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CNN Sunday Morning
Haitians Desperate for Supplies as Rescues Continue; Crews Dig Through Rubble as Quake Relief Takes Shape
Aired January 17, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is January 17. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. It's 6 a.m. where we sit in Atlanta, Georgia; 5 a.m. in West Memphis, Arkansas; 3 a.m. in Portland. Wherever you may be, thank you for starting your day right here with us.
NGUYEN: Yes.
Well, you know, the sun is about to rise in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It's been five days since the deadly earthquake. Food and water supplies, they are trickling into the city.
But let's get right to all the developing news.
HOLMES: Yes. First here, new overnight, nearly two dozen passengers from Haiti are in the states this morning after living through the horror of that earthquake. All of these folks hitched a ride with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She's back home now after a trip down to Haiti to get a look at relief efforts.
Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta spoke with Secretary Clinton when she was in Haiti. That interview coming up in just a bit.
NGUYEN: There are moments of despair for so many in Haiti. A rescue team from Los Angeles search a daycare center for eight hours yesterday. A woman was just convinced, and she convinced the team, that her young daughter was trapped alive inside that rubble. Well, at some point, tapping could be heard from inside the building, but searchers could not find anyone, and then they moved on to another search site.
HOLMES: Well, meanwhile, search-and-rescue teams, they're working to reach a woman trapped beneath a collapsed bank in Haiti. And she's been sending text messages. One of them says - and I'm quoting - "I'm OK, but help me. I can't take it anymore" - end quote.
The crew vows not to give up, but now it's a race against time for any survivors there after - here we are five days now. Since yesterday afternoon, U.S. search-and-rescue teams have rescued at least 22 people.
NGUYEN: Want to give you a quick look now at the big picture. There have been no official counts of the dead in Haiti, but estimates, they are simply stunning. A U.N. official says the count ranges from 100,000 to 150,000. Among the known dead, at least 15 Americans.
More than 300 U.N. staffers are unaccounted for, 37 confirmed dead. And despite the best attempts by aid groups, there is still a dire need for medical aid, food and water.
A doctor at one makeshift hospital says a third of the 300 patients there will die if they do not get immediate surgery.
Search teams from nearly 30 nations are continuing to look for survivors.
Well, CNN does have a wide range of resources and correspondents working on the search efforts, aid and recovery. Ten of our reporters and their crews are in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas to bring you the latest.
HOLMES: And of course, we've been telling you about the immediate needs there. Certainly food and water, but also medical care.
Take a look here - you can imagine here, the chaotic scene. This - as you see, this is a helicopter that was dropping boxes of food. And as you can see, people there - quite frankly, a lot of them probably have been going for several days with certainly little to eat, but some of them maybe nothing to eat over these past several days. But - but that's the scene, and probably going to see that play out many more times over the next - over the coming days, as people swarm, trying to get food.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, some have had little food or water since the quake struck Tuesday afternoon.
Our Karl Penhaul has more now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Earthquake survivors stampede through the dusty down swell of the rotor blades of a U.S. military helicopter. It's a quick way of dropping urgent aid to the needy, but it was sparking chaos, too.
Meanwhile, a United Nations aid convoy winds its way through Port-au-Prince's battered streets. That's a risky operation, too.
(on camera): And as you can see behind, we're followed by a number of armored gun trucks. These are being manned principally by Argentinean members of the United Nations' stabilization force here in Haiti, and this is because of United Nations' fears of the possible outbreak of looting and riots once the food gets distributed.
(voice-over): Cite Soleil is one of Haiti's worst slums, with a reputation for violence. First, the trucks must be loaded. Off camera, some of the U.N. workers complained the relief effort is uncoordinated.
The big problem here: World Food Programme warehouses were damaged by the quake. All supplies have to be hand-loaded.
Tension mounts. Argentinean peacekeepers get word aid shipped out earlier could not be delivered because of the threat of violence.
On the edge of Cite Soleil, desperate survivors push for a place in line. "We've had nothing at all, nothing at all," these young women say.
Many seem unimpressed by the high-energy cookies being handed out, but know they will at least keep them alive.
The soldiers call children to the front. They at least seem happy with what they're given.
Three-year-old Yesses Songay (ph) hobbles up. He says concrete fell on his foot in the quake. He gets his cookies and a lift from one of the Argentineans.
The aid operation winds down. Some were left empty-handed. But when disaster has destroyed everything you've owned, even the leftover cardboard boxes are worth fighting for.
Karl Penhual, Cite Soleil, Haiti.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, without question, the desperation and despair in Port-au-Prince this hour is growing. But the focus still remains on how to help those most in need.
HOLMES: Yes, and one of the biggest challenges is distribution. Plus, much of the city still doesn't have any food or water.
Want to bring back in retired Army Lieutenant General Russel Honore, who was here, bring him back into this conversation.
Good to have you here again. You were here with us some 24 hours ago, sitting up on this set talking about it. So take us through what has changed. What have you seen in the past 24 hours maybe that has started to work better, work well right now.
LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE, U.S. ARMY (RET.): More supplies on the ground.
I think you'll see - also see communications improve in the next 24 to 36 hours, which is a big issue, to be able to communicate between the U.N. forces and General Keen's forces.
We had some great news last night: A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter carrying seven patients, including an infant, landed on the Carl Vinson, which has the trauma hospital on it to take - take care of wounded. And they were able to get him on the ship, and they're being cared for as we speak. Part of the Carl Vinson's medical team has been sent ashore to work with the Coast Guard. It would be interesting to see when we get the medical protocols we talked about yesterday with the U.N. sorted out to start optimizing the medical capability of the Carl Vinson, as well Bataan, when it arrives.
NGUYEN: Let's get to the issue of food and water, because so many people desperately need that right now. We were talking to our correspondents on the ground yesterday, Chris Lawrence specifically. And he said there are pallets of them sitting at the airport.
The question is, how do you get them to the people who need them the most? What's the coordination for all of that?
HONORE: You got two issues. You got restricted roads, as we've been watching on the maps and as been reported by our reporters now in range, and their ability to communicate as to where the distribution points are going to be, where they're going to establish there. And number two, their concern of security.
I think that's why you saw the Navy pilots yesterday going out hastily and trying to drop some food...
NGUYEN: Right.
HONORE: ...off at desperate locations. But that will improve over time as there is more command and control, and more communications are set up to coordinate this effort. And the nation - and the Haitian government officials, who've been worried about their families, come out and the police and stand up and start standing these points up.
This will get better.
HOLMES: You - you spoke - just said, started going out and making drops hastily. And you were talking about this yesterday, you got to turn the U.S. military loose and let them do their thing.
HONORE: You got to let the big dog run.
HOLMES: We're starting to see signs of that.
HONORE: Right. You got to let the big dog run. That's what we do, the expeditionary, the adaptive. Let them go. Too much protocol, too much procedure, too much bureaucracy.
