Despite the floods Caritas Jerusalem’s medical team took boats, grabbed ladders and assisted many stranded families with medicines, first aid and food. Credit: Caritas Jerusalem
The snowstorms and torrential rain that battered the Mideast in mid-December threatened to make life more difficult in Gaza.
Caritas provided aid to families stranded by floods in Gaza. In some places the floodwaters combined with the rain brought water levels to 13 feet.
The storm has come at a hard time for Gazans. Recurring power outages have led to the suspension of many health-care programmes and services, including waste water treatment.
Overwhelmed sewage facilities have been forced to dump untreated waste into the Mediterranean, and long lines are often formed outside bakeries while people wait to buy bread.
Roughly 40,000 people were forced to flee their homes as a result of flooding. Most were able to stay with relatives, but the United Nations said about 10,000 people sought shelter in schools and other public buildings.
Despite the floods Caritas Jerusalem’s medical team took boats, grabbed ladders and assisted many stranded families with medicines, first aid and food.