PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP)-- A State Department official confirms the first death of an American from the Haiti earthquake. The official also says that at least 164 U.S. citizens have been evacuated, with hundreds of others waiting flights out Thursday. There were more than 40,000 Americans living in Haiti at the time of the powerful 7.0 magnitude quake. President Barack Obama says "one of the largest relief efforts in our recent history" is moving toward the disaster struck country. Some U.S. resources already are on the ground, providing water and medicine, search and rescue efforts and airlifts of the injured. To the Haitians, Obama promised: "You will not be forsaken." And, more U.S. forces are getting under way as the military ramps up its mission to help earthquake victims. An advance group of more than 100 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division will leave Fort Bragg in North Carolina Thursday. The soldiers come on top of some 2,200 Marines also on their way as the military prepares to help with security, search and rescue and the delivery of humanitarian supplies. The Aid is showing up from around the globe, but not without problems. It took six hours to unload a Chinese aid plane because the airport lacked the needed equipment. That could mean possible bottlenecks as more relief flights reach Haiti. The airport was damaged in Tuesday's massive quake. Ship deliveries are impossible. The capital's port is closed because of damage. Trucks carrying police and U.N. workers are often stuck in traffic because roads are clogged with pedestrians and vehicles. Officials from a telecommunications provider says calls to emergency services aren't getting through because systems that connect different phone networks aren't working. The U.S. State Department has set up a toll-free number to call to get information about family members in Haiti. The number is 1-888-407-4747.
