Cabinet to discuss prefab homes for refugees

DutchNews, October 9, 2015

The Dutch government will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the use of prefab homes to house asylum seekers. 

Prime minister Mark Rutte, just returned from a trade mission to the US, junior justice minister Klaas Dijkhoff, social affairs minister Lodewijk Asscher and home affairs minister Ronald Plasterk will discuss the housing crisis with local government association VNG and representatives from the provinces. 

The aim is to avoid a repetition of the scenes on Wednesday in the Drenthe village of Oranje when angry locals blocked roads to prevent more asylum seekers arriving after a commitment to limit refugee numbers was broken. 

Approval

Currently, 13,000 refugees have approval to stay in the Netherlands but are still living in asylum seeker centres because of the lack of social housing. And because they cannot be moved on, emergency accommodation for refugees is also filling up fast. 

The government is now working on a plan to build prefab and container homes. If all the local councils agree to provide land, 23,000 ’emergency’ homes can be built within two weeks, according to the VNG.

Related Articles:

Councils agree to find homes for asylum seekers
Deep in the forest, Dutch prepare to welcome migrants

Migrant crisis will make Germany stronger: refugee coordinator - New

EU states agree relocation of 120,000 refugees 'by large majority' 

"The New Human P1" - Sep 19-20, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

"Return of the Masters" - Apr 11-12, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

500 temporary shelters built for Mt Merapi victims

Antara News, Sunday, December 12, 2010 20:49 WIB

Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - The Yogyakarta provincial and city governments build 500 temporary shelters for those living along Code river bank, whose houses were damaged by Mount Merapi`s cold lava floods, Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X said.

"The temporary shelters are located on the eastern side of Mandala Krida Stadium," Sri Sultan said when the launching of cleaning and dredging Code River program here Sunday.

The residents, whose houses were affected by the volcano`s cold lava floods but remained at the refugee centers, were encouraged to stay in the temporary shelters.

"The temporary shelters are equipped with such facilities as beds, cooking utensils, clean water, and bathroom, so that they need not be worried about their daily needs," he said.

Besides erecting temporary shelters, the provincial and city governments also continued efforts to dredge the Mount Merapi sand that the cold lava floods had carried, he said.

By dredging the river regularly, the residents living along the Code river bank could be prevented from the overflowing of the river during the rainy season, he said.

Thus, the dredging should be conducted continuously to keep the area around the river safe and secure, he said.

Supported by the SCTV Charity Fund and XL, the dredging of Code River showed the mutual cooperation among Indonesians, a Director General of Communication and Information Ministry, Muhammad Budi Setiawan said.

The activity was aimed at easing the suffering of the Mount Merapi disaster victims, he said.

The Mount Merapi eruptions` volcanic materials, which consisted of sand and rocks, had filled up the river bed of Code River, making it vulnerable to floods. This situation threatened the neighborhood area of the river bank, he said.

"We hope the sand collected from the dredging could be used to make dam and pavement blocks," the Director of SCTV Foto Sariaatmadja said.

The dredging was also expected to give locals economical benefit besides preventing floods, he said.

The SCTV Charity Fund and XL (a cellular phone service provider) granted a number of equipments such as 900 sand scoops, 100 hoes, 50 shovels, 72,000 sacks, 4 sand suction devices, four water vacuums, 20 concrete block molds, and 40 pavement block molds.

Govt starts building temporary houses for Merapi refugees

Erwida Maulia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 11/22/2010 9:20 PM

National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) secretary Fatchul Hadi says the government has kicked off the construction of 300 temporary housing units for people displaced by the Mount Merapi eruptions.

The temporary houses would be prioritized for those living nearest to the volcano’s crater as their residences were the most severely damaged by the ongoing volcanic eruptions, Fatchul said.

“We’ve laid the first stones, and will begin by constructing 300 units. We’re still monitoring the activities of Merapi and may eventually build between 3,000 and 5,000 units,” he told a press conference at the Vice Presidential Office after a Cabinet meeting discussing rehabilitation and reconstruction plans in three disaster-struck areas: Wasior in West Papua, Mentawai in West Sumatra and areas surrounding Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta and Central Java.

