Photo by Hussein Malla / AP
Above: A drone picture shows the scene of an explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. A massive explosion rocked Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the city's port, damaging buildings across the capital and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky.
Members of San Diego's Lebanese community are reacting to an explosion that killed at least 135 people and injured thousands more in Beirut Tuesday.
"It is an absolute catastrophe," said Mark Kabban, who spent part of his childhood living in Lebanon. "We emigrated [from] the country during the civil war."
Kabban said family members tell him the blast has devastated the capital city.
"Their windows are blown up. Their businesses are blown up," Kabban said. "All the mom and pop businesses around the port, in the surrounding cities, four kilometers, have lost everything."
The explosion is thought to have been caused by nearly 3,000 tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate being stored near the port.
"To think about San Diego — this would be like our port but to imagine that it’s the only port in your city that brings in any supplies: medicine, food, and vaccinations," Kabban said.
Reported by Matt Hoffman
For Kabban, the explosion comes at a crucial time. Lebanon is strapped for cash and their currency is plummeting.
"How do we rebuild the country?" Kabban asked. "There are thousands of people that have lost everything. If you see the streets, they are unrecognizable."
North Park resident Doris Bittar is Lebanese and used to live in Beirut. She said because of financial constraints, residents there, including her cousin, are not counting on much help from the government.
"They’re just going to take matters into their own hands," she said. "Not in terms of government, but in terms of cleaning the place up and rebuilding."
Wednesday Bittar said her cousin, who lives less than a mile from where the explosion happened, was picking up the pieces.
"What my cousin is doing this morning — she’s rolled up her sleeves and they're going there and they're cleaning up — what the Lebanese people have always done through the civil war, through regional wars," Bittar said.
Seeing the once vibrant capital city in shambles is not easy for Bittar.
"The main feeling I have is — aside from sadness — is frustration," she said. 'It feels like Lebanon has hit rock bottom right now."
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Matt Hoffman
General Assignment Reporter
I am a general assignment reporter for KPBS. In addition to covering the latest news and issues that are relevant to the San Diego community, I like to dig deeper to find the voices and perspectives that other media often miss.
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