Workshop 2016

Hurricane Sandy was the most destructive storm that hit the northeast coast of the United States in 2012. Being a Category 3 hurricane, wind speeds reached up from 111 to 129 miles per hour. In total, the storm did $71.4 billion in damage, and, 157 people died. Although that does not seem like a lot, those were still innocent lives lost. During the same storm in Haiti, over 39,000 people were affected by the hurricane. However, Haiti’s infrastructure is disastrous. Among many other issues in Haiti, deforestation has plagued the ground with soil erosion. Currently in a housing crisis, 90% of Haiti’s population lives in displacement camps, which are just towns of tents, made only of wood and cloth, and leaves people vulnerable during many storms. Additionally, overpopulation in many large cities increases the spread of many illnesses, and has people living in unsanitary areas. If a large storm hit these areas, people would die, and be left helpless.

The Faust Storm Shelter seeks to help those in poor, impoverished areas, for shelter during many natural disasters. Drawing inspiration from nature, the Faust Storm Shelter houses those who cannot keep themselves safe. Coming in a “flat pack” shipping box, the shelter is built by the consumer within one to two hours of a storm. A rooting system will allow the shelter to stay on the ground. After building the shelter, the sides will pull down, like blinds on a window, and hook to the bottom plate of the shelter, keeping the people inside, totally enclosed. Additionally, the shelter can be used as a shelter instead of the displacement camp’s tents. The Faust Storm Shelter company wants to work with a company, such as IKEA, to provide these shelters for those that live in poor areas. Costing roughly $250 each, these storm shelters will provide each person with a safe place to live.

Although not a direct problem for us, the project will help those that are really in need. These shelters will help those in poor, impoverished areas. The project would take a couple years to reach the end outcome. The ultimate outcome of the shelters would be to provide them to all those that live in these areas. The outcome would be less deaths and injuries when storms hit these poor areas. It helps our community too, if people want to purchase the storm shelters to go camping in, or to just have in case of a severe emergency.