On August 4th, 2020, one of the world’s largest non-nuclear explosions devastated Beirut, Lebanon, resulting in 200 deaths, over 6,000 injuries, 300,000 people displaced, and $15 billion in property damage. An uncontrollable fire caused the explosion of tons of ammonium nitrate due to improper storage of chemicals near oil, kerosene, hydrochloric acid, and fireworks. The fireworks ignited the explosion, destroying buildings, homes, and skyscrapers for miles, reaching as far as Cyprus.
The American University of Beirut Medical Center faced many challenges treating patients due to structural damage and limited staff from the explosion. The hospital disaster plan was enacted, but the influx of patients was still very overwhelming; victims struggled from lung damage, eye injury, bleeding, toxicity, and thermal burns.
To manage the event, government officials made little effort to prevent the situation, despite being informed about the improper storage of ammonium nitrate, there were no attempts to safeguard the Beirut port. Fortunately, volunteers in Lebanon took the reigns to respond to the deadly explosion by cleaning up the rubble in mass groups alongside firefighters working on controlling the fire, and the Red Cross treated injuries and transported victims to the hospital.
The Beirut port explosion was a tragedy that killed many residents, destroyed infrastructure, and damaged many businesses. There was a lot of government dissatisfaction with their lack of management and corruption; it was widely believed that the explosion was preventable if Lebanon’s government did not neglect the people. The aftermath of the explosion narrowed into a political crisis focused on corruption and injustice that forced the Lebanese people to take matters into their own hands by engaging in community resiliency after the tragedy.
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