NEW REPORT ON POST-DISASTER RECONSTRUCTION
(13 September 2006)

What happens to survivors of natural disasters after the humanitarian aid agencies have gone? And why does the reconstruction of their communities take so long? These are just some of the questions posed in a new report by the Max Lock Centre at the University of Westminster, commissioned by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The 'Mind the Gap!' report highlights a worrying gap in funding and organisational skills between the initial humanitarian relief for natural disasters, and the long-term reconstruction of the areas hit.

It also suggest ways of helping communities rebuild themselves, using locally sourced materials and skills, so they can withstand any further onslaughts. The report was presented to the UN’s agency for International Disaster Risk Reduction in Switzerland last month, in the hope that the report will help to establish an effective framework for long-term reconstruction.

Tony Lloyd-Jones, the report’s principal author said: “This report was written to highlight the gap between successful humanitarian relief, and the often not so successful long-term reconstruction.

“In the aftermath of many recent natural disasters, displaced survivors are often left stranded, sometimes for years, in transitional accommodation. We hope that through better planning, local communities can be rebuilt quicker and stronger.”

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