Refugees from Syria are in “complete darkness” about their future, said Father Simon Faddoul, president of Caritas Lebanon, which has been working with Syrian refugees in Lebanon for 14 months. He said there was a large influx of people during the last week of July as more than 20,000 refugees fled violence in Damascus and Homs.

“The situation we are in at the moment is terrible. What tomorrow will bring? Unfortunately, we estimate a worse situation,” Father Faddoul said.

Refugees in border communities in Jordan and Lebanon are fraught with concern for relatives and friends left behind as they were forced to flee the escalating violence with little advance notice. “People are feeling generally broken and that they might not ever become whole again,” Caroline Brennan, senior communications officer for CRS, said.

The United Nations said July 31 that there were 34,096 displaced Syrians receiving protection and assistance in Lebanon through the efforts of the government, the U.N. and nongovernmental partners. However, Father Faddoul said the number of refugees in Lebanon could be well over 100,000.