A team of University of Auckland engineers is warning that some homes that have been rebuilt after Samoa's tsunami could leave villagers exposed to future disasters.
A long-term study is being carried out by the Post-Disaster Reconstruction Research Team at the university's Faculty of Engineering.
An Associate Civil Engineering Professor, Suzanne Wilkinson, says they recently visited Samoa and commended rebuilding by agencies, such as Habitat For Humanity New Zealand, but noticed sub-standard buildings were still being reconstructed elsewhere.
"We did see some areas where we thought there could be improvements and you could make the community more resilient if you were going to build back with higher standards. And its particularly the case with self built housing, and not the ones being put up by agencies."
Suzanne Wilkinson, an associate professor at the University of Auckland
