Reconstruction
RECONSTRUCTION
Reconstruction refers to the process of repairing and restoring essential services, including buildings, infrastructure, and the replacement of damaged
structures. It also involves revitalizing economic sectors such as industry and agriculture while re-establishing cultural, social, and environmental systems.
It is a long-term development strategy designed to minimize future disaster risks by integrating appropriate safety measures.
Restoring damaged structures does not necessarily mean rebuilding them in their original form; in some cases, temporary solutions may be implemented. The primary objective of reconstruction is to develop safer and more resilient systems to mitigate potential future risks.
Reconstruction efforts focus on restoring affected areas to a condition that is equal to or better than before the disaster. This includes constructing permanent housing and reinstating basic amenities.
For effective disaster recovery, reconstruction must prioritize specific activities that accelerate the rebuilding process in affected regions. Since every disaster causes
different types of damage, reconstruction planning should be tailored accordingly. For instance, in the case of an earthquake, where infrastructure and buildings suffer the most, reconstruction strategies should concentrate on these key areas.
Figure: Reconstruction Pyramid
Development of Physical and Economic Infrastructure Infrastructure is categorized into the following types:
• Physical Infrastructure: This includes essential facilities such as roads, water supply systems, drainage networks, and electricity.
• Service Infrastructure: This encompasses transportation systems, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions.
• Social Infrastructure: It consists of social sector services, including primary healthcare centers, old-age homes, and community centers.
• Environmental Infrastructure: This focuses on establishing necessary environmental conditions to minimize disaster risks.
A notable example of post-disaster reconstruction is the rehabilitation efforts in Gujarat following the earthquake. The reconstruction program, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was not limited to rebuilding houses but aimed to construct them using demonstrative methods. This approach helped in transferring disaster-resistant construction technologies to local communities. These newly built houses served as model structures, integrating advanced techniques to enhance resilience against future disasters.
Funding Arrangements for Reconstruction
Having a clear understanding of the policies and financial provisions available for reconstruction in disaster-affected areas is crucial. Both central and state governments have designated schemes and strategies to allocate funds for disaster management, including rehabilitation and reconstruction. Some of the key funding mechanisms include:
• National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF): Established under Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the NDRF provides financial assistance for immediate relief in cases of severe disasters such as cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, fires, floods, tsunamis, hailstorms, landslides, avalanches, cloudbursts, and pest attacks. Managed by the Government of India, this fund is utilized under non-plan expenditure to aid affected individuals.
• State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF): Constituted under Section 48(1a) of the Disaster Management Act, the SDRF is specifically designated for covering immediate relief expenses for disaster victims. The types of disasters eligible for SDRF assistance align with those covered by the NDRF.
• National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF): As per Section 47 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the central government may establish a dedicated National Disaster Mitigation Fund to finance projects focused exclusively on disaster mitigation measures.
• Recommendations of the Fifteenth Finance Commission: These recommendations guide the allocation of financial resources for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.
• District-Level Funds: Local-level funding provisions exist to ensure timely and region-specific disaster management interventions.
• Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS): This scheme enables Members of Parliament to allocate funds for disaster-related reconstruction and relief work within their constituencies.
• Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF): This fund is sustained through voluntary contributions from the public and is utilized to provide direct financial assistance to individuals affected by disasters.
Co-ordination of Reconstruction
Recovery efforts require coordination at several levels of government and the stakeholder institutions having specific responsibilities for central, state, private sector, voluntary organizations and international aid agencies.
Central Government
The responsibilities of the central government will encompass the following:
• Collaboration with Stakeholders: Engaging and coordinating with various stakeholders to ensure effective disaster management and recovery efforts.
• Managing Donations and Volunteers: Overseeing the solicitation, allocation, and administration of donated resources and volunteer support.
• Addressing Recovery Challenges: Working closely with relevant agencies to swiftly resolve issues arising during the recovery phase.
• Resource Allocation: Providing necessary resources based on assessed needs, ensuring they align with the central government’s capabilities and established guidelines.
State Government
The responsibility for damage assessment and all phases of recovery and reconstruction, from short-term to long-term, lies with the State/UT government. The key responsibilities include:
• Leading and Supporting Assessments: Overseeing and assisting in need and damage assessment operations.
