The evaluation of participatory housing and technology after the Tsunami (2005) in Malaysia

This paper examines the social, spatial and technological impact of post-disaster housing projects on disaster victims of Tsunami in Kedah and Penang, Malaysia. Discussion will look into the selection of building and floor plan design; materials; construction methods and maintenance after occupancy. The involvement of these disaster victims were also considered in determining the level of their ability to repay the loan and continuation in economic activity after their housing projects completed. An extensive literature review and other secondary data was undertaken to establish the key challenges facing disaster management practitioners in order to understand the needs of disaster victims in providing housing. Based on this related information, the theoretical framework for this study has been developed as well as the questionnaire form for data collection. The research results presented in this paper provide clear insights into the decision-making practices of these crucial participation by the disaster victims and establish where improvements need to be made. The results also establish that disaster victims participation need to be more focused to ensure that lessons learnt previously (from literature review) are implemented not only in Malaysia but also elsewhere; critical in hazard mitigation, capacity building, raising awareness and meeting the challenges of increased vulnerability due to disaster.