SOCIAL AND CULTURAL FACTORS IN EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE: PUBLIC HEALTH LESSONS FROM THE ۱۹۹۰ EARTHQUAKE IN IRAN

The reciprocal relationship between development and disaster preparedness is clear: underdevelopment exacerbates disasters and disasters can undermine development. While the vital role of engineering and technical developments in the mitigation of earthquake destruction is well-understood, the importance of social strategies in tandem with scientific endeavors is often overlooked. The social, economic and institutional dimensions of a community, however, will determine, in many cases, whether a particular technology or potential intervention is appropriate or even possible as well as whether careful planning will have the intended results. Public health measures have important implications for development. Experience from the ۱۹۹۰ earthquake in Iran suggests that, while some degree of disaster preparedness had been developed, hazard mitigation should be given serious attention and concerted efforts made to rectify the inadequacies.