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Images from Haiti's tragic earthquake

By theGrio

7:01 AM on 01/14/2010

Read More: Earthquake, Haiti, Natural Disaster

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An injured child is tended to at the Hotel Villa Creole in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. The strongest earthquake in more than 200 years struck Haiti, collapsing a hospital where people screamed for help and heavily damaging the National Palace, U.N. peacekeeper headquarters and other buildings. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ivanoh Demers, Montreal La Presse)
A man carries an injured child outside Hotel Villa Creole in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 after the strongest earthquake in more than 200 years struck Haiti. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Montreal La Presse, Ivanoh Demers)
A damaged building is seen after an earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. The largest earthquake ever recorded in the area rocked Haiti on Tuesday. The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 and was centered about 10 miles (15 kilometers) west of Port-au-Prince. (AP Photo/Radio Tele Ginen)
Edeline B. Clermont weeps in the "Little Haiti" area of Miami on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 as she talks to her sister in Boston after both were unable to contact relatives in Haiti after hearing news about the earth the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that shook the island. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
People carry an injured person after an earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. The largest earthquake ever recorded in the area rocked Haiti on Tuesday. The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 and was centered about 10 miles (15 kilometers) west of Port-au-Prince. (AP Photo/Radio Tele Ginen)
Gabrielle Labonte, of Norwich, Conn. prays and sings for the people of the Caribbean Islands, at the First Haitian Baptist Church of Norwich, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010, in Norwich. Her mother, siblings, and other relatives are in Haiti, one of the countries hit by the largest earthquake to ever hit the Caribbean Islands. (AP Photo/The Day, Abigail Pheiffer)
Injured people are tended to at the Hotel Villa Creole in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Tuesday Jan. 12, 2010. The strongest earthquake in more than 200 years rocked Haiti on Tuesday, collapsing a hospital where people screamed for help and heavily damaging the National Palace, U.N. peacekeeper headquarters and other buildings. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Montreal La Presse, Ivanoh Demers)
This photo provided by Carel Pedre shows people running past rubble of a damaged building in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. The largest earthquake ever recorded in the area shook Haiti on Tuesday, collapsing a hospital where people screamed for help. (AP Photo/Carel Pedre)
Elie Isaac, left, and Caleb Roseme, both of Norwich, Conn., pray and for the people of the Caribbean Islands, at the First Haitian Baptist Church of Norwich, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010, in Norwich. Both men have family and friends in Haiti, one of the countries hit by the largest earthquake to ever hit the Caribbean Islands. (AP Photo/The Day, Abigail Pheiffer)
Anthony Guarino, a seismic analyst at the Caltech Seismological Laboratory, shows the 7.0 earthquake peak from the Haiti earthquake at the laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
People gather in the street after an earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in the area, rocked Haiti on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Jorge Cruz)
People carry an injured person after an earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in the area, rocked Haiti on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Jorge Cruz)
In this image made available by the American Red Cross in London, Wednesday Jan. 13, 2010, an earthquake survivor weeps in a shantytown on the outskirts of Port au Prince, following a major earthquake in Haiti, Tuesday Jan. 12, 2010. Haitians piled bodies along the devastated streets of their capital Wednesday after the strongest earthquake to hit the poor Caribbean nation in more than 200 years crushed thousands of structures, from schools and shacks to the National Palace and the U.N. peacekeeping headquarters. Untold numbers were still trapped.(AP Photo/Matt Marek/American Red Cross, ho)
In this image made available by the American Red Cross in London, Wednesday Jan. 13, 2010, an earthquake survivor clutches his young son, in a shantytown on the outskirts of Port au Prince, following a major earthquake in Haiti, Tuesday Jan. 12, 2010. Haitians piled bodies along the devastated streets of their capital Wednesday after the strongest earthquake to hit the poor Caribbean nation in more than 200 years crushed thousands of structures, from schools and shacks to the National Palace and the U.N. peacekeeping headquarters. Untold numbers were still trapped.(AP Photo/Matt Marek/American Red Cross)
A man uses a cell phone as he holds a person's hand after an earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake, the largest ever recorded in the area, rocked Haiti on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Cris Bierrenbach)

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(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ivanoh Demers, Montreal La Presse)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Teams from across the U.S. government, including the Defense, State and Homeland Security Departments, moved Wednesday to help victims of the powerful earthquake that struck Haiti.

Rajiv Shah, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said a disaster response team "will be going in today."

Late Tuesday, President Barack Obama told members of his national security staff late Tuesday he expects "an aggressive, coordinated effort." Obama said his thoughts and prayers were with the people of Haiti and said the U.S. stood ready to help the impoverished Caribbean nation.

The president prepared to make a public statement on the disaster later Wednesday, and the State Department scheduled a briefing on actions the U.S. government is taking in the relief area.

The 7.0-magnitude earthquake caused thousands of buildings to collapse in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, trapping untold numbers in tons of rubble. While estimating the number of casualties was impossible, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said, "Clearly, there's going to be serious loss of life in this."

Deputy national security adviser Tom Donilon convened a meeting in the White House late Tuesday with senior representatives from the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, the Defense Department, U.S. Southern Command, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Homeland Security Department, the Coast Guard, and national security and White House staff to coordinate the government-wide response.

Former President Bill Clinton, who is U.N. special envoy for Haiti, said in a statement: "My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti. My U.N. office and the rest of the U.N. system are monitoring the situation, and we are committed to do whatever we can to assist the people of Haiti in their relief, rebuilding and recovery efforts."

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said it was sending a disaster assistance response team and had activated its partners, the Fairfax County (Va.) Urban Search and Rescue Team and the Los Angeles County Search and Rescue Team.

Coast Guard officials in Miami mobilized cutters and aircraft to positions near Haiti to offer humanitarian assistance.

The State Department set up a toll-free number to call for information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747. The department said some callers may receive a recording because of heavy volume of calls.

The State Department has also set up links on its Web site to facilitate donations to disaster relief agencies.

Raymond Joseph, the Haitian ambassador to the United States, said Wednesday morning "there is no way of estimating" the casualties.

"I'm quite sure we're going to face a disaster of major proportion," he said in an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America."

Asked what the Haitians most need, Joseph replied that "a hospital ship off the coast of Haiti is a must for us right now." He said that while it's too soon to say how many people perished in Tuesday's 7.0 magnitude quake, "Thank God that it was after hours." The ambassador noted that a lot of employees had left office buildings before the quake struck.

Joseph noted that major government buildings, including the presidential palace, have fallen.

"If a building like the palace, which is very solid, collapsed," he said, "then the devastation is going to be worse because not all of the buildings are up to code in Port au Prince."

The ambassador also said Haiti badly needs help with first-time responders, "and all kinds of good water and clothes, blankets. Anything that would be needed for victims at the outset."

Shah, interviewed on NBC's "Today" show, said: "We have two standing search-and-rescue teams with specialized technical capabilities and appropriate equipment to begin an aggressive search-and-rescue effort on the ground in Port-au-Prince."

"We are, obviously, concerned about and evaluating the ability to get those assets into Haiti and do that efficiently," he said. "And we're working very closely with U.S. (military) Southern Command to help make sure that we have the logistics support, the transport capacities and the other needed capabilities in order to put really the full force and capacity of the U.S.. government to work on behalf of the Haitian people and on behalf of our U.S. citizens in Haiti right now.

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