Tsunami Resettlement Program and Survivor Satisfaction Fifteen Years After the 2004 Tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia

Fifteen years after the Aceh tsunami, the housing for the tsunami survivors has undergone material changes and shifts in ownership. This study analyzed the survivors’ satisfaction with the housing aid and examined the decision-making mechanisms that occurred during the rehabilitation-reconstruction period for housing construction in the relocation and non-relocation areas. This study used qualitative-descriptive methods. Interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect the data and respondents were selected by purposive sampling. The findings indicated that the decision-making in the relocation and non-relocation areas for housing reconstruction was partially top-down. There were four aspects of this decision-making: (1) choice of location; (2) quality and materials of the house; (3) house construction; and (4) supervision of house construction. However, the survivors in both the relocation and non-relocation areas were only involved in the house construction and supervision of house construction elements. The survivors’ satisfaction criteria differed between those in the relocation vs. non-relocation areas. The satisfaction of survivors in the relocation areas was based on the distance and quality of the houses and access to public facilities. For the non-relocation area survivors, house quality was the only significant factor. Keywords: life satisfaction, survivors’ satisfaction, housing, relocation, decision-makin