Completed Disaster Response programs

Habitat’s Disaster Response helps communities recover and regain the capacity to rebuild their lives and livelihoods
By giving the communities the means to rebuild, Habitat’s Disaster Response supports, empowers and helps families build recovery shelter and housing solutions. New, integrated communities are created, as well as new Habitat affiliates.

Disaster Response educates the public on various aspects of shelter and house construction and introduces disaster mitigation and preparedness concepts that allow families to protect themselves against future disasters. Through our work, we foster partnerships and alliances with businesses, intergovernmental and multilateral organizations, nongovernmental organizations, churches and other civil organizations.

Completed Disaster Response programs
While the Disaster Response programs below are considered officially complete, many Habitat affiliates continue to build homes in these areas as part of their regular programs.

2008
Indiana, USA, Flooding
In January 2008, flooding from the Tippecanoe and Wabash Rivers destroyed at least 180 homes and damaged 700 homes in Indiana. Another onslaught of warm weather and excessive rain led to more flooding in the same region in February. Habitat for Humanity of Lafayette played an instrumental role in aiding long-term recovery efforts in an 8-county region in northwest Indiana. The affiliate also joined other organizations to form Disaster Assistance for Northwest Indiana―a coalition committed to restoring affected households in the area to “pre-flood wholeness.”

2007
Indonesia, Earthquake
In March, 2007, a powerful earthquake hit the Indonesian island of Sumatra, flattening hundreds of buildings and killing over 70 people. In the aftermath of the earthquake, Habitat Yogyakarta volunteers and staff cleared debris and helped other organizations distribute emergency supplies to the community.

Immediately after, Habitat began the long task of rebuilding. Through Reaching out Architect―a three-month apprentice program for architectural or civil engineering students―Habitat was able to tap more than 40 local university students to assist Habitat field staff in consulting communities about rebuilding.

Several months after the earthquake, Habitat Yogyakarta also rebuilt 60 houses for people injured by the earthquake―building core houses that could be enlarged at a later date. The affiliate completed the rebuilding program in mid-2007, exceeding its original target by helping more than 1,000 families rebuild their homes and lives.

Nicaragua, Hurricane Felix
On September 4, 2007, Hurricane Felix, a Category 5 storm, struck the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua, affecting more than 300 urban and rural communities and at least 33,000 families who were already among some of the poorest in Nicaragua. Housing, water and sanitation systems; access roads; schools; health centers; and places of worship were all damaged by the hurricane. Impact on crops, the area’s small-scale fishing industry and the environment was disastrous.

Habitat for Humanity built houses for the 150 indigenous Miskito families living in the small remote community of Auhya Pihni.

Bangladesh, Cyclone Sidr
Tropical Cyclone Sidr slammed into Bangladesh’s south coast on November 15, 2007, packing winds of up to 140 miles per hour and tidal waves that swept away homes, crops and livestock. The cyclone, the worst to hit Bangladesh since the 1991 cyclonic disaster, claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people and affected 6.8 million total. The cyclone’s effect extended over 1,700 areas, causing massive damage to houses, buildings, roads and other infrastructure.

In response, Habitat Bangladesh assisted families affected through capacity building efforts, construction of 480 transitional shelters with proper sanitation using contributions from UNICEF Bangladesh and Habitat Great Britain.

2006
El Salvador, Seismic swarm
In December 2006, more than 1,000 tremors impacted western El Salvador, damaging or destroying approximately 3,700 homes. Habitat for Humanity repaired or rebuilt homes for over 200 families devastated by this disaster.

Lebanon, Complex humanitarian emergency
The July War of 2006 in Lebanon destroyed vital infrastructure and leveled buildings throughout the country. Nearly 1 million people were displaced internally during the war. The government of Lebanon estimated that nearly 100,000 homes were damaged during the conflict, while more than 11,000 homes were completely destroyed.

Habitat’s response focused on accelerating, monitoring and funding the repair and reconstruction of homes impacted by the fighting. In total, the program benefited nearly 900 households and injected over US$1 million into the local economy.

Romania, Floods
The floods along the Danube River in 2006 were among the most devastating in 100 years. Habitat for Humanity International and UNICEF-Romania funded an intervention project in the Danube shore villages of Bechet, Macesu de Jos and Carna. The program, which ended in June 2007, was successful in assisting nearly 200 needy families whose homes were either completely destroyed or had structural problems.

2005
Gulf Coast, USA, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita made landfall in late 2005 and became one of the most destructive disasters in United States’ history. These two hurricanes took more than a thousand lives, displaced more than a million residents, inflicted major damage to nearly 550,000 homes, and demolished hundreds of square miles of coastal land.

Habitat for Humanity responded to the devastation caused by implementing Operation Home Delivery, which helped more than 1,300 low-income, hurricane-affected families in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama achieve simple, decent, and affordable housing. Today the Gulf Coast region is still dealing with the aftermath of these storms that exacerbated previous housing and economic challenges in the region. While Operation Home Delivery is officially completed, Habitat’s Gulf Coast affiliates continue to build houses in the affected area as part of the on-going Gulf Recovery effort program.

