Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct a transcription error.
The Natural Disasters Expo is a show all about the best when it comes to protecting us from the worst.
On the show floor at the Anaheim Convention Center: firefighting gear, ready to eat meals, instant shelter tents and more.
The biggest trend: portable backup power.
Goal Zero was showing off power banks that use the sun to recharge.
“It’s all about solar but being able to take it wherever you want to go,” said Chris Allen of Utah-based Goal Zero.
Zendure’s plug and play home energy system raised 5 million dollars on Kickstarter almost overnight. Why?
“There are a lot of outages… so people are really concerned what if there is no power… I need backup power, so this is a product to fix your worries,” said Zendure’s Cindy Deng.
A British company named Zenova was showing off their FP paint, or fire protection paint, which resists the spread of fire. It was an impressive demo.
“Basically, this is a paint that is a regular water-based paint that when it swells up actually protects the substrate behind it,” said Graeme Sargent of Zenova. Paint it on and you’ll gain valuable time before the wood or metal is fully engulfed.
A company called ioSafe has your data covered with disaster proof hard drives and servers. They feature a thick inner wall made of a special material that repels heat and water.
“This will protect your data from fire up to 1550 degrees for up to half an hour. Water up to 10 feet in depth fully submerged for up to 3 days,” said Leif Watkins of ioSafe.
Speaking of water, Aquaphant’s $2200 system makes drinking water out of thin air.
“Depending on the humidity and environment you can make anywhere from 3 gallons to about 6 gallons per day,” said Leo Farjad of Aquaphant.
The water is triple filtered then zapped with UV and it’s ready to drink. Are people surprised that you could make water out of thin air?
“Very much so,” said Farjad.
