Lebanon was among the eight countries that have witnessed a heavy windstorm throughout the day, and especially during the night, on Thursday, March 13th.
Named The Dragon, the sandstorm swept through Lebanon, with wind exceeding 105kph, according to Beirut Airport sources, causing material damages to houses, farms, streets, and cars in various Lebanese regions.
In a statement, the High Relief Commission in Lebanon requested that “all the municipalities, where property damage occurred as a result of the wind storm, to submit a detailed report on the losses within 72 hours of its date.”
Reporting losses to the High Relief Commission helps in limiting the damage the windstorm caused in Lebanon in order to build on its requirements.
According to NNA, the windstorm that struck the country has caused severe damage in the area of the Kharroub region, causing wildfires and the uprooting of many trees in the fields and roadsides, which resulted in car accidents.
It also caused the uprooting of a large number of brick stones of houses and tents, as well as the collapse of these stones on cars. That’s in addition to severe damage to the telephone and electricity lines.
VDLnews explained that airplanes coming to Lebanon were forced to divert due to the severe wind. They were directed to land in Turkey as only a few of them managed to land at the Rafik Hariri International Airport.
Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI) has warned of flooding of rivers and streams due to heavy rains and melting snow on high mountains, and the formation of torrents in places exposed to it.
It has also warned of the collapse of dust and rocks on roads, especially in the mountains.
Fires broke out in various regions in Lebanon, but mainly in Shouf, where Zaarouriyet and Chheem witnessed the most wildfire in dry grass and forest trees.
Wildfires also broke out on dry grass in Rabweh, Bqennaya, Jeita, and Dik El-Mehdi. The Lebanese Civil Defense was quick to extinguish them, which prevented the fire from spreading to the buildings nearby.
This would be the second wildfire Lebanon has experienced in five months.
On the other hand, the Lebanese Civil Defense has also removed a number of trees after they fell in Aley alongside the electricity company, in order to facilitate traffic and enable citizens to walk safely.
The same scene happened in Al-Bayada, Al-Rabia, Chheem, Beit Al-Shaar, Dick Al-Mahdi, Dibbeyeh, Qurnat Shahwan, Kahlounieh, Nabatieh, Broumana, Araya, Jamhour, Chheem, Faraya, and Al-Mansouriya, where a billboard fell in the middle of the road.
According to NNA, Alfa cell lines were cut off in the district of Becharre, due to the windstorm that caused significant damage to the electrical current. It led to partial closedown of some roads in the area due to the fall of a large number of trees.
Wind weighted with dust has damaged crops, greenhouses, and fruitful trees that have just begun to blossom at the beginning of this week in the Baalbek region.
The storm also resulted in the cutting of electrical wires in the city and many of the villages in the region.
In Tyre, the strong wind caused damages to crops, especially plastic greenhouses. It also damaged houses, where the roofs of tiles were blown, and a number of roads were cut due to the fall of trees.
The wind caused the roof of the second floor of the Burj Rahal municipality to be blown away, while the maintenance teams at Electricite Du Liban worked to repair the faults and damages.
The traffic control room also reported that a billboard fell on a bus that transports passengers at the Dora-Karantina highway.
The strong wind that struck Lebanon also led to the fall of the statue of the founding leader of the Lebanese Kataeb Party Pierre Gemayel in Bikfaya Square as well as the statue of Saint Anthony in Mayrouba.
