Buildings to aid in hurricane recovery

NEW MADRID, Mo. -- A small Southeast Missouri company already making barricades for the military is now manufacturing structures for parts of Louisiana hit hard by Hurricane Katrina.

Kontek Industries Inc. of New Madrid has received contracts to provide hurricane-resistant safe houses and modular building systems. The company has expanded its work force to more than 100 to meet the June delivery date, in time for the start of hurricane season.

"The physics and the dynamics of a Level 5 hurricane and a blast are basically the same," said Kontek chief executive officer Charlie Merrill. "We are taking the research we have done in ballistic testing and applying it to natural disaster needs. The business has sort of morphed."

In both cases, the buildings have to be strong, modular and movable.

A project for Jefferson Parish, La., will involve 20 buildings at 10 sites. The buildings will be on a 30-foot pedestal to keep them above a hurricane's storm surge and will include all the essentials for people to remain on site and survive winds up to 250 mph.

By placing the buildings next to pumps used to pump water from the city, workers will be available to operate the machinery. That wasn't the case during Katrina.

For Louisiana State University, the company is completing six buildings that will serve as medical treatment centers. Merrill said the buildings will help shore up the loss of hospital beds from Katrina.