Bam Earthquake Research Articles

Prophylactic fluid therapy in crushed victims of Bam earthquake

Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a severe and preventable problem of crushed earthquake victims. Early hydration therapy started before fully removing earthquake rubbles has been claimed to play a decisive role in AKI prevention, which saves the necessity of later dialysis. However, the extent, quality, and appropriateness of its know-how are controversial. Methods Processing clinical and paraclinical data gathered from Bam earthquake victims older than 15 years, we tried to determine correlations between the time of being under the rubbles (TUR), the level of serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK), the delayed onset of fluid therapy (DFT), and finally the volume of intravenous fluid received per day (VFR) with the formation of AKI and the need for dialysis. Results There is a direct and significant relation between the intensity of the trauma (TUR and CPK) and DFT with the occurrence of AKI and need for dialysis ( P < .001). However, as the VFR increases, the occurrence of AKI and the need for dialysis significantly decrease ( P = .005). Based on multivariate analysis, the occurrence of AKI and the need for dialysis are primarily affected by CPK, TUR, and VFR; and DFT has been dropped out. The analysis showed the preventive role of VFR more than 6 L in severe rhabdomyolysis patients and of at least 3 L in moderate ones in development of AKI and dialysis. Conclusions In the severely rhabdomyolized patients (CPK ≥15 000), higher volumes of prophylactic fluid (VFR >6 L) are required, whereas in less-traumatized patients, lower volumes (3-6 L) would be effective.

Prevalence of PTSD in the Kerman schools students witnessing the Bam earthquake scenes on TV

Published: 22 April 2010

Public and Private Lives in Iran: An Introduction to the Archaeology of the 2003 Bam Earthquake

Bam, Iran, was destroyed by a powerful earthquake in December 2003. In what is perhaps Iran’s greatest tragedy in living memory, the majority of the mud brick houses and concrete buildings were completely flattened and more than half of the city’s population was killed. Five years after the disaster, a team of Iranian archaeologists and ethnographers excavated the remains of six houses destroyed in the earthquake. The excavated material culture demonstrates the stark contrasts between the residents’ public lives lived outside of their homes, and their private lives lived inside of their homes.

A hybrid method for simulating near-source, broadband seismograms: Application to the 2003 Bam earthquake (Mw 6.5)

The main objective of this article is to simulate the three components of near-source ground shaking recorded at Bam station, close to the causative fault, during the destructive the 2003 Bam earthquake, where were strongly influenced by rupture directivity effect. A hybrid technique composed of the theoretical Green's function, finite element and finite difference method proposed by Spudich et al. (1987, 2003) (COMPSYN) and a ω 2-based finite-fault approach proposed by Beresnev and Atkinson (1998a) (FINSIM) are used for generating seismograms at low and high frequencies respectively. A Genetic algorithm technique is developed for minimizing the differences between the recorded and simulated data incorporating parameters within a predefined upper/lower bound's values previously estimated for main shock by other investigators. Two different faulting models, consist of a straight line segment and a straight line segment followed by a slightly north-eastward branch, are used. The simulated three component seismograms at Bam station, in terms of elastic response spectra, are validated by comparing the simulated time series with those of the observed data. Moreover, the pulses involved in the recorded time series due to the rupture directivity are estimated and compared with those of the observed data. A sensitivity analysis is performed for recognizing the influence of model parameter changes, such as focal mechanism (strike, dip and rake), rise-time, rupture velocity and hypocenter location on the simulated seismograms. Relatively good match of the simulated and observed time series, particularly the two faulting models, confirm the potentiality of the proposed technique and the suitability of seismological model parameters used. This technique can be used for specific site hazard analysis of the Bam region and linear/nonlinear dynamic analysis of structures where were damaged during the Bam earthquake particularly for retrofitting the well known international adobe buildings of Arg-e-Bam.

