By Shepard Ambellas
Theintelhub.com
Disaster-proof domes that can sustain winds in excess of 250 mph will cost taxpayers more than $50 a foot.
FEMA has now offered to pick up the tab of at least $50 million dollars, to install disaster shelters in and around Houston that, according to the manufacturer, (ABC Domes based out of Sealy – Division of Golden Sands General Contracting out of Miami) are “almost impenetrable”.
The company has been building these type of shelters for decades. The government has also offered to cover 75% of the cost on structures over 20,00 square feet in size. A facility of this size would cost around $1 million.
What is interesting is how recent reports vary in nature. Some say that the domes are to protect citizens from hurricanes while others say that FEMA equipment will be held in the domes.
If it is true that FEMA will store equipment in the domes, why now? Another interesting aspect reported was the fact that extra security and fencing measures have been implemented around the construction sites for the domes.
Chron.com reported on a new 33,000 square foot structure that is raising eyebrows;
Crews working from the inside reinforce the structure with iron and concrete until it’s a fortress that not even the U.S. Air Force could destroy. A security fence around the perimeter keeps the curious at bay.
A townsperson jokes, “This is Area 52.”
But the story of the 33,000-square-foot dome that’s risen like a blister on the prairie off Interstate 10 in Sealy is no work of fiction.
It’s the Texas home of ABC Domes, a company that specializes in helping banks get back to business in the wake of terrestrial disasters.
Inside will be stored generators, trucks, communications equipment and an array of repair supplies waiting to be dispatched as soon as the next hurricane or tornado (or wildfire, earthquake, etc.) has passed.
When there’s notice, as with a looming storm, workers will be housed there as well, ready to roll as soon as the wind dies down.
The domes are comprised of special fabrics and steel reinforced concrete materials and can get pretty intricate in design detail.