![[aggregator] downloaded image for imported item #46381](https://newsview.top/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/kristy-ellmer-stranded-in-dubai-1024x576.jpg "American trapped in Dubai describes hotel fright and 'shock waves' as Iran launches airstrikes")
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American tourists trapped in Dubai are still scrambling to get home this week amid Iran’s retaliatory airstrikes after a joint U.S.and Israeliattack on Iranover the weekend.
On Saturday, Iranian airstrikes hit Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest airport, as well as Burj Al Arab Hotel and Palm Jumeirah, a popular tourist destination.
Kristy Ellmer, a consultant from New Hampshire, had been taking a business trip in Dubai along withsome vacation timewith her husband.She described “shock waves” and “red bursts in the air�
“You hear the explosion, you feel it,” said Ellmer, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.“You just see a bunch of white clouds.”
“It feels like a shock wave.You feel a vibration through your body.”
“On the first day, we had a lot of anxiety about things,�“I’ve never been in a place that had bombs floating above.”(Kristy Ellmer)
Ellmer works at Boston Consulting Group.She had been in Dubai to promote her forthcoming book, “How Change Really Works,” and she and her husband, Matt Carwell, were also planning on relaxing and sightseeing.
The couple first heard explosions on Saturday when they were at the beach.
“All of a sudden, we felt explosions.”
“We were justsitting on the beach.We hadn’t been watching the news or anything, just enjoying the morning,” Ellmer said.“All of a sudden, we felt explosions.”
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Ellmer was originally scheduled to leave Dubai on Sunday night.She hadflights canceledfor Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
She’s now booked multiple flights for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday — hoping she will be able to depart soon.
A consultant from New Hampshire, currently in Dubai on a business trip with her husband, described “shock waves” and “bursts in the air.”(David Davies/PA Images )
Dubai’s airspace partially reopened on Monday, March 2, after a total shutdown lasting more than 48 hours, according to many reports.
A different hotel, Burj Al-Arab, was set ablaze over the weekend after it was hit by an Iranian suicide drone during attacks by Tehran,Reuters reported.
Ellmer was originally scheduled to leave Dubai on Sunday night.She’s now had flights canceled for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, but is still hoping to fly home this week.(Kristy Ellmer)
“On the first day, we had a lot of anxiety about things,�“I’ve never been in a place that had bombs floating above.”
Ellmer said they felt much calmer after 24 hours.Perhaps surprisingly, she said they feel very safe in Dubai.
“I’ve been really impressed with how the UAE has handled it,” she said.
Airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha were plunged into chaos.(Sawayasu Tsuji)
Her hotel, which is on a marina, does not have a basement, she said.
Butthe hotel does haveinterior rooms that occupants can move mattresses into, if necessary, she said.
“I’m used to uncertainty, but this is completely new,” she said.
Four people were injured when an Iranian missile hit a hotel in Palm Jumeirah area of Dubai, the Dubai Media Office, a government entity, confirmed on Saturday.(Credit: via Storyful)
Iran has hit the UAE and several of its neighbors as it strikes back from themajor attack by U.S.and Israeli forces, causing fear and chaos in a place that until Saturday was predictably calm, as The Associated Press and other outlets have reported.
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Airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha were all plagued by chaos, according to reports.
This map shows the targets of Iran’s retaliatory strikes.
Iranian weaponry rained down on Dubai, setting fire to a five-star resort, threatening the world’s tallest building and killing one person and injuring seven others at the airport in the capital city of Abu Dhabi.
Four people were injured in a hotel fire in the Palm Jumeirah area of Dubai after a loud explosion was reportedly heard.
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The Dubai Media Office, a government entity, said in a statement Saturday that the fire was contained.
“The safety and well-being of residents and visitors remain the highest priority.Authorities continue to take all necessary measures to safeguard the public.The public is urged to remain calm, rely solely on verified information from official sources, and refrain from circulating videos or images on social media,” the media officewrote on X.
The couple decided to pack a go-bag with water and snacks.
Still, “people [in Dubai] have been going on about their day normally,�
She even saw children on a trampoline in an indoor play space.“There hasn’t been a sense of panic.”
to have her husbandwith her as they try to make decisions about their next steps — and as they try to get home as soon as they can.
�s Stephen Sorace and Rachel Wolf, as well as The Associated Press, contributed reporting.
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