"Was it really because he was white ..."
The photographer is actually Central American but that's just semantics. His '2 specks of salt in a sea of pepper' comment made it clear that he and his friend feared that they would not be made welcome at the CC. They were wise to beat feet out of there.
Another thing I'm sure of is that Truck #25 will be returned to its owner in good condition. I doubt the same can be said for any of the other vehicles the company left in the warehouse.
I think he said Venezualan, but what ever, he realized he needed to get out. Sad to say that he was smarter than most of the Americans sitting at the CC waiting for help.