On December, 26, 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake, the 3rd strongest in recorded history, struck the Indian Ocean. This massive earthquake produced 98 foot high tsunami waves which killed 230,000 people, making it the 5th deadliest tsunami in recorded history. The majority of the affected areas were located in countries and communities which lack substantial economic growth. Due to this unthinkable event, shelters not only need to be designed for the United States, they also need to be designed for 3rd world countries. In addition, in 1978, Ian Davis wrote the following, “shelters must be considered as a process, not as an object” (Kennedy, para1). To accompany Davis’s statement, shelters must be viewed as a series of actions to provide the users with certain needs (health, privacy, livelihood support, and physical and psychological security). Within this blog, three main points are discussed to help portray the events that occur when providing a 3rd world country with sheltering.
Image 1 - Disaster relief supplies arriving to devastated communities
The first point is pointing out the advantages of involving the users of the shelters and settlements in the design process, rather than viewing them as objects that needs to be built, turned over to the recipients, and then left behind. However, instead of being viewed as elements that support livelihood, health, and security, in most post-disaster situations, transitional sheltering is usually considered to be part of non-food item destruction. On the other hand, communities and users need to realize that their participation does not imply community and personal control. Their participation is needed to determine the needs and immediate wants of the users. The users’ recommendations will be incorporated into the shelter’s design, only if it meets the needs and requirements of the environment. For example, after the tsunami, communities in Sri Lanka requested Western-style concrete structures because they represent progress and development; however, concrete causes many complications due to Sri Lanka’s climate and environment.
Instead of concrete, due to its good performance during an earthquake, organizations promoted the use of timber construction. After the tsunami revenged the surrounding countries, the urgency to provide sheltering increased. Due to this, the sheltering progress and success was measured by the number of shelters provided. Therefore, the needs of the user were put on the back burner. In a post-disaster situation, a shelter can be used for more than just protecting the displaced individuals. In 3rd world countries, temporary sheltering can be used for storing food, materials, as well as providing communities with temporary sheltering. Another tremendous challenge in Sri Lanka, after the tsunami, was providing temporary sheltering and settlement, without giving the users the notion of permanent housing. These challenges could have been lessened by answering one question before starting the shelter’s design. The organizations should have asked themselves, before designing, what and where these shelters are transforming the users to.
Image 2 - An example of a semi-permanent sheltering option
The second point is that the transitional sheltering and settlement should not only deal with the people affected by the tsunami, but with a much wider population spectrum. In Sri Lanka, the shelter’s recipients were based on being a tsunami-affected individual; therefore, conflict-people were left out. For example, in Trincomalee, over 20,000 shelter units were pledged by relief organizations; however, only 7,000were required for tsunami-affected communities. After discovering the exact number, the pledged number was adjusted to fit the needs of the tsunami-affected individuals. Due to the overwhelming attention to the risk of tsunamis, the very possible earthquake risk went to the waste side. In addition, there are even divisions within the tsunami-affected individuals. Even though all the affected individuals went through similar situations, renters and homeless people were given much less support than those who had owned their own house and /or property.
Image 3 - A shelter attached to a house, while the users are in the process of reconstructing a house
The third point is that the transitional shelters and settlements should address the root causes of the displaced individuals’ vulnerability. Urban development in Sri Lanka, for decades, involved poor planning and inadequate attention to sustainable living. These actions contributed to the population increase in coastal areas, which are vulnerable to tsunamis. To compound these problems, organizations did not conduct environmental impact assessments; therefore, the long-term urban planning of the settlements was not taken into consideration. Due to these past actions of Sir Lanka, settlements and shelters could not suddenly spring up after the tsunami on December 26, 2004. Once completed, the new settlements were built without considering the sites locations, as well as allowing for adequate square footage. This lack of planning resulted in settlements having open storm water drainage, which were located at the front doors of some buildings and shelters. Some of the site locations, zones where coastal flooding and tsunamis would occur, were not thought about; therefore they were excluded. However, these coastal areas are required to sustain the livelihood of those who depend on the sea for food and economic growth. Since excluding post-disaster settlements, these coastal zones were used for other purposes, such as building hotels.
Image 4 - a gathering of children in a disaster settlement after the Indian Ocean tsunami
The experiences of Sri Lanka, after the tsunami, provided organizations with information regarding the community, environment, and coordination that could help courtiers become better prepared when another disaster strikes their area. In regards to the community, their participation in decision making for settlement and sheltering should be executed before another disaster strikes. In addition, their participations should include various ages, genders, and ethnicities. In regards to the environment, certain considerations must be taken into account to help minimize long-term impacts on the ecosystem. In return, this will lead to lessen the impacts on the displaced individuals. In regards to coordination, it is mandatory that organizations, builders, and beneficiaries create a consistent and system of local and national building codes.
Text
Kennedy, J. (2007 March). Post-Tsunami Transitional Settlements and Shelter: Field
Experiences from Aceh and Sri Lanka. Retreived October 19, 2011, from
http://www.odiphn.org/report.asp/asp?id=2879
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