A year after the August 4, 2020, explosion in Beirut, Nahed Mansour, Humanity & Inclusion’s Livelihood Project Manager in Lebanon, recounts the events of that tragic day and its lingering impact on the city.

Q: What do you remember from August 4, 2020?

I remember the river of blood in the roads, the screams of the people, the broken windows and the collapsed buildings. I still remember how people supported and took care of each other. After the explosion, people from all over Lebanon went directly to Beirut to support the impacted families, even though there was a quarantine. I will never forget, one of volunteers was rescuing a woman who had a severe injury. She told him that she had Covid-19 and that he needed to stay away from her. But he said, “I don’t care, I won’t leave you dying,” and he carried her to the hospital in his arms.

Q: How would you define the period after the blast?

The blast feels like it was yesterday. Nothing has changed for those who lost their assets and loved ones, or suffered from permanent disabilities or had remarkable scars. These consequences are not easy to forget, especially without justice for what happened. People are frustrated because of the lack of means for support and the ongoing crisis.

Q: How do you think Beirut has changed over the past year?

Before the explosion, a multi-faceted crisis composed of socio-economic and health dimensions had begun. The Lebanese people were resistant, they held onto the hope that things would improve and that change would come and rescue the country.

However, when the blast took place, the resulting damage was enough to destroy this dream and take away that hope. With the remarkable, unforgettable scars and memories caused by the blast, people gave up. Many decided to close their businesses and relocate to build a better future for their children. The vibrant city turned into a city of shadows. The Lebanese people are known to be citizens who love life and are very resilient, but I think that the blast was one contributing factor that destroyed Beirut’s nightlife, festivals, joy and safety.

Q: What do you see as the greatest need today, a year after the explosion? 

In my role as Livelihood Project Manager, I believe that the greatest need today is to implement livelihood projects that will support the citizens to recover and restore their businesses, to build their economic resilience. The project will help to recover the city and the markets and reignite the hope to live and invest in Lebanon.

Q: How has the tragedy impacted you?

I am not okay. I just want life to go back to normal. I want to see the vibrant Beirut. I want to see people smile. So, to put it simply, I am not okay. Yet I feel that I should be part of the change, I have to support others. We need to stand together and rebuild Beirut and all of Lebanon. We need to keep hope and stay strong to save Lebanon.

Humanity & Inclusion’s response the August 4 explosion

Humanity & Inclusion and its partners provided door-to-door psychosocial outreach to 2,711 people in areas affected by the blast. Those individuals also were provided with information on Covid-19 prevention and safeguarding. As part of the outreach, teams identified the needs and priorities of impacted people, then referred them to the appropriate services internally or to external resources.

690 people benefited from comprehensive rehabilitation services, among them:

• 395 people received physical, occupational and/or speech therapy
• 190 people received mental health rehabilitation
• 261 caregivers received functional training to assist their loved ones with rehabilitation at home
• 360 people received assistive devices, wound kits and other items to assist in recovery

1,003 people were referred to external services, primarily for cash, food, shelter and medical assistance

1,396 households received hygiene and dignity kits

14 people received trauma therapy sessions

Zeina Salhani, Humanity & Inclusion’s former head of emergency in Lebanon, reflects on the August 4, 2020, explosions and the disaster's aftermath.

Q: What do you remember from August 4, 2020?

What I remember most from the blast is the sound of people in the streets screaming, and the injured people. I’m still so affected by thoughts of the families of the people who were killed. We can’t get rid of these memories because these families, the families of the victims, they still don’t have answers to their questions about why this happened.

I usually try not to think back on everything I experienced that day, at the moment of the explosion. For ourselves and our families, we all felt such fear and were in shock. We were all asking what was going on. In reality, it was only a few moments, but we lived through and experienced so much in those moments.

Q: What has it been like to be part of Humanity & Inclusion’s response? 

HI staff were also affected by the situation. We may not have been physically affected by the blast, but we all had at least one family member or friend who was. Emotionally and psychologically, we were very affected. But at the same time, we didn’t have much time to really experience these feelings because we had to do something and take action at that time.

The impact of the explosion was so much more than we could have expected. Health care has been deeply affected, and many hospitals in the area were destroyed. At the time, we were also facing the Covid-19 pandemic, so hospitals were already full and this put additional burden on them. Being part of HI was an opportunity to help others and to do something. I’m very satisfied to be part of this team. Our main objective was to reach the most vulnerable groups. We know that in emergency situations some people are often left behind such as elderly people and people with disabilities. So, our target was to locate these people and to serve them as a part of all the people affected by the blast.

Q: How did Humanity & Inclusion respond to the emergency?

