INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Two Hoosiers with ties to Dubai say they’re now navigating safety concerns and disrupted travel plans after Israeli and U.S. struck Iran on Saturday.
For Erik Foster of Cloverdale, Ind., a travel agent currently in Dubai, what was supposed to the start of a cruise, has turned into an unexpected wait.
“[We] got here Saturday, and walked into the hotel, and when we hooked up the Wi-Fi, got the notice that the cruise was canceled, and to shelter in place,” Foster said.
Foster is at an all-inclusive hotel about 4 miles from the Dubai International Airport and says the hotel is fully staffed and the service is great. He said he and his wife are trying to relax and make the best of it.
“Next thing we know, we do hear some explosions and it shook the place and we both looked at each other thinking is that what both think we just heard, and it was and so we immediately were on high alert then and didn’t get much sleep that night,” Foster said.
Foster says despite what happened, he still feels safe, and says it almost feels like nothing happened, but he does say there’s a heightened sense of alert as jets constantly fly over the hotel.
Meanwhile John Taylor, who is originally from Indiana, but now lives in Dubai, is in Las Vegas on business. He was supposed to fly back to Dubai on Thursday.
Taylor’s apartment is near where the attacks happened. His wife is sheltering in place after hearing explosions over the weekend.
“My wife’s been a trooper, frankly, she’s not been real concerned. Her biggest concern was making sure she had enough food because they told us to shelter in place, but she told me she had a month’s worth of food so she wasn’t really concerned,” Taylor said.
Taylor has worked in the Middle East since 1984, and says he’s not surprised that things are ‘back to business’ after missile strikes. He says the country is extremely concerned about their reputation and will most likely make repairs soon.
“Tourism drives Dubai, so they’ll want to get things fixed just as quick as possible, just to make sure that it’s not noticeable, that type of thing. It’ll be extremely quick and there’s a large labor force that can make it happen,” he said.
Taylor says his airline hopes to have a nearly normal schedule on Wednesday. He says if he’s not able to get a direct flight, he’ll probably fly to a nearby airport and drive the rest of the way to Dubai.
As for the Hoosiers stuck in Dubai, they’re patiently waiting for things to get better.
“Nobody is panicking. Everybody is making the best of the situation,” said Foster.