Assign areas to each one of those military units. Let them get on the ground. They will coordinate with the local government officials, local police and the local U.N. police and start establishing those pods. And let the big dog run. They know what to do.
And we look at this as more capability is going to be coming in. When the Bataan arrives, and if and when they bring the Osprey in, with - that is the Marine helicopter-plane type of thing. It can move a lot of supplies, land it where you want it, take patients out.
But those conditions have to be set, and that court has to be open.
NGUYEN: All right. Well, General, you're going to be with us this morning. We got a lot more to ask you. Thanks so much for spending some time with us. We'll check in with your shortly. Thank you.
So if you'd like to help in Haiti, here's what you do. You can go to our Web site, at CNN.com/impactyourworld, for a list of agencies providing emergency relief. There's also a "Find Your Loved Ones" link with the State Department's toll-free number, and a link to the i- Report "Looking for Loved Ones" photo gallery.
HOLMES: Well, CNN's Larry King also reaching out once again, this time to help the people in Haiti. And Monday night, King hosts a special two-hour "LARRY KING LIVE" called "Haiti: How You Can Help." Larry will bring together celebrities and opinion (ph) leaders to encourage people to help the people of Haiti.
Again, that's Monday night, 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
(WEATHER REPORT)
JOSH LEVS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: And I'm Josh Levs. I've got the story for you today about a woman who was told her loved one had died in Haiti. And then she saw her alive on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, with all this going on in Haiti, weather we've talked about a little bit. It's been really hot - I mean, that's certainly brutal. Been 90 degrees in the shade ...
NGUYEN: In the shade, yes.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: ...we're told here. But now with a chance of rain, I don't know how that will help or hurt things at this point.
NGUYEN: Oh goodness, with those recovery and rescue efforts.
Let's check in now with meteorologist Reynolds Wolf. You've been tracking this for us. What are you finding out?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, guys, what we're finding out is that, yes, we're going to have highs in the 90s, lows mainly in the 60s and 70s. And I'll tell you that, to the casual observer maybe tuning in, you hear that kind of weather forecast and you think, 'Well, you know, they're in the tropics. They're used to this kind of stuff.'
Well, keep in mind everyone that has been dealing with this is basically going to be exposed to the elements. They're not going to have much in terms of shelter. So they are going to be basically accepting everything that Mother Nature dishes out. That's not the only thing we're dealing with. There is the - the tropical weather. But not meteorology, but geology. Take a look at this. You'll notice a bunch of yellow dots across the screen. These indicate places where we have had seismic activity, where there have been a few smaller earthquakes or aftershocks, what we refer to them as.
And this would not normally be a major thing. If you have to be, say, in California have that kind of activity, you - you don't even give it a second's pause. But the thing is, in this area, you've got so many buildings, so many structures that are in a weakened state, so even the smallest tremor could cause some of these - these other buildings to give way.
Now in terms of that forecast, very quickly, here's what we have: A lot of sunshine all the way through. Maybe a few stray showers in the afternoon, highs mainly in the 90s and 80s, lows mainly in the 70s. Some 60s possibly back up in the hills.
And as we take a look at that area, what you can expect is heavy rain there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: You know, hope of finding those missing after the quake fades with each hour and every day. But we have a positive update (ph), thankfully, for you on a guest that we had on this show yesterday, Jean Ricardo Rodney (ph).
Well, he now knows that his 5-year-old brother is alive.
HOLMES: Yes. He didn't know yesterday, heard some rumors and whatnot, he told us during the interview live here yesterday. But he joined us from Phoenix hoping for any good news about that little guy right there. That's his brother, 5-year-old Rubens. He's (INAUDIBLE) brothers, and they had been in a school when the quake hit.
Well, we were excited. I sat down at my desk this morning, and around 4:30, a tweet came in, and it was from our guest from yesterday. And this is what it said: "Thank you so much, T.J. Holmes, for your help. I did hear from my father and confirmed that Rubens," who is the brother, "was indeed alive and fine."
NGUYEN: Love those.
HOLMES: We love those. And we did that yesterday, Betty and I, every time we talked to someone, we'd send their tweets out. You know, just get people talking in communities, and maybe somebody heard something...
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: ...that could put people together. But it's so great to see that.. NGUYEN: Absolutely.
HOLMES: ...one worked out.
NGUYEN: I mean, not only for you, the viewer, but for us, too.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: To be up here telling you these stories, day after day, and it - you know, it wears on all of us, because we want survivors to be found. They're there; they're alive. It's just a matter of getting to them.
But in this case, his little brother was alive and well, and so we are so happy for you and your family.
You know, CNN is using its resources to try to help people all over the world connect with their loved ones in Haiti.
HOLMES: Yes, Josh Levs joining us now with a story of a woman who was told her cousin had died, but then saw her on CNN.
Good morning, Josh.
LEVS: Hey, good morning again to you guys.
Yes, this was a really interesting one. You know, here we've been following all sorts of stories, and this is an example right here from - a way we're doing it, at i-Report, CNN i-Report. And the link, by the way, at the main page of CNN.com, if you're looking for loved ones in Haiti.
This is an interesting story. We spoke with her yesterday. She had been watching CNN when she spotted her cousin on the news.
So here's what you're going to see here. You're going to see the clip from "LARRY KING LIVE" where she saw her cousin, and you're going to hear my conversation with her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE OF TALMA JOSEPH, FOUND COUSIN: A cousin of mine and went into my room and told, "Talma, Talma, I think I saw JuJu (ph)," which is my cousin, that's her nickname. I mean, "What are you talking about? I'm watching it." But I guess I wasn't really paying attention. And then he...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: So let's got to that picture, actually. This is the picture that - that your relatives were talking about. That's - that's her, I believe, with the - the pink on her head, and she's being fed something.
VOICE OF JOSEPH: Yes, that's my cousin.
LEVS: And credit where it's due, that's a photo taken by the Associated Press.
So tell me what it was like. You had heard she was dead, and all of a sudden you see her live on TV. What happened?
JOSEPH: Oh my God, it was tears of joys, happiness. I couldn't believe it because a couple of hours before that, we were told that she was buried underneath the - under debris. So we thought that there was no way she was going to make it. We didn't have any hope, so we thought that it - she was gone, until we - I saw the picture of her, my mom saw the picture.
And everybody just started crying tears of joy. We didn't - we didn't know what to do, because we don't know where. She doesn't have any family in - in Port-au-Prince. She was staying with a friend of her mom.
LEVS: And you know, this - this moment encapsulates so much about communication in Haiti right now. People cannot reach out by phone, through the traditional ways. And what you find is, so many people are finding out in these roundabout ways.
Now, I want to get your cousin's way - Murtha Monigot (ph), right?
JOSEPH: Yes. Her name is...
LEVS: And you have another picture of her that you sent us. Let's take a look at that, so people can see what she usually looks like, and how that compares to the photo that you were seeing right there.
That's your cousin, Murtha, right?
JOSEPH: Yes, that's the picture I posted on CNN i-Report, Facebook, everywhere that I can find her. But I didn't receive any lead until this morning, when you left me a message.
