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UNHCR STEPS UP WINTER ASSISTANCE AS SNOW STORMS HIT SEVERAL PARTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST

Since the start of the year, freezing cold has gripped the Middle East, accompanied by strong winds and rain. In Turkey, heavy snowfall and below-freezing temperatures have enveloped most parts of the country. In Lebanon, fresh snow last week has blanketed the high-altitude towns in the Bekaa valley and northern Lebanon. Parts of Syria and Iraq have been hit by snowstorms as tens of thousands of newly-displaced struggle to find adequate warmth in tents and sub-standard shelter. The longer the cold temperatures continue, the more difficult it becomes for the millions of internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugees, many of whom are living in vulnerable conditions in substandard housing and without means to insulate homes.

UNHCR is implementing a number of proactive and emergency efforts to identify and immediately respond to the most vulnerable who may not be able to cope ensuring that the elderly and children are warm, safe and have access to needed support. Teams are working around the clock in refugee camps fixing storm damage and ensuring immediate responses and referrals for those in need. Core relief items have been prepositioned, ready for immediate release. These emergency interventions are through UNHCR's own staff, government agencies, partners, community outreach volunteers, and the broader inter-agency response platforms.

UNHCR is particularly concerned about the situation of people living in desperate conditions in locations severally affected by winter and where there is no humanitarian access, particularly in several besieged and hard-to-reach locations inside Syria, at the Berm (Jordan-Syria border) and in western Mosul city in Iraq.

Read more:
Regional Emergency Winter Assistance Flash Update - Syria and Iraq situations as of 22 January 2017 - ReliefWeb