Iran: UNDAC mission report following the Bam Earthquake of 26 Dec 2003

26 December 2003 - 9 January 2004
Facts and figures

On the morning of 26 December 2003, at 05:28 hrs local time, a major earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale struck the city of Bam in the province of Kerman. The earthquake had a depth of only 10 - 12 kilometres and its epicentre was directly below Bam city. More than 41,000 people were killed and 30,000 injured. The earthquake destroyed 87% of the buildings in Bam city and left some 75,000 people homeless. A total of 18,000 buildings in Bam and surrounding villages were destroyed including 131 school buildings, 3 hospitals, 95 health centres and 14 rural health clinics.

The Iranian government responded very swiftly to the emergency. Only hours after the earthquake Search and Rescue (SAR) teams from the region started to work in Bam. During the first days after the earthquake, the Iranian Government evacuate 10,000 injured to hospitals in other parts of the country. The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) mobilized 8,500 relief workers and distributed 108,000 tents 380,000 blankets, 65,000 plastic sheets.

In the initial phase of the emergency, the international community responded very generously to the Iranian request for assistance. Within two days of the request some 34 urban search and rescue (USAR) teams from 27 countries arrived in Bam. A total of 13 international field hospitals (with 560 doctors and nurses) were dispatched. Five days after the earthquake approximately 1,600 international staff from 44 countries were operating in the affected area. A total of 200 international flights with emergency response teams and relief supplies arrived in Kerman and Bam airports within the first two weeks of the emergency.

The weather conditions in the affected area were very harsh with up to 20 degrees during the day and down to below freezing point at night.

Occasionally heavy sandstorms swept across the area and hampering the relief operation and periodically closing the two airports in the region, as well as in a minor way affecting the equipment such as computers, etc.

Activity Overview

26/12 The first notification was posted on the Virtual OSOCC at 03:42 hrs UTC. The initial indications were not alarming. The OCHA duty officer notified FCSS at 0600. Even though the reports from the area did not indicate a large-scale emergency, later that morning, it was decided to place the European and Asian UNDAC team members on stand by. Just before midday the UNDAC Team members were selected and routed to Geneva, where an agreement had been made with the Iranian Permanent Mission to issue them with visas before their departure to Bam, via Teheran. At 15.30 the Iranian authorities launched a request for international assistance and it was decided to deploy the UNDAC members already in Geneva by the next flight to Teheran. USAR teams travelling to the area were requested to include national UNDAC members on their flight.

27/12 The first UNDAC Member arrived with the Swiss USAR Team at Bam airport and opened the Reception Centre in accordance with the INSARAG Guidelines. Later in the morning, two UNDAC members arrived with the UK USAR Team at Kerman airport. Here also they opened a Reception Centre to assist the arriving international teams. The UNDAC Team Leader met with the Acting UNDP Resident Representative in Teheran. The UNDAC Team member already in Bam facilitated the first USAR Coordination meetings with the local emergency management agency (LEMA). The Governor of Kerman led the meeting were it was decided to establish an international campsite for the International SAR Teams, at the military base in Bam.

28/12 The main part of the UNDAC Team arrived very early in the morning in Bam. The first rapid assessments were undertaken and meetings were held with the head of LEMA. At 0800 the UNDAC Team facilitated the first USAR Coordination meeting. The UNDAC Team leader met with the Iranian Minister of Interior and the Governor of Kerman. The On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC) was established and operational by 13:00 hrs. Meanwhile, two UNDAC members, in cooperation with DFID, carried out an aerial damage assessment of the affected area. A second USAR Coordination meeting took place in the evening and the first situation report was issued that evening. OCHA dispatched an OCHA delegate to Teheran to support the work of the UN Country team in the capital.