We have responded in a different way than usual: Instead of asking people to come to the health centers to receive services, we met the people in their homes. It meant that they didn’t have to run after HI to receive specific services. So, we connected with the people in their homes, we screened the streets and the neighborhoods and we tried to reach everyone. We asked every person that we worked with and their families about their needs and the priorities. This has helped us to leave no one behind, especially when focusing mainly on children, elderly people and people with disabilities. Then, we provided these individuals with the services that we already ran within our existing projects such as rehabilitation, functional rehabilitation, mental health rehabilitation, distribution of assistive devices, hygiene and dignity kits. For services that were not provided by HI, we made sure to make referrals and closely follow-up with everyone to ensure that these people received what they needed.

This approach was widely accepted. People were saying that it was the first time they received services in such a respectful way from an organization. I was once in the street wearing an HI T-shirt with our logo and someone approached me to say that we had helped him and his mom. We also collected information from the people that we worked with about their satisfaction with our services and we had very positive feedback. They left wishing that we could provide additional services, saying that the need is there and the demand is there as well.

Q: How has the international community supported people in Beirut?

We will be having memorials for the 4^th of August. This is an opportunity to thank all the donors that have been supporting HI, and other organizations, in their efforts after the blast. NGOs are the first resource for people now that there are so few government services, and are too expensive for people living in Lebanon. So, NGOS have become the main service providers and support. It is not only because it has been one year since the blast that there are additional needs. With the complex situation in Lebanon, the needs are increasing every day, and need for support is increasing as well.

Humanity & Inclusion’s response the August 4 explosion

Humanity & Inclusion and its partners provided door-to-door psychosocial outreach to 2,711 people in areas affected by the blast. Those individuals also were provided with information on Covid-19 prevention and safeguarding. As part of the outreach, teams identified the needs and priorities of impacted people, then referred them to the appropriate services internally or to external resources.

• 690 people benefited from comprehensive rehabilitation services, among them:
  • 395 people received physical, occupational and/or speech therapy
  • 190 people received mental health rehabilitation
  • 261 caregivers received functional training to assist their loved ones with rehabilitation at home
  • 360 people received assistive devices, wound kits and other items to assist in recovery

• 1,003 people were referred to external services, primarily for cash, food, shelter and medical assistance
• 1,396 households received hygiene and dignity kits
• 14 people received trauma therapy sessions

In August 2020, Zeina Salhani was head of Humanity & Inclusion’s emergency team in Beirut. One year after the August 4, 2020, blast, she describes the current situation in Lebanon as one of disarray:

The August 4, 2020, explosion in Beirut still has a visible impact on health infrastructures. Many have not fully recovered, and are still experiencing consequences, such as limited capacity to respond to health demands. We also noticed an increase of positive Covid-19 cases just after the blast.

Some people still have not been able to return home, as they need assistance rebuilding their houses, though this number has been greatly reduced. Regarding mental health, people directly impacted by the blast have yet to recover from the psychological trauma of the experience.

Socio-economic crisis

In addition to last year’s explosion, Lebanon is suffering one of the 10 worst financial crises since the mid-19th century. The Lebanese pound is hitting record lows of 15,000 to the dollar, compared to 1,500 to the dollar only 18 months ago. Half of the population is below the poverty line, facing fuel shortages and soaring food prices. Almost everything, from food to medication, is expensive and unaffordable. Add the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the recent resurgence due to the Delta variant, and you have a very bleak picture of Lebanon today. The population is experiencing anger, despair and anxiety. People are struggling on a daily basis to meet their basic needs.

Unemployment rates have significantly increased in recent months. Both shops and markets are closing, making food and medication even more difficult to access in addition to the rising prices.

Many pharmacies or health centers may prefer to reserve their stock, waiting to sell items at higher prices, or when the exchange is more favorable for them. Additionally, the government has stopped subsidizing many products such as fuel or baby diapers, resulting in even higher prices.

Many families have decreased the number of meals they consume per day. They have also changed their diets to include less meat and more vegetables and seeds, which are cheaper. Many people no longer use their cell phone networks but instead only use web-based apps such as WhatsApp, which is less expensive.

Humanitarian needs

More and more are seeking aid from external support, preferring to seek aid from NGOs rather than a public hospital for example. There is also a clear distrust in the Covid-19 vaccine promoted by the government.

There have been increases in numerous requests for humanitarian aid, such as a 35% increase of patients for our rehabilitation or mental health services in host communities. Whereas our previous participants were largely Syrian refugees, today we are seeing more and more Lebanese citizens using Humanity & Inclusion’s services in Lebanon. We also receive more children and caregivers today. There has been such an increase in visitors that we have been obligated to put people on waiting lists.

