Michelle Obama Makes Unannounced Visit to Haiti

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

By MARC LACEY
Published: April 13, 2010

MEXICO CITY — Michelle Obama made an unannounced visit to Haiti on Tuesday morning to inspect the earthquake-battered country and reinforce the American government’s commitment to help with the long recovery effort.

Leg Lost, Dancer Is Caught Between Caregivers (April 13, 2010) Accompanied by Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Mrs. Obama took a helicopter tour of the flattened capital. More than a million people forced from their homes there are living in makeshift camps.

She was also to tour the grounds of the National Palace, which suffered significant quake damage and trapped some employees inside. A meeting with President René Préval and his wife, Elisabeth, was also scheduled.

“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,” said a White House statement, “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 U.N. and international relief communities in recognition of the truly global effort underway to help Haiti.”