Blasts tore through our hearts, say expats

dubai — Two explosions that rocked Beirut on Tuesday tore through the hearts of Lebanese expats in the UAE. Many of them said they were “traumatised” by the blast that left over 100 dead and scores of others injured.

Abir Chamas, a banker, said the day was the “worst” of his life. “When I started receiving the videos, I was so scared ... I didn’t know what to do. I was afraid to call my people and find out that something terrible had happened. At the same time, I wanted to make sure everyone was safe.”

She recalled how she started checking the social media profiles of her family members and friends, hoping they would update their status or post something.

“I was terrified and didn’t want to hear that I’d lost someone. I couldn’t stop crying as I felt helpless. I want to do something, but can do nothing. For the first time,

I say: Thank God for the coronavirus and lockdown. Otherwise, the number of casualties would have been scary,” she said.

Abir said she has no plans to travel to Lebanon at the moment. She would much “rather save the money and send it as aid”.

“We’ve started contacting our friends and have arranged for a list of addresses and phone numbers for the people who don’t have places to stay in at the moment, especially after they were advised to leave Beirut for a few days. We are planning to send money and open empty houses for the affected families.”

Another expat, Rani, said the overall situation in Lebanon is likely to stay the same and the country will not see improvement unless people demand change. “We need a big revolution in reforms. Otherwise, people will forget what happened in a week’s time.”