Due to the crisis, the main priority today is granting access to food. We have never experienced this before in Lebanon. It can trigger tensions with Syrian refugees who receive cash assistance, for example, from humanitarian organizations. Some people may say that this is unfair. They also accuse the Syrian refugees of taking job opportunities. Many children have dropped out of school to support their families, and the number of people begging in the street has drastically increased. 

Humanity & Inclusion’s response the August 4 explosion

Humanity & Inclusion and its partners provided door-to-door psychosocial outreach to 2,711 people in areas affected by the blast. Those individuals also were provided with information on Covid-19 prevention and safeguarding. As part of the outreach, teams identified the needs and priorities of impacted people, then referred them to the appropriate services internally or to external resources.

• 690 people benefited from comprehensive rehabilitation services, among them:
  • 395 people received physical, occupational and/or speech therapy
  • 190 people received mental health rehabilitation
  • 261 caregivers received functional training to assist their loved ones with rehabilitation at home
  • 360 people received assistive devices, wound kits and other items to assist in recovery

• 1,003 people were referred to external services, primarily for cash, food, shelter and medical assistance
• 1,396 households received hygiene and dignity kits
• 14 people received trauma therapy sessions

In the six months since an explosion rocked Beirut and traumatized an entire population, Humanity & Inclusion has helped almost 1,000 families.

Since the explosion in Lebanon on August 4, 2020, Humanity & Inclusion and its local partner, Mousawat, have conducted door-to-door home visits in Al Basta and Carantina, two areas affected by the Beirut blast. The teams have provided psychological first aid, rehabilitation care, and supplies.

Coping with trauma

Humanity & Inclusion has a team of 20 people providing in-home psychological first aid, which involves listening to people, acknowledging their experiences, and adopting a kind and attentive attitude to their distress.  Each time members of the team visit a home, they encourage people to talk about their personal experiences.

The team works to normalize each person's situation or reaction to help relieve additional stress. For instance, if a person says that they feel too anxious to leave home, the psychologist explains that is a normal reaction and many people feel the same way. Since August, the team has conducted more than 1,500 psychological first aid sessions.

“Since August, we have seen a rise in poor mental health amongst the populations we support and work with," says Caroline Duconseille, Humanity & Inclusion's Head of Mission in Lebanon. "People have been deeply affected by the explosion that occurred in Beirut on August 4. This came at a time when people were already struggling.

"Since 2019, the country has been ravaged by a severe economic crisis," Duconseille explains. "One-third of the employees have been made redundant and half of the Lebanese population live below the poverty line. The cost of repairing damaged homes following the blast has created an additional burden for many households. Basic services such as health services and specialized services for people with disabilities, like rehabilitation centers are becoming increasingly unaffordable. Families are having to reduce the number of meals to feed their families each day. Violence and abuse is erupting throughout the population and is often targeted at the most vulnerable population among them persons with disabilities."

Providing care and distributing supplies

Nearly 350 people physically injured by the blast have received rehabilitation services from Humanity & Inclusion and its partners. More than 250 caregivers have been trained on how to help their relatives living with injuries or disabilities.

Humanity & Inclusion has distributed 170 assistive devices, including 34 mobility assistive devices like wheelchairs, canes, and walkers, as well as non-mobility assistive devices like urinary bags, short-term catheters, gel cushions, and toilet chairs.

100 wound kits were also distributed by Humanity & Inclusion and its partners to people caring for less serious injuries that did not require a hospital visit. Nearly 200 households received 720 hygiene and dignity kits. Everyone Humanity & Inclusion has worked with has learned about ways to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The teams are also helping to identify the needs and priorities of blast victims, guiding them to local services to meet their basic needs. More than 350 people have been referred to other organizations for help with food, shelter, cash, and medical assistance.

"In response to the explosion on August 4, we continue to prioritize providing people with mental health support and advising people where to find appropriate local services," Duconseille says. "Now, more than ever, we are focusing on responding to the consequences that the blast, the COVID-19 crisis and the economic crisis are having on the most vulnerable populations.”

Header image: A woman from Humanity & Inclusion takes notes while speaking with a victim after the Beirut explosion. Copyright: Tom Nicholson/HI

Inline image: A man holds a crutch while sitting next to a toilet chair he received from Humanity & Inclusion after the Beirut explosion. Copyright: Tom Nicholson/HI

Humanity & Inclusion continues its response to humanitarian needs, following the explosion on August 4, in Lebanon. The Beirut explosions killed more than 200 people, injured more than 6,500 others, and caused widespread material damage. The explosions directly affected some 220,000 people living in an estimated 73,000 apartments in 9,100 buildings within 1.8 miles of the epicenter, according to UNHCR.

