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In August 1992, hundreds of homes were obliterated by Hurricane Andrew in south Florida, USA.
Significantly, 27 homes built by Habitat for Humanity in Dade County weathered the storm with window damage and water intrusion but no structural damage. This was the first encounter between Habitat for Humanity and a major disaster event.
In 1998, Habitat started responding to disasters, beginning with hurricanes Mitch and Georges in Central America and the Caribbean. Since then, Habitat has responded to more than a hundred disaster events and has implemented dozens of resilience building projects in varied contexts around the world.
Over the past several decades, Habitat has helped thousands of disaster-impacted families transform feelings of grief, despair and loss into active participation and agency of their own recovery through the distribution of shelter materials and tools; training; facilitation of transitional accommodations; home repairs; the construction of new, resilient homes; and the provision of technical assistance.
Habitat has continued to adapt to the changing needs of survivors. Recognizing that responding to disasters is not enough, Habitat also has implemented initiatives to build the resilience and preparedness of communities before a disaster strikes. Every home built by Habitat strives to follow best practices and code compliance to mitigate the impact of natural hazards and includes adaptations to the changing climate and environmental conditions. The same applies to home improvement projects in existing communities and settlements.
Issues around land tenure and property are also addressed, as these constitute key components of a resilient housing solution.