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Services > Training > Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance> Emergency Shelter & Shelter Reconstruction

EMERGENCY SHELTER & SHELTER RECONSTRUCTION

Shelter for survivors of disasters and conflict means more than meeting the basic needs of protection from the elements, privacy and security. Appropriate shelter response takes into account the multiple dimensions of shelter as a base for a family’s economic activities, as well as social and cultural dynamics that define what is and is not acceptable shelter. Oftentimes the most lethal result of a disaster is the failure of houses and therefore reconstruction should only employ disaster-resistant construction technologies. Another important consideration in shelter reconstruction is that it generates more livelihood opportunities than just about any other economic activity, thus speeding overall disaster recovery. Responding to shelter needs can provide substantial opportunities to mitigate the impact of disasters.

Representative Projects:

Training in appropriate settlement and shelter response has been an integral component of several InterWorks training programs: UNHCR’s Emergency Management Training Programme and Situational Emergency Training, USAID Office of U.S, Foreign Disaster Assistance’s Introduction to Assessment Course and the State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration’s course on Monitoring and Evaluation.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID), 1999:
InterWorks consultants served the USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance as shelter specialists for their Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) in Kosovo. These specialists undertook an emergency shelter assessment of the urban areas, made policy recommendations for shelter response, worked with implementing partners in the design of emergency shelter response and supported the logistical operation of importing construction materials.