Texans seek shelter from Hurricane Harvey in FEMA domes

Since Hurricane Harvey made landfall August 25, residents in Texas towns have sought protection in safe shelters built by Dome Technology.

Bloomington citizens took cover in the Bloomington Independent School District FEMA dome, and more than 70 locals sheltered in the St. Joseph High School gym in Victoria. Nearly 50 people in Corpus Christi stayed in a FEMA dome built for Tuloso-Midway Independent School District.

Dome Technology builds freestanding safe shelters like these for communities all over the U.S., especially in areas prone to tornadoes and hurricanes. Often a portion of the construction cost is funded by FEMA grant dollars; through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, projects in accordance with ICC-500 codes can qualify for government funding covering up to 75 percent of the project’s exterior or shell.

Domes are especially suited for weather resistance thanks to geometry. Their robust nature “comes from the fact that the dome has a monolithic construction and also the shape of the dome—it helps distribute applied forces across the entire surface of the structure,” engineer for Dome Technology Mike Gibbs said.

Read more about Dome Technology safe shelters here.