• Providing Critical Data: Supplying relevant information on the disaster's severity and evaluating individual requirements.
• Raising Public Awareness: Engaging in and supporting public information and education programs regarding recovery efforts and available Central/State Government aid.
• Coordinating Reconstruction Efforts: Collaborating with the Central Government and other stakeholders to manage reconstruction activities.
Role of the Private Sector
Engagement of the private sector in disaster management is essential, encouraging businesses to incorporate disaster risk into their operational strategies. Their involvement can be in the following areas:
• TechnicalAssistance: Providingexpertise and technological support.
• ReconstructionContributions: Participatingin rebuilding and infrastructure restoration.
• Risk Management: Implementing strategies to protect their own assets from potential disasters.
• Financial Contributions: Offering financial support towards reconstruction initiatives.
• Risk-Informed Investments: Investing in recovery efforts with an awareness of disaster risks.
Voluntary Organizations and International Aid Agencies
They may participate in the following activities:
• Joint need and damage assessment
• Support government effort in reconstruction process especially in so far as the mandate requires them
• Provide technical support to reconstruction and recovery efforts
• Assist the government in disseminating public information regarding reconstruction and rehabilitation plan
• Training and capacity development of local communities
Guiding Principles of Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation and reconstruction play a crucial role in the disaster recovery phase, ensuring long-term restoration after a disaster. This stage follows the immediate disaster response and is a vital component of the disaster management cycle. During this period, support from governmental and non- governmental organizations typically diminishes, leaving the affected community to take responsibility for its own recovery. At this juncture, community participation and self- help groups become essential, as their involvement can either facilitate or hinder the transition from disaster response to full recovery.
Their effectiveness depends on factors such as the type and location of the disaster, the extent of damage and losses, the availability of skilled human resources, material supplies, and institutional capacity. For instance, in the case of an earthquake, widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure is common. As a result, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts should focus on rebuilding essential infrastructure and restoring housing to ensure long-term recovery.
Guiding Principles Of Rehabilitation And Reconstruction
Treating Communities as Heterogeneous:
The requirements of affected farmers will be different from small traders or say professionals like teachers and government workers. Again, the requirements of children, women and elderly will be different from each other. A recovery plan has to prioritise the different requirements and set its objectives accordingly.
Figure: Phases of Post-Disaster Recovery
Striking a Balance between Economic, Social and Psychological Needs:
For instance, the loss of agricultural land due to a disaster, even though compensated in monetary terms and in terms of new occupational opportunities under rehabilitation, cannot fulfill the psychological loss of being a landowner in the victims. The nostalgia of the ancestral place also cannot be overcome easily.
Focusing on Key Issues:
Key aspects of disaster recovery include assessing the extent of damage, assigning responsibilities, prioritizing needs, implementing major mitigation strategies, monitoring progress, and evaluating projects.
It is crucial to ensure that no affected group is excluded from rehabilitation efforts to prevent social unrest. Disaster management must be approached from political, economic, and social perspectives to ensure that vulnerable groups, who may lack a strong voice, are not overlooked in the recovery process.
Sustaining and strengthening local institutions involved in disaster recovery is essential. These include grain banks, fodder banks, daycare centers, anganwadis, bal mandals, mahila mandals, and pani panchayats, among others, as they play a significant role in long-term rehabilitation and community resilience.
Encouraging Flexibility and Adaptability:
Effective disaster management is required at every stage, including preparedness, mitigation, the disaster event itself, response and the recovery phase, which involves rehabilitation and reconstruction. A disaster management plan must be flexible and adaptable to effectively address these stages.
Promoting Systematic Damage Assessment:
Various assessment techniques, such as sample surveys (random, systematic, cluster, and stratified), remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), aerial photography, hazard mapping, vulnerability analysis, and disaster assessment, are
essential for reconstruction planning.
Remote sensing and aerial photography provide a broad overview of affected areas in a short time. Conducting a feasibility study helps generate necessary data to create a comprehensive reconstruction plan while evaluating its economic sustainability.
This also facilitates the formalities required for applying for construction grants under infrastructure rehabilitation programs, both post-disaster and during normal times.
