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Better Disaster Shelters than FEMA Trailers (Video)
An aerospace engineer and Mississippi native named Michael McDaniel "watched helplessly as Hurricane Katrina forced thousands of people out of their homes and into crowded, poorly equipped 'shelters.'" This scenario led to Michael founding Reaction Housing and the creation of its first product, the Exo (as in exoskeleton) shelter. This company isn't holding its hand out for crowdfunding. It got $1.5 million in seed capital in March, 2014, later got another $10 million, and is now going into mass production of its Exo housing units.
Reaction Housing is not the only attempt to make post-disaster housing better, or at least less expensive, than the infamous FEMA trailers. A charity called ShelterBox in Lakewood Ranch, FL, fills boxes with everything a family or group of up to 10 people needs, including a heavy-duty tent, bedding, and kitchen supplies, in order to survive after a natural disaster. (Here's an interview video I shot in 2010 about ShelterBox.) Exo, ShelterBox or any one of dozens of other emergency housing alternatives are good to have around, ready to go, for the next Katrina, Sandy or Tsunami. High tech? Not necessarily, but technology has obviously made emergency housing faster and easier to erect than the "earthquake shacks" that were built in San Francisco to house people made homeless by the 1906 earthquake.
Reaction Housing is not the only attempt to make post-disaster housing better, or at least less expensive, than the infamous FEMA trailers. A charity called ShelterBox in Lakewood Ranch, FL, fills boxes with everything a family or group of up to 10 people needs, including a heavy-duty tent, bedding, and kitchen supplies, in order to survive after a natural disaster. (Here's an interview video I shot in 2010 about ShelterBox.) Exo, ShelterBox or any one of dozens of other emergency housing alternatives are good to have around, ready to go, for the next Katrina, Sandy or Tsunami. High tech? Not necessarily, but technology has obviously made emergency housing faster and easier to erect than the "earthquake shacks" that were built in San Francisco to house people made homeless by the 1906 earthquake.
They are cutting themselves out of market reach by excluding consumers. Their success or failure depends entirely upon whether organizations, wealthy individuals, or municipalities will order large lots. People with deep pockets don't spend on impulse, and they're just as likely to create their own solution as invest in this one.
Meanwhile, personal responsibility in preparation for potential future emergencies is countermanded. An alternative to homeless camps is prevented. Applications beyond emergency housing are completely nullified. And the company cuts itself out of profits. This seems to be what always happens with emergency shelter. Either it's priced such that one could buy something in the range from an old mobile home to small house, or it's simply not available.
What is the difference between selling a 25-40 unit lot and taking 25-40 consumer orders before beginning production? This company could give itself six months per order for enough orders to be reached to justify production and then give the consumer an option for a refund. It wouldn't even be necessary if they priced it reasonably such that better solutions aren't also more cost-effective.
The engineer saw Katrina victims and wanted to solve the problem. Bullshit. The Katrina victims wouldn't have had access to this, by design.
I open the Exo web page. I see all the pretty pictures.
What I don't see is what I need to know about heating, cooling and ventilation.
The lack of storage for personal belongings, food and water, the space and facilities needed for cooking and sanitation. Not the slightest thought has been given to the comfort, pride or privacy of the refugee.
That idiotic door lock bothers me no end.
These geeks may know tech, but they are utterly blind to the psychological and social forces in play when people are under extreme stress.
These stackable plastic cups seem more appropriately designed for Joe Arpaio's Tent City prison camps.