I’ve mentioned this before in a previous post and the premise behind setting up homeless in portable buildings has spread to India, where portable shelters are springing up. According to The Pioneer, the government is behind a large installation of new shelters:

“With biting cold conditions sweeping across the national Capital, the Delhi Government has swung into action with construction of 54 new temporary night shelters in the city. The government on Monday informed the Delhi High Court that the temporary night shelters will be in addition to its existing 64 permanent night shelters.”

In addition to new shelters being installed, the article says that government officials were asked to open a number of night shelters that had been closed due to costs and low attendance. Disagreement has arisen due to the reasons for the lack of usage:

“The counsel appearing for the Government said, ‘Mobilization of people is very low, people are not going there (night shelters).’ But the court hit back at the counsel’s argument saying the poor and the needy were not showing up at the night shelters because of lack of proper infrastructure. ‘There is no proper infrastructure, that’s why people are not going in the night shelters,’ the Court said.”

Currently there are over 110 night shelters available for the homeless to utilize in case of cold nights in Delhi. Hopefully the city government can figure out if there need to be more before it gets colder over the next few months.

-          Choose an appropriate amount of clothing to keep yourself warm and dry during your ice fishing excursion. The options you need to choose from include waterproof suits, insulated suits to keep heat in and a host of other temperature-based accoutrements.

-          Along with your ice fishing suit, you may want to consider getting some pads for your elbows and your knees. Depending on how your fishing goes, you may be kneeling and using your arms as a brace on the ice to help pull catches out of the water. You don’t want your arms and legs to hurt too badly the next day.

-          You’ll need to get yourself a portable shelter to put on the frozen lake or pond. Although portable buildings are not essential to ice fishing, they can truly make your experience much more enjoyable in the long run. Make sure you get in touch with the local town hall to find out what types of shelters and buildings can be put on the ice.

-          Ice fishing is most successful when the participants are willing to be patient and drill a lot of holes. You cannot just drill a hole and hope that it works out for your whole day of fishing. You need to try out a number of spots – only then will you bring home a lot of big fish.

According to a story in St. Petersburg Times, Florida set up a program years ago to provide mobile home owners with anchors to destruction in the face of gale-force winds. Unfortunately, the well-meaning program didn’t quite work out:

“Of the more than 23,000 mobile homes retrofitted so far, few appear to have received enough anchors to bring them up to the state’s tough safety standards. Mobile homes requiring a dozen or more new tie-downs instead got just a handful. And state-mandated devices that keep a home from sliding end to end were not always installed.”

Even though Florida spent $33 million on the 23,000 outdated homes, it seems that many of these homes are beginning to fall apart. The article says the problem lies within the legal constructs of the program, which has lax installation standards:

“Despite some homeowners’ expectations, the program does not require [the anchor installation] company to make old mobile homes comply with today’s installation standards. Instead, it lets the company determine how many anchoring devices can be installed. State inspectors randomly check the retrofitted properties to see if equipment is installed correctly. But they do not determine whether the number of anchors meets state rules.”

This is problematic, especially if you have dealt with wicked weather and portable buildings. Anchors and other canopy accessories are extremely important when considering the safety of your carport, which isn’t even a home. Let’s hope Florida can work out its issues.

“…faculty, staff and students on the Morrisville State College campus are doing [much] to raise education, action and awareness about hunger and homelessness during National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week Nov. 14-20. The campus will be hosting food drives and other associated activities, including a hygiene drive challenge.”

The most interesting part about this campus’s involvement is one professor’s decision to include a design-specific class as a pivotal part of the efforts. The article says that one architecture class has been tasked with designing homemade portable shelters that will act as a home for one night of the week-long observation. The shelters have a few stipulations that will act as a learning experience for many of the students:

“In preparation, Englot’s students have been researching rural homelessness and will design individual makeshift shelters on a shoestring budget. Innovativeness, like using donated and recycled materials, scraps and castoffs will be an important consideration in their design. The task comes with rules and guidelines—shelters must be habitable, portable, resistant to moisture and cold, provide light and ventilation to the interior, and must be aesthetically pleasing.”

As the winter approaches, I don’t expect any of our readers to develop and create their own personal shelter solutions for your property. You should always purchase portable storage sheds and temporary garages from reliable sources to ensure not only proper protection, but also safety.

-          Shelters of America carries products made from galvanized steel frames instead of powder coated steel. The latter has the ability to rust, scratch and be unreliable, negative traits that galvanized steel doesn’t have. There is also the anti-corrosion that galvanized steel offers to people relying on canopies in terrible weather conditions like rain, snow, etc.

-          Galvanized steel also has a much higher threshold for tension and can handle larger amounts of weight if necessary. It won’t wear itself thin from the inside out like power-coated steel. You can’t go wrong with strength and corrosion protection in one package.

-          Always be aware of the warranties that come along with your shelters – this can add a lot to the value of the product you buy. Even though we have some of the best canopies and garages you will ever find, having a strong warranty is a benefit that pays off in case of problems.

-          The buildings at Shelters of America are built to withstand all kinds of weather, but that doesn’t mean that you should overlook bigger storms that require special attention to your portable shelter. If a large storm is on its way, make sure to secure your shelters extra carefully with appropriate anchors and canopy accessories as well.

