Before one of the strongest typhoons in history smashed into the Philippines in November 2013, development professionals from Tetra Tech and the Millennium Challenge Corp. were charged with building 120 kilometers of road on the fourth largest island in the country.
The team determined — even before Typhoon Haiyan — that the road was going to be at an increased risk for mudslides, and worked with local partners to find an innovative solution to protect the road: coco netting.
The netting, made of husk fibers from the coconut, kept the soil around the road in place. When the typhoon hit, the netting helped to protect the 20 kilometers of road that was already built, which proved critical for emergency response.
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About the author
Jeff Tyson@jtyson21
Jeff is a former global development reporter for Devex. Based in Washington, D.C., he covers multilateral affairs, U.S. aid, and international development trends. He has worked with human rights organizations in both Senegal and the U.S., and prior to joining Devex worked as a production assistant at National Public Radio. He holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in international relations and French from the University of Rochester.