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Fuel riots have trapped several Cornerstone Church Youth and Adults in Haiti, according to the church’s Facebook page.
“Please keep our Cornerstone Youth and Adults who have been serving in Haiti this past week in your prayers! They have been so appreciative of all your thoughts and prayers. Demonstrations have been going on in Port-Au -Prince yesterday and today which caused the airport to shut down and their flight to be canceled early this morning. Please know that everyone is SAFE as they have remained where they were serving and plan to fly out of Haiti tomorrow afternoon! To date, they expect to be back home on Monday! I know that the Lord is watching over and protecting all!”
The riots started on Friday, after officials with the Haitian government announced its plan to double the prices on gasoline, diesel, and kerosene.
The chaos has prompted the U.S. Department of State to issue a shelter in place order.
“Due to continuing demonstrations, roadblocks, and violence across Port-au-Prince and throughout Haiti, U.S. citizens should continue to shelter in place. U.S. citizens should not travel to the airport unless they have confirmed their flight is departing. The Embassy is aware flights are arriving to Port-au-Prince’s international airport. If you do decide to leave your residence or hotel to travel to the airport, please exercise extreme caution. There are disruptions and roadblocks along both Routes National 1 and 2 entering into Port-au-Prince. Do not drive through roadblocks. Flights out of Haiti are currently overbooked. Expect large crowds and delays at the airport. Bring adequate food, water, and other supplies.
Telecommunications services, including Internet and phone lines, have been affected throughout Haiti. It may be difficult to reach people through normal communication methods. The embassy will continue to monitor the situation.
Do not seek shelter at the U.S. Embassy. The Embassy is only able to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens at this time, such as providing U.S. passports for travel out of Haiti. There are no evacuation efforts at this time, and U.S. citizens are encouraged to make their own arrangements to safely depart Haiti.
We express our deepest condolences to all those affected by this event. We are closely monitoring the situation and remain in close contact with Haitian authorities to verify the welfare and whereabouts of U.S. citizens in the area. We encourage you to closely monitor this site for important crisis information.
If you are in the affected area and need immediate emergency services, please contact local authorities. We urge U.S. citizens in Haiti who are safe to contact their loved ones directly and/or update their social media status.
Please be assured that our offices are doing everything possible to assist U.S. citizens affected by the crisis event in Haiti.”
A post on the groups Facebook page asked for continued prayers, “Please keep our church youth group in your prayers. We are trusting that all will work out in Haiti so they can come home on Wednesday Lord willing!”
The group from the church, which is located on Summit Bridge Road, near Lums Pond, in Bear, had been expected to arrive back in Delaware over the weekend.
We are gathering details about this story. We will update this page as more information becomes available.