The first customer of a Mukilteo company says her $13,500 tsunami survival capsule gives her peace of mind on Washington’s vulnerable Long Beach Pen

No time to run? Tsunami pod aims to save lives — at a price

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2021-05-31 01:00:07

The first customer of a Mukilteo company says her $13,500 tsunami survival capsule gives her peace of mind on Washington’s vulnerable Long Beach Peninsula.

OCEAN PARK, Pacific County — When Jeanne Johnson lived in New Orleans, she figured out how to weather hurricanes. When the family moved to Kansas City, she taught her kids to take cover from tornadoes. So when Johnson bought a house on Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula recently, she set out to improve her odds of surviving a Cascadia megaquake and tsunami.

Running for high ground before the wave hits isn’t an option from her property. Nor are there any tall, sturdy buildings nearby. Instead, Johnson is betting her life on a new, high-tech solution: a tsunami survival capsule manufactured by a fledgling company near Seattle.

The neon-orange sphere is meant to protect its occupants from drowning or being crushed by debris as towering surges batter the coast. It’s made of aircraft-grade aluminum, with a watertight marine door. Tiny porthole windows are equipped with bulletproof glass. There’s a ceramic thermal lining, a GPS beacon and air canisters.