The United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Lebanon, in collaboration with humanitarian partners, assessed the impact of the explosion at the Port of Beirut on the healthcare system, education, shelter and food security, among others, as at August 13. It also highlighted the needs and the humanitarian response in those areas.

It indicated that the Lebanese Red Cross, in collaboration with the Governor of Beirut and the Municipality of Beirut, conducted a rapid assessment that identified Achrafieh, Gemmayzeh, Mar Mikhael, and Qarantina as priority districts that are in need of shelter support. It estimated that 29,771 apartments, where 89,313 individuals live, have minor damages; while 17,100 apartments that house 51,300 persons sustained moderate damages, and 1,144 buildings where 30,660 individuals live, suffered heavy damages. It pointed out that the UN-Habitat is conducting an assessment of 70 evacuated buildings in the Mar Mikhael and Qarantina areas, and is also providing municipal and volunteering engineers with a mobile application to help them conduct the rapid building assessment, which aims to identify the most affected geographic areas and the level of damage. It added that the UN-Habitat is then planning to give "cash-for-rent" subsidies of $800 per family to around 800 of the most vulnerable families that had to evacuate their homes in the two areas, in order to cover housing needs for four to five months.

It said that the impact of the economic crisis on the livelihood and savings of many Lebanese will weigh on people’s ability to repair their homes. It anticipated the prices of construction and repair materials to increase, given the high inflation rate in the country. As a result, it expected that the most vulnerable households will face prolonged displacement, or live in unsafe conditions without basic services such as water and electricity. Still, it noted that more than 55% of the houses assessed were rented, which makes it easier for the affected individuals to move elsewhere.

In parallel, it indicated that the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that six major hospitals and more than 20 clinics suffered partial or heavy structural damage from the explosion. It added that the building of the Beirut Governmental Hospital in Qarantina has been designated as unsecure, and that the hospital staff is prohibited from entering the facility. It said that the Lebanese think-tank Connecting Research to Development (CRD), with the help of the WHO, conducted a rapid health assessment of 55 primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in Beirut. The field survey found that 37% of PHCs sustained moderate-to-serious-damage and need rehabilitation, while 13% had injured healthcare workers. The results also showed that 47% of PHCs in Beirut are capable of delivering full routine healthcare services, while around 55% of these facilities need new equipment.

The OCHA pointed out that support in the healthcare sector is currently focused on primary healthcare, mental health and mobile medical units (MMUs). It noted that there is a need for additional support to ensure that the remaining medical facilities can continue to provide primary healthcare and mental health support, as well as to manage the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which is currently spreading at an increasing pace in the country. It added that maternity healthcare requires further support, in order to ensure that the 400 babies that are expected to be born in Beirut in the next month are delivered safely.

Moreover, the OHCA indicated that preliminary results from an assessment conducted by the UNICEF and the Water Establishment of Beirut & Mount Lebanon did not find major damages to the main water network. However, it said that access to clean water for many households was interrupted in residential buildings due to the damages. It added that a survey of 558 affected buildings found that only 337 were accessible and occupied and that 225 of these buildings did not have access to water.

In addition, the assessment showed that more than 120 schools were damaged, which may affect the learning opportunities of about 50,000 Lebanese and non-Lebanese children. It said that ongoing assessments indicated that 20 public technical and vocational education and training schools, attended by about 8,000 adolescents and young persons, were also damaged in the blast. The OCHA cautioned that the explosion at the Port of Beirut will exacerbate food insecurity, which was already significant due to the coronavirus pandemic and the prolonged socio-economic crisis in Lebanon. Finally, it pointed out that efforts are ongoing to support the national response to the explosion, and that humanitarian stakeholders are conducting further assessments of the damages and of the immediate humanitarian needs across affected areas. It anticipated that cash programs will play an important role in responding to multi-sectoral needs, given the large amount of in-kind assistance provided so far.