RedR Boys carry covers for


latrines after the 2005 Pakistan earthquake. Image courtesy of Step Haiselden/RedR


Designing for Disasters


Natural and man-made disasters have rarely been out of the spotlight in 2011. From the devastating Japan earthquake and tsunami in March, to another period of extensive flooding in Pakistan this summer, to the ongoing East Africa food crisis, in the last twelve months millions of people have had their lives turned upside down by major catastrophes. Working in environments far removed from the offices of London or New York, engineering designers in the field play a vital role in helping communities get back on their feet, writes experienced humanitarian Paul Jawor.


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In the last couple of months alone, 644 people have lost their lives in two earthquakes near Van, Turkey, as more than 11,000 buildings collapsed in and around the city. In one widely reported incident, six members of the same family were killed when their second-floor flat fell in on them.


The simple fact is that natural disasters present all kinds of challenges for engineers. Preparing for them is one thing – many more people would have been killed in the Japan earthquake and tsunami had Japanese building codes not been some of the most rigorous in the world.


But anticipating disasters and designing and building accordingly, is just one side of the coin. As someone who responds to emergencies all over the world, I have come to realise that sound engineering design is equally important after disasters hit.


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