OCHA Situation Report No. 4
Islamic Republic of Iran - Earthquake
25 June 2002


The United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Team
reports that the situation is under control

Situation

1.  The Ministry of Interior has released its latest casualty figures as
226 deaths in Qazvin Province and 5 in Hamadan Province after one patient
died in hospital last night.  A total of 1,411 injuries are reported ?
with a total number of 500 hospitalizations.  Approximately 400 hospital
patients have now been released.  The Ministry has noted a
disproportionately high number of women and young children among the
casualties, due to the fact that the earthquake occurred at 07:30 in the
morning when males were working in the fields and older children at
school.

2.  Five to 6 villages have been totally destroyed. All families are
living in tents and have been provided with food. It has to be noted that
the harvest does not seem to have been much affected, thus food will be
secured for the next few months.


National and International Response

3.  The Government of Iran has announced that all search and rescue
operations have been completed by the military and Iranian Red Crescent
workers.

4.  On the 25 June 2002, the UNDAC Team visited several of the worst
affected areas and conducted an aerial survey by helicopter. The priority
assistance needs identified by the UNDAC team were:

- 30 large-size tents (4m X 10m) for use as emergency mobile clinics
- 10 Rubhalls for schools and hospital use
- small generators for emergency electricity (2kva)
- water tanks
- medical supplies and serum for scorpion and snake bite.


There are serious concerns about rehabilitation activities, which should
start soon, as the weather will start to cool before long. Reconstruction
is now seen as a priority at the site. Materials are available locally;
however, cash is needed for the purchase as well as outside expertise for
implementation of standards to ensure that new buildings are in line with
regulations on earthquake safety. Affected communities should be involved
in the reconstruction efforts. In addition, it was noted that a number of
historic monuments of considerable antiquity and national importance were
damaged by the earthquake.

5.  The UN Resident Coordinator convened a meeting with the diplomatic
corps in Tehran on 25 June 2002.  The Government of Iran was represented
by the Head of the Interior Ministry's disaster relief agency who has made
a formal appeal to the donors for material assistance in the shelter,
health, water and sanitation sectors and for longer-term assistance in
reconstruction.  Three broad categories of needs requiring humanitarian
assistance were listed:  short, medium and long-term.  An estimated 50
embassies 's representatives attended the meeting.

- In the short term, the following priorities were identified:
- temporary shelter
- potable water (higher requirement than usual due to summer heat),
  water tankers and water  pumping equipment
- warm clothing (for cold night weather)
- general household goods
- portable generators due to cuts in the electricity supply in the
  affected area
- field hospital services
- antiseptics and pesticides (to prevent epidemics).


In the medium-term, the Government's identified priorities are:

- assistance to agriculture ? repair of underground water canals (Qanats)
- vaccines and medicines for livestock
- purchase of building material for housing reconstruction.

- In the longer-term, the priority is a full-scale reconstruction of
schools and hospital (to be named in honour of the donor country).

At  the  request  of  the  diplomatic  corps, the Ministry of Interior will
provide  a  consolidated  and  specific  list  of  requirements  as soon as
possible.   The  list  would  be  circulated  to  all  donor  embassies for
information.

6.  In the food sector, WFP announced that it had agreed to provide food
rations for one month of 2,300 calories per day to feed 25,000 persons
identified by the Iranian Red Crescent Society.  An appeal was made to
donors fund the project of a total cost of USD125, 000.

7.  In the health sector, WHO confirmed that one local health center had
been destroyed.  WHO also announced that primary health care kits (one per
1,000 persons) had been offered to the Government.

8.  OCHA will allocate an amount of USD 50,000 for cash emergency needs,
of which USD 25,000 from the pre-positioned funds of the Government of
Norway and 25,000 from its own funds.

9.  The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies launched on 25 June 2002 a preliminary appeal for CHF 3,044,000
to ensure basic shelter, food, water, clothing and security needs to the
population left homeless by the earthquake; to provide essential hygiene
sanitation and basic medical assistance to support the Ministry of Health,
hospitals and clinics; and to provide support to the Iranian red Crescent
Society to achieve operational objectives.

10.  Italy announced that an emergency response team has been dispatched
to assess the situation and will visit affected areas on 26 June 2002.
Euros 500,000 had been pledged for immediate assistance interventions. The
Italian General Directorate for Cooperation and Development has organised,
in cooperation with WFP, WHO and OCHA, a relief flight from the UN
Humanitarian Response Depot (Brindisi, Italy).  The flight comprises
blankets, latrines, body bags and emergency health kits, which will be
delivered to the Italian Embassy in Iran.

11.  The Embassy of Japan confirmed a cash grant of USD 250,000 and the
immediate dispatch of emergency supplies (tents, water tankers, power
generators and towels) worth USD160, 000.

12.  OCHA remains in contact with the UN Resident Co-ordinator's Office in
the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will revert with further information
when available.

13.  This Situation Report and further information on ongoing emergencies
are also available on the OCHA website at http://www.reliefweb.int.


Telephone: +41-22-91712 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officers:
  Ms. H. Kuttab / Mr. J. de Meritens / Ms. F. D'Andreagiovanni

Press contact:
  (GVA)  Ms. Elizabeth Byrs, direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 56
  (NYC)  Ms. Phyllis Lee, direct Tel. +1-212-963 48 32


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