Lebanon's government plan to address issue of buildings at risk of collapse in Tripoli—Overview

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chaired a broad meeting at the Grand Serail on Monday to follow up on emergency measures to address cracked and structurally unsafe buildings in the northern city of Tripoli.

Salam said the meeting, which lasted about three and a half hours, brought together Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar, Justice Minister Adel Nassar, Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed, and Tripoli officials.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Salam said Tripoli's municipality will issue evacuation orders for 114 buildings deemed at risk of collapse. The evacuations will be carried out in phases over a period not exceeding one month. He said families forced to leave their homes will receive housing assistance for one year, to be paid quarterly.

Salam said a list of temporary shelters has been identified through the disaster management committee in the North Lebanon governorate, with additional shelters to be secured if needed.

He added that the Social Affairs Ministry will provide aid and enroll displaced families in Lebanon's Aman social support program, while the Public Health Ministry will cover health needs and link affected families to primary health care centers.

Salam said the Higher Relief Committee will begin reinforcing buildings that can be stabilized and demolishing those considered beyond repair. The committee will also complete a wider assessment, building on the municipality's initial surveys in coordination with the Order of Engineers.

He also noted that the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) will begin assessing the condition of infrastructure, particularly the water and sewage networks.