Emergency Architects Foundation
The Emergency Architects Foundation is a French non-governmental organization, reconnue d'utilité publique. It is organised as a not-for-profit foundation with the French Order of Architects as supporters and is accredited by the United Nations and the European Union. The Emergency Architects Foundation is also present in Australia (Emergency Architects Australia) and in Canada (Emergency Architects Canada). The aim of Emergency Architects is to bring help and technical aid to the victims of natural, technological and human disasters, not only in safety and security evaluations of the populations but also in post-disaster reconstruction programs focused on long-term development and risk mitigation. History The Emergency Architects Foundation was created in April 2001 by Patrick Coulombel (architect) in Amiens in Picardy, France as a result of the flooding of the River Somme in 2001. A group of architects formed the organisation so as to mobilize technical assistance to the disaster victims and protect the rich cultural heritage of the region. Emergency Architects Australia (EAA) was started in 2005 in response to the Indonesian tsunami and since that has worked in Indonesia, Pakistan, the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, India and Australia. The president of EAA is Andrea