The Lebanon Explosion and How You Can Help

According to Bierut authorities, at least 137 were killed and thousands injured in the explosion on the Beirut port on Tuesday evening, sending a shockwave throughout the affected area, larger than the size of Manhattan. Nearly 300,000 people have been left homeless due to their homes and many buildings being completely destroyed.

President Michel Aoun said the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse – a compound largely used in agriculture, yet has explosive properties. Public records state, port officials had knowledge of ammonium nitrate being stored at the warehouse for 6+ years, when they arrived in Beirut “by accident”, yet they never took action.

The blast has descended Lebanon into an even further turmoil, as the country is already battling the coronavirus pandemic, an economic crisis, and political unrest due to corruption and fact that many towns have unsafe tap water and common electricity blackouts.

As the search for missing people continues, our FIZZY team has gathered a list of ways you can help:

SPREAD THE MESSAGE

Sharing information can be vital for those to educate themselves about the current situation in Lebanon – the corruption, economic crisis, and the coronavirus pandemic. The explosion has had devastating impacts on the overflow of hospitals, which was struggling with COVID-19 patients even before the horrific event.

A twitter account @interstellar has been providing information on people offering places to stay in for those rendered homeless and affected by the blast.

You can also share a map of shelters in Beirut, Lebanon for those in urgently in need of accommodation.

WHERE TO DONATE

Lebanese Red Cross – the main provider of ambulance services. Donate here.

Impact Lebanon – a disaster relief fund to help those in need after the explosion. Donate here.

Lebanon for Students – an organization which helps students with funding for their education. Donate here.

Find a full list of organizations to donate to here.

SIGN PETITIONS

There is a vast number of various petitions you can sign in support of Beirut on Change.org. One in particular is calling for United Nations to provide adequate relief to those in need after the explosion – you can sign it here.

You can find more lists of petitions to sign on here and here.

Images from Anwar Amro/Afp/Getty images and Gaby Maamary/Reuters

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