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Syria Floods Response, Emergency Plan of Action Operation Update, Appeal n° MDRSY004

Countries
Syria
Sources
IFRC
Publication date
Origin
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Summary:

The first Operation Update provides recent information on the situation and progress of the ongoing response operation. IFRC continues to appeal for funds to support the response activities of Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society (SARC) as spelt out in the operational strategy of the Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA)

  • 31 March 2019: Heavy rains starting on 31 March, resulted in serious flooding in the Al Hassakeh Governorate of Syria leaving 235,000 people affected in towns and villages in the North East of Syria.

  • 1 April 2019: Rapid assessment, evacuations and basic relief provided by the SARC Al Hasakeh Branch.

  • 12 April 2019: 500,000 Swiss francs allocated from the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) as an emergency operation start up.

  • 15 April 2019: Emergency Appeal launched for 3,500,000 Swiss francs - 6 May 2019: Emergency Plan of Action is published.

Heavy rains starting on 31 March, resulted in serious flooding in the Al Hassakeh Governorate of Syria and continued during all April, leaving 235,000 people affected in towns and villages in the North East of Syria. Two people died during the flooding including an 8 years’ old child. Many of the affected families are living in camps for people internally displaced persons (IDP) as a result of recent military activity in the area. Serious damage to homes and agricultural lands has been reported in Quamishli, Jawadiyeh, Ta’robiyah, Tal Hamis, Qahtaniyyeh, Al Hassakeh and the IDP camp in Aresheeh, as well as the IDP camp of Al Hol Camp (Sector 5 and 7). Schools in Tal Hamis, one of the worst affected areas, are being used as temporary shelters for more than 2,500 people that have been evacuated from the floods. These families have been in temporary shelters for more than three weeks, and recent rainfall means that they will be forced to remain until the weather stabilizes. IDP settlement in Areesheh has been moved due to acute flooding.

The new assessments undertaken by SARC at the end of April confirmed that over 7,000 houses have been damaged by the floods, and still 500 families have been displaced to five schools which are serving as temporary emergency shelters, and at least 1,000 families are sheltering with host families. Some 194,000 acres of agricultural land has been flooded, with significant loss of food crops including barley, wheat and lentils as well as loss of animals, including sheep, goats, cows and chickens. Damage to road infrastructure has led the destruction of 6 bridges making it difficult to access some of the most vulnerable areas.

In the third week of April there was further destruction of house, farmlands and road infrastructure resulting from the high-water levels which submerged farmlands and causing overflows of rivers and contamination of the soil with oil particularly in Tal Hamis.

The extent of the needs remains uncertain due to inaccessibility in some areas; this is further compounded by the governorate being in a food insecure area which has exacerbated the food insecurity situation as a result of the recent flooding.