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(Sanford) American Red Cross Volunteers from the Mid-Florida Region joined personnel from other agencies to help US citizens at the start of a program of emergency repatriation from Haiti. They were on hand Saturday, January 16, to offer basic needs and emotional support.
186 evacuees arrived at Sanford International Airport. Most were hungry and thirsty after the flight on a U.S. Air Force C-17. The Red Cross distributed food, provided by Second Harvest Food Bank, and water as well as comfort kits with items like soap, toothbrushes and other personal items. Red Cross nurses cared for 3 evacuees who needed medical attention.
Some of the evacuees were then bused to Orlando International Airport where they were either taken to local hotels or caught onward flights to other parts of the country.
Among them was a 99 year old great grandmother named Yla Lilavois. She told the Red Cross volunteers that she had been on the second floor of a three story block when the earthquake struck. She said there was no warning and part of the building collapsed leaving her trapped by her right leg.
Neighbors rescued her and she spent four days out on the streets, sleeping in a car at night with a broken leg and with very little food or water. Thanks to the help of a neighbor she managed to make her way from Canape Vert in Port au Prince to the airport.
From Orlando, Lilavois, who is an American citizen and retired seamstress, traveled to Miami to be reunited with her daughter and grandson. She arrived in the United States with no luggage, just her purse and one day supply of essential medications.
A Red Cross Volunteer accompanied her through the airport to the departure point to make sure she made her flight.
The American Red Cross Mid-Florida Region will continue to support other agencies if and when additional flights arrive in the area.
Please contact the Chief Public Relations Officer for more information.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org. |
