A plane carrying 21 Americans fleeing Haiti arrived in Orlando, Florida, over the weekend, the latest in a string of repatriation operations as the Caribbean nation continues its descent into chaos due to gang violence and political instability.
CNN reported that Florida's Division of Emergency Management announced the plane's arrival at Orlando Airport on Saturday (Mar. 23), noting that a total of 35 Americans, to date, have been "rescued by state-coordinated emergency flights."
The agency said that the repatriated passengers had access to numerous resources, including meals and water, lodging, transportation, basic health and medical screenings, phones, and ID replacement services.
"The Division is working around the clock through every available avenue to get our residents home," state emergency management chief Kevin Guthrie said in a news release. "Governor [Ron] DeSantis directed us to tackle every challenge in our path and not stop until the mission is complete."
DeSantis issued an executive order on March 15 declaring a state of emergency in Florida after the agency received numerous requests from Floridians who were stranded in Haiti.
State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel previously told a source that hundreds of US citizens remain in Haiti, and nearly 1,000 have filled out crisis intake forms as of Mar. 19.
That number includes people who either want to leave or want to receive more information from US officials.
A Florida-organized flight brought 14 people from Haiti to Orlando last week, which was preceded by an earlier flight of Americans fleeing the country and arriving in Miami.
In addition to the flights out of Cap-Haitien, some Americans fleeing Haiti were able to cross the border into the Dominican Republic, with other options also being explored as the crisis worsens.
Hundreds of other Americans still trapped in Haiti are still asking for the State Department to help them leave, Axios reported.
