BOSTON (WHDH) - With rockets flying in the Middle East, New England-natives are struggling to evacuate as the United States State Department is urging Americans to get out of the region. Many people tell 7NEWS they were in the countries visiting family, on vacation, or on business.
Jody Comins, her husband, and her two adult daughters had been in Tel Aviv, but managed to make it to Southern Israel where they say they feel safer after the country’s capital came under attack. The family is originally from Natick.
“My younger daughter arrived on Friday afternoon, and she seemed surprised that the customs agents said, ‘why did you come now?’ And she said, ‘what do you mean?’ And they said, ‘well there’s going to be a war with Iran.’ And my daughter said, ‘well I’ve seen a few things on the news,’ and she’s like, ‘good luck getting out next week,'” Comins explained.
All flights from Tel Aviv are currently canceled.
“Everyone’s on El Al, and El Al says we’re going to start flying again maybe tomorrow, maybe Thursday, and you don’t really know if the airspace is open,” Comins said.
Kristy Ellmer, a consultant from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, cannot get out of the United Arab Emirates. She said she expected to be in Barcelona, Spain this week, but is instead holed up at a hotel in Dubai.
“We have multiple flights already booked, and so we’re just trying to hope that those stick eventually,” said Ellmer. “Everyday we wake up and a couple of them are canceled.”
When shrapnel from Iranian rockets hit a nearby hotel after being intercepted by an air defense system, Ellmer took notice.
“It’s actually just across the bay from where we are so I know where it is. And I think, yeah, that hit a little close to home…this is serious,” she said.
The United States State Department is urging Americans to evacuate from the Middle East. The Department listed more than a dozen nations that are not considered safe at this time, including Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, Oman, The United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.
Ellmer said she is trying to take it all in stride, and relax whenever she can.
“If you’re having dinner or breakfast or something in the hotel and you hear explosions, they turn up the music,” she said. “The thing is fully staffed and everybody is just continuing on like nothing’s happening. And honestly I would say even most of the tourists, people were out by the pool, laying out by the pool today.”
Those who are stranded in these countries said they are awaiting more advice from the State Department on how to get out.
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