state is going to recover. I want to ask you about Mayor Ray Nagin's plan for New Orleans in creating a Las Vegas-style casino area through the main business district. What do you think about that?
HONORE: Well, in my capacity here as working in the response phase of the hurricane, you know, the mayor has proposed something and that is really out of our lane as visitors here, who helped to save lives and help the state and the parishes move on to recovery, but I think there are going to be many things that will come along to take a look at opportunities to sustain the area and that's one of them he's proposed. But I really have no opinion only a topic, over.
NGUYEN: Obviously you have to have some kind of opinion but I understand where you stand in your position. So let me ask you about what your agenda is for this coming week. What are you going to be doing?
HONORE: We will be standing down our Federal troops this coming week. We have helicopters remaining. We have a combat support hospital. The "USS Comfort" departed yesterday and we're flying the doctors back to San Diego and the medics that was on the "Comfort" and we'll be right sizing our forces as we hand off more and more of our tasks that we were doing to the Louisiana national guard and we are basically concentrated in and around the New Orleans area and most of our helicopters have been decisively engaged in helping to shore up the levees in Plaquemine Parish. That is our major effort now and we will right size that force this week, so I would say by the end of the week, mostly what we would have left is the combat support hospital, which is operating out of the convention center. Over.
NGUYEN: Before I let you go, did you ever get a number on the percentage of how much has been accomplished in the recovery efforts so far in all the states affected?
HONORE: Yes. We estimate 78 million cubic yards of debris that has to be removed and as of yesterday, we had removed 42 million cubic yards of that debris.
NGUYEN: That's quite a bit of progress there. You must be proud of that.
HONORE: Well, it's a great effort by the Corps of Engineers and a collaborative effort with many small contractors making this happen and there's an incentive to get it up and get the entire region back moving through recovery and get people out of shelters and that is key to get the debris moved. Over.
NGUYEN: Talk about people coming out of shelters, obviously they're going to have to get some help there in finding new homes. What is your assessment of how FEMA is reacting to this and your conversations with the folks with FEMA?
HONORE: That's an enormous task and I think that's one of the things, to every person that needs shelter it's a very personal thing and if they had it yesterday, it wouldn't be soon enough. But we're talking about thousands and thousands of people that are trying to meet their needs and to get out of shelters and go into temporary shelters and then many of them trying to get back into their homes with some choosing to go into trailer parks and others will be in the situation where they can put a trailer in the yard of the home and then those that were renters. So this is an enormous task and it's going to take time and -- but the organizational leadership is there and FEMA is up to it, along with the local governments will have to play a big role in helping FEMA sort that out inside the parishes and inside the counties. This is a self-help program inside the counties and parishes and I know Admiral Allen, he and I talk about three times a day as you go about that challenge. But the enormity of the task is nothing we've ever faced before and all the understanding of the American people, as well as the leadership inside the parish and the counties will have to be very decisive to make this happen. Over.
NGUYEN: You're absolutely right about that. Lieutenant General Russel Honore, we appreciate your time today. I know you're a very busy man doing the good work down there. We thank you. Best of luck to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Betty Nguyen and General Honore. Over. I can't hear that enough.
NGUYEN: Military style, he's military man. We know that. Over.
HARRIS: Still ahead, there are always two sides to a story and it's taken 35 years to tell one war story. Just ahead, one man's incredible tale in making sure the story gets told from a diary lost but not forgotten.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: It is the story of the Vietnam War, but from a perspective you may have never heard. Thirty five years ago, memoirs written by a young North Vietnamese doctor recovered by an American soldier. The doctor was killed on the battlefield and the soldier spent decades trying to find her family. Last week at a ceremony in Texas Tech, the soldier presented the diaries to the woman's mother. With us now by phone, Fredrick Whitehurst, the former soldier who found the diaries. Fredrick, good to talk to you.
FREDRICK WHITEHURST, VET WHO SAVED DIARIES: Good morning, sir.
HARRIS: What was that moment like last week in Texas, in Texas Tech when you turned the diaries over to the dead woman's mother?
