QANA, Lebanon - With bulldozers and backhoes attacking mounds of debris around him, a Lebanese shopkeeper raised his hands high and said: "I have only God to help me."

The row of stores and apartment blocks that had lined the main street in Qana, southern Lebanon, was pulverized by Israeli bombs during a 34-day war with Shiite Hezbollah militants that ended on August 14.

Over the past few days, various kinds of earth removers have taken charge here and elsewhere, transforming the scarred landscape almost in the blink of an eye.

Abdul Karim al-Hussein had already decided to rebuild the complex of shops and four houses that was his pride and joy.

"It will cost me around 400,000 to 500,000 dollars. And I have gotten no aid," he said.

The prosperous landlord had not yet decided if he would "borrow or sell some lands" to pay for the work.

One less fortunate man picked through a pile of rubble, extracting twisted iron bars and bent sheets of roofing material.

"A kilo (2.2 pounds) of scrap metal is worth 160 Lebanese pounds. A truckload can fetch up to 30,000-35,000 pounds," around 20 dollars, he explained.

Meanwhile, Hussein Mazraani salvaged items from his door and window company that had also been wiped out.

He forecast it would take six months to get the business back on its feet.

"Hezbollah said it was going to pay, and I believe it. The state might pay too, but I haven't received anything."

The Shiite group fought Israeli troops throughout southern Lebanon, losing an unknown number of fighters to air and artillery strikes that killed almost 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

One hundred sixty Israelis also died, most of whom were soldiers.

After a UN-brokered truce halted the fighting, official efforts to rebuild the country were quickly overtaken by a Hezbollah reconstruction drive and private or foreign initiatives.

Jihad al-Bina, the Shiite group's humanitarian arm, pledged up to 12,000 dollars per destroyed home and rapidly began to distribute aid based on the level of damage.

Lebanese authorities also came to evaluate the damage, but while Prime Minister Fuad Siniora has promised to pay 33,000 dollars per home, nothing has been disbursed so far.

In the devastated Hezbollah-dominated city of Bint Jbeil, Mayor Ali Bazzi said he "had no faith in the state".

The Shiite group had begun work, meanwhile, on restoring electricity to the city of 54,000 people, where only 2,000 now live.

Nearby, Lebanese surveyors working for the government of Qatar said: "We are taking stock, and will then launch tenders and oversee reconstruction."

Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have led Arab efforts to aid those left homeless.

One surveyor said Qatari funds would not be disbursed by the Lebanese government or local officials.

"But we are working in coordination with them," he added.

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