Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 5 / Trend E. Kosolapova/
The European Commission allocates almost 56,000 euro to bring relief to the victims of the cold wave in Northern Kazakhstan, the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan reported on Tuesday.
"The European Commission provides 55,800 EUR to bring relief to 2000 among the most vulnerable victims," the EU Delegation said.
This aid will be used for distributions of food, warm clothes, blankets and footwear until the end of February to cover the coldest months of the year.
The aid is channeled through the Kazakhstan Red Crescent which operates with funding out of the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Since December 18, 2012, Northern Kazakhstan has been hit by a cold wave reaching temperatures of minus 40 to minus 46 degrees accompanied by heavy snow fall. This led to cuts in power and hot-water supply. About 5,000 people are particularly badly affected, among them homeless people, street children, single women with children and elderly people living alone.