Trigger warning: this article discusses the recent, tragic incident of Beirut and PTSD.
Beirut Port raged with fire again as residents of Beirut are still facing aftershocks of the August 4 explosion – the explosion that rocked the entire country, ruining houses and taking lives. The fire is said to be coming from a warehouse comprising of oils and tires, close to where the blast ignited on August 4. The fire lit up on September 10 at 1 PM and remained ablaze for, roughly, five hours. Although officials have mentioned that there is no risk of another explosion occurring, it is still traumatizing for the people of Lebanon to have to re-live the nightmare once again, along with a bundle of uncertainties and fears.
PTSD as a Result of the Beirut Port Explosion
Families have been horrified, houses have turned to rubble, and numerous people are still missing. The recent fire set ablaze terrified people and re-instilled fears of another explosion. Many people from the Beirut community have suffered severe PTSD as a result of the situation, with children even heavily impacted and traumatized.
PTSD, also known as post-traumatic stress disorder, is a condition that occurs when people are exposed to a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, war, a dangerous accident, sexual assault, terrorist acts, or even serious injuries. In this case, the disaster that occurred was the earth-shaking explosion. Common initial reactions include numbness, grief, guilt, confusion, anxiety, disconnection, and the like. Individuals suffering from PTSD can have immensely unsettling thoughts and emotions related to what they went through, and they can experience it a long while after the trauma has ended. They can re-experience the traumatic event once again through nightmares or recurring memories of the trauma. They also tend to become sensitive to noises or other fairly normal sounds.
Unfortunately, the Beirut explosion is not the first disaster that ricocheted across Lebanon. The civil war that took place in 1975 for 15 years and the 2006 Israeli-Lebanese war have definitely left a mark on many people that lived through these destructive situations. Disaster after disaster building up in Lebanon has left a negative effect on many of those residing in Lebanon and continues to do so.
Currently
A video circulating social media shows various panic-stricken workers at the port running franticly to evacuate it. Not only does this show the widespread fear capturing the lives of the community, but it also brings to light just how deep its scars are. Beirut is now known as the city that exploded. Safety is now a foreign word amongst individuals residing in Lebanon. Fires are automatically correlated with explosions. A month is not enough to ensure that everyone has come to terms with their trauma, and the fire that took place is opening old wounds that have not completely shut, and possibly never will.
Numerous individuals have also taken to social media to express their rage at the current situation, along with certain “to-do” mechanisms to stay safe – such as opening house windows and evacuating cars, taking shelter in areas with no glass, and letting relatives know your whereabouts in case you are not home – all as precautionary measures. It is a devastating situation to see.
Lebanon, a country once filled with hope, has lost its light. The air filled with dark smoke – a metaphor of the gloomy situation.