Successes and failures in post-disaster resettlement

In this article I examine the problem of the resettlement of populations after disaster. After considering the complexity of the resettlement process in general and the reasons resettlement is often chosen by authorities following disaster, I discuss a theoretical perspective from development project resettlement which may have relevance for disaster research. This is followed by an examination of those factors in post-disaster resettlement projects which have proved important in affecting successful or unsuccessful outcomes. Site, layout, housing and popular input are presented as crucial issues in the determination of success or failure in post-disaster resettlement. Case material from Turkey, Iran and Peru is presented to illustrate how failure to attend to these issues produces unsuccessful resettlement villages. Case material from Turkey is used to illustrate how attention to these factors improves chances of success in resettlement. Material from cases of voluntary, spontaneous post-disaster resettlement in Guatemala is also presented to underscore the importance of popular participation for successful resettlement despite insufficiencies in design and material inputs. The article ends with a brief consideration of resistance to resettlement and alternative policies.