Corrugated cardboard beds, which can be used in evacuation shelters following a disaster, remain in good condition when stored long-term in outdoor containers, according to a Hokkaido research institute.
The beds are listed among necessary emergency goods in the government's Basic Plan for Disaster Prevention, but little progress has been made in their stockpiling, primarily due to difficulties faced by local governments in securing storage sites. The latest findings could provide a fillip to the nation's authorities in this regard.
The Asahikawa-based Hokkaido Research Organization's Northern Regional Building Research Institute, and others, conducted an experiment in which 100 beds -- each measuring about 1 meter long, 33 centimeters wide and 60 centimeters thick when stored -- were placed in three containers at the institute's parking lot from May 2021 until November last year.
