Iran: Flooding prompts evacuations in Khuzestan province as of March 30 /update 2

Event

Heavy rains and consequent flash flooding have left at least 45 people dead across over two dozen Iranian provinces as of Saturday, March 30. Among the most severely affected areas are the provinces of Golestan, Fars, Kurdistan, Qom, and Isfahan. Authorities have also begun evacuating river-adjacent villages in threatened by flooding in Khuzestan province, as more rainfall is forecast in the area and others affected by recent flooding over the coming days.

Lingering transportation and business disruptions are to be expected in the affected provinces over the coming hours and days.

Context

This bout of flooding comes after flooding hit Mazandaran and Golestan provinces in recent days following heavy rain that inundated the provinces on March 19-20, before reaching the south and the west of the country.

Advice

Individuals in the affected areas are advised to monitor local weather reports, adhere to instructions issued by local authorities, anticipate flooding and associated transportation and business disruptions (including due to road closures), and remember that walking or driving through running water can be dangerous - 15 cm (6 in) of moving water is enough to knock over an adult - and that floodwater may contain wastewater and chemical products; all items having come into contact with floodwater should be disinfected and all foodstuffs discarded.