Supporting Transparency, Efficiency, and Effectiveness:
Continuous monitoring and evaluation (M&E) are essential to ensure disaster recovery plans remain transparent, efficient, and effective. The primary goal of M&E is to verify whether a project is progressing as intended, using specific indicators. In post- disaster scenarios, applying the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time- bound) approach can enhance the effectiveness of recovery efforts.
Ensuring Financial Recovery:
In addition to dedicated disaster relief funds, alternative financial mechanisms such as the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme
(MPLADS) and Member of Legislative Assembly Local Area Development Scheme (MLALADS) can support disaster recovery. Insurance schemes,including the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar
Yojana, National Agricultural Insurance, Seed Crop Insurance, and Kisan Credit Card, should be promoted as viable disaster mitigation strategies.
Furthermore, resources from government development initiatives such as the Drought Prone Area Programme, Desert Development Programme,
Integrated Afforestation Scheme, Eco-Development Scheme, Watershed Development Programme, Indira Awaas Yojana, and Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana can be reallocated for disaster mitigation and recovery.
International organizations, including the United Nations agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Food Programme (WFP), International Labour Organization (ILO), and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), along with financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank through its various financial arms, can provide credibility to recovery efforts. Their involvement can encourage donor contributions and seed funding for disaster recovery projects.
Developing Disaster-resistant Buildings:
Disaster-Resistant Construction: Structures built using disaster-resistant techniques, such as roofs secured with timber and tie-bands, along with horizontal timber beams spanning the entire structure, have demonstrated minimal damage during earthquakes, even when made of mud and stone masonry.
To withstand cyclones, the use of resilient building materials, such as Mangalore tiled and reinforced cement concrete (RCC) roofs, should be encouraged.
Organizations like the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC), Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council
(BMTPC), Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), and Structural Engineering Research Centre play a crucial role in promoting and
implementing such construction techniques.
Strengthening Community Resilience:
Effective long-term disaster management should focus on enhancing the resilience of affected communities. Community-Based Disaster Management (CBDM)
follows four key strategies:
Active Community Involvement
Education and Training Programs
Psychosocial Support and Stress Management
Responsible Media Engagement
Participation at the grassroots level through initiatives like the Village Task Force, Disaster Task Force, and Pani Panchayats is essential in strengthening disaster preparedness and response.
Upholding Equity and Social Justice:
Disaster recovery efforts must prioritize the needs of vulnerable groups and ensure fair treatment of affected communities.
Incorporating gender analysis into recovery planning is crucial to prevent the further marginalization of women and other disadvantaged populations.
A gender-sensitive approach helps identify the unique vulnerabilities of men and women in crisis situations, as well as their distinct capacities and coping mechanisms.
Valuing Traditional Knowledge:
Indigenous water conservation methods, such as the ‘Kuhls’ of Himachal Pradesh, ‘Kundis’ and ‘Rapats’ of Rajasthan, and ‘Palliyals’ of Kerala, have proven effective in managing low-intensity droughts.
Additionally, earthquake-resistant structures like ‘Sumers’ and ‘Chaukhats’ of Rajasthan showcase traditional architectural wisdom.
A well-planned recovery strategy should integrate traditional practices with modern technology and contemporary living standards.
Promoting Awareness and Sharing Best Practices:
Spreading awareness at the grassroots level can be achieved through cost-effective methods such as HAM radios, wireless communication, loudspeakers, folk
performances, street plays, market fairs, and posters.
Successful initiatives like the transformation of Ralegan Siddhi, the greening of the Arvari River in Alwar, the rejuvenation of Sukhna Lake in
Chandigarh, Mission Groundwater in Madhya Pradesh, and the "Build Your Own Check Dam" movement in Saurashtra should be replicated in other regions.
Protecting the Environment:
The rapid melting of Greenland’s glaciers
submersion of a third of the 200 Maldivian islands
potential extinction of plant and animal species
Decreasing Arctic sea ice by 10 per cent
Threats to coastal areas in the U.S., China, Bangladesh, and India highlight the urgent need for environmental protection.
Addressing these environmental challenges should be an integral part of disaster recovery.
