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Snow Deepens Suffering of Displaced People

Displaced people in the camps of northwestern Syria are living under harsh circumstances, especially due to rain and snow, according to Zaman al-Wasl.
Snow displaced people
Snow Deepens Suffering of Displaced People

Rain and snowstorms have increased the suffering of displaced people in camps in northwestern Syria. They are struggling to live with the onset of this season, due to extreme cold, poor living conditions, and the absence of any basic necessities of life. 

The blizzard that hit the area on Tuesday night left a lot of human suffering in the camps for displaced persons in the area, causing damage to a large number of tents and cutting off roads leading to the camps. This comes amid cold weather that exacerbated the suffering of camp residents, said a Zaman al-Wasl correspondent in the northern Aleppo countryside. 

“The blizzard caused serious damage in the informal camps of displaced persons located in the areas of Bulbul, Rajo, Maabatli, Jindires in the Afrin region, northwestern Syria. Dozens of tents of displaced persons in these areas collapsed over the heads of their residents, forcing some of them to internally displace to the tents of their neighbors and relatives,” he said. 

Our correspondent pointed out that the white helmets teams have been working since Tuesday night to shovel snow and open the main roads leading to these camps, in order to reach the residents and evacuate the families affected by the snowstorm. 

Read Also: All Syrian Ports Closed due to Bad Weather

Meanwhile, in a report on Wednesday, the Syrian Response Coordinators team counted the number of camps for displaced persons affected by snowfall in northwestern Syria. 

The team said that the number of camps initially affected by rainfall in the past 24 hours reached 47 camps scattered in areas of northwestern Syria. 

“Most of the camps in the area have suffered varying damage, with major damage concentrated in the northern Aleppo countryside and camp areas on the Syrian-Turkish border,” he said. 

He also explained that the damage varied between partial and total, in terms of the quality of the existing tents, with 69 tents totally affected and 291 tents partially damaged. 

The team stressed that there is still no real or complete response to those affected by the recent storm, and expects humanitarian responses and damage repairs to begin after roads are opened and damage is fully assessed. 

According to the team, the reason for the increase in damage within the camps is the failure to take the necessary precautionary measures before the beginning of winter, the recurrence of previous damages, and the lack of effective solutions by humanitarian organizations to avoid such damage. 

Syria’s response coordinators noted that the camps’ survival so far and in their current state is the biggest real crisis in Syria’s humanitarian crisis issue. The coordinators’ field teams continue to monitor damage in various areas and conduct urgent needs assessments, although the current quality of damage requires all the assistance to the displaced persons in the camps.

 

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.

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