Beirut explosion

[Amira]

I’m sure that many of you have already heard about the massive explosion in downtown Beirut yesterday evening.  Here are some organizations you might consider donating to if you want to help. Lebanon has gone through a recent civil war and now hosts the world’s largest number of refugees per capita. Every third person in the country is a refugee. Hospitals were damaged and destroyed, something you don’t need during a pandemic, and hundreds of thousands of people are homeless. As always, please do some research before donating to any non-profit.

I have friends who were injured in this blast, but so far everyone I know is safe.

-Lebanese Red Cross

Urgently needs blood donations and donations.

Donate at: www.supportlrc.app/donate/

-Impact Lebanon (@impact.lebanon)

Non-profit/social incubator aiming to raise $5 million through crowdfunding.

Donate at: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lebanon-relief

-Lebanese Food Bank (@lebfoodbank)

Providing food and essential supplies to those affected.

Donate at: www.lebanesefoodbank.org/donate/

-Live Love Beirut (@livelovebeirut)

Provides crisis relief, will be on-ground in Beirut with volunteers.

Donate at: www.givingloop.org/livelove/

-Beit El Baraka (@beitelbaraka)

Provides housing, food assistance and medical support for the city's elderly.

Donate at: www.beitelbaraka.net/donation

-Embrace Lebanon (@embrace_lebanon)

Mental health nonprofit, operates hotline run by volunteers.

Donate at: www.embracelebanon.org/embrace-lifeline/

-Ahla Fawda (@ahlafawda)

Community development nonprofit run volunteers.

Donate at: Ahla Fawda

-Union of Relief and Development Associations aka URDA (@urda.ngo)

Relief fund that works in Lebanon and Syria.

Donate at: www.globalgiving.org/projects/beirut-port-explosion-relief-fund/

-Islamic Relief UK (@islamicreliefuk)

Relief fund launched in 1984.

Donate at: www.islamic-relief.org.uk/lebanon-emergency/

[Pawz4me]

I'm so afraid of what the death toll is going to be. 😞 

[JennyD]

Thanks for your post, Amira.  I so hope your friends recover quickly.

This is such a catastrophe.  

 

[Ausmumof3]

Tragic.  This year has been too much.

[SKL]

Thank you for posting this.  Praying for all affected.

[LarlaB]

I have a family member and friends in that region and know that Lebanon has been through so much- this devastation hurts my heart. 😪

[Moonhawk]

Thank you Amira, this is very helpful. Permission to repost this to some friends to raise awareness/give donation options?

[Amira]

1 hour ago, Moonhawk said:

Thank you Amira, this is very helpful. Permission to repost this to some friends to raise awareness/give donation options?

Of course. This list came from an organization here in Egypt who is trying to get people to help.

[bookbard]

I just read that 250,000 people are facing homelessness now. A quarter of a million people, homeless! It's hard to fathom. I hope the world rushes to help, but with covid, it's an extra barrier. 

[Lady Florida.]

What's worrisome (among many worrisome things) is that Lebanon imports much of its food, and that grain silos storing much needed, imported grain were destroyed. This is so sad. Horrifyingly sad.

[Ausmumof3]

How badly is the food and wares shipping going to be impacted? 

[Melissa in Australia]

 So so awful

It was reported on the news here that aid planes are arriving, so I am guessing the airport is still useable

[Pen]

3 hours ago, Seasider too said:

I heard 300K earlier today. Unimaginable.

This generates two questions. What was the blast radius, and what type of dwellings were within that?

 

 

People I heard interviewed said Glass was blown out of their windows 6 miles away.

 

Pictures show a lot of apartment type buildings.

what looks like probably pretty dense urban area , both business and residential 

[mom2scouts]

I heard about it earlier and didn't pay much attention because I've been trying to limit my news consumption. This evening somebody posted the video of the explosion and I was horrified. So many people dead, injured, and homeless. So devastating.🙁

[Amira]

23 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

How badly is the food and wares shipping going to be impacted? 

85 percent of their grain storage was damaged or destroyed. Lebanon imports 80 percent of their wheat and corona was already affecting their imports. Now they have less than a month of grain available for the country and getting more is difficult because grain exports, especially from Ukraine, are down.
 

23 hours ago, Seasider too said:

I heard 300K earlier today. Unimaginable.

This generates two questions. What was the blast radius, and what type of dwellings were within that?

 

If you can open it, this article has an image of the blast radius.  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/04/world/middleeast/beirut-explosion-damage.html

More than three-quarters of a million people live within 3 kilometers of the blast and there was a lot of damage within that zone (that’s the zone where some of my friends were when the blast happened).  There are nearly 2 million people up to 5 kilometers away. Windows were blown out at least 8 kilometers away.

Not all of the people who are displaced right now had their homes/apartments destroyed, but with windows blown out of so buildings, lots of people need repairs on their homes to be able to live there again.  That’s the major cause of displacement. Fewer homes/apartments will have to be completely rebuilt.  But even relatively minor repairs will take a very long time, of course.