WHITEHURST: Actually, sir, those diaries were turned over to the archives. Back about, oh, in March and finally (INAUDIBLE) the dead doctor's mother came and that's where she received them. I was not there at the ceremony. I wish I could have been, but I was not actually there.
HARRIS: So Fred, how did you come to have these diaries in your possession in the first place?
WHITEHURST: Well, I was with the 635th military intelligence detachment, the 11th brigade and when the diaries were found at two different times, there's two different volumes of them, I was in charge of -- I managed document translation there at the military and a fellow with me, an interpreter with me, looked at these -- we were burning personal papers, we couldn't keep them and he said don't burn this, Fred, it's got fire in it already and so that's how I got the first one. The second one came about six months later when Dr. Chum (ph) was killed in battle.
HARRIS: You described this as the diary of Anne Frank times 100. Explain that.
WHITEHURST: If you read the diary and I believe everyone really should, it's very deep. She sees beauty in the war. She's critical of herself. She's critical of course of the Americans and she's also critical of communist comrades, if you will. But she sees beauty everywhere and it's a woman growing up in battle, so I see it as, again, an Anne Frank diary from Vietnam.
HARRIS: A couple of passages. Her feelings about the communist party, this is from November 26th, 1968. "It's my birthday today, with enemy guns sounding from all four directions. I am used to this already, carrying the bag and taking the patients to run and hide. After two years on the battlefield, it was nothing." How old was she?
WHITEHURST: At that time, she was about 25.
HARRIS: And she was a doctor, sounds a bit tired there. Who did she blame, Fred, if you were able to discern that from the diaries? Who does she blame for the war?
WHITEHURST: Oh, she definitely blamed the Americans. She felt as if we were invaders in Vietnam and we shouldn't be there.
HARRIS: One final question. Some will view this as an attempt at revisionist history, an attempt to somehow paint a more sympathetic picture of the North Vietnamese post-war. What's your response to that?
WHITEHURST: I think, sir, that if we get involved with that, we'll lose sight of what this really is. It's a very beautiful diary from a very beautiful person who, even in battle, was very human and if it's revisionist, well, I think they've lost sight of what this really is.
HARRIS: Fred Whitehurst, good to talk to you, thanks for taking the time today.
WHITEHURST: Sure, OK, bye-bye.
NGUYEN: Do you remember that "Saturday Night Live" performance where Ashley Simpson's mouth didn't quite match up with the music? I think we all remember that and we've played it over and over again. She had a return engagement last night and we're going to show you how it turned out.
Plus a not so friendly welcome in California for former education secretary William Bennett.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, no apologies from former education secretary William Bennett. About 100 people turned out in Bakersfield, California to protest Bennett's appearance at a business conference. It was his first public speech since a controversial comment he made on his radio show in late September. Now, Bennett hypothetically linked the abortion of black babies to the crime rate, saying quote, you could abort every black baby in this country and your crime rate would go down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM BENNETT, FMR. EDUCATION SECRETARY: Although I cannot apologize for what I said and meant which, when understood in context ought not to be objectionable, I regret that people have misrepresented my views so that they have been the cause of hurt and controversy and confusion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Bennett says he was simply making a ridiculous argument in order to put it down.
HARRIS: Another former piping up here. Former FBI Director Louis Freeh goes public about the bad blood between him and President Clinton. It's all in Freeh's book, "My FBI." Freeh says their relationship fell apart because Clinton's closets were full of skeletons. It was Clinton who appointed Freeh FBI director in 1993. Freeh says his relationship with the Clinton White House soured over multiple scandals and investigations, among them, Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky and the investigation into the 1996 bombing in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 Americans. Freeh writes, quoting now, Bill Clinton raised the subject only to tell Crown Prince Abdullah that he understood the Saudi's reluctance to cooperate, and then hit Abdullah up for a contribution to the Clinton library. Clinton's spokesman Jay Carson says President Clinton repeatedly pressed the Saudis for cooperation on the Khobar towers investigation and his pressure led to the eventual indictments. Carson said Freeh's claims about the library are more untruths in a book that clearly has many.
