Development of urban planning guidelines for improving emergency response capacities in seismic areas of Iran

Abstract

This paper presents the results of research carried out to improve emergency response activities in earthquake-prone areas of Iran. The research concentrated on emergency response operations, emergency medical care, emergency transportation, and evacuation-the most important issues after an earthquake with regard to saving the lives of victims. For each topic, some guidelines and criteria are presented for enhancing emergency response activities, based on evaluations of experience of strong earthquakes that have occurred over the past two decades in Iran, notably Manjil (1990), Bam (2003), Firouz Abad-Kojour (2004), Zarand (2005) and Broujerd (2006). These guidelines and criteria are applicable to other national contexts, especially countries with similar seismic and social conditions as Iran. The results of this study should be incorporated into comprehensive plans to ensure sustainable development or reconstruction of cities as well as to augment the efficiency of emergency response after an earthquake.

Nonstructural Safety of Hospitals for Disasters: A Comparison Between Two Capital Cities

“…Tehran is located in an area with many active geological faults; therefore, it is vulnerable to seismic hazards, especially earthquakes. 27 Hospitals in Tehran are also vulnerable and are at risk of significant damage in an earthquake. 28 The impact on nonstructural elements can lead to a nonfunctioning facility or even the evacuation of a hospital, [5][6][7][8]29 and can, as demonstrated by the current study, be a serious threat to Tehran's hospitals.…”

The population in China’s earthquake-prone areas has increased by over 32 million along with rapid urbanization

“…If the growth rate of the elderly MSHA population remains greater than the national average, the MSHA population will mostly likely experience a higher aging rate compared with the national average in the next 20 years. Therefore, we suggest that the Chinese government should pay greater attention to the demographic changes in earthquake-prone areas (Nelson and French 2002, Suganuma 2006, Hosseini et al 2009, Dan et al 2014.…”

An evaluation of medium-term recovery processes after the 6 April 2009 earthquake in L'Aquila, Central Italy

“…For example, in Iran the Manjil earthquake of 1990 and the Bam disaster of 2003 both led to step-like improvements in the country's disaster response (Amini Hosseini et al, 2009). It is striking that the L'Aquila earthquake did not lead to similar adjustments.…”