CARE Team Arrives in Beirut to Assess the Crisis

BEIRUT, Lebanon (August 4, 2006) - A CARE assessment team has arrived in Beirut and will spend the next week and a half assessing the impact of the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon and best options for providing emergency relief.  Megan Chisholm, leader of the six-person team said: "As soon as we were in Lebanon we saw destroyed houses and buses with people leaving the country. Again, we urge an immediate cease fire and access for humanitarian organizations to reach the most vulnerable people caught in this catastrophe."

Lebanese authorities estimate that at least 841 Lebanese civilians have died in the conflict so far.  Estimates are that more than 3,000 have been wounded, and more than 900,000 people have been displaced. Ongoing military operations have made it extremely difficult and dangerous to bring supplies to areas where civilians have gathered after fleeing the combat zones.  Food and fuel prices have been rising dramatically because of difficulties in transporting supplies, and several supply convoys have been forced to turn back in recent days either because of the difficulty of getting clearance from military authorities or because of damage to roads.

CARE has called on all sides in the conflict to agree to a cessation of hostilities and to guarantee the protection of innocent civilians, especially women and children. CARE is especially calling on all sides to create humanitarian corridors and guarantee safe passage of badly needed supplies so that civilians who have nothing to do with the fighting can receive food, medicine and safe drinking water.

CARE is one of the world's largest and most experienced nongovernmental humanitarian relief and development organizations. Completely nonsectarian, CARE was formed to bring emergency relief supplies to Europe in the days immediately following World War II.  Over the last several decades, CARE's mission has evolved to fighting poverty in the developing world and providing emergency relief during humanitarian crises.