SHOW: FOX SPECIAL REPORT WITH BRIT HUME 6:00 PM EST December 29, 2004
Tsunami Death Toll Tops 80,000; President Defends Late Statement; Countries Move to Help Tsunami Victims by Creating Refugee Camps
WALLACE: Welcome to Washington. I'm Chris Wallace in for Brit Hume.
President Bush interrupted his holiday vacation today to respond to criticism that the U.S. is not doing enough to aid countries hit by those deadly tsunamis over the weekend. The president said the $35 million the U.S. has pledge so far is only a beginning. Meanwhile, the devastated countries continue to bury their dead.
Fox News White House correspondent Wendell Goler reports.
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WENDELL GOLER, FOX NEWS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the tsunami death toll climbed towards 80,00, rescuers in Thailand prayed for a miracle as they searched for survivors in the rubble of a coastal hotel. President Bush interrupted his Texas vacation to make his first public comments about the disaster.
GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is beyond our comprehension to think about how many lives have been lost.
GOLER: Mr. Bush said the U.S., Australia, India and Japan will coordinate relief efforts with the U.N. And he assured the leaders of four stricken nations in phone calls that more aid will follow the $35 million the U.S. has pledged once the needs are clear. And he bristled at reports the initial U.S. contribution was called "stingy."
BUSH: I felt like the person who made that statement was very misguided and ill informed.
GOLER: In Geneva, the U.N.'s Jan Egeland has insisted for two days he was misquoted.
JAN EGELAND, COORDINATOR, U.N. EMERGENCY RELIEF: I never said nobody had been stingy over the tsunami.
GOLER: As supplies were loaded at a U.S. air base in Japan, Egeland declared this country the world's most generous donor, and said international contributions have topped $230 million. Egeland says natural disasters always bring a generous response, but in between countries fall short of their pledges. And that what his "stingy" referred to.
EGELAND: Rich nations in general, we hope should give more.
GOLER: Egeland says pictures of the tragedy seemed to boost contributions. And the tsunami pictures have pushed donations well above his target. But he says the need will be even greater. And the president urged Americans to give to private relief groups.
BUSH: I think it's very important for Americans who want to give to provide cash to organizations that will be able to focus resources and assets to meet specific needs.
GOLER: Meanwhile, the scale of the disaster continues to astound. Whole islands in the Maldives washed clean. Heavily populated parts of Indonesia still not heard from. And it's now clear the killer waves traveled to the Horn of Africa. Expert says a tsunami warning system could have saved thousands of lives, especially people farther away from the quake.
JOHN PIKE, GLOBALSECURITY.ORG: You don't have to run away from this. If you have hours of warning, you can walk away from it.
GOLER: U.N. officials called for an Indian Ocean warning system similar to one already in the Pacific, to be put in place by next year. And President Bush said makes sense...
BUSH: For the world to come together to develop a warning system that will help all nations.
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GOLER: Experts will talk about the tsunami warning system at a conference in Kobe, Japan, next month. But Sunday's was the first major tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 100 years. Many of the most vulnerable nations have little money to spare and it will be hard to get them to spend against the threat that may be another 100 years away -- Chris.
WALLACE: Wendell, did this initial criticism of the first response, the first installment by the U.S., did that lead the president to interrupt his vacation and come out today.
GOLER: It may be, Chris. Remember, the criticism was made at a time when the U.S. had only pledged $15 million. And there were calls for Mr. Bush to appear at a press conference in Crawford, Texas yesterday. But his aides say the response to the tsunami was already well under way. The head of the Agency for International Development says he went into the office right after church Sunday and found the ball had already been gotten rolling -- Chris.
WALLACE: White House correspondent Wendell Goler. Wendell, thanks.
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