United States Mission Geneva

USAID encourages cash donations because they allow aid professionals to procure the exact items needed (often in the affected region); reduce the burden on scarce resources (such as transportation routes, staff time, warehouse space, etc); can be transferred very quickly and without transportation costs; support the economy of the disaster-stricken region; and ensure culturally, dietary, and environmentally appropriate assistance.

This morning, the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived outfitted with 19 helicopters, 51 hospital beds, three operating rooms, hundreds of thousands of gallons of water per day production capability and a significant capacity to deliver disaster-relief supplies. By the end of the weekend, 9,000 to 10,000 American servicemembers will in Haiti or afloat offshore.

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. I’ve directed my administration to launch a swift, coordinated and aggressive effort to save lives and support the recovery in Haiti.

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody. This morning I want to extend to the people of Haiti the deep condolences and unwavering support of the American people following yesterday’s terrible earthquake.

“The President has ordered an aggressive and coordinated strategy to address the difficult conditions we face in providing assistance to the Haitian people and then following through in the weeks and months ahead to help with their reconstruction. The President has named our new USAID Administrator Raj Shah to coordinate that effort.”

Ambassador Rice has been in close contact last night and this morning with the Secretary General. We’re, first and foremost, going to pledge to help the UN in any way possible. I think as part of our international coordination, obviously, a variety of countries have troops that are contributors to the UN mission. If that force needs to be augmented in some way, we’ll take a look at that. But right now, I think the urgency that the Secretary General expressed, we understand and we’re going to provide that support to the UN as quickly as possible, is to try to free those who are trapped inside the rubble of the UN headquarters.

In response to the earthquake in Haiti, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is dispatching a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and has activated its partners, the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team and the Los Angeles County Search and Rescue Team. The USAR teams will be composed of up to 72 personnel, 6 search and rescue canines and up to 48 tons of rescue equipment.

President Obama: “My thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by this earthquake. We are closely monitoring the situation and we stand ready to assist the people of Haiti.”

We are still gathering information about this catastrophic earthquake, the point of impact, its effect on the people of Haiti. The United States is offering our full assistance to Haiti and to others in the region. We will be providing both civilian and military disaster relief and humanitarian assistance. And our prayers are with the people who have suffered, their families, and their loved ones.