Tehran Lacks Centralized Crisis Management Authority in Case of Earthquake

Gholamreza Pourheidari, head of the Iranian Scientific Association for Crisis Management, stated that "given the occurrence of earthquakes around Tehran, an earthquake in this city is predictable" and added that "we do not have a capable and centralized authority for crisis management." According to IRNA news agency, Mr. Pourheidari, speaking on a television program on August 15, further noted that "the national crisis management law does not address the issues and problems arising from disasters." In the same program, Mehdi Hashemi, head of the Civil Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also provided explanations and stated that "90 percent of the country's settlements are at risk of natural disasters and 70 percent of them are at risk of earthquakes." He added: "According to the law, 250 natural disaster and earthquake warning stations should exist in the country, but only 50 stations have been established, and the equipment for 70 stations has been stuck in customs since 2008." Mr. Hashemi further mentioned: "A bill to revise the national crisis management law has been submitted to the parliament, but due to delays in forming a joint commission, its review has been postponed and will begin next week." He emphasized: "The submitted bill is a regression to the time before the national crisis management law was approved." Hashemi said: "The Hummer vehicles purchased for crisis situations, which can move in 50 centimeters of mud, are now being auctioned off for passenger cars." The head of the Civil Commission concluded that "the funds allocated for national crisis management have become pocket money for some officials to oversee." Two earthquakes of magnitudes 4.1 and 3.4 occurred on Thursday night in the Javadabad region of Tehran province, causing no damage. However, an "orange alert" status was declared for rescue forces in Tehran and a "yellow alert" for forces in Semnan province. One day later, on Friday morning, another earthquake of magnitude 2.8 shook the Ivankey region, 80 kilometers southeast of Tehran. Mehdi Zare, a faculty member at the International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering, stated on Saturday in an interview with ISNA that the Ivankey fault, which extends to the northwestern part of Tehran's Region 15, has the potential to generate earthquakes up to magnitude 7.5 and could affect a population of over 2.5 million in southeastern Tehran. Based on statistical analysis and previous earthquakes recorded in the Rey and Tehran areas, a devastating earthquake has occurred in this area on average every 158 years; the last deadly earthquake in Tehran occurred 172 years ago. On May 9, 2010, Kazem Sedighi, the temporary Friday prayer leader of Tehran, referred to the possibility of an earthquake in Tehran and stated: "Women who do not have an appropriate appearance contribute to the spread of adultery in society, which leads to an increase in earthquakes." According to ILNA news agency, Kazem Sedighi added that "many women who do not have an appropriate appearance are involved in vows and rituals, spreading the table for Hazrat Abolfazl, the table for Hazrat Rokn, and so on, but they cause the hearts of young people to slip and pollute their skirts, leading to the spread of adultery in society, which causes an increase in earthquakes." Before him, on the fourth of the same month, Ahmad Jannati, the temporary Friday prayer leader of Tehran, stated that earthquakes are "unpredictable" and said that "through prayers and supplications, we can prevent earthquakes from occurring."