Widespread damage caused by the 2004 tsunami and 2005 earthquake on the island of Nias, Indonesia needed rapid planning in order to create practical and user-friendly action plans for reconstruction.

The Asian Development Bank’s Earthquake and Tsunami Emergency Support Project provided financial resources and technical assistance to undertake such rapid planning for a significant part of Nias Island. Speedy and accurate data collection and analysis by small teams in consultation with communities and local governments, and simple presentations of results led to a high level of demand for the plans.

Some 32 subdistrict spatial framework and action plan documents were completed. These documents were up to 200 pages in length, with more than 13 maps in each document, along with video disks containing the documents and interactive maps. Each document required 2 weeks of field and 2 weeks of office work. A total of 1,078 action plan projects with an approximate value of $156 million were identified.

The plans provided a template for effective post-disaster responses and continue to be used by local governments for their development and budget planning. Indonesia’s national electric power supplier has used the plans to identify gaps in its network and expansion plans. Nongovernment organizations and United Nations agencies have used the plans as baseline information for developing complementary reconstruction interventions.