A well-known Boston pastor is desperately trying to evacuate his family from Haiti with the country descended into chaos.
State Department officials are urging U.S. citizens to flee Haiti “as soon as possible” as chaos and gang violence there is quickly spiraling out of control.
Pastor Dieufort Fleurissaint has two sisters and about 10 nieces and nephews trapped in Haiti right now.
“No one is safe in Haiti. God is the only protection they have," he told NBC10 Boston.
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“They’re afraid even just to come to the phone and speak with me. It’s much better for them to send me a text or WhatsApp,” he added.
A long-simmering crisis in the country has come to a head with the nation unable to govern itself, and a series of natural disasters compounding the challenges.
“It’s a very sad situation knowing that I can’t do much at this point,” Fleurissaint said.
Fleurissaint, who runs a nonprofit in Boston advocating for the Haitian community, said he has been trying for more than a year to get his family here through a U.S. government program, to no avail.
