Stuck in Dubai: 72-year-old LI woman unable to return home amid mayhem of Middle East war

On her 72nd birthday, Donna Caltabiano, of Floral Park, boarded a plane at Kennedy Airport to embark on a multicountry excursion to the Middle East.

The retired board of elections supervisor had planned a three-week trip with friends — a bucket list excursion — to explore Turkey, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, ending with a guided tour of Dubai before flying home on Friday. 

But as of Wednesday, Caltabiano said her Dubai experience has mostly consisted of the inside of her hotel. She is one of the many thousands of Americans and several Long Islanders urged by the State Department to leave the Middle East, but stuck, after the United States attacked Iran over the weekend, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the nation’s supreme leader, and starting a widening war.

"It’s just very frustrating," Caltabiano said, who left the United States on Feb. 12.

On Monday, the State Department warned Americans in more than a dozen Middle East countries, including Israel, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, to leave immediately by "commercial means" because of safety risks.

More than 19,000 of the roughly 51,600 flights scheduled into and out of the Middle East since the start of the war have been canceled, The Associated Press reported. So far,  more than 9,000 American citizens have safely returned from the region, including over 300 from Israel, the State Department said Tuesday.

Caltabiano said she and a friend entered the United Arab Emirates last Friday after going on a 12-day guided tour in Jordan. They independently stayed for one night in the city of Sharjah, about 18 miles from Dubai.

The women then drove into Dubai the next day and checked into the hotel where their tour group was to meet. Not long after, Caltabiano said her friend received an alert about the attacks from the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, a free service that sends email updates and alerts from U.S. embassies and consulates.

Caltabiano called their tour manager the same day, asking if the tour would continue.

"She kind of downplayed it, because she said, 'Oh, the little boys ... their skirmish will probably be over tomorrow.' "

But the following morning, the tour guide told the group they were not allowed to leave hotel property and they should shelter in place. About half their tour group of more than 40 people did not make it to Dubai due to canceled flights, Caltabiano said her tour guide announced.

From their hotel, Caltabiano said she saw empty streets and heard booms. She said she would occasionally see a "little circle in the sky," indicating "they shot down something." She was awakened by an alert from Dubai's Ministry of the Interior, cautioning them to stay away from windows.

"I really feel perfectly safe," Caltabiano said. "I'm not afraid, and I don't think too many of the people here are afraid. We're lucky that we're on a tour."

In an update on Wednesday, the State Department said some flights are now departing international airports in the United Arab Emirates with reports of congestion.

"For those who cannot or choose not to depart, we continue to recommend that they shelter in place at their residence, hotel, or other structure, staying away from windows, and leaving only as necessary to obtain food, water, medications, and other essential items," the statement said. 

On Tuesday the State Department said it would facilitate charter flights from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan for American citizens, and will continue to secure more flights as security conditions allow. 

Caltabiano said she attempted to call the State Department but only got an answering machine with limited menu options and no option to speak with a person. She said it felt like the outgoing messages made it seem the only matter of importance was if "I was dead or if I was in jail."

Spokespeople for Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Reps. Laura Gillen (D-Rockville Centre) and Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) all said they are in touch with constituents about the situation.

A spokesperson for Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) said they could not confirm contact with American constituents due to safety concerns.

Caltabiano said she has attempted to leave multiple times by purchasing available Emirate Airlines flights to Kennedy Airport. But every time, the flights were canceled.

"We all thought, well, we're going to leave tomorrow morning," Caltabiano told Newsday on Tuesday after purchasing a $1,000 ticket. "We even started packing our suitcases and getting them all ready because I had an 8:30 a.m. flight (on Wednesday.)"

She told Newsday on Wednesday that she tried purchasing a flight to Milan to at least leave the area, but that was canceled as well.

Caltabiano, a mother of five adult children and a grandmother, has yet to hear from the State Department or receive any acknowledgment of the situation from the hotel or tour company, aside from daily meetings with her tour guide.

"I hate complaining, because I'm getting three meals a day, free. I'm in a five-star hotel. There's a pool, there's a gym," she said. "The accommodations are great, but we didn't think we were going to be gone this long."