MCEER Earthquake Reconnaissance Investigation

The Bam (Iran) Earthquake of December 26, 2003: Preliminary Reconnaissance Using Remotely Sensed Data and the VIEWS (Visualizing the Impacts of Earthquakes with Satellite Images)System | page 2 of 8 | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Damage was concentrated in a relatively small area, of roughly 16km radius, around Bam - a tourist destination on the old Silk Road, famed for its 2,500-year old citadel Arg-e-Bam (Figure 2a). According to recent reports, the death toll has reached 41,000 (IFRC, 2004c), with a final expected figure closer to 45,000. The Government of Iran estimates that a further 45,000 people have been displaced from their homes (USAID, 2004), which may rise to 75,000 as residents staying elsewhere with friends and relatives, begin to return.

(a)	(b)
(c)	(d)
(e)	(f)
Click here for larger version Figure 2 Photo mosaic of the Bam Citadel and surrounding urban districts. (a) The Citadel before the earthquake struck; (b) the Citadel after the December 26, 2003 earthquake; (c) residential city blocks razed by the earthquake; (d) mud-brick houses reduced to rubble; (e) sand-colored building debris smothered victims and crushed cars; (f) the 10% of structures still standing recorded 40-60% structural damage. (Photographs courtesy of http://activistchat.com/gallery/albums.php)

Next page: Post-earthquake Urban Damage Detection|1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8