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Tsunami shelter developer strikes agreements to build prototype

Computer generated rendering depicting the tsunami shelter’s functionality during a flooding event. (PRNewsFoto/Brahman Industries, LLC)

Brahman Industries, the developer of the STATIM tsunami and flood shelter system, announced Thursday it has entered into a collaborative agreement with Martínez Marine Design Inc and Creative Systems Inc. to validate the structure’s design and capabilities and move forward to producing and testing full-scale prototypes.

The Puerto Rican firm landed $125,000 in seed funding last month through a “crowdfunding” campaign, after being unable to get local financing.

Martínez Marine Design is a Texas-based naval architecture and marine engineering firm that offers professional engineering and design services for the offshore and marine industries. Meanwhile, Creative Systems is the developer of GHS Port, the naval design software that will be used to map out the shelter.

The STATIM (the acronym for Storm, Tornado And Tsunami Interconnected Modules) Shelter consists of an enclosable hull comprised of a series of precast, lightweight concrete modules, similar to large diameter concrete pipes. Once assembled, it provides a water-tight environment with buoyancy and self-righting capability.

Inside, the shelters are equipped with secure seating for occupants, ventilation, and options of survival supplies capable of sustaining the occupants during and after a disaster. It is the equivalent of an “inland life boat.” This cost-effective technology, capable of being produced in mass, has been issued a U.S. patent, with 14 international patents pending.

“There are thousands of islands, communities and coastal resorts around the world where topography, proximity faults, remoteness, or lack of vertical evacuation alternatives make them extremely vulnerable to the devastation of tsunamis and floods,” said shelter designer Miguel Serrano, CEO of Brahman. “The STATIM Shelter is a straightforward approach which already represents a major breakthrough in natural disaster preparedness.”

Author Details
Author Details
Business reporter with 30 years of experience writing for weekly and daily newspapers, as well as trade publications in Puerto Rico. My list of former employers includes Caribbean Business, The San Juan Star, and the Puerto Rico Daily Sun, among others. My areas of expertise include telecommunications, technology, retail, agriculture, tourism, banking and most other segments of Puerto Rico’s economy.
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