You aren’t imagining it, there are more disasters impacting the world today than there were a decade ago. In the last 5 years, the U.S. has had an average of only 18 days between billion dollar disasters. Without exaggeration, the situation is dire with a fluctuating one-third to one-half of the country in somewhat permanent drought, year round wildfires, heat waves,freezes, and severe storms battering the east. A reported 78% of Americans have been impacted by extreme weather.
How prepared is your home for extreme events? A survey done by CoreLogic found that 1 in every 3 American houses is at severe risk of a climate disaster. The surveyor went on to suggest that every single house in America is likely at exposure risk. In 2021, 1 in 10 homes (15 million homes) were affected by a disaster, costing homeowners $56.92 billion in property damage. This has put increasing strain on insurance companies, which are unprepared, Insurance premiums for most Americans went up 12% last year alone, with some areas, especially in wildfire zones, unable to get insurance or being dropped mid coverage due to the high risk. Flood insurance has gone from an average of $700-800 to $4,000 to $5000 which is roughly 600%. Buildings like 5-over-1s (apartment buildings) are made of the cheapest materials, cannot withstand earthquakes, are dangerous in a fire, and, as we’ve seen recently in New York, can be lethal in a flood. Additionally, they generally is not a plan for end of life or for protecting them against climate change as we’ve seen in Florida.
All this adds up to make real estate, which accounts for 2/3rds of the global economy, becoming an increasingly unstable investment. The industry experts know this, but few are taking measures that will actually climate proof their homes, often employing greenwashing techniques that are expensive and do little to protect your home.
Every single system that sustains you on a regular basis interacts with your home, flowing in and out as needed.
Your food is stored and prepared in your home, you water and energy are collected and used, your temperature control and ability to stay comfortable in any weather, and your waste is produced in your home. One small mistake or a storm somewhere along the complex and fragile supply chain can cause a power outage, or a water failure, or a plumbing disaster.
While you may have an emergency plan, maybe some water stored away or a bag packed with essentials, you may not have thought of how to protect yourself if your home catches fire in a wildfire, crumbles in an earthquake or is caught in a hurricane with you or your loved ones inside. Even if you can evacuate to safety, your home and all of your essentials may be destroyed which could leave you stuck in a hotel, an emergency shelter, or homeless.
From power outages to plumbing repairs, traditional housing and the related systems aren’t very sturdy already. They can’t do anything to help sustain their inhabitants in a food shortage, drought, or disaster and if something goes wrong on the way to your home, you can’t fix the problem.
On top of this, our current methods of home building are time consuming, produce 4x as much waste as all municipal waste streams combined, cause 40% of global emissions, and are toxic, dangerous and psychologically bad for us. Most houses are not built to last more than 30 years and are constructed with toxic materials like formaldehyde, radon and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The EPA found that bad indoor air quality in homes can lead to severe health threats and that quality would only get worse with climate change.
That is why we came up with the Roamstead. The Roamstead is designed to keep you and your family safe, and make sure that in an emergency you always have food, water, energy, heat, shelter, and a safe way to dispose of waste. It also has special features that protect from the disasters themselves:
Not all disasters are outside related, which is why the Roamstead is prepared for:
But the Roamstead is so much more than an emergency home, it is designed to be easy and simple to live in and to use. It has self-cleaning features, is automated, and is non-toxic. It gives you control of your life and lets you decide if you want to be on-grid, off-grid, or based in one of our resilient communities.
Our construction system is modular, meaning it can be customized for multiple sizes, styles & budgets. You can add a trailer to any size or dock any two together for additional bedrooms, bathrooms, storage or bigger systems. There are a few stock options for size: the Roamstead can click together with other Roamsteads, and they can click together with stationary storage sheds that can be used as extra wardrobe space, hobby rooms, etc. You can also use the Roamstead as an ADU behind another home. Be aware, stationary storage and homes cannot evacuate and are extremely expensive to safeguard against disaster. If you are looking for expanded space that is protected, you can learn more about our Hub Houses by clicking here.
While it is more durable and robust than a traditional home, if something does break it can be easily repaired or replaced by the user with minimal tools in an emergency (or taken into a local Kionnali microfactory).
The home is also future proof, which means all upgrades will work with the home.
LIGHTFORM, KIONNALI, LightForm sunflower logo and Kionnali sunflower logo are filed trademarks of Kionnali Living Systems LTD, application nos. UK00004045437, UK00004045434, UK00004045431, UK0004045426. The exterior impression of the LightForm home is protected by UK Registered Design Nos. 6345930, 6345931, 6345932, 6345933. All original images and text copyright Kionnali Living Systems LTD, 2024, all rights reserved.