We should be prepared for the worst

On behalf of all its members, the LIBC extends its deepest sympathies and condolences to the loved ones of those lost aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409. LIBC thanks all the countries that provided assistance in the search, rescue, and recovery efforts. We hope that search operation will continue to reach the truth of this tragedy. The loss of Ethiopian Airlines flight 409 off the coast of Beirut during a storm is the second maritime tragedy in less than two months to involve Lebanon, and one that highlights our unpreparedness to deal with such crises.

In December, the Danny F II, a cargo ship bound for the Syrian port of Tartous, floundered and sank off the coast of northern Lebanon with considerable loss of life. Then, the Lebanese authorities played second fiddle to the better-equipped UNIFIL ships and air-sea rescue teams from Royal Air Force bases in Cyprus. After the new tragedy, the Lebanese authorities once again called on UNIFIL’s small flotilla of ships and aircraft to help the search and rescue operation for the 90 people on board the ill-fated plane. The presence on board of Marla Sanchez Pietton, the wife of the French ambassador to Lebanon, no doubt also prompted interest from the French authorities, while the US has authorized sending a naval vessel to the area.

The Lebanese government announced that a committee would be established to determine the cause of the crash, and would be transparent in its findings. No doubt it will seek to reveal the exact cause of the accident, especially once the crucial black box recorder has been recovered, but among its recommendations also should be a commitment to form a national body responsible for responding swiftly and effectively to any similar disaster or emergency. While thankfully aircraft do not fall from our skies every day and rescue teams have done all they can in this present emergency, there is another reason why Lebanon should have a comprehensive civil defense infrastructure in place. For, always lurking in the shadows of our daily lives is a detail that few people care to dwell on: the fact that Lebanon sits on an active seismic fault line. Every so often, we have tremors, and the last sizeable quake happened in 1956, when 6,000 buildings were destroyed and 136 lives were lost. The last major quake happened on November 25, 1759. Then, Beirut and Damascus were totally destroyed and 40,000 perished.

There has not been a quake of that magnitude in Lebanon for over 250 years. Then again neither had there been in Haiti until a fortnight ago. We should be prepared for the worst.

 

Warm regards,
Nassib Fawaz (Founding president LIBC)