“We have been working closely with the Lebanese people to help recover from the tragedy.” Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker during his visit to the ravaged Qarantina neighborhood of Beirut on September 3 to observe the cleanup efforts funded by USAID – US Agency for International Development. The intervention, launched by USAID’s Community Support Program – CSP in Lebanon برنامج دعم المجتمع المحلّي as an emergency response to the blast at the Port of Beirut, employs 250 workers to remove rubble and debris, through a combination of manual labor and heavy machinery. During the walkthrough, Assistant Secretary Schenker was able to view first-hand the damaged residential buildings and interact with the workers involved in the CSP cleanup activity. He also met with business owners, supported by USAID Lebanon under the Lebanon Enterprise Development Project – LED who were severely impacted by the blast.