Flash Aid Appeal for Iran Earthquake Survivors

BAM, Iran, January 8, 2004 (ENS) - Today in the ruined city of Bam, Iran, the United Nations launched a flash appeal for US$31.3 million to meet the needs of people affected by the severe earthquake that hit the city on December 26. Simultaneously, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent launched its appeal for US$42 million to assist the survivors.

The quake killed more than 30,000 people and injured another 30,000, out of a total population of 115,000 in the most affected area.

The simultaneous appeals were introduced during a ceremony in a huge warehouse built over the past 48 hours to hold relief supplies.

The UN appeal will help provide basic food, shelter and other essential relief supplies to 150,000 people. The Red Crescent operation is intended to assist up to 210,000 people for eight months. All agencies will work to prevent outbreaks of water borne epidemics by providing water and sanitation facilities and building latrines.

Ambassadors, heads of UN agencies, journalists and government officials traveled to Bam today to view the devastation and visit the Iranian Red Crescent operations center.

Juan Manuel Suarez del Toro, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) said, “I am deeply shocked at the extent of the damage that I have seen today and my heart goes out to all those who continue to suffer here."

Left to Right: IFRC President Juan Manuel Suárez del Toro, IFRC Deputy Secretary General Abbas Gullet, Iranian Red Crescent president Dr. Ahmad Ali Noorbala, and UN Under Secretary General Jan Egeland in Bam (Photo courtesy IFRC)

More than 44 countries sent emergency teams to assist in rescue and relief. Another 60 countries have pledged cash or in kind assistance to the survivors.

Now that the search and rescue phase of the international response is ending, the UN appeal seeks funding to address the relief, recovery and immediate rehabilitation requirements in the region for the next 90 days.

The appeal will also help accelerate planning for and implementation of reconstruction to ensure rapid and sustainable recovery.

But today hope seems to have fled the ruins. World Food Programme spokesperson Jonathan Dumont said Bam's survivors are still struggling to emerge from a deep trauma. "Ask what survivors will do and you hear the same reply: 'Nothing.'"

An estimated 85 percent of buildings in Bam were destroyed by the earthquake, leaving some 75,000 people homeless.

Survivors asleep on bare ground in the shadow of collapsed buildings in Bam. (Photo courtesy WFP)

Bam is an important historical site, designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for protection of its 2,000 year old citadel. The earthquake has destroyed much of the mud brick structure, said to have been the largest building of its kind in the world. The restoration of the cultural heritage of Bam and the identification of effective measures to reduce the impact of future earthquakes will be critical, the UN said today.

The largest of the appeal's nine sectors is health and nutrition, for which the UN is seeking some US$6.4 million. These funds will be used to prevent communicable diseases and support Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education. All three of Bam's major hospitals were damaged or destroyed.

Queen Rania of Jordan Wednesday paid a surprise visit to the newly established Red Cross Red Crescent referral hospital in Bam, and offered praise for the work of the Iranian Red Crescent and the International Federation.

"I am glad that the Red Cross and Red Crescent is taking long term responsibility in this devastated area and you seem to be the most active," she told Halvor Lauritzen, the International Federation team leader from Norway who showed her around the 200 bed hospital.

UN agencies seek US$5.7 million to restore water and sanitation services, including providing latrines and supporting the rehabilitation of wells. The appeal outlines programs totalling US$ 4 million for immediate needs in education, as all schools have been damaged or destroyed. Another US$ 3.7 million are sought for protection programs, including providing mental health care to address the trauma suffered by the area's children.

The appeal also calls for nearly US$6 million for programs to rehabilitate infrastructure and revitalize agricultural production, the chief source of livelihoods in the area.

After launching the appeal, Egeland travelled to Tehran, where he delivered a letter from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to President Mohammad Khatami that pledges United Nations support.

Of course, says Dumont, it remains to be seen if food aid supplies that are now flowing into Bam will fall off after the television cameras leave and Bam starts to fade from the headlines. "That is when the real test of the humanitarian response to this tragedy will start," he said.