Torrential Rains Flood Idlib Refugee Camps, Ruin Tents

Arab World

January 19th, 9:54am

Damascus - Asharq Al-Awsat

A woman tries to clear her tent of water as heavy rain floods Keferarouk refugee camp in northwestern Idlib, Syria, on Dec.19, 2020. (AA)

Heavy rains have wreaked havoc on the communities of displaced Syrians in Syria's northwestern Idlib province. Some 278 tents have been destroyed, while 513 tents were partially damaged, the Syria Response Coordinators said. According to Mohammed Hallaj, head of the Response Coordination Group in Idlib, the damage is massive but the coordinators couldn’t access all camps due to the weather condition and blocked roads. The head of a camp in Idlib countryside, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that more than 100 tents collapsed in a camp that has a maximum of 400 tents. He said that the rain has flooded dozens of camps and forced hundreds of families to spend their night under trees or in nearby tents. The Meteorology Department expects rain to continue falling on Tuesday and to be followed by a cold wave. The temperature will drop to -4 or -6, and snow will fall in most regions.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2751151/torrential-rains-flood-idlib-refugee-camps-ruin-tents