One Month Later: The World is Shaken by Lebanon’s Resilience
Nearly one month ago, a massive explosion took place at a port in Beirut, killing over 180 people, injuring thousands, displacing around 300,000 people, and leaving the city in ruins. As we mark one month past this tragedy, we take a look at the efforts, incidents, and results we have so far.
A few days after the blast, the Lebanese government stepped down, and called the incident a “disaster beyond measure”. Despite the government’s negligence, the Lebanese people were quick to get to the streets and clean up the debris scattered all over the city.
Some of the first reactions to the blast were raising awareness and fundraisers to help the people in Lebanon. Both local and international organizations, as well as non-profit organizations, worked on collecting money, and allocating funds wherever needed, to help those who have been severely injured and those who were displaced and left homeless. From NGOs raising funds to local and international brands allocating a sum of their proceeds to Lebanon, people stood hand in hand to help the country rise back from the ashes.
After the immense efforts of Locate Victims Beirut, the account dedicated to locating victims under the rubble and connecting them with their families, many of those displaced have been found and reunited with their loved ones. More so, a number of engineers and architects have been volunteering to work on-ground to help rebuild homes and offices that were destroyed.
And it wasn’t just the people who got affected, the animals were struggling too. But in a month’s time, 342 volunteers managed to rescue 89 animals and give 237 animals veterinary care, and they’re still committed to supporting and helping more and more animals who need food, adoption, and care.
As tough as this tragedy was for the whole city of Beirut, it reminded us of the persistence and determination of the people of Lebanon, and their resistance towards seemingly inevitable challenges.
