Haiti Earthquake Relief

15 January 2010

Remarks by the President on recovery efforts in Haiti

On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck the nation of Haiti, causing catastrophic damage inside and around the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The United States Government has mobilized resources and manpower to aid in the relief effort. “I've directed my administration to launch a swift, coordinated and aggressive effort to save lives and support the recovery in Haiti,” said President Barack Obama in a public address on January 14. “The losses that have been suffered in Haiti are nothing less than devastating, and responding to a disaster of this magnitude will require every element of our national capacity -- our diplomacy and development assistance; the power of our military; and, most importantly, the compassion of our country.”

Full-text transcript/video of the President’s remarks

Here is how everyone can help:

• In the United States: donate $10 to the American Red Cross – charged to your cell phone bill – by texting "HAITI" to "90999."
• In other countries: contribute online to the Red Cross
• Find more ways to help: Center for International Disaster Information.

On January 14, U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, gave a series of interviews to the leading American media where she described the numerous U.S. resources deployed to Haiti and the ways the American people can contribute to the U.S. emergency aid response already underway.  Please click on the respective links to read the interview transcripts:

• Interview with Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez of CBS’ Early Show
• Interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC’s Good Morning America
• Interview With Meredith Vieira of NBC's Today Show