Emaan Abbass, a beauty consultant from the United States, had been living in Dubai for more than nine years. She said she’d felt secure and safe living in there until the war with Iran began on Feb. 28. But when she started hearing loud booms overhead from Iran's counterattack on the United Arab Emirates, a U.S. ally, she decided it was time to get out.
Abbass saw the headlines and started seeing video from social media the weekend the war started. But neither she nor her sister had received any direct communication from the U.S. State Department.
By March 2, she was still hearing "loud booms" overhead, so she enrolled in the STEP program, a free service for U.S. citizens and nationals so that the State Department can contact them in case of an emergency. On the MyTravel.gov website, one of the benefits of the program is to "Help the embassy or consulate contact you if there's an emergency like a natural disaster, civil unrest, or a family emergency."
Although she still had not been contacted directly, she said, she saw on social media that the U.S. government was urging Americans to evacuate certain countries in the Middle East, including the UAE.
In the social media post, it gave two numbers for Americans who needed emergency assistance. One of the phone numbers listed did not work internationally. She said the other led to recorded messages which offered no instructions on how to get out.
