EU provides €80 thousand humanitarian funding to those affected by Gyunri hailstorm and floods

 21:38, 7 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 7, ARMENPRESS. In mid-July 2020, a devastating hailstorm hit the city of Gyumri in Armenia, followed by floods that caused substantial damage to housing and infrastructure, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the EU Delegation to Armenia.

In response, the European Union is providing €80,000 in humanitarian funding to assist the most affected people. This EU funding supports the Red Cross in delivering much needed relief aid, including cash assistance to help the most vulnerable cover their immediate basic needs such as food and hygiene items; vouchers for clothes; and the distribution of mattresses, pillows, blankets and bed linen.

The humanitarian aid will directly benefit 2,670 individuals whose belongings and houses were severely damaged or destroyed by the hailstorm and subsequent floods. The funding is part of the EU's overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

On 13 July 2020, a heavy hailstorm hit Gyumri, Armenia’s second largest city. Whilst the country has repeatedly faced hailstorms in the past, the most recent one was unprecedented in its scale and impact on the urban area. About 1,000 households were affected, out of which 600 (2,670 persons) still live in container-housing that was built as ‘temporary shelters’ following a devastating earthquake in 1988. These households are considered critically vulnerable and require immediate humanitarian assistance.