Thousands of tons of poorly stored ammonium nitrate caused a massive explosion in Beirut on August 4. The harbor and a large part of the historic city came to be in ruins. We are now a month on, but the Lebanese capital is far from over. This is how Beirut is doing now.
Rescue workers will dig with their hands and a crane into the debris of a collapsed building on Friday, after rescuers said they observed a heartbeat and breathing under the rubble on Thursday evening.
Carefully, pieces of concrete and steel are lifted in hopes of finding a survivor. According to a concerned Chilean aid worker, it is very rare, but not impossible, for someone to survive under the rubble for a month.
In total, the explosion in the port of Beirut killed at least 190 people. Dozens of others are still missing and about 300,000 residents were left homeless. About 6,500 people were injured.
Main supply of food cut off
The total damage to (hospitals) houses and infrastructure is estimated at at least 3.9 billion euros. Due to the explosion (in combination with the economic malaise and the corona virus), the poverty rate has risen from 28 percent in 2019 to 55 percent now.
In addition, it is expected that more than half of Beirut’s residents will no longer have direct access to basic food by the end of this year. The grain storage silos in the port of Beirut have been largely destroyed, meaning that only a fifth of the amount from before the explosion can be imported.
International organizations estimate that over the next three months, between EUR 29 and 34 million will be needed to provide immediate basic assistance to nearly 100,000 those affected and to create short-term jobs for some 15,000 people.
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Rescue workers hope to find another survivor among the debris a month after the explosion in Beirut, after a heartbeat and breathing were reportedly observed under the rubble. (Photo: Reuters)
Red Cross is going to hand out cash
Meanwhile, poverty and emigration are on the rise in a country already struggling with a financial crisis, political instability and the corona virus.
According to the Red Cross, the vast majority of those affected, who stay in emergency shelters, need help with finding new shelter, repairs to their homes, medical care, money and food. And these humanitarian and financial needs are growing by the day, according to the aid organization.
Georges Kettaneh, head of the Lebanese branch of the Red Cross, said the aid organization will soon be distributing cash to at least 10,000 families. “We will spend $ 5 million ($ 4.2 million) every month to provide people with a measure of dignity so that they can buy their own food and fulfill their necessities,” he said Friday.
Government accused of political mismanagement
Lebanon, hit by the humanitarian drama, has also entered political and economic free fall. There were regular mass protests against the government with protesters accusing the political elite of mismanagement. Since the explosion, that feeling has only grown in the population, and Lebanese have taken to the streets regularly in the past month as well.
Since the end of August, Lebanon has a new prime minister: Mustapha Adib, the former Lebanese ambassador to Germany. He is the successor of Hassan Diab, who resigned in the aftermath of the disaster, because warnings had already been issued about ammonium nitrate in the port.
The appointment of Adib as the new prime minister was the result of a compromise reached by the major Lebanese political parties, under heavy pressure from Emmanuel Macron. The French president said he will use his influence to ensure that a new government is formed. He also wants new parliamentary elections to be held within six to twelve months.
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French President Emmanuel Macron on his second visit to Beirut after the explosion. (Photo: Pro Shots)
Macron threatens sanctions and demands reforms
France organized a donors conference for Lebanon in 2018, where billions of euros in aid were pledged. However, Macron has warned Lebanese politicians, including some former warlords who for decades directed corruption on an industrial scale, that they sanctions risk if they don’t radically reform their country within three months.
Macron also wants the international community to keep a close eye on the emergency situation in Lebanon for the next six weeks and has pledged to help organize an international Lebanon conference in October, together with the United Nations.
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