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We were 600 meters away from the blast walking peacefully in the popular Beirut street Mar Mikhael. The scale of the explosion was surreal [1]. I hugged my sist
by Gerardd 6y ago
We were 600 meters away from the blast walking peacefully in the popular Beirut street Mar Mikhael. The scale of the explosion was surreal [1]. I hugged my sister and thought it’s our last moment. We miraculously survived with only a few scratches. Ten days have passed and there’s not a single minute I don’t think of what happened and emulate different scenarios where I could’ve died.
I also work at the most affected hospital that became instantly non-operational and had to be evacuated with over 17 patients, staff, and visitors dead [2].
Please consider donating [3].
[1] https://youtu.be/SkIYjNGiaoA https://youtu.be/SkIYjNGiaoA
[2] https://youtu.be/JIxuwE_WPXw https://youtu.be/JIxuwE_WPXw
[3] https://www.stgeorgehospital.org/stgeorge-donation https://www.stgeorgehospital.org/stgeorge-donation
- Abishek_Muthian 6y agoI'm sorry that you had to go through this. Is your house damaged? News reports showed several buildings which didn't bore the direct brunt of the blast have become structurally weakened by the shockwaves and that there are less chances that those buildings would be repaired. If you are living in such a building, it would be wise to move away to a safer building far away if possible.
- Gerardd 6y agoThank you. My house is 4km away and didn't sustain any damage. However other buildings within the same range had their glass shattered. The blast was even heard in Cyprus (234 km). NASA's ARIA team mapped the likely extent of damage: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-maps-beirut-blast-damage https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-maps-beirut-blast-dama... I also went up to the hospital's helipad today and can see the massive crater in direct sight: https://imgur.com/FAtIo4F https://imgur.com/FAtIo4F
- Abishek_Muthian 6y agoGlad that your house didn't suffer damage. Supposedly, more than 70,000 building have been damaged[1]. The news report also mentions that there is trouble withdrawing money from the banks and that the funds don't reach people. Can you please confirm that the hospital donation link can accept international funds and that the funds really reach to those who need it? [1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyEvcmQ8ObA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyEvcmQ8ObA
- Gerardd 6y agoTrue, thousands were left homeless. This disaster could not have occurred at a worse time for Lebanon. Hospitals are already at their maximum capacities due to the COVID-19, and the country is in an unprecedented economic crisis... The donations will go primarily into rebuilding the hospital in order to serve the community again. If the donation by card does not work, please consider using the bank account wire transfer (Outside of Lebanon IBAN).
- IgorPartola 6y agoI wish you a speedy physical and metal recovery. Please consider getting counseling as there is a good chance you might experience symptoms of PTSD and early therapy after a traumatic experience can be a lot more effective than similar work down the line.
- Gerardd 6y agoThank you for your kind words. The hospital's psychiatry department already setup a nearby clinic for free support to all healthcare workers.
- trhway 6y ago> there is a good chance you might experience symptoms of PTSD and early therapy after a traumatic experience i think massive traumatic events also result in a kind of PTSD at the level of population, and unfortunately there is not much we know what to do with it. Couple other notes. The conspiracy theory is that the Mozambique destination was just a cover, and the AN was intended for Hezbollah. The Hezbollah affiliated company tried to buy the arrested AN, and failing that, Hezbollah was also stealing that AN which was conveniently stored in an unguarded warehouse with broken door and a hole in the fence walls - for years despite numerous alarms raised by various people/agencies. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-tv-hezbollah-apparently-wanted-beiruts-ammonium-nitrate-for-israel-war/ https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-tv-hezbollah-apparently... Also interesting that AN seemed to be Nitroprill as seen on the photo in the article (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EeowoGhVoAM2_zs?format=jpg&name=small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EeowoGhVoAM2_zs?format=jpg&name=...) - googling shows that it is a bit more stable form of AN.
- Wistar 6y agoAn odd thing that spelling, "Nitroprill," as Orica's commercial prilled AN specifically for coal mining is spelled "Nitropril," with a single "l." Although Nitropril has stabilizers for resistance to breakdown in storage it has no quieting agents for its actual explosive effect as does most fertilizer-grade AN.
- james_s_tayler 6y ago
- sg47 6y agoThanks for sharing the donation link (I always trust charities recommended by locals). I donated a bit.
- scott31 6y agoIt doesn't sound that miraculous tbh
- dang 6y agoMaybe so, but please don't post unsubstantive comments to Hacker News.
- ISL 6y agoLuck plays a huge role in our lives. In my limited experience with traumatic situations, talking with people, especially people who have dealt with similar experiences, can help to temper the psychological impact. For now, though, just hang in there. Things can get better.
- Gerardd 6y agoIndeed for luck... Things are already better thanks to our community and supportive friends and family. Thank you.
- apacheCamel 6y agoI always heard the phrase: "I'd rather be lucky than good." growing up and the older I get, the more I realize just how true it is.
- mlrtime 6y agoLuck has a huge role in how we were created as well. Think of the all the permutations in atoms since the big bang and the probability of you even existing.