And Senator Hillary Clinton is among new inductees into the national women's hall of fame. Ten women in all were honored by the hall which honors women who have made valuable contributions to society.
NGUYEN: We have answers to our e-mail question today dealing with bird flu. That is coming up, so you want to stay tuned for that. There is a question though if you want to write in real quick. Is the threat of avian flu reaching the United States being overstated, a lot of fear mongering out there, is that what you think? Or is it due? Weekends@cnn.com. Send us your thoughts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: That's a whole new Ashlee, isn't it? What is that? That's a Gwen Stefani meets -- I don't know. Ashlee Simpson singing on "Saturday Night Live" -- really, she did. When she was done, she smiled and hopped in relief. It's been nearly a year since Simpson's infamous embarrassing performance on that same stage.
NGUYEN: I remember it.
HARRIS: Where her voice was heard singing the wrong song while she held her microphone at her waist. Back then, she danced a kind of a jig -- kind of like that.
NGUYEN: Do we have to recount what happened?
HARRIS: And later, she denied she was actually lip-synching, but hmmm.
NGUYEN: All right. Let's get to another big question here, talking about the avian flu, the threat of it reaching the U.S. Is that being overstated? Well, James in Clarksville, Tennessee says: "It is a genuine concern, yes. However, it has been a concern for several years. President Bush addressed it to deflect attention from his political troubles. And I'm not sure which is more dangerous, this administration's use of fear as a political tool or the avian flu? At least there's a possibility of developing a serum to treat the avian flu."
Ouch.
HARRIS: More of your responses next hour. Here's the question. Is the threat of avian flu reaching the United States being overstated? Send your responses to us: Weekends@CNN.com.
NGUYEN: Next hour of "CNN SUNDAY MORNING" begins right now.
HARRIS: Now in the news, Pakistan has declared three days of mourning after the deadly earthquake that struck near Islamabad. More than 19,000 people are estimated dead in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. CNN confirms 14,800 are dead in Pakistan alone. We'll bring you a live report just in a moment.
CNN has learned a car bombing in southern Iraq this morning, the bomb went off in Basra and wounded four Iraqi civilians. An Iraqi army official says it was set off by remote control.
Tears, hugs and a proposal as Amtrak resumes passenger rail service to New Orleans. The first train arrived yesterday with about three dozen passengers. One man sank to his knees, sang a song and proposed marriage to his girlfriend. Guess what? She said yes. Sure she did.
NGUYEN: Good for her.
HARRIS: The Amtrak train is called the City of New Orleans.
NGUYEN: And his train is right on track with that acceptance.
From the CNN Center, this is "CNN SUNDAY MORNING." It is October 9, 8 a.m. at CNN headquarters right here in Atlanta, 7 a.m. in the heartland. We want to say good morning to everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And I am Tony Harris. Thank you for starting your day with us.
NGUYEN: We do want to begin this morning with the latest on the deadly earthquake in South Asia. That quake left piles of rubble in Pakistan, along with a massive death toll. Rescuers are digging through the debris in a desperate search for survivors, and President Pervez Musharraf is pleading, pleading for the world's help.
We'll try to get you that sound in just a little bit.
But in the meantime, another hard hit area is Indian controlled Kashmir. More than 300 people are reported dead there, and thousands of homes and buildings have collapsed.
We want to get more now from CNN's Ram Ramgopal, who joins us by phone from Indian controlled Kashmir.
Tell us as far as what you've seen as far as damage and where's the rescue operations right now?
RAM RAMGOPAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, I'm actually very close to the line of control, which separates the Indian and Pakistani controlled part of Kashmir, and I can tell you certainly that in this city -- town of Udi (ph), actually. It's a very small town right on the line of control, a huge number of destroyed buildings, there's rubble all around.
And as you pointed out, there are rescuers, you know, basically coming out into the farther region of Kashmir, trying to find remote villages where there may be more people who have been buried.
