Teams of civilian and military experts began landing in Haiti as US aircraft searched for survivors and tried to assess the damage from the massive 7.0 magnitude quake.

As a wealthy neighbor with the world's most powerful military, the United States appeared well-placed to lead relief efforts for the impoverished Caribbean nation, mobilizing an array of specialists, ships, planes and helicopters.

"I have directed my administration to respond with a swift, coordinated and aggressive effort to save lives," Obama said at the White House.

"Search and rescue teams from Florida, Virginia and California will arrive throughout today and tomorrow."

At daylight, a US Navy P-3 maritime patrol aircraft, usually used to track drug trafficking in the region, flew over the site of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince while a Coast Guard cutter with a helicopter flight deck arrived off the coast.

The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier was en route and set to arrive Thursday, while destroyers and more Coast Guard ships were on the way, General Douglas Fraser, head of the US Southern Command, told reporters.

More than 100,000 people were feared dead after the earthquake razed homes, hotels, and hospitals, leaving the capital in ruins and bodies strewn in the streets.

The US military said it would possibly send in a large amphibious ship with a Marine Expeditionary Unit of about 2,000 to help with medical and other aid operations. And commanders had put a US Army brigade of about 3,500 soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on alert for possible deployment.

Planes were landing at the Port-au-Prince international airport but officials said communications had been knocked out at the airport's tower and the passenger terminal was damaged.

A team of US Air Force experts was due to arrive on Wednesday to help restore air traffic control and communications at the airport, which was needed as a hub for relief efforts, Fraser said.

About 60 military personnel were on the ground and some 30 military engineers, medical specialists and other experts were due to arrive on Wednesday aboard a C-130 Hercules plane to assist US and international officials organize emergency aid, Fraser said.

A State Department spokesman said that three US relief and rescue teams would depart Wednesday for Haiti from Costa Rica, Washington and Los Angeles, arriving at intervals during the day.

While the full extent of the devastation remained unclear, Obama said the US Defense and State Departments along with the US Agency for International Development would lead relief efforts after the "heart wrenching" tragedy.

"The people of Haiti will have the full support of the United States in the urgent effort to rescue those trapped beneath the rubble and to deliver the humanitarian relief, food, water and medicine that Haitians will need," he said.

An initial survey of the earthquake's aftermath from the air indicated the damage was mainly concentrated around the capital but the number of casualties and the scale of the disaster was still unknown, the general said.

"We don't have a clear assessment right now of what the situation on the ground is," he said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meanwhile announced she would shorten her tour of Asia because of the quake.

"It is biblical, the tragedy that continues to stalk Haiti and the Haitian people," a tired-looking Clinton said in Hawaii after conferring with Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, USAID director Rajiv Shah and other officials.

A Coast Guard helicopter earlier Wednesday evacuated four critically injured members of the American embassy staff in Haiti to the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Fraser did not rule out housing refugees at the base, home to the controversial US military prison for terror suspects.

Canadian warships, aircraft ready to help quake-hit Haiti
Ottawa (AFP) Jan 13, 2010 - Canada readied two warships, military helicopters and planes with medical supplies, as well as a large relief and rescue force on Wednesday to help residents of earthquake-stricken Haiti.

"Canadian forces began mobilizing very quickly (overnight) with respect to anticipated needs in Haiti," said Defense Minister Peter MacKay, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper ordered his entire government to stand ready to help out.

A CF-130 Hercules transport aircraft with some 20 military personnel and medical supplies was expected to land in Port-au-Prince in the afternoon.

"We understand there won't be difficulty with respect to the airstrip (in Port-au-Prince), although there has been damage to some of the infrastructure around the airfield and roads," MacKay said.

Once there, the reconnaissance team is to assess the needs on the ground and draw up recommendations for the government, he said.

"As more information becomes available, we will make the determination (over the next two to three days) as to the numbers of personnel and the type of equipment, most notably medical supplies, medical personnel, and the type of search and rescue equipment that may be necessary with respect to the collapse of buildings which appears to be one of the major causes of injury and death," said MacKay.

"This is a catastrophic situation, and the decision has been made that the DART (Disaster Assistance Response Team) will deploy. However, its composition will be determined after a preliminary assessment of the needs in Haiti."

The elite unit of about 200 troops, engineers and doctors is normally deployed at the request of foreign governments for up to 40 days to provide humanitarian relief, including potable water, in disaster zones.

Canada planned to take the unusual step of deploying the team without an official request as lines of communication with Haiti's government were down, said Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon.

"We consider a discussion we had with the charge d'affaires from Haiti" as good enough, he said. "Canada will come to the aid of the Haitian people."

Meanwhile, two navy frigates were on standby in the Atlantic Ocean. One was to return to port to be equipped with a search and rescue helicopter, then sent to help with international aid efforts.

On Thursday, a C-17 aircraft carrying a Griffon helicopter and military personnel will also be sent to Haiti to help in the disaster relief and evacuate Canadians, if necessary.

International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda said five million Canadian dollars (4.8 million US) would be provided to Haiti for emergency shelter, medical services, food, water and sanitation services, as well as protection.

"We want to ensure that the immediate basic needs of the Haitian people are met quickly and effectively," said Oda.

Haiti is already the second largest recipient of Canadian development aid, after Afghanistan.

And Canada is home to one of the world's largest Haitian expatriate communities, topping 100,000, based in Montreal.

In the morning, Harper met with Haitian Head of Mission in Canada Nathalie Gissel-Menos, telling her the people of Haiti could "count on our solidarity."

In a transcript of their conversation seen by AFP, Harper said Canada would deploy "all necessary assistance to the people of Haiti during this time of need."

Harper was to speak with US President Barack Obama in the afternoon to try to coordinate Canadian and US aid missions, said his spokesman.

Some 6,000 Canadians are believed to be in Haiti at the moment. There have been no reports of Canadian deaths, but two of 82 Canadian policemen assigned to a UN mission are missing, said Cannon.

One Canadian trapped in the rubble of a building reached out for help in a text message sent to Ottawa. As well, 24 staff and 80 other Canadians found refuge at the Canadian embassy in Port-au-Prince.

In Montreal, local radio aired Haitian-Canadian reactions to the disaster and urged Canadians to open their wallets to help.

"I'd like the Haitian diaspora to be able to return to Haiti to rebuild Port-au-Prince, give back to people who lost their homes a new place to live," said Asma Ertelou, radio host at CPAM, Montreal's top Haitian radio station.

"I know that today, we are all Haitian," commented Luck Mervil, a Quebec singer born in Haiti.

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