Bring U.S. Best Practices Back Home
By Steven J. Anlian, AICP, Director of Program Development, Technologists, Inc.
Technologists, Inc.’s innovative subsidy plan helps move displaced Haitians from tent cities to better housing while also clearing land for quality new construction.
Fall, 2011—Through its government agencies and contractors, the United States has always been a leader in providing foreign assistance and disaster relief around the globe. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other U.S. agencies have decades of experience helping people in other countries cope with calamities of biblical proportions. As numerous communities dig out from the natural disasters of recent years—and even recent months—it may be a good time to ask, can the best international disaster-relief practices be imported to the United States?
Technologists, Inc.’s experience in Afghanistan, Haiti, and elsewhere suggests that the answer is yes. In fact, Ti is developing a strategic plan to support USACE, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other organizations in rebuilding after natural disasters in the U.S. homeland. Ti engineers and other professionals have a wealth of experience in environments with much higher rates of natural and manmade disasters than the United States. We typically work in countries where entire generations have had to rebuild following military conflicts, earth tremors, or major flooding.
Infrastructure Development in Afghanistan
There is no more challenging environment than Afghanistan for building roads and infrastructure. Since 2004 Ti has been designing and building structures and facilities, managing construction, procuring equipment and materials, and coordinating logistics, all with an iterative design, construction, and review process that lends itself to urgent, postdisaster rebuilding. Our professionals work in remote locations and tough terrain. Self-sufficient Ti work teams are positioned to deploy rapidly. They bring all necessary life-support, communications, materials, tools, and supplies to some of the most challenging job sites in the world. Lessons learned in Afghanistan could be applied in many postdisaster situations, including in the United States.
Housing the Homeless in Haiti
The 2010 Haiti earthquake rendered hundreds of thousands of people homeless and forced them to flee the disaster zone. As an alternative to the ubiquitous tent camps, Ti and our Haitian partner are developing creative solutions to encourage altruism on the part of Haitians living in safe zones. The program pays subsidies to host families that take displaced persons into their own homes. Funds may be used to purchase food, bedding, and other domestic necessities, or to pay for modest housing renovations that quickly create more living space.
This proves to be a cost-effective interim solution for the one out of three displaced families whose homes suffered only moderate damage. By shrinking the population of squalid tent camps, the program reduces human misery while also clearing valuable infill sites for large, high-quality construction projects.
This concept, implemented either through direct government reimbursements or tax credits, could serve as a model response to similar short-term displacements when disaster strikes in the United States.
We can all benefit from studying U.S. responses to foreign disasters, as disasters become less foreign to us.