A United Nations agency has declared a state of emergency in the besieged Gaza Strip after two days of extreme weather and flooding.
Though no casualties have been reported, hundreds have been evacuated from their homes in the vicinity of the Sheikh Radwan district of Gaza City, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency declared on its website.
An UNWRA school and shelter in Gaza City were also reported at risk by rising waters, and over sixty schools in the city were closed Thursday afternoon, affecting almost 65,000 students. An additional forty-three schools in northern Gaza Strip are also closed, reported Haaretz
BYPASS THE CENSORS
Sign up to get unfiltered news delivered straight to your inbox.
You can unsubscribe any time. By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use
In response to the crisis, UNWRA has set up an emergency operations room in Gaza City, and is supplying emergency fuel to the Strip’s localities, in addition to water, sanitation and health care services. UNWRA has also made available fuel for generators and water pumps.
“We are very concerned about such severe storms this early in the season and on the back of unprecedented damage and destruction caused by the recent conflict,” said UNRWA’s Director of Operations Robert Turner in Gaza. “We are particularly concerned for those families still seeking adequate shelter and preparing for the winter months, and for the impact the flooding is already having on children unable to attend school.”
Niamh Harris
Be the first to comment