Syrian refugees suffer in snowstorm
JAMAL Abou el Hassouna, a Syrian refugee in Lebanon, works hard every morning with his children to remove the thick snow that threatens to destroy their seven-year-old tents in the refugee camp in the mountains of Qaraoun.
“The snow was more than 30cm high this year. We fear it could cause our tents to collapse,” Hassouna said.
Jihan, another refugee from Syria’s Idlib, said she spent all night putting stones on her tent in order to protect it from the strong wind.
She also set fire to shoes, plastic and rubber tires to keep warm and avoid dying from the cold weather, added Jihan, who did not reveal her full name.
Meanwhile, Ahmad El Maghribi, who works for one of the international organisations dedicated to refugees, said the snowstorm collapsed dozens of refugee tents in several camps in the Bekaa Valley, while rainwater swept away tents in more than one area.
A big storm, dubbed Norma, hit Lebanon on Sunday, causing heavy damage in several areas of the country.
Earlier in the day, a report issued by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said 50 000 refugees living in about 850 settlements in Lebanon could be affected by the storm until Monday.
At least 66 informal settlements have been found badly affected, while around 300 refugees have been relocated, the report said.
Lebanon hosts more than 1.3 million Syrian refugees including 900 000 registered with the UNHCR. There are no official camps in Lebanon for Syrian refugees, who live in tents and lack the necessary conditions for a decent life. There are about 6 300 camps in Lebanon, each consisting of 20 to 150 tents. A tent has four to 12 people.
“The crisis of refugees living in non-equipped camps in Lebanon has been further exacerbated with the eruption of the snowstorm,” said Saida Ammash, a relief worker in displacement camps.
Refugees also complained about the lack of help from the international community.
“I hold the international organisations accountable for exposing my kids to death and starvation due to the cold weather and lack of food,” said Abou Moujahed Shawish.
Shahima abou Al Nouhi from Deir El Zour said she stayed awake with her children at night, and did not hold out any hope of receiving strong tents that could stand against wind and rain. |