Fatchul said it could not be decided yet exactly how many temporary houses would be built to accommodate people displaced by the volcanic eruptions because volatile seismic activity continues to persist.

Secretary to the Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Indroyono Soesilo said the number of Merapi refugees had now declined to 200,000 from a peak of  400,000 two weeks ago

Indonesian Red Cross to Build Houses For Padang Quake Victims

The Jakarta Globe, Putri Prameshwari

An earthquake survivor sits at a temporary shelter built on the ruins of her house in
Kudu Gantiang village, Padang Pariaman, West Sumatra. (Photo: Binsar Bakkara, AP)

The Indonesian Red Cross is planning to build more than 2,000 temporary houses in West Sumatra to accommodate people left homeless by the Sept. 30 earthquake.

Hidayatul Irwan, the operational coordinator for the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) in West Sumatra, said on Sunday the houses would be built in the areas most affected by the 7.6 magnitude quake.

“These temporary houses will be given to quake refugees who need them most,” he said, adding that the number of houses could still increase.

The 4-by-6-meter houses are not big, Hidayatul said, but can still provide a living space and reduce the risk of catching a disease compared to living in tents.

“They deserve to live in someplace clean and healthy until they get their homes back,” he said.

Hidayatul said the houses would be built in Pariaman and Padang cities, and the districts of Padang Pariaman and Agam. Each house will cost around Rp 3 million ($320) to construct. He did not say where the money would come from.

As early as next week, groups of 10 people could start constructing the houses, accompanied by volunteers from the PMI, he said. “Hopefully, one house will only take two to three days to build.”

Antara news agency quoted Marlis Rahman, West Sumatra’s deputy governor, as saying that he welcomed the plan. He also called on people who do not get the houses not to be “jealous.”

“We all want for the situation to get better, of course,” he said. “But the process will take time.”

Hidayatul said the PMI was coordinating with local government so the assistance would not overlap with programs by other donor organizations.

“It could spark jealousy among people if the temporary houses in one neighborhood look different from each other,” he said.

Ade Edward, head of West Sumatra’s Disaster Management Agency, said people needed temporary houses as they waited for the central government to begin reconstruction in the province.

“They are depending on donations from various sources [to build temporary homes],” he said.

The provincial administration has requested Rp 8.6 trillion from the central government for reconstruction. The request is now being studied by the Coordinating Ministry for People’s Welfare as well as the National Development Planning Board and the Finance Ministry.

Experts from eight countries formulate post-disaster management

Surabaya (ANTARA News) - Experts from the Netherlands, Britain, Belgium, Srilanka, Germani, China, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia have formulated post-disaster management.

The post-disaster management was formulated in a two-day symposium at Surabaya Sepuluh November Institute of Technology (ITS) from January 9-10 which was was concluded with a field trip to mud-hit area in Porong, Sidoarjo, on Thursday.

The experts who spoke in the symposium were Dr Emilia van Egmond of TU Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Dr Francis Edum Fotwe of Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, Prof George Ofori the National Univesity of Singapore, Prof Ananda Jayawardhane of the University of Moratuwa in Srilanka, Prof Jouke M Post of TU Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Prof Sc Techn. Christian Brockmann of Hochscule Brement in Germany, Prof Mohan Kumaraswamy of the University of Hong Kong, Prof Stephen O Ogunlana of Asian Institute of Technology, and Prof Johan Silas of ITS in Surabaya, Indonesia.

Frof Ananda Jayawardane of the University of Moratuwa in Srilanka said wooden houses were the temporary models of post-disaster management.

"Wooden houses are better in quake-prone areas, although woods are expensive and difficult to find in our country," Jayawardane said.

He said Srilanka was also hit by the deadly tsunami on December 26, 2005 but the country`s National Disaster Management Plan had been applied there since 2005.

Meanwhile, ITS Rector Prof Priyo Suprobo said he would design a house module for tsunami, earthquake, flood, and landslide victims.

"We used to design knock-down houses for Aceh tsunami victims," he said, adding that construction of such a kind of house could be completed in nine hours.

