22 December 2009
One of the most successful aspects of the post-tsunami international aid effort was the speedy construction of transitional shelters in many of the worst-affected areas.
In Sri Lanka alone, the tsunami destroyed over 100,000 houses – particularly in the north and east - and left many other public buildings destroyed or damaged.
A range of NGOs worked on the ground to erect shelters, including ZOA Refugee Care (which sheltered 2,000 families), Norwegian Refugee Council (2,111 families), Christian Aid (2,500 families) and Islamic Relief (which provided shelters, cash for work and housing repairs).
It was clear that many people who had lost their homes were reluctant to be moved to tents or temporary camps.
Many had taken refuge in public buildings such as temples or been accommodated by host families.
The 200ft² shelters gave quick relief to those without homes and provided a strong enough structure until more help could be delivered. In the case of some families the shelters would become their home for years.
Within one month of the tsunami hitting, the first shelter materials had been delivered. The simple, lightweight metal-framed shelters were set up on land already owned by families or on land specially negotiated from landowners.
Part of the challenge for aid agencies was finding suitable plots outside the Sri Lankan government’s buffer zone – which banned any construction within 100 metres of the high-tide mark in some areas and 200 metres in others - to make sure people would not be relocated too far from their livelihoods.
Nine months after the disaster, the project had housed 90% of its amended target of 850 families.
Since the tsunami, the shelters have been developed and used in other disaster responses, including in Sumatra following the September 2009 earthquake.
Facts and stats
- The UK's response to the tsunami was concentrated in the two worst affected countries: Indonesia and Sri Lanka. DFID provided £75 million for emergency humanitarian aid as part of the global response. Of this, some £55 million was targeted towards Indonesia.
- In Indonesia DFID worked in close partnership with the government, the World Bank's Multi Donor Fund and NGOs such as Muslim Aid. In Sri Lanka DFID worked with the government, UN agencies and NGOs.
- DFID also worked with the Disasters and Emergencies Committee and international NGOs to allocate the £390 million donated by the UK public.
- Read more about how DFID responds to humanitarian emergencies and find out how you can help.