December
2003
Devon Rescue Team On Quake Mission |
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| The
destruction after the 6.3 magnitude quake |
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It's
a Christmas never to be forgotten for the survivors of a massive earthquake
in the Iranian city of Bam. And it meant a halt to festivities for
a group of Devon rescuers who flew out to the disaster site to offer
their assistance. |
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| SEE
ALSO |
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Behind
the scenes with Devon based Rapid UK
British
woman survives quake
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Rapid
UK
DFID
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| FACTS |
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Rapid
UK's Mission Statement is:
The relief of human suffering and distress in any part of
the world resulting from disaster of any kind, and the protection
and preservation of human life, in particular but not exclusively,
by providing suitably trained and experienced response teams
free of charge upon receipt of requests for assistance.
The
name "RAPID" is an acronym from "Rescue And
Preparedness In Disasters"
Requests
for assistance are made to RAPID UK direct from the country
concerned, or via initial contact with the operational directors.
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It's thought
that as many as 22,000 people could have died in the disaster in the
Iranian city 610 miles south of Tehran.
When international search and rescue agencies from across the world
were mobilised, Devon's Rapid UK and its team of 20 were among those
at the centre of the rescue efforts.
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| The
Iranian city of Bam before the earthquake struck |
Within
hours the team had been mobilised and was on its way to Iran - the
first wave of the official response team for the Department For International
Development (DFID).
Rapid UK's team was first at the scene and was met by a member of
the Iranian airforce who flew rescuers over the city to get an overview
of the situation after the magnitude 6.3 tremor.
Director Graham Payne, who lives in Okehampton, said the team had
no idea what to expect and had no real knowledge of the city. "The
helicopter flight showed that 80% of the city had been flattened and
that the area was mainly tourist rather than industrial - with many
of the buildings only 2 stories high," he said.
"Unfortunately the construction of the buildings was such that
anyone trapped under the rubble would probably have been asphyxiated."
QUARANTINE PROBLEMS
Rapid UK relies heavily on the work of its rescue dogs in situations
like this. But now there's another dilemma to deal with.
British authorities will not relax the laws on quarantine for the
canine rescuers which means that when they return from helping at
a foreign disaster, they are out of action for six months.
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rescue dogs will have to go into quarantine for six months if
they return to the UK. |
It's a
problem that has caused Graham and the team to take drastic action.
"We've had countless discussions," Graham says, "but
the authorities are not moving on this issue. So instead the dogs
will return to the UK for about a week before we fly them out to our
sister organisation in Spain where they will be able to run free.
"If we need them for another situation we can pick them up from
there, but it seems a bit ironic that because the UK will not relax
the rules, if a disaster happened here, like a terrorist attack for
example, the dogs would not be able to help out in their own country."
Although hope is fading for finding more survivors, the rescue efforts
continue in Bam. The main concern now is to get aid into the country.
Graham Payne says the thing that is needed most is shelter. "If
we don't get aid to these people there's a great chance of disease
and often that can be as big a problem as the disaster itself." |
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Monica
Ellis chats to Graham Payne