- gkfasdfasdf 6y agoAnd all the mutations in DNA as well to produce a living breathing thinking human being! Indeed we are all incredibly lucky.
- acqq 6y ago"Life is quite strange Life is quite weird, Life is really quite odd. Life from a star is far more bizarre, Than an old bearded bloke they call God. So gaze at the sky, and start asking why You're even here on this ball. For though life is fraught The odds are so short You're lucky to be here at all" (Galaxy DNA Song / Eric Idle)
- martyvis 6y ago
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- Teknoman117 6y agoI had a similar personal reaction after getting into a high speed car crash (mechanical failure of my car, while traveling at 70 mph on the highway. Entered a spin, slid off the road, did at least one complete roll). 8 years later, I still sometimes think of all the ways the crash could have gone differently that would have resulted in my death. If I was going a little faster, my car could have ended up in the irrigation ditch and caused me to drown. The 220 lb combat robot in the trunk it could have killed me during the tumble (it tore through its straps and ripped through the back seats into the car). If I had a passenger, the only part of the roof that wasn't crushed in was the driver. A passenger could've easily been killed. The result was a few superficial injuries (bruises from seatbelt and airbag system). Unscathed otherwise. Woke up thinking the car was on fire (was smoke from airbag) and crawled out. Walked down the street to find my phone (it was in my backpack which flew out a window during the crash) and called for an ambulance. These are natural human reactions, but the sad truth is that many of the things in our lives come down to luck. You can only do so much to make your environment safer. I, for one, have never transported another one of those combat robots inside my vehicle. edit - 220 pound combat robot, not 300.
- EForEndeavour 6y agoWhat was that about a 300-pound combat robot?
- YarickR2 6y agoShort Circuit movie remake ?
- bregma 6y agoRemake? Number 5 is alive!
- Teknoman117 6y agoGot the weight wrong. It was a 220 pound robot for the heavyweight class in Robogames. I was driving between my university campus and the campus extension in the next town when the crash happened.
- AriaMinaei 6y agoSorry for the traumatic experience. In case you can get in touch with the operators of the website, it could be helpful to let them know that it's common in Germany (and likely elsewhere) for people to avoid entering their credit card information on most websites due to security/privacy concerns. Being able to pay through trusted intermediaries (like PayPal) would make it more likely for people to make a donation.
- Gerardd 6y agoUnfortunately PayPal is not supported in Lebanon. We are trying to setup a GoFundMe campaign (also not supported) through an international intermediary.
- mixmastamyk 6y agoPaypal trusted? I can't think of anything less trusted around here.
- Waterfall 6y agoIt is mostly trusted. It is not perfect but most people have not been screwed by it, it it a zero sum game so sometimes they side with one more, usually the buyer. There are more buyers than sellers.
- kingkawn 6y agoThis recurrent memory that you can’t stop replaying is a symptom of PTSD. Of course your work and communal recovery cannot stop, but consider getting therapeutic treatment for yourself to help mitigate the impact of this event.
- supernova87a 6y agoWas your hearing damaged at all from the blast?
- Gerardd 6y agoNo, not at all... I didn't notice any hearing loss. I would still have to get properly examined and maybe get an audiogram.
- TaylorAlexander 6y agoAn interesting “mundane” fact about this explosion is that it destroyed so many windows that there probably isn’t enough replacement glass in the country to fix all the windows. And with the port destroyed they don’t know how they’re going to receive more glass. Not to mention aluminum and other materials.
- scoot 6y ago> they don’t know how they’re going to receive more glass Who is "they"? The port is partially operational [1], Tripoli hasn't closed, and there is unofficial trade with Syria. [1] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/beirut-port-resumes-partial-operations-week-blast-200812111544497.html https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/beirut-port-resumes-p...
- TaylorAlexander 6y agoIt was whoever KPFA was interviewing about the situation recently. Someone in the area at least. Can’t remember who, sorry.
- gonesilent 6y agoI think Syria is also out of glass...
- anonu 6y agoThe St Georges hospital is doing God's work as are you. A wonderful institution that's stood there for 100+ years and will keep standing for 100+ more. Thank you for sharing your story and the links.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- tozeur 6y agoYeah, I narrowly escaped a burning building. Freaky stuff.
- lr4444lr 6y agoHow's your hearing? If you have any tinnitus, get yourself some corticosteroids ASAP. You could still potentially prevent some hearing damage.
- Gerardd 6y agoI think it's fine, I didn't notice any hearing loss... Will get an audiogram to make sure.
- antoniotamer 6y agoI’ve had a few traumatic experiences in my past and it hurt me big time to not open up and talk about my feelings. I became withdrawn for years and only recently started opening back up. If you ever feel like you need to vent to a complete stranger absolutely free of judgement, I’m here for you. Shoot me a Private message. I’m lebanese by the way, living in the US.
- rendall 6y ago"there’s not a single minute I don’t think of what happened and emulate different scenarios where I could’ve died" It might be helpful to hear that this is apparently a very common psychological reaction to surviving a disaster. Speaking as a survivor of a disaster, this is a reaction that I myself had. It does get better over time. Also common, for those who lose loved ones or are injured themselves, is imagining different scenarios for emerging unscathed