BALTIMORE – There has been continuing Iranian earthquake relief efforts by many Christian organizations. World Relief is one of the prominent ministries that is supporting local Iranian Christians in Bam, providing emergency essentials such as food, water and blankets, World Relief reported.

World Relief president, Clive Calver, visited Iran on Jan 6 and gave field report of the tragic scene of the city, Bam, “There is the awful stench of death in the air; the rubble and debris are consistent from street to street; a few shops and the banks are still standing, but everything else is gone.”

“Relief efforts are dissonant and very dispersed,” said Calver. “People are doing all they can to work together and to cope with people’s immediate needs.”

According to the USAID/Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), the Government of Iran (GOI) estimates that the 6.6- magnitude earthquake occurred on December 26, 2003 at 5:27 a.m. local time, killed 33,000 to 34,000 people, and injured 30,000 others.

USAID/DART states that 80 to 90 percent of houses were destroyed in Bam. An estimated 40,000 to 60,000 residents are now homeless.

“There is desperate fear and distress in people’s eyes here in Bam,” said Calver. “Folks struggle to talk about what the future holds for them."