Health emergency and economic crisis are the two main threats to Lebanon and prevent the return to normal, after the explosion that hit the port of Beirut on 4 August, causing over 200 deaths and leaving 150,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance.
Healthcare facilities have suffered serious damage, work at the limit of capacity and cannot meet all needs. The Quarantina hospital, one of the closest to the epicenter of the explosion, is destroyed and will have to be completely rebuilt. Three hospitals (Rosary Sisters, Geitawi Lebanese University and St. George) will need extensive structural rehabilitation before they can return to full capacity, while five other hospitals have suffered minor damage. The staff is also heavily reduced. As of August 25, 564 health workers were stopped by the COVID-19 diagnosis.
To facilitate access to medical care, INTERSOS’s response will also include, starting in the coming weeks, the intervention of a mobile clinic and support for a health center in the neighborhoods most affected by the explosion, in collaboration with a local organization. In the interviews conducted by our staff, the presence of chronic diseases that require continuous medical treatment is widespread.
The economic crisis is added to the health emergency, further aggravated by the new lockdown. According to a study published by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the country’s overall poverty rate jumped from 28% in 2019 to 55% in May 2020. The corresponding extreme poverty rate has increased from 8 to 23 per cent, equal to an increase of 750,000 people.
The capital of Lebanon is dealing with the impressive extent of the damage suffered as a result of the explosion. According to data collected by UNDP, 200,000 housing units are affected, with about 40,000 buildings damaged, of which 3,000 are seriously damaged. Over 15,000 economic activities have been affected, especially in the hospitality, wholesale and retail sectors. This means, for thousands of people, having lost home and income in a single moment, finding themselves with nothing left. The number of public and private schools that have been damaged has reached 178, with a severe impact on educational programs.
Support for the rehabilitation of housing, food assistance, financial support, distribution of products for personal hygiene and cleaning of environments: these are the main requests for help collected by our team among those affected by the explosion. These are primary needs, each of which our operators are dealing with on a daily basis, alleviating the suffering of the population. Among the main problems (and factors of insecurity) there is also the loss of identity documents, reported by 38% of the people interviewed by our staff, especially among Syrian refugees. On this aspect too, our team’s experience guarantees fundamental support to the most vulnerable people.
In a situation still far from normal, psychological problems are growing: even weeks after the explosion, 68% of the people we interviewed reported disorders such as insomnia, anxiety and anger attacks, panic attacks at night or in the presence of loud noises. For this reason, the necessary help is accompanied, when necessary, by the support of our psychologists.