Architecture for Humanity has published a dedicated website reporting on a recent trip by staff members to the Philippines in response to Typhoon Haiyan.
Haiyan, the deadliest typhoon on record to hit the Philippines, raged over the country on 8 November 2013, killing 6,200 people. The island of Leyte, part of the Eastern Visayas, was hit hardest, with entire cities and towns largely destroyed.
Architecture for Humanity, the organization founded by WDCD12 speaker Cameron Sinclair, immediately responded by offering assistance to its Manila Chapter and other Filipino architects and builders. At first, resources on various rebuilding methods, resilient construction methods and ecological building materials were provided.
Then, at the end of January, two staff members of Architecture for Humanity HQ visited the Philippines over the course of two weeks. They traveled throughout the islands of Samar, Leyte, Cebu and Bantayan, speaking to survivors and visiting various sites, to get a better idea of their actual needs.
The images on the website, taken a little less than three months after the disaster, speak for themselves.
On January 19 the AfH staff held a session with about 25 local architects, which made clear that there is a need for training in disaster reconstruction. AfH wants to share its knowledge and expertise in this field and plans a ‘train the trainer’ model in new training sessions. A next session is scheduled for 8 March in Manila.
In the meantime all professional support and donations are more than welcome.