Reconstruction in the December 26th 2004 Tsunami

By:

Sarah Metts

Clair Drake

Outline

• Property Damage• Reconstruction• Political, Social and

Economic Impact

EERI

• Dispatching Teams to gather data about physical aspect of tsunami in affected regions

• Another team is focusing on damage to lifelines, such as highways, bridges, ports, etc

• Documenting impact• These teams consist of geotechnical,

structural, and coastal engineers, geologists, geophysicists, and experts in fluid mechanics

• Here’s an example of a Recon Form• Here’s a report on the Tsunami

Property Damage

• Foundations • The Houses that were

built on concrete survived

• Sand Dunes• Hotels and Restaurants • Private property damage • Damage most severe

where coast had been modified

• 6,791 homes lost•  315 hotels and

resorts•  234 restaurants•  4,365 fishing boats•  5,977 fish traps•  11 fish ponds•  277 nurseries• 2,480 acres of beach

damaged

Economic and Political Impact

• In many countries farmers and fishermen were the hardest hit.

• Tourism is another popular area that was hit hard• Many countries relied on tourism for most of their profit• India is one of the few countries that doesn’t expect a

big loss• Indonesia made up of 300 different ethnic groups US

presence could arouse suspicion• Indonesia has a new president, Susilo Bambang

Yudhoyomo • Bush Administration• Thailand's elections in mid-February

December 25, 2004 December 26, 2004

What went wrong

• Guidelines weren’t enforced-200 meter buffer zone

• Foundations were poor and built on sand• War prevented construction of good roads• New homes are built to far from coasts for

fishermen• So much new construction may result in overuse

of timber and sand.• Debris disposal interfering with fish• Fisherman are over fishing coastal areas while

they lack the resources to go further out.

The settlement to the left is too far away from the water for the fisherman to be successful

The settlement to the right uses too many resources to be an effective method on such a large scale

What Survived And Why

• Reinforced concrete walls had little damage

• Coastal coconut trees stood up due to long slender limbs, thick trunks and large root mats (could be useful in construction)

• Sand dunes over 10 meters high protected anything behind them

• Coral reef diverted waves around housing behind them

UN’s short term goals for region

• Emergency cleanup and restoration

• Emergency housing• Restore infrastructure• Restore people’s

livelihoods• Land use planning

UN’s Long Term Goals for region

• Good local governance

• Empowerment to local officials and social reform

• Property allotment

• Economic recovery

• Strategic partnerships

• Vulnerability reduction for future disasters

UN Solution

• Evaluate supply and demand for resources

• Start forest rehab for future

• Strategically place trees for protection

• Alleviate poverty by creating jobs

• Jobs must center around resources and economy

• Environmental health is top priority

Architecture for Humanity’s solution

• Build houses on firm concrete foundations on a grid to allow for growth

• Houses are constructed of rammed earth bricks

• Ample ventilation needed for temperature control

• Extended roof and large foundation for one to two future extensions

References

• Architecture for Humanity

• UN

• Earthquake Engineering Research Institute

• American Society for Civil Engineers