The attack on Iran by the U.S. and Israel has left some Western Pennsylvania residents stranded in Dubai as escalating tensions in the Middle East disrupt international travel.
Jackie Graham of Marshall and Karen Hasenkopf of Brookline received the news of the attack while on a tour in the middle of the desert in Dubai.
Graham and Hasenkopf, both 74, said they were sitting on bean bags, enjoying barbecue and dancing entertainment, when their tour group began to see news of the attack.
“We were just sitting there and people started to say, ‘oh my God, did you see?’” Graham said.
Louise Herrle and husband Godfrey Molyneux, who live in Shadyside, were traveling with Graham and Hasenkopf and arrived in Dubai on Feb. 25. They have been stuck there since.
While the foursome are frequent travelers, this is their first time visiting Dubai. They booked the trip through a tour company and were planning on taking a bus to Abu Dhabi on Sunday when they received recommendation from the State Department to shelter in place.
They have been staying at the Crowne Plaza Dubai Jumeirah by IHG, which is located near tourist attractions.
“This is a bit of a smaller hotel. It’s only four floors — because when you see photos of Dubai, you see all these massive glass structures and things of that nature — and quite frankly, I’m kind of relieved that we’re in a smaller hotel. So I think we’re at least less of a target,” said Herrle, 68.
They were supposed to have an Emirates flight from Dubai to Washington, D.C., on Monday, but it was canceled. Their tour agency booked flights for Tuesday and Wednesday, which were canceled as well.
“We found out around midday (Wednesday) that Dubai airport suspended all flights until the foreseeable future. So at this point, we’re here, and don’t know how we’re going to get help,” Herrle said.
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During their stay Herrle, Molyneux, Graham and Hasenkopf heard jets fly over their hotel and booming sounds in the distance, but any sign of war had dissipated by midweek, they said.
Despite being stuck, they said they didn’t feel unsafe and that the hotel staff has been accommodating to make their extended stay enjoyable.
The group was continuing to venture outside for trips to the pharmacy, dinner and to visit The Dubai Mall. Hasenkopf said she was even able to get a refill on medication she had run out of during the trip.
On Thursday, the group was bored and itching to leave Dubai.
Graham said they had another flight scheduled for March 15 but are continuing to reach out to Pittsburgh’s government officials and the State Department for information regarding evacuation.
To pass the time, they have been reading, playing phone games and hanging out at the hotel’s restaurant for happy hour. They identified a television station that plays movies in English.
“We were actually considering maybe doing some other things, but once we heard about the drone strike at the Dubai consulate, which is not that far away from our hotel, we just feel like we’re not doing any of that,” Herrle said. “We’re just really staying close to the hotel as best we can.”