Reem Fayyad (Photo: submitted)
New Brunswick has a large community of Lebanese people, whose main priority right now is making sure loved ones back home are safe.
A massive explosion in Beirut left at least 100 people dead and around 4000 injured, and those numbers are expected to rise.
Reem Fayyad says it’s a very emotional time, “We’ve been struggling since yesterday trying to follow the news, get more information and make sure that our family and friends are okay. Everyone is now still in shock and traumatized by the news. The country has been struggling with lots of crisis, and we feel powerless because of the distance. Families who are struggling with COVID-19, financial economic problems and now this explosion. It is really sad.”
Fayyad says she has family and friends whose homes have been significantly damaged, and they have been forced to leave. She made a lot of calls yesterday to ensure they are all doing okay.
“First of all, definitely the number one priority is making sure everyone back home is doing okay and trying to help anyone who had major losses. It’s important to try and pull together to support with whatever we can,” Fayyad says.
She says the Lebanese community is very resilient and well connected, because of what many of them have already been through.
“What the community is now doing is reaching out to everyone back in our home community to see what we can do to help,” Fayyad says.
She says there are currently fundraising efforts underway for the people affected in Lebanon.
One way of helping is through Impact Lebanon.
