A week has passed since the deadly explosion that wrecked Beirut went off, and material and moral support is still coming into Lebanon from all around the world.
Hollywood star Michael Douglas posted on Monday night a video on his Instagram account wherein he expressed solidarity with the Lebanese people over the tragedy, the horrible aftermath of which they have been enduring for a week.
“As an individual and as a United Nations Messenger of Peace, I support the people of Beirut,” Douglas, who has been serving as a UN Messenger of Peace since 1998, said.
The actor, 75, received praise from the Lebanese in return for his heartfelt message. Numerous Lebanese users posted wholesome and grateful comments on the video which, as of the time of writing, has been viewed around 125,000 times.
“From Beirut with love to you sir and [your] beautiful family, and thank you for your support,” an Instagram user wrote. “God bless you, we love you,” another said.
The explosion has killed at least 163 people, not counting the missing who haven’t been found yet, injured thousands, displaced more than 300,000, destroyed around 6,000 buildings, and rendered Lebanon’s main port, the Port of Beirut, dysfunctional.
According to the most recent estimates, rebuilding what was leveled and repairing what was damaged by the calamitous blast will cost Lebanon around $15 billion.
The explosion was the latest addition to a series of terrible crises that have been weighing Lebanon down, including unprecedented hyperinflation that is causing mass poverty and additional woes as the days go by.
A number of local and international celebrities and organizations have expressed solidarity with the Lebanese through donations and messages of support, as countries worldwide continue to raise funds and send humanitarian aid to Beirut.
Such support is critical for Lebanon at this point, though, needless to say, it is certainly only supposed to be complementary to the efforts that the state is supposed to exert in order to properly respond to this national disaster.
