Before and After Katrina: Monolithic Customers Share their stories
September 9, 2005
by Kris Garrison
Grand Bay, Alabama lies just 4 miles south of Interstate 10 in southern Alabama. Neal Howell and his family took shelter in their 40-foot Ecoshell before the storm arrived. On a daily basis the dome serves as a golf course fertilizer storage facility. Although they did not receive extensive flooding in their area like the folks in New Orleans, their home which is just one mile from their Dome storage, received extensive wind damage. Neal was happy to report to us how his family took shelter in their Monolithic EcoShell. He said, "There was absolutely no damage to the dome. However, the metal building on our property did not survive the fierce winds. It was completely destroyed."
When the Howell's called on September 7, 2005. They had just received power to their area and were busy cleaning up trees and debris from his house and nearby homes as well.
On September 5, 2005 David B. South was able to make contact with Pastor Richard Beatty of Abundant Life Church in Denham Springs, Louisiana. This community lies just northeast of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. When asked how their 190-foot Monolithic Dome Church weathered the storm he said, "The church is fine. It is so wonderful to have the dome. We are so happy to have such a building to keep us safe during times like these."
Pastor Beatty reported that 45% of New Orleans residents have moved to Baton Rouge and the surrounding area is extremely busy. They are currently using their church in the evenings to feed over 300 hurricane survivors.
We are certain we will receive more reports about Monolithic Domes in the Gulf Region as utilities, phones and communication resources become available.
No Damage Whatsoever
Louise and DeWayne Nettles of Brookhaven, Mississippi rode out Hurricane Katrina in their dome home. But they weren't alone. Several neighbors also stayed in the dome during the storm. She said, "We couldn't even hear the wind. We really love our dome. We received no damage whatsoever."
Even with the very hot days following the storm and no power for nearly a week, the domes' interior never exceeded 85 degrees.
Louise said, "Our home definitely passed the test. Our light bills are lower than other homes near ours. We normally keep our home at about 72 degrees and we also have a trailer hooked to our home's electricity and our bill is still lower than others."
Brookhaven is approximately two hours northeast of Baton Rouge, Louisiana off of Interstate 55.
Related Links:
- New Life Family Church: Now the second tallest building in Biloxi
- After Ivan Came Dennis: Dome of A Home fairs well and Florida Residents start to clean up
- Pensacola Beach virtually destroyed, but Dome of a Home still stands!
- "Dome of a Home" featured on the Travel Channel
- "Eye of the Storm" on Good Morning America
- Surviving Hurricanes and Tornadoes
- Wind, Water and Monolithic Domes
- Monolithic Domes Protect 30 Humans and 800+ Pets from Hurricane Frances
- There’s a “Dome of a Home” Going Up On Pensacola Beach!
- Progress Report: Dome of a Home in Pensacola Beach, Florida
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