Aid organizations are offering winter assistance to those stuck in the country since the closure of the Balkan route last spring.
The Greek government has largely succeeded in shifting most people from ad-hoc sites into state-run camps, but conditions in the camps vary widely.
As one UNHCR spokesman admits, “more speed” is needed in efforts to minimize the impact of the coming cold. Many still have no more than a tent to protect them in the coming months.
As autumn turns to winter, father of six Karim Husseini from Afghanistan, has his share of problems.
“When it rains, all of the tents get wet and we have to take the blankets out until they dry,” he said.
More than 60,000 refugees and migrants are trapped in Greece. Among them, 10,000 people who are still living in tents and exposed to the elements, with an estimated 6,000 more living in tents within warehouses, prompting fears of indoor fires as the cold bites.
A few thousand more have found their way into squats, which can lack basic heating.
Even in the best case scenario, however, it is expected that at least 10,000 people will be left to endure the elements in tents or warehouses.
The UNHCR, the U.N. body that overseas aid for refugees, admits current measures are not up to pace.
“It’s late in the game, and it is a serious matter if you have people in tents when it begins to snow,” Roland Schoenbauer, a UNHCR spokesman said. “There is goodwill, but we need more speed.”
