Moontown

“The situation remains dire… the need for food, shelter, medical supplies and basic security is enormous, and the coming rainy season will pose new challenges,” press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement.

More than 200,000 people were killed and 1.2 million were left homeless by the January 12 quake, which destroyed large parts of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and crippled its institutions.

“Infrastructure that was destroyed in minutes will take years to rebuild,” Gibbs noted, but pledged that “the United States continues to stand with our Haitian friends as they recover.”

Haitians Friday gathered at emotional ceremonies across Port-au-Prince to mark one month since the disaster, the worst on record in the Americas.

President Rene Preval, who has rarely appeared in public in the last few weeks, declared Haiti “will not die” and acknowledged he could not find words to express his pain.

Gibbs paid tribute to the thousands of military and civilian-led responses to the disaster from the United States.

“Having reopened the main airport and port to enable a massive international humanitarian effort, our servicemen and women are supporting the distribution of urgently needed food, water, medicine and shelter until these functions can be fulfilled by the rapidly-expanding civilian operation and the United Nations.”

The people of Haiti, the White House said, have “amidst unimaginable suffering… inspired the world with their faith, strength of spirit and determination to rebuild.

“In the difficult months and years to come, they will continue to have a friend and partner in the United States of America.”

There are over 15,000 US military personnel stationed in Haiti or off its coast, although the mission has been reduced as teams trained to deal with the immediate aftermath of the quake left the country. (Caribnet)