IDP camps in northwest Syria witnessed a torrential rainstorm on the night of January 30, which further exacerbated the already dire living conditions of IDPs there, particularly for the residents of dozens of camps and randomly erected tents in the area, in light of the lack of weatherproof housing for the vast majority of the camps’ residents.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights has observed that hundreds of tents have been partially or completely damaged in the latest rainstorms, with dozens flooded or collapsed due to the torrential rains, resulting in further displacement for their already displaced residents.
We note that this rainstorm is not the first of its kind in the area this winter, with these conditions subjecting the IDPs to even more difficulties and exposing them to further suffering.
SNHR calls on international relief organizations, including the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, to speed up their emergency response to the rainstorms, to provide alternative housing, blankets and heating materials for the displaced, and to create channels to drain rainwater from the camps as an emergency measure.
