Building cyclone preparedness in the Pacific

Each year, thousands of families in the Pacific Islands face months of increased risk of damage and disruption to their homes due to severe cyclones.

Tropical cyclone season is from November to April, and Habitat for Humanity has been working with communities in Fiji, Samoa and Tonga to enable them to better prepare their homes for the next severe weather event.

“Through our work, we help communities be as prepared as possible before the next disaster strikes,” says Alan Thorp, Group Chief Executive Officer, Habitat for Humanity New Zealand.

“We take a community-led approach, whereby community members identify what their shelter risks are and then create an action plan to address these. In the past five years we’ve worked with 48 communities in Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, resulting in them taking ownership of how they will improve their living conditions – now, and in the long term,” says Mr Thorp.

For example, in Samoa, over the past five years 19 communities have identified the need for an evacuation centre to provide a safe haven for families to go to in an emergency, or as a community hub from which shelter materials and urgent supplies can be distributed from.

Other programmes, such as Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) have seen 101 water tanks installed in the past year to provide safe and reliable water sources after a severe weather event, when other infrastructure may be damaged.

Ahead of this year’s cyclone season, 114 people learnt how to reinforce their homes and roofs against extreme winds by applying cyclone strapping.

This is one of the techniques taught via the Build Back Safer (BBS) training.

“Together, we enable Pacific families to build self-reliance, and safer shelter for the long-term. Adequate and climate-resilient housing has a huge impact on the well-being of people and communities. It results in better quality of life and health outcomes.

“Through adequate shelter, the risks from extreme weather events and natural disasters are reduced, and families are empowered to better cope with the effects of climate change.

Habitat has worked in the Pacific for more than 20 years, with a focus on shelter and housing. The key Pacific programmes Habitat delivers are PASSA (Participatory Approach to Safe Shelter Awareness), BBS, WASH and Vocational Training. This is primarily funded by the Ministry of Foreign and Trade and supplemented by public donations.