Ruweished, Jordan — Right now, it is a stretch of empty desert, marked only by a few trucks and a row of portable toilets. There's not one tent on the site, but within days, it might have to accommodate 30,000 people.
International aid organizations, working frantically to set up two refugee camps on the Iraqi-Jordanian border, say they're short of cash, supplies and, above all, the time needed to get the site ready for the expected human tide.
Everybody knew war was likely on its way, but few expected U.S. President George W. Bush's 48-hour deadline, which expired Wednesday night.
After months of waiting, the sudden end to the diplomatic wrangling caught many off guard.
"Hopefully, we'll be ready," said Mansur abu Khania of the International Red Crescent, which is responsible for one of two camps being set up in Jordan's Ruweished border region. "But if you have a connection with Mr. Bush, could you tell him to give me a little more time? Right now I'm working flat out. I've put out an urgent call for help."
Adding to the problem, several ferocious sandstorms have blown through the region in the past 48 hours, making it impossible to set up the few tents that are at the site. Nonetheless, several aid workers said that a trickle of Iraqis began crossing the border Tuesday night, though most headed on to Amman to stay with family or friends.
"There was heavy traffic exiting from Iraq yesterday," said Nazi Sayeen, the head engineer responsible for setting up one of the camps.
Peter Kessler, a spokesman for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, said the aid organizations are so far behind that money and materials are hurriedly being borrowed from other already strapped relief efforts in Afghanistan and the Balkans.
The biggest problem is the lack of cash. In December, the UNHCR put out an appeal for $60-million (U.S.). To date barely a third of that has been received, including $1.5-million from Canada that was delivered this week.
Mr. Kessler said many countries were reluctant for a long time to put money into the aid effort for Iraqi refugees because they believed it would be tantamount to admitting that war was inevitable. "People were hoping for a diplomatic solution," he said.
Adding to the confusion at the border, Jordan has been refusing to let any Iraqis cross unless they have either a residence permit or a visa to travel onward.
While war in Iraq is expected to create about 600,000 refugees, there is a lot of debate about how many will be able to travel to Jordan, a 500-kilometre drive down a potentially dangerous highway from Baghdad.
During the 1991 Persian Gulf war, about 60,000 made the journey, but many aid workers believe that because Iraq has become much poorer over the past 12 years, fewer people will have the money to make the journey. Larger numbers are expected to flee to Iran, Syria or Kuwait.
Many speculate that war could also trigger a humanitarian crisis among those who choose to remain in the country. Unicef said Wednesday that many of Iraq's one million malnourished children may not have the strength to survive a war.
Unicef Canada president David Agnew said the number of children who will die during the war depends on how long the conflict lasts, and how much damage is inflicted on civilian infrastructure such as water and electricity systems.
"Conflict could very well have disastrous consequences for Iraqi children," Mr. Agnew said.
"Malnourished children, unimmunized children, children who are displaced from their homes: All these children are at very high risk."
One-quarter of the country's children under the age of five are considered to be chronically malnourished, while 60 per cent of the population at large relies on United Nations-administered food aid.
