'I'm stuck here': Milwaukee nurse sheltering in Israel after US and Israeli attack on Iran

Heather Berken traveled to Israel for what was supposed to be a meaningful trip, spending time with friends and completing a half marathon near Tel Aviv.

“The first week that I was here I was fine, smooth sailing,” she said. “There was talk about things with Iran but nothing ever came to fruition."

That changed Saturday morning, Feb. 28, when her phone sounded an alert.

“I downloaded an app on my phone, so you’ll get information, and it was like a pre-warning that something has started,” she said.

Soon after, another alert warned of incoming missiles, telling her to shelter in place. Berken and her friend headed straight for the bomb shelter inside her friend’s apartment.

“A lot are going to Tel Aviv area because it’s the most densely populated area,” she said.

Berken said she can hear Iranian missiles coming in and Israeli defense systems intercepting them overhead.

“These missiles are larger and can do more damage and so you can hear when the defensive missiles will hit,” she said. “You can hear the swoosh in the air. I could count down 10 seconds and then I could hear the explosion.”

Even when interceptions happen in the sky, she said there is still fallout.

“There’s been some shrapnel. It’s weird because you hear a loud boom and we’ve had a couple of those close to us,” she said.

She quickly learned how to brace for the blasts.

“We open the windows, so it helps equalize the pressure. These are all things I would never know living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but I guess before you go in the shelter, we open the windows back up if there’s any type of reverberations,” she said.

Berken said she’s also witnessing the impact on families around her.

“Sometimes you see the parents and they’re running with little kids. For us, we’re just corralling two adults. There’s a lot of people corralling their pets and little kids,” she said.

As a nurse, Berken said she has seen calls for medical volunteers and may step in to help if needed.

She was supposed to fly home but is now stuck in Tel Aviv. She said her job has been understanding as she waits for a safe way back.

“This is a world military crisis that as long as they’re understanding that I’m stuck here for a little bit, I’m just going to ride it out,” she said.