'Real risk' of refugees freezing to death in Syria after rains destroy shelters
Source: Guardian
As temperatures fall, aid workers warn of danger to at least 11,000 people across Idlib, with storms also battering camps in Lebanon
Rebecca Ratcliffe
Sat 12 Jan 2019 02.00 EST Last modified on Sat 12 Jan 2019 02.02 EST
At least 11,000 child refugees and their families are facing a weekend of freezing temperatures with no shelter, after torrential rains across Syrias Idlib province swept away tents and belongings.
Aid workers warn there is a real risk people will simply freeze to death as temperatures have already dropped to -1C, amid a shortage of blankets and heating fuel.
The shelters of Syrian refugees inside Lebanon have also been battered by high winds, rain and snow this week, according to UNHCR, which says 361 sites have been affected.
Camps in the border town of Arsal have been buried in snow, while settlements in the central and west Bekaa areas, where there has been heavy flooding, have experienced even worse damage. It is forecast that rains will begin again on Sunday.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jan/12/real-risk-of-refugees-freezing-to-death-in-syria-after-rains-destroy-shelters