A Feasibility Study of Local Relief Centers Establishment in Bandar Abbas

Natural disasters are among events that human beings have always been faced and extremely suffered from their damages. Many attempts have been so far done to reduce damages from natural disasters but they are still very extensive. One way to reduce injuries and damages resulting from natural disasters is people's voluntary cooperation and preparation at the time of occurring. So, this article aims to investigate the feasibility study of establishing local relief center in Bandar Abbas.This cross-sectional study was conducted among Bandar Abbas residents in 2011. By using questionnaire, 400 respondents were selected and studied based on multistage cluster sampling. According to the result, more than 70 percent of respondents considered highly important to establish the local relief centers; and 95 percent were willing to work in relief teams and help others. Moreover, the social status and knowledge about Red Crescent activities had a positive effect on the respondent's willingness to cooperate with the local relief centers based on the analytical results. The residents of Bandar Abbas were highly interested in establishing the local relief centers and actively work in the relief teams. Therefore, the establishment of the local relief centers seems to be necessary with community-based approach and also serious focus on educating citizens.