Local Universities Bringing Students Home From Egypt
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Unrest in Egypt. It's day seven of violent protests in the streets.
Many Maryland students and university staff members scrambled to get out of the country. Mike Hellgren has their stories.
Hundreds of Americans found themselves caught in Egypt's revolution. Jay Vanrensselaer was among 40 staff and students affiliated with Johns Hopkins University in Egypt. He just made it home as protests and violence grew more intense.
"Started watching the news and said, `Oh, Lord, this is not happening,'" he said.
Vanrensselaer is a photographer who's been to Egypt many times over the last decade. He was at the crowded airport in Cairo. His flight was delayed for 13 hours. He had intermittent cell phone and Internet service, and a wife who was waiting for news.
The university says it moved quickly to ensure its people were safe.
"Everything we've heard is that nobody was in a tight situation," said Dennis O'Shea, Johns Hopkins.
"I'm very glad to be back. I'm very concerned about my colleagues," Vanrensselaer said.
The University of Maryland says all of its students in Egypt are safe.
Towson University professor James Saunders just returned from the country.
"Every time I leave Egypt, I promise to come back and help some more and I promised this time to do the same thing," Saunders said.
And he believes despite the dangerous situation there now, he'll keep that promise.
"They're frustrated at the lack of progress. Some of the scenes we're seeing are an expression of that frustration," Saunders said. "I'm sure at some point I'll go back to Egypt. It probably won't be this week."
Several local schools have contracts with International SOS, an agency that provided accommodations and flights for their return.
