A series of explosions rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Tuesday, leaving at least 100 dead and more than 4,000 injured (as of August 5th, 5:34 AM EST, according to Red Cross). The unfortunate accident strains a healthcare system already under severe pressure from the COVID-19 health crisis. As I scrolled through my social media feed this morning and watched videos of the devastating incident from my home in South Korea, nearly 5,000 miles away from Lebanon, it was clear that Lebanon needed our collective support. Though we may be physically distant from Lebanon, there are ways for us to stand alongside the Lebanese population during these unprecedented times.
According to the governor of Beirut, Marwan Abboud, the damage from the port explosion has extended over half of the city and expects the cost of damage to be over $3 billion.
The deadly blasts' cause is yet to be determined, but Lebanese officials believe that the nearby presence of ammonium nitrate likely caused the accident. Senior lecturer in chemical engineering at the University of Melbourne Gabriel da Silva explained that ammonium nitrate is a commonly used industrial chemical for fertilizer and serves as the main component in mining explosives. Ammonium nitrate is not explosive; instead, it is an oxidizer, drawing oxygen to a fire. da Silva noted how the chemical only ignites under rare circumstances. While ammonium nitrate can actually extinguish fires, if the chemical is contaminated, it becomes highly explosive, and da Silva believes that lingering pollutants may have caused the problem.
Fortunately, governments worldwide, including the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, France, Canada, Turkey, and Israel, have started offering their support for Lebanon. For instance, French President Emmanuel Macron has decided to send resources to sites of the blast, and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevult Cavusoglu stated that Turkey was ready to assist Lebanon in "every way" possible.
World leaders' reaction to the event can by no means become an excuse for the rest of us to carry on with our lives and depend on the higher-ups to do the work. Now is the time when we should be doing the best we can under our own circumstances to assist the suffering Lebanese men, women, and children. Down below, I have compiled a list of ways to support those affected (I will try my best to update this list as regularly as possible):
Donate to Impact Lebanon (Instagram: impact.lebanon)
Donate to Lebanese Red Cross (Instagram: lebaneseredcross)
Donate to Impact Lebanon's Just Giving Fundraiser
Donate to LIFE's Emergency Relief Fund
Donate to Human Appeal Emergency Aid
Donate to Lebanese Food Bank (Instagram: lebfoodbank)
Donate to Beitalbaraka (Instagram: beitelbaraka)
Share Locating Victims (Instagram: locatevictimsbeirut) to help reunite families
Share Open Houses Lebanon (Instagram: open_houses_lebanon) as they are aiding people affected find shelter
I send my deepest condolences and prayers to all those affected by this tragedy. Let us not underestimate the importance of collaborative effort and realize that the more we all help each other, the more we all benefit.
"An arch consists of two weaknesses, which, leaning on each other, become a strength." - Leonardo da Vinci
Sources Used for Blog Post:
Al Jazeera News: "Beirut explosion: World reacts to deadly blast in Lebanon capital"
BBC News: "Beirut explosion: Frantic search for survivors of deadly blast"
CBS News: "Lebanon assesses aftermath of massive Beirut explosions"
Campbell MacDiarmid, James Rothwell (The Telegraph): "Beirut explosion: 300,000 homeless, 100 dead and food stocks destroyed - latest news and video"
Oliver Holmes, Rebecca Ratcliffe, Helen Sullivan (The Guardian): "Beirut explosion: Lebanon declares two-week state of emergency in capital – live updates"
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