LEVS: Right.
Now Talma, talk to me, I understand that after this happened, you found out she was alive, you got a call now about what she's struggling with physically.
Talk to me about this.
JOSEPH: Yes, I receive a call from my aunt. She told me that she talked to the - her friend that she was staying with, saying that she was alive (INAUDIBLE) she's in bad shape. (INAUDIBLE) keep praying for her, and she doesn't know if she's still going to make it.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEVS: Conversation last night, and it's a good example, because even though it's so wonderful to get that news that your loved one is alive, in a lot of cases like that, they don't have regular contact. They know someone is injured, and now there's the next set of worries, about getting them help, about getting them medical supplies, all the basics like that.
Let's zoom in quickly. There's something brand new I want to show you that's just popped overnight at i-Report. And that's this section here. They've created a new section for families that find their loved ones in Haiti. And you can see a handful of what's here. About 100 i- Reports are in this section, but there obviously are more people who have been found.
We're going to keep adding to those. We are manning this desk 24/7 to help as many people as possible find their missing loved ones.
And as you know, CNN is the place to be for updates on the Haiti earthquake and all the relief efforts. Log on to our Web site, CNN.com/impactyourworld. There you have this long list of agencies planning (ph) emergency relief. We've got 67 agencies up there for you now.
You'll also see a link to the i-Report I was just showing you, plus big photo gallery in case you are going to Haiti or just in case you know one of these people you're looking to reconnect as well.
All that, guys, CNN.com. You can't miss the links. We've made it real easy for you, all on the main page.
NGUYEN: All right, Josh. Thank you so much, and we do love those survivor stories.
LEVS: Yes.
HOLMES: Well, if you were watching at any point yesterday on CNN, or maybe even the - the night before, there was a story we told you about, some patients were left at a field hospital in Haiti.
NGUYEN: Yes, but our Sanjay Gupta stayed behind to help them. And Dr. Gupta would tell us how it all went down.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Checking top stories for you, President Obama is expected to attend church in the Washington area this morning as the nation prepares to observe the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King.
At the White House yesterday, he was joined by former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. They're helping with relief efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Here at home, Presidents Bush and Clinton will help the American people to do their part, because responding to a disaster must be the work of all of us. Indeed, those wrenching scenes of devastation remind us not only of our common humanity, but also of our common responsibilities. This time of suffering can and must be a time of compassion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The donation drive is called the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund. And to find out how you can chip in, log on to clintonbushhaitifund.org.
Well, Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will be on "STATE OF THE UNION" with John King today to discuss their Haiti relief efforts. That's at 9 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
HOLMES: Well, President Obama also hitting the campaign trail today. Here's campaigning for Martha Coakley at Northeastern University in Boston today. He's hoping to give the Democrat a last- minute edge over Republican Scott Brown in Tuesday's tight Senate race.
Whoever wins will take the seat of Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, who died in August.
NGUYEN: Here's what's on the president's agenda for the rest of the week:
Tomorrow, he will give a speech in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King at the Let Freedom Ring concert in Washington.
Wednesday, he hosts an event for National Mentoring Month.
Then on Thursday, he'll be brainstorming ways to create jobs with a delegation from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
And then on Friday, he hosts a town hall on the economy in Lorain County, Ohio.
HOLMES: Well, coming up, we're going to be talking to an American-born pro soccer player with close ties to Haiti. This is a superstar - really, you may not know the name. He plays - there he is. He plays soccer, which of course is the most popular sport in the world, but maybe not so popular here. But this guy going to be on the U.S. National Team, probably going to be playing at the World Cup.
But he is right now looking for his family members in Haiti.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Good morning again and welcome back to this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I am T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. It's Sunday, January 17. Six thirty Eastern here in Atlanta, and we want to get you right to the top developments out of Haiti today.
Let's take a look at what's going on there. New overnight, nearly two dozen passengers from Haiti are in the States this morning after living through the horror of the earthquake. They hitched a ride with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She's back home after a trip down to Haiti to get a look at those relief efforts.
Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta, though, spoke with Secretary Clinton when she was still in Haiti, and that interview is coming up a little bit later this hour.
HOLMES: A rescue team from Los Angeles search the rubble of a daycare center for eight hours yesterday guided by a distinct sound of tapping. The mother of a little girl believed her daughter was trapped there alive in that debris. The crew gave up though when they could no longer get a response from whoever was inside.
NGUYEN: The U.S. military has set up a joint task force to oversee relief efforts in Haiti. About 5,000 U.S. military personnel are on the ground in Haiti, and another 7,500 military personnel are expected to arrive by Monday.
A U.S. Navy destroyer and aircraft carrier supporting the operation off the Haitian coast with some 30 helicopters providing relief. And their mission is to help the United Nations stabilize Haiti and deliver supplies to its citizens.
HOLMES: Well, of course, we know there are a lit lot of critically injured and severely ill folks in Haiti, but then there was a group of them that was left behind. Some earthquake victims saw their doctors and nurses walk away late Friday night.
NGUYEN: Yes, we have been talking about this. The Belgium medical team evacuated a make-shift field hospital over concerns for their safely. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta was there and stayed behind with his crew. He spoke last night with our Wolf Blitzer on exactly what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): It was a very striking situation, no question. I've never been in quite that position with doctors essentially leaving, and leaving their patients behind as well. Leaving myself and my crew to take care of these patients, critically ill patients, throughout the night.
The whole situation was just nagging at me all day long, so I asked my colleague Gary Tuchman to put a fresh set of eyes on this and try to figure out exactly what happened.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Who made the decision who to pull your people out Friday night.
GEERT GIJS, CHIEF COORDINATOR, BFAST: I made the decision.
TUCHMAN: So it wasn't the U.N.?
GIJS: No, no, no, I am responsible for my team. Not the U.N., in view of the violence. I made the decision. GUPTA: But I want to be really fair in this whole situation. The doctors themselves, as far as we could tell, really did not want to leave. And Gary really got to the bottom of that.
TUCHMAN: Did you ask the United Nations to provide security?
GIJS: At the time we that we asked, at the compound, we went to the airport. We went there and we asked for security protection that night.
TUCHMAN: What did the United Nations say to you?
GIJS: At that time they were not able to offer us protection for the night, armed protection. And then they --
TUCHMAN: Did they tell you why?
GIJS: No. They didn't tell me, but they offered us transportation to get out and to come to seclusion.
TUCHMAN: Did you say to them, please, we have patients, we can't leave them?
GIJS: Yeah, that we discussed that, one of my staff members went there and he insisted. Yes, I'm sure he insisted.
TUCHMAN: What did they say to him?
GIJS: They couldn't offer armed protection after the fall of night.
TUCHMAN: Does that make you angry they couldn't do that?
GIJS: No, it -- well, it is sad, but I know they have their own rules of engagement, so you have to respect their mindset.
