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 » Special Report | Video archive | E-mail us: Your stories | How to help civilians Stranded American: $3,000 for taxis across Lebanon'We are still scared. ... The boys really want to go home'
 Andy Sheikali YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Thousands of Americans remain trapped in war-torn Lebanon, even as the United States steps up the pace of evacuation efforts. CNN's Kyra Phillips spoke Thursday in Atlanta with Andy Sheikali, whose wife, Fadia, is trying to get out of Lebanon with their four children and three other relatives. Having escaped southern Lebanon, Fadia Sheikali joined the interview via telephone from outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut. PHILLIPS: Fadia, no doubt you are breathing a big sigh of relief right now. FADIA SHEIKALI: Yes. I am relieved. You know, after being stuck in the ... south of Lebanon for seven days, staying in a warehouse with my four kids, and my two nephews, and my sister-in-law. ... Really, we have been through a lot. We didn't have a shower. We were drinking filthy water. And my son, he was running a high fever. There is no doctors around or not even a pharmacy to take him to get medication. ... PHILLIPS: Are your kids OK now? F. SHEIKALI: Yes, they are fine. ... South of Lebanon, last night, we took [a] big risk because we tried to call the embassy too many times. And there was no help from them at all. ... [They said:] "We can't help you. If you want to come down to Beirut, you are on your own. We cannot get you out." And we waited and waited, and there was no help from them. PHILLIPS: How did you finally get there, Fadia? F. SHEIKALI: I told my sister-in-law, "That's it. We can't wait any more because the kids getting very scared." And we called just two taxis. And we paid them a lot of money. And we told them, we need to leave. And they came. And it was 10 last night when we left the south of Lebanon. ... There was ... no one on the road. We were the only two cars. ... And the kids were very scared. And we thought we were going to be bombed any minute. But thank God, we get to Beirut safe. ... Today, we went down to the embassy. ... They told us: you have to register. And we told them, you know, we came from south of Lebanon. ... We thought, they are going to help us. They are going to do something because we had been stuck for seven days up there. And the only thing they told us, "We can't do anything now. ... It might take three to four days, OK, until you hear from us." PHILLIPS: I have got to ask your husband, Andy, about this. ... This must have been just heart-wrenching for you to be talking to her, and not know what to do. ... A. SHEIKALI: This is the hardest and the most difficult decision ... that I have made my whole life. ... I had to roll the dice ... I called her on the phone. And I says, "Listen, sweetheart, we have to make a decision. I understand it's very hard for you and me and the kids. But we have to make that decision." ... PHILLIPS: Did you get on the phone and negotiate with these [taxi drivers]? A. SHEIKALI: Yes, we did. I told her to find out what they want. ... PHILLIPS: Do you mind if I ask how much it cost? A. SHEIKALI: It was $1,600, each car. PHILLIPS: Wow. A. SHEIKALI: So, there's $3,200. ... PHILLIPS: How did you know that they were going to be trustworthy if you gave them the money? A. SHEIKALI: Well, they were referred by friends. ... We had a friend that called another friend that said, "Listen, I have some local guys that can do it. And they know the back roads." But you -- you got to understand -- even the friend was so scared. He says, "I really don't want to tell you this, that I can help, but I am afraid, because if something happens, I will take this to my grave, if something happened to your family. But you have got to make the move, Andy. It's 50-50. You have got to make the move. And they are going to ask for money." And I says, "I don't care what they ask for. And we had to make ... a very hard decision." ... PHILLIPS: Did you feel good about these taxi drivers? F. SHEIKALI: Yes. They were really nice. They were talking to me and telling me, "Don't worry. We're going to get you safe. Don't worry about anything. ... My eyes was closed in the car. I told my kids just to pray. That's the only thing I wanted to do, just to pray. Don't look around. Don't think of anything, just to pray that we are going to get safe to Beirut, and that we are going to go home. ... You're going to be with dad, with your friends. ... The road felt too long for us, because we were very scared. And it was very dark and just was bombing all over. And we thought, that's it. PHILLIPS: Anything you want to say to Andy right now? ... F. SHEIKALI: Well, just I want to tell him that we love him so much, and we miss him. And I can't wait until we [get] home. We want to be home, really The embassy here is not, like, helping us much. ... Even if we get to the line, and if they don't have our names on the list, they are going to not let us in -- in the boat, they said. ... A. SHEIKALI: I talked to Sen. [Johnny] Isakson's office ... every day, and just about an hour-and-a-half ago, Andrew, from the senator's office, called me, and said he is trying his best to help us expedite your departure. ... He talked to the State Department. They sent messages to the embassy. And he said he's trying his best to expedite your departure. ... You got to be patient, sweetheart. ... You are going to come home. ... We went through the hardest part, so just be patient. F. SHEIKALI: Yes. I know. That's what we are trying. But we really need to be out of here. ... We are still scared, but we need to be out. The boys really want to go home. PHILLIPS: As soon as they touch ground, what are you going to do? ... A. SHEIKALI: I don't know. ... I will tell you one thing, Kyra. ... We hired two local drivers, but, we had a lot of people pray for us. I mean, in [Georgia's] Peachtree City alone, I was overwhelmed with the support from so many friends and from north Atlanta. ... I think the prayers of a lot of people got my family to the embassy safe. 
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