Recovery Assessment of Permanent Housing after the 2004 Tsunami in Thailand toward Sustainable Planning

Abstract

In this study, a recovery assessment of the permanent housing and living conditions in the aftermath of the 2004 Tsunami in Phang-nga Province, Thailand, was conducted using geoinformatics technologies, field observations, and living-related parameters from basic minimum need (BMN) data retrieved from the Ministry of Interior. In the results, 29 permanent housing projects were mapped, classified into five sizes (very small, small, medium, large, and very large), and overlaid with the tsunami-inundated zone visually interpreted from satellite images. Thirteen out of twenty-nine projects were reconstructed in the inundation zone (in situ), while the rest were relocated to higher ground. Permanent houses were rebuilt in 18 communities in three patterns: single-story or one-story houses (511 houses), single-story and raised-basement houses (58 houses), and two-story houses (712 houses). The selected BMN’s living-related parameters, such as sufficient water for household consumption (dimension: dwelling), employment of people between 15 and 60 years old (dimension: economy), and participation in communities’ activities (dimension: participation), which covered 2002–2015 at the community-based level, were compared annually to its criterion and indicated as passing or not passing the standard. The reconstructed communities recovered (passing the requirements) within four years of transferring to the reconstructed houses.