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Add to Preferred SourcesSeveral days of high winds and heavy rain brought by Storm Norma have led to flooding in towns and villages across Lebanon, which is host to nearly 950,000 Syrian refugees.
More than 360 sites hosting 11,300 refugees have been affected, with a number of settlements including in Dalhamiya where Juriya lives becoming completely flooded, forcing hundreds of Syrians from their homes.
At least 600 Syrian refugees in the Bekaa had to relocate because of heavy floods or damage to their shelters.
In coordination with Lebanese authorities, UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency – and NGO partners have sent teams out to assess the damage and distribute emergency relief items including new mattresses and blankets to the worst-affected.
Across Lebanon, UNHCR is assisting 166,000 vulnerable Syrian refugee families and more than two thousand non-Syrian refugee families – mainly Iraqi – as part of its US$180 million regional winter assistance programme.
Support includes distributions of plastic sheeting and wooden poles to help refugees protect their shelters from the elements, as well as a monthly payment of US$75 per family for five months, totaling US$375, to help families cover additional expenses during winter such as fuel for heating, medicine, and clothes.
Across the region, UNHCR has been working for months to help those in need prepare for the harsh winter conditions. Almost 2.5 million vulnerable Syrian and Iraqi refugees and internally displaced people have so far received assistance, chiefly in the form of winter cash payments, shelter materials and thermal blankets and other core relief items.
In total, the response plan aims to reach 3.5 million people across the region with assistance, and also includes measures to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events.
Original source: UNHCR
Published on 11 January 2019