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ACTNews, GAZA
– Winter is still looming over the besieged Gaza Strip, Palestine. The
precipitation rate in the area continues to increase, and the temperatures can
drop drastically to 10 degrees Celsius at night. With the poverty that afflicts
many local residents, winter can pose a threat of hypothermia to those without adequate
preparation.
To ease the burden
on poor families in Gaza, Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT) continued to distribute
winter aid in the form of room heaters in Gaza. In mid-February, the
distribution took place in Al-Amreekiya neighborhood in Gaza City and Khan
Younis in North Gaza.
Said Mukaffiy from
ACT's Global Humanity Response team explained that at least 360 beneficiaries
from impoverished families receive the room heater assistance. With most of
their houses being shabby and inadequate to protect the inhabitants from the
freezing winter temperatures, they become vulnerable to hypothermia.
The CDC (Center
for Disease Control and Prevention) defines hypothermia
as an abnormally low body temperature caused by prolonged exposure to very cold
temperatures. In adults, its symptoms include drowsiness, exhaustion, and
shivering while in babies the symptoms are bright red and cold skin as well as
very low energy.
The room heaters
that were distributed were the gas-fueled ones. It is safer and relatively
cheaper compared to the electric ones.
"In some
cases, electric room heaters often break down due to short circuits. In fact, it
can explode and cause injuries,” Said added, Saturday (2/19/2022).
The distribution
of the gas-fueled room heaters this February marked the second room heater
distribution for this year’s Winter Aid program. Previously, another
distribution took place in late December at Beit Lahia in North Gaza and Al-Shojaiya
in East Gaza.[]
