As tensions rise across the Middle East, some Americans are trying to leave the region while others are choosing to stay put. KPRC 2 spoke with a woman from Katy who says her family decided staying in Saudi Arabia felt safer than attempting to travel to an airport.
Brittney Sprague and her husband, a Cy-Fair resident who works in the oil and gas industry, have lived in the Middle East with their two young children for about five years and like many they were caught off guard when the conflict began.
“It was my wedding anniversary. And then we were on a little island off the coast of Bahrain, so we got stuck for a few days.” Said Sprague.
Sprague added they could hear sirens and got constant missile alerts on their phones.
“That was very, very scary, very surreal.” Sprague said.
Sprague said she and her family returned to their home in Khobar in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province and, for now, are sheltering in place and staying in close contact with a regional security team arranged through her husband’s employer.
“I personally, as a family don’t feel comfortable getting in a car and driving three or four hours away to Riyadh to sit and hopefully maybe get on a flight out, you know. I think the safest thing at this moment in time is to just stay where we are,” said Sprague.
The situation has been fluid. Thousands of Americans have reported getting out of parts of the region, while many others have tried and encountered cancelled flights, closed borders and reduced embassy operations. Airports across the region have been targeted in some strikes, and airlines have suspended service to multiple destinations.
The U.S. State Department has issued travel guidance urging citizens to have plans that do not depend on government assistance in an emergency.
Sprague said she and other Americans in the region are staying in frequent contact with family back in the U.S. while also checking in with neighbors and regional security resources.
“We’re taking it minute by minute, but we have no plans to leave,” she said.