29/12 The UNDAC Team facilitated two USAR Coordination meetings and a general relief meeting with more than 80 participants. At this point it was decided to start a sectoral meeting structure. The IFRC FACT Team (Field Assessment Coordination Team) was briefed and areas of responsibilities decided. Members of the Finnish USAR Team carried out damage assessment in surrounding villages. The first damage maps of Bam were produced and distributed and the second situation report was finalized. President Khatami visited the OSOCC in the evening and thanked international staff for their assistance. At this stage, approximately 1,600 international rescue workers from 44 countries had been registered by the OSOCC. WHO opened a "Health cell" in the OSOCC and remained present throughout the operations.

30/12 Immediate relief needs in the area were met and the USAR operations in zones 4 and 6 were completed. The first sectoral meetings were facilitated (Health, Field hospitals and Water and Sanitation (WATSAN)) and took place in the OSOCC. During the day UNDAC Team members gave more than 20 interviews to the international media. The third Situation report was issued. UNICEF established a presence in the OSOCC and remained present throughout the operation.

31/12 The USAR operation changed from one of general search in the zones to "dispatch on request" from Iranian SAR Teams operating in the area. The UNDAC Team facilitated the departure of the international teams. Tents and food supplies left behind by the international teams were stored and later distributed to NGOs arriving on site without basic supplies for survival. The UNDAC Team initiated a "rapid mapping" of the humanitarian situation in the designated areas to cover the information gap, before the IRCS completed the detailed mapping and registration. The UNDAC Team met in the afternoon with the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs and later in the evening facilitated the visit of the Governor of Kerman, who met all International teams to wish the staff a happy new year and to thank the team members for their contribution.

01/01 All international relief workers were requested to wear an ID badge. The OSOCC was requested by the Iranian authorities to be the clearinghouse for the issuing of the badges. The FACT WATSAN assessment was completed and the UNDAC Team carried out the first environmental assessments. By this time only 10 USAR Teams remained operational in the area. The UN Resident Representative in Iran visited the area and during the day held day several meetings with members of the UNDAC Team.

02/01 The OSOCC was moved to the former "Norwegian Tents". The Reception Centres in Bam and Kerman airports were closed and the activities handed over to IRCS. A security plan for International Teams operating in the area was produced and introduced. The UNDAC Team was scaled down to five members. In addition staff from the UN Country team and the USAID Team were now working in the OSOCC. The UNDAC Team met with representatives from the Iranian Government to discuss the procedures for the reinstatement of visas and how relief workers without visas could be issued with visas.

03/01 The UNDAC Team assisted the UN Appeals team with the development of the Flash Appeal. A total of 10 sectoral meetings took place in the OSOCC during the day. The UNDAC Team received 50 mobile phones from Ericsson, which were distributed to UN Agencies and NGOs present in the field. (Additional mobile phones were provided to local authorities, IRCS and IFRC Staff and it was agreed to create a local "Humanitarian phonebook".)

04/01 UNDAC/DART Humanitarian mapping was completed. A representative from the UN Security Team in Iran visited the OSOCC and approved the security plan developed for the team and for the International camp personnel.

05/01 The visa requirements were restored and the Iranian authorities opened a "Visa office" in the vicinity of the OSOCC. The UNDAC Team completed the Environmental Assessment of the area. At the request of the Iranian Authorities it was decided to move all international organizations out of the military camp. The UNDAC Team, in cooperation with the Iranian authorities, selected a new location and the conditions for the arrangements for the transfer to and management of the camp were agreed. During the evening/night the OSOCC was moved to a new location at the Bam city football stadium, to facilitate the arrival of the international teams during the following day.

06/01 All international teams (some 200 staff) moved into the new location and the transfer of the teams was completed during the afternoon/evening. At the general relief coordination meeting that took place in the OSOCC the UNDAC team introduced rules and regulations for the occupation and operations in the camp. A program for the appeal launch was developed jointly with the Governorship of Kerman, IRCS and FACT.

