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Home > About Us > latest news > Gaza Strip: Sewage Inundates Northern Village; Relief Agencies Weighing Emergent Needs

Gaza Strip: Sewage Inundates Northern Village; Relief Agencies Weighing Emergent Needs

The affected town is in a new World Vision sponsorship area.

March 30, 2007

By Allyn Dhynes – Advocacy and Communications Manager

Please note: If a sponsored child is directly affected by a crisis or disaster, it is World Vision's policy to notify that child's sponsor as soon as possible.

The tragic event in northern Gaza comes at an already desperate time for the people of Gaza, where nearly 80 percent of children (like these pictured) live beneath the poverty line -- $ 2.70 a day. Many families cannot buy food for their children, which is why 34 percent of all children in Gaza suffer from anemia, a pre-indicator of malnutrition.

A sewage containment unit burst near the town of Umm Al Nassir in the Northern Gaza Strip Tuesday, March 27, unleashing a torrent of polluted water and human waste that buried homes.

Six people are now confirmed dead and several more remain missing in Umm Al Nassir whose estimated population is 5,000. Among the victims were a 70-year-old woman and at least two children, ages 1 and 2.

World Vision's Northern Gaza area coordinator, Mohammad El Halaby, described the scene as chaotic with "water up to [six and a half feet deep] in some areas, burying people. Rescuers are still looking through the murky water for people stuck there."

Extreme Poverty

Umm Al Nassir is located in a new World Vision sponsorship area, which is currently being assessed for development opportunities. Of Gaza's 1.4 million residents, 840,000 are children, and most live in extreme poverty.

Humanitarian organizations in the region have met and are determining an appropriate aid response to the town's flooding. So far, emergency needs include shelter (temporary housing), food parcels, and water- storage units. Estimates are that 25 houses and approximately 200 people were affected by the disaster.

This tragic event comes at an already desperate time for the people of Gaza where unemployment and poverty are rampant and the humanitarian situation is already dire.

Learn More

>> What is World Vision is doing to assist Gaza's 1.4 million deeply impoverished residents, 840,000 of whom are children?
>> Read a Reuter's article about the recent tragedy in northern Gaza.

Get Involved

>> Please pray for the quick recovery of Umm Al Nassir residentsDonate now to assist Gaza families in desperate need, and especially for those who have lost loved ones.
>> Donate now to assist Gaza families in desperate need.

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Federal Way, WA 98063-9716

Who Is World Vision?
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

Learn More

What is World Vision is doing to assist Gaza's 1.4 million deeply impoverished residents, 840,000 of whom are children?
- -
Read a Reuter's article about the recent tragedy in northern Gaza.

Get Involved

Please pray for the quick recovery of Umm Al Nassir residentsDonate now to assist Gaza families in desperate need, and especially for those who have lost loved ones.
- -
Donate now to assist Gaza families in desperate need.

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