Iran (IMNA) - Iran is very vulnerable to seismic activity; there are regular earthquakes there that cause serious humanitarian problems. Furthermore, seasonal flooding is a serious problem that is frequently made worse by deforestation and poor infrastructure. For example, in 2019 there was major flooding in over 25 provinces, which resulted in fatalities, massive house damage, and damage to vital infrastructure.
Iran's vulnerability rate and the World Risk Index 2023 indicate that the country is relatively at risk if no disaster-specific measures are taken; therefore, the need for increased capacity building and catastrophe preparedness is emphasized in the country's organizational chart.
Despite local recovery attemts, Iran's economy faces multiple threats by the the US sanctions that hinders the international transactions. So, Increases in unemployment and inflation may weaken the county's financial sector and reduced the amount of money generated. E
Every year, over 250 natural disasters occur
The chief of Iran's Emergency Organization, Jafar Miadfar, estimated in October 2023 that the country experiences about 250 natural catastrophes year. He said Iran is in the eight out of ten risk category according to a report released by the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR).
According to Miadfar, there are 40 recognized natural catastrophes worldwide, 32 of which take place in Iran. Iran is among the world's ten most dangerous countries. In Asia, it comes in fourth.
Eighty percent of Iranians are susceptible to natural calamities
He said that there are about 3,000 fatalities, 9,000 bodily injuries, and 1.5 million impacted by these natural disasters. Miadfar emphasized that "Iran's topography, geographic location, and high structural and non-structural vulnerability strengthen the impacts of natural hazards leading to countless deaths and injuries and other health consequences."
He went on to say that because of the quick rise in urbanization, a large number of people from rural areas now reside in large cities' peripheries, which lack the requisite disaster-resilience.
The president of the Crisis Management Organization claimed in March that foreign organizations had been unfair to Iran by failing to assist both the organization and crisis-affected communities in recent years.
He continued by saying that although international organizations are reputed to have strong crisis management capabilities, their actions do not always align with their statements because of the dominance structure.
Today nearly half the world's population resides in cities, and by the year 2040, two thirds will live in urban areas, making cities especially susceptible to natural disasters. Cities' dense populations and infrastructure, along with social variables like unequal distribution of services and economic inequality, make people more vulnerable.
In order to overcome the limitations of inadequate governmental collaboration resulting from these gaps, municipalities need to include resiliency into the planning of growth in cities.
This inclusion can be facilitated by well-defined organizational structures that support service delivery, readily available information for rational decisions, and well-defined legislative mandates that assign local governments the responsibility for ongoing risk evaluation, monitoring of exposure, risk measurement, and thorough plans for efficient risk management.
The mitigation of disaster risks is aided by multi-hazard early warning systems, which keep an eye on potential hazards, broadcast alerts and messages, and support public knowledge and risk awareness. Even though warning systems for emergencies are widely acknowledged to be important, one in three persons globally do not get sufficient coverage from them. In Africa, the percentage rises to sixty percent.
Technology may expedite the recovery process in addition to assisting in reducing the threat and harm prior to a disaster. Technology, along with the information it offers, may improve destruction and needs evaluations after a disaster, which in turn can help better organize both immediate and future supports.
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