Heavy rain in Gaza over the weekend killed several civilians, including an infant who drowned in flooding, the United Nations said Monday, warning that even moderate storms can have catastrophic consequences because of the lack of shelter and equipment.
The rains, which began on the evening of Nov 6, exposed the fragility of shelters, triggered widespread flooding, damaged humanitarian facilities and learning spaces, and disrupted essential services, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Speaking at a daily press briefing, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said that an infant reportedly drowned in the flooding and three children and at least one woman were killed when a sand dune collapsed onto their tents. Thousands of families have lost their shelters and belongings, he said.
UN humanitarian agencies and their partners have been pumping water from flooded camps, improving drainage, reinforcing displacement sites with sandbags and distributing emergency supplies. However, Haq said the response remains hampered by "far too little equipment and too few shelter materials" to meet the scale of need.
Speaking from Ramallah, Deputy Special Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov said rain is natural, but people's vulnerability is man-made. Most people are living in worn-out tents that could not withstand what would be considered a moderate storm elsewhere, he said.
"This is, again, [as he mentioned] what would be regarded as moderate rainstorms elsewhere in the world, but because of the lack of equipment, because of the lack of resources and housing that can withstand this sort of shock, these are rainstorms that can have a catastrophic effect, including, as you just pointed out, on children," Haq said.
Alakbarov called for the urgent lifting of unnecessary restrictions and delays, including those preventing humanitarian organizations from bringing enough vacuum trucks, mobile dewatering pumps, heavy machinery, engine oil, spare parts, tents, tarpaulins, plastic sheeting, blankets and winter clothing into Gaza.
He also called for urgent humanitarian funding, without which the humanitarian community cannot buy enough supplies.
The UN also said strikes continue to hit populated areas of Gaza and cause further casualties.
UN warns of worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza after heavy rains
