Intermediate Shelters in Bam and Permanent Shelter Reconstruction in Villages following the 2003 Bam,Iran,Earthquake

Abstract

The earthquake of 26 December 2003 destroyed about 85% of the housing stock and left up to 75,600 people in the city of Bam homeless. With the convergence of migrants from nearby villages, it is estimated that 155,000 people were in need of shelter in Bam and surrounding villages. A municipal governmental Master Plan for the reconstruction of Bam was completed in September 2004. Permanent housing construction in the city of Bam began in October 2004, and is scheduled to take three to five years. In the interim, intermediate shelter construction in Bam and reconstruction of permanent shelter in the surrounding villages is ongoing and work is being done to integrate relief operations into long-term recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction programs. At the time of the reconnaissance trip in late May 2004, 16,200 intermediate shelters were assembled in Bam, either on the sites of original dwellings or on campgrounds on the outskirts of the city, and over 2,500 permanent shelters were constructed in the surrounding villages.