The UAE Embassy in the United States, US, capital, Washington, hosted, last Sunday, the Emirati citizens and nine Saudi citizens who were evacuated from the areas affected by Hurricane Irma in Florida.

A lunch banquet was held in their honour at the embassy, with entertainment programmes being prepared for the children and gifts were distributed to them.

Omar Al Shamsi, Deputy Chief of Mission, gave a speech on behalf of Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the US, where he welcomed the attendees while stressing that the decision to evacuate the Emirati citizens and their families from the hurricane-affected areas came from the orders of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, reflecting the extent of His Highness’s care for their safety and security.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, through co-ordination with the UAE Embassy in Washington, has taken the necessary steps to implement His Highness’ decision and accelerate the exit of the Emirati citizens and their Saudi counterparts who were with them. They are working on ensuring they leave the aggrieved areas quickly.

The embassy is hosting the citizens at a hotel in the capital Washington DC until conditions improve and normal life returns to the areas hit by the hurricane.