A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The Trump administration says it is working to arrange military aircraft and charter flights to help evacuate Americans stranded in the Middle East since the start of the war with Iran. As NPR's Tovia Smith reports, thousands of U.S. citizens have been frustrated that other foreign nationals are being flown out, while Americans can't even get through to a helpline.
TOVIA SMITH, BYLINE: Fifty-two-year-old Evelyn Mushi was headed from Chicago to Bali for what was supposed to be a trip of a lifetime with her 82-year-old mother and other family and friends, but she arrived in Abu Dhabi for a connecting flight only to realize she had landed in what was quickly becoming a war zone.
EVELYN MUSHI: I heard a bombing, and I heard a noise. Then everything started hitting, and I understood later that they were attacking the airport.
SMITH: Mushi was bused to a hotel, where things got even scarier.
MUSHI: I saw, in the air, missiles and lights and all that, so I just - everyone got on their knees and started praying. We just kept on praying and praying.
SMITH: Mushi says she's repeatedly called numbers provided by the State Department but was left on hold for hours. The State Department's security updates weren't much help either, she says - just the same message posted on social media, imploring Americans to depart now.
MUSHI: Yeah. But how? Where do you leave? Where? What do I do? This is cold.
SMITH: Mushi says she supports the U.S. military action in Iran but calls it unacceptable for the administration to not have solid evacuation plans in place.
MUSHI: I'm just very shocked and upset that I see other nations getting their citizens out, and we're just stranded here.
SMITH: Yesterday, the State Department said it's facilitating charter flights from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan and would cover the cost. Officials say government call centers have been in touch with almost 3,000 Americans, and more than 9,000 have managed to leave on their own. When asked why evacuation plans were not in place sooner, President Trump suggested it was because the U.S. decided to strike sooner than expected.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It happened all very quickly. We thought, and I thought maybe more so than most - I could ask Marco - but I thought we were going to have a situation where we were going to be attacked.
SMITH: For her part, Mushi says she's trying to be optimistic, but she's running low on patience.
MUSHI: I want to get out. I want to leave this place.
SMITH: I need, she says, to get somewhere safe.
Tovia Smith, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
