The City of London Corporation has donated £20,000 to the British Red Cross Beirut Emergency Appeal to support the charity’s work to care for people caught up in the huge explosion that devastated Lebanon’s capital on 4 August.
The money has been allocated from its International Disasters Fund and donated to the charity, which is working with Lebanese Red Cross.
The Square Mile’s governing body is now encouraging firms across the City and wider London to donate to the emergency appeal which, says the British Red Cross, will save lives and help people recover.
It is believed that the blast, which was caught on camera by some residents, has killed up to 200 people and injured thousands. The eastern part of Beirut’s port was totally destroyed and buildings across the city were severely damaged.
Hospitals have been overwhelmed with the number of people needing medical help and have not been able to attend to everyone. Some casualties have had to be treated in the streets and many sent to hospitals outside Beirut.
Saving lives in Beirut right now is the immediate focus for the Lebanese Red Cross.
If you’d like to support the emergency teams at the scene to help save lives, please donate to our appeal: https://t.co/IP36rEICgf pic.twitter.com/DMzMxlaXct
— British Red Cross (@BritishRedCross) August 5, 2020
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People are dealing with injuries, loss of loved ones, and damaged homes. This comes at a time when Lebanon is experiencing an economic crisis, and the tragic and complex challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
Jeremy Mayhew, chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Finance Committee, said: “None of us who watched the footage of the massive explosion in Beirut could have been left in any doubt whatsoever about how it devastated large parts of the city within a matter of seconds and has had a terrible impact on its resident population.
“It is entirely right that the City of London Corporation offer assistance towards the humanitarian effort to help care for those affected, and we would strongly urge businesses in the City and across the capital to follow our example and donate to this British Red Cross appeal.”
This latest move follows the City Corporation’s £60,000 donation in July to charities dealing with Covid-19, while its independent charitable funder, City Bridge Trust, has given £6million to help tackle the impact of the pandemic in the capital.
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