Fear of FEMA, Disaster Capitalism and the case for Architecture Collectivism

Natural disasters can only take a few moments to tear apart a community but generations to recover. The real disaster is not the consequence of the natural disaster, but the man-made mistakes that often happen in the process of trying to rebuild communities. It takes a lot of patience and trust. Unfortunately, the communities affected by the wildfires in Maui have neither.

Local teams on the ground have long held fears over government offers of support and the two main questions the team at Worldchanging Institute are being asked are; "Can we trust FEMA?" and "If we go it alone, will we be punished in the long run?". These groups, led by indigenous community leaders , have been fighting for their fair share of support prior to this recent disaster and have reason to be anxious. To rebuild the community, it will take more than goodwill and a crowdfunding campaign.

The concerns about FEMA are amplified by mainstream media, which amps up the tension between groups who desperately need to work together to rebuild in a safe and sustainable way. In a few weeks, the same reporters will pack up their gear and fly into the next disaster - forgetting about very people that need a long term solutions and leaving a fractious relationship with local government, agencies and the people. FEMA and media are not the real problem.

Disaster capitalism has already arrived on the shores of Maui - from well meaning yet ill-equipped non profits trying to garner funding and project to multinationals looking to acquire cheap land and exploit families still grieving from a tragedy. Currently the private sector, venture capitalists, and speculative developers are looking to exacerbate the original conditions by undermining disenfranchised people, often indigenous communities, through austerity, privatization, and policing. In previous US disasters, it has led to the dismantling of public school systems, privatization of infrastructure and 'transforming' the vulnerable shoreline into hotels and resorts.

For twenty five years I've seen it happen time and time again, but thankfully we have strategies to combat this.

Architecture and Building Collectivism in Disasters

In spite of the tragedy, communities are already coming together in the form of mutual-aid centers and loose groups bonded by a common goal - to ensure locals are protected, safe and have immediate needs taken care of. There are a dozen such groups around the epicenter of the wildfires setting up everything from "free" gas stations to produce and ice distribution. One of my favorite I've spoken with so far are the local Maui surfers.

In her landmark book, “A Paradise Built in Hell,” Rebecca Solnit notes, “in the wake of an earthquake, a bombing, or a major storm, most people are altruistic, urgently engaged in caring for themselves and those around them, strangers and neighbors as well as friends and loved ones.”

This natural response is the birth of what disaster collectivism can become and, as a post-disaster moves from relief to reconstruction, where architects, designers and engineers can play an important role. We saw this in East Biloxi, Mississippi when dozens of architects and architectural non-profits donated their time and services to support local groups to manage the rebuilding process - including utilizing the FEMA "Road Home" funds. As a result, thousands of homes were repaired and hundred built, all integrating resiliency within the structure.

For this to work, the collective must implement a 'triple diamond' approach to implementation (see image), where you commit to implementing solutions, not just designing them. There is nothing worse than giving communities unfeasible projects - it is better not to offer help, than to create false hope. So you need to create tangible wins before taking on an entire block, village or town.

A rough guide to starting architectural collectivism in disasters: 

• Connect with locals. This includes, local officials, small NGOs and the mutual aid centers that have been popping up to help redistribute financial resources, food, water, and other supplies. Offer support and do not burden them with what 'you require'
• Create small wins. Help design and build distribution centers, a small park or play space (if kids have a place to play, parents can focus on rebuilding) 
• Share nicely. Reconstruction efforts are a big tent, there are a lot of people that want to help. Alienating or dismissing other groups creates unnecessary drama. If you are donating your services for the attention or glory, you are not actually there for authentic reasons.
• Be the bridge. The only thing to fear is the unknown and you can play a role in demystifying the rebuilding process - from the involvement of FEMA to understanding insurance policies, to helping create budgets for repairs and rebuilding.
• Know your limits. You cannot survive sleeping on the floor and being disconnected from your family and loved ones. The community needs your team to be professionals and give your best work - their future literally depends on it. If you can't bake yourself into the budgets, don't burden the community. It is better you do one small things for positive change, than overcommit and burn out.
• BUILD, BUILD, BUILD. It's a giant cop-out to say "we just do the design", a community devastated by a disaster doesn't need your architectural genius, they need homes, schools, clinics and community spaces. Architects used to lead the building process, because they used to lead. After a disaster, no one needs CAD - they need construction. So proceed and be bold.

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