IFRC SRU SD Bill Flinn Safe construction through Incremental Improvements

Safer construction through incremental improvements

Bill Flinn Centre for Development and Emergency Practice CENDEP Oxford Brookes University

8,000 houses out of a total need of 500,000 is 1.6% Cyclone Sidr, Bangladesh 2008

One year on, the total number of shelters constructed was 50,000, 10% of total need

What about the 90%?

The majority frequently rebuild using their own resources, often incorporating pre-disaster vulnerabilities

cost

quality

cost time expertise capacity

quality, safety, reduction in vulnerability

Small, but significant, incremental improvements can be easily achieved at low cost

Hurricane strapping

Roof retrofits - Cuba

Estimated minimum fatalities Hurricane Mitch – 1998

10,000

Central American countries

Hurricane Katrina – 2005

1,836

USA

Hurricane Wilma – 2005

8 31 4

Mexico USA Cuba

Hurricane Dennis – 2005

56 15 4

Haiti USA Cuba

Hurricane Gustav and Ike – 2008

150 160 7

Haiti USA Cuba

Cyclone Nargis - 2008 Cyclone Sidr – 2007

146,000 Burma 4,000 Bangladesh

Source : Wikipedia

Reinforced concrete

5” precast RC column

5” precast RC column with diagonal crossbracing

10” brick column

15” composite column

58 km/hr

100 km/hr

Category 3 158 km/h

Category 4+ 194++ km/hr

Steel trusses

Advantages: •

Timber is expensive

•

Steel in Bangladesh is well-understood

• The design and assembly of prefabricated parts leaves little room for error.

Disadvantages: •

Maintenance

•

Not very amenable to self-build

•

Cost? Availability?