Obama promises Haitians swift response, ‘full support’ of U.S.

President Obama promised swift delivery of rescue assistance and humanitarian aid to the island nation of Haiti this morning in the wake of a devastating earthquake there that has left hundreds dead and many more missing.

Haitians will have the “full support” of the U.S. as they work to rescue those trapped and to gather food, water and medicine in the crucial early hours of the recovery, the president said.

“This is a time when we are reminded of the common humanity we all share,” Obama told reporters in the White House Diplomatic Reception Room. “With just a few hundred miles of ocean between us,” he said, “Haitians are our neighbors in the Americas and here at home. We have to be with them in their hour of need.”

Following a series of morning briefings about recovery efforts, Obama said the U.S. military is helping to survey the damage, as U.S. agencies mobilize rescue workers and supplies on their way to the island now.

Obama asked Americans who are trying to locate family members in Haiti to call a toll-free government line: 888-407-4747.

He also pledged a coordinated international effort and as “forward-leaning” a U.S. response as possible in the hours to come.

The 7.0 magnitude quake was the most powerful ever to hit the island nation.

Early photos show frantic Haitians searching for survivors amid collapsed buildings and widespread rubble.

In New York, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon called this morning for an international relief effort, saying, “There is no doubt that we are facing a major humanitarian emergency.”

Many U.N. personnel in Haiti are not yet accounted for since collapse of their headquarters in the Christopher Hotel, he said.

“Many people are still trapped inside,” said Ban.

Troops from the U.N. Stabilization Mission in Haiti, mostly Brazilian, worked through the night to try to reach those trapped under the hotel rubble. Rescuers recovered several bodies and several badly injured persons, who were taken to hospitals.

The Montana Hotel, where some U.N. personnel lived, also collapsed, according to Ban. He said the U.N. is organizing a relief team to be sent quickly to Haiti.

The U.S. Agency for International Development said today that it is dispatching a Disaster Assistance Response Team and that partners - including the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team and the Los Angeles County Search and Rescue Team -- are traveling to Haiti today.

Each of the teams will be composed of up to 72 people, as well as rescue canines, and will carry up to 48 tons of rescue equipment. The teams will be accompanied by USAID disaster experts who will assist with assessments of the situation, the agency said.

“This is a tragic situation and we will work alongside the Haitian government to provide immediate assistance in the rescue effort,” said USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah. “On behalf of the American people, I wish to convey our sympathy, thoughts and prayers to the people of Haiti who have been affected by this devastating earthquake.”

The earthquake was “a devastating blow to the country and its people,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said today. He suggested that not only the U.S. government, but also the American people, stand ready to deliver relief to suffering Haitians.

“While the U.S. is already sending federal aid and assets, I am confident that the generosity of the American people will be what it so regularly is in these tragedies -- an inspiring expression of responsibility and benevolence,” said McConnell (R-Ky.). He also praised the Obama administration for its “immediate response to this crisis.”

Former President Bill Clinton, who serves as the United Nations envoy to Haiti, promised U.N. aid in the hours after the temblor.

“My U.N. office and the rest of the U.N. system are monitoring the situation,” Clinton said, “and we are committed to do whatever we can to assist the people of Haiti in their relief, rebuilding and recovery efforts.”

Paul Richter contributed to this report from Washington.

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