Besides human casualties one of the most visible and striking effects of any major disaster is the destruction of houses. Construction of houses will be a major activity in the reconstruction phase of a disaster. The quickest and the most effective way to rebuild houses after a disaster is to employ what is know as the “ Donor Driven” approach. In this approach the government or an external agency who is funding the project will lead the reconstruction process with the help of consultants and contractors procured for the project. The major limitation of this approach is that it may lead to housing that does not respond to the need of the victims. As an alternative, the so called “Owner Driven” approach has been used by some donor agencies as well as the government in many disaster situations. In this approach the disaster victims reconstruct their houses by themselves. The role of the external agencies is limited to the provision of financial and technical assistance.
