Final Hazards Report

     After taking Geology 9, I have learned so much more about my country and it's natural hazards. Iran faces a variety of natural hazards, but the main ones seem to be earthquakes and floods. Iran is located in a very active seismic region in between the Arabian and Eurasia tectonic plates. More than 90% of the country is at risk from earthquakes. It is almost a fact that they will suffer an extreme earthquake every several years. In 2003, a 6.6 magnitude earthquake destroyed the city of Bam and killed roughly 26, 000 people. The Bam earthquake was a strike slip, which means the ground on either side of the faults moved mostly horizontally. On April 9, 2013, another deadly earthquake hit Iran and killed dozens. The 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit the Zagros Mountains, which is the exact boundary between the Eurasian and Arabian plates. It was a fault thrust earthquake, meaning the ground on one side of the fault moved vertically up and over the other side, shortening the distance between the two sides. The scary part was that the focus of the earthquake was only 55 miles away from Iran's nuclear power station. Unfortunately, the quake had resulted in a great amount of damage because of poor construction.  Many cities of Iran are poor and can not afford proper buildings therefor, when an earthquake hits the cities are not prepared and the outcome is deadly. Over the past 35 years, more than 100, 000 people have died due to this hazard. That is why I addressed earthquakes as a priority.
   
     Floods have obtained more than 20% of Iran's disasters from 1950 to 2003. Floods are known to be one of the most frequent and damaging type of natural hazard in the country. The annual damage due to floods is an average of $62 million and seems to be increasing each year, which makes this hazard a top priority.  There are also many factors that can increase the damage of floods such as flood plain encroachment, deforestation, extensive gravel mining, improper design of infrastructures, and lack of education. Flash floods are a very common type of flood in Iran; They usually take place in dry areas that have recently received precipitation. They occur when it rains rapidly on saturated soil or dry soil that has poor absorption ability. The run off can collect in places like gullies and streams, where their volume starts to grow larger, and forms a fast flowing front of water and debris. These heavy torrential rains have been seen in provinces such as Golestan, Khorasan, and Semnan. The flash flood in Golestan of August, 2002 brought a death toll of 39 people, and directly or indirectly affected 200,000 people.

     Fortunately, Iran has an National Disaster Management System that seems to be quite effective. Therefor, there are not many recommendations I can think of that the organization has not addressed. I will say I find it very important that Iran is taking actions before a disaster rather than after. Iran's people should also be well educated on what to do before, during, and after these natural hazards. This could potentially decrease the risks of damages and fatalities. One recommendation I may have is creating a suitable management program, with sustainable resources, in the local and regional level. Because, so many structures in Iran are vulnerable due to the lack of resources given. So when an earthquake or flood occurs, it destroys homes and brings a grave economic loss to the country. That is why this program would develop a procedure in order to build proper and sustainable structures no matter what city it is in.

     The locations I would first target help would be the provinces of Golestan, Khorasan, and Semnan for it's extensive flooding. In just one flood, a total of 4300 ha of agricultural land was severely damages. These provinces have an important role in agriculture and the economy of Iran. Therefor, I believe flood control and mitigation is a priority. I believe they should have constant attention and resources. For earthquakes, I would first target help to provinces of Qazwin, Hamedan, and Markazi. They are located in the northwest part of Iran and serve as a bridge between Tehran and the northern and western regions. These towns are important transit centers on the main route between Tehran and Northwest of Iran.
   
     If I had to construct my home in Iran, I would locate it anywhere in the southern region. Iran is one of the most earthquake prone countries in the world. The entire country faces moderate to very high seismic risks since it lies over two major seismic belts. But the northern belt is more hazardous as many people live in the region. The northern region is also at risk for severe floods.

Sources:
http://reliefweb.int/report/iran-islamic-republic/iran-earthquake-emergency-response-project-information-document
http://cidbimena.desastres.hn/docum/crid/Jun-Jul2004/pdf/eng/doc15163/doc15163-a.pdf
http://www.earth.northwestern.edu/~amir/files/Seismic_Hazard_in_Iran.pdfhttp://web.mit.edu/isg/PUBLICATIONS/earthquake_management_jan_04.pdf
http://www.earth.northwestern.edu/~amir/files/Seismic_Hazard_in_Iran.pdf