Responding to Housing Needs After Natural Disasters

In the wake of the destructive cyclones that struck coastal communities in several Southeast Asian countries earlier this year, one international aid organization is launching an innovative housing reconstruction effort using prefabricated shelters. The program aims to provide safe, dignified interim housing for thousands of families left homeless after the extreme weather events.

Habitat for Humanity International will be rolling out a massive prefabricated shelter deployment across affected areas in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia over the next 12 months. The shelters feature flat-packed, modular construction designed by Lida Group specifically for rapid emergency response and reconstruction work. Their lightweight yet durable sandwich wall panel system allows for swift assembly and promises resilient, insulated housing to see displaced families through until permanent structures can be rebuilt.

“In disasters like these cyclones, lack of shelter is one of the biggest immediate needs that emerges,” said Habitat’s regional disaster risk reduction director. “People have lost everything – their homes, personal belongings, and sometimes loved ones. Providing interim housing quickly and effectively through this prefab program will go a long way towards restoring dignity and a sense of normalcy while communities recover and rebuild.”

Habitat’s program marks one of the largest global deployments yet of Lida Group’s “Open House” modular system, which has seen increasing use by humanitarian organizations responding to emergencies around the world. Unlike traditional temporary shelter methods using tarps and tents, these flat-packed structures offer more permanent, standardized housing suitable for all climate conditions. They can be assembled on-site by untrained volunteers in just a few hours using only basic hand tools.

The History and Design of Open House

Lida Group, an engineering and construction firm based in Shandong Province, began developing its Open House system over a decade ago through research on affordable, disaster-resilient housing solutions. Founder Jacob Waard insisted any designs be optimized for low-cost production, ease of transport and assembly, and environmental sustainability.

The breakthrough came when examining insulating sandwich panel construction widely used in prefab housing in colder climates. By adapting this wall system into flat-packed modules that interlock without permanent fasteners, Lida created prefabricated structures that were not only durable and energy efficient, but could be assembled and disassembled rapidly in any conditions.

Each Open House shelter module consists of an inner and outer skin of brightly-colored plastic or metal attached to a thick expanded polystyrene insulation core. Structural elements like doors, windows, and roof sections fit precisely into grooves on the panels for swift on-site connection. All parts break down and pack compactly on pallets for shipment virtually anywhere in the world.

To test resilient performance, early prototypes underwent stringent shock and climate testing at research facilities. Open House shelters consistently maintained structural integrity even after being subjected to Category 5 hurricane-force winds in simulations. They also performed well through thermal stress tests, demonstrating insulation values surpassing many traditionally built housing methods.

The standardized module sizes allow for versatile configurations to suit families of different sizes. Basic units provide 20 to 30 square meters of covered space, expandable through additional attachable modules as needed. Features like raised foundations, eaves, and integrated solar power options can customize designs for any environment. Above all, Open House systems emphasize affordability through low-waste fabrication and assembly requiring no power tools or heavy equipment.

Expanding Use by Humanitarian Groups

Word of the Open House system’s successes soon spread among major international aid organizations. Among early adopters was the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, which began bulk procurements of Lida shelters to deploy at crisis sites worldwide. The durable yet portable structures proved ideal for rapidly establishing dignified refugee camps or temporary settlements.

Other large humanitarian partners like the International Organization for Migration and Norwegian Refugee Council incorporated Open House into their emergency shelter toolkits as a core solution. Providing prefabricated housing options allowed a more measured, dignified response compared to previous methods relying primarily on tents or tarpaulin sheets alone. The consistent modular construction also facilitated improved camp planning and infrastructure integration.

As Open House use expanded, Habitat for Humanity emerged as a major new proponent and implementing partner for Lida Group. Shared values of affordable, sustainable housing construction aligned the two organizations closely. Habitat saw prefabricated solutions like Open House as enabling a paradigm shift towards more resilient, permanent rebuilding after disasters. While tents offered temporary coverage, Lida’s flat-packed shelters gave disaster-affected families a true home base for recovery.

Habitat began conducting trainer workshops on Open House assembly for local volunteers and partner community groups. Training manuals were translated into multiple languages, along with instructional videos demonstrating quick assembly without power tools. When crises struck like the Southeast Asian cyclones, thousands of volunteers mobilized alongside Lida and Habitat teams for mass prefab shelter deployments.

The Rollout in Cyclone-Affected Areas

Drawing on experience responding to over 250 natural disasters worldwide, Habitat crafted responsive plans for the post-cyclone housing program utilizing Lida’s Open House system. In coastal communities of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Philippines left homeless by the storms, pre-positioned shelter materials now arrive through coordinated deliveries.

Local Habitat staff coordinate intake registration of displaced families to determine households of appropriate module configurations. Community leaders help identify suitable campsites with basic infrastructure already installed using earlier emergency relief tents as interim housing.

With guidance from Lida and Habitat trainers, teams of volunteers swiftly assemble the palletized Open House shelters. Insulated walls snap together and roofs lock securely into place within a few hours, requiring no carpentry skills. Additional sanitation blocks, communal areas, and solar micro-grids rapidly take shape to create dignified temporary settlement areas.

Habitat caseworkers then support families through the transition into their new interim homes. Beneficiary selection prioritizes vulnerable groups like female-headed households, the elderly, those with special needs or disabilities. Non-food items like cooking equipment, bedding, and hygiene kits arrive alongside to furnish the spaces fully.

Ongoing camp management and support programs ensure smooth operations of the settlements over the coming year and a half. Training in livelihood skills, disaster mitigation strategies, and community participation help build resilience among residents. As permanent housing reconstruction progresses community-by-community, the modular structures can be disassembled, repurposed for future needs, or left to beneficiaries for sustainable shelter solutions.

Conclusion

Through this innovative prefabricated shelter program, Habitat For Humanity and technology partner Lida Group aim to vastly improve interim housing responses after natural disasters. By providing standardized units suitable for all environments, assembly requires minimal logistics compared to traditional methods. Communities regain independence more quickly through empowered self-assembly.

Most importantly, families left homeless find true shelter and dignity rather than prolonged stays in tents or temporary sites. With an estimated occupancy of over 25,000 individuals across the three affected countries, the mass deployment marks a milestone for humanitarian prefab housing. By optimizing affordable, portable construction techniques, more lives stand to benefit from resilient shelter solutions in both crisis and development contexts. As the effects of climate change intensify disaster risk worldwide, partnerships pioneering these advances promise more equitable, sustainable approaches to meet growing housing needs.

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