Lebanese homes, businesses and full city blocks were destroyed while thousands were injured and needed immediate care. Hospitals, which were already overwhelmed due to rising Covid-19 cases, are dealing with mass casualties despite limited resources. According to Al Jazeera, three hospitals were fully destroyed while two were damaged. The death toll is currently at 137 and rising, and 5,000 have been injured.
Social media and WhatsApp have allowed people on the ground to connect and find out what’s happening, with videos of the blast being shared in real time online, ahead of major media outlets. That is how the diaspora has been able to stay in the know and share with their communities. On the day of the explosions, most of us spent our entire day and night on the phone, checking on our families and loved ones, holding space for their pain, sometimes in silence and tears as they received confirmations of death and destruction.