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Jacksonville woman hopes to return home amid gang violence in Haiti

A Jacksonville woman who is in Haiti on a mission trip is hoping to return home to her family as violence explodes in Haiti.

RELATED: Why is Haiti so chaotic? Leaders used street gangs to gain power. Then the gangs got stronger

Natalie Cross’s priority is getting out of South Haiti to return to her husband and kids.

“Last night I did take the last dose of some of my meds so now for me, it’s more of a mental battle of a need to get home than just a want,” Cross said.

She has been in Haiti since Feb. 23 for a mission trip to help relocate children at the Mission of Grace orphanage to a home in the mountains away from the danger.

MORE: Haitian community in Jacksonville wishes more was being done to help with crisis in the Caribbean

What was supposed only to be a two-week trip is turning into almost a month away from her family.

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Natalie Cross with her family

Cross said she has talked to her kids while stuck in Haiti.

“They miss mom and they want to make sure I’m safe and ok,” Cross said.

According to the Associated Press, Haitian gangs carried out attacks across the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

Gangs attacked prisons to free more than 4,000 inmates and tried to seize control of the main international airport, causing flights to shut down.

This led the government to declare a state of emergency.

Cross said she hadn’t been scared during the first few weeks of her being there.

“I haven’t but we’ve been blessed to be far enough away from a lot of the chaos which has been a blessing,” Cross said.

Recently, two members of her group who were on the trip were evacuated by Project Dynamo and the help of U.S. Rep. Cory Mills of Florida.

Cross said the plane was supposed to return and get them, but it’s on hold due to mechanical issues and now some political problems.

She said she’s ready to leave the country but she’s fearful of the future.

“A lot of people are worried that we won’t come back and were just trying to reassure them as soon as we can, we will,” Cross said.

Cross’ husband said it’s been “hard and stressful not knowing how safe she really is in a highly stressful situation” and he wonders if politics and money are making it longer for her to get home.


About the Author
Khalil Maycock headshot

Khalil Maycock joined the News4JAX team in November 2022 after reporting in Des Moines, IA.

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