Heavy rainfall on Saturday, 7 February, in northwestern Syria triggered flash floods that killed children, caused widespread damage in displacement camps, and threatened health facilities.
Two children died and a third was rescued, they are siblings according to initial information, after floodwaters swept them away in the Ain Issa area (northern Latakia countryside, northwestern Syria), according to the Syrian Civil Defense.
Rescue teams from the Syrian Civil Defense, part of the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, rescued one child alive and recovered the bodies of the two others.
Camps flooded in western Idlib
Seasonal runoff also swept through displacement camps in the Khirbet al-Joz area (western Idlib governorate, northwestern Syria), dragging and inundating a number of tents, the Syrian Civil Defense said in an official statement.
Civil Defense teams worked to reopen the water channel and carried out evacuations from the affected camp in Khirbet al-Joz to temporary shelters.
The field response also included evacuating patients and medical staff from al-Bayda Hospital in the same area after floodwater reached the facility and flooded the ground floor. They were transferred to hospitals in Jisr al-Shughur and Idlib city (Idlib governorate). Teams also pumped water out of the hospital and drained water from its surroundings.
Emergency measures
Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh said ministry teams were continuing their response in Idlib, Sarmin, Jisr al-Shughur, Saraqib, and rural Hama (central Syria). He urged residents to “exercise caution, stay away from flood channels and areas where water accumulates.”
Idlib Governor Mohammad Abdul Rahman said the rainfall had flooded and damaged more than 10 displacement camps in Idlib, adding that he had instructed all relevant bodies to take urgent response measures.
As part of that response, several schools and mosques were opened to temporarily host affected families.
Idlib’s Director of Education Omar Latouf also announced that schools in nearby areas had been opened to receive affected families and provide safe shelter, “out of concern for safety and in keeping with humanitarian duty.”
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor said it was continuing efforts to secure food supplies and firewood and distribute them to affected residents in camps across northern Syria and in the Jisr al-Shughur area, as part of the emergency humanitarian response to the rainstorm.
Search and rescue in Latakia countryside
The storm’s effects extended to neighboring Latakia governorate, where heavy rain turned into dangerous torrents that trapped civilians and cut roads, requiring complex rescue operations.
The Syrian Civil Defense said its teams responded to multiple reports in Latakia countryside linked to the same strong floods, which trapped civilians and blocked roads, according to a ministry statement.
The response included several urgent rescues. In al-Asaliyah (Latakia countryside), teams rescued a civilian who was trapped with three others after floodwaters swept them to a tree, while operations were still ongoing to locate two others who remain missing.
Teams also evacuated a family of six from al-Badrusiyah (Latakia countryside) after they were surrounded by floodwaters, and reopened access roads to the area. Another family of five was evacuated in al-Sheikh Hassan (Latakia countryside), alongside continued efforts to clear damaged roads.
Civil Defense teams said search and rescue operations would continue until all stranded people are brought to safety, urging residents to remain cautious, avoid valley flood paths, and contact emergency numbers immediately in case of any incident.
Weather forecasts and renewed concerns
The Early Warning Department at the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management warned that the low pressure system behind the rainfall would bring heavy showers to other areas from dawn on Saturday, 7 February, through Saturday evening, with the risk of continued runoff and local flash floods.
Meteorology services also forecast a temporary period of more stable conditions, followed by another low pressure system expected to affect the region on Tuesday evening, raising fears that the scene could repeat and further strain humanitarian response efforts.
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