Americans returning to NYC from war-torn Middle East say U.S. had "zero plan for evacuation" after Iran attacks
As the war with Iran continues for a sixth day, evacuating Americans from the Middle East remains a contentious issue.
The first direct flight out of the United Arab Emirates landed Thursday at John F. Kennedy International Airport. On board were many New York City area residents who had been stranded since the surprise U.S. military attack on Saturday.
While they were happy to be home, they were clearly rattled and had a lot to say about the country's evacuation plan. This as more flights from the region were canceled on the same day.
"Being in a country where there are no bombs flying overhead is better than not," one traveler said.
"There was zero plan for evacuation for anyone"
Amid the unnerving explosions and constant "shelter in place" alerts on their phones, travelers say information from the U.S. was insufficient.
"There was zero plan for evacuation for anyone. The phone numbers are a joke," said Jenna Arnold, a New York resident.
"It feels like there is not anyone doing enough on our side here in the United States," diplomacy student Evan Rhault said. "They're not sending charter flights or anything. We're stuck fending for ourselves. They had kind of a makeshift bomb shelter where we would go [in an] underground parking garage."
"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?" added Aayush Patel, of Sayreville, New Jersey.
The State Department says it's working on a series of options to get Americans home, including charter flights. However, closed airspace in the war zone is still stranding many, including Oliver Sims.He said his flight took off but then returned to Qatar, where he remains.
"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," Sims said.
"Dubai was supposed to be a peace zone"
The Cabreras of Connecticut welcomed home their son who was at a student diplomacy conference in Dubai when Iran began bombarding the city with missiles and drones.
"All other countries were immediately getting plans, getting planes in, while we were just told get a commercial flight, and [to] stay safe," Ryan Rivera Cabrera said.
"They were in a war zone. Hotels were being attacked. Dubai was supposed to be a peace zone," mother Cathy Cabrera said.
Charles Lowe was on vacation in Dubai.
"It's not usual to have missiles intercepted above your head," Lowe said.