California is becoming part of a newer movement to be more prepared for disasters that may come its way by securing the use of tent shelters for displaced citizens and medical crews in case of earthquakes. An article from Whittier Daily News says that the new procedures are being enacted in preparation for the ‘Big One’:

“A devastating earthquake in Southern California would almost certainly collapse bridges, destroy roads and render hundreds of hospital beds useless, while leaving tens of thousands in need of medical care. After experts predicted in 2008 that a magnitude-7.8 earthquake would knock out 60 percent of the hospital beds in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange counties, first responders have become prepared with alternative medical care policies for when a catastrophic event strikes.” 

The field hospital tents that are discussed in the article would be incredibly difficult to set up were it not for the progress made in portable buildings. Think about instant shelters that are easy to set up and place wherever they are needed. Without these, imagine how long it would take to get treatment to those who need it. Luckily, California is on its way to being totally prepared:

“A quake-stricken area would also have access to at least one of the state’s three mobile hospitals – a series of huge tents, each large enough for 200 beds. The tents include emergency rooms, laboratories, intensive care units and up-to-date supplies. Stored at undisclosed sites around the state, they are designed to be deployed within 72 hours.”

For instance, Portable Garage Depot is giving away a 6 x 6 x 6 economy shelter, perfect for your motorcycle or lawnmower. Not only will you get the shelter for free if you win, but Portable Garage Depot will also deliver it directly to your home at no charge!

Here is the easiest way to enter to win this economy shelter from Portable Garage Depot:

-          Login into your Facebook account

-          Visit this link and click ‘Like’ to open up the contest form – https://www.facebook.com/portablegarages

-OR-

-          If you are a fan already, click on “FREE Contest” underneath the profile picture on the left hand side.

-          Open up a new window and login into Twitter.

-          Follow @PGDEPOT on Twitter at this link – http://twitter.com/PGDEPOT

-          Fill out the form fully – with your Twitter username! – and submit it!

That’s it! You just got yourself two free entries into the Portable Garage Depot drawing for a 6 x 6 x 6 economy shelter. The drawing is at the end of October (dates may change) and if you win, we will contact you for your address so we can ship out the shelter for free!

Share this blog post with your friends and family! We look forward to giving this prize away!

Another major draw of the Big E is the entertainment, which ranges from parades to horse shows and major concerts. This year, there are a number of wildly popular musicians coming to perform at the fair, including country songstress Reba, classic rock band Cheap Trick and country star Blake Shelton. Don’t miss out on the The Big E Super Circus either – it’s a blast for the whole family!

However, the Avenues of States and various concerts are not the only part of the Big E that people come out for – let’s not forget all of the vendors who come to the exposition to show off their wares! One such vendor is Portable Garage Depot, a world leader in the sale of portable garages, shelters and other temporary structures for storage. A wide variety of products from Portable Garage Depot will be on display, including a number of DIY garages for your vehicles, lawnmowers, boats, RVs and other equipment you simply don’t have room for in your house. You are definitely going to want to check them out this year at the Big E.

Throughout the Big E, stay tuned to Portable Garage Depot’s Facebook and Twitter pages for information about the fair – and a secret fans-only contest that will be announced shortly! Make sure to stop by their booth for the best in portable garages, canopies and all of your outdoor storage needs!

The Big E takes place at the Eastern States Exposition from September 16th to October 2nd.

The majority of canopies and carports are used for these reasons as it is – protecting vehicles from the elements – but some towns are looking to make them even more useful. In an article from Physorg, the canopies are being fitted with solar panels to collect energy while shielding the cars from the sun. This isn’t anything new (I’ve written about it before) but the solar canopies we’re talking about are very different:

“…they’re big silver specimens with 12-foot-tall trunks and broad steel canopies that will shield cars from the sun – and produce solar power. Known as ‘solar trees’ because they are topped with photovoltaic cells, the ‘groves’ are sprouting up in California parking lots at Santa Clara County government buildings and health clinics in San Jose and Gilroy, and at a jail in Milpitas.”

The installation costs of this type of project might seem too much to handle in a rough economy, but just think about the money being made on the backend. According to the article, greenhouse gases will be cut down and $18 million will be saved over the course of 25 years. The real beauty of these solar trees however, is not the shielding of heat, is the space they take up:

“The solar trees at the eight sites will eat up only six of more than 1,000 parking spaces.”

Now that’s environmental and friendly!

For instance, an article in The Paducah Sun has a story about Tent City, an area in Kentucky where homeless people live in tents. Once an organization gained ownership of the property, the president decided to make some changes:

“[Stephanie] Daniel, president of Beyond the Gate Ministries, has been volunteering her time and money to work with the homeless men living in tents at the end of Tennessee Street since last fall. But after the disputed property was donated to her organization, she has been able to make improvements to the property and get care for the men and women living there.”

The article says that the camp now has a number of amenities – portable toilets, economy coolers for food and some permanent buildings. These buildings are capable of protecting from the elements – with double insulation and room for 8 people. There are big plans for Tent City, where many homeless live with the bare essentials in temporary structures:

“When GJG Properties donated the property to Beyond the Gate Ministries in May, the company also donated a corner lot with a building and a house on it. While the house is still being rented out to a family, the building has five bedrooms and a large downstairs living space. Daniel hopes that renovations can begin on it soon and that the building will be habitable by the winter. “

Although disaster relief issues are taking precedence in the world of portable structures, it is still important to see other uses for portable buildings and garages. They are extremely adaptable and useful in many areas of life.