The situation is extremely tense. A serious economic crisis has left many in despair. A quarter of Lebanese people now live below the poverty line. Many families cannot afford access to basic services like healthcare, or even buy food. The political situation continues to cause widespread resentment. In this very unstable environment, the COVID pandemic is an additional burden and source of stress.

Humanity & Inclusion was one of the first NGOs to assist victims of the explosion by supplying rehabilitation care and mobility aids. Humanity & Inclusion now providing follow-up care to casualties with long-term rehabilitation needs: after surgery and primary health care, people with traumatic injuries such as fractures, amputations, brain, peripheral nerve or tendon injuries, or burns, require continued support to recover their functional independence and prevent long-term disabilities. The organization also supplies medical first aid kits to treat light injuries outside already overstretched hospitals.

Donor support has also extended psychosocial support to people traumatized by the explosion. Damaged homes, a dire economic situation, and political turmoil can cause severe anxiety.

In the coming month, thanks to donor support, Humanity & Inclusion will:

• support reconstruction efforts and ensure they are accessible to people with disabilities or reduced mobility by sharing its expertise with other NGOs. For example, Humanity & Inclusion will provide technical assistance to teams from other NGO (NRC Shelter) to ensure rehabilitated sites and temporary relocation centres are safe and accessible for people with pre-existing and newly acquired disabilities. Humanity & Inclusion will also support CAMEALEON, an NGO-led network co-managed by the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam and Solidarités International, so that teams have the tools and knowledge to include people with disabilities in their impact assessments and monitoring.
• extend its advocacy and awareness-raising efforts on disability mainstreaming in some working groups with Norwegian Refugee Council and International Rescue Committee as entry points, to promote systematic identification of needs of vulnerable people.
• alongside local partner Mousawat, provide people with disabilities or injuries including blast-related injuries and disabilities with access to specialized services based on HI's mental health psychosocial project and rehabilitation. Mental health services and support for the most vulnerable increase functional independence and help prevent long-term mental illness.
• identify the mental health needs of every individual in a household, alongside other urgent needs—medical, financial, hygiene, food/nutritional, rehabilitation, and continuity of care. Teams will then refer them for assistance. External referrals will be made to other humanitarian actors, with internal referrals for psychosocial support. Humanity & Inclusion will train Mousawat and its consortium partners to adapt their support to older people or people with disabilities or limited mobility, and provide home-based services via mobile teams for hard-to-reach populations potentially left out of the mainstream response. Vulnerable people will be prioritized for referral and assistance.

As a "First Responder," or monthly donor, your sustaining gifts can bring swift care and aid to people injured in natural disasters or other emergencies, and give teams the critical funds to provide long-term care and to support critical development projects. Your donation is charged to your credit or debit card each month. We will send you a receipt for your first gift, as well as a tax letter every January.

Many of Beirut’s population were seriously injured when the explosions ripped through the city’s port, including Chakif who is now recovering from a serious leg injury.

Humanity & Inclusion’s teams have been reaching out to residents of two neighborhoods—Quarantine and Basta—to identify victims that need help recovering from their injuries and the trauma.

One of the people our team met with was 36-year-old Chakif. He was in the kitchen of his home near the port of Beirut when the explosions hit. “The blast from the explosions were so powerful that the kitchen ceiling collapsed on top of me,” he says. “I was in deep shock.”  

Beneficiary assistance

Chakif is still waiting to have his leg X-rayed and is injury is causing him a lot of pain. He finds it diffuclt to move throughout his home and go about his daily routine. To help ease the pain and give him more mobility and independence, Humanity & Inclusion’s team provided him with crutches and an abdominal belt, as well as psychological support to aid in his recovery.

Physical therapy care

Once doctors have fully diagnosed his condition, Humanity & Inclusion will provide Chafik with follow-up care and decide if he needs physical rehabilitation to rapidly restore his mobility.

“I’m grateful to Humanity & Inclusion’s teams, who have assisted everyone with a serious injury,” he adds. “I hope the support that I have been receiving from HI will help me get through this difficult period.”

Humanity & Inclusion in Lebanon

Our teams have worked in Lebanon since 1992. There, we provide assistance to the most vulnerable individuals and people with disabilities and help ensure they are included in community life. We also implement demining projects in the north of the country where people’s lives are still at risk from explosive devices leftover from the 15-year civil war, which ended in 1990.

How can you help?

Generous donors all over the world help Humanity & Inclusion (the new name of handicap international) respond to emergencies, and to deliver long-term care and aid where it's needed. Here are a few easy ways to become a donor today.

