TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida missionary was rescued by Project DYNAMO from Haiti after violence erupted.
Miriam Cinotti arrived in Haiti in February and worked for a Christian organization called Mission of Grace. The organization moved nearly 200 children to safety as violence erupted in Port-au-Prince.
"It was a little scary, but again, I had hope, and I tried to keep everyone else hopeful. Whenever I got news from Project DYNAMO, of course, I shared," said Miriam Cinotti.
Cinotti said Project DYNAMO was her only hope of getting out. Her flights had been canceled, and she had been stranded for nearly three weeks.
"All these people, every single person that we rescued without exception, we were their last hope. We’re the last resort. We’re never the first call, ever, ever, ever," said Bryan Stern.
CEO and Founder of Project DYNAMO, Bryan Stern, said gangs are controlling the streets. He is using planes, boats, and buses to rescue Americans.
He said more than 100 Americans have reached out to his organization needing help.
"There's many different gangs, and they control different sectors, different areas almost like precincts depending upon which gang you're talking about will dictate how violent they are and what their goals are," said Stern.
Cinotti is in the Dominican Republic waiting on her other team members before returning to Jacksonville.
"I'm a feisty one. I'm a fighter, and I will fight for what I know is right, and I know that Americans should be coming to get the people," she said.
Stern said the rescue operations are difficult and dangerous. He has conducted rescue missions across the world, including in Afghanistan, Gaza, Ukraine, and Russia.
He said he will continue missions in Haiti as long as he has funding.
"We don’t have the resources to rescue everybody. We just don’t, I wish that we did, but it’s incredibly expensive. The airplanes do not fly themselves. The helicopters do not gas themselves, and the pilots have to eat," said Stern.
"As long as funding holds out, we’ll continue to operate, but right now, we don’t have anywhere near the capacity, financially, to rescue who is asking for help."
For more information on Project DYNAMO and how to support Stern's mission, visit here.
