When the magnitude nine Tohoku earthquake struck Japan in 2011, the impact was devastating despite the country’s first-rate disaster preparedness and early warning systems. The scale of the earthquake was reason enough to reaffirm the importance of preparation for natural disasters. It is for this reason that Japanese design studio Nendo has just released an emergency preparedness kit called MINIM+AID.
Nendo’s goal was to create a kit that would contain the necessary essentials to get a person from any point in the city to a refuge shelter during a disaster. Included in the kit is a whistle to signal for help, a radio with charging functionality to recharge electronic devices, a raincoat, a lantern, potable water and a plastic case to be used for storing essentials like medication.
The important part of the design is its compactability and portability with the entire contents of the kit designed to fit into buoyant and waterproof five-centimetre-wide tube. The idea is to keep the tube at exit points of a home so that it is easy to grab during an emergency.
