Help those Affected by the Explosion in Beruit, Lebanon

What happened in Beirut?

At 6:10 p.m. on August 4, a warehouse at the Port of Beirut containing large quantities of ammonium nitrate exploded, resulting in widespread damage for some 20 kilometers. The blast killed at least 200 people, injured thousands, and left an estimated 300,000 people homeless, including 80,000 children. Multiple medical facilities, including several major hospitals, sustained structural damage. Five hospitals were completely destroyed.

On August 5, the Government of Lebanon declared a two-week state of emergency in Beirut. The mayor of Beirut reports the cost of damage to the city could be between $3 billion and $5 billion.

What is Project HOPE doing to help?

Project HOPE is working in close coordination with local health officials and partners in Lebanon to deliver supplies to help meet the most pressing needs. Our emergency response team was immediately activated and is in close contact with local health officials and partners on the ground to provide assistance where it’s needed most.

Project HOPE is partnering with the Rene Moawad Foundation (RMF) Lebanon, a well-established local NGO that has mobilized medical teams to Beirut to provide immediate trauma care and psychosocial support. We are rapidly procuring medicines and medical supplies for RMF teams and have already secured four interagency emergency health kits, which will be shipped to Beirut as soon as possible. Each kit is equivalent to one ton of medical supplies and is able to support up to 10,000 people for over three months.

Project HOPE will continue to work with RMF and local health authorities to provide immediate support as the scope of needs continues to evolve and become more clear.

What are the most pressing health concerns?

The most pressing health concerns are burns and traumatic injuries, as well as respiratory issues due to release of toxic air pollutants. There are additional concerns about potentially hazardous waste piling up in the streets, as well as the availability of safe water and waste management services.

Hospitals — many of which were already nearing capacity with COVID-19 patients before the explosions — were quickly overwhelmed with injured patients after the blast. Many patients have been treated in makeshift conditions, including on sidewalks and in parking lots. Some facilities have reportedly had to turn away patients.

Project HOPE’s team spoke to doctors at two different hospitals in the affected area, who said they are in need of essentially everything: medicines, medical supplies, trauma supplies, and surgical supplies. Many hospitals were low on supplies even before the explosion. A doctor at Al-Roum Hospital, located approximately three kilometers from the port, reported they had run through a one-month supply in just two days since the blast.

There is also increasing concern of a significant spike in COVID-19 cases following the explosion, as many intensive care units were already reaching capacity with COVID-19 patients prior to the blast.

How did this happen?

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but it appears that a fire spread among the port about 10 minutes before the blast, at about 6 p.m. Two explosions soon followed — the second of which sent a large red cloud into the air and destroyed large swaths of the city.

The ammonium nitrate that exploded appears to have been stored at the port since 2013, when a cargo ship that was carrying it to Mozambique was abandoned and its cargo stored in a warehouse at the port.

How big was the blast?

The second, larger explosion registered as a 3.3-magnitude earthquake and was felt as far away as Cyprus, 100 miles away in the Mediterranean. The blast left a 460-foot-wide crater at its epicenter, and satellite images show complete destruction in the immediate area of the port. It is one of the strongest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded.

The explosion’s blast wave caused catastrophic damage for miles and shattered windows at Beirut International Airport five miles away.

How you can help

Make a lifesaving gift through Benevity to support our response in Beirut or at projecthope.org/beirut.

Start a fundraiser and ask your friends and family to help raise money to help survivors or live stream on Tiltify. https://tiltify.com/projecthope

Are you a health-care or other professional who would like to learn more about volunteering abroad with Project HOPE? Learn more about our volunteer program and join our volunteer roster. https://www.projecthope.org/ways-to-help/volunteer/

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