BILLINGS What began as a warm winter getaway for several Billings residents quickly turned into an anxious shelter-in-place situation as cartel violence erupted in western Mexico.Watch the story below: Billings residnets naviga te uncertainty as Mexico violence disrupts travel plansThe unrest followed a deadly weekend confrontation in the Mexican state of Jalisco, where Mexican soldiers killed a high-profile drug lord, known as El Mencho. The cartel responded with widespread violence, including burning vehicles, blocking highways, and attacking security forces.While Mexican officials have since lifted the highest security alert in Jalisco and cleared roadblocks, the violence rippled into tourist areas, including Puerto Vallarta, which has left some American travelers, including Montanans, temporarily stranded.Related: US citizens in Mexico urged to shelter in place after killing of cartel leaderBillings native Angela Fuller was on the beach Sunday morning when she first noticed smoke rising into the sky.Yesterday, it was everywhere," said Fuller. "It was alarming." From her resort, she and other guests could see plumes of smoke in the distance. Resort staff soon warned guests it was not safe to leave."The bus boy told us that it was not safe to leave, that we absolutely could not leave the hotel, and he started crying, which of course made us a little tearful," said Fuller. "There was actually roadblocks on either side of us on both sides of the beach, so we were stuck here."Fuller had been scheduled to fly home on Sunday but is now monitoring flights daily, waiting for a safe opportunity to travel. Despite the fear, she said she does not feel in immediate danger.It was a little bit of panic, but honestly, we're very safe," said Fuller. "I don't feel like we're in immediate danger, but again, we're pretty lucky just because of the location.She also described the emotional toll on resort workers, many of whom were unable to get home to their own families."They were terrified for their families while they're trying to take care of us here, so it was an interesting dynamic yesterday," said Fuller. "They're just as worried about what they're going to do."Another Billings resident, Rhiannan Briggs, had just arrived in Puerto Vallarta with her husband when the violence escalated. At first, she noticed a distant fire from her hotel balcony. Soon after, she encountered burned vehicles in the street.We look out in the street, and we go to cross the street, and a bus had rear-ended a car, and then there was also a motorcycle further ahead that was burned up," said Briggs. "We got a little farther ahead, and all of a sudden we started hearing gunshots, which we could only attest to was the cop trying to keep people away from the bus because nobody was really listening, and cars were still driving by."Related: Billings woman shelters in hotel amid Puerto Vallarta violenceStill, Briggs said the calm demeanor of locals and other tourists helped ease her fears. I was a little concerned at first, but the fact of all the locals and everything else and all of the other tourists around us, not really panicking, kind of just solidified that it didn't seem as bad as it could be," said Briggs.Back in Billings, local travel agent Heidi Stevens, with HighDTravel, has been on-and-off hold with booking agencies all day Monday.I was caller 37 in the queue this morning, and it took four hours to get there," said Stevens.She had 18 clients either cancel or rebook upcoming Mexico vacations, including trips to areas not directly impacted, such as Cancn.This is high peak, you know, January, February, March. That's when everybody is traveling to warmer areas, said Stevens. "Cancn seems to be safe, but anything can change, and I can't really tell them what to do. I just have to give them their best options."She currently has clients scheduled to depart within days, including a family weighing whether to move their trip to Costa Rica or the Dominican Republic. She also has a large group scheduled to leave on Friday for Puerto Vallarta. The cancellations carry financial consequences for Stevens as well.I'm not going to lie, when I heard that 18 people are going to have to cancel this week, because I get paid 30 days after people travel, that's 18 different commissions that I lose," said Stevens. "In 30 days, my paycheck is not going to be what I had hoped but that's okay. My first priority was just making sure my clients were informed on what their options were and were knowledgeable about what was going on."Her biggest piece of advice for travelers is to purchase travel insurance to prepare for unexpected emergencies. For those currently in affected areas, Stevens recommends staying put in secure locations, keeping in close contact with airlines, and reaching out to the U.S. Embassy for guidance.Don't be afraid, but be cautious," she said. "If you're in Puerto Vallarta, just stay put in a safe spot and that's probably the best way to handle it."Montana U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy confirmed his office is assisting families impacted by the shelter-in-place orders and travel disruptions."My office is assisting several families impacted by the shelter-in-place order," Sheehy said in a news release. "I encourage Montanans impacted by the shelter in place in Mexico to contact my office at 406-782-2048 or [email protected] and a member of my team will be in touch with you."Related: Montanans stranded in Mexico amidst cartel violence, government operationsThe U.S. Embassy is continuing to monitor the situation and advises Americans in affected areas to avoid crowds, stay alert, and keep family informed of their whereabouts.For now, many Billings residents remain in limbo as they watch flights or weigh keeping their vacations. Even amid the uncertainty, those like Fuller said they're making the best of the situation."Even the people who are staying here have really just stepped up, and they're being kind to one another, so it's just kind of a nice little unification moment in the chaos," she said. ...read more read less