As the world watches developments in earthquate-stricken Haiti, many other nations, in addition to mobilizing their own assistance efforts, also will be keeping an eye on the United States' response to the catastrophe.

But the Obama administration's performance in dealing with this tragedy also will be scrutinized in this country, with memories still fresh of the George W. Bush administration's initially botched response to the Hurricane Katrina devastation in 2005.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama underscored that he expects an "aggressive and highly coordinated relief effort" on Haiti's behalf, in response to what he described as the "cruel and incomprehensible tragedy" that has ravaged the Western Hemisphere's poorest country.

It will be days, if not weeks, before the full extent of the tragedy — both in terms of loss of human life and injuries, as well as destruction to buildings and infrastructure — is known. However, the fact that Haiti still was trying to recover from four 2008 hurricanes that flooded whole towns and left a destitute populatation in even more dire straits will add to the intensity of this new humanitarian operation facing the international community.

With an estimated 40,000 to 45,000 Americans living in Haiti, U.S. residents' focus also, understandably, is centered on the fate of those people.

While it wasn't immediately known if there were any Butler County connections to the tragedy, people of this county along with people from across the nation, will be seeking ways to help ease the suffering of Haitians — either by way of financial support to the American Red Cross and other relief organizations, or by way of actual hands-on help through special skills that they possess or through resources they can provide.

People attending church services during the coming weekend and beyond will be hearing of efforts that churches are mobilizing to provide the vast aid that Haiti now needs.

The International Red Cross has estimated that a third of Haiti's 9 million people might be in need of emergency help, especially the 2 million residents of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, which sustained most of the earthquake's destruction.

The situation has been worsened by more than 30 aftershocks that have followed the main 7.0-magnitude quake, which struck at 4:53 p.m. Tuesday, centered 10 miles west of the capital city.

The depth of the quake was estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey as having been only five or six miles. And as a "shallow quake," it worsened the fate of a city where about 60 percent of buildings were shoddily constructed and considered unsafe even under normal circumstances.

Victor Tsai, a seismologist at the USGS National Earthquate Information Center, said the quake was rated a 9 on a 1-to-10 scale that measures ground shaking.

Meanwhile, no one knows what the future might hold regarding further aftershocks and danger to those who will be involved in the massive relief effort currently gearing up in Haiti.

In promising broad-scale U.S. aid, it was clear Obama was attempting to project a swift, united disaster response with this country as the as-sertive leader — as America's long-standing record on humanitarian assistance clearly dictates. However, the president was right in reminding the world community that everyone else should seek ways to help also.

Amid the overall scope of help, the president emphasized the priority of locating all U.S. embassy employees and their families in the stricken country, as well as all other American citizens living and working there. Similar concern exists at the United Nations about the fate of about 140 of its people who remained missing in the rubble of the U.N. headquarters building in Haiti and other damaged buildings.

The earthquake's tragic effects likely will directly impact many nations; thus the earthquake not only is a Haiti tragedy but, in fact, a tragedy with worldwide implications — even to countries as far away as China, which had officials in Port-au-Prince when the earthquake struck.

The world will be watching the United States' response, but other nations also should be looking in the mirror and examining their willingness and determination to help.

The Haiti catastrophe will not be a short-term mission.