Government civil liabi lity in natural disaster;Looking at the Formation of Iran’s National Disaster Manegment organization

The principle that loss must be compensated by the one who imposed it, is agreed upon in almost every legal system. The crisis management organization (CMO) establishment act forces the government to compensate the losses due to the natural disasters (as an instance for crisis) against the people affected. However, all damages due to natural disasters are not caused by government performance and thus it could not be assumed as civil liability in the exact sense of the word. It is rather a legal enforcement in order to perform its role in the response and recovery stages of the crisis management process, based on which the government is responsible to prepare the minimum requirements needed for improving the quality of lives of the affected community. In case that the government fails in performing its role in any of the four-staged crisis management process, which results in any damages or loss for the people in the affected community, and if this is due to any shortage in the facilities or equipment provided, it is the government that is responsible for compensating the loss.