BRR Aceh–Nias: Post-disaster reconstruction governance

Abstract

The 2004 Indian Ocean (Boxing Day) tsunami destroyed an 800 km long by 2–3 km wide area along the coast of Aceh Province along with coastal areas and islands of the neighboring South Sumatera Province. Hundreds of lives were lost and more were never found. Three months later, a powerful earthquake ferociously shook a group of islands known as Nias, also causing significant devastation. These large-scale disasters prompted the Indonesian Government to establish a reconstruction agency—the BRR (Badan Rehabilitasi dan Rekonstruksi—Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency). This chapter begins with a brief description of the socio-cultural and economic conditions of Aceh and Nias, before discussing the way the BRR operates. The chapter then identifies several lessons the BRR learned during its four and a half year tenure. After drawing comparisons with the Great East Japan Earthquake reconstruction process in Tohoku region, this chapter concludes with discussion of lessons learned for future use.