The storm forced dozens of families to evacuate their flooded houses. Gaza’s basic infrastructure was already in a fragile state prior to further large-scale destruction that occurred during Israel’s military offensive against the Gaza Strip in July and August 2014. The storm, which started on Tuesday, 6 January 2015, and reached its peak by Friday, claimed the lives of four Palestinians in Gaza, three of whom were children, according to media reports.
NRC has taken a leading role in coordinating the response in the most vulnerable communities in the Gaza strip following the storm, through facilitating distribution and installation of plastic sheeting to prevent water leakages, coordinating distribution of gas heaters and mattresses, blankets and warm clothes, as well as drainage of rain water in the Temporary Displacement Sites in the Khuza’a area, Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip.
Displaced people struggle in the cold
As the storm intensified, people in Gaza were struggling to cope with the low temperatures. 29-year-old Ahmed Abu Raida lives in one of the prefabricated housing units in Khuza’a. He moved in after his house was destroyed in the recent military offensive. Ahmed describes how his family suffered from the cold: “It is very tough to cope with the cold, especially because most of the time we do not have electricity. My two children are frequently sick. They have stomach aches and diarrhoea, sometimes they vomit, and they always seem to have a running nose. We have nothing in the face of this cold. The only thing I can do is hug my children to keep them warm. Sometimes I light a fire to heat the room, but that is too dangerous and the smoke is harmful,” he says.
In response to Ahmed Abu Raida’s and many of the other Khuza’a residents’ needs, NRC approached Mercy Corps to fund gas heaters for vulnerable households in Khuza’a. In coordination with the municipality and local community representatives in Khuza’a, NRC coordinated the distribution of 150 gas heaters to all families residing in the prefabricated units and to 50 families living in tents, makeshift shelters, damaged apartments or in the remnants of their destroyed houses.
Ahmed Abu Raida tells us how important the gas heater has been to his family: “These heaters have made a huge difference for us. We do not need electricity or anything to operate them. We turn the heater on for a few minutes and the unit becomes very warm. I am not worried about my children getting sick anymore. Everyone who received a heater is very happy and grateful to those who came up with the idea, funded and distributed the heaters.” Ahmed said.
NRC’s Area Manager in Gaza, Marina Muenchenbach, summarises NRC’s successful intervention: “Because NRC had built a relationship of mutual respect with community representatives and municipalities prior to the recent storm, our coordination and facilitation efforts proved to be significant on the ground, especially in Khuza’a. We were able to link needs to available resources. At 7:20pm, Mercy Corps confirmed financial support; at 10.30pm trucks were on their way, and, at 6:00am the following morning gas heaters had been distributed to families living in freezing caravans. Although this required NRC staff to work through the night and move under the rain and cold weather, the relief on people’s faces and knowing that they have made a positive difference for them were worth it. Such prompt and responsive interventions protect lives.”
