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After a cyclone, a stronger home and future

How Samoa is building and preparing for natural disasters

By United Nations Development Programme

September 8^th, 2016

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After a cyclone, a stronger home and future

Sitiseni Afua Fuga was pregnant when Cyclone Evan hit Samoa and destroyed her home.

The huge storm, which hit the island nation in 2012, left a trail of devastation throughout her village of Siumu, and beyond. “When Cyclone Evan struck, I was seven months pregnant,” said Sitiseni, recounting her gruelling experience during the huge tropical storm.

“My thatch was blown away by the devastating cyclonic winds, leaving my family without shelter. We led a miserable life for more than two years, living on the roadside before moving to a [temporary] thatched dwelling we built with wood and rope. We had only a tiny space to sleep, and the mental and physical growth of our kids was sharply constrained by a lack of space.”

But Sitiseni and her family now live in a cyclone-resistant house which has been specifically designed and engineered to withstand cyclonic winds, earthquakes and periodic surface flooding. It has also been built along the lines of the traditional Samoan Faleo’o concept, with construction based around a series of sturdy posts and poles well-suited to withstanding Pacific climate hazards

Sitiseni cannot forget the ordeal of Cyclone Evan, but today draws great reassurance from the resilient architectural design of her newly built home – constructed as part of a Government of Samoa and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) initiative. “Our new house is stronger in terms of its foundations, stands up to strong winds and tolerates natural movements,” she said.

The Cyclone that hit the country on December 13 2012 killed at least five people and displaced almost 5,000. There were major repercussions for household subsistence with the destruction of crops, fruit trees, agricultural assets, livestock and fishing gear. A Government of Samoa Needs Assessment Report estimated the cost of damages and losses at some US$204 million - very significant given the small size of the Samoan economy.

In the aftermath of the Cyclone, UNDP supported the Government in introducing the Human Recovery Needs Assessment (HRNA) methodology, designed to explore the human impact of natural disasters, and find those who had the greatest need.

After responding to the immediate needs of those affected, UNDP was requested by the Government of Samoa to assist in tackling housing needs for the most vulnerable, such as families with young children or senior citizens and persons with disabilities, as well as low income households. The Cyclone Evan Shelter Reconstruction Project also focused on reconstruction of destroyed dwellings with a “build back better” ethos.