A group of women from Kent are among several Americans stranded indefinitely abroad as escalating conflict in the Middle East disrupts international travel.
The travelers were scheduled to depart for an African safari from Dubai, where they had stopped for a few days, when Iranian airstrikes led to airport shutdowns and widespread flight cancellations.
Darleen Earnest said the group was just hours from their flight to Rwanda when the Dubai airport shut down.
The United States government has urged citizens in the region to shelter in place. The women report they have received no official guidance on when they will be able to return home.
“We keep buying airplane tickets, and they keep getting canceled,” Earnest said.
Earnest said the group has not been able to connect with airline operators or members of the U.S. Embassy. They tried visiting the embassy in person, but it was already shut down.
The travelers are currently remaining in their hotel while they attempt to find a solution. Earnest described the environment as volatile, noting that the group has heard the sounds of the conflict nearby.
“We have heard multiple, multiple, multiple bombs the last few days,” Earnest said.
U.S. lawmakers in Washington D.C. have reacted to the impact abroad this week.
Senator Chris Coons (D - Delaware) criticized the U.S. action overseas.
“They were not adequately prepared for this,” he said.
Coons also spoke specifically about drone attacks in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
“If you’re in a situation like that, what do you do? You call the US embassy,” he said. “If the staff of the US embassy are in the midst of being removed from the region, you won’t get the immediate support that you hope for and you need. This is a very difficult situation. There are resources. We should be surging them from other parts of the world to provide support for anxious and concerned Americans, but it’s going to be very difficult to get people out of harm’s way.”
KIRO 7 contacted the U.S. State Department to ask for comment about the situation that Earnest and others are facing, as well as resources they could utilize, and is still waiting for a response.
KIRO 7 also contacted both of Washington’s U.S. senators and the office of U.S. Rep. Adam Smith.
The office of Rep. Smith provided contact information for their casework team to assist the women with their situation.
“My office is ready to assist anyone in our region who is facing this situation, and we encourage families to contact us if they need help navigating their options,” Rep. Adam Smith wrote in a statement, where he also criticized the Trump administration’s handling of the conflict in Iran.
Senator Patty Murray’s office also provided contact information for their casework team.
In a statement, Senator Murray criticized the Trump administrations actions as well.
“The mixed messages and delayed official communication have made it harder for us to protect our constituents,” Murray wrote. “I will do everything in my power to bring members of our community home safely, but the administration is the only government entity with the resources to protect and evacuate American citizens.”
While the group is safe in their hotel, they are facing mounting financial losses.
“Our gorilla safari has left without us, and we’re incurring expenses, obviously, daily here,” Earnest said.
Although she has travel insurance, she said she doubts the policy will provide reimbursement for these specific losses. Standard travel insurance policies typically do not include coverage for issues caused by war or other military action.
Earnest described the situation as having a “literally devastating” impact on the group.
The trip was originally intended as a tribute to a friend named Diana, who died unexpectedly during the planning stages of the vacation.
Earnest described her as a “little pistol” and said the group wanted to complete the bucket-list adventure to honor her memory.
“In her honor, we decided to continue on and go gorilla trekking because that was her dream,” Earnest said. “So we wanted to live her dream for her.”