Newly displaced Syrians in urgent need as temperatures plummet

UNHCR, the Refugee Agency, is deeply concerned about the safety and wellbeing of an estimated 900,000 civilians who have fled from the conflict areas in Syria’s Idlib and Aleppo Governorates since December. As many as 142,000 are estimated to have fled in just four days.

Those now homeless in Idlib join an estimated 3.12 million displaced Syrians across the Middle East region who are already battling bitter winter conditions.

Around 80% of those displaced in Idlib are women and children, sleeping in unsafe and open buildings, mosques and schools. After fleeing their homes, they will now struggle to survive extreme winter weather, with temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius.

Shelter is a critical need. Existing displacement camps and settlements are overcrowded and even finding a place in an unfinished building has become close to impossible. As fighting continues, the number of displaced people is expected to rise, leaving resources across the region stretched as the agency responds to multiple winter events.

In Lebanon last week, Storm Karim inundated more than 80 informal refugee settlements with strong winds, snow and heavy rain. UNHCR is issuing emergency winter relief to refugee families as temperatures plummet to -6 degrees Celsius in parts of Lebanon. More winter storms are forecast.

In northern Iraq, fresh snowfall has hit refugee camps where many recently arrived families are living in tents after fleeing Syria. More than 19,600 Syrians have crossed into northern Iraq since October seeking safety from renewed conflict in Syria’s northeast.

UNHCR’s #BelowZero appeal is urgently calling for donations to help the agency keep families warm and safe.

UK celebrities such as Tanya Burr, Camilla Thurlow and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors David Morrisey and Neil Gaiman have added their voices to the campaign so far, with public donations to help deliver:

• Tents, high-thermal blankets, plastic sheets and warm clothing
• Shelter kits to help repair and waterproof refugee shelters
• Specialist protection such as psychosocial counselling to help with trauma

Professor George Havenith, a leading expert on the impact that temperatures have on the human body, says urgent intervention is vital. One of the biggest causes of concern is hypothermia.

Professor George Havenith, Director of the Environmental Ergonomics Centre at Loughborough University, said: “With insufficient clothing insulation, people need to shiver a lot to maintain body temperature and that costs a lot of energy. When this happens for prolonged periods, or in extreme cold, people are not able to maintain their body temperature and they slowly become hypothermic. This is a direct risk to life. But even in general, cold exposure increases mortality, as it exacerbates many health issues, especially in children and the elderly, but also directly through an increase in cardiovascular problems.”

Matthew Saltmarsh, Senior External Affairs Officer at UNHCR said: “Syria is the biggest refugee crisis of our time. For the vast majority of families forced to flee their homes, life has become a relentless struggle. Living below the poverty line and in overcrowded areas, their hardships have worsened this winter - facing snow, bitter winds, icy rain and winter storms. The situation in camps and settlements is particularly acute as refugees face a daily battle - from keeping warm to keeping their children’s clothes dry.

“We have been distributing winter relief daily but urgently need public support to help us reach more families.”

Please donate today by phone, text or online – see details below.

For more information visit www.unhcr.org/belowzero 

Contact: Mark Macdonald, [email protected] +44 7763 697 887

-ENDS-

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS – PLEASE SUPPORT APPEAL BY INCLUDING HOW TO DONATE:

• Donate by calling freephone 0800 029 3883
• Donate online: www.unhcr.org/belowzero
• Text WARMTH to 70025 to donate £10 – this can fund warm sleeping mats for family of five (mobile user will be charged £10 donation plus their standard network rate for a text).

HOW DONATIONS CAN HELP:

• £30 can buy fleece blankets for a family of five
• £57 can cover an emergency winter grant (helps buy fuel, medicine, warm clothing)
• £79 can buy a winter survival kit (blanket, sleeping mat, warm jacket, stove and fuel)
• £375 could provide a family with an emergency tent to shelter from the cold, wind and snow.