'It's Survival, Not Safe:' Sacramento Ukrainian Woman Fears The Worst For Family Escaping Ukraine
RANCHO CORDOVA (CBS13) - Carrying everything they own on their back, in suitcases, or piled high in the trunk of their cars, tens of thousands of Ukrainians headed towards the borders of neighboring countries, like Poland or Romania, to find safety in the middle of ongoing Russian attacks.
Videos shared with CBS13 show standstill traffic and people leaving behind their vehicles to walk the remaining miles to get out of Ukraine more quickly. One of the families waiting to leave has ties to Sacramento.
Their daughter, Anna Curry, took matters into her own hands 24-hours after her parents and teenage brother set out on their journey towards Romania. She worried about their safety and said their route may not be the safest, but it was the closest route out of Ukraine.
"They're running for their lives, they're trying to stay alive," said Curry. She moved to the U.S. six years ago for school, then stayed for work and was married shortly after. She has a four-year-old son and just found out Friday, in the middle of the Russian invasion of her home country, she was pregnant with her second child.
"It's so stressful knowing that my parents might not hold my baby... ever," she said.
She goes hours without an update from her family, who have been stuck at the border of Romania and Ukraine for more than 48 hours. They are less than four miles from crossing, but the line of cars only inches forward.
"It's the hardest thing ever to think people you love the most you might never see again," said Curry.
She looks back at photos of her childhood home in Ukraine and smiles. This is how she remembers the cities she traveled as a child and young adult. She spent three years in school in Kyiv that now, she said, has been torn a part in Russian attacks.
"It's survival, not safe," she said, when she explained that many people she still loves will not leave Ukraine.
Video sent to her via the app, Telegram, showed her best friend in an underground bunker. She said they haven't left but to get food or supplies and even then, it is not safe.
Curry said she isn't waiting for her family to find safety before she starts to fundraise for them. She said they have no connections, friends, or family in Romania and is afraid without her financial help, and the help of others, they will not be able to afford what it takes to get to the U.S. or to further safety.