Seismic retrofit of housing in post-disaster situations: basic engineering principles for development professionals

This Primer introduces engineering and development professionals to the basic steps in the process of planning and executing post-disaster seismic retrofit of housing projects funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It is intended to provide USAID officers and host country officials with the steps, principles, and best practices that need to be taken to carry out safe and effective housing retrofit in a post-disaster situation.

Through the provision of retrofit information, this document addresses the following objectives: 

• Greatly reduce deaths, injuries, and economic losses caused by housing collapses due to natural disasters in developing countries;
• Permanently change building code enforcement and/or construction practices so that houses built in the absence of external funding and technical support are substantively more resistant to collapse during and after disaster situations;
• Build local capacity through training of builders, homeowners, engineers, and government officials;
• Change construction practices permanently by building local skills and stimulating local demand.

The document provides a roadmap for developing a project through the planning, evaluation, design, and implementation stages and addresses the various deliverables and milestones usually included as part of the process. The Primer also discusses the role and responsibilities of the USAID project manager, including interactions with the affected communities, partners, local officials, and other involved organizations.