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This photo was taken on August 29. The buildings are close to where the massive explosion took place a month ago. Hussein Malla, AP / NTB scanpix
The economy was already in shambles. Many people do not have money to repair their houses.
A month after the devastating explosion in Beirut, Ghassan Toubaji is sitting under a roof with a huge hole.
You can see through the hanging plaster, wires, metal pieces, and broken ceiling and see a little of the sky.
The 74-year-old man survived the explosion on August 4. He only had a few abrasions. But the shock wave knocked him over, and the fall exacerbated his heart and blood disease. Lebanon’s illness and a struggling economy prevent him from going back to work.
Dollar bills are very important in a country where the local currency has lost much of its value. The last dollar bills his wife had collected were used to repair windows that were destroyed in the blast.
Hassan Toubaji is sitting on his bed at home. In one of the rooms there is a huge hole in the ceiling. Hussein Malla, AP / NTB scanpix
Free window glass – forget it
The volunteers appeared in the first days after the explosion. They put plastic in place of the broken glass windows. They promised to come back a bit later for a free new glass, but four weeks later they didn’t show up.
With a kind and patient smile, he says he appreciates how well meaning the young volunteers were. But he couldn’t wait. The humidity has reached 80 percent and the summer sun has been right on the apartment.
– Our house is very hot, he says, sitting in baggy shorts and a T-shirt while watching the news in the room with the holes in the ceiling.
Construction workers are trying to rebuild a building that was damaged by the August 4 explosion. Bilal Hussein, AP / NTB scanpix
Workers repair windows damaged by the blast. Bilal Hussein, AP / NTB scanpix
Workers are trying to repair an apartment. Bilal Hussein, AP / NTB scanpix
Many people have very little money
Lebanese families continue to struggle to rebuild after the Beirut explosion. Many already had a strained economy due to the country’s economic crisis. Now they don’t have money to live in their houses. The frustration is great, the state is practically absent and it takes time to obtain the promised international aid.
Winter and the rainy season are just a few weeks away. Aid groups are concerned that they will not have the time or resources to undertake the gigantic repair and reconstruction work.
About 200,000 homes and 40,000 buildings were damaged in the explosion. 3,000 of them are so damaged that they are uninhabitable, according to the UN.
This house was damaged by the explosion. The photo was taken on August 29. Hussein Malla, AP / NTB scanpix
Major damage can still be seen in many apartments. The photos were taken on August 29. Hussein Malla, AP / NTB scanpix
Can be seen through many apartments. Hussein Malla, AP / NTB scanpix
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When the explosion threw her across the room, she understood: – I can’t anymore, I have to go.
– Many houses will not be completed on time.
The UN requested 344.5 million dollars for an emergency fund that will last until November. So far, only 16.3 percent have been received.
$ 84.5 million will go towards insuring and repairing homes, but only $ 1.9 million has been distributed, says Elena Dikomitis, who works for the Norwegian Council for Refugees in Lebanon.
– The cold and rain begin in October, he says. – We are sure that tens of thousands of houses cannot be repaired in time.
NRC works in two of the worst affected neighborhoods, Karantina and Mar Mikhail. Their goal is to provide housing for 12,400 people and they hope to be able to help 16,800 people with water, sanitary equipment and hygiene assistance before March 2021.
These are the remains of a warehouse in the port of Beirut. Hussein Malla, AP / NTB scanpix
The new Audier was damaged in the explosion. Hussein Malla, AP / NTB scanpix
These are the remains of the silo that was right next to the explosion site. The silo contained much of the city’s grain storage. Hussein Malla, AP / NTB scanpix
Tired of waiting for outside help
Lebanon already has a very vulnerable population that will need help during the winter. Among them are 1 million Syrian refugees.
The international community, which is aware of the Lebanese people’s mentality on widespread corruption, has said that they want to manage money outside of public institutions and only work through international organizations and the UN.
Many in Beirut say they are tired of hearing about the help that is coming.
Construction workers repair windows. Bilal Hussein, AP / NTB scanpix
Volunteers clean and repair Randa Teriyaki’s house. The photo was taken on September 2. Bilal Hussein, AP / NTB scanpix
Construction workers repair the exterior of a clothing store. The photo was taken on September 2. Bilal Hussein, AP / NTB scanpix
No safety net. Savings disappeared
With little or no safety net, the elderly like Ghassan Toubaji are hit hard.
He has no pension or insurance, and both he and his wife, who are in their 70s, have had to continue working. Toubaji worked to help people through the bureaucracy of the Lebanese Ministry of Finance. With the economic recession and protests that began in October, he has had to stay home. His wife, who is a seamstress, has also been practically unemployed.
Hassan Toubaji stands at the entrance of his home in Beirut. Has trouble walking and uses a cane. Hussein Malla, AP / NTB scanpix
They have managed to eat the savings of 30 million Lebanese pounds. During the financial crisis, your overnight savings went from being worth $ 20,000 to just $ 3,000.
He says that politicians “have robbed the country, and that the banks are out of money.” Who will help the country to reconcile this time?
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