Chapter 4 : Post-earthquake shelter and housing : Research findings and policy implications

ABSTRACT

This chapter presents an overview of shelter and housing as social processes following disasters. it begings with a review of basic concepts used to describe the various types of shelter and housing and defines problem areas in the delivery of various types of post-disaster shelters. Three case studies are presented from recent earthquakes in California including the 1983 Coalinga earthquake, the 1987 Whittier-Narrows earthquake, and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. These case studies are used to identify current issues and problems in sheltering and housing disaster victims, particularly as they concern a demographically diverse multicultural population. The potential shelter and housing problems after a New Madrid Seismic Zone earthquake are discussed in light of these three case histories and provide the basis for planning shelter and housing programs in the Central United States.(AU)