DISASTER RESPONSE TOOLS FOR SURVIVORS

Abstract

             The inadequate response to disasters in poorer countries result in victims suffering grave repercussions after the impact. Disaster prone areas are under constant threat due to their location, and they face a higher risk in the coming years due to climate change. The developed countries are far better prepared for such events. Japan, due to its location and geographical attributes, is prone to multiple disasters, and has faced a large number of earthquakes and Tsunamis resulting in a significant loss overt the years. Consequently, within the past decade, the country has invested significantly in formulating an effective disaster management based on what is needed in various situations. Comparatively, the lesser developed countries lack the funds, skill, information, infrastructure, and more importantly, political stability, thus hindering its ability to efficiently cope with the challenges of natural disasters and its impacts. In most cases, the funds and shelters supplied to these areas as relief aids from other countries are highly mismanaged, and people would be left to make arrangements for themselves to pull through. Arranging shelters are crucial immediately after a disaster, so people are able to take refuge in a safe place so they can focus on recovering and eventually starting to rebuild their lives. The aim of this thesis is to analyse the resourcefulness and creativity the displaced have exhibited in assembling makeshift shelters as desperate measures to tackle the need for a suitable shelter, with the limited provisions available to them, and further attempt to devise a system that supports these victims in constructing a stable temporary structure for a safe refuge.