|
|
- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI13010993/00001
Notes
- Summary:
- This is a field report on post-tsunami transitional settlement and shelter. The article reports on field work in Sri Lanka and Aceh on transitional settlement and shelter in the wake of the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004. In a post-disaster context, shelter is viewed, besides objects such as tents or buildings, as a series of actions fulfilling certain needs relating to health, privacy and dignity for families and for the community, physical and psychological security, and livelihood support. As, beneficiaries often take action to meet these needs by altering the post-disaster shelter provided during relief operations, self-help should be factored into any shelter process. The field experience from Aceh and Sri Lanka led the authors to focus on three main points: settlement and shelter processes; non-tsunami concerns; and root causes of vulnerability. The advantages in approaching settlement and shelter as processes involving the people who will use them come from the policy to support household involvement in managing construction and community participation for reconstruction. The field experience from Aceh shows that using beneficiary labor and trained communities in seismic-resistant construction techniques is beneficial, while hiring of contractors for labor by the organizations made it more difficult to encourage beneficiaries to build their own houses. The article also mentions the concerns that transitional settlement and shelter should deal, not only with tsunami-affected people, but also with the wider population. In discussing root causes of vulnerability and the long-term processes and conditions which led to those vulnerabilities, the article points to poor urban planning and inadequate attention to sustainable livelihoods. Mandating the exclusion zones for coastal redevelopment so as to avoid recreating tsunami vulnerability is a good step, but inconsistent and arbitrary changes on the mandate led to its ineffectiveness. The article suggests that the lessons from the field experience that apply beyond the tsunami should focus on the need of participatory decision making for an effective result and exchange of accurate and realistic information; environmental consideration to minimize long-term impacts on ecosystems and environmentally based livelihoods; coordination, not competition or confrontation among organizations; and measures to enhance the capacity of local partners to leave behind a development legacy. ( English )
- Subject:
- Disaster Risk Reduction ( English )
- Scope and Content:
- Settlement and shelter processes p. 28; Non-tsunami concerns p. 30; Root causes of vulnerability p. 30; Beyond the tsunami p. 31; Box 1: Labour and training issues in Aceh p. 29; Box 2: Shelter and settlement as processes in Sri Lanka p. 30 ( English )
- Citation/Reference:
- Kennedy, J., Ashmore, J., Babister, E., Kelman, I. (2007). Post-tsunami transitional settlement and shelter: field experience from Aceh and Sri Lanka. Humanitarian Exchange, 37, 28-31.
- General Note:
- [References on page 28 belong to previous article]
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Florida International University
- Rights Management:
- Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.
- Resource Identifier:
- FI13010993
|
|
