Top U.N. humanitarian coordinator Jan Egeland launched an appeal Monday from the ruins of southern Lebanon to ask international donors for $149 million to immediately help Lebanon secure food, shelter, water, sanitation and healthcare for the next three months. “More supplies are on their way, but we need safe access so that we can get the aid to those who need it most,” said Egeland. UN officials in New York joined with Egeland in making the international appeal for financial assistance. “From a humanitarian perspective, it is rapidly becoming totally overwhelming,” said Margareta Wahlstrom, U.N. deputy coordinator for aid in New York. Approximately 800,000 people are affected by the conflict, many of whom are now refugees scattered throughout Lebanon, Syria and neighboring countries.
