Camas company looks to save lives with 'tsunami pods'
CAMAS, Wash. – The terrifying video images of the ocean consuming Japanese cities and of barrels bobbing in the water during the 2011 tsunami disaster have inspired a Camas man to develop a safety device that could save lives the next time ocean waves ravage a shoreline.
Randy Harpers’ Rescue-Pods, which resemble giant orange fishing bobbers, have been featured on History Channel’s Invention USA show.
The pods are now ready for market and Harper claims they can save lives in the event of a tsunami – something that officials and quake experts have long said could happen at any time along stretches of Oregon and Washington coastlines popular with local residents and tourists.
Harper said he’s had 50 inquiries just this month.
The pods come in two sizes that seat two or four people. Harper and his friends said they expect to sell four or five units in the next month. The pods cost $4,500 or $6,500, depending on the model. That price is less than what other companies are selling lesser-equipped models for.
The pods feature seats with dual over-the-shoulder 5-point belts, a GPS locator beacon to aid search crews, inflatable life jackets and three days worth of food and water. Hooks on the pod’s exterior allow easy connection for a helicopter to lift it out of the water. Small windows allow those inside to see out.
There are also seasickness bags for the perhaps inevitable result of bobbing around in the water for long periods of time. There is room for owners to stow other gear in the pod as well, according to the website.
A real-world test of the pod, involving rolling a sealed pod down a hill and off a small berm into a small lake with Harper’s daughter and her boyfriend inside, was successful. The pod even hit a tree on the way down to the water.
Harper said one advantage of the pods is that they may be safer than trying to dodge water-borne debris on land during a tsunami.
"If you're in the water, it can take a lot more impact than sitting on dry land because it's going to move," Harper said. "We're very confident in being secure inside of here."
The pods are made in Camas, Washington, from locally-sourced parts. The bobber-shaped pod structure itself is actually a water tank that was already in production by another Camas company.
Harper also sees the pods as having useful applications beyond tsunamis, such as a buried tornado shelter or as a type of lifeboat onboard ships.
unless you drive a pickup truck and have in in the bed most likely it will be home in the back yard when you need it or someone will steal it before you need it. there are other models on you tube. i like the round 1/4 gauge steel with extra ribbing to ward off debris. it sits in a steel ring and lifts off when the water comes in. Â A poly tank might get squashed in the debris field. and what happens if you end up under the debris field and are trapped and you can't be rescued in time. let's see one helicopter and 500-2000 pods to rescue. at least we have the big copter back in astoria instead of the little one that was here for a while.
This is so strange. Â I was dreaming about how one of these would work the other day. Â This is the first on I have ever seen one. Â Mine was twice as large. and in my dream it was white. Â Orange is so much more logical. How is the oxygen supplied? Â If I lived in a tsunami area I certainly would consider one.
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I had visions of being carried way out to sea and rolling around and being so sick. Â I agree something like this should be available as in the ground tornado shelters. Â Reminds me of the old idea of bomb shelters.
What happens to you if you're slammed at high speed into a large solid object?
Pod or no pod. You're history.
@Mipsfer Maybe one of those adventurers that want to go over Niagra Falls can test one?
Employee: "We need someone to test this with."
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Harper: "How about my daughter's boyfriend?"
 @HuskyKMA Any of the HOURLY employees will do.
I can't see making the big investment when we have such a good warning system. Unless it's just the right kind of earthquake and right offshore, you will have time to get to high ground.
 @ormom The problem is we don't have that great of a warning system - we have holes in the system and regularly have multiple bouys that are down at any given moment. As such, you still have the potential for a tsunami that could hit the coast without enough warning to get to high ground (especially when everyone else is trying to do the same thing).
 @Jenni S.Â
Earthquake detection is immediate though. We don't need every buoy working to predict the tsunami with accuracy.
From the NOAA website: Once a large potentially tsunamigenic earthquake does occur, we can forecast tsunami arrival times and wave heights through the use of computer modeling. You can learn more on the NCTR website: http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/tsunami-forecast.html
Doesn't an old VW Beetle do the same thing?
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His daughter and her boyfriend? I can just imagine that conversation leading up to the boyfriend's inclusion . . . . . well, never mind! ];->
 @Gravity Works! Lol.
Nice idea, but how would you get to it? The only people I see who would be able to actually get use out of it would be people who live on the coast, who happen to be home, and who happen to have one of these already to go in their backyard (or wherever). Are we assuming people would get a heads-up as to when one will arrive? That won't do people much good if they are somewhere where they can't get hold of one. Nice idea, but I don't think the kinks have been worked out yet :(
@fracas On top of all that, the people would need to actually be hit by a tsunami to get the benefit. A rather rare event. The idea of selling it as a buried tornado shelter, they are onto something there. Far more likely to be used as intended in that case.
@JTesla Why bury it, think of the ride
Interesting. If a municipal township had, say 500 of these, where would they park them? And can everyone in town run and jump into theses in an orderly fasion before the big one hits? Do we leave people in wheel chairs on shore? Last question: WHERE do you go POTTY?
 @katufanman I would stay at a hotel that had these over a hotel that doesn't if I were at the beach.
@katufanman  Sorry, but it's still not up to the government to make sure that people prepare themselves for disaster. This is something that would be up to the individual consumer to purchase. If the gov were to buy these, I would be pissed off because they would be using MY tax dollars to save their own asses. I don't think this company is building them to be yet ANOTHER government entitllement for those who won't take care of themselves.
I would buy one and name it "Bob".
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 @Dr. Rawdog  @Fed up Fed no survivorship moneyback guarantee, must be original purchaser with valid receipt.
Great idea and if I lived on the coast in a high risk area I would consider getting one for insurance. In many areas like seaside even with a warning there are so many people that trying to get to high land before it hit would likely be a challenge and you could end up running on foot when stuck in major traffic jam.