The recent earthquakes in Venezuela, which struck in quick succession and devastated the north of the country, killing 3,500 people, injuring 16,740 and displacing 17,854, have exposed a serious gap in disaster preparedness and response.
The two earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, were Venezuela’s deadliest and most destructive since 1900. The disaster has prompted experts to question the wider preparedness and resilience of governments and federal disaster-management agencies in the immediate aftermath of major events.
Against that backdrop, Abu Dhabi-based deep-tech company Kinetic7 Technologies has developed clean-energy technology designed to help countries recover after earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and other natural disasters.
Founded by Australian entrepreneur and philanthropist Rick Parish, Kinetic7 says its hydrogen-on-demand technology could play a vital humanitarian role in disaster-management recovery by providing portable clean energy platforms for cooking and heating where infrastructure has failed. The company’s proprietary technology and system produces hydrogen gas on demand as a clean energy source for cooking and heating. Delivered through two portable cooking stoves, Tribe™️ and Nomad™️, the technology can be rapidly deployed into disaster zones when critical infrastructure is disrupted.
Kinetic7 is positioning the technology as a deployable clean-energy solution for evacuation centres, field kitchens, emergency-services staging areas, isolated communities and humanitarian relief hubs. The company says its portable cook stoves can support preparedness and response planning in regions exposed to major disaster risks.
Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, with operations across Europe, London, Australia and the United States, Kinetic7 uses water, solar power and battery energy to generate hydrogen gas at the point of use. The company says this reduces reliance on gas cylinders, fixed pipelines, fuel deliveries or centralised infrastructure that can be damaged or cut off after earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, volcanic activity, landslides and extreme weather.
Alongside Tribe™ and Nomad™, Parish has developed what Kinetic7 describes as the world’s first Carbon Free Kitchen, a modular shipping-container system designed to provide large-scale carbon-free cooking using clean hydrogen gas on demand. The company says the portable kitchen could support mass feeding in evacuation centres, temporary communities and disaster-relief hubs after earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides, storms and other emergencies.
Recent disasters underline the scale of the global challenge. Humanitarian agencies continue to monitor earthquakes, floods, landslides, storms, epidemics and other emergencies worldwide, while the World Risk Index assesses disaster risk across 193 countries by combining exposure to natural hazards with vulnerability and response capacity.
Countries ranked among the world’s highest disaster-risk nations include the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Colombia, United States, Mexico, Myanmar, Mozambique, Russia, China and Pakistan. Many face recurring exposure to earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical storms, flooding, landslides, drought and other extreme natural events, alongside infrastructure, geography and population-pressure challenges that can make recovery harder.
Kinetic7 says these risks highlight the need for energy systems that can move quickly, operate off-grid and support essential services when roads, bridges, ports, power networks, water systems and fuel supply chains are disrupted. In high-risk regions, rapid access to clean cooking and heating can be an important part of preparedness, response and recovery planning.
Parish said access to hot food, safe cooking and basic heating can be critical to health, dignity and resilience in the first hours and weeks after a major emergency.
“Every major disaster reminds us that communities can be left without power, gas, clean water, transport access and reliable supply chains,” he said. “Hydrogen-on-demand can provide a safe, practical and rapidly deployable answer for emergency cooking and heating because the gas is created only when needed, at the point of use. We do not need to store hydrogen gas or move large cylinders through damaged roads, ports or infrastructure.”
Parish added, “At Kinetic7, we re-engineered the process using proprietary technology to produce hydrogen-on-demand safely and locally. We believe it can support emergency shelters, disaster-relief agencies, first responders and isolated communities after earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and other disasters.”
Kinetic7 technology was previewed at the 2024 Paris Summit on Clean Cooking in Africa, hosted by the International Energy Agency at UNESCO headquarters. It was also demonstrated at the Four Seasons Hotel in Paris, where executive chef Simone Zanoni used the portable Nomad™ stove to cook a carbon-free meal using Kinetic7’s Hydrogen-On-Demand™ technology.
Kinetic7 is also developing HODbox™, a standalone plug-and-play hydrogen-on-demand unit for resilient off-grid energy supply in homes, community facilities, commercial kitchens and emergency shelters. Parish said generating clean cooking and heating energy locally could provide a lifeline where earthquakes, flooding, damaged roads, broken bridges, disrupted ports or island geography isolate communities from normal utilities and services.
Parish’s mission was shaped by personal tragedy and humanitarian work. Following the death of his four-year-old son, Elliot, from brain cancer, Parish says his work in Africa showed him how many families still cook on primitive wood-burning stoves, exposing women and children to household air pollution while contributing to deforestation and climate impact.
“With Kinetic7, we have developed a clean, carbon-free hydrogen-on-demand energy solution for humanitarian and disaster-management needs,” Parish said. “In disaster-prone regions, resilience depends on practical systems that can keep working when central infrastructure fails. Our aim is to help communities cook, heat and recover with dignity while reducing reliance on carbon-based fuels and vulnerable supply chains.”
Kinetic7 says it is seeking to work with public authorities, disaster-management organisations, NGOs and humanitarian partners to explore deployment as part of wider preparedness, resilience and recovery planning.
