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WORLD NEWS Saturday 30 January 2021
Thousands left homeless by storms, floods in Syria’s Idlib

By BASSEM MROUE and half a million people dead
GHAITH ALSAYED and half the country’s pre-
Associated Press war population of 23 million
IDLIB, Syria (AP) — For those displaced, with more than
who have fled war to shel- 5 million of them living as
ter in Syria’s last rebel-held refugees outside the coun-
stronghold, suffering knows try.
no end. Residents and aid groups
A rainstorm lashing the have complained that the
country’s northwest these slow arrival of assistance
days is spreading more mis- into the almost besieged
ery, after rain and flooding region is the result of last Ju-
less than two weeks ago ly’s decision by the U.N. Se-
killed one child and de- curity Council to limit for a
stroyed hundreds of tents, year humanitarian aid de-
leaving tens of thousands liveries to Syria’s northwest
of internally displaced Syr- to just one crossing point
ians homeless once again. from Turkey.
The harsh weather condi- When the first strong storm
tions add to an already di- hit the region 10 days ago,
sastrous humanitarian situ- Abed al-Yassin was sitting
ation with the spread of the with his wife, three sons and
coronavirus and a worsen- one daughter when their
ing economic crisis. tent collapsed and mud
International aid groups Syrian refugees walk through a camp for displaced muddied by recent rains near the village of flooded in, forcing them to
Kafr Aruq, in Idlib province, Syria, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021.
have warned that reduced Associated Press run to his neighbors’ more
humanitarian access to this solid tent. The next morn-
part of Syria will impede tions warned was coming.” government offensive that at a time when the local ing, he started building an-
the response to the effects Cutts’ statement Thursday displaced hundreds of currency briefly hit a record other tent nearby, making
of the storm in a region al- said at least 121,000 peo- thousands and damaged low of 3,600 Syrian pounds sure to surround it with sand
ready suffering from short- ple in 304 sites in the re- dozens of clinics and hos- to the dollar on the black from all sides to prevent
age of humanitarian aid. gion were badly affected pitals. market this week, eradicat- water running in.
“The reality is that people in when torrential rain and More than 3 million people, ing much of the citizens’ “Conditions are miserable
this area are facing a cat- strong winds damaged or many of them already dis- purchase power. over here,” said al-Yassin,
astrophic situation,” said destroyed at least 21,700 placed by Syria’s nearly The region has also reg- speaking over the phone
Mark Cutts, the U.N.’s dep- tents. He said one child 10-year conflict, live in the istered more than 20,000 as a strong wind howled
uty regional humanitarian was killed and three other region. cases of coronavirus and in the background. Luck-
coordinator for Syria. people were injured. The heavy rain led to floods 382 deaths amid a severe ily, a few days ago they
“People in these camps are The rebel-held Idlib prov- in some of the tent settle- shortage of medical equip- received some packs of
desperate, and humanitar- ince and western parts of ments, washing away ment. pasta they are eating with
ians are overwhelmed by Aleppo last year witnessed many of the people’s be- Syria’s conflict, which be- vegetables for the time be-
a crisis that the United Na- a crushing Russian-backed longings, including food, gan in March 2011, has left ing. q

Associated Press Board:

Puerto Rico pays millions in salary to non-workers

By DÁNICA COTO Medina. “It’s the worst kind Biggs. “After four years of ment has struggled in re- the government will be
Associated Press of corruption. It’s stealing observing the government cent years with millions of held accountable.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico the future of our children.” of Puerto Rico in action, dollars in damage caused “They’ll have to pay one
(AP) — A federal control The board first publicly this doesn’t shock me at by hurricanes Irma and way or another,” he said.
board revealed Friday that flagged the problem in all.” Maria in 2017 and a series “Rest assured that we’ll
the U.S. territory paid more late September, announc- He noted that the govern- of strong earthquakes that deal with this.”
than $28 million in salaries ing it had contacted fed- ment years ago had in- began in late 2019 that led The ongoing issue comes
in recent months to people eral and local law en- vested $33 million in a time to the permanent closure as Puerto Rico continues
who no longer work for the forcement agencies after and attendance software of several schools along to restructure a portion of
U.S. territory’s Education discovering the Education system that is not used, the island’s south coast. its more than $70 billion
Department, even after of- Department paid more leading to the loss of more Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro public debt load, accu-
ficials last year flagged the than $84 million in salaries than $84 million over more Pierluisi, who assumed of- mulated from decades of
practice as a problem. to some 17,500 people than a decade. fice earlier this month and is unchecked borrowing of
The announcement came from 2007 to 2020 who no The department has one the first governor to sit in on millions of dollars to cover
during a meeting of the longer worked there. of the largest government such meetings, said he was ballooning deficits.
board that oversees Puer- The board said the depart- budgets, with $1.36 billion not aware of the recent In 2015, the U.S. territory
to Rico’s finances as the ment failed to meet its re- allocated in fiscal year payments. He pledged announced it was unable
U.S. territory government quirement to implement a 2021, and the board called that implementing a time to pay its public debt.
undergoes a bankruptcy- time and attendance sys- for the budget to be ad- and attendance system Two years later, it filed for
like process. tem by mid-December. justed if the more than $28 will be a priority, adding the biggest U.S. municipal
“This is total outrage,” said “I don’t feel surprised,” said million is not recovered. that those who collected bankruptcy in history.q
board member Antonio board member Andrew The Education Depart- pay without working for