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Red Cross shelters asylum seekers from heat in Ter Apel office
🇳🇱 Netherlands /Disasters & Emergencies

Red Cross shelters asylum seekers from heat in Ter Apel office

From NRC Handelsblad · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • Fifty to sixty asylum seekers without space in the Ter Apel reception center are sheltering from the heat in an office building normally used for identification and registration.
  • The Red Cross is providing emergency aid, including water and fans, as the situation, exacerbated by extreme heat, has become untenable.
  • The Dutch government is working to create more reception places, but officials acknowledge it will take time to resolve the overcrowding crisis.

Asylum seekers in Ter Apel, Netherlands, are finding temporary relief from extreme heat in an office building normally used for identification and registration, as the main reception center remains overcrowded.

Normally, only vulnerable asylum seekers are immediately accommodated upon arrival. However, the facility has been overwhelmed since May 20, forcing many men to sleep on the grass for days while awaiting placement. Buses transport them to temporary shelters at night, only for them to return to the grass fields early the next morning.

But the past few days with the extreme heat, it became completely irresponsible.

— Bastiaan van BloklandSpokesperson for the Red Cross, describing the impact of the heatwave on asylum seekers sleeping outside.

The situation, already described as undesirable, became "completely irresponsible" with the recent extreme heat. The Red Cross has stepped in to provide essential aid, including water, fans, and sunscreen, and volunteers are distributing hats. They have also erected tents for additional shade.

Bastiaan van Blokland, a spokesperson for the Red Cross, expressed concern that the emergency aid they are providing is becoming structural, placing a heavy burden on volunteers. The organization urges the government for a swift, long-term solution. Prime Minister Rob Jetten acknowledged the dire situation during a recent visit, stating that the government is actively working to increase capacity, though a full resolution will take time.

We are there for emergency aid, the help we have to provide in Ter Apel is gradually becoming structural. That weighs heavily on our volunteers.

— Bastiaan van BloklandBastiaan van Blokland, spokesperson for the Red Cross, on the increasing burden on the organization due to the ongoing crisis.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by NRC Handelsblad in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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