Sad that this statement came at 1pm and from CNN. It is innaccurate.

Obama said U.S. relief efforts are currently focused on a quick accounting of U.S. Embassy personnel and their families in Port-au-Prince, as well as other American citizens living and working in Haiti. He urged Americans trying to locate family members in Haiti to telephone the State Department...

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/13/haiti.earthquake/index.html

I listened to Obama's speech. I listened to the Pentagon briefing. I listened to Hillary Clinton speak. I watched video of U.S. efforts already in action. There are 45,000 Americans in Haiti today. The focus is not just on those Americans. Here is what I heard is the focus of U.S. relief efforts:

-- the U.S. is sending coast guard ships and an aircraft carrier
-- the U.S. is sending 3 rapid response teams to determine what the current situation is and where immediate relief can be best served
-- the primary and immediate focus is on saving lives (rescue teams are enroute)
-- the secondary and followup focus is on clean water and food and preventing disease that sometimes comes from pollution after disasters followed by cleanup efforts (after all health and welfare issues are addressed)
-- the U.S. is sending massive amounts of food and emergency supplies (I watched the gathering and loading of those supplies)
-- the U.S. has already inspected the airport - there is one runway and the tower does not have communication abilities relief efforts will be working around that and using other available means as well (shipping etc)
-- the U.S. is providing logistical support for other nations providing relief efforts

So far, from what I have seen and heard, the administration has jumped on this and is doing an excellend job (so far). Top notch.


Update: CNN Finally updated its information:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/13/haiti.earthquake/index.html

Snippet:

Rajiv Shah, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, will be the U.S. government's unified disaster coordinator, Obama said. Shah told CNN that teams have been working around the clock "to make sure the U.S. mounts an effective response in supporting saving lives, which is the president's absolute top priority for this first period of 72 hours when we search and save as many lives as we can."

Many countries and agencies across the globe geared up to help Haiti. A 50-member Chinese rescue team planned to deploy, Xinhua news agency said, and Ban said the U.N. plans to release $10 million in aid immediately.

The U.S. military is working to get ground and air assessments of the damage.

U.S. officials say the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship in port in Baltimore, has begun to recall its crew and is standing by for orders to head to Haiti. All East-coast based Navy ships have been alerted for standby, the officials said.

Two Coast Guard C-130 airplanes were doing damage assessments and searches, and helicopters were deployed to the scene.