Image source: Reuters
The suffering of the displaced in the Gaza Strip has worsened with the impact of the current depression, whose heavy rains have caused thousands of tents to sink in various areas of the Strip, and water to leak into shelters, amid fears of intensification of rain, winds, and falling temperatures in the coming days, in light of the lack of capabilities necessary to confront the harsh weather conditions.
In a testimony that reflects the extent of the suffering, Alaa, a displaced woman residing in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, narrated to the BBC the details of what her family was exposed to as a result of the rain, noting that its intensity exceeded their expectations, despite their prior knowledge of the arrival of a depression.
The government media office in Gaza announced that 70,000 tents housing tens of thousands of displaced people had been flooded within just 12 hours, in addition to the collapse of dozens of walls, causing various injuries, including serious injuries, in various governorates of the Strip.
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“We did not expect the amounts of rain to be this heavy, especially since we are at the beginning of the winter season. The previous day, the forecast was talking about a depression, but the weather seemed sunny, and then the air began to gradually thicken after the afternoon, without us feeling very cold, so we did not expect the weather conditions to develop to this extent,” according to Masoud.
She adds that her family, who lives in tents in a low-lying area, tried to prepare for the winter season about three weeks ago, by digging a large hole and taking yellow sand out of it, with the aim of creating a barrier that limits the flow of water towards the tents. The family also left the hole open and covered it with iron bars and wood, hoping to use it to prevent rainwater from collecting and draining away from the residences.
Initial estimates of direct losses at the beginning of this depression amounted to about $3 million so far, according to the government media office in Gaza.
Masoud explains: “We also dug a water channel, or what is known in Gaza as a ‘worker’, which is a simple channel dug in the ground to direct rainwater from high areas towards the hole, so that water does not accumulate around the tents. We used whatever tools we had available, and we sought help from a creek to dig the channel, but all these attempts did not prevent us from drowning.”
She continues that rainwater infiltrated the tents despite the preparations made by the families. The new tent that the family had recently purchased sank, as did her tent and her sister's tent, which could no longer withstand the weather conditions after about two years of depreciation and constant exposure to the winds.
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She added: "My tent and my sister's tent have been worn out for two years due to winds and weather conditions. During the night, one of the tent's poles or its fixing points fell, and with its fall, its roof was torn, so water started flowing in, and we drowned completely," saying: "The winter in Gaza has become harsher than the war."
The damage was not limited to the tents of the immediate family, according to her testimony, as her brother’s neighboring tent and many other tents also drowned, and her married sister’s tent was also drowned, after its floor collapsed under the pressure of the accumulated water, and the furnishings and covers inside it became wet.
The government media office in Gaza held “the Israeli occupation fully responsible for these catastrophic repercussions, as a result of its continued closure of the crossings and preventing the entry of shelter and basic reconstruction materials that our people urgently need,” calling on the international community to intervene.
Ola, a displaced person in the Gaza Strip, confirmed that displaced families in Gaza face an extremely difficult reality in dealing with the repercussions of winter, in light of the lack of financial capabilities and the inability to replace damaged tents or buy supplies to protect them from the rain.
She says sadly: "The possibilities are completely non-existent. In previous periods of the war, we were trying to manage our affairs, saying that we had some money saved that could help us, but today we no longer have anything. Our financial conditions have become the worst possible, and we do not have the ability to buy new tents or even provide alternative solutions."
Alaa and Ola point out that they thought about covering their tent with a layer of nylon from the outside to protect it from rainwater, but implementing the idea requires iron bars fixed to the ground and used to tighten the nylon, which the family does not have, in addition to the fact that the weight of the nylon may increase the pressure on the tent and cause its roof to drop further.
Ola concludes her testimony by saying: “We tried to do everything we could with what was available to us. We dug water channels and prepared a large hole, but all of that was not enough in light of the amount of rain that fell. Now our tents have sunk, our furnishings are wet, and we do not have the money or the capabilities to repair or replace what was damaged. We have no choice but to wait for God’s protection and mercy.”
Palestinian activists and journalists documented on social media scenes of the suffering of displaced people in the Gaza Strip, as a result of the sinking of tents and rainwater seeping into shelters, which led to the damage of mattresses and covers and the forced families to try to save what remained of their possessions, amid scenes of children sleeping in water and mud.
According to the WAFA report, the number of tents sheltering displaced families throughout the Gaza Strip is estimated at approximately 270,000 tents. The agency said that these temporary tents are “made of nylon and thin fabric,” and lack “the most basic elements of protection from rain, wind, and extreme cold.”
The report indicated that more than 400,000 displaced people live in “high-risk locations exposed to floods and rainwater accumulation, or near the seashore, which increases the possibility of their exposure to the risks of weather depressions and winter storms,” in light of “the absence of fuel and the scarcity of means of heating.”
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