A CRITIQUE ON POST-DISASTER EMERGENCY SHELTER : USING INDONESIA AFTER THE TSUNAMI IN 2004 AS A CASE STUDY

Abstract

“On average, the Asia Pacific region experiences 41 per cent of recorded global disaster events. Two to three large scale disasters now take place every two years. This situation is compounded by an increasing number of localized smaller scale disasters that have increased the total number of disasters per month from an average of 21 in 2004 to 51 in 2008.” International Federation of Red Cross Society1 In view of the rising number of natural disasters, this paper seeks to address the pressing need of emergency shelters. This problem is often overlooked and often generic plastic sheeting and tents are provided as emergency relief regardless of it suitability to the country’s climate and needs. In the case of Indonesia, where there are constant occurrences of natural disaster due to its location, many are often left homeless after a disaster. Often, the easiest solution is to distribute plastic sheeting and tents. However, these generic shelters are not suitable for the hot and humid climate in Indonesia which results in quick deterioration of the shelters. Furthermore, these temporary solutions often turn out not to be temporary at all and people are left stuck between the emergency sheltering stage and transitional shelter stage. Therefore, there is a need to look into other available options that may be more suitable for a hot and humid climate, specifically Indonesia. The paper will start out by studying the general requirements of shelters after a disaster and the shelters that are currently being deployed. Then a specific case study of Indonesia after the 2004 earthquake would be studied to evaluate the shelters that were used. Following which, a study on other shelter systems in the market would be carried out and a comparison would be made to find out which is the most appropriate system for the region. Finally, an appropriate model will be proposed based on the research done.