P.R. tsunami shelter developer lands $125K in seed funding
The basic STATIM vessel is 75 feet long and 12 feet in diameter and can fit as many as 50 people at a time.
A little over a month after turning to online investors for financing, Brahman Industries, the developer of a tsunami and flood shelter system known as the STATIM, announced it has received seed funding of up to $125,000 from Estabrook Ventures to build and commercialize the invention.
The Massachusetts-based venture fund’s commitment exceeds the $100,000 that Miguel Serrano, the Puerto Rican inventor and developer of the STATIM tsunami and flood shelter project, told News is my Business he needed to float his project.
The proceeds will be used to advance the development of the final engineering designs and to seek partners worldwide. The company also announced plans to conduct research and development and prototype testing in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“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 such events,” said Serrano, CEO of Brahman. “The STATIM Shelter is a feasible solution for their safety and peace of mind. It is a straight forward approach which already represents a major breakthrough in natural disaster preparedness.”
The STATIM (which stands for for Storm, Tornado And Tsunami Interconnected Modules) Shelter consists of an enclosable hull comprised of a series of precast, lightweight concrete modules, similar to very large concrete pipes. Once assembled, it provides a watertight environment with buoyancy and self-righting capability.
Inside, the shelters are equipped with secure seating for an average of 50 occupants, ventilation, and various options of survival supplies capable of sustaining the occupants during and after a disaster, and until rescue resources can assist. It is the equivalent of an “inland life boat.”
This technology, capable of being produced in mass, has been issued a U.S. patent, with 14 international patents pending.
“We are very pleased to be able to invest in this venture at this important stage of the company’s development and at this critical time because the world still needs a much better solution for natural disasters,” said Thomas F. Farb, Principal at Estabrook Ventures. “Investing in Brahman Industries is a great opportunity to create significant value, while fostering economic development and positively impacting the world. The potential at hand is quite compelling.”
A variant of this technology, the STATIM Genset Pod, is being designed to provide for a resilient emergency power generating source capable of surviving the most extreme conditions, including fire and an electromagnetic pulse. Applications for this variant include many critical infrastructure such as communications and nuclear power facilities.
