Hello Tumblr, I think most of you have heard by now, but if not: there has been a huge explosion in Beirut, Lebanon on August 4 2020. It was caused by 2,750 metric tons of explosive ammonium nitrate stored at a warehouse at the port of Beirut, but it’s still unclear what initiated the explosion.
These are just the current estimations but more than 135 people have died, more than 80 are missing, 5,000 injured, and 300,000 people are now homeless. The explosion did not only cause damages in Beirut, damages were reported in cities even 10 km away, and the explosion was felt and heard all over the country. People in Cyprus and Greece (more than 270 km away) have felt and heard it too. Experts are estimating that the damages are worth 10 to 15 billion dollars (USD). The explosion was so powerful that it created seismic waves equivalent to those of a magnitude 3.3 earthquake
A few big hospitals are located in Beirut, and were hit by the explosion. People are running from one hospital to another, they’re rejected in 6, 7, 8 hospitals before finding a place where they can be treated. Some people are being treated on the streets on plastic chairs because the hospitals are overloaded. Pharmacies are being used as makeshift hospitals. Med students, who haven’t graduated yet, are being called to help in hospitals. People are finding people that they do not know on the streets, and are carrying them to hospitals.
The government literally does not care, and their negligence has led to the explosion: the chemicals have been stored at the port for seven years. The president waited more than 14 hours after the tragedy to address the people, when leaders from other countries had already addressed it and started organizing help (For example, Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, was awake at 2 AM yesterday to work on sending aid).
The Lebanese government hasn’t cared for a long time. Since October 2019, people have been protesting over the unfair treatment. The country has fallen into an economic crisis (you can read more about it here). Since then, the local currency has lost 86% of its value, and because most food is imported, the prices have tripled everywhere. Lots of people lost their jobs, most of the rest have been working on half of their usual salary. A lot of people literally cannot afford food anymore, and even those well-off can only afford basics. This is a twitter thread with the most important details. The situation is only going to get worse now.
In addition, right before the explosion happened, a second wave of COVID-19 was starting in the country. Cases have already started to increase dramatically after the explosion, and will probably keep increasing.
Beirut isn’t only home to 300,000 people, it is the economic center of the country. Most of the people work in Beirut, most of the universities and schools, (and big hospitals, as I already mentioned) are located in that city. All of this is gone. The pictures are horrifying, it looks like a war zone. The port itself is very pivotal for the country’s economy, which makes the disaster way worse.
Petitions do not work in the area, and donations cannot be sent to the government, because they cannot be trusted (even during this year’s economic crisis, many countries had refused to help because they do not trust the Lebanese government). If you can help financially, please consider donating to these trustworthy sources:
Lebanese Red Cross: they have been providing medical aid and helping to treat people. They are probably the most trustworthy source possible. All of the money from the donation goes to this non-profit organization.
Impact Lebanon: this non-profit organization has been raising money for disaster relief, but there is a processing fee that goes to the fund-raising website anytime a donation is made.
Caritas: this local NGO also has been providing help.
These two carrds have links to more local NGOs, which are helping after the recent events but are not specific to the explosion aftermath.
If you can’t donate, please please please reblog this. Likes do not help, but reblogs do. When you reblog this post, someone who can help might see it, and I really mean it when I say that every bit of help counts. If you can’t donate, you can also help by watching this video on YouTube, all the money from the ads is going to the Lebanese Red Cross. There is no sounds, but please play it on full volume for it to actually help.
Also, you can help by reading about what is going on, but not only in Lebanon. Lots of countries all around the world are going through crisis, and we often don’t hear about any of these unless the country becomes on the verge of collapse. Please try to keep up with recent news, try to read headlines about what’s going on around the world, try to learn and educate yourself. Those are the first steps to real change.
Thank you for bearing through my long post, I hope it made sense, I am still overwhelmed. It’s been a bit over 24 hours, but I am still in shock, and a lot of information might be missing. Feel free to add to this if you have relevant information.
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