GRANT: It is hard to hear that these doctors could not get the help that they needed to be able to take care of patients and everything unfolded after that. Again, Wolf, I started off by saying there was good news in all of that. Gary got an update on these patients as well.
TUCHMAN: So how does it make you feel that Sanjay did stay here?
GIJS: It was very well, because my medical staff told me that all patients are doing well and alive this morning. And we came back here this morning at 6:00, 6:30, we came back. As we had made arrangements to come back as soon as possible when it was light.
GUPTA: The question that a lot of people have is what happens tonight? And it is a good one. Is what happens? What happens in all the nights going forward? The answer is that the U.N., the United Nations is going to provide security at these field hospitals so the patients can get good care and everyone can be safe. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NGUYEN: Glad we got to the bottom of that to figure out exactly how that transpired because there were a lot of questions following those doctors leaving that field hospital.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton toured Port-au-Prince yesterday taking in the devastation left behind after Tuesday's massive earthquake.
HOLMES: Yeah, before she came back to the states she talked to our Sanjay Gupta. He asked her about what she saw and her special history with the island nation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: What were your first thoughts flying over today and seeing the devastation?
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: So many things went through my mind. Obviously, I have a lot of memories going back many years. And for the last year as secretary of State, we have been working so closely with the Haitian government, and had a very positive agenda for the changes that we were going to help them make.
It is just tragic. I mean, the fact that the Haitians can't seem to get a break. Last year hurricanes, this year earthquake. It is something that you just find hard to fathom, but at the same time, these are resilient, strong people and they deserve our help.
GUPTA: You and former President Clinton actually honeymooned down here.
CLINTON: We did.
GUPTA: Obviously, you had a great affinity for this place, but obviously, a lot of discussion on this being the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Why is Haiti so poor?
CLINTON: It has been a series of reasons, Sanjay. It was a colony. It was largely populated by saves. It was never recognized -- the United States didn't recognize it when it won it's independence. Other countries didn't help it. We even occupied it for a period of time in the 20th century. They had a series of bad leaders who didn't really help the people.
It is just an unfortunate confluence of events. And yet we know that, you know, Haitian-Americans are some of the most successful people we have in many of our communities from Florida to New York.
So the ingredients are all there. And what I want to see is a good partnership with the Haitian government and the international community to help the people of Haiti now build bigger, better, into the future.
GUPTA: You were talking a lot about the humanitarian mission. Is a natural disaster in Haiti the same as a natural disaster in any other another country, in terms of the U.S. response? CLINTON: Well, I think because it is a neighbor, we feel a real need. But we respond. We have responded in the past in our own hemisphere, and obviously around the world, the tsunami in 2004 is the last great disaster that we had. But I think, too, there's a special connection. There are family connections and personal experiences.
I can't tell you how many Haitian-Americans have called and e- mailed, you know, doctors and nurses and teachers and business leader who is have family here who come back here all the time. The Catholic Church is very important here. And many other faith organizations do mission work here. It is really remarkable how many people feel a personal connection to Haiti in our country.
GUPTA: How long do you think this is going to take? And how do you measure success?
Well, I think today we measure it day by day. How many palettes of food, how many bottles of water, how many people rescued. We are measuring it in that kind of very personal terms. But we are going to start looking at, are we getting the electricity up and going? Are we getting the roads unclogged? Are we getting some shelter for people?
And then, what are we doing to help Haiti reconstruct? And how can we reconstruct it so it is stronger and more functional going forward?
GUPTA: Is that the goal? Make it even better than before the earthquake?
CLINTON: Well, in talking with President Preval, we do have an opportunity now, with the unfortunate destruction that existed to take the lead of the Haitian government to try to bring in the international community, so that we are not just, you know, taking a building that's half demolished and trying to patch it together. But thinking about what should the whole street look like? What should the neighborhood look like? That, of course, is what the Haitians are asking the international community to help them do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: A special report on what's been going on in Haiti from Doctor Sanjay Gupta. 7:30 Eastern, his show "SANJAY GUPTA, MD" will air, 7:30. Again, Sanjay will be live.
NGUYEN: CNN'S Larry King is reaching out to help the people of Haiti. And on Monday night Larry King brings together celebrities and opinion leaders in a special two-hour "LARRY KING LIVE." It is called "Haiti: How You Can Help." That is Monday night, 8:00 Eastern, only on CNN.
HOLMES: She was just one of the faces of the tragedy in Haiti. An 11-year-old girl we told you about who was trapped under the rubble for two days before she was pulled out alive.
NGUYEN: But sadly she did not make it. We have been following her story and now her burial. Her family talks about their heartbreak.
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NGUYEN: Welcome back, everybody.
There is a slight chance of rain in Haiti today. So the question is, how is that going to affect the rescue and recovery efforts? We'll check in with Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf who has been catching this all for us.
Hey, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, guys. It probably won't affect Haiti too much. The biggest thing about Haiti, remember, is it is a tropical island you have the sea breeze that comes in every afternoon when the highs get up into the 80s and the 90s. You have the chance to have some rain.
The biggest issue we have there today is the sky conditions cooperating so people can try to air drop supplies into this place where people are so desperate for any help they can possibly get.
I've been looking at some of these iReports coming in, it is just amazing to see how many millions have been affected by this awful event.
One of the things that is going to continue to affect them is some of the aftershocks we have been getting near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The epicenter of the big quake took place about 13 miles to the southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, causing, of course, the widespread damage. Every time we get a little bit of an aftershock, you think of the buildings really in a compromised state. Any time the earth shakes just a little bit, many people say around the country, you would never give it a moment's notice, but for them it could really mean the difference of life and death for many people.
The weather today in Haiti should be OK, a mixture of sunshine and clouds, maybe some stray showers in the afternoon. Maybe a thunderstorm or two, highs mainly into the 80s and 90s, lows in the 70s. But in the mountains, in the interior, you will have temperatures that are a bit cooler, possibly mid to upper 60s.
But the sky conditions for the most part should be pretty good. We do have planes flying into the area, that's certainly great news, but certainly not wide open as they need. Not everything is functioning perfectly at the airports where they are trying to get all the supplies for those millions of people. We'll have more coming up, not only on your forecast for Haiti, but around the rest of the nation. It is all moments away, right here on CNN SUNDAY.
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NGUYEN: Checking the top stories for you right now. President Obama is expected to attend church in the Washington area this morning as the nation prepares to observe the birthday of Doctor Martin Luther King. At the White House yesterday he was joined by former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, they are helping with relief efforts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here at home, Presidents Bush and Clintons will help the American people to do their part. Because responding to a disaster must be the work of all of us. Indeed, those wrenching scenes of devastation remind us not only of our common humanity but also our common responsibilities. This time of suffering can and must be a time of compassion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The donation drive is called the Clinton/Bush Haiti Fund. To find out more on how to help, log on to ClintonBushHaitiFund.org.
Well, Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will be on "STATE OF THE UNION," with John King, today to discuss their Haiti relief efforts. That is 9:00 a.m., Eastern, right here on CNN.
