<p>The United Nations said Friday it was desperately trying to get food, aid and medical equipment to Beirut following the devastating explosion that ripped apart the Lebanese capital's port.</p>.<p>The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) warned that as economically ravaged Lebanon imports 85 per cent of its food, the flow could be severely damaged.</p>.<p>The World Health Organization (WHO), meanwhile, said it lost several containers of essential medical supplies in the blast, with personal protective equipment (PPE) completely burnt.</p>.<p>"WFP is concerned that the explosion and the damage to the port will exacerbate an already grim food security situation," said the agency's spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs.</p>.<p>The severe damage to Lebanon's largest port "could limit the flow of food supplies into the country and push food prices beyond the reach of many," she added.</p>.<p>Byrs said the WFP would be allocating 5,000 food parcels to affected families, which contain enough food to feed a family of five for a month.</p>.<p>It is also planning to import wheat flour and grains for bakeries and mills to help protect against food shortages.</p>.<p>The WHO said hospitals were overwhelmed with injured patients, with three hospitals now deemed non-functional, putting 400 beds out of use, and a further two hospitals partially damaged, putting a further 100 beds beyond use.</p>.<p>WHO called for $15 million (12.7 million euros) to cover immediate emergency trauma and humanitarian health needs.</p>.<p>UNICEF, the UN children's agency, said preliminary numbers suggested that up to 100,000 children's homes had been damaged or destroyed and they were now displaced.</p>.<p>It said hundreds of thousands of PPE items for the country's coronavirus response were destroyed.</p>.<p>"We have initial reports of over 120 public and private schools that have sustained damage," serving approximately 55,000 children, said UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado.</p>.<p>The agency has launched a funding appeal for an initial $8.25 million.</p>.<p>"The needs are immediate and huge," Mercado said</p>
<p>The United Nations said Friday it was desperately trying to get food, aid and medical equipment to Beirut following the devastating explosion that ripped apart the Lebanese capital's port.</p>.<p>The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) warned that as economically ravaged Lebanon imports 85 per cent of its food, the flow could be severely damaged.</p>.<p>The World Health Organization (WHO), meanwhile, said it lost several containers of essential medical supplies in the blast, with personal protective equipment (PPE) completely burnt.</p>.<p>"WFP is concerned that the explosion and the damage to the port will exacerbate an already grim food security situation," said the agency's spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs.</p>.<p>The severe damage to Lebanon's largest port "could limit the flow of food supplies into the country and push food prices beyond the reach of many," she added.</p>.<p>Byrs said the WFP would be allocating 5,000 food parcels to affected families, which contain enough food to feed a family of five for a month.</p>.<p>It is also planning to import wheat flour and grains for bakeries and mills to help protect against food shortages.</p>.<p>The WHO said hospitals were overwhelmed with injured patients, with three hospitals now deemed non-functional, putting 400 beds out of use, and a further two hospitals partially damaged, putting a further 100 beds beyond use.</p>.<p>WHO called for $15 million (12.7 million euros) to cover immediate emergency trauma and humanitarian health needs.</p>.<p>UNICEF, the UN children's agency, said preliminary numbers suggested that up to 100,000 children's homes had been damaged or destroyed and they were now displaced.</p>.<p>It said hundreds of thousands of PPE items for the country's coronavirus response were destroyed.</p>.<p>"We have initial reports of over 120 public and private schools that have sustained damage," serving approximately 55,000 children, said UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado.</p>.<p>The agency has launched a funding appeal for an initial $8.25 million.</p>.<p>"The needs are immediate and huge," Mercado said</p>