In for the Long Haul: Project Managers Keep Disaster Recovery Projects Running

 

Working on a disaster-recovery project in the hours right after a hurricane, earthquake or explosion is an adrenalinepumping event. The spotlight shines on victims and dustcovered heroes as government leaders and everyday citizens dig deep to support the cause. But in the weeks, months and even years that follow, commitment often wanes. The excitement dies down and donations dry up, leaving a few stoic team members to the arduous process of rebuilding the community that was destroyed. The work is difficult—and often dangerous— requiring unswerving dedication from project managers willing to battle poverty, politics and the fickle attention of donors to help victims put their lives back in order.

“It gets a little lonely,” admits Kate Stohr, managing director and cofounder of San Francisco, California, USA-based Architecture For Humanity, a non-government organization that offers design services to communities in need. Among the dozens of postdisaster rebuilding efforts the group has supported, one of the most emotional and challenging has been its work rebuilding U.S. communities hit by Hurricane Katrina.

“It has been two years and we still have 3,000 families living in FEMA [U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency] trailers,” she laments. “This is not a job for the weak at heart.”

As they first looked for …

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