Evaluation of a nonlinear seismic geotechnical site response analysis method subjected to earthquake vibrations (case study: Kerman Province, Iran)

Equivalent static load and dynamic analyses methods are usually used for designing structures under and subjected to earthquake excitations. Estimation of site response from an earthquake is fundamental step to anticipate the possible damages and then to try to mitigate them. In this paper, the effect of nonlinearity on site response analyses summarized and evaluating ground surface response taking into account the local soil and subsurface soils properties for the proposed bridge over the river at Sirdjan Boulevard road subjected to earthquake vibration and provokes with assumption of rigid (viscoelastic) and elastic half space bedrock and quantify the site effect on the surface over a number of geotechnical areas has been notified. First, by field investigation, the required data were collected and by primary processing the acceptable data were selected. Then, in nonlinear analysis, for elastic and rigid half space bedrock, standard hyperbolic model was selected and executed, and then the results were compared to each other. The critical point of this work was to develop and use a computer code by the authors, named the “Abbas Converter”, with several advantages, such as work and quick installation, operating as a connecter function between the used softwares and generating the input data corresponding to defined format for them. Its output results can easily be exported to the other used softwares in this study. This code can make and render this study more easily than the previous softwares have done, and take over the encountered problem. This study clearly showed the applicability of the “Abbas Converter” for evaluation of site response with bedrock-type assumption on soil behavior under the earthquake excitations. The proposed scheme is used to analyze the ground motion data from the Bam earthquake in Kerman Province, Iran (2003, Mw 6.5).

Dataflow model for managing urban disasters: the experience of Bam earthquake

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a system based on the data flow diagram (DFD), which can be used to help urban policy makers reduce the consequences of natural disasters.Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers the socio‐technical perspective of government information systems and management, and draws on the collection and analysis of several public reports, media papers, and expert opinions published in the aftermath of the earthquake in Bam, Iran in December 2003, as one of the most destructive urban disasters in Iran and worldwide.Findings – Considering the rescue and disaster management activities after Bam earthquake, the paper examines and discusses how important a clear DFD‐based system for managing urban disasters is. Moreover, the DFD model is suggested as an expert system to better handle and manage operations and different organizations involved in the rescue process.Research limitations/implications – The paper requires a practical pilot implementation of DFD‐based s...

Crisis in Urban Water Systems during the Reconstruction Period: A System Dynamics Analysis of Alternative Policies after the 2003 Earthquake in Bam-Iran

Quick restoration of critical infrastructure systems, such as water, electrical power, natural gas, and transportation systems, are essential for rapid and effective post disaster recovery and reconstruction process. A number of previous studies have assessed vulnerability of infrastructure systems to various hazards such as earthquakes, but seldom have the impacts of post disaster policies been considered. In its assessment of the water system in post disaster situation after Bam earthquake, this paper examines the impacts of various reconstruction as well as water management policies on the system failure in operation in terms of the ability of Bam urban water system to meet increased demand trends. Adopting a system dynamics modeling approach and the concept of viability loops, the paper will show that in order to minimize further crisis in the water system during the reconstruction period stricter water management policies need to be considered.

Sport as a post-disaster psychosocial intervention in Bam, Iran

In the field of humanitarian assistance, sport and play have recently gained attention as innovative instruments to support a psychosocial rehabilitation process in post-disaster and post-conflict situations. The project ‘Sport and play for traumatized children and youth’, implemented by the Swiss Academy for Development after the earthquake in Bam, Iran, was a pilot project conducted in this field. This essay discusses the experiences gained and lessons learnt from the project, indicating the advantages and limitations of using sport and play as tools to support psychosocial rehabilitation in a post-disaster situation. Positive effects of the project were identified on both group and individual levels, but they cannot be attributed to the use of sport alone. The findings rather suggest that the coaches and their efforts to create a supportive environment have played a crucial role for the success of the project.

Reconstruction management policies in residential and commercial sectors after the 2003 bam earthquake in Iran

In the very early hours of 26th December 2003, a devastating and strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 struck Bam, one of the historical cities of Kerman province in the south of Iran. According to the official reports, more than 30,000 were killed and about 25,000 injured. More than 80% of the town’s buildings were also destroyed. After the disaster, Bam’s reconstruction management process was presented with a lot of challenges and faced many fundamental questions. The number of human losses and related social issues, extensive destruction of the historical town, and also the lack of good experience in the reconstruction of a city or town made the reconstruction project of Bam more complicated. The reconstruction of Bam was the most important post-disaster reconstruction project among recent reconstructions in Iran. Many factors, such as concern over the government and international agencies, the new managerial approaches, and the application of appropriate reconstruction methods, made it different from the other reconstruction programs. Thus, the post-earthquake reconstruction of Bam is investigated in this research with respect to the importance of this issue. The aim behind this article is to give a brief explanation of the earthquake reconstruction management policies in Bam and also the plans for the reconstruction and rebuilding of urban residential and commercial units.

