Mitch Albom recalls evacuation from Haiti by Cory Mills

Mitch Albom. Image via AP.

Author Mitch Albom recalled a swift transition when U.S. Rep. Cory Mills airlifted him and others from Haiti.

“It was the middle of the night thing you know,” Albom told Fox News Sunday. “We came running out of place where we were really held, 67 seconds, we were thrown into a helicopter and up and out.”

Albom and his wife, Janine Sabino, were among those evacuated out of the Have Faith Haiti orphanage. That’s a facility run by the A Hole In The Roof Foundation and named for one of Albom’s books, “Have a Little Faith.”

The author described the evacuation as harrowing, but he also described sadness as he flew away.

“While we’re happy that we were able to get out, we were kind of heartbroken when we were over Haiti airspace when I realized that our kids are still there,” he said. “And so are, by the way, hundreds if not thousands of other Americans, Canadians, volunteer workers who can’t get out right now and still are trying to.”

Mills, a New Smyrna Beach Republican, announced after completing a mission that he had airlifted 10 people from the island. Gang violence has prompted a state of emergency, and Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his resignation earlier this week.

Florida has deployed its state guard to stop evacuees from Haiti arriving in Florida.

Albom said he did not know Mills before the Congressman reached out to him about evacuating him. He took up the offer.

“It wasn’t so much about my wife and myself. We go there every month and we are used to this danger,” he said. “But we had eight guests who had come down, some of whom had never been to Haiti before.”

With airports closed and even roadways to the Dominican Republic shut down, Albom said there’s no easy way for Americans and others to leave Haiti.

He stressed those trapped on the island aren’t tourists but philanthropic workers.

“I want to point out that these are not people who went to Haiti to go have a vacation. You know, people didn’t go there to go to Club Med,” he said. “They’re there to help children. They’re there to water projects or bring food or education or hospitals. They’re doing good work and if they need to get out now, I hope there’ll be efforts to bring them out.”