Qeshm Earthquake

        The Portuguese fortress in Qeshm was damaged in the earthquake.

The map of Qeshm earthquake.

                                  A destroyed house in front of a mosque.

It was on November 27, 2005 when disaster struck Iran. At first, they were living peacefully. But now they are flooded with worries as the earthquake ruined their houses and future. A 1,500-square-kilometer island off the coast southwest of Bandar Abbas and 1,500 kilometers south of Tehran, Qeshm has a population of more than 100,000.

At 13:53 local time (10:23 GMT), Qeshm earthquake lasted for more than 10 seconds. Earthquakes of this type are not considered devastating. But, if the earthquake had happened during the morning when residents were still sleeping, rather than mid-afternoon (13:53 local time), it could have been much deadlier. This is mainly due to the fact that housing in the epicentral area consists mostly of mud and brick (poor earthquake-resistant materials).

The epicentre was situated close to the northern margin of the Arabian plate, at the front of the Zagros fold and thrust belt. The focal (main) mechanism of the earthquake suggests it was a result of thrusting (the result of compressional forces). Research, drawn together from reports, showed that the earthquake’s magnitude was about 6.0Mw. Over 400 minor aftershocks (a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake) in the same area followed the main quake, 36 of them over magnitude 2.5Mw.

It was the second most powerful earthquake in Iran in 2005, preceded by the 2005 Zarand earthquake in February. The earthquake shattered windows of some buildings, causing residents in the city of Qeshm to run out in terror and take shelter in open fields. Even some of the buildings which had very stable and strong concrete foundations were affected by the earthquake and many deep cracks appeared in the walls during the quake. Residents of the city reported about the bursting windows, leading citizens to evacuate their homes in fear of collapse. The rupture killed at least 13, leaving 100 injured. In total over 2,000 people were affected. Severe destruction was reported in the nearby Deyrestan while the villages of Tonban and Goursin were all demolished. The earthquake also caused damages in the villages of Gourzin, Kousheh, Karvan, Gourian and Khaledin.

An IRNA reporter said that the only hospital in the Qeshm city was full of injured people and there was a shortage of medical facilities. Local officials met at the governor's office to set up an emergency task force to rush aid to the victims, apparently expecting bigger fallout. Relief workers, volunteers, police forces as well as revolutionary guards were on the ground to offer help to victims. Aid workers from the domestic region began delivering supplies such as food, blankets, and tents. A dispatch of 101 relief helpers, 40 of the staff of the organization, Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), and 4 people from the public relations department at ReliefWeb also assisted survivors. To help structure reliving efforts, 3 ambulances, 46 trucks, 3 helicopters, 12 vans, 9 cars and 2 minibuses and 2 sniffer dogs were also dispatched to help citizens of quake-struck areas.

To minimize damage from such events, I think we should:

-stay calm and do not panic (doing so will only worsen the situation)
-place all your valuables in a bag so during emergencies you will only have to grab this bag and run
-have an emergency preparedness kit ready at all times
-bring a mini portable radio along with you wherever you go (to update on the latest news of natural disasters)
-build more earthquake-resistant buildings


Bibliography:
 
1. (No author), http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MYAI-7VM6W2?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=EQ-2005-000199-IRN, extracted 19-02-10
 
2. (No author), http://www.payvand.com/news/05/nov/1257.html, extracted 19-02-10
 
3. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Qeshm_earthquake, extracted 19-02-10
 
4. United States Geological Survey’s (USGS), http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2005/usfyag/, extracted 19-02-10