Refugees relieve themselves in the same creek where they bathe their children. The entire valley, about the size of two football fields, smells of human waste. There is only one water truck and two small medical tents staffed by overworked doctors from the International Medical Corps and the local Red Cross. Most work around the clock, rarely stopping to rest. At least 30 refugees have died since Friday from heart attacks, dehydration and diarrhea.
Doctors expect the death rate to rise quickly as cholera and dysentery set in.
The aid group delivered 36,000 pounds of food, clothing and medication to Macedonia during the weekend in the first humanitarian airlift here since the crisis began last week. It's just a matter of time. Life in the rain-soaked camp, which is bordered by the Shar Mountains to the rear and guarded by Macedonian soldiers on the other three sides, grows more chaotic and desperate by the hour. Refugees who had been living in their homes barely a week ago struggle to keep warm and dry beneath bushes, cardboard and plastic sheets. They light fires, boil water from the creek for tea and wash their clothes in the creek.