HOLMES: President Obama also heading to Boston today, to campaign for Martha Coakley. He is hoping to give the Democrat an edge over Republican Scott Brown in Tuesday's very tight and very important Senate race. If the Republican happens to win here, Democrats would no longer hold that all-important 60-vote majority in the Senate. Whoever wins this is special election will be filling the seat of the late Senator Ted Kennedy who died in office.
NGUYEN: Here's what the president has going on for the rest of the week. Tomorrow he'll give a speech in honor of Doctor Martin Luther King at the "Let Freedom Ring Concert" in Washington. Then on Wednesday he hosts an event for National Mentoring Month. Thursday he'll brainstorm ways to create jobs with the delegation from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. And then on Friday, he hosts a town hall on the economy in Lorain County, Ohio.
Our Ivan Watson and his crew watched on Thursday as the uncle of a trapped 11-year-old girl worked to free her from her home.
HOLMES: We brought you this story yesterday. Like so many of the rescue efforts, sadly this one failed as well. Ivan, though, went back to speak to the little girl's family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): She was the pride of her family. Annaika Saint Louis, an 11-year-old girl who sang in the choir at church and at school. Classmates nicknamed her the little lawyer because she hoped to study law one day just like the aunt who raised her.
Those dreams were shattered last Tuesday on the day the earth shook Port-au-Prince. We found Annaika on January 14th, two days after the earthquake. Her aunt begged us for help.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Me and my brother -- WATSON: She has been trapped for 48 hours. Her right leg crushed under the rubble, screaming in pain and fear.
ANNAIKA SAINT LOUIS, EARTHQUAKE VICTIM: Momma! Momma!
"My lord God, save me," she cried. For hours, the only tool the men from the neighborhood had was a hacksaw. Volunteers gave Annaika a pair of glasses to protect her eyes from the falling dirt. She told us her name.
SAINT LOUIS: Annaika Saint Louis.
WATSON: And took a blessed moment to rest when the workers paused their struggle to cut her free.
Thursday night volunteers pulled Annaika out and rushed her to a hospital where a Cuban doctor cleaned her wounds and fed her painkillers. Soon after, she passed away, a victim of her appalling injuries.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Annaika (Speaking French)--
WATSON: A relative's house and an hour north of the disaster zone, Annaika's family is now deep in mourning.
"Did you see how brave my girl was," asks her aunt? Friday night relatives held a funeral in a church and then buried little Annaika in this cemetery. Her mother is visiting for the very first time. Annaika's uncle says the 11-year-old displayed strength throughout the ordeal. Before she died he says she was willing to have her crushed leg amputated.
(On camera): What did she say?
RODREFFE JEAN-BAPTISTE, ANNAIKA'S UNCLE: She said to me, "Thank you, God, because he saved my life. If I lose my feet, but I figure, I always have a life. Every time I feel it, I have chills in my heart. So, I don't have to courage to explain that.
WATSON: Is it fate, chance, or the God Annaika so deeply believed in that allowed this little girl to suffer so much? Eleven- year-old Annaika Saint Louis, just one face among the tens of thousands of victims of a disaster that defies comprehension. Ivan Watson, CNN, Lianourt, Haiti.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: That's one of those tough stories that we've got to follow through and tell you what happened. Unfortunately, she did not survive that. Just so hopeful there for a few moments after they were able to get her out.
HOLMES: Yeah. They weren't celebrating, but still that was a success story. She got out of there. They got her out to get her some medical attention she'd be OK, but sadly that's the battle for a lot of people now trying to get the medical attention. People are still hurting right now. And a lot of people, meantime, are turning to their faith. This is their time of need. Now 80 percent of the country is Catholic and you can bet there will be a special mass with a special meaning today.
NGUYEN: Yes. We'll go live outside a church in Port-au-Prince and talk about what is in today's "Faces Of Faith" segment. It is something we do every Sunday in the 8:00 a.m. hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
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HOLMES: Well, a lot of people, of course, turned to their religion in tough times. Not much else to lean on, really, certainly you could imagine in Haiti right now. Haiti is a deeply religious country, predominantly Catholic. And CNN's Jonathan Mann is at Saint Pierre Church, where a Sunday mass is just getting underway.
I can imagine there's a heck of a turnout this morning.
JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in fact, we are going to show you because there's a bit of a surprise, a tragic surprise to turnout here. But you are absolutely right, T.J., religious faith is woven so profoundly into the fabric of life here. More so than probably any place I've ever been.
Right now for many of the people that we have met, it is the only thread that's holding things together. The only thread holding things that have been torn, broken and destroyed. This is the Church of Saint John De Bosco (ph), and the first Sunday mass since the earthquake. Let's take this in for a moment.
(PRIEST, AT PULPIT,SPEAKING FRENCH)
MANN: You know, many of the parishioners that you are seeing walked through darkened streets before dawn. Walked through streets littered with debris to get here, but we are not seeing as many of them as we usually do. You said, T.J., this place would be packed. Normally, it is. Normally empty pews are not a problem in Port-au- Prince. This church is crowded to overflowing and people spill out onto the porch of the church for a chance to take part in this service.
This early Sunday mass attracts the poorest of this parish's faithful. The better off come later, the poor start early because they have to work, they have more to do during their day. And the people we are seeing here are people whose friends, whose loved ones, whose neighbors died without the final rights of the church, died without a Christian burial. And many of them, many of them are just not here today. The pews are tragically, tragically empty.
The church itself suffered. More than 100 priests were reported disappeared in the first days after the quake; 20 from this region are known to have died. The most senior cleric in Haiti, the archbishop, was himself killed.
And churches around the city are destroyed, some of the best known and best loved churches. This particular church is - well, it is almost untouched. It is pristine. The priest that I spoke to just a short time ago said that it is a miracle. And if you look around in this neighborhood, it is almost ruined in every direction, and you would be inclined to agree with him. As for the rest, he said, for all of the death, all of the suffering, and all of the suffering still to come for the people of Haiti, that, he said, is beyond any explanation. There's just no way to explain that, T.J.
HOLMES: And, Jonathan, it is so telling to see that not so many people are at church this morning. You would assume a lot of other people wouldn't have anywhere else to go, quite frankly, but also lot of people are out busy trying to survive, still trying to figure out what they are going to do with their lives and unfortunately couldn't make it to church.
But those people were filing in. If you can here for me now, just tell me quickly what they were talking about, kind of what their moods were going into the church this morning.
MANN: Well, let me give you an indication. We spoke to one woman who looked especially elegant. I thought, this is one of the lucky ones. This is one of the people who got through. In fact, she said she had been homeless since the earthquake and she had her Sunday best on, quite literally. She looked like nothing had happened. Well, what had happened is she lost her home. She lost everything. She and her children are literally sleeping out on the street, but because they didn't have clean clothes to wear to church, she left them in the care of a trusted friend. Then she came to the church alone looking to the world like it was another Sunday and had every reason to celebrate and be grateful.