07/01 The OCHA Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer, who had been appointed to take over and continue the facilitation of coordination of the UN operation in Bam after the departure of the UNDAC team was in place and by the end of the day the coordination and operational tasks were transferred. Additional local staff were hired to support the operation of the "UN Transitional Team".

08/01 The UNDAC Team, jointly with FACT and IRCS, facilitated the visit of the high-level representatives to Bam and the launch of the IFRC and UN appeals The groups included the Emergency Relief Coordinator and the President of the IFRC along with members of the Iranian authorities, representatives from the UN country team and representatives from the donor community in Teheran, in total more than 90 persons. The remaining members of the UNDAC Team left Bam in the afternoon and the continuation of the operation was handed over to the UN Transitional Team

09/01 The Iranian Minister of Health, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, the Deputy President of IFRC together with the UNDAC Team provided a presentation on findings and recommendations from the mission during at a general donor meeting in Geneva.

Mission Evaluation

Deployment

The main part of the Team was deployed in two waves via Teheran. The team members passed through Geneva to obtain visas at the Iranian Permanent Mission to the United Nations. The remaining team members deployed with SAR Teams directly to the affected area. The main section of the UNDAC Team only arrived in Bam during the night between 27 - 28 December. Only the UK SAR team offered to stop over and pick up the UNDAC Team in Geneva, but, for technical reasons, this could not be carried out.

Methods of more speedy deployment of the main section of the UNDAC Team need to be explored (own aircraft or secure seats along with SAR Teams). The Operational manager in FCSS should facilitate the tactical management of the UNDAC Team when the team is deployed in sections, until the TL arrives on site.

Assessment

In the initial phase of the emergency, the UNDAC Team did not have sufficient manpower to carry out independent assessment missions. The first aerial assessment was carried out jointly with DFID and the damage assessment was carried out by the respective SAR Teams. At the request of the UNDAC Team, members of the Finnish SAR Team did carry out assessments in the surrounding villages. Following the completion of the SAR phase, it was decided that the IRCS would carry out a complete mapping of the Humanitarian situation, including registration of people in the area. While the completion of this detailed assessment was estimated to take more than a week, the UNDAC Team, with vital support from the US DART, initiated a more rapid "humanitarian mapping" of the affected area in order to provide the international community with valuable information for the continuation of the emergency operation under way. The UNDAC Team also carried out several environmental assessments, participated in joint WHO/UNDAC Health assessments and supported the work of the UN agencies in development of the Flash Appeal. The findings of the UNDAC assessment were shared with actors on the ground and posted on the Virtual OSOCC.

The role of UNDAC has over the past years changed from carrying out "on the ground assessment" to facilitation and coordination of assessments carried out by other entities and ensuring that all areas are covered. The role of the UNDAC team at the onset of a disaster has become more focused on information management and ensuring that all areas are covered. This new emphasis needs to be reflected in the methodology and training concept

Coordination - Cooperation

Search and Rescue

Nearly all International USAR Teams operating in Bam were familiar with the INSARAG Guidelines and were to a large degree self-sufficient. Most of the teams, together with the OSOCC, were accommodated in the "International camp" and all teams participated in the twice-daily SAR Coordination meetings. On the morning of 28 December, it became apparent that due to the nature of the collapsed buildings, the international SAR assets were not being used optimally. It was decided to reorganize and concentrate the SAR Teams in zones rather than on individual targets, the UNDAC team managed this procedure. The search and rescue activities in the zones determined continued until the afternoon of the 31 December, after which the USAR Teams were only deployed to selected sites on request.

