Corrugated corrigenda
A hat tip to Tractor Stats for setting me on the trail of this one….
Shortly after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Gordon Brown was at a poetry reading in London, naturally accompanied by a helpful posse of reporters…..
He announced that he had ‘purchased all of the UK’s available corrugated iron sheets to provide shelters for victims of the Haiti earthquake’.
Sounds pretty good so far, doesn’t it?
The move would provide ’2,000 homeless families in Haiti with hurricane proof shelter’. Still sounds OK? Even though there were approximately 150,000 homeless families, at least Britain was doing its bit.
Then you read that the total purchase was 5,700 sheets….
There are only 5,700 sheets of corrugated iron in the whole of the UK? Something wrong here. We invented corrugated iron, we are mass producers of the stuff – by Corus amongst others…..
And we are planning to hand out less than three sheets of corrugated iron per family? Definitely something wrong.
It has taken me some time to get to the bottom of this one. I phoned several of the largest corrugated iron manufacturers……and once we had got over the confusion caused by the fact that it is actually corrugated steel these days, though the name corrugated iron persists, they were as incredulous as I was.
“5,700 sheets – I’ve got 250,000 grands worth in me yard right now”
“He’s what? Pull the other one girl, there must be a million sheets in the UK – we’re in the middle of a recession or hadn’t you noticed”
“Might be what was left in the Corus yard when it closed, probably part of the Tata deal”.
A pretty universal derision at the initial statement from our Gordon!
Eventually I got onto the Department for International Development. Fascinating!
You may be homeless, you may be in desperate straits, but there are rules and regulations to be abided by…
Britain has International agreements which govern the size and thickness of the corrugated sheets we are allowed to donate. Anything else would apparently cause confusion as you attempt to shelter from the rain and the winds under a collection of sheets that were not altogether uniform in size with those arriving from, say France, or the USA. You might not care about such things, but the civil servants in charge of these matters do.
I quote:
“As part of the UK’s response to the Haiti earthquake, DFID and other NGOs sent humanitarian supplies, including corrugated iron sheets, on RFA Largs Bay. It was imperative these sheets conformed to international humanitarian standards, to ensure the best and safest shelter for homeless Haitians.
“DFID’s humanitarian response team were offered 5,700 pre-made sheets, conforming to international requirements, at a cost of £35,000 from supplier Steelwork International. Given the urgency of the situation and the tight timescale before the ship sailed, it was not possible to produce and test new sheets for quality and value for money; therefore the pre-made sheets were purchased.
What Gordon Brown meant to say was “2,000 Haiti families will be sheltering under precisely 2 and 8/10th of a sheet each of the only corrugated iron currently in stock by one particular manufacturer that meets the tensile strength and size requirements laid down by bored civil servants at some time in the past and I consider this something worth boasting about”.
If he can’t tell the truth about a simple matter like this – how can we believe his lies about the more important figures – like the state of the countries deficit?
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March 23, 2010 at 14:48 -
As discussed I telephoned my man yesterday in Devon, he said nobody had been in touch with them and they were the third largest manufacturer in the country.
As also discussed, exporting this sort of material as ‘sheets’ is just creating 21st century barrios/slums/informal settlements,without clean water and sewage treatment- well done Gordon.
Other countries are setting up prefrabricated housing plants either in Haiti or in neighbouring States, we simply cannot afford to play humanitarian relief with the big boys.
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March 23, 2010 at 14:49 -
FFS. Sounds like an Ealing Comedy, n’est-ce pas?
I saw Titfield Thunderbolt at the weekend and the government inspector was one of those, but he was meant to be funny.
[typos, unniversal, straits (as in dire)]
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March 23, 2010 at 15:21
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March 23, 2010 at 14:51 -
Excellent scoop!
This should be touted round every MSM newsroom and newspaper office in the country, to show them that their job is more than simply regurgitating government policy briefings verbatim…
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March 23, 2010 at 15:03 -
A couple of sheets of corrugated iron/steel is a hurricane proof shelter? Maybe if they were set up in a deeep cave.
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March 23, 2010 at 15:05 -
So it should, JuliaM, so it should.
Brilliant find. Send it to Newsnight. Get Gordon on to explain himself. -
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March 23, 2010 at 15:18 -
My gob is smacked. If the bog standard sheets didn’t match the humanitarian aid standards, use two.(held together with humanitarian approved bolts of course) I somehow doubt desperate Haitians would be all that bothered.
