Millions of Dollars in Damages Caused by Storm as Hay al-Sellom Turns into 'Disaster Area'

The storm that has been hitting Lebanon since Saturday has caused millions of dollars in damages throughout Lebanon.

The Beirut southern suburb of Hay al-Sellom has been described as a “disaster area.” Flood waters from al-Ghadir River invaded homes and shops, turning the streets into ponds and wreaking havoc in the impoverished area.

Around 2,000 residential units and a large number of shops are built on the river's banks, according to state-run National News Agency. The levels of water on the streets exceeded 0.5 meters in height, NNA said.

In an interview on LBCI television, Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi said “the conventional means cannot bring the situation under control due to the nonstop rains.”

“All ministries must utilize all capabilities,” Aridi added, noting that “this is an extraordinary storm and major countries have suffered from extraordinary storms, but we should have done more.”

The minister said the Council for Development and Reconstruction has a plan for al-Ghadir River. “Although this issue does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Ministry, I have been following it in solidarity with the people,” he added.

For his part, Melhem al-Souqi, head of Choueifat Municipality, called for declaring Hay al-Sellom a "disaster area," urging the relevant ministries, the Council for Development and Reconstruction and the Higher Relief Commission to visit the area and inspect the magnitude of damages."

He called on them to assist the municipality quickly in order to aid the affected residents.

In the southern city of Tyre, the damage was inflicted against the roads, crops, and tourist establishments, particularly in the area from the Teir Filsay bridge to the Qassimiyeh area near the Litani River.

Activity at Tyre Port was halted for a second day, with the high sea waves preventing fishermen from heading to their boats.

In the region of Arbin, some 10,000 books from the region's public library were destroyed in the flooding.

The Arbin municipal council held the company charged with sewage and water works projects responsible for the damage.

In the northern region of al-Dinniyeh, a six-meter high and 100-meter long wall collapsed near the Aasoun waterfall, causing heavy traffic in the area.

Aasoun municipal head Motasem Abdul Qader told the National News Agency that bulldozers, along with local residents, are working on reopening the blocked road.

Meanwhile, Civil Defense teams in Dinniyeh said that the road connecting the area to al-Hermel has been blocked by snow.

Further north in Akkar, farmers revealed that the Grand and al-Ostwan Rivers flooded their banks and the floods may pose a risk to all of the region's potato crops that cover an area of over 6000 hectares.

Elsewhere, poultry farms reported that a number of chickens died from the cold due to lack of sufficient heating in their establishments.

The storm is expected to intensify on Wednesday with heavy rain, strong winds, thunderstorms, and a dip in temperature predicted.

Snow is expected to at first fall at altitudes of 600 meters before reaching areas of 300 meters.

Temperatures along the coast are expected to reach 8 to 12 degrees, while temperatures are expected to reach 0 to 4 degrees in mountainous regions and 3 to 5 degrees in regions further inland.