Lebanon (MNN) — A fuller view of the displacement caused by last week’s disaster is starting to emerge in Syria.
According to the United Nations, the earthquakes and aftershocks destroyed more than 8,900 buildings, leaving at least 11,000 people homeless. These tolls are expected to rise as more information comes in.
“There is a strong possibility that Lebanon will host more Syrian refugee families, which means Heart for Lebanon would need to ramp up its care,” co-founder Camille Melki says.
Nuna from Triumphant Mercy Lebanon adds, “There are people who are now, [for] a second time, displaced inside Syria. They had already been displaced from the north, near Turkey, and then went to Aleppo, for example. And now they’re displaced again.”
With nowhere else to turn, “people will be leaving the country. It is going to create a new refugee crisis,” she continues.
“Germany, for example, has opened easy visa applications for people to go [from Syria to Germany.].”
Ask God to give wisdom to the leaders of Heart for Lebanon, Triumphant Mercy, and others as they prepare for a new wave of refugees.
“Half of our staff is originally from Syria. We’re starting to plan how to care for the immediate families, friends, and relatives [of our staff],” Melki says.
“We’re building our database [to] see whether we can receive more people here in Lebanon if they would be allowed to cross the borders,” he continues.
“Many people affected [by the earthquakes] were already displaced from the war in Syria. It’s an insult over the injury for many of those families.”
Header image courtesy of Horizons International.