As a "First Responder," or monthly donor, your sustaining gifts can bring swift care and aid to people injured in natural disasters or other emergencies, and give teams the critical funds to provide long-term care and to support critical development projects. Your donation is charged to your credit or debit card each month. We will send you a receipt for your first gift, as well as a tax letter every January.

Many of Beirut’s inhabitants have been affected by the explosions that ripped through the city’s port on August 4. Ramadan, 23, a Syrian refugee from Aleppo, who now lives in Beirut, is one of them.

Humanity & Inclusion’s teams have been reaching out to residents of two neighborhoods—Quarantine and Basta—to identify victims that need help recovering from their injuries and the trauma.

One of the people our team met with was Ramadan. Ramadan lives in a house in a neighborhood close to the port of Beirut with his mother Hourya. The young man was gravely injured in an explosion in Syria. As he does not receive care for his multiple wrist, knee, and shoulder fractures, his health has begun to deteriorate. He also has a spinal cord injury that has left him paralyzed and an ulcer on his lower back.

Emergency equipment

Humanity & Inclusion’s teams met up with Ramadan to find out more about what had happened to him and provide him with emergency equipment and psychological support to relive his pain.

The seriousness of his injuries makes it impossible for him to move around on his own. Since the explosion in Syria, he has received no physical rehabilitation care and he has been bedridden for four months. Like everyone in a critical condition, the deterioration in the city’s health services has made him even more vulnerable than before.

Our teams are providing him with a water mattress, orthotic devices, and a new wheelchair. He also benefits from an alert system set up by Humanity & Inclusion in case his ulcer worsens, and he needs urgent care.

Ensuring continuity of care

Humanity & Inclusion’s rehabilitation experts will assist Ramadan to ensure continuity of care and prevent his condition from worsening. This assistance brings some degree of comfort to Ramadan and his mother. Like many Syrian refugees in Lebanon, they live in highly precarious conditions.

Humanity & Inclusion in Lebanon

Our teams have worked in Lebanon since 1992. There, we provide assistance to the most vulnerable individuals and people with disabilities and help ensure they are included in community life. We also implement demining projects in the north of the country where people’s lives are still at risk from explosive devices leftover from the 15-year civil war, which ended in 1990.

How can you help?

Generous donors all over the world help Humanity & Inclusion (the new name of handicap international) respond to emergencies, and to deliver long-term care and aid where it's needed. Here are a few easy ways to become a donor today.

As a "First Responder," or monthly donor, your sustaining gifts can bring swift care and aid to people injured in natural disasters or other emergencies, and give teams the critical funds to provide long-term care and to support critical development projects. Your donation is charged to your credit or debit card each month. We will send you a receipt for your first gift, as well as a tax letter every January.

Nada Baghdadi, 27, lives near the port of Beirut and has intellectual disabilities. On August 4, she was at her home when the district was hit by two explosions.

Emergency equipment

Many of Beirut’s population were seriously injured when the explosions ripped through the city’s port, including Nada who is now recovering from a fracture in her leg.

Humanity & Inclusion’s teams have been reaching out to residents of two neighborhoods—Quarantine and Basta—to identify victims that need help recovering from their injuries and the trauma.

One of the people our team met with was Nada. She shared her experience and we provided her with emergency equipment and psychological support to aid in her recovery.

Since she finds it extremely difficult to move around with her broken leg, Humanity & Inclusion also provided her with a set of crutches so she can move around more independently.

Physical therapy and cash assistance

Humanity & Inclusion has been providing Nada with physical rehabilitation care to help her get back on her feet as soon as possible. She will also receive cash assistance to pay for essentials like food and medication.

"I'm so grateful for Humanity & Inclusion’s support,” she says. “You were the first to come and see me.”  

Humanity & Inclusion in Lebanon

Our teams have worked in Lebanon since 1992. There, we provide assistance to the most vulnerable individuals and people with disabilities and help ensure they are included in community life. We also implement demining projects in the north of the country where people’s lives are still at risk from explosive devices leftover from the 15-year civil war, which ended in 1990.

How can you help?

Generous donors all over the world help Humanity & Inclusion (the new name of handicap international) respond to emergencies, and to deliver long-term care and aid where it's needed. Here are a few easy ways to become a donor today.

As a "First Responder," or monthly donor, your sustaining gifts can bring swift care and aid to people injured in natural disasters or other emergencies, and give teams the critical funds to provide long-term care and to support critical development projects. Your donation is charged to your credit or debit card each month. We will send you a receipt for your first gift, as well as a tax letter every January.