It is and would be unrealistic to expect that the UNDAC Team would be able to carry out detailed damage assessments for the engagement of the International SAR Teams. Instead it would be useful to develop a standard assessment form to be used by the SAR Teams to ensure the quality of the feedback from the teams operating in the area. Only very few of SAR Teams offered automatically to place their liaison officers permanently in the OSOCC, but staff were released on direct request from the UNDAC Team

Local Authorities

Daily meetings with representatives from the Governorship of Kerman were key for the identification of the priorities in the relief operations as well as serving as a platform where information on the humanitarian situation in the area was shared and contradictions clarified. The openness and transparency in the discussions and cooperation were clearly instrumental in ensuring the successful use of the response from the international community. At the request from the Iranian Authorities, the OSOCC acted as the focal point for all international relief workers in the area and was instrumental in ensuring that everybody was instructed in respect of the code of conduct and basic security. In addition

Representatives from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did, at an early stage, establish a permanent presence within the vicinity of the OSOCC and participated in the general Coordination meetings and served as a focal point for matters related to the continuing presence of the international relief workers.

The fact that most of the relief workers were staying within the same camp and that all had to register at the OSOCC did place the UNDAC Team in a central role with regards to coordination, but did at the same time raised huge expectations regarding the UNDAC team as the key problem solver and to a certain degree entity for tasking of the organisations engaged in the relief operations. OCHA needs to engage constantly with disaster-prone countries to support their preparedness activities and to facilitate the interaction between providing and receiving countries in emergencies.

UN Country Team

During his transition through Teheran, the UNDAC Team leader met with the Acting UN Country representative, who briefed the team on the situation in the area well as the action taken by the respective UN Agencies present in country. During the first five days of the operations in Bam, the UNDAC team, along with WHO, were the only permanent UN presence in the area. The interaction with the UN Country team was very limited, during this period, due to technical difficulties in reaching representatives in Teheran. The Country representative of UNICEF did visit the area on 30 December. Her visit was shortly after followed by a visit from the UN Country representative, where the outline for the Appeal, the role of the UNDAC Team in the appeal process, as well as the ongoing facilitation of the coordination of the relief operation were discussed.

The setting up of the respective sectoral relief coordination mechanisms would clearly have benefited from an early presence by representatives from the UN Specialized Agencies, which also would have placed the UN country team in a stronger position towards the large number of NGOs moving into the area

IFRC FACT Team (Field Assessment Coordination Team)

On arrival in Bam, the FACT Team leader immediately contacted the OSOCC to get briefed on the Humanitarian situation in the affected area. Here it was agreed to continue close cooperation through transparent information sharing and twice-daily meetings. All basic facts and figures ware shared in the respective Field situation reports. In addition, it was agreed that the FACT Team would take the lead in the cooperation with the Iranian Red Crescent Society, while the UNDAC Team would take the lead in the cooperation with the Iranian Authorities. The joint launch of the IFRC and UN Appeals in Bam on 8 January 2004 was one of the results of the cooperation between the FACT and the UNDAC Teams.

Years of cooperation and joint training clearly facilitated the smooth cooperation between the FACT and UNDAC teams and both organisations would benefit from further development of these relations.

EU

The representative of the "EU Mechanism" proposed the setting up of a separate forum for the SAR Teams from the EU member countries and that he should represent these teams at the SAR Coordination meetings. This proposal was not acceptable either for the OSOCC or the SAR Team leaders, since, to ensure the optimal use and coordination of the SAR assets, it was essential that representatives from all teams were present at the SAR Coordination meetings. The EU Mechanism representative was invited to support the work of the OSOCC by providing a physical presence in the coordination centre and as an option to take the lead in one of the relief sectors where no lead agency had been identified. However, before his departure he had not replied to this request and the EU team ended up playing only a marginal role in the information exchange between the teams from within EU.

During the two visits by the ECHO team, the representatives openly discussed with the UNDAC team the humanitarian issues in the affected area and received recommendations on areas of priority. ECHO contributed successfully to relief operations by providing not only financial support to the relief operation but also assistance in areas, which traditionally would not be considered as high priorities. Amongst these initiatives was the "Internet café", which was highly appreciated by all international organizations in the area.

