Update:Samoa & Habitat for Humanity NZ Volunteers Complete Two Fales for Tsunami Affected South Coast.
NZ volunteer builders and tradesmen, working alongside local Samoans, to rebuild more than 400 homes for those affected in the South Coast of Upolu, Samoa. Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity NZ.
Tonight Habitat for Humanity NZ team in Samoa have just given pacificEyeWitness.org the latest update on building progress in Samoa.
The New Zealand-based NGO are project managing the construction of more than 400 homes for families, 90 percent government funded, along the South Coast of Upolu in Samoa whose fales or homes were destroyed by the tsunami of Tuesday 29th September.
Habitat’s Volunteer Coordinator Devie Milward says they have “pretty much finished building the resource centre (in Lepa) and are now building the first fales.”
Local Samoa project manager for Habitat, Latu Kupa, confirmed two fales are nearly in completion.
“Delaying is because we were waiting for the supply of materials from the suppliers today, says Kupa who runs an engineering company in Apia.
“Four others fales have started and hopefully all be completed before the end of week if the supply of materials is on time.
The Habitat Resource Centre is being built in the village of Lepa on the southeast coast of Upolu as it is closest to the hardest hit areas by the tsunami. All building materials will be delivered there “timber cut, rebar cut, poles cut, trusses manufactured, such that a core kitset house can be delivered to the final site and quickly erected.”
Habitat for Humanity NZ have dubbed this construction effort: Project Samoa Hope.
The Fale building programme is the urgent first response of the Samoan Government to provide shelter to as many families as possible. Some damaged homes may be able to be repaired, and nicer homes will no doubt also be rebuilt over time by those families that can afford them. HFHNZ is only partnering with the Government in the first response Fale rebuilding.
Habitat for Humanity New Zealand
11 November 2009
Although the official number of houses to be build is 425 at this stage, Habitat for Humanity say the situation is fluid in Samoa given that not all families have registered on the master list of those whose homes have been destroyed in the tsunami. They accept that the numbers may rise.
A Fale is a traditional Samoan home with concrete floor, timber trusses and iron roof, supported by multiple poles. The Government has sanctioned that all rebuilt Fale will be one standard design, which is 7.2 metres long by 4.8 metres wide.
One end will be a cyclone resistant hip roof, and the other end a gable roof so that this structure can be easily added onto and expanded in size later on by the family occupants. The roof will have strapping to make it cyclone resistant.
There will be an outside ablution block with shower and flush toilet, and ideally a water tank for supply of rain water to be collected from the roof, for both purposes. At this stage there is still a shortage of funding for around 200 water tanks to ensure all 425 Fale have this provision met.
Habitat for Humanity NZ.
For more information on how you can volunteer to help, or donate, please click here.
Habitat Resource Centre, in the centre of this photo, situated in the village of Lepa which, like many villages along the South Coast, was either destroyed or severely devastated by the tsunami. Photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity NZ.
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