On 4 August 2020 one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions in history destroyed part of Beirut, INTERSOS is engaged in the reconstruction of damaged buildings and psychological support, with special attention to the dignity and safety of the population
A year ago, on August 4th 2020, a devastating explosion destroyed the port of Beirut. The impact of the blast caused very severe damage within a radius of 6 kilometres from the epicentre but up to 20 buildings bear the signs of the explosion. In fact, more than 70,000 buildings and apartments have been destroyed and 300,000 people have been displaced.
INTERSOS has been working in the Beirut area since 2013 to respond to the growing needs resulting from the Syrian crisis and the presence of over one and half million refugees in the country. The activities put in place to respond to the port explosion were therefore part of a multisectoral and integrated response already active: it was then possible to be present since the onset of the emergency with multisectoral relief efforts.
The main area of our intervention is supporting building rehabilitation. INTERSOS is committed in providing dignified and safe solutions to the population, displaced and forced to face new forms of insecurity, exacerbated by the dire economic and social crisis that the country is facing. Rehabilitation of buildings, then, but also of people’s life paths, with the commitment of guaranteeing the protection of vulnerable people, providing psychological first aid, offering legal assistance and social assistance to the elderly and gender-based violence survivors.
Over the course of a year, INTERSOS’ aid workers inspected several neighbourhoods of the city, identifying some of the houses which were later repaired. Among these, the home of an elderly woman “who – says an aid worker – seemed traumatised and with obvious signs of depression. The house she lived in did not have the minimum standards of safety or hygiene. The main entrance was damaged and anyone could have broken in and entered it. The plaster on the ceiling fell in some places, the iron pipes were exposed and the humidity was spread everywhere. ”
Access to medical care is difficult
Part of the intervention concerns the improvement of health and sanitation, through the distribution of 1,266 emergency kits (which also include personal protection equipment from COVID-19), but also renovations of plumbing systems in private homes where humidity often has serious consequences on individual’s health. Access to healthcare is difficult due to the number of health facilities destroyed, 36% of the total, but also due to the high costs of health services which the inflation made unsustainably for many.
Celina Kretkowska-Adamowicz, head of INTERSOS Mount Lebanon base, tells us that “Until today, INTERSOS shelter team has been engaged in rehabilitation efforts in Beirut targeting over 1000 residential units and enabling thousands of families to regain access to safe and dignified living conditions.”
Among the tens of thousands of buildings destroyed, commercial activities were numerous and their closure factored-in in the loss of approximately 70,000 jobs. “With the unemployment rate on the rise – continues Celina – an increasing number of households is facing difficulties in covering their basic needs such as food, cost of rental”. To face these needs, INTERSOS provides cash assistance and has supported the rehabilitation of small shops, among the hardest hit by the crisis.
The serious consequences that the destruction of homes has had go beyond structural damage, they also include security threats, the increased risk of gender-based violence, and the deterioration of mental and physical health. To respond to a multifaceted and complex crisis such as the Lebanese one, INTERSOS is present in the country not only with a multisectoral intervention, but one that aims at immediate assistance to the population while committing to strengthen resilience, eroded in the last year by the multiple crisis that have hit the country.