Establishment of Coordination structures

Reception centres

The UNDAC Members arriving with the UK SAR Team in Kerman Airport and with the Swiss SAR Team directly to Bam airport established, in accordance with the INSARAG Guidelines, reception centres in the respective airports. At a later stage, the reception centres were taken over by fresh UNDAC Members arriving on site. It was agreed with the IRCS, that the UNDAC Reception centres should facilitate the arrival (and later departure) of international teams and ensure the onward travel of these, while the IRCS would be responsible for the incoming relief items. The Reception centres remained open until 3 January, when the main number of the SAR Teams had departed.

The activities of the Reception centres were handed over in part to the IRCS and in part to the IFRC Logistics Emergency Response Unit, which meanwhile had established a permanent presence in the airports.

The SAR Liaison officers should be equipped with a minimum of IT, communications and office equipment, which would enable them to establish functional reception centres to receive/send information to the OSOCC and OCHA Geneva and if possible send updates directly to the Virtual OSOCC. All relief items were handled by the IRCS, which in the initial phase of the emergency was clearly overloaded with the tasks. It would have been useful if the UNJLC had been able to deploy along with the UNDAC Team and support the establishment of the Reception centres, assist with airport logistical issues and facilitate the logistical coordination of the response from the UN Agencies. The UNDAC Members manning the reception centres expressed the need for additional training in the practical establishment of a reception centre as well as more knowledge on the functions of an international airport.

OSOCC

The OSOCC, in the initial phase, was established at the centre of the camp housing the main group of the International SAR Teams. The OSOCC was temporarily accommodated with the Finnish SAR team and later on the first day, it was moved to two large office tents provided by THW and DEMA. The OSOCC became a natural centre for information exchange and general services to the international teams. Telecoms Sans Frontiers established an Internet café, in the vicinity of the OSOCC, and the Iranian authorities established services for the provision of badges and later visas. The OSOCC later moved to the new camp, to which all international teams in the area were required to relocate. On the departure of the UNDAC Team, the facilities were handed over to the UN country team and became the UN Coordination centre.

Due to its timely establishment, central location, and adequate facilities, the OSOCC successfully managed to facilitate the coordination of and provision of information to the International teams operating in the area. The open-house policy, the high-level of services provided and the number of daily general as well as sectoral meetings ensured the key position of the OSOCC in the coordination of the international response. During its 2 weeks of operation, the OSOCC registered more than 120 teams, produced more than 40 reports/maps, distributed more than 700 copies of various documents and facilitated more than 80 meetings. In addition, the OSOCC facilitated the work of the UN Flash Appeal team and planned for, and supported the launch of the joint IFRC and UN appeals.

Equipment and staff support

A one-person support module was deployed along with the second wave of the UNDAC team. On the second day, it became apparent that additional support for the operation would be required and a basic support module was requested from DEMA (deployed with the Danish SAR Team). The UK SAR team provided the necessary equipment for the establishment of the Reception Centre in Kerman, while the Reception Centre in Bam was supplied by the Finnish SAR team. On departure the Norwegian SAR Team handed over their camp facilities to be used by the UNDAC Team and it was agreed that these facilities would be offered to facilitate the long-term presence of the UN in Bam. In total 1 augmented camp module, 2 basic office modules, 2 communications modules and 6 Support staff members were deployed from the IHP countries to support the UNDAC Team. Most of the IHP support staff members departed with their respective SAR Teams and were replaced with members from the US DART team. The first module provided by SRSA was mislaid in transit and never arrived in Bam. This module unfortunately included the server with the UNDAC Mission software.

The generous and timely support from the IHP organisations with staff and equipment were instrumental in the success of the UNDAC Team The cooperation and support from the IHP organisations on the ground were excellent.

The GSM link established by Ericsson and Turkcell could also have been important to facilitate the communication between the humanitarian actors on the ground, had the facilities arrived at an earlier stage. And had Turkcell in the first phase only attempted to facilitate the local communication, at the same time discussing with the Iranian authorities the conditions for connecting the GSM node to the existing network. The IHP organisations should consider reaching out and inviting organizations and the private sector, such as Ericsson and Telecom sans Frontiers, which provide complementary and gratis services, to join the IHP network. In addition they should ensure that similar networks are established in other UNDAC regions. The IHP could also consider positioning a basic office/communications module with FCSS in Geneva to be launched with the UNDAC Team leader.

