Assyria: Heavy Rains Flood Refugee Camps in Northern Iraq
An estimated 100,000 displaced people living in refugee camps in Dohuk in northern Iraq have been affected by heavy rains and flooding. The IDPs are mostly Assyrians and Yazidis, and hundreds have now been forced to abandon their shelters in the camps. Adverse weather conditions and dropping temperatures, as winter approaches, are endangering the estimated 1.8 million refugees and IDPs in Iraq.
Below is an article published by AINA:
Heavy rains flooded refugee camps in Dohuk, Iraq, where an estimated 100,000 Iraqis fled when ISIS entered the Nineveh Plain on August 7. The refugees are mostly Assyrians and Yazidis. Hundreds of refugees were forced to abandon their tents after they were flooded by the rains.
Dohuk (Assyrian Noohadra) is 80 kilometers north of Mosul.
Hundreds of refugees held protests to call attention to their miserable living conditions and to demand emergency relief from the Central Government and the Kurdish Regional Government.
Both governments had been warned of the potential severe weather by various relief agencies.
The refugees in Dohuk have received less aid than the ones in Ankawa because of its distance from a major urban center. Most refugees in Dohuk do not have the most basic facilities, such as shelter, water, sanitation, restrooms and showers.
Doctors have warned of a possible outbreak of diseases among the refugees, especially children and women.
Photo Credit: AINA
