Within hours of the explosion, volunteers joined local NGO Biladi and Blue Shield Lebanon to take part in the rescue effort, helping to clear streets of rubble and broken glass, sweeping up debris and sorting out material that could be salvaged and used during the eventual restoration of historic buildings. The Blue Shield volunteers, who included architects, archaeologists, restorers and engineers were trained by Biladi in the use of a digital platform for making assessment reports that Biladi and BSI created together with the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative.
- Securing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA)
- Clearing and sorting the rubble on two streets: Gouraud Street and Selim Bustros Street
- Securing two traditional houses (Plot 1137 – 474)
Jean Samha, the Architect Restorer in charge of the MOFA conservation, has kindly shared the work archive with the Blue Shield.
More information on the clearance operations is available in the final report.
Within days, a Provisional Assessment Report (PAR) photo report “CULTURAL HERITAGE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT OF BEIRUT BLAST. PRELIMINARY REPORT IN PHOTOS” of the damage was available.
The initial photo report and the final report “Emergency response to the Beirut Blast, ‐End of mission report‐
Blue Shield Mission August 2020 – November 2020” on the damage and the work to protect it are available in our Mission Report Library.
Funders
