A Salt Lake resident, now in a 46th-floor apartment in the Burj Khalifa district of Dubai with her husband, seven-year-old son and two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, spoke to Metro on Sunday morning on how life changed since she heard the first boom on Saturday.

It was between 2.30pm and 3pm (Dubai time), I was out with my family, when we heard the explosion. It is the Ramzan month, and there is cannon fire at the end of the fast every day. We were first confused whether this was the sound of cannon fire, but it was earlier than usual.

Then we learnt about the missile attacks by Iran. We heard about attacks on Jebel Ali Port and Dubai airport.

The WhatsApp group of parents in my son’s school was soon flooded with posts about buildings shaking.

In the evening, we received an alert from the government. It said: “The UAE places the safety and security of its citizens, residents and visitors as its highest priority, and the situation remains under full control.

“The authorities are operating within a fully integrated national framework, with the highest levels of preparedness and efficiency.

“Your safety remains our utmost priority. Please remain indoors in safe areas, await official instructions, and rely solely on official sources for updates.”

At 1am on Sunday, we received a pop-up security alert from the government again.

We have been asked to stay indoors, away from the windows. The authorities also advised us that, if possible, people should shift to lower floors.

We stay on the 46th floor. Where will we move? We just cannot shift suddenly to a lower-level floor. Since Saturday afternoon, I have been thinking about what will happen if a missile strikes our flat? Will it be the end?

We can see Dubai’s busiest freeway from one of our windows and the residential area from another window.

The freeway, which always has heavy traffic, did not have a single vehicle. It was identical on the narrower roads in the area.

We have been staying in Dubai for the past 10 years and have never seen such deserted roads. Dubai is always lively and happening, and we were living happily here.

But since Saturday, we have been in fear and are uncertain. My mother, who stays in Salt Lake, asked us to get back to Calcutta. But the airport is closed, and what can we do?

A few months ago, there were attacks on Qatar. Everyone here was talking about it, but those were discussions about something happening away from our home. No one thought these attacks would be at our doorstep?

People are stocking up on essentials out of panic. Last evening, I realised we were short of water.

I ordered water, milk for my children, rice and other essential items online.

However, many items were already exhausted. I am hoping that the supplies will be replenished.

We have been asked to work remotely for the time being as no one is allowed to go out.

On Sunday evening, we heard several explosions.