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After the Floods: Providing Shelter in Sudan
Using materials available locally, Red Cross and Red Crescent workers constructed emergency shelters to house thousands who lost their homes to flooding.
By Michael Oko, Communication Officer, American Red Cross
Friday, September 21, 2007 —
Volunteers from the Sudanese Red Crescent Society construct emergency shelters following recent floods.
(Photo Credit: Nate Cooper/American Red Cross)
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The rains in Sudan fell earlier and more heavily than usual this year, drenching the land and leading to severe flooding across the country. Roads were washed out, crops were soaked, and thousands of people were forced from their homes.
“People had to evacuate very quickly, often just bringing whatever they could carry in their arms,” explains Nate Cooper, an international relief worker for the American Red Cross, who traveled to Sudan to respond to the flooding.
In Sudan, home to the Blue and White Nile rivers, floods hit 21 of 26 states, affecting more than 500,000 people and damaging or destroying more than 100,000 homes. In response, the American Red Cross joined with the Sudanese Red Crescent Society and other members of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to assist people in the affected areas.
As a member of a Field Assessment and Coordination Team (FACT), Cooper was on hand to support the Sudanese Red Crescent’s relief efforts, including assessing the damage and helping coordinate response activities. Cooper’s main responsibility was to address sheltering needs and determine how to assist those whose homes were damaged or destroyed.
An Innovative Approach
Following the damage assessment, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies determined it would provide temporary shelter to 15,000 families. Of those, 12,000 families would receive emergency tarps to quickly provide coverage against the water and wind.
Cooper and his colleagues developed an innovative plan to provide “improved emergency shelters” to more than 3,000 families. Made primarily from bamboo, tree saplings and grass mats, these shelters rely on materials that are readily available in local markets. The structures are then wrapped with plastic sheeting to protect people against the rain and other elements.
“Tents are important, but they are not always the best solution, especially in a country like Sudan where it is very hot in the day and cool at night,” Cooper says. “These emergency shelters are made by the community and can be expanded as they recover.”
Plastic tarps help protect the wooden shelters from rain and wind.
(Photo Credit: Nate Cooper/American Red Cross)
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Each shelter sleeps approximately five people, serving as a temporary home until families move back into permanent houses. Community members can easily construct the shelters after receiving training from volunteers from the Sudanese Red Crescent.
“This intervention suits the culture and traditions of the community—it’s durable and climate-friendly compared to tents and tarps,” says Elhadi Ali Elobaid, the disaster management director for the Sudanese Red Crescent. “It's also spacious and comfortable for family members.”
To offset the use of wood, the Sudanese Red Crescent is working with the local forestry department to plant new wood and fruit trees. For each shelter built, five new trees will be planted. Trees can reduce the risk of future flooding by absorbing rain water, while the fruit from trees can be an additional source of food.
The American Red Cross contributed $100,000 to purchase materials for approximately 500 emergency shelters. Once these initial shelters are built, the American Red Cross will work with the Sudanese Red Crescent and other partners to determine how to move forward with additional shelters.
“The Sudanese Red Crescent has a lot of experience dealing with natural disasters,” says Cooper. “Their volunteers are young, energetic and very active in their communities, and they are doing everything they can to help people.”
Supplemental Support
The American Red Cross is also supporting the relief efforts by providing more than 10,000 insecticide-treated mosquito nets (for malaria prevention) as well as kitchen and hygiene kits, basic health care, and clean water.
While the flooding presents yet another challenge for people who have faced more than their share, the work of the American Red Cross, the Sudanese Red Crescent and their partners is making a difference in helping communities recover.
“It is difficult when you meet people who have lost so much, so quickly,” says Cooper. “But it is very encouraging seeing them working together and helping each other get back on their feet after this disaster.”
As part of the world's largest humanitarian network, the American Red Cross alleviates the suffering of victims of war, disaster and other international crises, and works with other Red Cross and Red Crescent societies to improve chronic, life-threatening conditions in developing nations. We reconnect families separated by emergencies and educate the American public about international humanitarian law. This assistance is made possible through the generosity of the American public.
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