Syria: Floods - Jan 2021

A six-year-old boy has died and more than 20,000 children have been displaced by heavy flooding in North West Syria. At least 41,200 people have been affected by a heavy storm which has caused extreme flooding on Monday in northern Idlib and western Aleppo. Most of the people affected have already faced years of being uprooted from their homes due to conflict. At least 62 camps and 2,558 tents have been damaged or destroyed by the storm, often sweeping away the only possessions people had after nearly a decade of displacement. Tens of thousands of people scattered to find shelter from the ongoing storm in schools and mosques. Others were forced to sleep in the open air last night, in temperatures below zero. (Save the Children, 19 Jan 2021)

Following the heavy rainfall that caused widespread floods in Idlib and Aleppo refugee camps (north-western Syria) over the past week. According to the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) more than 24,354 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in 99 sites were affected by the recent flood as of 24 January. It has resulted in one death and three injuries with some 4,575 tents either destroyed or damaged. Consolidation of numbers and response through NGOs and clusters continues. Humanitarian organizations are providing help for those most affected with tents, mattresses, blankets, plastic sheets and ready meals. (ECHO, 26 Jan 2021)

Heavy rainfall and strong winds have resulted in flooding across north-western Syria since mid-January. According to the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) cluster in Gaziantep, close to 142,000 Internally Displaced People (IDPs) were affected across 407 IDP sites. The number of fatalities stands at one and three individuals have been injured. About 25,600 tents have been damaged or destroyed and several roads, leading to camps and pathways within camps, have been severely affected. (ECHO, 5 Feb 2021)

In March, heavy winds across northwest Syria resulted in damage to 88 IDP sites. According to the CCCM Cluster, from 11 to 24 March, some 1,521 tents were damaged as a result of the heavy winds, with families forced to temporarily move in with relatives and neighbours in the IDP sites. The heavy winds increased the need for tent replacements, food, and plastic sheets, compounding with existing needs caused by the flooding incidents and winterisation needs in recent months. Since the last situation report on 24 February, the CCCM also reported on flood incidents impacting 15 IDP sites that led to the destruction of 607 shelters and partial damage to 1,475 shelters. (OCHA, 30 Mar 2021)