May 19, 2008 4:31 pm US/Eastern
Local Company Has Plan To Help In Natural Disaster
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
In natural disasters, getting back to normal is never easy, especially when homes are lost. In the past FEMA trailers were used, but toxic fumes are taking them out of the mix.
Alex DeMetrick reports on a local company that thinks it has a better fix when disaster hits.
Hurricanes can push storm surges right into living rooms or carry off entire homes.
After the devastation of Katrina, thousands were left without homes and FEMA sent in trailers for temporary housing. Now those, too, are being eliminated.
"There were a lot of problems with formaldehyde causing a lot of adverse health effects," said Rep. John Sarbanes.
That's opening the door to new ideas, like the temporary housing being manufactured by critical response networks in Baltimore.
Maryland Congressman John Sarbanes was given a tour of a house whose walls are made from compressed wheat straw.
The complete kit includes kitchens and bathrooms and two to four bedrooms. Everything is pre-cut and can be stored in warehouses. One flat-bed truck moves it all.
"We can have the house under roof in three days and have people living in it by the end of the week," said Michael Morgan.
The wheat straw panels are waterproof and the assembled house has been rated to withstand winds up to 135 miles per hour.
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