WFP provides support to 235 flood-affected Syrian Kurds in Erbil

Approximately 1400 Syrian refugees had their tents and homes severely damaged by the rains.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2021/12/22 12:07

Syrian Kurdish refugees received support from WFP and its local partner (Photo: WFP).

Kurdistan WFP Iraq Flash flood Erbil flash flood WFP Syrian refugees

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and its partner, World Vision International (WVI), provided 235 flood-affected Syrian refugee families in Erbil's Qushtapa camp with emergency ready-to-eat food assistance, the WFP announced in a press release.

Heavy rainfall on Friday resulted in flash floods that killed 12 people, including a 10-month-old baby whose body has not yet been found.

According to the WFP, the Qushtapa refugee camp was one of the heavily affected areas. However, there were no fatalities or injuries in the camp.

Approximately 1,400 Syrian refugees had their tents and homes severely damaged in the rainstorm.

The water level rose to half a meter in the damaged areas, ruining food stores, refrigerators, electric heaters, and other household items. Many families also discarded their clothes and carpets that were ruined by water damage.

"WFP is coordinating with the local Government of the Kurdistan region, other UN agencies, and humanitarian partners in the area to provide aid and support to camp residents affected by the natural disaster," the WFP said.

WFP Iraq's Deputy Country Director, Mr. Asif Bhutto told Kurdistan 24 that WFP’s “rapid assessments undertaken in the immediate aftermath of the flood helped identify Syrian refugee households residing in the camp who had lost most of their belongings.”

“The 235 households, with little other sources of income beyond the assistance provided by humanitarian actors, have received emergency food assistance to help them sustain themselves until the next cycle of periodic WFP assistance is initiated in early January 2022,” he said.

“WFP provides monthly cash assistance to 72,000 vulnerable Syrian refugees residing in camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) to help them meet their daily food needs.”

The WFP Iraq is scaling up its assistance to provide more support to vulnerable communities amidst the increasing dangers posed by climate change.

WFP also provides food and cash assistance to thousands of displaced Iraqis and Syrian refugees in Iraq.