Southerners scramble to patch war-damaged homes as rains turn bedrooms into lakes

Source: Daily Star, 19-10-2006
SIDON: While October rains have traditionally been considered an omen of a bountiful crop for farmers, the recent thunderstorms that have hit Lebanon have been nothing short of a nightmare for Southerners still reeling from the summer war with "Israel". Countless homes in the South have seen their living rooms and bedrooms nearly instantly transformed into swimming pools after the past week`s heavy rains.
For many, the race against time to rebuild partially or completely destroyed homes that kicked off after the August 14 cease-fire has hit a fever pitch with the unforgiving onset of autumn.
International donors and the governmental bodies responsible for running the reconstruction process have divided those in need of assistance into three main categories.
The first groups those whose homes were completely destroyed during the month-long "Israeli" campaign and who were forced either to rent apartments or live with relatives in the interim period, as well as a small number of families who have pitched tents while they wait for pre-fabricated houses to be installed in their villages.
The second category consists of those who have already begun to rebuild their homes at their own expense, choosing not to wait for promised compensation from the government.
The final group comprises those whose homes were only partially damaged by the war, where families have gathered their undamaged furniture and moved into intact rooms.
The Daily Star toured a number of villages in the South on Wednesday, where construction projects were under way at breakneck speed.
An endless stream of trucks worked tirelessly to remove the rubble in Sidiqine, Harika, Qana, Markaba and Aitaroun, where streets once lined with buildings, homes and shops now lie barren.
"The demand on construction workers has reached its peak, and they are nowhere to be found!" said Mohammad Srour from Aita al-Shaab, adding that he would soon be forced to patch the holes and cracks in his home himself.
In Markaba, near Marjayoun, which lost more than 40 percent of its homes, Khadija Noureddine was sharing a single room with six members of her family, as the rest of her house was flooded.
Noureddine said she was still waiting for the government to rebuild her house.
"Some men came to survey the losses, but we haven`t heard of them since then," she said.
In another corner of Markaba, Mohammad Haydar and his friend lay in the sun after "a long, wet night."
Hajja Zeinab Shamseddine, struggling to repair the windows of her home, said: "Southerners do not need rations; we want to live in dignity."
"Now everyone wants their share of aid money allocated to Southerners, these people should turn to the Ministry for the Displaced," she added.
Meanwhile, as the South busied itself with reconstruction and renovation projects ahead of the approaching winter season, weather forecasts predicted more rain for Thursday, with temperatures to range between 17 and 26 degrees Celsius along the coast, between 13 and 18 in the mountain areas and between 7 and 23 in the Bekaa Valley.
The forecast called for southwesterly winds of 10 to 35 kilometers per hour, with poor visibility in the highlands.