State, Bay Area organizations work to rescue Americans during Haiti violence
TAMPA, Fla. - The crisis in Haiti is getting worse. About 80% of Haiti’s Capitol, Port-au-Prince, is now in the control of gangs, and an estimated 1,500 people have been killed in the violence, so far.
Even on Good Friday, Haitians celebrated indoors for fear of the violence. Now, the effort to rescue people from the country is in overdrive.
Whether it’s the state department, Florida’s Division of Emergency Management or Tampa non-profit Project Dynamo, all three have similar stories when it comes to rescuing Americans in Haiti.
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"We go in, touch base with them, get them on a helicopter and then fly to the airport and get them out of harm’s way," said Kevin Guthrie, the executive director for the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
"We got our hands on a former retired UH-60 Blackhawk, and we’re able to fly it into Port-au-Prince in the middle of gang land," added Bryan Stern with Project Dynamo.
So far, Florida and the U.S. State Department have rescued around 280 people from Haiti. One man’s story stuck out to Director Guthrie.
READ: Project Dynamo founder reflects on eventful 2023, looks ahead to 2024
"He was born there, and it rips his heart out to see his country failing," Guthrie said. "He wants to be part of the solution to rebuild Haiti and bring it back to what he thinks is one of the most beautiful countries in the world."
Violent gangs continue to take over the country, making it dangerous for Americans.
"They are worried about being killed," Stern said. "The gangs are incredibly violent. Human life is at a low cost. If American, no value at all unless they kidnap you and ransom you off."
MORE: Agape Flights approved to resume cargo flights to Haiti amid ongoing violence
Stern said the task of rescuing Americans is difficult, though.
"Port-au-Prince is bad," he said. "Haiti is in a complicated place politically, geopolitically. From a terrain perspective, it’s a big place without infrastructure. One side of the island versus the other is very difficult to move people around."
But, Stern said the organization's work is far from done.
READ: Royal Caribbean suspends cruises to private beach in Haiti amid violence
"When I enlisted several years ago, you take an oath. It doesn’t have an expiration date on it. It’s forever to the people. Whether in uniform or not, it doesn’t matter," he said.
It’s all worth it when the evacuees are on their way home.
"There’s always a lot of tears, a lot of fear. We are leaving a scary place," Stern said. "They’ve been afraid for a long time. Then they are on a helicopter with me and the team, and there’s a weight that lifts off. Goes from tears to smiles."
Florida’s Emergency Management director said one logistical issue they’re dealing with is clearance to fly to Haiti to rescue Floridians. They apply for clearance in the morning, but don’t get clearance until the afternoon. They said they’d be able to rescue more people with blanket clearance from sun up to sun down.
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