Mexico and Central America, Hurricane Stan and flooding
Hurricane Stan hit Veracruz, Mexico, on October 4, 2005, and began generating separate storms that wreaked havoc throughout southern Mexico and parts of Central America. The heavy rainfall from the storms caused severe flooding and mudslides, affecting millions of people in Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador. More than 500,000 people lost their homes.

Nearly 200 families were assisted with new housing, repairs and rehabilitation in Quetzaltenango, Solosa, San Marcos and Jutiapa in Guatemala and Veracruz and Chiapas in Mexico. Response activities also included securing land to build new communities for villages that were completely destroyed by mudslides.

Sierra Leone, Complex humanitarian emergency
The Republic of Sierra Leone experienced a traumatic armed civil conflict for more than a decade, from 1991 to 2002. Habitat for Humanity International provided shelter assistance to 500 vulnerable families (representing approximately 3,500 individuals) returning from refugee camps. This intervention facilitated the resettlement of areas which were abandoned during the conflict.

2004
Caribbean, Multiple hurricanes
During 2004, the island countries of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Grenada were devastated by hurricanes, incredibly heavy rains and strong winds. Habitat for Humanity worked with communities in some of the most severely affected areas of these Caribbean nations to help them rebuild their homes and their lives.

In the Haitian communities of Fond Vertees, Les Cayes and Jacmel, Habitat worked with 130 local families to provide permanent housing solutions. In the Dominican Republic, nearly 100 families were assisted in the communities of Rio Mar, El Factor and Matancita. Throughout Jamaica, 210 families affected by Hurricane Ivan received assistance. A minimum of 155 low-income Grenadian families were also assisted with house repairs and construction skills training.

Florida, USA, Storms
During hurricane season in 2004, thousands of families in many parts of Florida endured some of the most devastating hurricanes in recent history. In just six weeks, four massive storms pounded the state, tearing off roofs, knocking down walls and power lines, and leaving thousands homeless. Habitat for Humanity worked with communities throughout the state to build more than 60 new homes with affected families.

Angola, Complex humanitarian emergency
Over the course of nearly three decades, Angola struggled to survive one of the most protracted conflicts in recent history. During this period, more than 4 million people were displaced and 400,000 fled as refugees to neighboring countries.

Subsequent peace accords opened the door for families to return to their communities, only to find widespread destruction and ruin. Many lived in cramped refugee camps and temporary shelters. There was an overwhelming need for decent, safe and affordable shelter for families looking to rebuild their lives and provide a future for their children.

Habitat for Humanity worked to support more than 500 families with innovative programs that combined housing and savings schemes through the Save & Build program.

Burundi, Complex humanitarian emergency
Nearly 1,150 families were assisted with shelter in the Muyinga and Makamba provinces in Burundi after a decade-long civil war that displaced thousands of people and destroyed a quarter of a million homes.

2003
Tennessee, USA, Tornadoes
A tornado recovery program built homes for families affected by tornadoes that hit Jackson, Tennessee in May 2003. Through a series of partnerships, recovery homes were built as part of a broader alliance that supported up to 26 disaster-affected families in the area.

2002
Afghanistan, Complex humanitarian emergency and earthquake
In northern Afghanistan, Habitat for Humanity provided materials, tools and technical expertise to Afghan families needing to rebuild or repair their houses. Their homes were damaged by one of the worst complex disaster situations in the world that included armed conflict, civil unrest and a four-year drought.

On March 25, 2002, a powerful earthquake exacerbated the situation, killing as many as 1,000 people and damaging thousands of homes in northern Afghanistan.

After 18 months of hard work in Afghanistan, nearly 335 families in the villages of Salbarun and Temorak in Balkh province received Afghan dome houses. In a partnership with Shelter for Life, Habitat also supported efforts to provide shelter assistance for up to 5,000 earthquake-affected families in Nahrin, Baghlan province.

2001
India, Gujarat earthquake
In partnership with other organizations, Habitat built homes for families left homeless when an earthquake shook the region in January 2001. The Habitat for Humanity project was completed in 2003 when 664 houses were built in the villages of Sikhra and Khumbariya.

2000
Georgia, USA, Tornadoes
Sixteen homes were built during a blitz build for families who lost their homes to tornadoes in Camilla, Georgia.

1999
North Carolina, USA, Hurricane Floyd
By 2002, Habitat affiliates in the state of North Carolina were able to build more than 60 recovery homes under the Hurricane Floyd Recovery Build program. Families who lost their homes when Hurricane Floyd hit in 1999 were back on their feet with the help of volunteers and other partners.

1998
Central America & Caribbean, Hurricanes Georges and Mitch
Nearly 5,000 houses were built during 1999 to 2000 in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic in response to the destruction brought by hurricanes Georges and Mitch in 1998.