\u00a0Some 80,000 children have been displaced by the Beirut explosions, according to UNICEF estimates, with families affected in desperate need of support.<\/p>\n
The explosions on Tuesday evening left 140 people dead, 5,000 injured and hundreds missing. UNICEF is concerned that many children have suffered trauma and remain in shock.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the past 48 hours, UNICEF continued to coordinate closely with authorities and partners on the ground to respond to the urgent needs of families affected, focusing on health, water and the wellbeing of children,\u201d said Violet Speek-Warnery, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Lebanon.<\/p>\n
The port of Beirut \u2013 where the explosion took place \u2013 is the main lifeline of the country. It is now totally destroyed.<\/p>\n
According to the latest information:<\/p>\n
There are numerous reports of children who have been separated from family members, some of whom are still missing;
\nAt least 12 primary healthcare facilities, maternal, immunization and newborn centres in Beirut have been damaged, impacting services for nearly 120,000 people;
\nA children\u2019s hospital in the Karantina area, which had a specialized unit treating critical newborns, was destroyed.;
\nThe remaining operational hospitals are over-stretched and have been depleted of critical medical supplies;
\n10 containers stocked by the Ministry of Public Health with personal protective equipment were destroyed;
\nFive out of seven UNICEF-supported vaccine cold rooms were destroyed in the blast, affecting critical vaccination programmes;
\nMany schools have reported damage in Beirut and the surrounding area, with assessments ongoing into the level of damage;
\nIn the past 48 hours, 464 new cases of COVID-19 were registered.
\n\u201cUNICEF is supporting the local authorities and partners. Our teams have been working around the clock to provide people affected with much needed assistance,\u201d said Speek-Warnery.<\/p>\n
UNICEF in Lebanon is working with counterparts and partners to scale up support to affected children and their families in order to respond to the immediate needs, including:<\/p>\n
Drinking water was distributed to frontline responders and those living in the directly affected location around the Beirut port;
\nConducting preliminary assessments on warehouses, schools, cold rooms, water infrastructure and health facilities including hospitals and specialize intensive care unit for newborns;
\nAn estimated 90 per cent of stored vaccines supplies were rescued from the damaged warehouse in the port;
\nSupporting the reunification of children who have been separated from their family and the setting up of a hotline;
\nProviding psychosocial support to help children cope with bereavement and trauma.
\nWorking with youth volunteers helping with the clean-up in different areas;
\nEstablishing a cash transfer programme for temporary housing assistance for families displaced by the loss of their houses.<\/p>\n
SOURCE: UNICEF<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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