Zaatari, Mreijeb Al Fhoud refugee camps ‘ready’ for winter

AMMAN — The Zaatari Refugee Camp’s administration has made preparations for winter emergencies in cooperation with 47 international and humanitarian organisations, its director Col. Abdul Rahman Omoush said Thursday.

The Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted Omoush as saying that the situation in Zaatari, some 90km northeast of Amman, is “stable and reassuring”. 

The administration, he added, is focusing on dealing with harsh weather conditions during winter as part of an emergency plan in cooperation with UNHCR and its partners, the Civil Defence Department, the camp’s hospitals and concerned parties from the water and public works directorates at Zaatari.

An operations room was opened and works around-the-clock, Omoush said, adding that the camp, which houses around 79,150 refugees, has three evacuation sites that include winter necessities of food, heating, blankets and relief supplies.

Road clearing vehicles are also available in case of any emergency, and water drainage channels were cleaned, he noted. 

Mreijeb Al Fhoud Refugee Camp Deputy Director Abdullah Shihi also expressed satisfaction with measures taken by the camp’s administration in preparation for winter.

The situation in the UAE-Jordanian camp, some 25km east of Zarqa, is reassuring and Thursday’s rainfall did not affect the facility because of its “unique infrastructure” and the precautionary measures taken, Shihi said in a statement carried by Petra. 

The camp is home to 6,324 refugees, according to the latest figures from the UNHCR.