John Travolta Pilots Late Night Flight To Take Doctors, Medical
Supplies To Haiti
In continuing efforts to send aid to Haiti, a late night flight
piloted by Hollywood celebrity John Travolta took off from Tampa
carrying 50 doctors and over 7,000 pounds of medical supplies, the
Embassy of Haiti and the Greater Washington Haiti Relief Committee
announced Tuesday. On the return trip, Travolta brought
Haitian-Americans home to the United States to reunite them with
their families.
John Travolta File Photo
"I would like to thank Mr. John Travolta for the compassion he
and his wife are showing to the people of Haiti at this time of
great need," said Haitian Ambassador to the U.S. Raymond Joseph.
"The donation of his time and skills to pilot the relief supply
plane to Haiti was greatly needed, and it is a true example of an
individual's willingness to reconnect families which is very
honorable and humbling."
Travolta, a well-known pilot, offered the services of his own
plane and provided the fuel to fly a supply plane down to Haiti to
aid relief efforts following the 7.0 earthquake that struck the
island on January 12, 2010. The plane carried 7,000 pounds of
medical supplies, all of which were purchased with funds provided
by Travolta as a donation to the relief efforts. The plane also
carried much needed food and water including 4,500
meals-ready-to-eat. Also onboard were 50 doctors, including
surgeons, plastic surgeons, trauma specialists, and
cardiologists.
Felix Roger Romane was on the return flight back to Miami.
Romane, an 88-year-old with advanced glaucoma and intestinal
cancer, was born in Haiti in 1921 but immigrated to the United
States more than three decades ago in search of better
opportunities for his children. Romane later returned to live in
his native land of Haiti to retire.
On January 12 the earthquake created deep cracks in his
Port-au-Prince home, and fearing it would collapse, Romane spent
the days following the earthquake in the yard outside his home in
Port-au-Prince with the rest of his family. Romane's eldest son, a
U.S. Army veteran, walked the streets in search of much needed
food, water, and medicine. Food was scarce and the threat of hunger
was ever-present, but Romane kept his family together until he
could secure passage back to the United States. Romane was joined
on the return flight by his wife, sons, daughter, granddaughter,
and in-laws. When they landed in Miami, his family was there to
welcome them.
Devastated homes in a Port-au-Prince
neighborhood,
photo by MAF mechanic Todd Edgerton
The Church of Scientology organized the flight with the
assistance of the Embassy of Haiti and the Greater Washington Haiti
Relief Committee (GWHRC). Volunteers from the Church of Scientology
have been assisting the Embassy and GWHRC every day since the
earthquake providing logistical support, grief counseling, and
general volunteer services such as answering the phones.
The Greater Washington Haiti Relief Committee is continuing to
organize events and volunteers to assist the massive relief effort
currently underway in Haiti, including coordinating with the
Embassy of Haiti to ship already donated supplies to the island.
GWHRC, with the assistance of the Embassy of Haiti, is expecting to
send more medical professionals to Haiti as soon as planes are
available.
The Greater Washington Haiti Relief Committee is a coalition of
local and international organizations developed with the support of
the Haitian Embassy in Washington D.C. to streamline efforts during
disaster relief. GWHRC was first convened in 2008 to respond to the
series of Hurricanes that hit Haiti that year.