S(P)EEDKITS
Rapid deployable kits as seeds for self-recovery
The project "S(P)EEDKITS" , which started in 2012, researches rapid deployable kits as seeds for self-recovery in disaster affected sites. A multidisciplinary team, consisting of different organizations throughout Europe, is developing a new emergency system of modular rapid deployable shelters, facilities and medical care. These kits must be transportable, modular and adaptable, must have a low cost and must be high-tech in their conception but low-tech in use. The goal of these kits will be to provide temporary infrastructure, to establish the necessary temporary services and to limit the damage to economic and social fabrics. The kits should provide infrastructure for different purposes, e.g. a hospital, a communication centre, water facilities or sanitation units. Also four different basic shelter kits will be designed and analyzed: - A lightweight safe house unit: this shelter gives coverage for the very first hours and need to be deployed by the communities - A collective unit: a shelter which is usable for diverse purposes - A family house unit: this shelter will be used in the transitional period and later, it can be referred to as the first version of a real house - A robust warehouse unit: a somewhat larger shelter for the humanitarian organizations, it can be used for storage, offices, medical centers, etc. The need for these kits becomes evident when thinking about the many disasters, both nature- and man-made, that occur worldwide. As a result, countless people are rendered homeless without any medical care, sufficient and clean water, decent sanitation or energy supply. In case of such an emergency situation, humanitarian organizations (like the Red Cross, Red Crescent Movement and Médecins Sans Frontières) send emergency response units to rebuild these affected sites. These units are send out immediately after a disaster strikes. Each unit has his own field of expertise and consists of trained people and the necessary equipment (the ‘kit’) needed on site. The S(P)EEDKITS project wants to develop novel ‘kits’ that can be pre-positioned and mobilized more quickly and easily than existing ones. Project funded by the European commission. Project number: 284931.