Applying the Coulomb failure function with an optimally oriented plane to the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake triggering

The Coulomb failure function (CFF) quantitatively describes static stress changes in secondary faults near the source fault of an earthquake. CFF can be employed to monitor how static stress transfers and then shed some light on the probability of successive events occurring around a source fault. In this paper we focus on the CFF and particularly on optimally oriented planes. We present a unified model to determine an optimally oriented plane and its corresponding Coulomb stress, then apply the model to the 2003 Mw 6.6 Bam (Iran) earthquake and the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan (China) earthquake, thereby checking its effectiveness. Our results show that spatial correlation between positive Coulomb stress changes and aftershocks are, for the 2003 Bam earthquake, 47.06% when elastic Coulomb stress changes are resolved on uniform planes and 87.53% when these are resolved on optimally oriented planes at depth; for the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake the correlations are 45.68% and 58.20%, respectively. It is recommended that account be taken of optimally oriented planes when drawing a Coulomb stress map for analyzing earthquake triggering effects.

P399 Sex ratio and pregnancy outcomes after Bam earthquake

International Journal of Gynecology & ObstetricsVolume 107, Issue S2 p. S527-S527 Poster presentations P399 Sex ratio and pregnancy outcomes after Bam earthquake T. Ashrafganjooei, T. AshrafganjooeiSearch for more papers by this authorM. Mohammadi, M. MohammadiSearch for more papers by this author T. Ashrafganjooei, T. AshrafganjooeiSearch for more papers by this authorM. Mohammadi, M. MohammadiSearch for more papers by this author First published: 20 November 2009 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0020-7292(09)61889-0AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume107, IssueS2Abstracts of XIX FIGO World Congress of Gynecology and ObstetricsOctober 2009Pages S527-S527 RelatedInformation

A Reassessment and Review of the Bam Earthquake Five Years Onward: What Was Done Wrong?

An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale on 23 December 2003 devastated the city of Bam in southeastern Iran. During the response and recovery phases, considerable shortcomings were discovered. The dire situation in the affected area, a variety of urgently required interventions, and the large number of aid organizations involved brought about difficulties in management, coordination, and communication among authorities and aid organizations. This article highlights flaws in management in the various aspects of this disaster in order to assess what was done, and what should be done to overcome these shortcomings in future disasters. A retrospective review of the various aspects of management related to the Bam disaster was done via the assessment of files, multi-center studies, governmental data, and available literature from 2003-2008. A review of the available data relevant to search and rescue operations and short-term aid provision revealed flaws in different aspects of disaster management including personnel, the transfer of the injured, availability medical supplies, treatment planning, problems concerning the composition of treatment forces dispatched to the region, distribution of tasks among treatment workers, transferring of equipment, availability of facilities, and lack of coordination among the organizations responsible for the management of the disaster. Most of the aforementioned issues have been addressed. A comprehensive disaster management plan must not be limited only to the response phase, but rather must include: preparedness, recovery with optimal legislation and budgeting, improvement of healthcare facilities, and organized communication channels between the different governmental departments. This important issue has been addressed, and a disaster management organization under the supervision of the President has been established, developing a national search and rescue strategy and protocol for unified managerial organization, an alert system, an international disaster command system (under which search and rescue and emergency medical service teams can be deployed, increasing the efficacy and coordination of the arrival of foreign teams and the construction field hospitals), and developing a flowchart to coordinate international agencies and the domestic authorities in charge. Continuous education, training of the general population, conducting periodic exercise drills, and provision for prepared task force mobilization in disaster management all are important aspects of the management of disasters due to natural hazards.

