First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden are making a surprise visit to Haiti today.
They arrived in Port-au-Prince around 10:40 a.m., and are taking a helicopter tour of Port-au-Prince, where a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake three months ago left more than a million people homeless.
[TPM SLIDESHOW – AFTER THE QUAKE: LIFE IN HAITI CONTINUES AMID THE DESTRUCTION]
The Obama administration released this statement about the unannounced visit:
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.
This is the First Lady’s first solo trip abroad since moving into the White House. She’ll continue on to Mexico as planned after her Haiti visit.
[TPM SLIDESHOW – FACES OF TRAGEDY: IMAGES FROM THE AFTERMATH IN HAITI]
Late Update: The First Lady and Jill Biden landed from their helicopter tour at 11:17 a.m. and met with Haitian President Rene Preval and his wife.
“It’s powerful,” the first lady said of her first impressions. “The devastation is definitely powerful.”
