As conflict intensifies in the Middle East, Florida is playing a key role in bringing American citizens home. One of the first charter flights carrying evacuees from Israel landed at Tampa International Airport on Thursday morning, part of a coordinated emergency response effort led by the state of Florida and local nonprofit organizations. Amy Harwood was among the relieved family members waiting on the tarmac. Her son, who was helping lead a Birthright trip, was one of 1,500 participants evacuated from Israel. The group traveled by sea for 13 hours to Cyprus, where they boarded flights arranged by the state. “He just sent me a text and said, ‘We’re going to charter a flight to Tampa,’” Harwood said. “I was nervous because I didn’t know where he was and what was going on.” Many of those returning are college students studying abroad. Tampa-based nonprofit Grey Bull Rescue has been leading ground operations, coordinating with the state to extract American citizens from the region. “They’re scared college kids, they’re young. They don’t know what to do,” Bryan Stern, founder of Grey Bull Rescue, said. “We got all the bases covered. We have people in Jordan, in Israel, in Cyprus. We continue to conduct operations throughout the region.” Stern says the mission is complicated by airspace and border closures tied to the escalating tensions with Iran. “The big contingencies we’re worried about are more airspace closures and border closures, which continue to frustrate operations,” he said. “But it’s not a political thing, not a military thing — it’s an American thing. Saving American lives is saving American lives.” Grey Bull Rescue reports nearly 5,000 requests for help and expects that number to grow heading into the weekend. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to greet another incoming flight of evacuees at Tampa International Airport early Friday morning. If you or anyone who needs help getting out of Israel, you can fill out an evacuation assistance form for Grey Bull Rescue on FloridaDisaster.org.