Governor Ron DeSantis and state Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie confirmed the departure of a flight carrying 14 people, including children, to Orlando Sanford International Airport on Wednesday. Florida has begun flights to evacuate Americans from the turbulent situation in Haiti.
During a stop at the airport in Central Florida, DeSantis stated, “There are people that are in parts of Haiti that are dangerous. We have personnel on the ground that are helping them get where they need to be.”
Approximately 500 Americans and 360 Floridians had requested aid through the Division of Emergency Management’s earlier online portal, which made it easier for Floridians and Americans to evacuate to Haiti.
For those with valid passports, the U.S. government has been organizing charter flights from Haiti to the United States since Saturday.
“Unlike the federal charter flights, Florida is covering people’s costs,” DeSantis said.
According to Guthrie, the state is also attempting to evacuate people by moving them from where they are now in Haiti to an unidentified airfield.
Concurrent with these evacuation operations are increased law enforcement, National Guard, and State Guard deployments to South Florida in preparation for a possible Haitian migrant wave.