I can also tell you that in the last few minutes we have received an update on the death toll in this part of -- on the Indian side, and they can tell us that -- officials telling us that 501 people have been confirmed killed.
Also as night falls here in this part of the world, people are preparing to spend a second day in -- sleeping in the open or in some instances, people who have managed to get a tent provided to them by the officials here -- Betty.
NGUYEN: As far as the rescue operations go, are they still under way? Are people still being pulled from under the rubble?
RAMGOPAL: Yes. We are seeing, in fact -- even in the last few minutes, we've seen helicopters ferrying injured people across from this town into the city of Srina (ph). They're flying out, presumably.
We are also seeing in front of us fire brigade personnel coming back from rescue operations. Our understanding, Betty, is that, as I was saying, some of the more remote villages are actually more difficult to get to, because roads have basically been -- this is very a mountainous region.
So the roads have basically been cut off. So there is a problem of getting to the small remote areas. But the rescue operations are continuing.
NGUYEN: What about helicopters? Are they being flown be into the area so that they can help with these rescue operations? Are you seeing that? Are you hearing it?
RAMGOPAL: That's right, absolutely. In fact, right around us, this is a -- it's a very sensitive military run area, really, because the military does have a very strong presence in this part of Kashmir. So all the helicopters that are being operated right now are military helicopters. They are the ones who are being used to ferry patients to the hospitals.
Also I can tell you, Betty, that among the dead are many Indian soldiers. As I was saying, Kashmir has been a flash-point between India and Pakistan. So India does have hundreds of thousands of troops in this area. So many of the military personnel, who have also been victims, and also basically at the forefront of the rescue mission.
NGUYEN: As far as the people who are dealing with what has happened, they're coming out of their homes, trying to stay out of harm's way because of aftershocks. Have you felt those aftershocks? Because yesterday we heard about somewhere between 10 to 14 occurred. Have you felt any today? RAMGOPAL: Yes, indeed, Betty, I can tell you quite honestly we got here -- we've been pretty much driving for several hours now, and in the car we could not feel the aftershocks.
But ironically we received a call from one of our colleagues, family members, his daughter calling to say, you know, "There's another aftershock. What should I do?" And obviously, at this point, you know, you're also thinking about your own family.
And our colleague, Musar (ph), basically told his daughter to stay out of the building, keep away from and basically come out into the open.
So this is certainly an issue. We have heard in the last 24 hours several aftershocks, several major aftershocks, up to five of them registered in the last 24 hours, and there certainly is a sense of, as you can imagine, panic. People do want to get out of any building which might collapse upon them.
And that certainly is playing on the nerves of many people. One good news, if there is any to report from here, certainly there is that compared to yesterday when there was very heavy rainfall, which is hampering the rescue effort, was also a big factor in this, today at least the skies are clear. But there is an eerie silence that we hear as I stand amidst these mountains. I mean, these are gorgeous mountains, but there's almost an eerie silence that is overwhelming right now.
NGUYEN: And to add to all of it, night is falling there. It's going to be another long, dark night for the people in need of much needed assistance. Ram Ramgopal in India controlled Kashmir, thank you.
Aid from around the world is on the way to the quake zone. President Bush has offered his condolences. The U.S. is also sending money, supplies and aircraft. Britain is sending rescue workers and offering diplomatic help for Pakistanis in Britain.
Now rescue equipment and medical teams are on the way from Japan and Turkey, as well. And from the United Nations, clothing, tents, food and medicine.
If you would like to donate, you can call UNICEF at 1-800-4- UNICEF or you can log on to www.UNICEFusa -- dash -- dot org.
You want to stay with CNN for continuing coverage of the Pakistan earthquake, actually the earthquake in South Asia, because three countries were involved. We'll have live reports throughout the day from the disaster zone.
HARRIS: In Central America, it's natural disasters of another sort. They are dealing with flooding followed by mudslides. The hardest hit areas include Southern Mexico and neighboring Guatemala.
Our Harris Whitbeck is on his way to one of the affected cities, where rescuers continue to search for survivors after a mud slide wiped out the entire town.
