Doing more for those made homeless by natural disasters

Abstract

This study responds to growing borrower demand for Bank's assistance with housing reconstruction following natural disasters events such as floods, windstorms, earthquakes, landslides and volcanic eruptions. It reviews the Bank's experience since 1980 in helping finance housing reconstruction projects throughout the world, and suggests how constrains upon housing reconstruction assistance can be overcome, thereby stimulating and guiding further Bank involvement in this field. The paper aims to help task teams and sector managers do more to provide assistance to those made homeless by these natural disasters within the framework of existing Bank policies and guidelines. It does not seek major changes in those policies, but rather encourages a more agile Bank response within the policy and operational parameters as they stand today.