MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Marc-Henry Jean says he is taking it day-by-day as he waits to find out when he will see his mom or dad again.

“Both my parents are stuck in Haiti,” said Jean, a Bradenton resident. “Is there going to be a time where they can safely come back to the United States or are they stuck at the mercy of gangs?”

He and his family are originally from Haiti, but he moved to Bradenton in 2012 and started his own financial consulting company. His parents moved to the U.S. a few years later with green cards, living permanently in Bradenton and in Haiti.

“This is my parents here, my mom, my dad, my daughter,” he said.

Both in their 70s, his dad, Madsen, and his mom, Igenia, were vacationing in Haiti when disaster struck.

“I hope there is a way for them to come to the United States as soon as possible," Jean said. "I love my mom dearly. I love my dad dearly."

Both were supposed to come back to the U.S. on March 8 to celebrate Igenia’s birthday.

“It’s hostage, keeping the entire country as a hostage," Jean said. "It’s the first time I’ve seen a country as a whole be kidnapped."

He said he is desperate at this point to try to get his parents back to the states because of his mom’s health.

“She cannot walk," Jean said. "She needs someone to assist her and needs medical attention and has glaucoma risking to be blind if she doesn’t get her medication and come back here for her appointment."

As he waits for news, Jean said he is praying and hoping to see his friends and family return soon.