Chile: post-disaster housing

Friday, August 27, 2010

  • IMG_5820.jpgVioleta Salinas Pichatt in the O'Higgins area of Coronel, who lost her house in the earthquake, stands in her new house provided by the ACT response.
  • IMG_5827.jpgThe housing is basic, but it is permanent. José and Violeta Salinas stand in front of their new house built with the support of ACT.
  • IMG_5829.jpgBenjamin Altamirano waits as his new house is built. SEPADE architect Michel Cartes said that the houses were built within the building regulations, to avoid adding to vulnerability.
  • IMG_5840.jpgBenjamín Altamirano with his parents during the construction of their house. The houses are built from panels and are erected in just a few hours, which is important in emergency situations.
  • IMG_5853.jpgHere the wall of a house is lifted into position by volunteers from the Centro Educacional de la Madera (Timber Education Centre).
  • IMG_5868-Version-2.jpgJosé Conejeros from the Centro Educacional de la Madera (Timber Education Centre) volunteers with others to build houses for people who have lost everything.
  • IMG_5872.jpgCarlos Muñoz helps build the house with other volunteers. The housing project is on budget despite massive rises in materials costs that are typical in emergencies.
  • IMG_5898.jpgThe designs that were used needed to be flexible to accommodate variations in plots.
  • IMG_5904.jpgArchitect Michel Cartes said “We don’t want to build emergency housing, because it often ends up being permanent".
  • IMG_5923.jpgJuan Ruz Figueroa is the volunteer foreman on the housing construction. Housing was provided to the families with the greatest vulnerability.
  • IMG_5941.jpgVanesa Silva V. and Luis Altamirano with their two children Benjamin and Vicente. This family was living in their new house within a few hours of this picture being taken.

Some 80,000 houses were lost in the earthquake in Chile on 27 February 2010. ACT members and their partners are working to replace housing for some of the most vulnerable families in the area hardest hit by the earthquake around Coronel.

ACT members form part of the Inter-eclesial Emergency Committee of Chile (Comité Intereclesiástico de Emergencia de Chile), along with their partners SEPADE and EPES and IELCH. SEPADE has taken responsility for the housing in the ACT response. This gallery of images by Sean Hawkey shows some of their work.