The first phase of Habitat's long-term response to last month's devastating earthquake in Chile is getting under way.
In Curepto, Volunteers have begun to clear debris to prepare for the construction of the first 36 permanent homes. Also in Talca, Habitat and its partners had organized the distribution of emergency tents for affected families.
The earthquake left more than 1,000 people dead. Over 1.5 million homes were damaged with another 500,000 houses suffering serious structural damage. Shortly after the quake, Habitat Chile sent assessment teams to evaluate damage in the most affected regions of Santiago, Talca, Puerto Saavedra, Los Angeles, Temuco, Curepto and Gualleco. Initial results indicate that for example in Curepto where the first construction is expected to take place, an estimated 70 percent of the houses are uninhabitable, leaving countless families homeless, though, more importantly, 100 % of the houses build by Habitat Chile remain undamaged.
Habitat Chile has helped more than 3,500 families with adequate housing since 1998 and has extensive training in working in disaster recovery. So Habitat Chile has been a long-time partner of Chile's Ministry of Housing. For the quake relief, Habitat Chile plans to offer technical support to groups of families, helping them access government housing subsidies.
◆Back Number
2010.02.28　Habitat to Decide Responding to Chile Earthquake