The sound of explosions is something most people only experience through a television screen. For two Ohio natives, it has become part of daily life.A Cincinnati native vacationing in Dubai is now stranded overseas, while a woman from Blue Ash, Ohio, who has lived in Israel for seven years is once again running to a bomb shelter as tensions intensify. Justin Mahida, a Cincinnati native, was inside his hotel room in Dubai when he heard what he described as a sudden boom.“I was in my hotel room and I just heard it. Essentially, I just heard a boom outside, and I looked outside and I saw this plume of smoke coming from the far left,” Mahida said.Mahida says regional conflict has disrupted air travel, leaving him waiting for flights to resume.While defense systems intercept missiles overhead, he says life on the ground continues — cautiously.“You’re hearing explosions, but they’re up in the air and that’s the defense system working,” Mahida explained. “On the ground, things are pretty safe. The supermarkets are still stocked. The roads are a lot emptier than they would be because people are working from home and students are at school from home. But there are still people out and about doing business.”For now, he says he’s grateful to be safe and is focused on getting home.“Just holding up, waiting for a flight, counting my blessings that I am safe on the ground — and it’s just a matter of a waiting game for a flight out.Meanwhile, in Israel, Allison Nemoff, an Ohio woman who has lived there for seven years, says daily life has shifted dramatically.“We ended up running to our shelter,” Nemoff said.She shared video from inside her neighborhood bomb shelter, a sparse, concrete room where neighbors gather during sirens. “It’s pretty chill, not a lot to look at, but that’s where we have our lovely meetings with our neighbors and catch up on what’s going on,” she said. “Sometimes people sleep here at night because we don’t know how many sirens there’s going to be.”Her fiancé says warning systems provide some time to prepare when missiles are detected.“If the missile comes from Iran, we have enough time through detection sensor because it’s a ballistic missile that goes basically into space we have something around 10 to 12 minutes before it arrives,” he explained.Still, the situation is growing more serious.“Unfortunately, there was a pretty bad direct hit that’s still being handled,” Nemoff said. “I think there were nine deaths from that so far, which has been unfortunate.”As both continue navigating uncertainty abroad, they say staying connected with family back home and following safety guidance has been critical.For now, one is waiting for a flight. The other is waiting for the next siren.
The sound of explosions is something most people only experience through a television screen. For two Ohio natives, it has become part of daily life.
A Cincinnati native vacationing in Dubai is now stranded overseas, while a woman from Blue Ash, Ohio, who has lived in Israel for seven years is once again running to a bomb shelter as tensions intensify.
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Justin Mahida, a Cincinnati native, was inside his hotel room in Dubai when he heard what he described as a sudden boom.
“I was in my hotel room and I just heard it. Essentially, I just heard a boom outside, and I looked outside and I saw this plume of smoke coming from the far left,” Mahida said.
Mahida says regional conflict has disrupted air travel, leaving him waiting for flights to resume.
While defense systems intercept missiles overhead, he says life on the ground continues — cautiously.
“You’re hearing explosions, but they’re up in the air and that’s the defense system working,” Mahida explained. “On the ground, things are pretty safe. The supermarkets are still stocked. The roads are a lot emptier than they would be because people are working from home and students are at school from home. But there are still people out and about doing business.”
For now, he says he’s grateful to be safe and is focused on getting home.
“Just holding up, waiting for a flight, counting my blessings that I am safe on the ground — and it’s just a matter of a waiting game for a flight out.
Meanwhile, in Israel, Allison Nemoff, an Ohio woman who has lived there for seven years, says daily life has shifted dramatically.
“We ended up running to our shelter,” Nemoff said.
She shared video from inside her neighborhood bomb shelter, a sparse, concrete room where neighbors gather during sirens.
“It’s pretty chill, not a lot to look at, but that’s where we have our lovely meetings with our neighbors and catch up on what’s going on,” she said. “Sometimes people sleep here at night because we don’t know how many sirens there’s going to be.”
Her fiancé says warning systems provide some time to prepare when missiles are detected.
“If the missile comes from Iran, we have enough time through detection sensor because it’s a ballistic missile that goes basically into space we have something around 10 to 12 minutes before it arrives,” he explained.
Still, the situation is growing more serious.
“Unfortunately, there was a pretty bad direct hit that’s still being handled,” Nemoff said. “I think there were nine deaths from that so far, which has been unfortunate.”
As both continue navigating uncertainty abroad, they say staying connected with family back home and following safety guidance has been critical.
For now, one is waiting for a flight. The other is waiting for the next siren.
