Dateline ACT

Iran 01/04

Long-term commitment foreseen in response to Iran earthquake

By Chris Herlinger, Church World Service/ACT International

January 9, 2004

Kerman, Iran–Ongoing international assistance and commitment will be needed in the coming years to help rebuild communities in southeastern Iran devastated by a December 26 earthquake, says an official of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC).

"This is at least a five-to-seven-year commitment," said Melik Khodaverdian, MECC emergency liaison in Iran.

MECC is the local member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International and is coordinating ACT-supported efforts in and around Bam, the city affected most seriously by the earthquake.

Exact fatality figures stemming from the disaster are still being estimated, but whatever the final fatality numbers prove to be, recovery from this catastrophic disaster will take years, Khodaverdian said yesterday in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

Among the long-term response, efforts being considered by the MECC are assistance to help rebuild schools and health clinics as well as damaged farms around Bam, including the replenishing of livestock and poultry.

Though the disaster occurred two weeks ago, dozens of Iranians – some of them returning from Europe and elsewhere – are still boarding the daily flight from Tehran to the city of Kerman, located near Bam, in order to pay homage to relatives from Bam who perished in the disaster.

Rick Augsburger, Emergency Response Director for US-based ACT member Church World Service, was in Kerman to meet with MECC staff who have been working at the disaster site. Augsburger said that the long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction of Bam would be complex given the level of destruction and the city’s agricultural and historical significance within Iran.

"The reconstruction effort here will require a long-term commitment, the initial emergency is over, temporary shelter and medical assistance are being provided, but the rehabilitation and the recovery from the trauma will require sustained support," Augsburger said. "In a time of need, this disaster provides a real opportunity for an effort of solidarity with the people of Bam."

Members of ACT International around the world have responded to the disaster by providing financial support, material aid and a medical team. MECC continues to work closely with the Iranian Red Crescent and Iranian government officials in responding to the disaster.