State officials say the race to rescue Floridians in Haiti will get even more complicated

Update:

ORLANDO, Fla. — A group of Florida residents landed at Orlando International Airport within the last two hours from Port-Au-Prince.

Fourteen people were on the state-charted flight.

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Officials told Channel 9 that 10 adults and four children were from Miami-Dade County.

Monday night’s flight brings the total number of people rescued by the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

There are still hundreds of Floridians stranded in Haiti.

State officials say the race to rescue Floridians in Haiti will get even more complicated A state-driven mission to rescue hundreds of Floridians stranded in Haiti is entering a new stage. (WFTV)

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A state-driven mission to rescue hundreds of Floridians stranded in Haiti is entering a new stage.

So far, four planes have landed at two Central Florida-based airports, and the state has rescued a total of 48 Americans.

A fifth plane carrying eleven individuals is expected to land Monday night at the Orlando International Airport.

Executive Director of the Division of Emergency Management, Kevin Guthrie, said his team spent much of Monday trying to navigate a new bureaucratic issue that delayed the 5th plane from taking off.

Read: State-sponsored flights bring missionaries, families back home from Haiti

He believes working with officials representing the splintered government in Haiti is the biggest challenge.

“We’ve run now four flights. This is the fifth one. But they’re now requiring something different, so we’re trying to jump through those hoops,” said Guthrie.

Guthrie said the Division wants the Dominican Republic to sign off on paperwork allowing his team to fly out of the Dominican instead of Haiti.

He believes it will solve several existing problems and lead to faster rescues.

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Haiti Violence Children look through a fence at a shelter for families displaced by gang violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph) (Odelyn Joseph/AP)

According to Guthrie, rescue efforts are entering a complicated next stage since most people staying near the Cap-Haitien airport have already been rescued.

Moving forward, the state will need to airlift people out of the gang-controlled capital of Port-au-Prince.

It represents a new challenge since most of those rescued so far have been able to drive themselves to the Cap-Haitien airport for flights.

“Those are all the individuals on the perimeter. From here, we’re gonna have to get very, very into Port-au-Prince; we’re not going to be able to do that without helicopter capability,” said Guthrie.

Given that reliance on helicopters, he said clearance to use Dominican airspace would be even more critical to the success of rescue missions.

Read: Another flight from Haiti lands at Orlando International Airport, officials say

So far, over 500 Floridians have requested rescue help from the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Given the U.S. Department of State’s continued efforts to rescue Americans, Guthrie believes the number of Floridians needing rescue is closer to 300.

The State of Florida and the U.S. Department of State are now cross-checking their rescue lists to better assess who is still stranded.

Meanwhile, some Haitian Americans are desperate to get their family out of the country, too.

“I’ve been a citizen in America for years and years, and I need help for my family,” said Orlando resident Occilia Fleuridor.

Read: Haiti crisis: Central Florida nonprofit steps up, state makes efforts to rescue stranded Floridians

Fleuridor said her brother Hector Guillaume is stuck in his Port-Au-Prince home.

For the last four years, Fleuridor has tried to help her brother get his citizenship, but his immigration application is still pending.

Fleuridor said Guillaume works as a pastor in Haiti, and he has not been able to work for weeks.

Amid mass gang violence, Guillaume is scared to leave his home and unable to buy food.

Guillaume isn’t eligible for U.S. Department of State charter or State of Florida flights.

His sister Fleuridor is now pleading for help on his behalf.

“I’m praying for my brother; I’m praying for the whole nation, but I need to do whatever it takes to help my brother come out of that,” said Fleuridor.

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