International environmental agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Basel Convention on Hazardous Waste, Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention to Combat Desertification, CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), the Law of the Sea, and the
Montreal Protocol provide essential guidelines for sustainability and environmental conservation.
Advancing Sustainable Development and Alternative Livelihoods:
Sustainable development focuses on balancing environmental conservation with economic progress. While it may seem unrelated to disaster management, these aspects are deeply interconnected.
Promoting self-reliance through a rights-based approach ensures that affected individuals are not just passive recipients of aid but are actively involved in their own development.
The strategy includes three key goals:
Enhancing the overall quality of life,
Supporting sustainable social and economic growth,
Generating employment opportunities, particularly for youth, women, and individuals with disabilities. Encouraging alternative cropping methods, improved irrigation and water conservation techniques, afforestation, and skill development programs can contribute to economic resilience.
Integrating Recovery into the Broader Development Framework:
The Linking Relief, Rehabilitation, and Development (LRRD) approach connects disaster recovery with long-term development. This method acknowledges the intricate relationship between political, developmental, relief, and rehabilitation efforts, ensuring that disaster response aligns with sustainable growth objectives.
Rehabilitation
REHABILITATION
Rehabilitation involves taking essential measures after a disaster to restore basic services, assist victims, compensate for physical damage to the environment, and revive economic activities. Additionally, it focuses on providing psychological support, social security, and emotional comfort to those affected.
The purpose of rehabilitation is to empower individuals impacted by the disaster, enabling them to resume their daily lives. It serves as a bridge between immediate relief efforts and long-term development. Ultimately, the primary goal of rehabilitation is to help victims regain normalcy and rebuild their lives.
Classification of Rehabilitation
Physical Rehabilitation
Physical rehabilitation is a crucial aspect of the overall rehabilitation process, primarily focusing on rebuilding essential infrastructure such as homes, buildings, roads, railways, water supply systems, communication networks, and electricity services.
Both short-term and long-term strategies are necessary for sustainable development, including watershed management, canal irrigation, social forestry, crop stabilization, and alternative farming techniques.
Additionally, environmental protection, employment generation, and job creation are integral to rehabilitation efforts.
Other key activities include reviving agriculture, animal husbandry, and farm equipment, as well as implementing floodplain zoning, land-use planning, and retrofitting undamaged houses to enhance disaster resilience.
To support affected communities, adequate provisions should be made for subsidies, farm tools, land acquisition for resettlement, adherence to land-use planning, and the construction of model housing. Strengthening undamaged structures through retrofitting is also essential.
• Relocation: Relocation is a highly sensitive component of physical rehabilitation, requiring careful planning to ensure that decisions are based on actual needs rather than external influences.
• Local authorities, in coordination with affected communities and under state government guidance, should determine relocation requirements by considering the nature and scale of the disaster.
• Relocation efforts should incorporate the following key principles:
• Minimizing secondary displacement whenever possible
• Gaining the consent of affected communities
• Clearly defining the land acquisition process
• Factoring in urban and rural land-use planning before proceeding
• Offering tailored relocation packages
• Decentralizing decision-making to facilitate the relocation process
•
Ensuring relocation sites are close to agricultural land or sources of livelihood
• Implementing livelihood rehabilitation measures for relocated communities wherever feasible.
Social Rehabilitation
Social rehabilitation plays a crucial role in disaster recovery by providing necessary support to affected individuals. Vulnerable groups such as artisans, the elderly, orphans, single women, and young children require special assistance to cope with the aftermath of disasters. Rehabilitation efforts must acknowledge that survivors must undergo a process of re-socialization and adaptation to a new and often unfamiliar social environment. This form of rehabilitation includes several key activities:
• Restoring Educational Activities:
• Provide regular counseling for teachers and students
• Encourage children to attend school consistently
• Supply writing materials and workbooks to students
• Involve children in activities that help restore normalcy in schools
• Foster positive attitudes to empower students in their personal growth
• Establish village-level education committees
• Identify local organizations that can facilitate the smooth operation of educational programs
• Support for the Elderly, Women, and Children:
• Ensure familiar environments for the rehabilitation of the elderly, women, and children
• Whenever possible, reconnect destitute individuals, widows, and orphans with extended family members; otherwise, arrange for foster families
• Provide regular counseling to strengthen the mental health of women and children
• Introduce training programs to help women achieve financial independence
• Establish or reactivate anganwadis (day-care centers) and old-age homes as quickly as possible
• Set up at least one multi-purpose community center in every village
• Organize vocational training camps to enhance the skills of orphans and children
• Encourage the formation of self-help groups to promote economic and social empowerment.
