In Haiti, 'This is a catastrophe' says the First Lady (Updated)

The news from Haiti just gets worse by the hour as more information becomes available.

President Obama will be making a statement on the catastrophe at 10 A.M. Obama's full statement can be seen here. This is an excerpt from his remarks:

I have directed my administration to respond with a swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives. 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 -- the food, water and medicine -- that Haitians will need in the coming days. In that effort, our government, especially USAID and the Departments of State and Defense are working closely together and with our partners in Haiti, the region, and around the world.

I've been reading various reports. The Miami Herald, a publication in a city with a large Haitian population, has extensive coverage. One of its reporters, Jacquie Charles, is en route to Haiti and will be livetweeting. From the Herald:

According to media reports, survivors were digging through the rubble and stacking bodies along the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti' capital, after the powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked the island nation Tuesday afternoon. The earthquake has left the nation virtually isolated with countless crumbled buildings, including the historic National Palace.

[Haitian President René] Préval and first lady Elisabeth Préval were not in the palace at the time of the quake.

Préval said he he has not slept since the earthquake. Other people slept in the streets because they were afraid to sleep in their homes, he said.

``This is a catastrophe,'' the first lady said. ``I'm stepping over dead bodies. A lot of people are buried under buildings. The general hospital has collapsed. We need support. We need help. We need engineers."

Catastrophe may be an understatement.

UPDATE @ 10:05 A.M.: CNN's Anderson Cooper just landed in Haiti by helicopter. He said "I just flew over Port-au-Prince and seeing it for the first time, it's a city I know well, it's incredibly shocking."