Moment by moment with floods; “Six provinces are in a state of emergency”

According to the country's crisis management spokesman, six of the 23 provinces affected by heavy rainfall are in a state of emergency. The Khorramabad representative also says that the disruption of communications has made it difficult to provide aid.

Behnam Saeedi, the spokesperson for the country's crisis management, described six of the 23 provinces affected by heavy rainfall as under emergency conditions in an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran's Second Channel. He named these six provinces as Ilam, Kermanshah, Lorestan, Khuzestan, Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, adding: "A total of 400 cities and villages have been and are affected by the weather conditions in recent days."

Saeedi further reported that 141 rivers in the country have flooded in recent days, which has caused the closure of 78 intercity roads, 2,199 rural roads, and the destruction of 84 bridge spans.

The crisis management spokesman then pointed to about 400 landslides caused by flooding, saying that most of them were related to Chaharmahal Bakhtiari. He described the Pol Dokhtar area of ​​Lorestan province as having more severe conditions due to the collapse of the city's main bridge.

"The communication breakdown has made it difficult to provide aid."

The CEO of the Lorestan Red Crescent Society stated that relief efforts have already begun in the city of Pol-e-Dokhtar, adding: "The distribution of essential items among the citizens of Pol-e-Dokhtar has also begun. A place has been provided for the temporary accommodation of the citizens of Pol-e-Dokhtar, and the operation to settle them in Red Crescent tents is continuing."

Mohammad Beiranvand, a representative of the people of Khorramabad in the parliament, said in an interview with ISNA, referring to the latest situation in Khorramabad after the recent flood: "Today, the weather is favorable in Khorramabad, but communication in most villages has been cut off. In the city of "Doreh Chegini", we are in dire need of first aid. In the villages of Doab, Delbar and parts of Sepid Dasht and Biran Shahr, communication is completely cut off... We can say that communication in most villages and towns of the province is cut off and people are in great distress."

Beiranvand continued by stating that there is not enough equipment to deal with the flood, saying, "We cannot deliver the same amount that is available to the people due to the disruption of communications. Before anything else, communications must be established. Road and telephone connections must be established so that we can organize the situation."

Red Crescent rapid response teams enter Pol-e Dokhtar

The head of the Red Crescent Society's Relief and Rescue Organization announced the arrival of rapid response teams to the flooded area of ​​Pol-e-Dokhtar, Lorestan Province.

Morteza Salimi said in an interview with IRNA on Tuesday, April 4, that the organization's relief and rescue teams "are providing relief to those affected by the flood with all their might, upon entering the aforementioned area."

He also announced the dispatch of six helicopters to help flood victims in Pol-e-Dokhtar. Sarem Rezaei, CEO of the Lorestan Red Crescent Society, told Fars News Agency that six helicopters from the provinces of Gilan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Markazi, Kohgiluyeh, Boyer-Ahmad, and Tehran, along with one helicopter from the province itself, have been dispatched to provide relief to various cities in the province, including Pol-e Dokhtar.

Continuing his conversation with IRNA, the head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society's Relief and Rescue Organization called on people to refrain from unnecessary travel in flooded areas of Lorestan province so that relief can be provided to flood victims more quickly.

The head of the Red Crescent Society's relief and rescue organization also announced the rescue and transfer of a number of villagers to other villages and safe areas, and said: "With the opening of land routes to Pol-e Dokhtar, new relief and rescue teams will be dispatched to the flooded areas."

IRNA continued its report, stating that the damage from the first wave of rains this year amounted to 800 billion tomans, adding: "While efforts to revive the province had begun, a new wave of rain has swept across the province since the beginning of this week."

Currently, the three Khorram Rud rivers and the rivers of the cities of Delfan, Kohdasht, Selsele, Pol-e Dokhtar, Mokhalan, Borujerd, and Chegni have overflowed, the Maruk-e Doroud Dam has overflowed, and some dams, such as Haleh and Keznar, are on the verge of overflowing, and hundreds of thousands of residents have been warned to leave their homes.

Jahangiri: The main lock on the water outflow from Golestan Province has not been opened yet

According to Eshaq Jahangiri, First Vice President of Iran, “The recent rains have brought benefits to the country tens of times more than the damage they caused to the regions of the country, and we should be grateful to God for this, and we hope that this blessing will continue . ”

Speaking at a meeting of the Khuzestan Province Crisis Management Coordination Council in Ahvaz on the evening of April 12, he acknowledged that flooding has become a major problem for the country: "Before the recent floods, crises in the country were such that one region would be in trouble and other provinces would mobilize and solve the problem, but now the situation is such that the issue of flooding has become the main issue in 24 provinces of the country . "

Jahangiri went on to point out the dire situation in Golestan Province, which has been affected by flooding since March 19, and said that "the main lock on the outflow of water from some cities and villages in Golestan Province has not yet been opened, and the conditions in this province are dire . "

Source: DW