Harris, are why you there with us?
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
Those rescue efforts are being hampered by more even rain. There was a constant rainfall throughout the night here, and that is making access to these areas very difficult.
The official death toll is at over 500, but official -- rescue workers at the town on Panabaj on Lake Atitlan say that at least 800, possibly more than 1,000 people in a mudslide that occurred last Thursday.
The main problem here, again, is access to these areas. Most of the roads in that -- that access the Guatemalan highlands, the lake have been cut off because of slides. And helicopter flights have also been hampered because of the weather.
The U.S. has (UNINTELLIGIBLE) sent Chinook helicopters that arrived here and have not been able to fly many missions because of the weather. So the concern is that as days pass and people don't have access to medical supplies, to food and such, that the toll could actually rise.
HARRIS: Harris, if the weather continues to be the issue there, when might the weather improve? Are you getting any forecasts on that?
WHITBECK: Well, the problem is that Guatemala is in its traditional rainy season now, and normally it rains constantly until the middle or even end of October, so there's no end in sight. This, of course, all started when Hurricane Stan passed close to the region a week ago, and while Hurricane Stan is no longer an issue, now we're in the regular rainy season here.
HARRIS: All right. So let's talk about options then. If you can't get to the affected areas efficiently by using the roads because, as we can see here in some of these pictures, the roads are just being washed out here, it seems to me the next option is to fly helicopters in.
Is that what is happening now, and do you expect, if it isn't happening now, do you expect it will start soon?
WHITBECK: Well, helicopters are being used, as weather permits, and the Guatemalan air force and also several private air clubs here have organized into an air bridge of sorts. In fact, the U.S. government, through AID, brought in fuel for airplanes and helicopters to be used once the air bridge can be established.
But again, the weather is hampering these conditions. We flew over the area of Lake Atitlan a couple days ago and were able to be there only about 10 minutes because the weather was closing in quickly and we had to get out of there. And that's what rescue workers have been facing all over. Now, that doesn't mean that aid has not been trickling in, but the problem is that it is just trickling in at this point.
HARRIS: OK. Harris Whitbeck for us in Guatemala, Harris, we appreciate it. Thank you.
NGUYEN: This just in. We are learning the new death toll in the South Asia earthquake. We have learned now that the number of dead is at 17,300 people. Unfortunately, we knew the numbers would rise, and it has, 17,300 people.
But there are still many people trapped. In Islamabad alone, there are an estimated 100 people still trapped in a collapsed apartment there. And of course, aftershocks are continuing throughout that region. But in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, 17,300 people have already died from this earthquake.
HARRIS: And still ahead, for the people affected by Hurricane Katrina and those that watched as it happened, there are more questions than answers. Some say the disaster was a warning from God, while others struggle to continue their faith walk. We'll take a closer look at these and other issues in our "Faces of Faith."
Good morning, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning, guys. Nice start this morning in Chicago. Some of the best weather in the country will be across parts of the Midwest. The Chicago Marathon taking place. We'll take a check in with Chicago and the rest of the nation. Your forecast is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
JERAS: Betty, you a runner?
NGUYEN: I am not a runner. Can't you tell?
HARRIS: That's funny.
JERAS: I never understand it. That just seems so painful to me.
NGUYEN: I know. Five hours (ph).
JERAS: Why would you want to do that?
NGUYEN: I don't.
JERAS: Good for them, though.
NGUYEN: Yes.
They're a lot healthier than we are.
HARRIS: Betty a runner, that's funny. NGUYEN: Be nice.
Laughing at me. He knows. He knows how I am. All right. Thank you, Jacqui.
JERAS: Yes.
Indonesian health officials say they may have their sixth case of a human diagnosed with bird flu. Preliminary test results from a 4- year-old Sumatra boy shows he has contracted a deadly strain of the virus. Now confirmation of that diagnosis should be known in the coming days.
But since December 2003, four Indonesian nationals died from bird flu. Besides Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand have also reported fatal cases of bird flu infection in humans.
