Families fear for their lives as flash flooding hits camps in Syria
North-west Syria has been hit by a major thunderstorm that has led to severe flash flooding in the region. Displaced families living in camps have been hit the hardest as tents struggle to withstand the harsh weather. 54 camps have been severely affected, impacting more than 3,150 families.
Many families have now become entirely exposed to these extreme weather conditions as almost half of those affected have lost their shelters.
There is no capacity to deal with another crisis
The floods are having a devastating impact on those who are already at breaking point and fear for their lives.
Since the crisis began, over 6 million people have displaced internally, around 80% of them women and children. People have been forced to live in severely overcrowded conditions lacking even basic facilities, and for some even their tent homes have now been destroyed.
The threat of a Covid-19 outbreak in these camps is also a very real possibility as people are living in close proximity. Social distancing is not an option and after years of crisis, the healthcare sector is on the brink of collapse. It simply lacks the capacity to deal with a coronavirus outbreak.
We urgently need your support to help these families
The flooding has completely destroyed tents
Flood-affected families are in dire need of emergency shelter, water and sanitation as the thunderstorm has caused major damage to infrastructure. There is currently difficulty to reach the camps and therefore an urgent need to lay gravel roads and access routes to enable humanitarian aid to reach survivors.
Islamic Relief is working in north-west Syria and has identified that those affected by the floods urgently need shelter repair kits, tents, food, bedding and hygiene kits. We need your support in order to carry out this vital relief work. Please donate to ourĀ Syria Appeal.
When disasters strike around the world, Islamic Relief is often among the first to respond with lifesaving aid. Last year alone we delivered over 150 emergency response projects, reaching more than a million people.