"There was zero plan for evacuation for anyone. The phone numbers are a joke. It feels like there is not anyone doing enough on our side here in the United States. They're not sending charter flights or anything. We're stuck fending for ourselves."
"Every day was chaos. It's canceled every day. I see flights going to Europe and elsewhere. So we're like, should we fly to Europe? should we fly, like, to India? Being in a country where there are no bombs flying overhead is better than not."
"I'm stuck here. It's very frightening. It's a very scary time and, you know, it's very uncertain, what are the next steps. They had kind of a makeshift bomb shelter where we would go in an underground parking garage."
As conflict with Iran continues into its sixth day, evacuating Americans from the Middle East has become a significant challenge. The first direct flight from the United Arab Emirates arrived at JFK Airport with stranded New York area residents, though many expressed frustration about the evacuation process. Evacuees reported receiving insufficient information from U.S. authorities, with some describing the evacuation plan as nonexistent. Travelers faced constant shelter-in-place alerts, makeshift bomb shelters, and daily flight cancellations. The State Department indicated it is exploring options including charter flights, but closed airspace in conflict zones continues to prevent departures. Many Americans remain stranded in the region, uncertain about next steps.
#evacuation-crisis #iran-conflict #american-citizens-stranded #state-department-response #middle-east-military-conflict
Read at Cbsnews
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