Kris Allen may have thought he was prepared for the destruction that was waiting for him when he arrived in Haiti, but the American Idol winner has admitted to OK! that when he arrived in the country — which was devastated by an earthquake on Jan. 12 — he was shaken by what he saw.

“There were definitely shocking things,” he told OK! of his one-day trip with the UN Foundation.

“Buildings down all over the place, people living in tiny little tents that were blazing hot, with six or seven to a family,” he said. “It was a pretty rough experience for them.”

After seeing the destruction, Kris says he has a renewed drive to give back.

“When you see something like that, it definitely affects you and makes you happy for what you have, but also makes you want to do something to help those people. I think it’s just an innate human thing, like when you see people hurting, you just want to help them,” said Kris.

You can check out footage of Kris’s trip to Haiti below, and you’ll be able to see more film — plus a performance of “Let It Be” by Kris (which will be available on iTunes, with all of the proceeds benefiting Haiti relief) — on American Idol on Thursday, February 25 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed).

To learn more about the UN Foundation’s work in Haiti and how to donate, visit www.unfoundation.org/idol.