As has been dramatically demonstrated in recent times, there is an inherent insufficiency of current conventional transport modes to adequately address the needs of large sections of the community and business sectors in disaster situations.
Like many of you I am sure, I have been deeply affected by the wide scale flooding events that have affected much of Australia, people, property, and businesses alike. Sadly, we know that the devastation witnessed in these recent climatic disasters is not an isolated event, is not restricted to Australia and we are likely to experience more to come.
What we’ve learnt from recent disasters here on the East Coast is that there is an urgent need for emergency services and volunteers to have greater accessibility to remote and difficult to access areas, with much faster response times. What we’ve also sadly learnt is that currently our government, with respect, is unprepared to fully respond to the urgent needs of our community and country in these times of crisis.
This knowledge has accelerated my already well-developed project of building a craft which excels at assisting in disaster recovery situations, particularly flooding. With many years already dedicated to research, design, consultation and planning, we have now commenced construction of our first prototype craft. This craft fills an important role in the gap between aviation and marine technologies and is not like any other commercial option at present.
My company Rotek Design is a 100% Australian–owned industrial design small business. We are a group of professionals with varying disciplines who have come together to bring this important project to life. We all have a deep empathy for people affected by disasters and are combining our efforts for this mission.
