It's snowing in Cyprus

The Cypriot village of Kakopetria today

A winter storm, dubbed Alexa, has hit the eastern Mediterranean these last few days, bringing heavy snow to parts of Cyprus and also across elevated areas in Lebanon and Syria. Snow even fell in Nicosia overnight, which is not common. We heard today from some colleagues in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, where tens of thousands of Syrian refugees are located. It is estimated that more than 80,000 refugees will be spending the winter in tents, with many more in temporary or makeshift accommodation. The onset of winter proper is a major challenge for these people.

World Vision, other agencies, the UN and the army are working hard to continue distribution of emergency winter supplies.  However there are real concerns that the winter is going to be very harsh on an already highly vulnerable population. Click here for further details on the emergency response work being done by World Vision or here for some further news about the storm and its impacts.

Mountain roads in Cyprus today