Iran Copes With Quake That Claimed 30,000 Lives

TEHRAN, Iran, January 2, 2004 (ENS) - A severe earthquake registering magnitude 6.3 hit Iran’s southeastern province of Kerman early in the morning of December 26, 2003, catching most people still in their beds.

The area most affected is the ancient desert city of Bam where at least 29,700 people died, an estimated 30,000 were injured and 100,000 were left homeless.

Sixty percent of the houses are either badly damaged or destroyed, says the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), which has undertaken a massive relief operation in Bam.

Official revised government figures as of today indicate that approximately 28,000 burials were registered in the cities of Bam and Baravat. An additional 1,700 have been registered in 20 villages surrounding Bam.

On Thursday, three people were found alive after being entombed in the rubble for six days. A nine year old girl, a pregnant woman, and a man were rescued, the state news agency IRNA reported.

"The magnitude of the disaster caused the whole world to cry. We will never forget the name of Bam," said former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani at an heart-wrenching memorial ceremony in a Bam mosque, one of the few buildings not toppled in the quake.

Today, international search and rescue efforts are winding down and the last international teams are expected to leave Bam, according to United Nations agencies. Relief workers are registering the affected people, issuing distribution cards and carrying out aid distribution.

Iranian Red Crescent volunteers assist search and rescue efforts in Bam. (Photo by Farooq Burney courtesy IFRC)

Most people still remaining in the area have been allocated tents and have settled in the neighborhood of their former housing. The poor standard of construction with mud bricks is to blame for the high numbers of people killed in the quake, officials say. A special court has been established to investigate any illegal construction in the city.

To assist survivors, three small temporary camps have been established on the outskirts of Bam, and people identified by the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) as most vulnerable have started to move into these camps.

Three more permanent camps are planned for longer term rehabilitation. The first of these camps established by the Swiss relief team just outside Bam is to open tomorrow, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Iranian authorities have requested the IRCS to take over the responsibility for the management of the camps in the area and ensure the necessary infrastructure within the camps. The details are currently being discussed.

In the initial phase of the emergency the IRCS mobilized 8,500 relief workers, including search and rescue and medical teams, 725 vehicles, two helicopters and other technical equipment.

Iranian authorities are planning to reopen the schools in the affected areas January 10, depending on the condition of the school buildings and availability of teachers. Some 23 school buildings have been destroyed more have been damaged in the quake.

According to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, the damage to the health facilities in Bam is extensive - 95 out of 96 health houses, all 23 health centers and two out of three hospitals that could house 250 beds - are destroyed or affected. Rehabilitation costs are estimated at US$40,000 per health house, US$200,000 per health center and US$60,000 per hospital bed. The Ministry invited donor countries and NGOs to each adopt a center.

Psychiatric help for the large portion of the population affected by post-traumatic stress disorder has been mobilized through the Samariter Bund and Médecins Sans Frontières France. The Danish and Icelandic Red Cross societies will dispatch a joint psychosocial training team to the area with the purpose of training local IRCS volunteers in providing psychosocial support in the coming days.

Iranian man huddles over a small fire amidst the rubble of Bam. (Photo by Farooq Burney courtesy IFRC)

Daily coordination meetings take place where surveillance results are reported to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. There have been no cases of diarrhea or any communicable disease reported to date.

With cold night temperatures, inadequate water and sanitation, and insufficient care for the injured posing risks for the survivors of the earthquake, WHO has appealed for $3.5 million to buy supplies and rehabilitate health facilities to prevent further sickness and deaths.

"The profound tragedy of thousands of people killed has caused emotional and psychological trauma for the tens of thousands of people who have survived," said WHO Director-General Lee Jong-wook. "It is now imperative to ensure their mental and physical well being to the fullest extent possible during this fragile period."

The water situation could be worse. The IFRC fact finding team has ascertained that nine out of 11 boreholes supplying water to the city of Bam are still functional. The underground tanks situated two kilometers from Bam also appear to have withstood the earthquake. One of the two lines carrying water to the town is out of order and is only supplying 20 percent of the city. The rest of the city is supplied through 80 water trucks at 60 distribution points.

The quality of the water has not yet been evaluated, however it is most likely that the water is clean and potable due to its nature and chlorine gas in the reservoirs. Biological analysis of the water will be made available by the IFRC within the next 24 hours.

Twenty of the wells supplying the surrounding villages with water have been damaged and are out of use. Currently, some 60 villages in the region have to be supplied by external water and some 70 water tankers are circulating among them. The lack of water tankers has been identified so far as the major problem, but the expected arrival of a number of bladder tanks appears to be able to ease this problem, UN officials report.

President George W. Bush has eased some sanctions on Iran to aid the relief effort, but stressed the move was not a policy shift. The United States will issue temporary licenses to individuals and nongovernmental organizations permitting the transfer of funds and export of specialized equipment to aid the victims, the White House announced Wednesday. The new procedures do not cover such humanitarian relief items as food, certain medicines, clothing, and tents, which do not require a license.

Donors are offering financial help to the victims. As of today, the preliminary appeal launched by the IFRC seeking US$12,290,337 was covered by 43.3 percent.

To seek more assistance from the international community, a flash appeal is being planned for a launch in Bam next week jointly by the national authorities and the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator.

The UN Resident Coordinator for Iran visited the affected area yesterday and today and met with the Governor-General of Kerman, district authorities, the Director-General of IRCS, and the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination team to prepare for the appeal.

The flash appeal will cover food and logistics, water and sanitation, health and nutrition, protection of children and women, education, coordination, security, telecommunications, information, monitoring and evaluation, recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction, shelter, and cultural heritage.

A joint UN mission will further assess the sectoral needs before drafting the appeal. The assessment team composed of people from 11 UN agencies is expected to leave Tehran early on Saturday morning and return on Monday.