Airdrie man trapped in violence-torn Haiti safe in Florida as evacuations continue
An Airdrie man caught up in Haitian unrest has found safety in Florida, as Canada works to evacuate Canadians.
Marc Honorat was rescued by Florida-based Agape Flights, which is working to bring more people out of Haiti to safety.
When Postmedia spoke with Honorat less than two weeks ago, little was guaranteed in terms of his safety.
Honorat, who is the founder and CEO of Haiti Arise Ministries — a non-profit that facilitates education, food provision and medical care in the Caribbean nation — had said he was gripped by fear and uncertainty for his staff and the children in his school amid worsening gang violence.
“I was just praying and waiting and waiting, and then all of a sudden we got an email from Agape Flights on Wednesday that they were flying into Haiti, so right away I knew that they would be able to rescue me.”
Two days later, Agape Flights flew from Florida to Cap-haitien, and then from Cap-haitien west of the island to Les Cayes. Honorat drove from Grand Goave, the area where he resides in Haiti, to Les Cayes and was one of 10 people who were able to find refuge in Florida.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said 36 Canadians had been airlifted out of Haiti by helicopter on Tuesday. The first flight was originally scheduled for Monday but was postponed due to bad weather.
“The Canadian Foreign Affairs would not be able to get me out because they are doing it in Port-auprince or Cap-haitien, and I am on the west side of the island — I couldn't drive to Port-au-prince; it's too dangerous,” Honorat said.
He said he received some communication from the embassy but that they didn't have a helicopter available to come to Grand Goave.
“They have lots of other Canadians on the other side of the island; they are still there because they cannot be rescued, they cannot drive to go to the embassy there.”
Canada plans to airlift small groups of Canadians with valid passports to the Dominican Republic at no charge; however, people must cover the expenses for their accommodations and travel back to Canada.
“I'm kind of a bit torn because I love my own people. I love Haiti, and knowing that a lot of them are still there and they cannot get out of this situation, it's really tough.”
As of Monday, officials said there were roughly 3,000 people with a connection to Canada who have voluntarily registered their presence in Haiti with the government.
Fewer than 300 had requested assistance to leave the country.
“Knowing that they're there, I don't want anything to happen to them. So I'm praying for them and for the whole country, because Haiti needs some help in that way. But I am happy to be back with my family, they were really worried about me.”
Allen Speer, CEO of Agape Flights, said: “We're flying today. We have one of our aircraft out today going to Jacmel and Les Cayes and delivering 2,500 pounds of cargo.”
Speer said the same flight will bring back seven people: “Next week we have two fights scheduled, and I think both of those flights have passengers coming back, many of whom will return eventually. But they really need to get out, some of them for medical reasons.”
The organization is unable to fly into the capital because operational authority and security cannot be maintained in domestic and international airports.
“What you have is people who need safety and security, and they really just want to have hope and help,” Speer said.