P.E.I.'s Lebanese community in shock following Beirut explosion
Members of the P.E.I. Lebanese community are reeling after an explosion rocked the city of Beirut on Tuesday.
"It's just shock and devastation," Fadi Rashed, president of the Canadian Lebanese Association of P.E.I. told Maritime Noon.
"Unfathomable what happened over there. I couldn't believe it, I was watching and it looked like a nuclear bomb went off."
Rashed said there are between 500 and 800 Lebanese families on the Island.
The blast in the city's port shattered windows and levelled buildings, crushed cars and sent plumes of smoke into the air. At least 135 people are dead and more than 5,000 injured. Lebanon's interior minister said initial information indicated highly explosive material stored near the waterfront had blown up.
"It's tragic, you know, I hope those injured do well, survive, recover and I hope their families and everybody are OK," Rashed said.
He has family all over the country including Beirut.
"We tried contacting whoever we can get ahold of and luckily no one that we knew was near the blast, as far as we know right now," Rashed said.
Paul Haddad sits on the board of the Canadian Lebanese Association of P.E.I. and owns property in Beirut.
"I don't feel like working or doing anything but sit in front of the TV and watch." He said at first he thought videos of the explosions on social media were fake.
"It took me a few times to view it again and I just felt a shiver through my whole body. Just felt a trickle of that explosion all the way over here."
Haddad said he has been making phone calls to people he knows in the region. He said so far he has called 30 people, but only half have answered the phone.
"I've talked to quite a few of my friends and relatives in Lebanon and I'm very worried about everybody," he said. "The sight of that explosion reminded me of pictures and videos of nuclear blasts."
Josephine and Shadi Sahely are a married couple of Lebanese descent running a store which sells Lebanese goods on the Island. Josephine's family lives in Beirut.
"I talked to my sister when it happened," she said. "There was just a big shock. They didn't know what was happening. They just felt all the glass shatter from all the buildings."
Josephine said after talking to her family they told her while the situation was scary, they are all safe.
Shadi said the topic is on patrons' minds when they come into the store.
"I've had a lot of customers come in … just asked about how our family is doing in Lebanon and saying their prayers and wishing us the best and hoping everything is fine."
He said he wasn't sure the explosion was that bad until he saw the images of the aftermath.
"I think the city took a major blow and our hearts are out for the people of Lebanon," Shadi said.
Fouad Haddad also sits on the board of the Lebanese association on P.E.I. "It just was a shock to everybody, especially our community here," he said, adding he has relatives in Beirut but he was able to reach them to find out they are OK.
"One person from our village in South Lebanon, he died in the blast. And they just had the funeral for him," he said.
Fouad said he has been keeping up to date with the constant news coming out of the region.
"Hopefully we can come up with, you know, a way to fundraise and send aid to Lebanon," he said.
The government has declared a two-week state of emergency in Beirut, effectively giving the military full powers during this time.
Tuesday's explosion comes at a difficult time for the Middle Eastern country.
Lebanon is on the brink of financial collapse, facing rapidly increasing inflation, soaring unemployment and poverty, made worse by the coronavirus pandemic Rashed said.
"It is disastrous, it is apocalyptic," he added.
The Saints Peter & Paul Orthodox Church in Charlottetown is holding a vigil for Thursday night where people are invited to pray for Lebanon.
Countries around the world are pledging aid in the aftermath of the explosion.
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