Just heard about another family whose windows were all blown out of their apartment 8.5 kilometers from the blast 

22 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

 So so awful

It was reported on the news here that aid planes are arriving, so I am guessing the airport is still useable

Yes.  Neighboring countries immediately sent aid and more is going in now.  The region is completely shocked by this and everyone here is focused on it.

Edited August 6, 2020 by Amira

[Ausmumof3]

Wow that’s bad!  I hope the rest of the world can really step up food aid.

[Ausmumof3]

8 hours ago, Pen said:

 

People I heard interviewed said Glass was blown out of their windows 6 miles away.

 

Pictures show a lot of apartment type buildings.

what looks like probably pretty dense urban area , both business and residential 

It was reported here that the Australian embassy windows were blown out.

[Amira]

13 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

It was reported here that the Australian embassy windows were blown out.

It sounded even worse than that from what I read.  The Australian embassy is less than 2 kilometers from the blast site.  The embassy of Argentina is about the same distance, although a little further east, and it looks like this.  https://www.telam.com.ar/notas/202008/498363-libano-embajada-argentina-beirut.html

[vonfirmath]

2 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Wow that’s bad!  I hope the rest of the world can really step up food aid.

The corona virus keeping people under lockdown has actually slowed down food aid at just the time more people need it than ever.

I've got missionary friends in Honduras that have been working the situation and its worrisome.

[Amira]

7 hours ago, vonfirmath said:

The corona virus keeping people under lockdown has actually slowed down food aid at just the time more people need it than ever.

I've got missionary friends in Honduras that have been working the situation and its worrisome.

Food insecurity is so high right now because of corona fallout.  Almost no wealthier countries have increased funding and it’s very possible that the world will experience one of the worst famines ever soon.  https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/food-agency-chief-world-brink-hunger-pandemic-70269400

I know that corona has been hard for many people in wealthier countries, but it has been really hard to see how devastating it has been in other parts of the world and how little attention it has gotten.

Edited August 6, 2020 by Amira

[stephanier.1765]

I thought this thread would have a ton of responses but then I realized that a lot of people might feel like I do - shocked, dismayed, overwhelmed - by what happened and don't know what to say. My jaw literally dropped the first time I saw the explosion and I think it's dropped every time since. It feels unbelievable. Like a an action movie or a historical news reel. I can't even imagine how long it will take to rebuild. I can't imagine the suffering so many are undergoing right now. I can't imagine how overwhelmed the medical facilities and doctors must be. Those poor people!

Thank you for sharing the donation options. I want to help them all but since that's impossible at least now I can do what I can.

[Pen]

4 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

It was reported here that the Australian embassy windows were blown out.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-05/australian-embassy-damaged-in-beirut-blast/12525330

 

[Lady Florida.]

4 hours ago, stephanier.1765 said:

I thought this thread would have a ton of responses but then I realized that a lot of people might feel like I do - shocked, dismayed, overwhelmed - by what happened and don't know what to say. My jaw literally dropped the first time I saw the explosion and I think it's dropped every time since. It feels unbelievable. Like a an action movie or a historical news reel. I can't even imagine how long it will take to rebuild. I can't imagine the suffering so many are undergoing right now. I can't imagine how overwhelmed the medical facilities and doctors must be. Those poor people!

Thank you for sharing the donation options. I want to help them all but since that's impossible at least now I can do what I can.

I agree. It's just so awful that I don't know what to say. I appreciate your links to ways we can donate, @Amira

[Melissa in Australia]

6 hours ago, stephanier.1765 said:

I thought this thread would have a ton of responses but then I realized that a lot of people might feel like I do - shocked, dismayed, overwhelmed - by what happened and don't know what to say. My jaw literally dropped the first time I saw the explosion and I think it's dropped every time since. It feels unbelievable. Like a an action movie or a historical news reel. I can't even imagine how long it will take to rebuild. I can't imagine the suffering so many are undergoing right now. I can't imagine how overwhelmed the medical facilities and doctors must be. Those poor people!

Thank you for sharing the donation options. I want to help them all but since that's impossible at least now I can do what I can.

The first time I saw it I thought action movie dramatic affects have nothing on the real thing.

[Chris in VA]

Lebanon is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (as are Syria and Jordan) so we have a church in Beirut as well as a school for kids with intellectual disabilities. A seminary (NEST) is also there. Dh and I went together in 2018, and he went again last fall. 

The parish hall of the church had all the windows blown out and tens of thousands of dollars worth of damages. The church itself wasn't damaged--even the stained glass survived. 

A problem NGOs and charitable organizations face is that the money in Lebanon has been devalued by 60 percent, and banks are charging horrendous fees to change donations into Lebanese currency. 

It's a heartbreaking mess. 

Those who do, pray for our Episcopal priest friend Imad, and his wife Hind.