Syrian refugees without shelter and under the snow
Beirut, 12 December 2013: Hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees have been affected
by the storm " Alexa " that has brought snow and sub-zero temperatures throughout
the Middle East on Wednesday.
In Lebanon, more than 800 thousand refugees -
but many say a million - spread over 200 makeshift camps are living in tents or shacks
made of plastic sheeting stretched over wooden frames.
In Akkar and the Bekaa,
the areas bordering with Syria, yesterday the temperatures dropped below freezing
making life increasingly difficult. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) , the Lebanese army and the Ministry of Social Affairs have started to distribute
blankets, money to buy fuel for heating and basic goods, but their efforts are not
enough to meet the needs . Many refugees complain of not having enough heat and some
who confess to burning even their shoes to make a little fire.
Wafik Khalaf
, a member of the municipal council of Ersal , says that "water has seeped into tents
raining from the roof and spreading from the ground, causing small floods ." The refugees
live in the damp and mud. Because of "Alexa" , the soil around it is covered with
10 cm of snow.
Lisa Abou Khaled, a spokesman for the UNHCR expresses concern
especially "for the refugees living in unauthorized, makeshift camps". Source:
AsiaNews / Agencies