Americans evacuated from Haiti by rescue group worried ‘no one would come’ to save them
Two US missionaries escaped Haiti, as it descends into chaos and gang violence, through an evacuation organized by an international nonprofit rescue group.
Miriam Cinotti and her friend Lynn, who did not want to give her last name for security reasons, were worried they had been abandoned by the US government, which had offered little more than advice since civil order broke out in the Caribbean country.
Since both main international airports have been closed since gangs seized power in the capital, Port-au-Prince, earlier this month, they were effectively stranded.
However, after The Post helped highlight their plight last week, they were able to arrange to leave with veteran-led group Project Dynamo, which airlifted them to safety in the Dominican Republic on Sunday.
“Ms. Lynn and I are so grateful to Project Dynamo for evacuating us from our location in Haiti. It was an adventure for sure — from sky, walking on beach, to boat, and bus to the hotel in the Dominican Republic.
“Our location was real remote and we feared the US would make us last to get out because of how safe [it perceived] we were,” Cinotti told The Post.
Cinotti had come to Haiti in a bid to tackle gang violence and help rescue 80 girls from gangs in the country, when violence broke out and chaos and uncertainty took over.
Bloodthirsty gangs began to attack and burn police stations and government buildings in Haiti on Feb. 29, leading to a breakdown in civil order.
Bodies have been piling up in the streets in even the most affluent areas of Port-au-Prince and a power vacuum has existed since Prime Minister Ariel Henry stepped down last week. The UN World Food Programme said 360,000 people have been displaced by the unrest, according to the BBC.
The area where Cinotti and Lynn were located hadn’t yet been overrun by gangs, but they felt time was growing short: Roads and ports have been blocked, and essential goods such as food and fuel are running out in the country.
The situation continues to deteriorate with roughly 1.4 million people in Haiti on the verge of famine and an additional 15,000 made homeless, according to aid groups.
The US government conducted the first charter flight to get dozens of Americans out of the region Sunday, days after the State Department said it had no plans to evacuate US citizens.
Cinotti, from Florida, said she was very grateful to Project Dynamo for helping organize a way out.
“We all have businesses and families that want us home. So Project Dynamo found a way for us. We’re just waiting for two more [people] and then a way home to the States,” Cinotti said.
“Where we were, we felt no one would come unless a private group got to us,” Cinotti said.
Bryan Stern, co-founder of Project Dynamo, explained to The Post how it operates in areas the US government can’t get to.
“Project Dynamo’s operations complement the US government efforts in areas where government support is not yet present,” Stern said.
“As federal evacuation and rescue resources become available, Project Dynamo will be able conclude operations.
“Our goal is to rescue Americans in areas where there is no overlap or interference with official efforts,” Stern said.
The group’s website says it has run missions to rescue hostages, unlawfully detained Americans and victims of human trafficking, victims of natural disasters and others from some of the most dangerous areas in the world, including Russia, Sudan and Afghanistan.
Roughly 1,000 Americans have filled out a “crisis intake form” for the US to evacuate them from Haiti, the State Department said Monday.
