Eight years later, local residents and officials say little has been done for the city. All the residents were moved out of tents and into temporary housing many years ago. But that is where they still are. Little real housing has been constructed.
It was in the predawn hours of December 26, 2003, when, in
a matter of seconds, the walls of Bam came tumbling down. Because of the time, most residents were in bed and the death toll was thus much higher than if the quake had struck at mid-day.
The official death toll keeps changing. Officials now say 31,800 people were killed and 120,000 made homeless in the city and nearby villages.
The government of President Mohammad Khatami promised swift reconstruction. The same promises were repeated by Mahmud Ahmadi-nejad after he became president in 2005.
But eight years later, not much seems to have been done.
Musa Qazanfarabadi, who represents Bam in the Majlis, said “Eight years after the quake, I feel ashamed in front of the people of Bam. The only thing done since the quake is that some main streets in the city have
been asphalted.
“The government has allocated a special budget of 720 billion rials ($65 million) for Bam, but not one rial has yet been transferred to the city, and all my efforts to do something about it have so far been futile,” the deputy told the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA).
Although most of the survivors have been housed in 30,000 prefabricated container units, those were supposed to be a temporary solution. Instead, they have lasted all these years.
“We have a roof over our heads, but it’s not home,” said Reza, a Bam resident who lost his two children in the quake.
Another problem, not only for Reza, but many other Bam residents, are the bank loans taken out before the quake for homes and shops that were destroyed by the quake.
“Now some 42,000 people or their surviving family members have the problem of not only repaying the loans, but also the interest for non-existent houses and shops,” Deputy Qazan-farabadi said.