Integration of InSAR Time-Series Analysis and Water-Vapor Correction for Mapping Postseismic Motion After the 2003 Bam (Iran) Earthquake

Atmospheric water-vapor effects represent a major limitation of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) techniques, including InSAR time-series (TS) approaches (e.g., persistent or permanent scatterers and small-baseline subset). For the first time, this paper demonstrates the use of InSAR TS with precipitable water-vapor (InSAR TS + PWV) correction model for deformation mapping. We use MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) near-infrafred (NIR) water-vapor data for InSAR atmospheric correction when they are available. For the dates when the NIR data are blocked by clouds, an atmospheric phase screen (APS) model has been developed to estimate atmospheric effects using partially water-vapor-corrected interferograms. Cross validation reveals that the estimated APS agreed with MERIS-derived line-of-sight path delays with a small standard deviation (0.3-0.5 cm) and a high correlation coefficient (0.84-0.98). This paper shows that a better TS of postseismic motion after the 2003 Bam (Iran) earthquake is achievable after reduction of water-vapor effects using the InSAR TS + PWV technique with coincident MERIS NIR water-vapor data.

Direct Adaptive Neurocontrol of Structures under Earth Vibration

A direct adaptive neurocontroller is proposed to reduce structure response to earth vibrations by actively creating an equal but opposite force to that of the first mode force of the structure. While earthquake forces are generally considered to be unpredictable, the short-term predictions by the proposed neurocontrol architecture significantly reduce structure vibrations. To demonstrate its general applicability and utility to future earthquakes, the proposed adaptation algorithm is also shown to be asymptotically convergent. The approach is validated by several simulations in which actual time series from the Hachino, Northridge, Kobe, and Bam earthquakes are applied against structures of various heights, three-, five-, and seven-story structures. The simulation results are then compared with those of a conventional linear quadratic regulator. Results indicate a significant and consistent improvement in minimal structure displacement.

Older people's needs following major disasters: a qualitative study of Iranian elders' experiences of the Bam earthquake

ABSTRACTElders have long been recognised as among the most vulnerable people in disaster events. This paper reports a qualitative study of the self-perceived needs of older people in the aftermath of the Bam earthquake in Iran in 2003. A total of 56 people aged from 65 to 88 years were recruited to the study using purposive sampling, including 29 men and 27 women. Six focus group discussions and ten semi-structured individual interviews were conducted. Each focus group involved six to ten people from the cities of Bam and Baravat and their rural suburbs. Content analysis was used to analyse the transcribed data. The analysis identified four major themes among the informants' concerns: inappropriate service delivery, affronts to dignity, feeling insecure and emotional distress. A disaster-prone country like Iran needs to be appropriately prepared with culturally sensitive plans to meet the needs of those who suffer from their effects, not least older people. Emergency relief managers should note that for many older people in a disaster zone, customary forms of relief are neither required nor appropriate, and that their distinctive immediate and long-term needs should be assessed and met. Relief agencies need to be trained to be age-sensitive and should mainstream older people's rights in the planning and implementation of both the response and recovery phases of assistance.

Coseismic Three-Dimensional Displacements Determined Using SAR Data: Theory and an Application Test

We present a methodology to construct three-dimensional deformation maps using different parameters that can be extracted using SAR data. We apply the methodology using ENVISAT SAR data before and after the December 26 th , 2003 Mw 6.6 Bam earthquake in Iran to determine spatial quasi-continuous three- dimensional coseismic deformation maps. Two near vertical deformation offset components are computed using Envisat ASAR differential interferometry (DInSAR), while two horizontal deformation offset components are measured using sub-pixel correlation techniques applied to ASAR amplitude images. Using the presented methodology, we combine four unevenly precise independent projections of surface coseismic deformation to obtain the full three-dimensional coseismic deformation field caused by an earthquake. The full 3-D coseismic displacement vector is modeled using elastic deformation models constraining details of the fault geometry and slip distribution at depth. Results from the inversion are interpreted in the framework of the Iranian present-day tectonism. Full exploitation of dense 3-D coseismic surface deformation using SAR data, even for moderate earthquakes, should facilitate distinguishing between different interpretations of the mechanical properties of seismically active areas and within the inherent ambiguity of the geophysical inversion solutions.

