Nearly 100 mln USD needed to cope with 5,000 daily refugee arrivals as winter hits Europe

With 5,000 refugees and migrants expected to arrive in Europe daily in winter, the UN refugee agency on Thursday appealed for nearly 100 million U.S. dollars to help Greece and countries in the Balkans to cope with the influx.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) appealed to donors for 95.15 million dollars to make sure emergency shelters are equipped with heating and ensure other measures are in place to protect from the harsh winter weather, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric at Thursday's daily briefing.

The agency is planning for up to 5,000 arrivals per day between this November and next February, and warned that winter weather could result in further loss of life if adequate measures are not taken urgently, said Dujarric.

"The harsh weather conditions will likely worsen the suffering of refugees and migrants arriving in Greece and traveling through the Balkans," said Dujarric.

The agency's Winterization Plan for the Refugee Crisis in Europe focuses on putting in place measures to support affected countries such as Croatia, Greece, Serbia, Slovenia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, in order to avert the risk of humanitarian tragedy and loss of life during the winter months, according to the UNHCR.

The agency "will work to winterize shelter and reception facilities, as well as aid packages containing winter clothing and blankets," said Dujarric. Endit