Photo courtesy Canadian Press

By Greg Fry

Beirut blast

Red Cross accepting donations for those impacted by Beirut explosion

Aug 6, 2020 | 3:03 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — The destruction following Tuesday’s blast in Beirut has been immense. But there’s also been a human toll for the people of Lebanon due to this catastrophic situation.

The explosion killed at least 135 people and injured more than 5,000. It also left nearly 300,000 people homeless.

For a country that was already reeling economically due to the economic effects of COVID-19, the need for assistance has never been greater. If you’d like to help you can do so by donating to the Red Cross.

“Truly the best way to give is to go to the Canadian Red Cross and give to the Lebanon Humanitarian Appeal. You can also call 1-800-418-1111 and provide a donation over the phone,” says Jenn Houtby-Ferguson, senior communications manager with the B.C. and Yukon branch of the Canadian Red Cross.

“What that does by giving a financial contribution is A, you can receive a tax receipt, but in addition, it really does give the Lebanese Red Cross the opportunity to identify what exactly are the needs of those individuals on the ground and provide the best response to meet those needs.”

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She adds in the event that Canadians have family members who they may not have been able to be in touch with in Lebanon, the Canadian Red Cross has a program called Restoring Family Links.

“And so if individuals in Canada are separated from their family due to an emergency or disaster, they can actually email the Restoring Family Links program and we will do our best to connect them or help identify individuals who may be in a country like Lebanon where they experienced disaster. That email address is familylinks@redcross.ca.”