Picture a child writing intently at her school desk. Suddenly the room starts shaking. She crouches under her desk. Unlike a common school desk, this desk is engineered to bear heavy impact -- an Earthquake Desk. It could save her life if the roof caves in.
Carpenters and welders in Bhutan manufactured the first batch of Earthquake Desks in their earthquake-prone country, working step-by-step with the inventors Arthur Brutter and Ido Bruno. Watch their story, and what happens in a dramatic "crush" test, in this video:
Made in Bhutan: Earthquake Desks
Producing the desks locally keeps the price affordable for Bhutan. We hope to expand the program to other countries where schools are not yet earthquake resistant. Fixing buildings takes time. Wouldn't you want schoolchildren to have safe cover in the meantime?
As always, I look forward to your comments.
Kind Regards,
Brian Tucker President, GeoHazards International P.S. Many thanks to AIR Worldwide, a Verisk Analytics company, which provided major funding for this endeavor. Thanks also to individual supporters of GeoHazards International, whose donations make our work possible.