A distress Call From Lebanon

*All proceeds from this post will go to support humanitarian efforts in Lebanon during this time.*

With the horrific images of the explosion and protests streaming over airwaves, and lately the earthquake that hit turkey and syria and lebanon , I feel like I need to provide some context to the people who may know a Lebanese friend, but don't quite know the context or history of the beautiful country of our heritage. You will be told Lebanon is war torn, down trodden, struggling - and while that may be a page in our story, it is not even a chapter in our book. I know this is a long post, but I hope you can recognize some humanity within these words that will resonate and educate.

Lebanon is a treasure for the entire world. Its tiny size is vastly disproportionate to its wealth of culture and history. It is a country of immense physical beauty. Its people reflect that beauty with unshakable hospitality and a deep rooted love of people, sibling or stranger. We love sharing our country with others. Any Lebanese person's "Intro to Lebanon" lecture (which you will absolutely hear) starts with excitedly telling you that in Lebanon you can go from skiing on our white tipped mountains to sun bathing on our Mediterranean beaches within an hour. And no, there's no desert there.

Since October 2019, Lebanon has been undergoing a revolution. The streets have been filled with young and old, demanding a rebirth to bring Lebanon back to the glory it deserves. It's time for us to rebuild once again. But time has run out. In recent months and as a direct result of political corruption, the country has dealt with nothing short of economic collapse. Hyperinflation has taken hold. Life savings have vanished. Banks have placed strict withdrawal limits. And COVID exacerbates everything. Only a few days ago I was reading stories of people holding up convenience stores for diapers, only to return in tears begging for forgiveness for what they have done.

Now, as you all see the insane explosion replay over and over again in the media, our precious and gorgeous capital is in rubble, and again because of political crimes, multiplying an already immensely troubled situation in an instant. To say this is devastating is an understatement.

It will be rebuilt and stand again, as it has since antiquity. But my heart is broken. 300,000 people are displaced. Our prized jewel of a city is destroyed. Half the citizens of the city lost their homes. In an instant.

The Earthquake

Lebanon suffers its share of the earthquake... damage and horror.

The Lebanese suffered from the devastating earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria, yesterday (Monday), their share of fear and terror, especially the residents of Beirut, who have not yet forgotten the concussions caused by the port explosion nearly two years ago, which left victims, injured, and damaged half of the capital's buildings.

Yesterday dawn, the Lebanese woke up to an earthquake measuring 5 degrees, which lasted for about 40 seconds, and its strength varied from one region to another, to sow panic, panic and terror, and hundreds of people exited their homes at dawn to the streets and relatively remote places from buildings, especially since they remained for minutes feeling the aftershocks.

This strong tremor, which touched 5 degrees on the Richter scale, and other, lighter aftershocks that followed it, will continue. They are aftershocks of a large earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, which hit southern Turkey, and had very strong aftershocks on Syria, and lighter ones on Lebanon, Cyprus, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. Strong tremors are happening now in Turkey and we feel them in Lebanon, as well as the resulting aftershocks, and there is a very small possibility of a strong tremor in Lebanon, and this matter is independent of what happened in Turkey, but this possibility always exists before and after the occurrence of this tremor, since Lebanon is located on line (oriental fault).

The Scene In North.

At dawn today, northerners felt successive earthquakes that woke people from their sleep, as a state of panic and fear pervaded most homes.

And a number of citizens in Tripoli and the surrounding area fired bullets in the air to wake up the citizens for fear of recurrence of tremors and damage.

And mosque minarets broadcast Quranic verses, supplications and invocations to God Almighty.

Marches also took place in the streets of al-Tabbaneh and popular areas, in which a number of citizens participated after they left their homes to the street in fear, despite the rain, stormy air and severe cold.

In Zgharta, the people left their homes to the roads and public spaces in the streets, especially on the two circular highways and the Jdeideh Plain. Many families spent the night in cars until they realized that the aftershocks had become mild.

As for Ehden and Al-Jiwar, the people felt the strength of the tremor, despite the area's distance from the coasts. One of the centenarians attributed this to the rocky nature of the land.

In Al-Danniyeh and Al-Minya, the earthquake caused damage to some homes and residential complexes, and engineering committees will inspect them to find out the extent of these damages and the decision that must be taken after that.

In Koura and Batroun, the people were terrified by the strength of the earthquake, its continuation for a long time, and its successive aftershocks, while the residents of the Batroun coast increased their anxiety after talking on social media about the receding sea water and the tsunami.

So please,

Respect us and empathize with us - because we are you.

Respect our history - because it is yours.

As you watch and rewatch the horror of the Earthquake and the despair of it's destruction, keep the exhausted hearts of the Lebanese on yours.

Many thanks for reading.