Mr. Charles Setchell of USAID - known as Mr. Disaster Shelter for the US Agency for International Development was our guest in an informal discussion on disasters, focusing on the situation in Haiti. Faculty and students from throughout the Cambridge academic community attended. Prof. Mark Goulthorpe started the discussion with a presentation of the innovative thermoplastic composite sheets for housing construction. Rebuilding Haiti and Pakistan were discussed, as well as the interplay among government, development agencies, NGOs and the Haitian diaspora. 

Information on USAID shelter assistance programs may be found here

Specific information on the debate among Tent vs Plastic Sheet and Pre-fab Construction in Disasters is available here