'I thought maybe a rock had dropped or maybe the generator exploded,' says Rita Maatouk. But what happened was much more serious. MORE ⬇️
SCOTTSDALE, AZ — As the death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria climbs above 50,000, tragedies like this tug at our hearts, remind us how fragile life is, and sometimes, make the rest of us think about what we would do in the face of disaster.
It was Aug. 4, 2020, when, just minutes away from her pharmacy, there was a massive ammonium nitrate explosion at the Port of Beirut in Maatouk's home country of Lebanon. More than 200 people were killed and at least 7,000 people were injured.But Maatouk says after realizing she and her sister were OK, something inside her switched.
Within minutes, Maatouk says the pharmacy she owned became a makeshift medical clinic; many of Beirut's hospitals were badly damaged in the blast. "This explosion made me realize how strong and resilient I can be in difficult situations which is why I started to look for a backup plan."
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