Storm 'Zina' Response

The Middle East was hit by a major storm last week. The extreme conditions pose a continued serious threat to vulnerable families, particularly those living in sub-standard shelters such as tents, huts and makeshift buildings in the Bekaa Valley and Akkar. These areas experience harsher winter conditions due to their geographical position, altitude and temperature variation. Vulnerable children have been struggling to cope – and even survive – as the winter storm Zina brought unrelenting freezing winds, heavy rains, snow and temperatures as low as -12 degrees Celsius in Bekaa.

_{(click the image for a photo essay on Save the Children's response)}

During the storm, entire refugee settlements were blanketed in snow with many refugees being forced to dig their own way out. Vulnerable families have resorted to burning clothes, rags, mattresses and scraps of wood to survive due to the lack of heating oil. Strong winds and accumulated snow have caused tents to collapse in camps; at least six people died from the freezing cold, four of whom were children under ten. There also have been reports of numerous cases of hypothermia among children.

Response

As part of its strategy for winter 2014/15 and prior to the snow storm, Save the Children has provided emergency shelter, WASH, mattress, blanket and clothing assistance to more than 15,000 vulnerable families residing in informal settlements and unfinished houses in the Bekaa Valley alone. The work of our teams has provided life-saving protection from the freezing cold, reducing the health risks for over 76,500 people, including more than 45,000 children.

In preparation for the storm “Zina”, the Save the Children team in Bekaa identified a total of six sites where vulnerable families could be accommodated in case their tents were damaged or rendered uninhabitable by the snowstorm. Two of the sites were subsequently severely damaged due to the harsh weather and cannot be used; however the remaining four are operational and SCL has provided blankets, mattresses, heating and drinking water for people being housed in those locations. Save the Children also approached municipalities to identify additional emergency shelter for those affected by the storm. Some of the municipalities have made available temporary shelter in school buildings, garages and empty houses.

Upon the arrival of “Zina”, Save the Children was one of the first agencies to respond to the increase in needs by providing urgent support to the most vulnerable cases. The main challenge was accessing affected locations as many roads were closed due to snow and ice; however our teams ensured that all necessary equipment and precautions were in place, including 4WD vehicles, snow chains and vehicle emergency kits, which maximized their ability to reach affected families.

During the storm, our team in Bekaa was able to distribute 80 shelter repair kits, 2,150 high thermal blankets, 400 mattresses and 800 children’s clothes kits in various locations in Central and North Bekaa. Assessment is ongoing and Save the Children will continue its response and has started preparing for the post storm activities. This would include a scale up of WASH (drainage, well protection) and Shelter repair activities. Our teams are continuing also with the distribution of emergency materials to ensure that minimum needs are met (blankets, mattresses, water containers, hygiene kits, dignity kits for women etc.).