Lebanon needs a disaster policy for earthquake risks

Over the past 2,000 years, Lebanon has experienced over 13 major earthquakes. These tremors are a result of the country’s location within an active tectonic system called the Dead Sea Rift, which divides the African and Arabian plates. One of Lebanon’s most devastating earthquakes occurred in 551 AD, a 7.5 magnitude quake along the Mount Lebanon Thrust (MLT) resulted in a tsunami, which, according to a 2007 paper in the journal Geology, “destroyed most of the coastal cities,” “drowned Tripoli,” and caused damage so severe that Beirut “did not recover for 1,300 years.” Seismologists predict that the MLT has a recurring cycle of every 1,500-1,750 years, meaning a major earthquake could fall anytime within the next 250 years. The World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction (GFDRR) puts Lebanon at a medium-risk level, estimating that there is a 10 percent chance for a potentially-damaging earthquake and tsunami to occur