Confirmed bird flu outbreaks in avian populations have been reported in -- look at this map -- China, Japan, Laos, South Korea and Malaysia. The latest unconfirmed -- unconfirmed reports of bird flu are trending westward. Romania and most recently Turkey, where 1,800 birds died in a farm that was near a bird sanctuary.
HARRIS: So the latest reported cases and the bird flu's westward trend is prompting the United States to put a provisional plan in place. Here's CNN Kathleen Koch with that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The draft U.S. plan to handle a massive pandemic warns if there were an outbreak in Asia it would reach the U.S. in a few months or even weeks. The plan, obtained by "The New York Times" and confirmed by CNN, says under the worst case scenario, more than 1.9 million Americans would die, that hospitals would be overwhelmed, riots break out at vaccination clinics. Worse, some say, than the chaos after Hurricane Katrina.
MIKE LEAVITT, HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: We could be battling 5,000 different fronts at the same moment.
KOCH: The plan calls for ramping up vaccines production to 10 times the current output. The president met with vaccine makers Friday, but experts say such an increase isn't likely unless the federal government itself on a yearly basis buys vaccines and insures manufacturers a profit.
LAURIE GARRETT, AUTHOR, "THE COMING PLAGUE": Some countries do that and that pretty much guarantees that they always have a certain level of vaccine supply. Our country has not historically done that, and we have a very mixed up mechanism for distribution of flu vaccine because we don't have a national health system.
KOCH: The plan suggests more states pass laws permitting the quarantine of affected areas as Virginia has done. That state's pandemic flu plan, in place since 2002, includes new sophisticated labs for testing deadly pathogens and regular meetings with community leaders on how to respond.
DR. LISA KAPLOWITZ, VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: How are businesses going to continue if a quarter of their work force is ill at any one time? How are we going to maintain a central services? How are we going to be sure that we have police and fire services. We don't have all the answers.
KOCH: Six Democratic senators sent a letter to the Bush administration expressing concern the government is, quote, ill prepared to respond to this looming crisis and asking why the U.S. is so far behind other nations.
(on camera) The plan cannot control the actions of other countries, who the U.S. must rely on to accurately report bird flu outbreaks, especially if the disease morphs into a form transmissible by humans. Officials say the U.S. response plan will be completed later this month.
Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: So we want to know what you think this morning. Are the stories about the bird flu reaching the U.S. causing undue fear? E- mail us your thoughts. Our address: Weekends@CNN.com.
NGUYEN: Spreading the message of faith and healing, one word at a time. Coming up, we will visit with "New York Times" best-selling author and one of the world's leading Bible teachers, Joyce Meyer. She'll share her vision for providing global humanitarian aid to hurting people.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Here are some questions to ponder. Should states allow assisted suicide? Was Katrina the wrath of God punishing evildoers?
Well, in this morning's "Faces of Faith," we are tackling the news of the day with a spiritual perspective.
I had the opportunity to interview evangelist Joyce Meyer, and through her ministry, Meyer spreads the gospel to millions of people around the world. Earlier this year, Meyer was selected by "TIME" magazine as one of the top 25 evangelical leaders in America. She's also a best-selling author of more than 50 books, including her latest one, "Approval Addiction."
This morning, Meyer has a message for all faiths.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOYCE MEYER, EVANGELIST/AUTHOR: He sends his word and heals them, and he delivers them from the pit and from destruction. The delivering power of Jesus Christ is in this place tonight.
NGUYEN: One of the first things that I want to talk to you about is Reverend Franklin Graham. As you know, he's been in the headlines following Katrina. Now he didn't go as far as to say that God was punishing New Orleans, but he did allude to a sense of cleansing the city. I want you to take a listen to his comments.
MEYER: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. FRANKLIN GRAHAM, PRESIDENT, SAMARITAN'S PURSE: New Orleans has been known, of course, as a party city for Mardi Gras, voodoo, all types of things like this, Bourbon Street. And as a minister of the gospel, there are a lot of people in New Orleans that are praying that God will bring a stronger moral fiber to this city than this city's ever had before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: So what's your reaction to that? Did God single out New Orleans as a quote/unquote "sin city"?
