U.S. aid official: 'Awful sight' in Iranian city
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Marty Bahamonde
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BAM, Iran (CNN) -- The United States has offered humanitarian aid to Iran and eased some restrictions in the wake of last week's 6.6-magnitude earthquake that killed about 30,000 people around the southeastern city of Bam.
A U.S. aid team already is on the scene. Marty Bahamonde, a spokesman for the U.S. emergency medical team, described the situation Friday to CNN anchor Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER: What progress has been made, can you say, in the past week's time there in Bam?
BAHAMONDE: Well, Bill, the progress that we're starting to see is the medical community in Bam is starting to rebound. Near our medical tent, they're starting to put up a temporary medical facility. There are Iranian doctors working next to the American doctors, and hopefully with that coordination and the patient exchange, once their facility is up in a couple of weeks, a lot of the patients can be transferred to that area.
HEMMER: These numbers are truly staggering. Two hospitals destroyed in that town, 23 health centers destroyed. It says at least two-thirds of the town's health workers were killed.
How are you able then to keep up and meet the challenges, knowing the devastating toll that has taken place?
BAHAMONDE: Well, it's extremely challenging. The FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] medical tent went up yesterday, and within 24 hours we've seen more than 200 patients. What we're starting to find is that a lot of patients hadn't sought medical help simply because there was nothing available, and so they've now sought that help. And we've been very busy at the tent.
We've done our first surgery [for] ... an Iranian soldier [who] was shot. And so we performed our first surgery last night. And just before I came down to do this interview, a woman in labor came into our tent. So hopefully later on today we'll have some good news about that. But it's been a challenge because there really are no medical facilities available here in Bam.
HEMMER: We talked about the victims in this case, 30,000 injured, 100,000 left homeless. Of the people who survived, how are they dealing with this now? How are they coping?
BAHAMONDE: Well, it's difficult, as you can imagine. I mean most of them come in and just aren't sure what's happening. Like I said, after seven days, they're now just starting to seek medical help because I think it was just so devastating that many just don't know where to go or what to do. And a lot of them are just sitting around the streets. And it's an awful sight around here, and we're just here trying to help as much as we can.
HEMMER: The initial greeting of American aid, we're told, was greeted quite warmly by the people there in southeastern Iran.
Would people in Tehran know about the U.S. assistance, people in other parts of the country? Would they be aware of that?
BAHAMONDE: Oh, absolutely. ... As you well know, the world's media is here covering this event, and Tehran is very interested in what's happening in Bam and certainly interested in the American contingent being here. And so, yes, we've spoken to a lot of people, and a lot of doctors from Tehran have come down and visited our tent. There's quite an interest in Iran that we're here helping.
