February 2nd, 2006 from Bruce LeBel of World Shelters

Temple to Temple has been working in the Mississippi Gulf Coast since the first weeks after Hurricane Katrina, with continuous support from World Shelters. Their initial objectives were to provide immediate relief to the devastated neighborhoods in East Biloxi peninsula that were hit simultaneously by 27ft storm surge from the north and the south. These low-income neighborhoods are a mix of African American and Vietnamese communities. Based in the Buddhist Temple in East Biloxi, Temple to Temple created a 'point of distribution' that provide food, water, ice, household supplies and many other identified services such as debris removal to the surrounding neighborhood.

by Lucilla Marvel




Just 3 days after the Hurricane Katrina Disaster, Allegra Fuller Snyder, head of the Buckminster Fuller Institute Emergency Shelter Special Projects Committee alerted the Institute about the possibility of collaborating on the delivery and set up of a Fuller-inspired autonomous shelter unit to Mississippi, to be used as a field office for disaster relief workers. Moving quickly, and mindful of Fuller's words that there can be "emergence through emergency" we decided to raise funds for a ready--to--deliver transitional structure of 750 square feet.

It took several decades for Bucky to realize that individual dome-homes were not going to be affordable for many who needed shelter. Worse, single-family homes are one of the main forces driving urban sprawl and high land prices. Bucky proposed megastructures.

One scheme called for two-mile-diameter spheres of 5000 inhabitants, moored or floating freely in the air. (At about one-half mile in diameter, geodesic spheres are lighter than the air they contain, and so will float like helium balloons.)

Some cities were to be under water, immune to storms, and served by equally immune submarines. Other cities were drawn afloat on the surface, too large and strong to be damaged by storms. Anchored offshore, free of inflated land prices, they offered energy-efficient, inexpensive housing near coastal city centers.

EMERGENCY Shelters Project: Just days after Hurricane Katrina, the Emergency Shelter Special Projects Committee of BFI collaborated with World Shelters, on the installation of Fuller-inspired autonomous shelter units in Mississippi, to be used by staff of two destroyed fire stations. Mindful of Fuller's words that there can be "emergence through emergency" BFI's Board raised funds for two ready--to--deliver transitional structures of 750 square feet. The features of the autonomous units are particularly compelling as they will serve as tangible examples of what can be done--not only for the immediate recovery stage--but also for long-term shelter usage.
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Dymaxion Emergency Shelter presented to the Mexican Red Cross

The Buckminster Fuller Institute has successfully sponsored an emergency shelter pilot project, which placed 20 Dymax Emergency Shelters in the hands of International Medical Corps (IMC) for supply shelters for use as medical clinics in the Iraqi border region. The shelters will be used by IMC for urgent medical care, surgeries, emergency vaccination campaigns and the delivery of supplemental food and clean water to protect against the effects of malnutrition and diarrhea related diseases.

The Dymaxion Emergency Shelter (240 model)

A targeted response to a problem of global proportions

Access to adequate shelter is key to survival in emergency situations. The Dymax Emergency Shelter was developed to provide a low-cost way to create a durable, versatile, weatherproof shelter utilizing the sheeting supplied by government agencies in response to disasters.