TAMPA, Florida — A California family is now safe in Tampa after escaping the violence in Israel.
Project Dynamo arranged for 23 people to fly on a Florida state-funded flight from Cairo to Tampa. The flight landed Wednesday morning at Tampa International Airport. About 40 people ultimately grabbed a seat on the flight that was organized by the Florida Department of Emergency Management, according to officials with Project Dynamo.
On that flight was the Zins family who lives in Danville, California. The family explained for the past few days they have lived in fear as violence broke out in Israel during their trip. The family was vacationing there.
Afterward, they planned to send one of their daughters to the University of Haifa in Israel. All plans were canceled due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
"We were just on vacation and suddenly we're in the middle of rockets and bombing," Gail Zins said.
Gail's daughter, Talia, planned to attend college in Israel. Before sending her off, the Zins family planned to tour Israel.
"My whole family came with me. We made it a family vacation," Talia said.
That vacation quickly turned into a nightmare.
"We were all scared for our lives and just wanting to go home," Talia added.
The family recalled hearing bomb sirens and rockets going off. The family knew they had to get back to the United States.
"We were in fear for our lives," Gail added. The past few days consisted of constant concern and little sleep.
"We slept with our shoes on fully clothed because we knew at any minute that we could get a call that they had a plane," Talia said.
That call came from Project Dynamo. The Tampa nonprofit organized for 23 people to be rescued. Project Dynamo officials said the Florida Department of Emergency Management stepped in and funded the flight, with state leaders then organizing the flight with about 40 Americans on board to fly from Cairo to Tampa.
After 23 hours on the plane, the group landed in Tampa. The Zins family will now travel back to California.