On January 12, 2024, a rainstorm hit multiple camps housing internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northwestern Syria. The rainstorm led to widespread flooding, with the floodwaters forming vast pools and creating impassable areas of muddy or marshy ground. The strong winds also tore a number of flimsy fabric tents, while others were uprooted and sent flying through the air. Some of the rainwater also flooded tents in low-lying areas, while roads were cut off by soil banks being washed away. The rainstorm completely destroyed a total of 75 tents and temporary housing units, and partially destroyed another 1,043 tents and temporary housing units in 48 camps spread across rural areas of Idlib and Aleppo governorates.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that these repeated occurrences further worsen the already dire living conditions of IDPs, exacerbating their existing hardships. We urge international relief organizations, including the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), to urgently respond to the camps’ basic needs, and provide camps’ administration with additional tents for emergencies.