Exit strategy

As the SAR operations scaled down and the majority of the SAR Teams left the area, it was agreed to let the UNDAC members who had originally arrived with SAR team depart with their respective teams. Only the UNDAC Members with visas would remain in the area. It was agreed during the development of the framework for the appeal, that OCHA should facilitate the coordination of the UN Team in the 3-month period covered in the appeal. A Senior OCHA Humanitarian Affairs Officer was appointed to take over lead of the coordination after the departure of the UNDAC Team and he arrived, in a timely fashion, to ensure a smooth hand-over of the UNDAC activities and to be introduced to all partners in the area.

The hand-over process was eased by the fact that the coordination responsibilities were taken over by an experienced OCHA officer (and UNDAC Member) and that the UNDAC Team was able to leave behind the camp and office equipment for the continuum of the operation.

Team organisation and functioning

The team was organised with members manning the two reception centres and the OSOCC and the TL facilitating the internal team coordination. The team members did not at any stage during the operation all get together, but internal information exchange and cooperation was managed on the phone or via e-mail. In spite of this the team and its associated members functioned very well even though the workload demanded up to 24-hr working days and left no time for internal evaluation of activities carried out. One or two more team members in the initial phase of the operations would have been useful especially to facilitate information management and administrative functions in the OSOCC. Team members arriving with SAR teams easily integrated into the team. Due to the workload and the institutional knowledge gained during the work, it was decided not to rotate the staff. Some of the UNDAC Members therefore remained in the Reception Centres throughout the operation.

The joint training of the UNDAC Members and the additional training of the Support team members carried out over the past years is key for the seamless formation of the UNDAC Team and the capability of the team to hit the ground running. A senior and very experienced member of the team was appointed as the daily manager of the OSOCC, which gave the UNDAC Team leader the space to facilitate the overall coordination of the emergency response and the management of the entire UNDAC team. The round"The Clock" Support by staff in the Field Coordination Support Section and the responsible OCHA Desk officer Mr. Rudi Muller was instrumental in ensuring the high performance of the team throughout the mission.

Team Composition:

1) Mr. Jesper Holmer Lund (OCHA, team leader)
2) Mr. Edward Pearn (United Kingdom, OSOCC Manager)
3) Mr. Alois Hirschmugl (Austria, Reception Centre Kerman Airport
4) Mr. Alain Pasche, (Switzerland, Reception center, OSOCC, Environmental assessment)
5) Mr. Argo Parts (Estonia, SAR Logistics, OSOCC, Health)
6) Mr. Alexej Avdeed (Russian Federation, SAR Coordination, assessment)
7) Mr. Vladimir Boreiko (Russian Federation, SAR Coordination, assessment
8) Mr. Neil Barry (United Kingdom, Reception centre Kerman airport, assessment)
9) Mr. Robert Holden (United Kingdom, Reception centre Kerman airport, assessment)
10) Mr. Heinrich Gloor (Switzerland, Reception centre Bam airport)
11) Mr. Michael Zein (Denmark, Reception centre Bam airport)
12) Mr. Peter Kaas-Claesson (Denmark, SAR Coordination, OSOCC)
13) Mr. Hossein Sarem-Kalali (UNDP, Shelter)
14) Dr. Khalid Shibib (WHO, Health)
15) Mr. Leif Wall (Sweden, UNDAC Support module, OSOCC)
16) Mr. Lars Stage (Denmark, UNDAC Support module, Bam Airport)
17) Mr. Arto Lappi, Finn Rescue Forces (Support Staff in Bam Airport)
18) Mr. Per Anders Berthlin, SRSA (Support staff