Still, at least that Haitian in particular can partake in some regular exercise. Has anyone gone over to make sure they are getting their five a day too?
Anyhows, perhaps a better grandstanding ploy would have been to send containers full of supplies and vital equipment, and use the containers to build homes from.
http://www.fabprefab.com/fabfiles/containerbayhome.htm
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March 23, 2010 at 15:40 -
I get so angry when i hear things like this.
‘Britain has International agreements which govern the size and thickness of the corrugated sheets we are allowed to donate. Anything else would apparently cause confusion as you attempt to shelter from the rain and the winds under a collection of sheets that were not altogether uniform in size with those arriving from, say France, or the USA. You might not care about such things, but the civil servants in charge of these matters do.’
For crying out loud people need shelter and i don’t think corregated steel that isn’t uniform, with other countries, would bother the people of Haiti.
I would love to know when these civil servents got their common sense surgically removed?
Or are they taken into a room tied to a chair and their eyes held open with matchsticks and brainwashed?
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March 23, 2010 at 15:49 -
RE: spelling,
Opera and Firefox browsers have built in spell checkers if that’s any help.
Regarding the standards of corrugated sheets, did anyone say what they were or where to find them?
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March 23, 2010 at 15:54
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March 23, 2010 at 15:56 -
FFS! I’ve been battling obstinate bureaucracy for a month or so so I am aware of some procedures which would make you scream in frustration, but this is quite simply un-fucking-believable!
Not only does there appear to be a dearth of common sense in the public sector, at times it feels like they are actively trying to eradicate the entire concept.
By the way, I read this to Mr Puddlecote Snr and, through eyes closed in exasperation, he asked who is on the board of Steelwork International – with the morals of our current politicians, it’s not such a daft question.
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March 23, 2010 at 16:08 -
FFS !!!
Where do we get these bozos
The adequacy of this material in a hurricane has been pointed out by others. The adequacy of the loons in parliament will hopefully be pointed out in a few weeks.
But this type of story amplifes, yet again, the crap response we get from a statist world view.
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March 23, 2010 at 16:22 -
Good question, Mr Puddlecote Snr… I’m googling but Steelwork International isn’t jumping back at me. More googling plus a bit of Miss Marpling required, methinks.
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March 23, 2010 at 16:23 -
We await your inevitable confirmation that this is as a result of a directive from Brussels, part of the Common Fisheries Policy – Fishing Boats, Fishing Season & Quota, Commandeering & Diversion, Temporary Requisition, International Emergency, Humanitarian Aid for the purpose of, Temporary Shelters for the transport of, Divers Materials for the construction of, Sheets Corrugated for the use of.
These of course state that the sheets may be of any material from papier mache upwards, and of any size on configuration, but UK regulations have of course been ‘gold plated’ to ensure quality and all relevant standards are maintained. -
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March 23, 2010 at 16:24 -
It has come to my attention that there will be a Prime Ministerial briefing about the role of corrugated iron/steel in the aid of the developing world and as a safety net in the follow up to earthquakes, floods etc prior to PMQs tomorrow. This has been given as the reason for Gordon Brown’s strange absence during the last few days of torment for the new labour stasi.
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March 23, 2010 at 16:53 -
Perhaps the shelters envisaged will be like the ones the DFiD funded in Pakistan after an earthquake in 2007.
Which probably look like <a href="http://www.actionaid.org.uk/emergencies/update4/update.php#12"this.
Any half competent bodger could knock one up from corrugated galvanized iron and timber (which you’ll have to find yourself) and a few tools whether the iron met a particular standard or not. It suggests to me that DFiD have a set model for what a shelter has to look like and be built from and can only work to that plan. What a pathetic state of affairs.
A boatload of Polish labourers could have the place back on it’s feet in no time…
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March 23, 2010 at 16:57 -
Corrections: Earthquake in 2005, duff link to here
Further info: DfID ordered 200,000 sheets of iron for the Pakistan earthquake effort.(pdf, see page 2)
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March 23, 2010 at 17:07 -
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are distributing some of the CGI.(pdf, see page 15)
They link to a google group with all kinds of info on it.
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March 23, 2010 at 17:14 -
My gob is smacked, my mind is boggled and every other thing of that nature.
Utterly astonishing.
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March 23, 2010 at 17:16
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March 23, 2010 at 17:23 -
Nope – I’ve only found a domain name which has expired….
