The devastating explosion that rocked Beirut on August 4, 2020 brought despair and destruction to the people, structures, cultural heritage and soul of the city.
According to USAID, there were close to 780,000 people living within a 2 mile radius of the explosion at the port. It is estimated that over 200 people lost their lives, over 6,000 were injured, and more than 7 are still missing. Today 300,000 people are displaced.
Approximately 9,700 buildings and 72,200 apartments were damaged. Close to 500 heritage buildings were hit. 17 hospitals suffered damages, of which 4 were destroyed and are not operational. Over 150 schools and universities were impacted, affecting more than 63,000 students and 6,000 teachers and administrative staff.
The port warehouses are divided into governmental, older concrete structures, newer private steel structures and a cold storage warehouse. The warehouses are almost entirely destroyed, and the damages are estimated at upwards of 70 million dollars, excluding the value of the goods stored. “Everyone from cleaning staff to the CEOs of the companies are on the ground every day. The primary aim right now is to clear up the rubble. There is pain, and the road ahead is still unclear, but despite this, there is still faith and a desire to rebuild”, stated Fadi Hajjar, Span’s Levant Area Sales Manager.
Over 30 Span customer warehouses outside the port area were also affected – some incurred minor damages, while 5 suffered significant damage. It is estimated that the cost to rehabilitate these would be over 10 million dollars. “All racks are designed to account for vertical and lateral forces according to industry norms but never to hold against such a strong shock-wave. We were lucky that most of the racks were able to withstand the blow except for a few at the extremities of the warehouse buildings which were severely damaged due to collapsed external steel structures. This helped limit the loss of lives to 0 within our customer’s warehouses outside the port,” Hajjar noted.
The Net Group, whose premises in Karantina were partially damaged and their warehouse at the port completely destroyed, reverted to setting up workspaces in their parking lot rather than halting their operations. It is this strength and resilience of visionaries, who believe in their country despite all obstacles that will ensure that the country survives. “The best way to rise again is to focus on rebuilding our businesses and seeking new prospects to export to the world, in the aim to create new horizons of opportunities for all industries in Lebanon”, affirmed Mourad Aoun, CEO of The Net Group.
Now if only we could find a way to ensure that the country thrives.
Source: Interviews, Strategy&, UNHCR and USAID *Warehouse damages are estimations based on interviews; detailed assessments are underway
