The epicenter of the magnitude-4.2 tremor that happened at the depth of 12 kilometers was the city of Malard on the border between Tehran and Alborz provinces.

Frightened by the earthquake, people rushed out of their homes and many headed to safe places in their neighborhood, just as they did after a magnitude-5.2 hit the two provinces on December 20.

As announced Emergency Medical Services some 57 got injured while rushing to escape and one died of heart failure apparently caused by the stress.

Some of the schools in Tehran and Karaj –the capital city of Alborz – were closed down and exams were cancelled.

Rumors and truth

The truth is that no one can now tell the truth from the rumors. In the meantime experts and well-known seismologists cannot reach an agreement.

Some believe that the possibility of an earthquake cannot be ruled out for the next three to four months as the first one might trigger stronger quakes by activating Tehran’s fault lines.

However, the others believe that due to the unpredictability nature of the earthquakes no one can tell where or when the next quake might strike.

But there is one point they all agree upon, one way or another a powerful earthquake will ultimately hit Tehran.

Nonetheless, they propose different scenarios for the possible quake. Some believe that the earthquake is so violent that the whole city will be destroyed and millions will die and the city will not be a place to live for decades.

Some other believe that except for the run down areas which constitute to some 20 percent of the city the other buildings are resilient enough to endure a magnitude 7 to 7.5 earthquake.

Safety tips 

Official rescue teams from the U.S. and other countries who have searched for trapped people in collapsed structures around the world, as well as emergency managers, researchers, and school safety advocates, all agree that “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” is the appropriate action to reduce injury and death during earthquakes. Methods like standing in a doorway, running outside, and “triangle of life” method are considered dangerous and are not recommended anymore.

According to Earthquake Country Alliance (ECA) your past experience in earthquakes may give you a false sense of safety; you didn’t do anything, or you ran outside, yet you survived with no injuries. Or perhaps you got under your desk and others thought you overreacted.

However, you likely have never experienced the kind of strong earthquake shaking that is possible in much larger earthquakes: sudden and intense back and forth motions of several feet per second will cause the floor or the ground to jerk sideways out from under you, and every unsecured object around you could topple, fall, or become airborne, potentially causing serious injury. This is why you must learn to immediately protect yourself after the first jolt… don’t wait to see if the earthquake shaking will be strong!

In most situations, you will reduce your chance of injury if you:

DROP where you are, onto your hands and knees. This position protects you from being knocked down and also allows you to stay low and crawl to shelter if nearby.

COVER your head and neck with one arm and hand; if a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath it for shelter; if no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall (away from windows), stay on your knees; bend over to protect vital organs

HOLD ON until shaking stops

Under shelter: hold on to it with one hand; be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts
No shelter: hold on to your head and neck with both arms and hands.

While images of collapsed structures in earthquakes around the world are frightening and get the most attention from the media, most buildings do not collapse at all, and few completely collapse.

The main goal of “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” is to protect you from falling and flying debris and other nonstructural hazards, and to increase the chance of your ending up in a Survivable Void Space if the building actually collapses. The space under a sturdy table or desk is likely to remain even if the building collapses- pictures from around the world show tables and desks standing with rubble all around them, and even holding up floors that have collapsed.

DO NOT run outside or to other rooms during shaking.

After the quake 

Natural gas, water and electricity can make life pretty comfortable. But in the wake of a natural disaster like an earthquake, those tools of comfort become potentially serious threats to health and well-being. Leaking natural gas is a major source of fires after a disaster, and tap water can become contaminated with harmful microbes or chemicals, or cause flood.

How to safely turn off these three utilities immediately after an earthquake is a big question that is remained unanswered in a big city like Tehran.

But it is important that everyone in a home knows how to turn off the main valve and also turning off the power to a home is crucial after a disaster because sparks from electric devices could ignite natural gas leaks.

Turning off the main water valve does two things: It prevents contaminated water from entering the lines in a home, and it keeps gravity from draining water out of the home’s lines if there is a break in a pipe outside.

The buildings may not seem very resistance or the government may not sound so sure about measures they should take before and after earthquake but let us do our best to save ourselves and our family members once a powerful quake strike.

The post Tehran quakes: Tehraners tremble with fear appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“The magnitude-5.2 earthquake in Tehran was not minor enough to be disregarded and not major enough to cause damages,” Hashemi said on a TV show aired on Saturday night.

Speaking on the importance of an earthquake in Tehran, he added that the municipality, the Red Crescent Society, ministries of education and transport, and military forces should implement required measures in face of natural disasters.

Potential aftermaths 

Talking about 36,000 hectares of run-down areas in Tehran, the city council chairman noted that earthquake can result in nearly 2 million injuries and casualties.

He went on to say that if an earthquake of magnitude 7 or stronger shakes Tehran, the water supply system will severely damage and Tehran may face floods as well, so plans for reinforcement of water supply system have been developed.

He referred to earthquake warning system which notify the citizens of a substantial earthquake 10 seconds before it strikes and explained plans to equip different areas of Tehran with the warning systems. “It is said that it can decrease casualties by one forth,” he said.

Talking about rumors which are circulating about the possibility of another tremor within the next 2 to 16 weeks, he stated that earthquake is “unpredictable” and all the rumors which exacerbate people’s anxiety should be disregarded.

“Facilities that have been provided in Tehran to face earthquake is just enough for a city with a population of less than 300,000,” highlighted Hashemi, adding, “The Red Crescent Society should be ready for providing emergency shelters for 1 million individuals and the municipality should be prepared to remove the debris of collapsed buildings.”

He also noted that Iran has enough equipment and credit to face earthquakes but the main issue is the inconsistency between different bodies.

Mohsen Hashemi also referred to two other main issues which can pose threats after an earthquake in Tehran. “The first one is the possible collapse of tall buildings which are built on narrow streets; this incident will impede the rescue and relief operation,” he said. The second issue is the possibility of gas leak and explosions; to combat this problem, new gas valves have been developed that will automatically cut gas stream in major earthquakes.

Tehran’s medical centers not ready 

Although medical centers in Tehran are in acceptable condition now, they are not expected to fulfill all the medical needs of an earthquake stronger than magnitude 7, the vice-chairman of the Majlis health commission Mohammad Hossein Qorbani said on Sunday, Nasimonline reported.

Over 90% of Tehran buildings insecure

The number of buildings in Tehran which lack the required safety measures is considerable and if all the safety factors are taken into account, more than 90 percent of them are regarded as insecure, Tehran’s Fire Department chief said on Saturday.

Mehdi Davari Dolatabadi further noted that the volume of flammable materials, their flammability rate, the number of people living in a building and appropriate escape routes are among the factors determining buildings’ safety.

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