All of us here at The Panic Room Company were truly shocked and saddened at the news reports detailing the devastating trail of death and destruction created by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
These two Category 5 storms caused billions of dollars worth of damage to homes and businesses, people left homeless and without shelter or clean water and, most upsetting, the loss of life. People’s lives literally turned upside down in a matter of minutes, the aftermath of such natural disasters always results in the question: what can we do to protect ourselves next time?
Outlines Paul Weldon, managing director of The Panic Room Company: “A week after Hurricane Irma flattened the Caribbean island of St Martin, I received the following email from an American gentleman living on the island named Geoff Reman:
Hello,
I’m one of the survivors of IRMA hurricane on the island of St Martin in the Caribbean. I was there during the hurricane, hiding in a little kitchen with my wife and kids hoping that our ceiling will resist. Thank God, it did. But not the rest of the house and some of my friends didn’t share this luck.
I’m now back in Paris with my family and we are safe.
I have now all the time to think about what I could do for my island and other islands like St Barth, and I do realize that if some houses would have had some panic rooms, at least in concrete, many lives could have been saved and many kids would not have suffered from fears and now nightmares.
Thanks for the time you took to read this message. Kind regards. G.R
“I had a conversation with Geoff the very next day because safe rooms can undoubtedly save lives in the event of a hurricane. It’s something we’ve often talked about in recent years as extreme weather events have become more and more frequent across the globe.”
Continues Paul: “We are able to manufacture specific ‘hurricane ready’ safe rooms that can be installed very quickly inside a premises or private residence. The safe rooms are bolted from the inside so even if the winds from a hurricane are strong enough to actually blow the room over, anyone sheltering inside can easily unbolt panels to get out. We can also fit an escape hatch to enable occupants to climb out without difficulty.
“We’re very much looking forward to working with Geoff and drawing on his own personal experience to support other survivors moving forward. It’s our aim to offer a highly affordable, safe and effective place for people to shelter in the event of a hurricane or tropical storm. Watch this space for continuing developments with Project ‘Panic Rooms Against Hurricanes’.