He added that one of the primary models in post-disaster management was the efficient, environmentally friendly and easy-to-construct houses.

Priyo Suprobo said ITS was currently designing a model of house which could be built in four hour.

"We are preparing the module, and the experts from various countries have given us input so we will recommend the result to the government," he said.

Storm evacuees to return home

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon

Hundreds of people who had their homes damaged by strong winds in Cirebon regency started to return home Friday after living in makeshift tents and government facilities.

Their homes were damaged after gales swept through six villages in Losari district on Monday and Tuesday.

Losari district chief Teguh Supriyadi said the evacuees numbered around 100 families on Tuesday, which was a significant drop from the previous day's total of 300.

"They have to take refuge because they cannot yet repair their houses," said Teguh.

Only 30 families were still living at the tents as of Friday as their houses, which were heavily damaged by the storm, were repaired.

The Cirebon regency administration assured residents they would be provided with assistance this week to restore and repair their homes.

"We are still assessing damages and will disburse aid in the near future. I assure you funds will be disbursed this week," said Cirebon Regent Dedi Supardi.

The administration has promised to compensate Rp 5 million (approximately US$550) for each destroyed or badly damaged house, while providing a total of Rp 150 million in aid for slightly damaged homes.

Dedi said aid would not be in the form of cash, but building materials.

"We will provide building materials so residents can immediately repair their damaged homes. We have made an inventory of those who are entitled to receive aid," said Dedi.

A total 312 houses were damaged by strong winds, 292 of which were slightly damaged and 20 others that were badly damaged, some of them leveled to the ground.

Torrential rains, followed by strong winds on Dec. 3 and 4, damaged at least 312 houses in six villages in Losari district. Twenty of them either collapsed or were badly damaged.

The worst-hit area was Kalisari village, where 260 houses were slightly damaged and 18 others either leveled or badly damaged.

Seven people were injured and had to seek treatment at the Losari community health center and Gunung Jati district hospital.

"They were injured by falling debris. Most of them suffered slight injuries, such as bruises, and have undergone treatment in community clinics and hospitals," said Teguh.

Kalisari village secretary Badrudin said the storm started to wreck havoc on Monday night when heavy rains, followed by strong winds, fell from the north.

"Rain and strong winds were blowing very fast and lifting off corrugated tin roofs and roof tiles, forcing people to flee from their homes," said Badrudin. JP

Thousands of tsunami survivors still live in emergency tents

Banda Aceh (ANTARA News) - Thousands of families, who became victims of the 2004 tsunami, still lived in emergency tents and shelters in West Aceh District, Aceh Province, currently - almost three years after the deadly natural disaster.

Data from the West Aceh District administration showed that around 2,584 families or 10,508 people were still living in 33 emergency tents and temporary shelters in the district.

The Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR) for Aceh and Nias continued to building houses for tsunami survivors, Alamasyah, a BRR official, said here on Monday.

BRR and NGOs planned to build 16,177 houses for tsunami victims in West Aceh District. Of the target, some 10,027 houses had been completed, and 2,908 houses were being constructed, he said.

An 8.9-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami devastated Aceh and Nias (North Sumatra) on December 26, 2004, killing at least 170,000 people and rendered almost one million others homeless.

Houses built for conflict victims

The Jakarta Post

POSO, Central Sulawesi: An army team in Poso are working to finish the construction of 177 temporary houses for conflict victims in Tojo Unauna regency.

Commander of the team Lt. Col. Wing Handoko said that hard work was intended to speed up the completion of construction two months ahead of a deadline set by Indonesian Military headquarters in Jakarta.

He said his team had already finished building 102 houses as of Friday after it started work on Oct. 24.

"Sixty of 102 houses have been completed 100 percent, and the rest are still adding the finishing touches," he said.

Thousands of houses were damaged and burned down during the Poso conflict from 1998 to 2003.

As a result of the conflict, many refugees were reluctant to return to their homes even though they had been rebuilt by the local administration, and stayed on at Poso Lake's fairgrounds in Later Tentena.

The administration says it hopes they will return to their homes once the Army team has finished work on them. -- JP