More Americans evacuate Haiti on a US-chartered helicopter flight, State Department says
ByJennifer Hansler, Christina Maxouris and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, CNNWire
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 6:13PM
Wednesday's flight carried "over 15 US citizens" from the capital city of Port-au-Prince, a State Department Spokesperson said, adding they expect more than 30 Americans will be able to board the US government flights each day they are chartered.
"We will continue to monitor demand from US citizens for assistance in departing Haiti on a real-time basis," the spokesperson added. "The overall security situation, availability and reliability of commercial transportation, and US citizen demand will all influence the duration of this departure assistance."
The city's international airport remains shuttered - and it's now among the network of city blocks, government buildings and police stations overtaken by coordinated gang attacks since the beginning of the month.
Earlier Wednesday, State Department Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said in a news briefing the charter flights would be heading to Santo Domingo, in the neighboring Dominican Republic. From there, Americans will be responsible for their own travel home, Patel said.
More:
https://abc13.com/haiti-2024-gang-violence-port-au-prince-evacuations-us-airlifts/14550849/
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By ABC7 Staff
Published: Mar. 20, 2024 at 7:49 PM CDT|Updated: 5 hours ago
TALLAHASSE, Fla. (WWSB) - Governor Ron DeSantis announced the first rescue mission from Haiti with evacuees who were otherwise unable to return home due to the ongoing political crisis in Haiti.
Florida brought 14 Floridians home from Haiti to Orlando Sanford International Airport via emergency flights coordinated by the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Watch Governor DeSantis’ remarks here.
“This is the second time that Florida has stepped up to ensure that Americans have a way out of an unstable political situation abroad,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “I am proud of the work we have done to get Floridians home and reunite them with their families. We will also continue to dedicate resources to prevent the flow of illegal immigrants from reaching our shores while the situation in Haiti deteriorates.”
“Thanks to Governor DeSantis’ swift leadership, the Division is expediting resources to do whatever it takes to bring residents home while protecting Florida’s border security,” said Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie. “We will continue to work with local law enforcement partners and run more flights to evacuate citizens trapped in Haiti.”
More:
https://www.mysuncoast.com/2024/03/21/governor-ron-desantis-announces-americans-are-returning-home-rescued-haiti-by-florida/
