Lessons from Lebanon: A conversation on emergency response
Emily Coatham
Abubaker Adam
In July 2024, intense conflict re-emerged between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, triggering a major evacuation of British nationals by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Evacuees were transported to Cyprus before flying to the UK. Initially, London Gatwick was designated as the receiving airport, later extended to Manchester, Stansted, and East Midlands airports. This evacuation required a coordinated response involving multiple organisations and community groups to ensure the safe arrival and support of evacuees.
We spoke with Abubaker Adam, Emergencies Partnership Engagement lead, and Emily Coatham, London Communities Emergencies Partnership (LCEP) Partnership manager, about their experiences during the Lebanon evacuation.
Q: How did you first get involved in the Lebanon evacuation?
Abubaker: “Due to the nature of our jobs, we need to keep aware of the geopolitical landscape. We knew an evacuation was likely, so we started planning a few days before the official ‘watching brief’ was issued. I reached out to my networks and within hours, we were discussing what would be needed for evacuees arriving in the UK.”
Emily: “Similarly, my role was to convene the right people and facilitate conversations. We hosted regular meetings with voluntary, community, and faith sector organisations, including Lebanese-specific community groups, the Greater London Authority (GLA), and the Cabinet Office. The goal was to share information, understand who was doing what, and ensure we weren't duplicating efforts.”
Q: Coordination was key. How important were partnerships and networks?
Abubaker: “Effective responses in emergency situations are often down to partnerships. Who do you know? Who do they know? In the case of Lebanon, I wasn't connected to everyone I needed to be, but I used my existing networks. Within 48 hours, we had volunteers on standby in Manchester, Birmingham and London - that's the power of good networks.”
“Coordination, communication, and connection - these are the three Cs I use in emergency response.”
Emily: “Coordination, communication, and connection - these are the three Cs I use in emergency response. LCEP supports a community-centred, coordinated response for any Londoner impacted by an emergency. Data from the GLA indicated that most arrivals would ultimately head for London, so we focused our efforts there.”
Q: How did the response play out initially?
Abubaker: “By the time the ‘watching brief’ went out, we were already semi-ready and soon had people on stand-by ahead of any potential arrivals. These were volunteers that didn’t know the Emergencies Partnership but who understood the need and were willing to help.”
Emily: “Whilst Abubaker was concentrating on a national level, I was focussed on plans within London. We were able to reach local charities and community groups quickly, as we already work together a lot. Ultimately, we were trying to make sure the right connections were in place.”
Q: How did the power of these partnerships and networks play out?
Abubaker: “Through established contacts, we were getting reliable information and were able to feed that into the crisis response team in real-time.”
Emily: “A huge benefit of the Partnership is the commitment to work together. The British Red Cross put out fact sheets in relevant languages and I was able to share the Arabic version quickly with partners.
I was also able to connect local and national organisations so there was cross-connection. A real benefit was that any person arriving in London would only need to speak with one networked organisation and then be signposted to help within the Partnership, including legal help, translation services or baby clothes.”
Q: What were some of the challenges you faced during the response?
Abubaker: “One challenge was ensuring there were no gaps in our ways of working. We were talking about people's lives, so we needed to make sure we did it right. Cultural intelligence and the role of community groups were crucial in providing critical information.”
Emily: “Another challenge was supporting any Londoners impacted by the situation in Lebanon. Many had family and friends caught up in the conflict and needed information, reassurance, and mental health support. We created a signposting document of support and resources for the Lebanese community in London.”
Q: What lessons did you learn from this experience that could help others in their preparedness?
Abubaker: “The best way to prepare for the next disaster is to learn from the last one. We do a lot of strategic work, preparing marginalised groups and integrating them into community risk maps. It's important to build community resilience to prepare and respond to emergencies.”
“The best way to prepare for the next disaster is to learn from the last one.”
Emily: “Data from the GLA indicated that most arrivals, no matter which airport they came into, would ultimately head for London - something we witnessed in 2022 during the Ukrainian response. Reflecting after every emergency as a Partnership is integral. We look for common themes, gaps, and lessons identified and share these with relevant partners. Preparedness is crucial, and every response is a test for the next one.”
Q: What are your final thoughts on the importance of preparedness?
Abubaker: “ If we can get communities to be better prepared, then we won't need to focus on the crisis response as much because the preparedness mechanism will be activated. It's about reaching out to communities that aren't in immediate crisis to see how we can make them better prepared.”
Emily: “Preparedness is key, and learning from past experiences helps shape our future responses. It's all about making connections and helping communities become stronger.”