Rubble and debris sit on a damaged automobile on a residential street in Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday, Aug. 5, after a massive explosion at the main port rocked the city, overwhelming hospitals dealing with the injured and dying. Photo: Hasan Shaaban/Bloomberg via Getty Images
On 4 August, a warehouse at the Port of Beirut in Lebanon exploded, causing widespread casualties and material damage, and turning the city into a disaster zone. The explosion has killed more than 100 people, injured thousands and left more than 300,000 people homeless.
This is an emergency on top of an emergency. It comes as Lebanon has been experiencing the joint impacts of a worsening economic crisis and the effects of COVID-19.
“The devastation in Beirut is unimaginable, and the road to recovery will be long and hard.”
The scale and magnitude of the disaster means hundreds of thousands of people now need immediate aid including food, shelter, water, fuel, protection, as well as support to rebuild their lives and livelihoods well into the future.
Oxfam is working with partners on the ground to support the needs of the most vulnerable, and we’re aiming to provide water, sanitation services, and financial assistance.
This urgent work can only happen with your help. Please give what you can today.
