The magnitude 7.3 mainshock left 50,000 people homeless. Aftershocks strong enough to be felt continued for weeks. Some aftershocks were as powerful as magnitude 5.5. This is the size of quakes in February of 1997 which killed 80 people. The fear of aftershocks drove more people outside. With the effects of a quake all around, even those with intact homes did not want to tempt fate by staying indoors while aftershocks continued. This increased the number of people who needed relief supplies. The area is known for temperature swings which caused further difficulties. At night the temperature hovered just above freezing making it difficult for people to keep warm. During the day the temperature rose well into the eighties. The heat raised concerns among many people that the unburied bodies, and those still in the rubble, would begin to rot. A long drought not only made the air dry and dust, but slowed efforts to dig graves in the hard ground. In combination with the heat, the poor living conditions and sanitary facilities for those without homes raised concerns that outbreaks of diseases would spread quickly. According to Reza Alavi, a civil servant leading relief efforts in one village "[t]he priority is to remove the dead bodies and bury them as soon as possible."

Most of the small villages in Khorasan are not big enough to support a hospital. Many do not even have a doctor. The shortage of medical facilities in this area made it difficult to deal with the thousands of wounded. Hospitals had to be improvised in many places. The makeshift facilities filled quickly with injuries ranging from the mild to the critical. In one hospital, blood transfusions were suspended above patients from coat hangers which had been donated. While putting a cast on a 5-year old boy's leg, Dr. Mohammad Hossein Mozaffar expressed his frustration with the lack of assistance. "I can't deal with this alone" he said.

Subsistence farming is the norm Khorasan. The earthquake left tens of thousands of people without food or shelter. However, food was not abundant before the quake and malnutrition compounded the effects. Poor nourishment left many villagers more susceptible to the cold and made rapid delivery of supplies even more urgent.

On May 12, two days after the quake, international aid began to arrive. Aid of many different types was donated. This list was prepared by one Red Cross unit to address needs in Iran.

Food items
rice
sugar
cooking oil
tea
canned fish, fruit vegetables (no pork or beef)

Life-sustaining needs
warm clothes
shoes
hygiene items (soap, washing powder)
vehicles to distribute water

Shelter and cooking items
tents
blankets
grounds sheets
cooking stoves
kitchen utensils

Iran has not often extended a formal plea for monetary assistance. The nation is used to grappling with natural disasters and has been subjected to numerous devastating earthquakes this century alone. However, the estimated $67 million price tag for the government was more than could be covered. Iran asked the international community for assistance. The United Nation Secretary General, Kofi Annan, urged nations "to respond promptly and with generosity." Iran accepted financial donations as well as donations of food, blankets, tents and clothes. Relief supplies were donated almost immediately by France, Britain, Japan, Italy, Russia and nearby countries in the Persian Gulf. Switzerland even sent a rescue team which specialized in working with trained dogs to find possible survivors. Curiously however, Iran turned down several offers of assistance from larger rescue teams.

International Rescue Corps is a British outfit which specializes in finding and rescuing people trapped under debris. While 15 specialists were preparing for an immediate departure, the Iranian Embassy in London decided to not to issue visas to the team. The group was told that enough rescue crews were already on the scene.

One western diplomat commented that "When it comes to relief work, they alone know best, and better than any foreigner how to repair the underground water canals and the irrigation systems. Iranians built them in the first place. If donor countries want to help, they should offer the money, all of which Iran accounts for, as well as technical equipment, and let the government decide its own priorities."

The issue of offering assistance to a country which the US guards cautiously is difficult. Officially, the US stood behind the relief efforts and offered to send aid. A spokeswomen for the president said the US would be willing to donate through a third party such as the Red Cross or the Red Crescent if necessary. Bill Richardson, the chief American Delegate to the United Nations, addressed the issue saying "I believe that despite our differences with Iran -- which are considerable and very, very strong -- this will be viewed as a humanitarian issue."

In practice however ,the US offered only token support. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright made the decision to donate $100,000 through the Red Cross. State department spokesperson Nicholas Burns commented, "We've had our disputes with the Government of Iran for many, many years, but don't have any arguments with the people of Iran. The people of Iran obviously are in need of our support."

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Last update: October 1, 1998