An influencer living within the UAE insists it’s still the ‘safest place’ following a spate of strikes on the nation.
The country’s Ministry of Defence accused Iran of launching an attack featuring a dozen ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and 4 drones on yesterday.
The country is now responding to further ‘missile threats’.
Melody Ann Thomas lives and works in Dubai and shares glimpses of her life there on social media.
She told Metro: ‘On May 4, we received [an alert] again for the primary time for the reason that ceasefire, and that completely caught me off guard.
‘I used to be sitting in my office on a high floor surrounded by glass windows, and I just froze. I used to be hoping it could be a one-off.’
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However it wasn’t. Last night, Thomas received five more alerts. ‘There’s definitely an underlying tension that didn’t exist before. It has shifted people’s perspective,’ she added.
In a video posted to TikTok today, Thomas – who works for an investment company – said school and university classes can be held online until not less than the top of this week.
She said: ‘No matter how you’re feeling about it, these are the facts. Missiles, drones, all of this, shouldn’t be a traditional situation, and it’s all the time higher secure than sorry.’
The 32-year-old, originally from Virginia within the US, began posting to the social media platform about her life within the UAE during strikes on the country earlier this yr.
She added: ‘I used to be getting bombarded with messages from family and friends back home. It felt like a great strategy to share what was actually happening on the bottom and provides a more realistic perspective.
‘When debris from an intercepted drone hit a residential constructing in Dubai Marina, it made the situation feel rather more real.
‘That was the purpose where my family was not comfortable with me staying. Thankfully, some flights had began to grow to be available, and I booked a one-way ticket to Thailand.
‘I ended up staying for about five weeks until things calmed down. When the ceasefire was announced, it felt like a collective sense of relief and a return to normalcy.’
Monday’s attacks are the primary on the UAE since Iran’s ceasefire cope with the US was reached on April 8.
Despite this, Thomas says she still feels secure and doesn’t ‘really associate the UAE’ with the ‘form of disruption’ it has experienced over the previous couple of months.
‘To be transparent, I ended up selecting Dubai because I couldn’t get a piece visa within the UK. London was the goal.
‘Looking back, all of it worked out the best way it was meant to. I like Dubai for its safety and sunshine 360 days a yr.
‘For me, feeling secure comes all the way down to clear communication and transparency. When individuals are informed and understand what’s happening, it helps reduce uncertainty and panic.
‘Ultimately, Dubai has grow to be my home by selection, and I genuinely love living here. Day-to-day, it’s still certainly one of the safest places I’ve ever lived.
‘But that doesn’t erase the indisputable fact that earlier this yr, missiles were being intercepted overhead each day.’
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