Beirut explosions: How to help victims in Lebanon

The people of Beirut, Lebanon are still sorting through the aftermath of massive explosions that rocked the city on Tuesday, killing at least 135 people and injuring another 5,000.

Lebanese General Security Chief Abbas Ibrahim has said the explosions seemed to be triggered by a fire that came in contact with 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, which had been held at the city’s port for years, by some reporting since 2013. Beirut governor Marwan Aboud estimated that approximately 300,000 people have been rendered homeless.

Lebanon was struggling before this disaster, enduring the dual traumas of a severe economic collapse and the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far resulted in over 5,000 confirmed cases and 65 deaths. The Associated Press reported that the blasts destroyed a major wheat silo at the port of Beirut — the loss of that silo and the port itself has raised concerns that existing food insecurity faced by the Lebanese people may soon be exacerbated.

The blasts also come after years of accumulating frustration and outrage that culminated in mass demonstrations last October, during which tens of thousands of protesters spoke out against government corruption and failed leadership while calling for significant reform. Various iterations of those protests have continued ever since.

First responders are continuing to sift through the rubble in search of the lost, injured people are seeking care at hospitals overrun with wounded patients and those with COVID-19 and residents of the city are grappling with what life looks like in the aftermath of this crisis.

Here’s how you can help.

• Donate to the Lebanese Red Cross through their website or via direct wire transfers. (Find them on Twitter or Facebook)
• Impact Lebanon is raising money both to provide disaster relief and shelter for victims of the explosions. (Find them on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook)
• The International Medical Corps is a global humanitarian organization that provides emergency medical relief. (Find them on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook)
• Lebanese Food Bank. (Find them on Instagram or Facebook)
• Food Blessed is a local hunger relief initiative in Beirut. (Find them on Instagram or Facebook)
• Atfalouna is an aid organization specifically dedicated to supporting children in Lebanon, originally by providing formula and diapers to families in need. (Find them on Instagram or Facebook)
• This chapter of Save the Children works to meet the needs of vulnerable children in Lebanon. (Find them on Twitter or Facebook)
• Beit El Baraka is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting families and retirees coping with the increasing cost of living in Lebanon. (Find them on their website, Instagram or Facebook)
• Embrace LifeLine is Lebanon’s first national emotional support and suicide prevention helpline. (Find them on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook)
• CARE is an international aid organization currently distributing emergency supplies and assisting people in need in Beirut. (Find them on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook)
• Project HOPE is a global aid organization currently coordinating the delivery of medical supplies and other forms of assistance in Beirut. (Find them on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook)
• Lutheran World Relief is working to provide material relief supplies to those affected by the explosions. (Find them on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook)
• Catholic Relief Services is working to provide food, water, and emergency healthcare in Beirut. (Find them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook)
• The United Nations World Food Program is working to replenish Lebanon’s food reserves. (Find them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook)

Organizations have been verified to the best of our ability.