Since last Friday evening, the Syrian governorates have been facing a state of severe weather turmoil that lasted until Sunday morning, accompanied by heavy rainfall and thunderstorms that led to limited human and extensive material losses, amid full alert of civil defense teams and concerned authorities to reduce the repercussions of the sweeping floods that hit several areas.
65 field operations to rescue stranded people
In the face of harsh weather conditions, the Syrian Civil Defence teams of the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management have begun to carry out simultaneous response operations in the affected areas.
Since the start of the storm until midnight last night, the teams carried out more than 65 field operations, including the evacuation of 22 families in the village of "Al-Wasita" in eastern Idlib after being surrounded by water.
The field efforts were distributed between 21 operations to suck rainwater, 10 operations to remove fallen trees, in addition to structural intervention in buildings that were subjected to partial collapses, the opening of roads closed by the floods, and the withdrawal of cars stuck in the mud and water bodies to ensure the safety of civilians.
The loss of a child in Afrin
In the countryside of Aleppo, the rainstorm that hit the Afrin region caused a humanitarian tragedy, as a child was lost after being swept away by the river in the village of "Tal Silour", and search and rescue operations are still ongoing to this day.
The Aleppo Information Directorate explained in a statement that the towns of "Ain Dara" and "Bulbul" witnessed sweeping floods, while the water level in the town of "Bassuta" rose, breaking into houses as a result of the lack of sewage networks. On the agricultural level, large areas of fruit trees, especially fruit and olive crops, were damaged in the areas of "Ghazawiya", "Iskan and Sheikh Deir", while the "Afrin-Jindires" road was temporarily closed due to the accumulation of dust.
Chatha leads the rainfall with 71 mm
At the national level, the Ministry of Agriculture recorded rainfall of varying intensity that included most of the Syrian governorates during the past 24 hours. The "Shataha" area in Hama countryside came in first place with the highest amount of rainfall of 71 mm, followed by "Salanfa" in Latakia with 39 mm, and "Abu al-Dhahur" in Idlib with 35.5 mm.
The capital Damascus recorded 11 mm in the Mezzeh region, while the eastern and northern governorates witnessed rainfall ranging from 16 mm in Aleppo, 4.3 mm in Deir Ezzor, and 1 mm in Al-Hasakah, amid dusty nebulae that prevailed in most of the interior areas as a result of the strong winds accompanying the depression.
Weather Forecast
Weather forecasts indicate that the weather instability will peak on Sunday, with temperatures continuing to drop around their annual averages. The impact of the depression is expected to continue until dawn next Tuesday, keeping emergency teams and municipalities on high alert, especially in areas near riverbeds and mountain slopes that are witnessing continuous mudflows and flooding.
The concerned authorities are currently continuing urgent maintenance work on the infrastructure, including the "Deir Ballut" bridge in Jindires, to ensure the continuation of traffic and the safety of passers-by in light of the continued flow of water and floods.