Everyone we have spoken to -- they are not questioning God, they are thanking God. We see spontaneous processions through the streets of Port-au-Prince, of people joyously praising God and thanking him. It is an extraordinary thing. At a time like this, so many people's faith has defied the odds. And as I said at the very onset, it seems to be what is pulling them through -T.J.
HOLMES: Jonathan Mann, we appreciate you so much for that report this morning. We'll be checking in with you again. Thank you so much.
And a lot of people out there, we know you would like to help in Haiti. Go to our website, CNN.com/impactyourworld. We'll have a list there of all the charities that have been quite frankly vetted by us, that you know where your money is going and it is going to the right cause. There's also a find your loved one section with the State Department's toll free number, and a link to the iReport, "Looking for Loved Ones" photo gallery.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Hello, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING in this January 17th.
Good morning to you. Thanks for being with us. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
It's 7:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, Georgia; 6:00 a.m. in Irving, Texas; 4:00 a.m. in Portland.
Thank you for starting your day right here where you are.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, the sun is up in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It's been five days since the deadly earthquake. Food supplies, water supplies -- they are trickling into the city. So let's get the latest on all of this right now.
Nearly two dozen passengers from Haiti are in the States this morning after living through the horror of the earthquake there and they hitched a ride with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She is back home after a trip down to Haiti to get a look at the relief efforts.
HOLMES: Well, a rescue team from Los Angeles searched a daycare center for eight hours yesterday. A woman convinced the team that her young daughter was, in fact, trapped alive in the rubble. At some point, tapping could be heard coming from the rubble, but searchers could not find anyone and moved on to a different search site.
NGUYEN: Well, the U.S. military has set up a joint task force in Haiti to respond to the dire situation. About 5,000 U.S. military personnel are currently operating in Haiti and from U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels offshore. Another 7,500 military personnel are expected to arrive by tomorrow. And a U.S. Navy destroyer and an aircraft carrier with 19 helicopters are offshore. Their mission is to help the United Nations stabilize Haiti and to deliver supplies.
Our Jason Carroll is on the ground in Haiti this morning. He's been following the massive relief effort there for us and he joins me now live from Port-au-Prince.
Jason, you are, in fact, at a tent city or standing near one. Tell us about the situation there and if you are seeing any improvement.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting, Betty. You know, last night was a lot more quiet than it has been in the past several days. Maybe that's an indication that the reality of what these people are going to really be dealing with in the next few days, weeks and months is really beginning to settle in.
What we've been able to do is visit a number of these relief centers throughout the city yesterday and throughout the weekend. And what we've basically seen is, in terms, of the amount that you receive, it really depends upon where you end up.
Let me give you an example. Yesterday, we went to an area called Delma 40B. This is an area that has several thousand people that are camped out in what used to be a golf course, where Haitian -- where the Haiti's elite used to -- used to play. Now, it's home for thousands.
Basically, when we were there yesterday, we saw some military helicopters that were able to drop from the air some supplies. And most relief -- relief effort organizers will tell you, Betty, that that is probably not the best way to distribute goods simply because when you do that, the strong can run up the hillside or wherever they may be and get those supplies. But those who are weak, those who are elderly, the sick, the young, they don't -- they're not as strong. So they can't get out there and get those supplies.
But we understand that some of these relief organizations are doing the very best that they can, but those who are out there told us that if they want to distribute the food and the water, that's not the best way to get it to those in that particular section who need it most.
On the flip side, we also went to an area called Canopever (ph). This is in the western section of Port-au-Prince. And some of the organizers there were able to get some food and some water and some clothing and hygiene materials to the people there. That was organized by a Christian relief organization called World Vision.
Some folks lined up with several hundred people. They lined up. They were orderly for a while while the goods were being distributed. Then things started to get unruly. They had to shut things down for a bit until the crowd could contain itself and get a little bit more under control.
So, it's getting to a situation where people are -- you know, the food, the water, some supplies are getting out there in terms of how much is getting out there -- definitely not enough for the people who are on the ground, who are homeless and at this point, starting to get desperate -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Yes, no doubt, which it could create a kind of chaos that you were talking about. It's not pretty. It's not orderly. But it's absolutely necessary to get some kind of substance to those folks.
Let me ask you this -- when it comes to that tent city mind you where people are just -- some of them are not even in tents, they're just out in the open. We've been watching this site for days.
Are you seeing more people come in? Or are you finding that people actually making their homes elsewhere, going back into some of their neighborhoods and trying to recover from all of this?
CARROLL: Well, as I explained, let me just push in so I can show you a little bit here.
The crowd has remained steady. Possibly a little bit more. It really depends the time of day, Betty, because it's morning, a lot of people now are starting to get up, starting to move around. So, you many not see as many people here as you might see later in the afternoon. Certainly, not as many people as you would see out here at night. Basically what happens is -- and it's sort of hard to explain -- but at night, these streets become bedrooms. You cannot make your way through some sections of the city because people are sleeping outside in the middle of the streets because those people who still have homes, they're too afraid for obvious reasons to go back inside and sleep there overnight. So, they don't sleep in their homes, most people overnight, Betty -- they sleep out in the middle of the street. They just put their blankets down and hope for the best.
That is what people are doing here now. So shelter obviously is one of those things that these relief organizations are going to have to worry about.
Another major problem here, which has not been addressed, is sanitation. Because for every person that you see out there, or everyone that you saw at that tent city there where there were several thousand people. There are no bathroom facilities. People don't want to go too far from where they're keeping what little things that they have. So, they relieve themselves very close to where they are sleeping.
Sanitation is going to be a very major issue here, Betty, very soon -- if it isn't already for some people in certain sections of the city.
NGUYEN: Yes. We've been watching, too, for days. I saw the area where you are, people bathing there the best they can with what little water they can, brushing their teeth. And indeed, using the restroom. There's no place to go.
All right. Jason Carroll, we do appreciate your reporting. We'll be checking in with you. Thank you.
HOLMES: Well, Haiti is about the size of Maryland, and the worst damage is in and around the city of Port-au-Prince. And when you break this down, about the logistics here, we're talking about an area similar in size to one of America's largest cities. Five days now after the quake with international aid pouring in, why are people still going hungry?
NGUYEN: Yes. It's a question that a lot of people were asking. And retired Army Lieutenant General Russel Honore is with us this morning. He led the relief effort in New Orleans after Katrina.
General, you've been watching the despair grow by the day. We talk about sanitation. We talk about needing shelter. But right now, the most immediate need, obviously, is medical attention, rescue, and then food and water.
LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE (RET.), CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Absolutely -- rescue, food and water.
The capacity is being built on the ground now. The -- we can not put enough troops on the ground to do this alone. We are going to have to get the people of Haiti to be organized and work details to deal with the sanitation problem. And you are going to have to be paid.
The other thing you're going to have to do is establish those logistics distribution points because the roads won't work, so your primary means of getting the logistics there until the roads are open is going to be helicopters and/or machines like the offspring (ph) that can be moved in there.
