Holtville mayor pro-tem’s daughter evacuates from Dubai as tensions grow in Middle East

HOLTVILLE, Calif. (KYMA) - A local lawmaker's daughter is now safe in Australia after being evacuated from Dubai as tensions grow in the Middle East.

Holtville Mayor Pro-Tem John Munger and his wife, Teresa, say their daughter was among many U.S. citizens urged to evacuate as the U.S. and Israel carried out joint missile airstrikes in Iran.

"Maya contacted us in the middle of the night and let us know something was happening. That's when I turned on the news and saw that the bombing had occurred in Iran," Munger shared.

Mayor Pro-Tem Munger, a military Veteran, says his daughter, Maya, was studying abroad in Dubai when he and his wife heard the news.

Teresa said panic set in, and their bad dream became a reality as the bombing escalated, becoming every mother's worse nightmare, separated by oceans and not knowing if your child is safe.

"Watching the news, it was hard. It was hard to not panic. And then, when we found out she was in a car in the basement, that's when more panic began to settle in," Teresa expressed.

"Faith. Stay strong in your faith. We will get through this," Munger told his daughter.

Using his military contacts and knowledge, Munger steered Maya and her friends away from suspected targets, like the U.S. Embassy.

"The conversations we were having were whether or not any of the U.S. embassies, consulates, facilities were the appropriate locations to go for safety purposes," Munger explained.

Maya's friends that were with her in Dubai are from Australia, where Maya studied before transferring to Dubai.

Munger said he communicated with her friend's parents, and they collectively made a decision to stay away from the American Consulate, the American services, and to utilize the Australian services and the Australian government to book the girls flights to Australia.

Teresa stated that Maya initially tried to reach the U.S. Embassy to no avail.

"The number, this had happened on a Saturday, and there was a voicemail saying they were closed until Monday," she said.

For now, they don't know if and when Maya will return stateside.

"The effort right now is to get all of them through recovering from it," Munger said.

"There's so much information that is being shared in the media. And the focus is primarily on Iran and Israel, understtod. But you have the neighboring countries that are being targeted," he said, urging people to pay attention to the less widely discussed tragedies.

The couple says they are grateful that their daughter was able to make it out safely. They have been receiving support, not just from Holtville and the Imperial Valley, but from across the country.

Munger offered these words to any family in similar situations: "You're not alone."