HFHSL Disaster Response Program in Batticaloa

Tsunami reconstruction program starts:  April, 2006
No. of building sites: 07
No. of houses planned: 1434
No. of houses completed (7/31/07): 962

The tsunami response and reconstruction program in Batticaloa extends south from Batticaloa town to the town of Pottuvil, on Arugam Bay, an area becoming famous for its world-class surfing  Batticaloa was especially hard hit, and construction there has been carried out thanks to donors such as Synergy New Zealand, with matching funds from NZAID, and the Christian Aid Foundation based in the UK.  Other rebuilding projects have been completed in Thirukkovil (196 homes sponsored by BASF) and area nearing completion in Arugam Bay (150 houses sponsored by Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network).  Families receiving homes in Batticaloa were required to provide labor in the construction of their homes, as well as participating on the preparation of building components in one of the Habitat Resource Centers set up near the main building sites.  The pace of construction in some sites eventually reached one house every 35 hours, thanks to the skill and dedication of the staff and homeowners.  Another factor contributing to this success was the construction of large numbers of homes on a single site, allowing for faster construction while keeping the building costs at an acceptable level.

BASF’s Amal Perera with Habitat Batticaloa’s Justus Gregory at 196-house project in Mandana

Christian-Aid sponsored houses under construction in Batticaloa Town

Habitat homeowner at her house sponsored by Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network in Singhapura, Arugam Bay.