But the entire city needs to be gridded now, so everybody is to speak with one voice, because the location where the people you're bringing in -- what we did in Louisiana and in Florida with all the hurricanes was re-gridded the city. So, regardless of where you came from, you could go to that grid and people spoke with a common language. All that still has to be done so we can get some coordination.
But, Betty, until we get the communications fixed...
NGUYEN: Hard to do anything.
HONORE: It will be hard to do anything.
Now, it's my understanding that reset element of the XVIII Airborne Corps headquarters provide the tactical capacity to General Keen and they're co-locating with the U.N. forces and that's going to increase coordination a lot.
But the big thing now is continue to get that port open and then start to embrace the Haitian people themselves, to be a part of the solution. You -- it would make no sense to bring people in from the United States or other nations to clean the place up. You got to start giving work details. You got to get that government stood up.
You got to get the community organizers involved -- and we got to make sure we don't start treating the people of Haiti -- you know, if you point a gun to somebody, you are sending a message that you don't trust them. You are there to help them.
And for every gun you point, you're on a different stance. And that is a -- that is a risk you take lowering your security to increase the throughput and to get the people involved. Two million people -- how do you take care of them? You help them take care of themselves. And that's what need to be happened now, is make that transition as soon as you can out of the search and rescue, and get the people of Haiti to start -- get them organized, give them the resources they need so they can start taking care of themselves.
NGUYEN: That's key, the resources.
HOLMES: How do you do that and how quickly can you do that...
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: ... on that point? Because you're talking about people still walking around, a lot of them days. A lot of them are still trying to survive on their own, a lot of them still looking for family members. Quite frankly, they got their personal problems, quite frankly, that we can understand.
How you do mobilize that unit to start to get to work when they got all these other dire issues they're having to deal with?
HONORE: Well, I mean, you saw some of them already within the last 24 hours have come back and started to do food distribution and start to take care of their own people, because the first two or three days, the police, Haitian officials were all focused on this family. Now, they're coming back to their public service. We saw the same thing in New Orleans. A lot of the police took their families out and didn't take back.
NGUYEN: But how long will that typically take?
HONORE: That's going to take about a week or so.
NGUYEN: OK.
(CROSSTALK)
HONORE: That's right. And we're coming up on that. And you will see -- but the way to get this solved is not sending 10,000 Americans, contractors in there to do it, is getting the Haitian people to work, pay them for a day's work, because you will not be able to get enough access in there through that port, to come in and clean up and provide sanitation. Those (INAUDIBLE) are going to have to be fixed on the ground and the NGOs, along with the military and the Haitian government, are going to get the cities and communities organized to take care of themselves.
When you see trucks come in, give it to a village chief or to a province or a district and then they make that distribution. There are people on the ground that can distribute food. How we help them stand up from this and not treat them like they are criminals...
(CROSSTALK)
HONORE: ... that we really need to tap that down. I mean, you see that language coming out of people being afraid of the Haitians. You can't be afraid of the people you are helping. (INAUDIBLE) we'll take a hit, you know, something bad might happen. But if we start putting ourselves behind big fences as opposed to being out there with the people, I'm telling, it's not going to be productive.
NGUYEN: All right.
HOLMES: Good points there, General.
NGUYEN: We appreciate. Yes, General. Don't be afraid of the people that you're helping.
HONORE: That's right.
HOLMES: All right. Thanks so much. We're going to be talking -- he's going to be here with us throughout the day. So, good to have you here with your expertise and your experience., and we'll be talking to you throughout the morning. Thanks so much, General.
And CNN has its wide range of resources, correspondents the search efforts, the aid, the recovery. There they are. You've been seeing them report plenty. Ten of our members and their crew are in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas to bring you the very latest. We'll be checking in with all of them.
NGUYEN: Well, and our Josh Levs is tracking how you can help online. He joins us now with ways that you can do so.
Hey there, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, guys.
We have a brand new figure this morning for how incredibly much money has already been raised by U.S. charities to help Haiti. Also, the FBI has a warning about some groups out there pretending to be charities.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, thousands of people are e-mailing and calling CNN, trying to get help in locating their loved ones.
And just yesterday morning, our team received this e-mail from a graduate of Morehouse College right here in Atlanta saying, quote, "It is hard enough more me to muster up enough courage and strength to write this e-mail, after seeing the horrible devastation in my home country, but more specifically in my own family. I can no longer standby helplessly and watch my fellow Haitians and family members die in masses due to no fault of their own. I must do something. I have received word that several members of my family are missing, possibly dead."
That was from Roosevelt Ducelus. And he quickly got in touch with us. We got in touch with him. And now, he is here with one of his friends from Morehouse, Jacques Pape.
You are a student at Morehouse. You're a graduate, Roosevelt.
ROOSEVELT DUCELUS, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE GRADUATE: Yes, ma'am.
NGUYEN: And first of all, talk to me about your family members. That was the main issue, not only to the people of Haiti, but your family members, specifically, you were -- some were missing and some had died in this earthquake.
DUCELUS: Right. Right.
NGUYEN: Tell us what happened.
DUCELUS: Well, like many other Haitians, we have hundreds of thousands of members in Port-au-Prince, although I'm not from city of Port-au-Prince, itself, I'm from Ocai (ph), but we have plenty of family members in Port-au-Prince, especially from Kafu (ph) all the way to Petionville. And right now, we have accounted for some of them and some of them are in the streets, sleeping in the streets, and some of them, unfortunately, have died. My godfather, which is also my uncle, unfortunately, he passed.
And it was pretty -- it was pretty -- I have stopped watching the news because it's so hard to watch the news and see the image over and over. And you're sitting and you can't do anything.
NGUYEN: Right.
DUCELUS: So, therefore, I just -- I just had to do something. I had to -- we got together with Morehouse and decided to put together a relief effort so we can see exactly how we can help.
NGUYEN: All right. And, Jacques, your family is there as well. Your mom is OK?
JACQUES PAPE, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE STUDENT: Yes. She's been lightly injured in her arms when the earthquake hit. She was the one to announce about the earthquake. She called me as soon as it happened just to reassure me and everything, tell me to call the family over here, but she's all right.
We haven't heard -- we heard from my uncle only recently, but he was -- you know, he was missing for quite some time. But thankfully, he's all right -- so is my brother and most of the immediate family down there.
NGUYEN: This is going to be so difficult for you, too. Like you say, at some point, you feel helpless. You want to do something, but what can you do. Well, together, you banded together.
DUCELUS: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: And have come up with a plan. What do you plan on doing?
DUCELUS: Well, actually, what we're doing, along with Morehouse, we are collecting nonperishable items, any thing from medicine, from food, from tents to blankets and clothing, anything -- hygiene products, anything to actually send to Haiti. Actually, me and Jacques and with the help of Morehouse, of course, are going to go to Haiti and actually deliver the products.
NGUYEN: You have someone to help you with a private plane, in fact, correct?
