April 28, 2009 16:00-19:00 (Japan time)
Sichuan, Yogyakarta, Aceh. Gujarat, Latur, Kobe. Italy. Turkey. These historical locations have each suffered natural disasters, still too fresh in our minds, which have killed tens of thousands of innocent people. They’ve worked hard in post-disaster reconstruction – and have a lot of precious knowledge and experience to share.
© 2009 TCGI/WHRU, Daniel Pittet
“There is a need to systematize huge amounts of knowledge and experience,” said Abhas Jha, regional coordinator for the World Bank’s Disaster Risk Management East Asia and the Pacific.
Mr. Jha, an urban and housing finance specialist, led a distance learning seminar from New Delhi last week on housing and community reconstruction after natural disasters.
Jakarta, Beijing, Sichuan, Hanoi, Manila, Kobe, Tokyo, and New Delhi were linked by video conference at Session 4 of a six-seminar series for learning and knowledge-sharing on post-disaster recovery planning, risk financing, and disaster risk management, organized by the World Bank East Asia and Pacific Disaster Risk Management (DRM) team, in collaboration with the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN).
According to recent research, at least 30 percent of incurred damages and losses involve housing. The rebuilding and restoration of livelihoods, communities, social networks, relationships, and the environment are crucial. There is a clear need for individuals and their communities to take charge.
Mr. Jha explained the work behind a post-disaster housing and community reconstruction handbook, currently being prepared by the World Bank. Expected for release in autumn, the handbook will serve as a guide for large-scale public housing reconstruction programs, with a parallel website to be launched ahead in June.
The session covered topics ranging from the removal of rubble and debris after a major disaster, damage assessment, grievance mechanism, a need for fair and equal assistance for reconstruction, well-targeted transitional shelters and resettlement to the importance of supervisors, facilitators, and volunteers identified by the community, infrastructure, specialized institutions, relationships with military, local authorities, the private sector, NGOs, donors, price regulation, building on what exists, community organization, funding and anti-corruption, and environmental and social sustainability.
“Transitional shelters need to be (set up) fast and well-targeted,” said George Soraya, Lead Urban Specialist at the World Bank office in Jakarta, speaking from experience with the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake. He stressed the need for community organization in a short-term reconstruction plan.
There have also been some aspects of failures, like in the reconstruction of condominiums in Hyogo after the Kobe earthquake. Dealing with the redevelopment of wider streets and parks and reductions in individual housing lots, some cases took a decade to reach consensus.
“It was very, very difficult,” said Shoichi Ando, Hyogo office coordinator for the United Nations Centre for Regional Development, formerly with Japan’s construction/urban planning division housing bureau. “Consensus is key to urban reconstruction.”
14 years after the Kobe earthquake, both best practices and bad practices have been experienced and analyzed. “We think it’s our role to disseminate that kind of information to the world.”
Summary of Session 4: Housing and Community Reconstruction after Natural Disasters
The next session of the seminar series, to cover COMMUNITY-BASED DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT, is scheduled for the end of May 2009.
Session 6, on THE WORLD BANK’S NEW RISK FINANCING PRODUCTS, is set for June 2009 (tbd)
We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions!
This session is part of a larger program. For more information see Strengthening Disaster Risk Management in East Asia and the Pacific
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