Spokane couple escapes crisis in Haiti after flight ban caused by gang violence | News [Video]

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. …