The city of Qamishli has not experienced a snowstorm like the one that swept it on December 11-12 for many years.
The Souweidiya power station that provides electricity to the al-Hasaka province shut down completely, leaving Qamishli and its surrounding villages without electricity for over 48 hours.
To make matters worse, the government declared December 12 a national holiday, which delayed repairs.
Water supplies were also cut and some people were forced to boil snow for water. The storm also seriously damaged roads and shops and led to food shortages.
In addition to the darkness, hunger and thirst, the residents of Qamishli also suffered from the severe cold as a result of the ongoing fuel shortage in the city.
Damascus Bureau correspondent Bakhtiar Hassan (a pseudonym) was in Qamishli and took these photographs on December 12, 2013.
These people did not congregate to celebrate the snowfall, but to buy bread from this van.
Produce, sellers, and customers disappeared, leaving only the carts in Qamishli’s vegetable market.
This woman in the Qaddour Beik neighbourhood gathers snow to melt it after the water supply was cut off for four days.
Stalls in Jisr Street - a source of income for many small-scale traders - were destroyed as a result of the storm.
Naleen and Nisreen shovel snow to prevent the roof of their house from caving in.
The municipality closed its doors despite the citizens’ need for its services.
A scene from the last minutes of the storm.
The storm damaged a number of shops in the Qamishli market.
After the storm abated, children as well as adults found time to play and build this snowman.
Residents from the Qaddour Beik neighbourhood take advantage of the lull in the storm to play in the snow.
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