The Home Blog

Architecture For Humanity aids the Gulf Coast in Katrina Recovery

In case you hadn't heard, pretty much all the areas struck by Hurricane Katrina are still struggling to recover. It's been in the news recently how slow things are going. Beauracracy, supply chain issues, and lack of funding, keeps getting in the way. The people living in the affected areas still need our help.

One of the organizations that I've found to be effective is Architecture For Humanity. AFH has chosen to focus its efforts on rebuilding Biloxi, Mississippi and you can track the progress of some of its projects on the AFH Katrina webpage. They're still looking for volunteers, especially those with construction and architecture backgrounds.

LIFT house, to life lives of Katrina Victims

Building homes on stilts is not exactly a new idea in architecture. So why were so few homes in hurricane prone areas built on them? MIT has a project they hope will change that, at least in the Tsunami and Hurricane stricken areas. Oxfam America, an NGO working in both areas, likes the idea. Alas, Oxfam's look back at the progress in the last year is fairly depressing.

Plan to save New Orleans: Floating Homes?

This article at Popular Science magazine looks to take a page out of Holland's flood prone plains and build houses that are made to float in the event of a flood. That's one of five suggestions for rebuilding New Orleans and mitigating future disasters like Katrina. Take a look might work for others living in flood plains too. Especially those considering prefab or modular housing. Forget building a foundation, build a raft instead.

Architecture for Humanity: Katrina Hits Poor Hardest

Architecture for Humanity has posted an update on their Gulf Coast Rebuilding efforts:

As with most disasters, census figures reveal that Hurricane Katrina disproportionately affected the poor and the disadvantaged. According to an analysis done by the Associated Press:

• Nearly 1 in 4 people in the hardest-hit areas lived below the poverty line, approximately double the national average.
• 4.5 percent of those in the disaster area received public assistance compared with 3.5 percent nationally.
• One in 100 households in the most affected areas didn't have decent plumbing (running hot and cold water, a shower or bath and an indoor toilet), twice the national average.
• In one of the worst hit neighborhoods in the heart of New Orleans, the median household income was less than $7,500. Nearly three of every four residents fell below the poverty line, and barely 1 in 3 people had a car.

Architecture for Humanity is appealing for donations to support the work of locally-based architects in rebuilding sustainable homes and communities in the region's hardest hit areas.

All it takes is a little sacrifice on your part to help make a huge difference. The sacrifice could be as small as bringing a sack lunch to work one day a week. Send that $10 you would have spent on lunch to the people who are helping to rebuild the Gulf Coast or another charity near you.

[Technorati Tags: katrina, hurricane, hurricane+katrina, architecture+for+humanity, afh, gulf+coast, recovery, rebuild, donate, nonprofit]

On Rebuilding the Gulf Coast

Efforts are underway to rebuild the Gulf Coast from the devastating twin strikes of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. If you're interested in helping to make sure that it's done in an environmentally safe and sustainable manner then GRIST magazine has a few suggestions as to whom you can donate your time, effort, or in-kind materials. To their list, I would also add Architectures For Humanity.

Either way, it looks like there is still little or no coordination between agencies, ngos, and regulatory bodies. Wasn't somebody supposed to be in charge of setting this up? I think it's important that we don't allow today's market forces, strongly unbalanced by the recent storms, to rule.

Meanwhile the President makes a photo opportunity stop in the area.

[Technorati Tags: hurricane, hurricane+katrina, katrina, hurricane+rita, gulf+coast, recovery, sustainablily, grist ]

Solar a Key Component for Home Reconstruction

TreeHugger has a great story on how Habitat for Humanity has begun to integrate Solar Energy Collection Panels into their new homes. This is a great idea for any reconstruction that is to take place along the gulf-coast after Hurricane Katrina and Rita.

If we tax payers are going to footing the bill for part of this reconstruction, I feel we should at least get sustainable energy policy out of the deal. Plus it will reduce bills for the home owners. A win for all, if you ask me.

Hurricane Katrina: How you can help

I have been deeply moved over the last week and a half by the very human struggle to survive the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. While I've been tracking my thoughts and links on my other blogs, I think that people who are interested in the topics of homes, remodeling, design, and urban living want to know how they can help too. To that end, here are two very worthy charities that need your money and/ or expertise to help in the recovery process for the people and areas of the Gulf Coast that were hit so hard.

First is the well known Habitat for Humanity. It's well known that they help those with financial struggles complete the dream of home ownership both domestically and internationally. They've built over 100,000 homes in the last five years and over 200,000 in total. What most may not know is that HFH has also played a large role in disaster recovery. Whether it is mudslides in Guatemala or the Tsunami in India and Indonesia, HFH is helping communities rebuild and provide well built, eco-friendly, homes to those who have lost everything. The combined domestic and international experience makes HFH a leading candidate to do some good in the areas stricken by Hurricane Katrina. Please visit their website to see if you have skills you can volunteer or learn how to donate.

The second non-profit organization is less well known, but don't let that fool you, its credentials are impeccable. Plus its mission concerns rebuilding communities devastated by natural disasters. Architecture for Humanity not only provides rebuilding expertise for housing, but it also looks at community needs (health care centers, community centers, etc). They've done some amazing work around the globe and especially in Indonesia after the Tsunami. Now they are uniquely positioned to help organize the reconstruction of the Gulf Coast using the assembled knowledge and volunteers they possess. Please read about their program and efforts after Hurricane Katrina then donate what you can to help.

I'll be writing much more about how we can help the survivors of Hurricane Katrina and put the Gulf Coast on the path to a brighter future. But help is needed now, so please don't delay. Give today.

[Technorati Tags: home, homeblog, hurricane, katrina, hfh, recovery, rebuilding, reconstruction, aid, assistance, donate, give, afh]