Enduring Friendship

New Zealand has the “enduring friendship and support of many partners around the world,” President Obama said in a White House statement. Obama offered his “deepest condolences” to the people of New Zealand and the families and friends of earthquake victims. “To assist in the rescue and recovery efforts, we have agreed to deploy a US Agency for International Development Disaster Assistance Response Team, including an Urban Search and Rescue Team, and we stand ready to provide more assistance as needed,” the statement said.