Recovery from Disaster

Sudden-impact disasters, such as earthquakes, flash floods, hurricanes and tornadoes can cause dramatic increases in homelessness and almost instantaneous mass demand for temporary as well as permanent shelter. Moreover, on average each year, 720 catastrophes occur, some 270 million people are affected and $100 billion of damage is caused. Frequently, major crises occur as a result of the sudden creation of situations of mass homelessness in the wake of catastrophe. Moreover, in the future, climate change is likely to intensify the physical impact of meteorological and hydrological disasters, while at the same time many of the areas at risk (including floodable coasts and river valleys, unstable slopes, tectonic fault lines) are experiencing rapid rates of population growth. Throughout the world there has been a tendency to migrate to coastal areas, which offer superior economic opportunities. Sea-level rise and intensifying tropical storms are bound to increase the level and frequency of destruction in coastal disasters. Hence, there is no doubt that future disasters will generate massive and widespread demand for temporary shelter and permanent reconstruction. Experience of both good and bad practice has accrued over the years, but no book has dealt comprehensively with the problems of shelter and reconstruction after disaster since the 1970s. It is time to summarise the state of the art and provide a concise, comprehensive source of knowledge for academics, planners, architects, engineers, construction managers, relief and development officials, reconstruction planners and the private sector who are all involved with shelter and the built environment after disasters Throughout the past seven years, the planning and implementing of reconstruction, previously a seriously neglected humanitarian concern, has been thrust onto the priority agendas of donor governments, UN agencies, NGO's and the private sector. This is on account of castastrophic damage and human losses from six mega-earthquakes, a hurricane and a tsunami: the Bam earthquake in Iran in 2003, the South Asian Tsunami of 2004, the Pakistan Earthquake of 2005, Hurricane Katrina of 2005, the Sichuan earthquake in China of 2008 and the Haiti and Chile earthquakes of 2010 While each of these events differs, the patterns of damage, human losses and recovery needs and response are similar.