ABSTRACT
Natural disasters occur in communities and sometimes led to tragic disasters. In the meantime, earthquakes are the most surprising one, which becomes a human tragedy in the absence of community prevention and preparedness, and have a destructive effect on human beings, habitat and the community directly and indirectly. This study aims to answer this question how to take proper managing of relief operations; and to explore and identify the strengths and weaknesses points of relief operations management by asking directors' and officers' point of views of Red Crescent society and its branches involved in relief working to the affected people in Eastern Azerbaijan. In this qualitative study, managers, deputies and heads of branches were selected and studied in the affected areas of Eastern Azerbaijan [Varzeqan, Ahar and Harris] in 2012. Using purposive sampling, data was collected and analyzed by content analysis and in-depth interviews technique. The reliability coefficient was C. [R=0/71]. The results show that attendance time of relief workers category was appropriate than others categories in carrying out relief operations of Red Crescent society in East Azerbaijan and other categories were very inappropriate/low inappropriate/somewhat inappropriate. According to the results, a crisis management committee including different organizations and agencies are required to plan properly for the way to deal with disasters and relief working, and timely and equitable of facilities distribution. In one hand, this planning should be at the macro level between all agencies and organizations including military and armed forces, ministries [roads and transportation, power, telecommunications, health care, etc.], municipality, councils and governors, county, and Red Crescent society. On other hand, this planning should be at the micro-level [coordination between various parts of Red Crescent society] inside Red Crescent society and in form of a protocol job description defined clearly