Emirates News Agency – UAE Embassy in Washington DC evacuates UAE citizens from Florida ahead of Hurricane Ian

WASHINGTON, DC, 29th September, 2022 (WAM) — After Tropical Storm Ian turned into a powerful hurricane threatening Florida, the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington, DC has evacuated UAE citizens from Florida to Washington, DC.

The evacuation was carried out under the supervision of Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States of America.

During Hurricane Ian, the embassy’s Emergency and Crisis Committee developed an emergency evacuation plan that included members from the embassy, ​​various technical offices, annexes and scholarship agencies. So far, 141 UAE nationals have been evacuated. The evacuation plan included various means of transporting UAE nationals out of Florida, including chartering private jets (119 evacuees), booking seats on commercial flights (13 evacuees), and getting individuals to drive out of Florida (9 evacuees) ), where they were safely evacuated to Washington, D.C.

The embassy’s emergency and crisis committee arranged to evacuate some Emirati nationals from Florida to the safety of neighboring countries due to bad weather conditions and difficulty finding commercial flights to Washington, D.C. As part of the evacuation plan, the embassy has also assigned a team to look after citizens and their escorts upon arrival at their hotels in Washington, D.C., ensuring their needs are met and providing necessary support during their stay.

In light of this situation, Shaima Gargash, Deputy Head of Mission in Washington, D.C., said: “Our embassy ensures that we are taking all necessary precautions to keep Emirati nationals in the United States safe.”

Gargash added: “We carry out our duties in close and direct coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.”

The UAE embassy acknowledges and appreciates the effective role of embassy diplomats, employees and attachés. The embassy also expresses its most heartfelt thanks to the UAE government for its infinite support to citizens around the world.