Post-disaster rebuildingRebuilding a safer and stronger Vanuatu after Cyclone Pam
Three months ago Cyclone Pam swept across Vanuatu, leaving 75,000 people in need of emergency shelter and damaging or destroying about 15,000 buildings, including homes, schools, and medical facilities. Since then, one of the most hotly debated questions within communities and on social media has been about how Vanuatu can rebuild so that it’s safer, stronger, and more resilient to future cyclones. Achieving this is not as simple as you might think. The strength and safety of buildings is critical — especially when you are rebuilding in a cyclone-prone region. But housing in particular is about more than walls and roofs; it’s also about community, traditions, culture, and supporting the way people want to live. While the strength of buildings and their ability to withstand cyclones are very important, so too are the strength and resilience of the people of Vanuatu, who have been living with the annual cyclone season for generations. The reconstruction of Vanuatu needs a diverse approach that is not solely reliant on quickly prefabricated or engineered solutions, and which keeps people at the heart of the rebuilding process.
Three months ago Cyclone Pam swept across Vanuatu, leaving 75,000 people in need of emergency shelter and damaging or destroying about 15,000 buildings, including homes, schools, and medical facilities.
Since then, one of the most hotly debated questions within communities and on social media has been about how Vanuatu can rebuild so that it’s safer, stronger, and more resilient to future cyclones.
Achieving this is not as simple as you might think. The strength and safety of buildings is critical — especially when you are rebuilding in a cyclone-prone region. But housing in particular is about more than walls and roofs; it’s also about community, traditions, culture, and supporting the way people want to live.
One of the risks after a natural disaster like Cyclone Pam is that the dominant housing reconstruction mentality tends to prioritize strength and engineering solutions above all else. After Cyclone Tracy hit the city of Darwin in northern Australia in 1974, the immediate reconstruction reaction was characterized by the “concrete bunker” that was driven by draconian post-Cylone Tracy building codes.
In Vanuatu’s case, this kind of reaction could result in a shift away from the use of lightweight local materials to heavier materials such as concrete. That potentially creates a higher risk of personal injury due to collapse if not properly constructed.
Another common post-disaster solution is the prefabricated building. These buildings are quick to construct but their use as a solution to housing can be problematic if they do not properly respond to the specific cultural context or the environment. Prefabricated buildings rarely allow for traditions related to the design and construction process, which are often an important part of cultural identity.
Lessons from what was left standing
Buildings in Vanuatu come in a wide range of forms, sizes and materials, and are built and maintained to various standards of durability and quality. What was left standing in the wake of Cyclone Pam provides a number of important clues about how to rebuild better than before.
Before and after satellite images show that Cyclone Pam left behind widespread destruction of all building types: tin roofs were blown away, timber framed walls collapsed, thatch was stripped from rafters, and even masonry walls crumbled.