DUCELUS: Absolutely. Absolutely. I'll let Jacques explain a little bit more about that.
NGUYEN: Yes. How do you get a private plane?
PAPE: Well, right now, we are working mainly with other private Haitian companies and families.
NGUYEN: OK.
PAPE: And what we'll do is they'll allow us -- they have companies fly both for the materials that we're trying to ship down to Haiti and for ourselves to head down to Haiti, because for that, what we have to do is fly, of course, from Atlanta down to Miami. From Miami, you charter the plane and got it down to Haiti.
But right now, a lot of families are already getting their families, for instance, they wives and their children out of Haiti for those who can.
NGUYEN: Right.
PAPE: And some are bringing help in, you know, whether it's humanitarian assistance or whatever they can.
NGUYEN: But here's the deal. Once you've gathered all of these supplies, once you get you the supplies no doubt, when you get on the ground, what do you do? Where do you go? Because you're small band compared to, say, the U.S. military.
(CROSSTALK)
DUCELUS: Absolutely. Well, one thing we do have working in our advantage, we're both are Haitians and we know the territory, we know the ground. And, unfortunately, Port-au-Prince is not the only area of this.
NGUYEN: So, you want to help the outskirts.
DUCELUS: Right. We -- I mean, places like Jacmel. Jacmel is a small city outside of Port-au-Prince. Places of those sorts, (INAUDIBLE), Petionville, places where it is -- it was hard to get to prior to the earthquake, so you can imagine how hard it is now to actually get to -- with all of this going on right now.
So, we are planning on reaching the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, outside of Port-au-Prince, where people live, you know, pretty bad prior to the -- to the entire catastrophe, so now, it's absolutely worse.
NGUYEN: This is a situation where it's going to go from your hand to those in need.
DUCELUS: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: That's the best way to do it. Yes, go ahead.
PAPE: Because, for instance, right now, what we know of is the list that we got of stuff that we would like to raise for. You know, at the top two, the top two items we're looking for are tents and first-aid kits. Why I'd say that is because a lot of -- for the -- and the private owners in Haiti, the private families, what they do -- what they've done for their businesses is they're still standing, they've closed them down and turned them into hospitals or clinics. And those hospitals and clinics now are in dire need of, you know, alcohol, basically whatever you can find in the first-aid kit.
NGUYEN: Bandages, things like.
PAPE: Correct.
NGUYEN: Your aunt is a doctor. And so, she's going to be assisting you.
PAPE: Yes.
NGUYEN: Well, best of luck to you both. Hopefully, you get as many supplies as possible and you have a successful trip down there.
PAPE: Absolutely, and thank you for the support.
NGUYEN: Sure.
DUCELUS: Thank you.
And we also want to mention so -- we are actually, at Morehouse, we'll still collecting from the entire city.
NGUYEN: Right.
DUCELUS: So if you have anything, anything at all that you want to donate to Haiti, just come by to Morehouse campus and tomorrow, in the spirit of Martin Luther King's Day, we're actually going to have a big drive, a big event.
So, please, pleases, please, we are begging you to please come out and do your best to help this effort become a reality.
NGUYEN: Morehouse College -- you know what? Many people will show up, no doubt.
Thank you. Best of luck to you both.
DUCELUS: Thank you.
PAPE: Thank you.
NGUYEN: T.J.?
HOLMES: Well, if you are watching us at any point yesterday here at CNN, we told you a story about a group of doctors, U.N. doctors, who actually left their patients at a field hospital.
Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta was the only one who stayed behind, stayed overnight to help them out. He's going to tell us exactly what went down. Our Sanjay Gupta is standing by -- it looks like he's standing by live.
Sanjay, you hear me right now? Well, hello, Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, T.J. HOLMES: I didn't know I was going to be able to talk to you right now, but good to see you. We're going to talk to you again after the break. But go ahead and give us a preview of this story we've been watching -- watching closely for the last couple of days.
GUPTA: The most striking thing I think that's ever probably happened to me, certainly as a doctor, probably as a human being, I -- you never know what you're going to see when you come into stories like this, and sometimes, it just unfolds in front of you in a way that -- you just can't even imagine.
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HOLMES: Well, this is just an unimaginable scene. Earthquake victims, some literally are clinging to life, just watched their doctors and nurses walk away and leave them behind.
NGUYEN: Yes. A Belgium team left a field hospital Friday night over safety fears. Well, our Dr. Sanjay Gupta was the only doctor who stayed with those patients and he joins me now live from Port-au- Prince with more answers on this.
OK, Sanjay, you know, we've been talking about this a couple of days. A lot of people really upset, frankly, about the situation. So, tell us how it all went down.
GUPTA: Well, you know, some of the details are still coming to us on exactly what happened here. There were some security fears at this particular compound, and it was unclear at the beginning had the U.N. ordered the doctors to leave or did the doctors themselves get asked to evacuate because of security fears.
Again, some of those details we're still digging into. But the bottom line is exactly what you said, that a lot of patients were left at this particular field hospital really with no medical care and hardly any supply. And we're going to talk about on the show at 7:30.
Also, this idea that, you know, so much is happening here in Port-au-Prince. We have so many reporters on the ground. Anderson Cooper is going to be joining me to talk about what he's been seeing.
Even as late as last night, search and rescue efforts were still going on even up to five days later. It's just remarkable.
And the big question, I think, for a lot of people is: what's next? How do we move forward? Can we move forward? And what is Haiti potentially going to look like in the years to come.
I sat down and talked to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about those questions as well, but we are going to talk a lot about the people that we've met, the stories that we've been hearing, and hopefully, bring them to you.
You know, one thing, T.J. and Betty, you know, as reports have shown, the grand -- we are so limited in how much communication we can get from you all. We are just getting these slices of things -- do you feel like you are getting the complete story from talking to all the reporters. And do you understand the impact of what's happening here?
HOLMES: You know, that's a great question to ask, Sanjay. And for us, it's one thing to piece it all together, but CNN, we certainly have so many people on the ground and so many piece -- whether it's you covering the medical angle, we got another reporter, Chris Lawrence, covering the issue with food.
NGUYEN: With food. Yes.
HOLMES: We are starting to get this picture. Of course, there's no way we can get it the way you guys are getting it. So we certainly appreciate it. I assure, man, everybody back here is applauding the work you've been doing.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: And certainly, what you did at that field hospital and...
NGUYEN: Staying up all night in treating those patients when there was no one left to help them.
So, Dr. Gupta, hats off to you for that and we are looking forward to the show at the bottom of the hour, in just a few minutes from now. I'm definitely interested in exactly how all of that transpired.
So, we'll see you very shortly. Thank you so much.
HOLMES: Thanks, Sanjay.
NGUYEN: You're doing great reports out of Haiti.
And we do have some more top stories at the top of the hour when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.
HOLMES: And, again, we have a special live edition -- as you just saw there -- of "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." That's going to begin right after the break. You want to stick around.
