Building a shelter after the earthquake
4 April 2006 (Updated 8 October 2007)
After
the South Asian earthquake of October 2005, DFID’s response team scrambled the
first international search and rescue teams to the region, arranged for medical
support to be flown in, and emptied the UK’s stores of blankets and tents in
the race to prevent further loss of life.
Our support after the initial emergency phase included £637,356 to international relief agency ACTED for water and sanitation, and £300,000 to provide toolkits, latrines and temporary shelter.
This case study explores the experience of one man, Mohammad Fayaz, and his family in the village of Sarash, in the Balakot area of Northern Pakistan as they hurried to literally build a roof over their heads.
'A-frame' is model success
Mohammed: "After the earth quake my whole family of nine lived in tents. These were given to us by the army. The earthquake took most of our possessions and we did not have the money to buy the materials for building a small shelter ourselves.
"The roads were damaged and blocked and none of the aid agencies came up here until December, when suddenly ACTED arrived in the village.
"The ACTED staff announced that they would be distributing corrugated iron sheets, plastic and foam so that we could build our own shelters, and everybody got excited. But when we saw the materials, we were confused too, because we make our houses of mud and stone and we thought it would be difficult to build a house with the materials that ACTED brought to the village.
"But in the end it was not difficult at all! The ACTED team started with constructing a model shelter. They showed us how to make a wooden frame, how to wrap the plastic around it, what to do with isolation foam and how to use the iron sheets for the roof. The shape of the shelter in the form of an “A” is very beautiful and it also makes it easier to remove snow from the roof."
Groundwork
"I worked 15 days with four brothers and cousins to build the shelter. First we flattened the ground and made a proper floor. Then we constructed the frame. The wood for the frame we had to find ourselves. It wasn’t easy to cut the wood into the right sizes.
"We had to hire a car and take it all the way to Balakot for cutting, because
the cutting machines in our area were all destroyed by the earthquake. We spent
3,500 PRS (60 USD) on the cutting and the car. After the A-frame was finished we
soon finished the shelter and finally had a comfortable, warm home again.
Building the shelter was fun and helped in strengthening the relationships
between family, friends and neighbours, because everybody helped each other.
"Now we are all waiting for the government to give us a grant with which we can
rebuild our houses that were destroyed. When that happens I will take all the
materials that were given to us and use it for the reconstruction of my house,
including the latrine that we received. I am even thinking of copying the
A-shape.
"On behalf of the village I want to thank ACTED for their assistance and give them a Big A for the quality of their help."
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Key facts
- At 9am on Saturday 8 October 2005, an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale left more than 70,000 people dead and 2.5 million people homeless.
- DFID provided around £53 million in immediate humanitarian relief but in the intervening period has channelled a further £51 million into reconstruction.
- DFID provided £1.5 million in support for Oxfam’s work in the relief phase, including 3,500 "winterised" family tents, 19,700 collapsible 10-litre jerry cans, 7,500 wool blankets, 40,000 sleeping mats and 20,000 tarpaulins. This support also included more than £500,000 for water supplies and sanitation.
- The ACTED program in the Balakot area was funded by DFID and the Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance.
