By now, everyone has heard about the devastating explosion in Beirut, Lebanon.
This is how different countries are supporting Lebanon after the Beirut explosion https://t.co/2WkCFSQUil #BeirutExplosion #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/DNeRhisGoL
— World Economic Forum (@wef) August 15, 2020
On 4 August 2020, at least 177 people were killed and over 6,000 were injured when over 2.7K tons of ammonium nitrate detonated during a warehouse fire in the city’s port.
The explosives had been stored without proper safety measures for 6 years and the damage left over 300,000 people homeless and will cost the country at least $10 billion.
This is Dima, she lost her mother and two sisters in #BeirutExplosion but she still looking for memories in the ruins of her destroyed house#Lebanon pic.twitter.com/sE48ynDpNO
— Asaad Hanna (@AsaadHannaa) August 10, 2020
The disaster was one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions in history.
During the two-week state of emergency that followed, protests erupted in the capital and the government resigned.
Of course, where there’s human suffering there’s animal suffering as well. And while most of the attention is rightly on the human beings whose lives have been upended, there’s at least one group dedicated to the welfare of the city’s pets.
🇱🇧 🔺 #SupportBeirutAnimals 🔺 🇱🇧: Dr. Amir Khalil, sein Team & @AnimalsLebanon behandeln derzeit Tiere in Not 🐕🐈, die ebenfalls Opfer der schrecklichen Explosion sind!
🇨🇭 https://t.co/DsBgD2JN1d
🇩🇪https://t.co/BIbkWqE4XA
🇦🇹https://t.co/tqhX3iOeN6 pic.twitter.com/MMPWwFjpDL— VIER PFOTEN (@VIERPFOTEN) August 18, 2020
In fact, they’ve helped remedy more than one sore heart by reuniting humans and their furry friends in the aftermath of the disaster.
#URGENTRESCUE: We are working closely with our partners at @AnimalsLebanon to help the countless pets trapped and injured by last week’s explosion. Stand for Lebanon by supporting their animal’s: https://t.co/RqNSXop4pZ pic.twitter.com/PpZ8ySQQD1
— FOUR PAWS USA (@FOURPAWSUSA) August 14, 2020
Animals Lebanon has long been helping the city’s furry residents. Unfortunately, their offices were damaged in the blast and some of the animals they were caring for were injured. Some of their volunteers lost homes and pets.
“There were bloody prints everywhere by the time we could make it to the office,” Jason Mier, the executive director of Animals Lebanon, told CNN.
And yet 2 hours after the explosion, they had already deployed their first team to help!
Major explosion rocks Beirut!
Government now declares Beirut a disaster city.
At 6:00 this afternoon a major explosion at the port rocked all of Beirut.
Initial reports of over 70 dead and 4,000 injured.
Entire buildings and homes were destroyed, and significant pic.twitter.com/oQAVptPjo0
— AnimalsLebanon (@AnimalsLebanon) August 4, 2020
Over 300 people have volunteered for them since August 4th, responding to over 400 requests for help. They’re rendered veterinary care to over 80 animals and rescued another 50 that are in need of adoption.
But most amazingly, they’ve managed to reunite at least 104 lost animals with their owners.
In one video, posted to YouTube by The National, a man was audibly relieved to be reunited with his lost dog.
He can hardly believe it when he sees the pup – and the dog…well, imagine your dog when it sees you at the end of the day and multiple that by 100.
This was one relieved and ecstatic canine.
And we couldn’t be happier for the pair!
Mier told CNN that his volunteer scoured the streets, digging through rubble for trapped animals.
Of course, at this point, everyone one still so overwhelmed that numbness has set it and it’s hard to even celebrate the wins – but the reunions are what makes it all worthwhile.
“Everybody is at a loss for words because you feel everything but you also feel a bit of nothing at the same time. It’s nice that we’re able to bring a bit of joy back to people after those same people have lost almost everything, it makes it worthwhile,” he told the news outlet.
A video of a woman’s reunion with her cat is harder to watch for the sheer emotion that one can’t help but feel while witnessing the moment. (You’ve been warned, in case you choose to click on the video.)
In the aftermath of the #BeirutExplosion, one group is looking out for the city’s lost and hurt pets. This is the heartbreaking reunion between a cat mom and her furbaby who volunteers say, was found stuck inside a car. 🎥: @AnimalsLebanon pic.twitter.com/uMX7VMpkUJ
— Alisha Ebrahimji (@AlishaEbrahimji) August 7, 2020
The group is still hard at work on the ground and online working to help these animals. Most of their support comes from international donations.
So if you’d like to donate to Animals Lebanon and make more reunions like this possible, you can donate through PayPal by clicking here or visiting their GoFundMe link here.
Be sure to scroll down below to see the wonderful reunion of one man and his dog.
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