Michelle Obama, Jill Biden: Surprise Visit To Haiti
April 14th, 2010 - 9:08 pm ICT by Angela Kaye Mason
Apr 14 (THAINDIAN NEWS) In an effort to refocus the spotlight back earthquake ravaged Haiti, American first lady Michelle Obama, along with the second lady, showed up in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, on Tuesday for s surprise visit. Soon after, they landed in Mexico’s capital and motorcaded downtown.
A statement from the White House was issued soon after the two women landed safely in Haiti, “First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden are visiting Haiti to underscore to the Haitian people and the Haitian government the enduring U.S. commitment to help Haiti recover and rebuild, especially as we enter the rainy and hurricane seasons, and to thank the women and men across the whole of the U.S. government for their extraordinary efforts in Haiti during the past three months. They will also reach out to the UN and international relief communities in recognition of the truly global effort underway to help Haiti.”
“I think it was important for Jill and I to come now because we’re at the point where the relief efforts are under way, but the attention of the world starts to wane a bit,” Mrs. Obama said before she left Haiti. “And as we enter the rainy season and the hurricane season, you know, the issues are just going to become more compounded. And I think it was important for us to come and shed a light.”
The wives of President Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden spent a little over 5 hours in Haiti. They took a helicopter tour of the city, which was flattened by the quake, and saw the hundreds of thousands who are still homeless there. They also met with the President of Haiti, Rene Preval and his wife Elisabeth. Touring a high school which was destroyed by the tragic event on January 12, and stopping by a children’s camp were also on the agenda, as well as chatting with the U.N employees.
When meeting Elisabeth Preval, Michelle Obama gave her first impression of the ruined country, “It’s powerful. The devastation is definitely powerful,” she said. The trip had been planned for weeks, but was kept quiet by the East Wing until Tuesday.
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