GAZIANTEP, Turkey -- As the first flakes of snow fell on the already frozen ground of southern Turkey Tuesday night, refugee agencies and activists were scrambling to finish preparations ahead of the initial storm of a season that could further devastate refugees from Syria's ongoing civil war.
A winter storm is set to hit over the next 36 hours, with snow, freezing rain and high winds expected to blanket much of an area -- from Iraq in the east to Lebanon in the west -- that currently holds an estimated 9 million refugees and displaced people.
In Turkey, where the government directly controls refugee care with the assistance of the international community, the state office for emergency management reportedly issued a last-minute plan to allocate additional housing for unprotected refugees.
At least a half-million Syrians are registered as refugees in Turkey, about a third of whom live in well-maintained campsites. The rest -- and many more who go unregistered -- live independently across the country's cities and towns.
But Turkey has also frequently blocked Syrian refugees from entering in large numbers, and some of the very worst-off are those still stuck inside their country's borders. There, international aid groups have faced major political and safety challenges in delivering assistance, and activists warn there is little sign of improvement ahead of winter.
At the Atama camp, along the border in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, a Syrian opposition activist told The Huffington Post by phone Tuesday evening that few people seemed prepared for the inclement weather.
"In the camp, a few people have heating, but really there's nothing to do to prepare for the storm," Alaa El Din Al Youssef said. "If you have a blanket, you stay under it. Some people are in tents, some are in empty rooms, some are under nothing more than a bit of wood or covering to protect from the snow."
Already at the camp, winds had picked up and the cold was biting, Al Youssef said.
"Right now I am standing in the camp and I'm wearing three sweaters and a jacket, and still I feel like I'm about to die out of the cold," he said. "I can see five women who are just sitting outside around a fire, trying to stay warm. No one has done anything for us."
Aid workers regularly describe the challenge facing the international community to help Syria's refugees as monumental. With the civil war entering its third year, funds all but used up and donor interest waning, refugees still stream into neighboring countries at a startling rate.
Over the past few months, for instance, prolonged fighting near a border town in western Syria drove some 20,000 refugees into a single, already cramped town in Lebanon.
Still, aid workers frequently warn that not enough has been done with the limited resources that do exist.
In Lebanon, one local aid worker, who manages winter preparation projects for a non-governmental organization, characterized his program as delayed and under-equipped. "It's a big deficiency," he told HuffPost.
He described seeing large families living in squatter conditions in Beirut and forced to share just two or three blankets.
In the Bekaa Valley, where most of Lebanon's nearly 1 million Syrian refugees reside, often in informal encampments and abandoned buildings, workers were racing to deliver more blankets and shelter ahead of the storm.
"Unfortunately, I can't be very reassuring," the Lebanese minister of social affairs, Wael Abu Faour, told the Agence France-Presse on Tuesday. "We will do our best to alleviate suffering, but not to make it disappear."
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.