DETROIT (WXYZ) — A group of Americans including Detroit Free Press Columnist and SAY Detroit Founder Mitch Albom was rescued from Haiti as the country is in a state of emergency.
A spokesperson for Congresswoman Lisa McClain, who represents Michigan’s 9th District, told 7 Action News about the rescue on Tuesday.
Albom was among Americans stuck in Haiti as local gangs burned and shot up parts of the country over the last couple of weeks to prevent the prime minister from returning to the country.
Albom was visiting his orphanage Have Faith Haiti. His orphanage, which houses about 60 children, is in an area that was forced to shelter in place.
7 Action News spoke with Albom on the phone last week as he was trying to get back home.
“This has to stop. Thousands of people are dying,” Albom told us. “… the gangs have taken control of pretty much everything, including the airport, all the ports, and there’s literally no way out of Haiti or even to move within Haiti.”
Tuesday night, Albom posted on Facebook that he and his wife are home safe. He said they evacuated overnight with eight volunteers and that his "heart aches" for the kids left behind.
"I am back on American soil. Thank you to all who supported us and our kids at Have Faith Haiti during this difficult week. My wife and I are safe tonight. Many Americans, Canadians, and others who are still stuck are not. The people of Haiti are not. I hope that our attention can turn to them and how we can help restore peace and safety to a beautiful country and its people, including our kids, who deserve so much better," Albom said in the Facebook post.
