TEHRAN – A total of 1,070 people benefited from rescue services of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) in 12 provinces of the country from June 21 to 27.

According to Babak Mahmoudi, an official with the IRCS, 152 relief teams, consisting of 549 rescuers participated in removing water from 156 residential houses, IRIB reported.

Conducting 76 rescue missions, the IRCS  provided emergency shelter accommodation for 309 affected individuals and transported 215 others to safe places.

They also distributed 67 tents, 159 blankets, 82 mats, 54 sets of dishes, and 81 packages of plastic bags among flood-hit people.

According to reports, unfortunately, three individuals are missing, and five have lost their lives.

Increased precipitation

“After four years of consecutive low precipitations, the amount of average rainfall is getting close to normal long-term figures,” the head of Metrological Organization said on June 18.

“Currently, the country is witnessing less than one millimeter, about 0.3 percent, short of long-term rainfall,” IRIB quoted Sahar Tajbakhsh as saying.

According to available statistics, South Khorasan, Sistan-Baluchestan, and Yazd provinces have so far received more than 30 percent of the long-term rainfall in the current water year that began on September 23, 2023, she added.

Other provinces like Ardabil, Isfahan, Ilam, North Khorasan, Khuzestan, Qom, Kordestan, Kermanshah, Golestan, and Mazandaran have experienced between 2 up to 29 percent more than normal rains.

IRCS's recent services

The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) offered first-aid training services to more than four million people from March 14 to April 5.

Some 63,000 other people also received rescue services.

Among 4,370 operations and services carried out by the IRCS, 2,525 were rescue operations, ISNA quoted Mahmoudi as saying.

The IRCS provided emergency shelters for 3,931 individuals, treated 5,257 wounded people, and transferred 1,567 others to health centers.

Moreover, within the framework of a program initiated on March 14, more than four million individuals were trained in first aid by the IRCS trainers, and 400 others received online training.

Also, kids were made aware of natural hazards, such as floods and earthquakes, and other dangers using virtual reality or playing games.

A training workshop focusing on lowering harms caused by drug addiction was held with the cooperation of the IRCS and Villa Maraini Foundation of Italy in Tehran in December 2023.

Pirhossein Kolivand, the head of the IRCS, and Massimo Barra, the head of the Villa Maraini Foundation, met on the sidelines of the event.

Kolivand stated that drug users encounter severe health issues, suffering from an identity crisis which leads to their exclusion by both their families and society, the IRCS website reported.

However, initiative projects, such as Harm Reduction on Drug Addiction, serve the purpose of educating and offering healthcare to these individuals, enabling them to reintegrate into society, reunite with their families, and restore self-esteem.

MT/MG