Bam, Iran - the impacts and human responses as evidenced by a recent seismic event
- Created by: caramorton
- Created on: 15-01-18 21:44
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- Bam, Iran - the impacts and human responses as evidenced by a recent seismic event
- Impacts
- Short term
- 26,271 casualties (initially 40,000 but some bodies counted twice)
- 30,000 injured
- 85% of all buildings damaged
- 75% of all housing were completely destroyed
- This left 100,000 homeless
- Electricity & water supplies cut
- Problems of looting
- 2 hospitals collapsed meaning that the remaining hospitals could not cope
- Half of Bam's health workers were killed in the earthquake
- The estimated costof reconstruction was $700 million
- Long term
- As the earthquake happened in the middle of winter, many survivors died due to extreme cold
- By 2006 many residents were still living in camps
- Many people suffered mental health issues due to the trauma
- Increase in drug use - by 2006 50% of men & 15% of women were addicted to opium (Bam is on a drug route between Afghanistan & Pakistan).
- A UNICEF worker claimed this was slowing reconstruction and lessening motivation
- The earthquake led to a thaw in relations between Iran & America
- In return for aid Iran complied with the atomic energy review -allowing the monitoring of its nuclear weapons
- Why so much damage?
- Many of the buildings were constructed in the 16th & 17th century so were not shockproof
- Many of the houses were poorly constructed - home-made mud bricks
- Loss of important archaeological/ historical sites e.g. Bam Citadel this was considered to be one of the best surviving mud Citadels. It was demolished by the earthquake
- Short term
- Basic facts
- 29 serious aftershocks
- 6.6 magnitude
- Population of 97,000
- 26/12/2003 5.26am
- Focus 10km - shallow
- Epicentre 10km SW of the city of Bam
- Important tourist destination attracting visitors to ancient site like Bam Citadel
- Bam is on a destructive plate margin - Arabian plate colliding with the Eurasian plate about 3cm/ yr (collision margin)
- A 24km rupture was created accounting for the widespread destruction
- Responses
- The redevelopment provided the city with many opportunities for growth - irrigation system was hugely improved - crucial for the the date industry. Led to an increase in investment & employment
- 44 countries sent personnel to assist in the aftermath
- By Jan 15 the UN food programme had sent 100,000 rations of food
- Red Crescent set up tents to house survivors,but the Iranian govt was critisiced for not providing enough tents
- New regulations were introduced to ensure that new structures were compliant with shock-proof guidelines - bank loans were subsided to assist with this
- After the quake the US offered aid - it was initially declined
- December 30th - first time a US military plane had landed on Iranian soil for 20 years
- The US involvement was very controversial - many people in Iran said that although they were thankful for the aid, they were unhappy about the politicization of it
- After 5 years, they have found new information about the Citadel - spent money on this rather than rebuilding peoples home - for tourism
- Impacts
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