As tensions flare in the Middle East due to the Israeli-Iranian conflict, Houston residents find themselves caught in the crossfire while abroad. A group of local archaeologists, along with a prominent Houston community leader, are struggling to safely return home amidst the chaos. Houston's Fox26 reported that a team of archaeologists from The Bible Seminary in Katy got stranded in Israel after Tel Aviv's airport was shut down. The group, which includes Provost Scott Stripling, was in the midst of a dig in Shiloh searching for biblical artifacts when the situation escalated. According to FOX26, Stripling is seeking to hastily arrange their evacuation from Jerusalem this Saturday.
Efforts to repatriate the team are underway as thirty-one members remain stranded, with some having to find alternative routes through Egypt. Stripling told Fox26, "We're trying to be a blessing to everyone we encounter. We're not only helping our group find a way out but helping other groups find a way out of the country as well, since it is a war-zone currently." Some made it back to Houston on Monday, enduring a grueling 48-hour journey. Jordan McClinton, one of the archaeologists, relayed the unnerving experience of waking to air raid sirens and scrambling for safety. "You would get a very localized alert and a raid siren that would go off around us. You'd hear it, we'd wake up at 12, one, two, three in the morning, and we'd have a few minutes to go down into the basement level of our hotel, their raid bunker," McClinton told FOX26.
Similarly, Tammi Wallace, the president and co-founder of the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, was in the region with a North American LGBTQ+ delegation when the violence broke out. As per a report by KHOU, Wallace received an alert on an Israeli government app warning of incoming missile fire. With seconds to spare, she was forced to find refuge in a hotel parking garage, describing a subsequent explosion that rattled their makeshift shelter. "We were down there for about five minutes, and we felt a loud boom, and a missile had exploded behind the hotel a couple of blocks away," Wallace told KHOU. She and her delegation are now depending on the Israeli Foreign Ministry to devise an evacuation plan.
While trying to stay optimistic, the impacted Houstonians face not only the threat of conflict but also the financial stress of unforeseen extended stays and complicated travels. The archaeological group has expressed their gratitude for support and prayers from home and has provided a platform for donations to aid in their return. As the situation remains unstable, these individuals and others continue to face uncertainty far from the comforts of Texas. It's still unclear what will happen to them or when they'll safely return to Houston.
