Dire losses

Jenny Marder

When Sharzhad Behzadpour thinks of Bam, she remembers the smell of

orange blossoms in the spring. She remembers tangerine groves, the

palm trees that lined the city’s five main roads and the

2,000-year-old citadel.

But Bam is no longer the city of her memories.

Behzadpour, now a Huntington Beach resident, lost 180 family

members in the earthquake that flattened the ancient Iranian city on

Dec. 26.

As many as 35,000 are believed to have died in the quake, which

struck the city in Southeast Iran, measuring 6.7 on the Richter

scale.

“We’re just struggling,” the 22-year-old said. “It’s really hard

to deal with. We’ve been trying to collect money to send to people,

to children who lost their parents and don’t have any protection.

We’re thankful to the American government that they sent us help.”

Behzadpour helped organize a memorial service in Los Angeles on

Sunday for those who died in the earthquake. It drew about 700

people.

Her family has also been involved in fundraising efforts by the

Iranian American Muslim Assn. of North America to build a hospital

for victims of the earthquake.

The group, which has a goal of $800,000, has already collected

$700,000.

“We have already applied for a license to transfer money for

building a hospital in Iran,” said Sadegh Namazikhah, the group’s

founder and president.

The hospital, Namazikhah said, will not only help those with

physical wounds, but will also provide emotional counseling and jobs.

Behzadpour, who attends Golden West College, moved to Huntington

Beach three years ago with her parents and brother.

When they heard about the tragedy, they immediately tried calling

relatives, but phones were disconnected. They received the news from

friends living in Kerman, a neighboring town.

And the news was devastating. Behzadpour lost more than 100 family

members and friends, including her grandmother, her uncle, her

great-aunt, cousins and numerous others.

“When you don’t have experience losing people, you could never

know that it’s this hard,” she said.

Behzadpour worries about her grandfather, who is 78 and alone. Her

family is trying to bring him to America, but getting a visa is

difficult.

“He is alone, and he lost everything,” Behzadpour said. “I’m very

worried.”

* JENNY MARDER covers City Hall. She can be reached at (714)

965-7173 or by e-mail at [email protected].