Author Mitch Albom, 9 other Americans rescued from Haiti: 'We were lucky to get out'
Author Mitch Albom was among a group of 10 Americans rescued Tuesday from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where gangs have plunged the country into lawlessness, orchestrating prison breaks, battling police forces and shutting down international airports.
Albom, a longtime columnist for the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, communicated with the newspaper late Tuesday afternoon and confirmed that he had left the country and was is on the way home.
"Well, we‘re pretty grimy and exhausted, but after two days of coordinated efforts, a group of us from the Have Faith Haiti Orphanage, including my wife and myself, were evacuated in the middle of the night from a site in Haiti (not our orphanage)," Albom said in a statement Tuesday night.
The rescue was arranged, in part, by Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., who connected with Albom via phone over the weekend after one of McClain's constituents called her "extremely distraught" about the fact that Albom and nine other Americans – eight from Detroit – were stranded in Haiti.
"It was a helicopter effort and was pretty crazy. I want to thank Cory Mills and Lisa McClain, who were instrumental in making this happen as an independent effort. We were lucky to get out," Albom said.
Albom had gone to Haiti earlier this month to visit the Have Faith Haiti Mission & Orphanage he has run after a devastating 2010 earthquake ravaged the country's infrastructure and killed at least 100,000. Early in Albom's visit, the Haitian government declared a state of emergency after two mass prison breaks in a country that already has large-scale safety and security problems.
On Tuesday morning, Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced plans to resign while stranded in Puerto Rico. Over the weekend, the U.S. military airlifted some nonessential personnel from the American Embassy. Haiti has been declared a Level 4: Do Not Travel destination by the U.S. State Department since before the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse on 2021. The U.S. Embassy in Haiti repeated that warning on Sunday, urging Americans not to travel there.
"Many other Americans, Canadians and others are still stuck in Haiti in an extremely volatile situation and they need help getting out and it seems very little is coming from our governments," Albom said in the statement. "Our personal biggest concern is our 60 children and 40 staff at the Have Faith Haiti Orphanage who have to endure their country’s violence and danger everyday with no option to leave. We truly implore our U.S. leaders to be more active in helping to save their country."
'We couldn't get any answers'
Albom was sheltering in place at the orphanage for more than a week as the Haitian capital devolved into chaos. All the while, McClain and her staff made calls.
“We tried to use the government channels. ... We tried to go through the proper channels,” she said. “No one was calling us back. We couldn’t get any answers.”
Finally, frustrated – and knowing the desperation Albom and his party were feeling as the situation deteriorated – she contacted Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., an Army veteran who served with the 82nd Airborne Command and who has played a role in getting Americans out of other countries in dangerous situations, including Afghanistan and Israel, where he helped get Michigan Rep Bill Huizenga’s son out last year. Mills began making arrangements and coordinating an evacuation strategy.
Because of the circumstances, she said, the plan changed several times.
“We were not going to leave them there,” she said. “We were going to get them out at any cost.”
They found a helicopter, but it needed maintenance work first. There was also a question about where to land to pick them up: Albom didn’t want it near the orphanage for fear it could be compromised. The landing spot was kept secret. Because there were so many of them, the passengers were also told they could bring only the clothes on their back. Finally, she said, the helicopter landed about 2:30 a.m. Monday, with night vision equipment for landing and takeoff, and flew Albom and the rest to the Dominican Republic.
'Please don’t forget about them'
On Tuesday, McClain, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, peppered Gen. Laura Richardson, head of the U.S. Southern Command, with questions about the upheaval in Haiti and the Biden administration’s handling of the violence there.
“I asked, 'Were you notified of this potential uprising in Haiti? ‘No. We had no idea it was going to happen,’” McClain said. “Which is kind of odd. I asked, 'Do you have a plan to get Americans out?' and she said flat-out, ‘No.’
“Haiti is burning and you do you not have a plan? That’s my frustration – that‘s your job … to protect Americans abroad.”
As for her role in helping to get Albom and the rest out, McClain said she was just glad it worked out.
“It does kind of make you feel good, I’ll be honest with you,” she said.
Albom said he remains committed to the orphanage's mission and intends to reunite with the children and staff there when it's safe to do so.
"Since I was the one who asked these wonderful eight other volunteers to come help at our orphanage, I felt it my obligation to get them out safely," he said. "But my wife’s and my heart aches for the kids still there. Saying goodbye to them this time was horribly difficult.
"We pray for help in making their country safe for them again and we will be back with them the moment it is possible. Our deepest thanks to everyone who sent messages and prayers for us. We were luckier than a lot of others. Please don’t forget about them."