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March 23, 2010 at 17:40 -
I missed it ; did he explain how are these corrugated-steel shelters ‘hurricane-proof’ ? Any-one ?
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March 23, 2010 at 17:59
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March 23, 2010 at 19:08 -
When I wrote about these corrugated sheets somebody left an anon comment saying “My dad’s very small company did the sheets for the gov…” etc.
http://mrsrigbysays.blogspot.com/2010/02/anderson-chelters-for-haiti.htmlFurther comment used a pseudonym, so it might be that “Steelwork International” is, or was, a very small company.
Is there any evidence that the steel sheets sent to Haiti were new?
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March 23, 2010 at 19:28
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March 23, 2010 at 19:26 -
Anna,
You just need to follow this 88 page pdf guide to IFRC shelter kits.
It won’t help you but will distract you while I pinch your corrugated iron.
Got any doors lying around? You could construct a domestic nuclear shelter instead.
I thought it a bit odd reading about the DfID in Pakistan – they gave out sheets of corrugated iron but not any timber to build the frame of the hut with, so the person they have quoted on their website explains that they needed to find some wood and get it sawn up into timber at a cost to them. I’m guessing it is to get people going more than a complete shelter. I seem to recall something similar in Aceh after the tsunami – the lessons learned there were keep the local economy ticking over and keep people active rather than sitting on their arses all day waiting for handouts.(Why can’t they do that here?) You start off in a tent while you build your shed, then live in the shed while you re-build your home.
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March 23, 2010 at 19:26 -
Well obviously for ‘Elf ‘n Safety reasons you can’t mix Corrug Sheet from the US & Europe. Ours has metric waviness, & theirs is Imperial.
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March 23, 2010 at 19:49 -
Why weren’t ,a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissen_hut”>Nissen Huts sent out to Haiti instead of flat sheets of corrugated steel that can be bought significantly cheaper than DfID “managed”?
In addition, the Nissen hut’s shape makes it virtually earthquake and hurricane proof. In these days of British jobs being exported it is cheering that we are still competitive in the important wiggly tin industry – “The government said it was “considerably cheaper” to ship iron from the UK than purchase it in Haiti’s neighbouring country, the Dominican Republic.” I can see a way out from the recession. -
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March 23, 2010 at 19:51 -
Sorry, that first link should be nissen Hut
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March 23, 2010 at 21:00 -
Loved your helpful instructions to Ha
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March 23, 2010 at 22:01 -
Brian, excellent point. Nissen huts would be ideal (the curved sections are stackable and the huts can be of any reasonable length). The curved edges are pre-drilled to take bolts, and the part in contact with the ground can be pegged into place. The open ends of the huts can be sealed using minimal local materials, fitted with doors, flaps of canvas, or whatnot. Not only are such shelters quick and easy to erect, but they are resistant to wind and have built-in guttering. The downside is internal condensation, but you get that with any unlined steel building. Flooring can be provided using pallets laid with local vegetation, e.g. palm-leaves.
Some of the WW2 Nissens are still standing today. Mini Nissens are used in their thousands by pig-farmers.
Anna, it beggars belief that we have no British engineers who can advise the relief agencies about something so elementary. As for the Prime Monster, he is beneath contempt and I shall waste no words on him.
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March 23, 2010 at 23:43 -
No, sorry, anon commenters on blogspot don’t have to leave email addresses. Will rummage through analytics, but am not sure if there’s more I can find out.
There’s a “Steel Work International”, in Pakistan, but they make surgical instruments. http://www.sialkotexport.com/industry/STEEL_WORK_INTERNATIONAL_details.aspx
Another in France, not sure what they do
http://pagesdor.truvo.be/M%C3%A9canique_de_pr%C3%A9cision/Steel_Work_International_SPRLU/Sprimont/fr_BE_YP_FREE_10760658_0000_1631655_1910_00000?tab=businessInfo&paging=trueThis, though, would add fuel to conspiracies, it’s from 2004
http://www.news.ops.gov.ph/archives2004/sept29.htm
“According to Mittal, the P1 billion downpayment paves the way for the acquisition of Global Steelworks International, Inc., (GSII), the Philippine arm of GIHL, one of the biggest steel plants in Asia.” -
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March 24, 2010 at 08:57 -
Gordon Brown not telling the truth? How come so many comments here express surprise?
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March 24, 2010 at 11:10 -
Just a thought, were the tin sheets supplied to Haiti curved and if so has Gordon deprived British Pigs (neither MPs or Stasi in this rare case) of their arks?
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