2003 Bam earthquake

Tectonic setting Iran suffers from frequent earthquakes, with minor quakes occurring almost daily. The preliminary analysis of the pattern of seismic-waves radiating from December 26, 2003, earthquake was consistent with the earthquake having been caused by right-lateral strike-slip motion on a north–south oriented fault. The earthquake occurred in a region within which major north–south, right-lateral, strike-slip faults had been previously mapped, and the epicenter is near the previously mapped, north–south oriented Bam Fault. However, field investigations will be necessary to find if the earthquake occurred on the Bam Fault or on another. The Bam earthquake is south of the destructive earthquakes of June 11, 1981 (magnitude 6.6, approximately 3,000 deaths) and July 28, 1981 (magnitude 7.3, approximately 1,500 deaths). These earthquakes were caused by a combination of reverse-motion and strike-slip motion on the north–south oriented Gowk fault. Iranian earthquake education There was little earthquake education in Iran although the International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology established a Public Education Department in 1990 to improve "the safety, preventing, and preparedness culture against the earthquake among all groups of the society". In October 2003, Bahram Akasheh, professor of geophysics at Tehran University, called the effects of public ignorance about earthquakes "poisonous". ==Earthquake==

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake had a moment magnitude () of 6.6, and was located southwest of Baravat and south-southwest of Bam. It struck at 01:56:52 UTC (05:26:52 IST) on 26 December 2003, at a depth of . at Bam, the intensity was MMI IX (Violent), with shaking of MMI VIII (Severe) estimated at Baravat and V (Moderate) at Kerman. Bam also recorded a maximum peak ground acceleration (pga) of 0.98 g. It is believed to be the largest earthquake to hit the Bam area in more than 2,000 years. At least 2,789 aftershocks were recorded by March 2004, the strongest measuring 5.1, which struck at 06:36 IST. The rupture length of the earthquake was estimated to be around . More than half of the quake was produced from its southern segment of approximately , where the slip reached a maximum of up to resulting in a large stress drop of at least 6 MPa. Optical remote sensing data shows that the Bam fault is not a single fault but consists of a wide fault system with the main branch running between the cities of Bam and Baravat. The fault ruptured by the Bam earthquake is believed to stretch the along northwest branch of this fault system from Bam southward. Based on these results, scientists suggest that the Bam earthquake ruptured a hidden fault and that in this process an unusually strong asperity was involved, causing the widespread devastation of the tremor. ==Damage and casualties==

For years, the death toll was heavily disputed. Initially, local media estimated up to 70,000 fatalities, before a death toll of 56,230 was confirmed on 17 January 2004, a figure later revised to 26,271 deaths by the Statistical Center of Iran. The BBC added that confusion regarding the true death toll arose as rescue groups had counted the bodies of victims twice. On 26 December 2020, exactly 17 years after the earthquake, Iran's Crisis Management Organization confirmed 34,000 fatalities and 200,000 injuries. Some areas of the city were entirely reduced to rubble, while all 122 health centers and three hospitals collapsed or were badly damaged. where 1,112 deaths, 36 missing and 578 injuries were recorded. In total, approximately 53,000 buildings, including 25,000 in Bam, 24,000 in villages within a 10 km radius of the city and 4,000 in Baravat were destroyed. Electricity and water supplies were cut by the earthquake. A study of 210 victims showed that on average, each person had spent 1.9 hours beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings. Among the victims, approximately 19 had compartment syndrome, 32 contracted impaired renal function, and fractures among their bones were common. As a result of these fractures neural injuries were also common. A large number of schools were affected by the tremor. An estimated 1,200 teachers and 10,000 students were killed. Ali Zang-Abadi, head of education in Bam, described the state of pupils and teachers as "badly need[ing] psychological help because they are morally devastated". Around January 5, teachers were being registered to resume educating. ==Response==

