Efforts To Get Needed Supplies To Haiti Reach Obstacles As Unrest Continues
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Continued unrest in Haiti, including the recent kidnapping of mostly American missionaries, has made efforts more difficult for South Florida organizations who are trying to get needed supplies to the country.
Frustrations reached a boiling point after a recent surge of kidnappings, coupled with the summer's presidential assassination and massive earthquake.
Folks there still need help and those trying to get them that help are being forced to pump the brakes.
"The people in Haiti exist, but they are not living. It's a shame," says Father Reginal Jean-Mary.
The Notre Dame d'Haiti Church in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood began collecting donations after the deadly 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
But now fears over safety due to kidnappings are putting a wedge between the supplies arriving and getting into the hands of those who need them most.
"Not only they are intercepting those vehicles, but they kidnap those people for ransom and therefore not to put the lives of people in danger, we have to halt it"
It's a similar story at Michael Capponi's non-profit organization Global Empowerment Mission.
"We're forced to fly through when we land into basically a secret location on a small plane," says Capponi.
But now they've doubled their costs on the ground in Haiti for military level security detail to protect their crews.
"The truck drivers who have been hijacked themselves they refuse to drive through so no goods can come in, it's basically a complete chokehold of the entire country," says Capponi.
