Record winter storms hit Syrian refugees in Jordan

62000 Syrians are currently living inside the Zaatari camp Amman – Osama Al Rantissi Weather conditions inside Jordan’s al-Zaatari refugee camp, currently housing some 62,000 Syrians fleeing violence back home, deteriorated as heavy rainfall and even snow flooded tents and caravans. Jordanian authorities were reportedly unable to move refugees elsewhere as “unprecedented” storms continue to batter the whole Middle East region.
A spokesperson for Syrian refugees in Jordan, Anmar al-Hammoud, said that none of the recently reported fatalities among the refugee population took place at Zaatari, instead detailing the deaths of one young cancer sufferer and a baby who died during a caesarean section.
Al-Hammoud reported an "unprecedented" snowstorm at the camp on Wednesday evening, as 40 millimetres of rainfall lashed the area in two days.
Rainwater began to flood refugees' tents on Tuesday evening, prompting residents to flee into the open before appealing to authorities for help.
A number of refugees reported losing their tents, with high winds reaching up to 60 mph destroying 15-20 temporary accommodation units. Caravans in Zaatari, which lies in the eastern governorate of Mafraq, were also damaged by winds.
Jordanian authorities had meanwhile tried to move refugees from tents and into caravans, which he said were not yet fully operational.
The head of the Hashemite Charity Organisation, Ayman al-Mufleh, said officials were taking the appropriate measures to secure shelter for all refugees.
Al-Mufleh denied any injuries amongst Zaatari refugees, but lamented the lack of “sufficient funds” to assist some of the 62,000 Syrians currently residing inside the refugee camp.
Jordan was doing “all it could” for the refugees, al-Mufleh said, calling for patience in the face of "exceptional circumstances" affecting countries across the Middle East.
The country's armed forces have meanwhile announced the country received another 4,000 Syrian refugees this week, with them being referred to “all available humanitarian services” due to unforgiving weather conditions. Advanced border guard units sheltered newly arrived refugees in front-line reception centres.
Storms sweeping across the Middle East have ground life in Jordan to a halt, cutting off whole areas after road closures in the capital Amman and the rest of the country.
The government, banks, schools, universities and even the media ground to a halt for the second consecutive day as snow fell across Jordan. Three daily newspapers -- Ad-Dustour, Al-Arab Al-Yawm and Alghad -- all withheld publication on Wednesday, while others suffered distribution problems due to snowy conditions.