New Zealand engineers concerned about Samoa's recovery

A team of University of Auckland engineers is warning that rebuilding after last year’s devastating tsunami in Samoa could leave villagers exposed to future disasters.

A long-term study of Samoa’s recovery is being carried out by the Post-Disaster Reconstruction Research Team in the Faculty of Engineering.

Having recently returned from an eight-day research trip to Apia, they say while aid agencies are doing a terrific job, a lack of engineering expertise on the island means sub-standard buildings and facilities are being constructed.

“Whole villages have moved to higher ground to safeguard themselves against tsunamis, but many new buildings are not cyclone or earthquake proof. An opportunity has been missed to protect these communities against future disasters,” says Associate Professor Suzanne Wilkinson.

“In some cases villagers are being given the resources to build themselves, and they have the capability to do that, but not necessarily the knowledge to mitigate against future disasters. If a cyclone came through their buildings could collapse again.”

The team has also highlighted issues with access to clean drinking water, and the uncoordinated arrival of donated supplies to the island has meant many items have ended up in landfill.

The research team is conducting a long-term study of Samoa’s entire recovery process, which is expected to take several years. The research team currently involves four undergraduate and five PhD students, three of whom are Samoan, and is led by Dr Wilkinson and Dr Regan Potangaroa from UNITEC.

The study aims to gather information about the recovery and reconstruction process to better prepare communities anywhere in the world for when the next disaster strikes.

“Analysis of previous disasters is not done adequately. Our role as a research group is to advise agencies and governments on how to best recover and reconstruct their communities, based on previous scenarios. Gathering information across multiple disasters and seeing patterns in the recovery and reconstruction activities will allow the research to feed into government policy so we are prepared for future disasters.”

Dr Wilkinson says there are lessons for New Zealand in Samoa’s recovery, such as how volunteerism and community cohesiveness could work in New Zealand, and how to better prepare for rebuilding and relocation.

“If a major earthquake or tsunami struck in New Zealand, we may have similar issues in terms of effectively managing volunteers and donated supplies, the need for mass temporary shelters and the hasty relocation of entire communities to new locations.”

The study receives funding from the Foundation for Research Science and Technology and the Resilient Organisations Research Programme.