Predicting Probabilistic-Based Strong Ground Motion Time Series for Citadel of Arg-E-Bam (South-East of Iran)

The main objective of this article is to present a probabilistic-based strong motion compatible with the source-path and site soil condition given the probability of exceedence for citadel of Arg-e-Bam site bed rock (South-East of Iran). A Fourier amplitude spectral attenuation relation for bed rock beneath the site is proposed which permits the estimation of time-histories through a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis procedure. Due to lack of data, the two well-known simulation techniques, point source and finite fault models have been used for generating hundreds of strong motion as input data. Tens of model parameter values such as stress-drop nucleation points were used, in each specified magnitude-distance, to reduce the uncertainty effects inherently existing in seismological/geological parameters. The proposed attenuation relation is validated by comparing the estimated strong motion, in the form of Fourier amplitude spectral, using the proposed attenuation relation with those of recorded ground motion data at three stations far away from the assumed source so that the results would not be influenced by the near source problems such as directivity and fling step. The results of proposed technique is assessed by comparing the estimated response spectra, with 10% probability of exceedence and 5% damping ratio, with those of traditional uniform hazard spectra. The proposed technique is supposed to be used in retrofitting procedure of international historical adobe structures in Arg-e-Bam site, which have been damaged during the destructive Bam earthquake 2003, Iran

Adverse impact of international NGOs during and after the Bam earthquake: Health system’s consumers’ points of view

On December 26, 2003, an earthquake occurred in the city of Bam in Iran which completely destroyed the city. National and international responses to the calamity were quick and considerable and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from all over the world conducted extensive emergency assistance, fulfilling a crucial role during the emergency. The present study discusses some difficulties and problems which originated from the activities of international NGOs during their response to the Bam earthquake. A qualitative study using semistructured interview technique was conducted with nineteen public health and therapeutic affairs managers who were directly responsible for response and recovery in Bam. Analysis of the data was carried out by the framework analysis technique and supported by qualitative research software, the Atlas.ti. The study found that although international NGOs did their best to help people in the region, they also had some adverse impacts on the community in the disaster affected areas. The problems originated from lack of knowledge of cultural issues, inefficient timing for the delivery of funds and services, uneven goods delivery, and poor communication with local people and authorities. The study's findings could have implications for the international aid organizations including the United Nations (UN). Some activities such as roles and responsibilities of the NGOs; networking; and coordination and education of the NGOs could serve as the cornerstone for improvement of their efforts during disasters.

Comparison the Proposed Probabilistic-Based Time-History and the Traditional PSHA Approach

The main objective of this article is to demonstrate the ability of our technique in estimating the probabilistic-based time-history to be used in dynamic analysis of structures. The result of using our technique is compared with that of traditional approach proposed by Cornell (Cornell, 1968), in the form of response spectrum through a case study. Good agreement of the two approaches confirms the applicability/reliability of our technique having the merit of being dynamic form to be used in recognizing the vulnerability as well as performance evaluation of exiting important structures particularly in regions with lack of destructive earthquake information such as the region under study, Arge-Bam which was highly damaged through the destructive Bam earthquake in 2003.

Application of Base-Line Correction Methods to Obtain Permanent Displacements of a Near-Source Ground Motion: The 2003 Bam Earthquake

In this article, two base-line correction methods for correcting the near-source strong motions were studied on the near-source recording of the 2003, Bam earthquake. To obtain permanent ground displacements at Bam station, two methods were applied with some modifications and without using any kind of filtering. Even though it is difficult to calculate true permanent displacements from data attained by present accelerograms, the results of this study show that the rational limit of permanent ground displacements can be successfully achieved by rational choosing of effective parameters. In addition, it is observed that some pre-processing steps suggested in literature have no considerable influences on the final results. For more rationally choosing the parameters influencing calculation of permanent displacement, the velocity trace must be paid more attention, and consideration of Specific Energy Density may be useful for better estimating the effective parameters. Finally, using suggested methods, a good agreement between results of base-line correction process and real reported permanent displacements of Bam earthquake is observed.