Spokane couple escapes crisis in Haiti after flight ban caused by gang violence

SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane woman is back home after being stuck in Haiti for nine days after all flights into Haiti from the United States were banned for a month.

Renee Ballantyne and her husband, who is originally from Haiti, travelled to Haiti in early November, but what was supposed to be a brief trip turned into a crisis.

Three American planes had been shot at by Haitian gangs, causing all flights from the U.S. to be banned for 30 days.

Ballantyne, who works with the Haitian Diaspora Political Action Committee, said she was there for a meeting on the future of Haitian elections. The country has not had elections since 2016.

When the borders closed, Balllantyne and her husband found themselves stuck in a gang-fueled crisis.

The trip home was a long road, starting with a helicopter ride to the Dominican border.

“We got to the Dominican border. We walked across, we checked ourselves out of Haiti and walked across the border, then we jumped on the scooter, took the scooter to the bus, and then a 6-hour bus ride to Santo Domingo, where we flew back to the United State,” said Ballantyne.

She eventually made her way back to Spokane. Her husband is still traveling abroad.

Ballantyne said she felt lucky to find a way out of danger, she was sad to leave so many people in need behind.

“While I was feeling incredibly grateful to be on the plane, I also felt really sorry from a humanitarian standpoint. There are five million Haitians right now on the brink of starvation and there’s over 700,000 people that are displaced,” she said.

She said she still believes that the country could secure an election in 2025.

“We hope to move Haiti to a free and fair election, and in order to do that, we need to address humanitarian needs, then safety and security, and economic development needs to happen and then political stability,” said Ballantyne.

Although she said the country is in dire need, she still has hope for Haiti in the long-term.

“The amazing thing about the people in Haiti is that it is hopeful, and something is going to happen,” she said.