HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Henrico County teacher Alex Saintelus’ father has safely returned to the United States after being stuck in Haiti for more than a month.
Frantzy Saintelus arrived in Haiti on Feb. 16 and was stuck there for more than a month due to the ongoing violent turmoil and political unrest taking place in the Caribbean country, with armed gangs to have taken control of much of the capital, Port-au-Prince.
According to Alex Saintelus, he received notification on Monday, March 25 that his father Frantzy Saintelus needed to report to the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince by 7 a.m. Tuesday, March 26 for a helicopter evacuation to the Dominican Republic.
On Tuesday, Frantzy Saintelus hired a taxi, called a Tap-Tap, to take him within a mile of the Embassy’s perimeter, where he then walked the final mile to the facility.
According to Alex Saintelus, his father reported not seeing any weapons during this time as “it was too early in the morning” and “no one was outside.”
Once at the Embassy, Frantzy Saintelus completed mandatory paperwork and was placed on a helicopter with about 18 other people who were also being evacuated from Haiti.
The helicopter dropped Frantzy Saintelus off at the Embassy in Santo Domingo, where he stayed with family for two days.
On Friday, March 29, Frantzy Saintelus flew to Orlando, Florida and took a connecting flight to Boston. According to Alex Saintelus, his father took a bus to Manchester where he saw his wife, daughter and son for the first time in over a month.
Alex Saintelus said he and his father are incredibly thankful for all the assistance given from the State Department, friends, family, as well as the general public for their support throughout the difficult situation.
According to Alex Saintelus, he is expecting to see his father next weekend, and is glad he is finally home.
