After facing two Category 5 cyclones each occurring just 5 years apart it can be said that Vanuatu's susceptibility to natural disasters has grown.

The Vanuatu Government is now emphasizing that citizens build better, stronger and more resilient shelters to ensure minimal damage in times when cyclones strike.

With this key vision in focus, Darryll Kelly has settled in Vanuatu to make this happen with cyclone and earthquake strong buildings, the Pacific Ocean Domes.

Dome housing is a growing building concept mostly seen in other parts of the world especially in the United States of America where tornado formations are a common occurrence. They have proved to be very efficient in withstanding tornadoes, earthquakes and other natural disasters such as tropical cyclones or hurricanes.

Bringing this concept over to Vanuatu, Mr Kelly had the vision that this was the type of housing that should be built in a country so prone to natural disaster risks. Therefore the Vanuatu Foreign Investment Promotion Agency has stepped in to assist Mr Kelly fulfill this vision.

Why the dome housing model? Pacific Ocean Domes provides dome shelter housing that is based on a concept developed over the last thirty years by Monolithic Domes U.S.A. In their presentation to the VFIPA team, they outlined the technology used in their buildings that ensures an extreme building life expectancy of 300 to 500 years.

Pacific Ocean Domes cover the five most destructive issues affecting the life expectancy of buildings on tropical islands in cyclone prone areas:

• Most effective earthquake safe buildings
• Most effective cyclone safe buildings
• Buildings impervious to termite damage
• Fireproof buildings
• Buildings that will never suffer concrete spalling

Pacific Ocean Domes uses proven construction technology with the use of an Airform which is reusable and results in lower construction costs.

The VFIPA team were invited to visit the premises and were impressed by the buildings in the presentations made by Mr Kelly himself.

VFIPA has assisted Mr Kelly in providing an approval to provide the dome structure as a cyclone proof shelter for any interested customer. Mr Kelly is eager to work with the Government in establishing these shelters around Vanuatu as possible evacuation pods that people can take refuge in times of cyclones.

VFIPA is working closely with the Ministry of Public Utilities and Pacific Ocean Domes to ensure that the investment and most importantly Mr Kelly's vision to assist with safe housing options is realized.

For any enquiries on the dome shelters do contact Mr Darryll Kelly through his website.