Economic Rehabilitation
Economic rehabilitation plays a vital role in compensating for the financial losses incurred due to a disaster. It involves providing support to affected individuals based on the following factors:
• Comprehensive assessment of present and potential future risks, along with identifying the needs of impacted communities.
• Evaluation of existing livelihood strategies and business operations.
• Understanding the vulnerabilities faced by affected families.
• Identifying available connections to external resources, institutions, skill development, and knowledge-sharing opportunities.
• Ensuring access to active markets to facilitate economic recovery and stability.
Psychological Rehabilitation
• Psychological rehabilitation is one of the most crucial aspects of disaster recovery, as it directly addresses the emotional impact of the disaster on victims. It is a highly sensitive issue since the trauma experienced by affected individuals is deeply connected to their mental well- being. Disaster victims often suffer from various physical and psychological stressors.
• During recovery, individuals typically go through different emotional phases. The primary objective of psychological rehabilitation is to help them manage emotional distress and restore mental stability.
• This process plays a vital role in enabling victims to regain a sense of normalcy. Counselors provide guidance and support, helping individuals lead healthier and happier lives. Efforts in psychological rehabilitation should emphasize:
• Psychotherapeutic health programs to address mental trauma
• Occupational therapy to reintegrate victims into productive activities
• Debriefing and trauma care to process distressing experiences
• Respecting the traditions, values, norms, and beliefs of disaster-affected communities to provide culturally sensitive support.
Recovery
RECOVERY
According to UNISDR (2009), recovery is defined as “the restoration, and improvement where appropriate, of facilities, livelihoods and living conditions of disaster-affected communities, including efforts to reduce disaster risk factors.”
• Recovery is the process by which society and the nation are supported in turning back to their appropriate level of working, ensuing disaster.
• The recovery process is a time taking process which takes almost 5 to 10 years or even more.
The Ground for Recovery Activity
The foundation for initiating early recovery efforts is based on the following key pillars:
Recognizing Essential Elements: Identifying critical aspects necessary for the recovery process.
Establishing a Comprehensive Strategy: Formulating an overarching recovery plan aligned with national development goals.
Defining Specific Recovery Programs: Designing distinct recovery initiatives within the broader strategy.
Executing Individual Programs: Implementing specific recovery programs as part of the overall recovery framework; and
• Fulfillment of individual programs and projects on a well supervised and coordinated basis.
Guiding Principles for Post-Disaster Recovery
• Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction in the recovery/ development process
•
Improving/maintaining coordination
• Promoting participatory approaches and decentralized planning and programming for recovery
• Enhancing safety standards and integrating risk reduction in reconstruction and development
• Improving the living conditions of the affected communities and sectors
• Building local and national capacities for increased resilience, risk management and sustainable development
• Taking advantage of ongoing initiatives
• Gender sensibility
• Demonstrative effects
• Monitoring, evaluating and learning
Recovery Process
The major steps/ processes of the recovery process and the processes involved are:
Figure: Process of Post-Disaster Recovery
Post-Disaster Needs Assessment and Credible Damage Assessment
• Initial evaluation reports to assess the impact of the disaster.
• Collection and communication of data related to damage and losses.
• Government-led disaster impact assessments with support from humanitarian response organizations, followed by detailed damage evaluations.
• Establishing both quantitative and qualitative baselines to measure damage, losses, and requirements across various sectors, administrative blocks (taluka), and districts.
• Developing a monitoring and evaluation framework to track recovery progress.
• Identifying the most suitable and feasible methods for conducting early and reliable assessments of damages and needs.