Iran–United States relations Relations between the United States and Iran thawed due to the earthquakes. U.S.-Iranian relations had been tense during the early years of the George W. Bush presidency, having reached a low after the "axis of evil" speech given by President George W. Bush. resulting in the first U.S. military airplanes to land in Iran for more than 20 years. Reaction to the help and rescue from the U.S. was mixed. It was well received by physicians and civilians at the scene, however, in contrast to this support, IRNA, the state-controlled radio in Iran, accused the United States of illegal interference in internal matters. Relief Bam was described as "literally a rubble pile" by the U.S. relief coordinator, Bill Garvelink. On January 8, the International Federation of the Red Cross and the U.N. launched an international appeal for relief together at a conference in Bam, appealing for $42 million and $31.3 million respectively. In response a reported 44 countries sent in personnel to assist in operations and 60 countries had offered assistance in the aftermath of the earthquake. By January 15, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) had distributed approximately 100,000 rations of food. The 81-member emergency response team worked with an 11-member Fairfax County USAR Task Force (VA-TF1), 57 member International Medical/Surgical Response Team (IMSuRT), and a 6-member Management Support Team (MST) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). USAID and OFDA sent in five airlifts of supplies for relief, including 1,146 tents, 4,448 kitchen sets, approximately 12,500 blankets, and 430 rolls of plastic sheeting amounting to a cost of $543,605. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) sent in seven C-130s with approximately 68 tonnes of medical supplies and 2,000 blankets also assisting in relief. From December 31 to January 4, the IMSuRT field hospital treated 727 patients, including surgeries and post-trauma cases of shock. The IMSuRT hospital closed on January 5, and from then on the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) field hospital took the responsibility, reporting 550 outpatients per day on January 13. That day, the IFRC announced that the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) had sent in 75 volunteers, organized in 11 teams to treat earthquake survivors for shock and to provide psychological support. Many of these individuals were living in unheated tents among the rubble which forced the coordinators to move thousands of families to heated Around this time, relief operations had begun to shift from finding survivors to caring for them. Rescue workers began to slow their efforts, although three individuals were discovered alive shortly after. Water and electricity were restored to most parts of the city by then as well. Renewed media interest came to Bam on January 8, when a man was pulled out of the rubble alive. The chances of finding more living survivors following this were reportedly very slim. An Iranian navy helicopter crashed southwest of Bam on December 28 after making a delivery of tents and blankets. ==Aftermath==

after the earthquake in response to scientific predictions After the earthquake, the Iranian government considered moving the state capital from Tehran to another location for fear of a crippling event similar to what had just befallen Bam. Tehran lies on a major fault which scientists have predicted may suffer from a devastating earthquake similar to that of Bam in the near future. The most cited example for the new capital was Isfahan, a city in central Iran that had previously served as capital until it was moved to Tehran in 1788. Reconstruction Planning In January 2004, the United Nations estimated that a reconstruction of Bam would cost between US$700 million and $1 billion. It called on the international community to provide money for this endeavor. Horst Indorf, a representative for permanent shelter issues from ASB, a German non-government organization, frowned on the use of iron structures in the city given its movement during an earthquake, saying "The best architecture for this area is clay brick (with nets) but this means 80 to 90 cm thick walls and a very good insulated roof". The Iranian Government established the Guiding Office for the Recovery of Bam (GO), consisting of a panel of 11 members, with the Minister of Housing and Urban Development as the chairman. The G.O. played a key role in the reconstruction progress by appointing consulting architects to plan, analyze and review possible strategies in the urban redesign for enhanced earthquake resistance in the future. The general community affected by the earthquake were given the liberty to actively participate in the planning, design and construction process, with householders often contributing in the reconstruction by selecting their own designs and cooperating with the architects and contractors to ensure a desirable and effective redevelopment. In reality actual collaboration was more limited than initially foreseen, and international support and involvement in relation to actual reconstruction was low. Successes and benefits of redevelopment Although the reconstruction process was prolonged and planning was often difficult to coordinate and approve, the post-earthquake reconstruction of Bam is considered by the stakeholders in the process to be of monumental importance and influence in the future for the way in which reconstruction programs in the country operate. Another effect of the rupture on the medical community was the disruption of drug trafficking. Before the earthquake in Bam, roughly 20% of the population over 15 was addicted. Syringes with opium were supplied to drug addicts in the aftermath. The psychological programme assessed 20,000 people, 9,300 of which were identified as needing mental support, with more than 5,600 people going through individual or group counseling as a result. The Iranian Red Crescent Society received support from the Red Cross societies of Denmark, Iceland, and Italy but the main source of funding was provided by ECHO, the humanitarian office of the European Union. The programme not only provided conventional medical therapy, but also provided affected people with leisure facilities such as painting, sewing and computer classes as a treatment. Films based on the earthquake Colors of Memory, released in 2008, tells the story of a surgeon who returns home to Bam after living in Germany for 33 years. Dr. Parsa arrives in Tehran to perform a complex operation, where he notices a family friend named "Quanati" who urges him to come back to his hometown of Bam for assistance. The film was praised by Canadian Online Explorer as "both celebratory and heartbreaking" and urged Iranians "to bring tissues." Voices of Bam, released in 2006, is a Dutch-made documentary film about the incident. ==See also==