Emergency permaculture..

I was in Ecuador before the earthquake and became friends with a family there... I would like to send suggestions of what to do if your on land but all the infrastructure is unsafe.... people are sleeping outside and water is a major concern... any novel ideas? how to-repurpose the building materaials ? lots of cement blocks... tin... i told my friend about the berkey filter which would work great if you have a stream I know there are filters you can make using sand... I know in permaculture design there is the time element and the order of looking at a problem... like taming the water first them finding where you would put the house then the roads paths and then the zones swales etc... It seems the order which you tackle a problem makes it successful... I guess i'm hoping someone would come up with a permaculture emergency handbook... I have sent them some money Now I'm looking for the best use of it... thanks for any suggestions Sam

The provision of plenty of safe drinking water is or paramount importance. Look into sand filters and solar cookers and stills. Even a glass jug left in the sun all day helps. A piece of clear plastic over a hole dug in wet ground, with a stone resting in the middle and a cup underneath....water condenses on it, runs down and into cup....Lots of info out there. People who have to drink bad water get diarrhea, and then have no energy, can't keep food down, and need even more water to prevent dehydration....starting a vicious downward spiral. Injuries, blood loss, exposure, exhaustion, heat and sun....all of these things require water in abundance to deal with. Solve the water problem first.