Developing a vision for Build-Back Better (BBB)
• High level meetings as well as broad-based, wider consultations with experts, civil society, and key stakeholders
• Build consensus among the range of stakeholders within and outside government
Ensure coherence of BBB with the development programs and goals
• Discussions at top level to align the recovery vision with the government’s broader, longer term development goals and growth and poverty reduction strategies
Incorporating resilience and BBB in recovery vision
Consultations and background studies on:
• Disaster resistant physical recovery
•
Options for fast economic recovery
• Gender and equity concerns
• Vulnerability reduction
• Natural resource conservation and environmental protection
• Social recovery
Balancing recovery across sectors
• Maintain a balanced approach between public and private sector BBB programs.
• Encourage fair and inclusive asset distribution among individuals and communities.
• Give precedence to rebuilding essential infrastructure.
• Focus on restoring the lives and livelihoods of disaster- affected populations.
• Be responsive to the expectations and specific needs of affected communities during the recovery process.
Prioritizing sectors for recovery
• Determine relative importance of various sectors such as housing, water and sanitation, governance, transport, power, communications, infrastructure, environment, livelihoods, tourism, social protection, health, and education.
Recovery Stages
Early, Mid and Long-term Recovery
Three recovery stages, in which appropriate policies and programmes tend to be planned and implemented are: a) Early, b) Mid-Term, and c) Long-Term.
The salient provisions of the recovery framework include the following:
• Institutional Framework: Establishing structured mechanisms at national, state, district and local levels (both urban and rural) with clearly defined roles and responsibilities for recovery efforts.
• Coordination: Strengthening collaboration among various stakeholders, including government agencies, international organizations, private sector entities and civil society groups, to achieve recovery objectives effectively.
• Public-Private Partnerships (PPP): Encouraging private sector participation for the greater public benefit, with PPP serving as a key mechanism to enhance private sector involvement in recovery initiatives.
• Information and Communication Technology (ICT): Utilizing ICT for efficient recovery planning, stakeholder communication and the dissemination of essential recovery-related information.
• Decision Support System (DSS): Developing a comprehensive DSS that integrates Management Information Systems (MIS), databases and spatial data management technologies.
• Expertise Pool: Consolidating specialized professional skills and knowledge across various fields to support recovery operations.
• Community Involvement: Promoting active participation of local communities, ensuring effective outreach, empowerment and gender inclusivity in both planning and implementation of recovery programs.
• Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E): Implementing M&E frameworks to enhance transparency in recovery processes, incorporating both technical and social audits.
Problems in Recovery Areas
Major problems in the area of recovery are necessary to be outlined. These are:
• The formulation of recovery programs has often been delayed due to insufficient integration of recovery planning within overall disaster management strategies.
• Extensive and severe damage may be so overwhelming that significant time is required to develop and assess effective recovery initiatives.
• A lack of adequate information presents challenges in designing recovery programs, sometimes necessitating resurveys to accurately determine post-disaster impacts.
• Recovery programs may place additional strain on government systems, potentially slowing down departmental functions and leading to inefficiencies in the recovery process.
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The occurrence of another major disaster can lead to the diversion of resources and funds allocated for recovery efforts.
• Issues related to ministerial responsibilities may arise as recovery needs often span multiple government departments, leading to administrative challenges.
• The unavailability of sufficient financial resources can obstruct the effective formulation and implementation of recovery programs.
Disaster Recovery Solutions
• The impact of disaster is long lasting, however, psychosocial intervention in the aftermath of a disaster is associated with a period of recovery.
• This can broadly be defined as a time of returning to ‘normalcy,’ and characterized by such processes as rebuilding, allocating resources, finding housing, and repairing or re-establishing social and economic networks in the community.
• It is noted that people may benefit most from very concrete, explicit and directive assistance, which enables them to attain the tangible goods and services required to overcome the material losses of a disaster.
• Research has shown that the strains associated with restoring housing and patterns of life can have as much an impact upon the psychological well-being as acute and potentially traumatizing events.
• The development of Mental Health Care and need for mental health professionals to shift from a clinical to a public health focus;
• The development of training materials, case records, information systems and the availability of adequate numbers of mental health professionals to implement the plan.
There is a need for training particularly of Community Level Workers (CLWs) to implement an organized effort aimed at providing psychosocial relief has been well exemplified.