U.S. government charter flight to evacuate Americans from Haiti, as hunger soars: "There are a lot of desperate people"

[BumRushDaShow]

3. The airports had been taken over

so they needed to find a way to do it (at least until some airport could be secured). The ports are also in bad shape and/or off limits/taken over.

They have been warning Americans to get out for at least a year and it was designated a "Do Not Travel" country by the State Department last summer - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/haiti-travel-advisory.html

Most who have gone there were from there (but were naturalized American citizens) and/or had family there and/or were part of NGOs operating there.

(you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink)