Some of the new Ukrainian refugees arriving in the Netherlands will be received from Friday at a central location in Alkmaar. This ‘flow-through location’ is now being prepared. Refugees will soon be registered there and linked to a definitive reception location within 24 hours by the North Holland North Safety Region.
Tents have been set up in the middle area of the velodrome in Sportpaleis Alkmaar. Two hundred refugees can be accommodated here at the same time. “That is the maximum”, says Krishna Taneja, director of the North Holland North Safety Region. “We would ideally like to take in about 40 people at a time, but you never know how things will turn out.”
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At the moment most refugees arrive at Amsterdam Central station. They are currently being received there in RAI Amsterdam, or they are going to Zaandam. Both locations fall under a different security region. “To keep things under control a little more, we now also have a transfer location here,” says Taneja. “This way we can better classify people and match them with one of the sixteen municipalities they will go to next.”
After those 24 hours, refugees can, for example, go to a hotel, a community center or to a reception family where they can stay for a longer period of time. Until then, they have interpreters and medical assistance available at this location, showers, a canteen with food and drinks and their own tent.
camp beds
Taneja walks into the tent, where there are three tables and four camp beds with towels on them. “You can see it’s quite simple,” he says. “But it’s also really about staying a little shorter. If people come in the evening, they can sleep here. If they come during the day, we actually hope to take them to their longer home that day.”