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Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Alternative Shelters

I found this article and thought the idea was pretty good. They are more durable than a FEMA trailer and could be used at a bug out location. What are you thoughts?- Nomad
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Shipping Container Homes - The Perfect Building Block For Emergency Disasters

By Dave A Lee


Emergency Shelter Homes
Since the earthquake in January 2010 in Haiti, there have been many requests for international quotes. Companies are now doing an extensive amount of research and product testing on creating emergency shelters using shipping containers as the main building blocks. All over the world, there are natural disasters taking the lives of thousands of people.
When considering building an Emergency shelter home in an area that is prone to hurricanes and earthquakes, there are two factors to consider in regards to the construction and design of the emergency shelter home:
The first is the susceptibility to water damage, generally caused by flooding, and the second is the resistance of the construction materials to wind damage. Because most coastal countries are prone to hurricanes and tropical storms the safety of a steel construction home becomes a high priority.
Water damage - Most damages incurred, during and immediately after a hurricane, are caused by flooding and water incursion through damaged structures. Shipping container homes reduce the chances of water damage in several ways. Most importantly, the steel wall structures are inherently water tight so that rains, driven by hurricane force winds, are unlikely to breach the structure. These ISO shipping containers are both hurricane and earth quake proof, based on their design, and their seaworthiness.
They can withstand 100mph winds unanchored and 145 winds anchored.
These homes can be used in the beginning as emergency shelters and then converted into homes and or offices in the future.
These containers can also be stacked upon each other and replace the poor Haitian construction. Additionally, The emergency shelter Shipping container home must be placed on a secure and elevated foundation.
Emergency shelter homes are generally placed in locations away from areas, which have a history of flooding. However, even in areas not normally susceptible to flooding, significant runoff can occur during heavy rains. So the installation of the homes regarding elevation and land positioning is very important.
Emergency shelter shipping container homes are all placed on foundations that will meet, and generally exceed, the levels of protection needed in the homes foundation. Additionally, the mostly steel construction will not be prone to cracking, or fracturing, as would a concrete structure. This leads to longer life and lower maintenance for your home.
Wind damage - While water damage far surpasses other forms of damage incurred from hurricanes, damages caused by high winds can also be severe. There are generally two sources of wind damage incurred during hurricanes. The first, and most obvious, is from the hurricane itself. In a strong hurricane, the wind speeds can reach upwards of 160 mph. However, the strongest winds associated with hurricanes are generally caused by tornadoes spawned by the hurricane. The winds from a strong tornado can be higher than 250 mph. A high percentage of the wind damage is actually a result of debris being hurled through the air.
Experiments have shown that items, such as small trees or two-by-fours, can actually penetrate the walls of a concrete block home when hurled at the velocities generated by a moderately strong tornado.
The steel wall structure of homes Shipping container is inherently secure against intrusion from such debris during a hurricane or tornado. Please visit:
ContainerHomes.net or
ContainerHouse for a complete guide to help you.


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