United States military officials say an amphibious force of 4000 sailors and Marines will be diverted from scheduled deployments elsewhere and sent to Haiti to assist in earthquake relief efforts, the Voice of America said on January 21 2010. 
 
A similar unit began to deploy onshore west of the devastated capital, Port-au-Prince on January 19. The new deployment will bring the number of US. forces being sent to Haiti to about 14 000.  
 
US president Barack Obama told ABC television on January 20 that the US could not afford to ignore the trouble in Haiti. 
 
Obama said that the US did not want its relief efforts to appear as if it is taking over the Caribbean country. He said that he wanted to make sure that when America projects its power around the world, it is not seen only when it is at war.
 
A powerful aftershock jolted Haiti on January 20, sending panicked residents screaming into the streets and bringing down some buildings already ruined by the January 12 2010 7.0 magnitude earthquake.
 
The 5.9 magnitude aftershock added to the trauma caused by initial quake that devastated the capital, and surrounding areas, leaving hundreds of thousands dead or homeless.
 
Meanwhile, the United Nations is "straining every nerve" to ramp up its aid to the countless victims of Haiti’s devastating earthquake, from medical care, food and water supplies to security and logistics, but there is still a very long way to go, the world body’s humanitarian chief said, according to the UN News Service.
 
UN Emergency Relief Co-ordinator John Holmes told a January 20 news briefing in New York he did not yet have a clear picture of extra damage that might have been caused the aftershock.
 
"We’re straining every nerve again to make sure that there are the right number of doctors, the right amount of drugs and equipment and field hospitals," Holmes said, voicing deep concern at the very large number of injured who may be infected or waiting for urgent surgical treatment.
 
"We’re hoping that we’ll be able to turn a corner there very soon," he said, adding that there were already seven field hospitals and others on the way as well as a US hospital ship.
 
The UN is stepping up significantly its efforts to reach cities outside Port-au-Prince, particularly Jacmel, as well as places like Léogâne that were also very badly damaged, and may have been hit further by today’s aftershock.
 
"Search and rescue teams are there in most cases and aid is being delivered in increasing quantities but still very limited compared to the need," Holmes said.
 
The European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Karel De Gucht was expected in Haiti on January 21, where he was to assess the current and future allocation of relief aid coming from the European bloc, Deutsche Welle reported.
 
De Gucht’s visit "will be an opportunity to assess the immediate life-saving humanitarian aid needs, as well as the medium and long-term requirements for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the country," the European Commission said in a statement on January 20.
 
De Gucht, who will be in Haiti until January 22, was also scheduled to meet Haitian and UN authorities, as well as the main aid representatives on the scene, to discuss the co-ordination of the overall relief effort, the European Commission said.