MEYER: Well, you know, I think that sometimes we try to answer questions that only God knows the answers to. And I've learned in my own life that, since I'm not God, I don't try to, you know, talk about what only he knows.
My response to anyone being hurt is, one thing I know for sure is I'm supposed to help people. And so that's what we're busy doing. We're not trying to figure out who did what and who's responsible for this and that and why and wherefore. We're just trying to help people.
NGUYEN: Well, before we get to what you're doing to help the survivors, let me ask you this, because there's still a lot of questions, especially coming from survivors, asking how could God let something like this happen? How do you begin to answer that?
MEYER: You know, all throughout the Bible when, during wars, innocent people get hurt, during disasters innocent people get hurt, and that's one of the things, again, that I don't think that we know all the answers to. We know that -- we know that God is good.
You know, I was sexually abused in my childhood for many years, and so, you know, I asked a lot of questions about, well, "Why, why?" I mean, I was praying during that time for God to get me out of it, and although he didn't deliver me from it, he gave me the strength to go through it. And I learned a lot that is now enabling me to help a lot of other people.
So there's really no guarantee in the Bible that we will never go through difficult times. And I think it's just a great opportunity for people to trust God.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEYER: That you know, that you know, that God is not a man that he should lie and that his word is true and that he has a good plan for your life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: FEMA has announced just this past week that it is going to use the funding that it gets in to pay churches and faith-based organizations back for taking in survivors and helping them get back on their feet. Now a lot of critics have a problem with that, using federal funding. What's your position on it?
MEYER: Well, what we do for people, we do it because we want to do it and not because we're expecting to be paid back. I can't judge what someone else would decide to do. Each person has to make their own decision. But for us, we would not want to be paid back. We would rather that they just take that money and put it toward helping the hurricane victims.
NGUYEN: One last question for you. Of course, the U.S. Supreme Court is dealing with Oregon's law with assisted suicide. What's your take on that? Where do you stand?
MEYER: You know, I think it's interesting, because I graduated from high school, I guess, about 43 years ago, and I actually wrote my high school thesis paper on euthanasia, which was just becoming, you know, well-known at that time, and so I am very much against it. I believe that doctors have taken an oath to do no harm and to help people. God is the author of life, and he obviously is the only one that can take it away.
I think that we are just going to cause huge, huge, huge problems in the world if we start trying to do things that only God can do properly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEYER: And I'm here to encourage you tonight, because I know some of you have had to fight the same kind of battles that I've had to fight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: She really is a fascinating lady, and she talks about fighting battles. She's had so many.
HARRIS: Oh, yes. I liked her before; like her even more after your interview.
NGUYEN: Great.
HARRIS: That was great to see.
All right. We want to talk about our e-mail question for just a bit here before we run out of time.
NGUYEN: Yes. Speaking of battles. HARRIS: We've been talking about the bird flu story all morning and asking for your thoughts about the threat. What do you think? Is the threat of avian flu reaching the United States being overstated? A couple of responses we want to share with you.
This from Pete who writes, "I believe the U.S. government is understating the potential. I have been following the flu for over a year and believe that it's political spin to downplay the possibilities, because our government has, as usual, relief on reactive management rather than preventative."
NGUYEN: And Gerry writes, "If this flu threatens us as much as the authorities say it does, why then don't we interrupt travel from these countries into the United States until the threat is contained? Is this any different from a terrorist threat?"
Very interesting. We want it hear your thoughts. Keep them coming this morning. There's the question again: Is the threat of avian flu reaching the U.S. being overstated? Tell us what you think. E-mail us: Weekends@CNN.com. And we'll read those responses on the air.
Next hour is coming up. It's been nine years since rapper Tupac Shakur was gunned down in Las Vegas. We will find out what his mother has done to honor his legacy.
HARRIS: And up next, "HOUSE CALL" is thinking pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Dr. Gupta takes a closer look at newest developments in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
