Social Analysis of Accidents in Electricity Industry: Case of Khuzestan Province Power Outages in February 2016

The phenomenon of wet dust in Khuzestan province in February 2016 affected the provincechr('39')s electricity network and caused a widespread blackout. Following the power outage, other infrastructure in the province also suffered, the blackout crisis stimulated widespread social reactions. Accordingly, in this article, using the mixed method methodology, the dimensions and social consequences of the disaster are identified and analyzed. The results of qualitative section analysis showed that three categories of "disaster characteristics", "social contexts of the province" and" disaster readiness and management" have had an impact on "perception of the disaster". In addition, the social consequences of the disaster, such as "increased tendency to migrate from Khuzestan province" can be interpreted in direct connection with the perception of the disaster. The results of the quantitative part also confirmed the interpretations obtained in the qualitative part. However, the key finding of the article was that there was a wide perception gap between officials and different groups of people in Khuzestan regarding the different dimensions of the disaster. This makes it possible to understand the social reactions after the disaster. In the final part of the article, emphasizing the importance of social studies in the planning and policies of the Ministry of Energy and focusing on the Khuzestan disaster, suggestions are presented to promote social resilience in Khuzestan province.