Department of State sets deadline to evacuate US citizens from Haiti
MIAMI - The United Nations report is revealing grim insight into the deterioration conditions for the millions of people living in Haiti.
The report says:
- 3.5 million liters of water have been delivered since the end of February.
- 358 thousand hot meals have been distributed in the same time period.
- Since March, 53,000 people have left Haiti's capitol city of Port-au-Prince.
- Since March 29th, 10 pharmacies were raided by armed groups.
- Gang attacks continue towards hospitals and pharmacies.
Now, the U.S. Department of State has sent an email late Thursday to registered US citizens who wish to leave. It says April 12th is the deadline.
Things have changed for US citizens who had been staunch about staying in Haiti like my father, an 80-year-old former United States Airmen. "Now I'm singing a different tune. I want to go now, I, I no longer want to stay."
He adds, "I'm getting afraid, I'm getting pressure from just, you know, from friends and family. They tell me that, you know, what am I doing here? You know, they worry about me."
Dad now waits on next steps from the State Department.
Next for him and other Americans is getting to the US embassy or to the airport in Cap-Haitien, where flights take off. The two locations are several hours apart with gang-infested roads leading to both.
The State Department in an email to our family acknowledges the roads are dangerous.
Dad explains it like this, "I have to take public transportation and then the gang members that control the roads and you have to go through to the gang members to get to Cap-Hatien.
Usually, the bus drivers, they pay ransom just so they can let them through. But I don't know what might happen from what I heard from all the folks. Sometimes they get on the bus and they kidnap people."
He is not alone.
Four-year-old Brianna's parents now also have a clock ticking. She was born in Miami while her parents were in America on visas that have expired.
Brianna has a US passport, her parents do not. Since we brought you their story earlier this week, they've been working feverishly on paperwork so at least one of them can go with her to safety.
Now, there is pressure of a new deadline. Brianna's father, Prevalcin Nehemy says, "They asked us to fill out some document to update some documents. We did that and we send it, send them back and that's all you can do. That's all I can do."
If they are able to leave, they will head out from the US embassy, a road they know is dangerous but still safer than where they are.
Nehemy adds, "The US embassy is not far from my house. This area is very dangerous too but if they call us to come, we can, we can go on foot."
My father waffles between catching his flight from the embassy or from Cap-Haitien but what he is certain about is the place he likes to also call home, no longer feels like it. "You know, Tania, with the way this country is right now, can you trust anyone? Can't trust no one. You cannot trust anyone."
A flight full of US citizens, who did manage to make it out, is expected to land at Miami International Airport at 6:40 p.m.
We have not been told how many more flights there will be after this one.
