Obama Meets Haiti's President: Situation Still 'Dire' and U.S. Aid to Continue

President Barack Obama, meeting at the White House with Haitian President Rene Preval, said Wednesday the situation on the island nation "remains dire" and that the United States must and "will endure" in aiding the recovery and preventing a second disaster from heavy rains and flooding.

"People should be under no illusions that the crisis is over," Obama said as he stood next to Preval in the White House Rose Garden. "Many Haitians are still in need, desperate need in some cases, of shelter and food and medicine. And with the spring rains approaching, those needs will only grow. The challenge now is to prevent a second disaster."

Much of Haiti is still in ruins from the Jan. 12 earthquake which killed an estimated 230,000 people. With so much of the infrastructure damaged or missing, relief officials fear that flooding during the approaching rainy season could wreak havoc on temporary shelters, feeding centers and medical facilities.

Already, Preval said rains have caused the deaths of 15 people. "Our priorities are, first and foremost ... protection of those people who today are homeless and must be relocated," he said.

Speaking in French, Preval said the continuing threat of earthquakes, tsunamis, and global warming should be a "concern for the entire planet." The Haitian president favors creation of a "red helmet" force within the United Nations that could respond quickly to natural disasters across the globe.

The two leaders took no questions from reporters. But Preval also visited Capitol Hill to meet with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The United States has thrown more than 20,000 military and civilian personnel and millions of dollars into the rescue and recovery effort. Although U.S. military units will begin pulling back, Obama said thousands of Americans remain on the scene at the invitation of the Hatian government.

Obama said an international donors' conference hosted by the United Nations later this month will present an opportunity to guarantee "a coordinated and sustained effort in Haiti." The president thanked Americans involved in rescue and relief operations and again expressed sorrow that more than 100 American citizens were among the dead in Haiti.