Blast in Beirut

What happened

Hundreds of deaths, 5 000 injured, 300 000 people without a roof over their heads.

On August 4, 2020, a massive explosion of a fertilizer warehouse occurred at the Port of Beirut, which demolished half the city. Lebanon has a bloody civil war and bombing in its recent history. But the explosion at the port is described by locals as the most devastating thing to ever hit their country.

Material damage after the explosion is estimated at $5 billion (€4.2 billion). Lebanon fell into a severe economic recession last year and the country has been teetering on the brink of bankruptcy for several months. Then a pandemic brought the economy completely to its knees, many lost their jobs and 50% Lebanese now live below the poverty line. In addition, the country hosts around 1.5 million refugees from Syria, who are also largely surviving in extreme poverty. In the aftermath of the explosion, local people are very willing to help each other, but they lack the necessary funds.

Acute needs

1) Food aid. The blast destroyed many factories, businesses and organisations, putting thousands more people out of work. In addition, there is a shortage of basic foodstuffs in the country and the threat of famine. ADRA is distributing food kits and drinking water to affected families.

2) Repair of damaged houses. There is perhaps not a single undamaged house left in Beirut. In order to make the affected houses habitable again, broken windows will need to be glazed and other repairs will be needed, which the local people cannot afford in the current situation. ADRA will help with the reconstruction of homes that have not been completely destroyed by the explosion and can be reoccupied once repaired.

3) Helping hospitals and medical teams. From Lebanon, they report a critical shortage of medical supplies, ranging from bandages and soothing medicines to drapes and protective gloves. ADRA will provide hospitals with the medical supplies necessary to save the lives of the wounded and to prevent the mass spread of coronavirus in these challenging conditions.

Involvement of ADRA

ADRA International is implementing a joint humanitarian response in Beirut, Lebanon. Local teams have been reinforced by crisis assistance specialists from abroad. ADRA International in Lebanon uses funds from grants and collections carried out by ADRA offices around the world.

ADRA Slovakia has launched a public collection for Lebanon. Thanks to these funds, we were able to purchase non-perishable foodstuffs and join the air shipment of humanitarian aid from Slovakia. The food was distributed by ADRA volunteers in Beirut immediately after receipt. ZWe have purchased protective masks, we have bought additional medical equipment (germicidal emitters) which we will transport in the next shipment for local hospitals, which have to deal with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to the number of injured.