22 military-style portable structures contributed in partnership with AmeriCares
KIRKLAND, Wash., June 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — On Sunday May 19th, an EF4 tornado struck near the city of Shawnee, Oklahoma, damaging or destroying more than 30 homes, killing one person and injuring six others. The following afternoon an EF5 tornado struck nearby Moore, Oklahoma, killing 24 people and injuring 377, while destroying over 12,000 homes. Just two days later, another storm dumped over 2 inches of rain on the disaster sites. An immediate need became apparent for emergency shelters near and within the disaster locations for staging recovery crews and storing the vast amount of perishable goods donated by charity groups.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130605/PH26416-a )
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130605/PH26416-b )
Immediately following the disaster, Alaska Structures Inc. donated 22 military-style portable structures to support the recovery efforts in Oklahoma. Alaska Structures managed the donation in partnership with AmeriCares, a non-profit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization. The emergency shelters were delivered and set up by Alaska Structures' employees at a variety of locations identified by AmeriCares as having a need. Collectively, the structures provide 12,675 square feet of total floor space, with the provision of air-conditioning, lighting and electrical outlets.
The donated emergency shelters are steel-frame, fabric structures, designed to withstand 100-mph winds and engineered to provide service for 10 years or more. The tan, quonset-style military tents are similar to Alaska Structures' shelters deployed by the US Armed Forces throughout the world. Collectively, the shelter equipment along with the electrical and air-conditioning systems donated are valued at approximately one half million dollars.
It is expected that the recipients of the donation will retain the equipment once this disaster recovery work has been completed. The shelters survived the second wave of storms passing through the Oklahoma City area on 31 May, which included torrential rain and hail, along with very high winds. The durability of the Alaska Structures will allow them to be used not only during the many months required for this particularly recovery effort, but also for future disaster events in the years to come.
About Alaska Structures Inc.
Alaska Structures (AKS) designs, engineers and delivers the highest quality fabric building systems for extreme environments. Since it was founded in 1975, over 45,000 AKS shelters have been tested and proven in over 60 countries around the world, including more than 30,000 Alaska Military Shelters and 15,000 Alaska Environmental Control Units in Afghanistan and Iraq. For more information see www.AlaskaStructures.com.
Contact: Don Diesel (314) 565-8248