Tornado Shelter questions

Jabin

5:48p, 5/6/24

I live in Arkansas which is now dead center in what's called the "Dixie Belt", an extension of tornado alley. I'm thinking of buying one of the metal safe rooms that you can put in your house or garage and that bolts to the slab.

The problem I've got is distinguishing between the companies that have quality products and which are BS. I've reached out to several and asked for specs and the like and all that I get in return are mainly vague generalities. They all claim to be "FEMA Compliant", etc., but there's no testing procedure I'm aware of to establish that claim as fact.

If I spend the money to buy and have one of these installed and am going to trust the lives of myself and my loved ones to it, I darn sure want to know that it will work.

I think some of you guys have gone through this before. What did you do? Any suggestions?

ABATTBQ87

5:58p, 5/6/24

https://www.nssa.cc/residential-tornado-shelters.html#/

Superfreak

6:28p, 5/6/24

TTU use to have a tornado institute (or called something similar). It may still exist. They published plans for an above ground tornado shelter tested by shooting 2x4s at it at something like 200 mph. If I remember it was pretty simple. I think 2 sheets of 1/4in steel sandwiching 3/4in plywood.

https://www.depts.ttu.edu/nwi/research/images/inresshelter.php

Independence H-D

7:06p, 5/6/24

Not helpful to the OP....

Doing this in our new build

Superfreak

7:11p, 5/6/24

In reply to Independence H-D

That's awesome. Is that your master closet?

What are you doing for the ceiling and how is it anchored to the slab?

Sorry for all the questions. It something I want to do also

aggie_wes

7:20p, 5/6/24

Precision Fabworx I know this guy personally, and he does good work.

Independence H-D

7:27p, 5/6/24

In reply to Superfreak

Rebar in the slab. More in the block. Block is concrete filled. Anchor straps into the block for heavily reinforced and fire resistant rafters and ceiling.

Architect worked the space into the floor plan. Contractor and I came up with the construction.

I spent some time in rubble piles and collapsed structures in a past role. So, really didn't use any plans. Just experience.

Room is a gun safe/safe room/storm shelter. It is 10x10 and will have a steel door concealed by cabinets. Will have monitors and controls for surveillance system inside.

Estimated cost for structure and interior cabinets and gun racks...

Bout 7k.

Superfreak

7:35p, 5/6/24

In reply to Independence H-D

Thanks. Now I'm jealous as hell.

Independence H-D

7:42p, 5/6/24

In reply to Superfreak

Just do it on the next house or even barn that you do. In the grand scheme, the cost isn't bad and in my mind, even less than that 7k as the space would be finished out with something anyway.

88Warrior

8:48p, 5/6/24

I believe what you want to look for is one that has been tested at Texas Tech by the National Wind Institute. We had a above ground, garage floor mounted one at our first house in Oklahoma. Our current house has the "in-floor" shelter in our garage…Either one gave us peace of mind that we had somewhere to go for protection…

91AggieLawyer

9:19p, 5/6/24

Just keep in mind that anything above the ground may not survive some EF5 tornadoes. Structures of almost any kind are not made to 240+ mph wind and tornado-type forces.

SunrayAg

9:26p, 5/6/24

We put an underground shelter right outside our back door and built a slab and porch over it. I just figured we would trust it more.

Rocky Top Aggie

9:45p, 5/6/24

We're in northwest Tennessee and have also seen an increase in devastating tornadoes the past few years.
We bought a Twister Pod shelter at the end of 2021.
https://survive-a-storm.com/residential-storm-shelters/twisterpod/
Hope we never need it but glad we have it.

Jabin

9:48p, 5/6/24

Above ground shelters have survived F5 tornados. I've read articles from Oklahoma that all above ground shelters survived the F5 Moore tornado, for example. I've seen a picture of a house slab at Vilonia, AR, after the house was completely removed by a strong F4 tornado 10 years ago. The only thing left of the house was the above ground shelter.

My reluctance to go underground is that I'm getting older and my knees aren't what they used to be. Plus, underground shelters invariably get damp and nasty. Someone said that the best shelter is one that you will actually use and can get into in time. Seems like sound advice, to me.

For those that recommended shelters tested at Texas Tech, they quit testing some years ago. I'm also not exactly sure what was involved in the testing. I know that they shot a 2x4 at 100 miles at the shelters, but there's a lot more to a shelter's survivability than passing just that test. I don't know if they shot the 2x4 at the doors, for example, or the door handle or hinges. They cannot have tested how well the shelter is secured to a foundation, or at least I wouldn't think so.

Like most things, the devil's in the details, and it's the details I'm having a hard time discovering.

aggie_wes

9:52p, 5/6/24

In reply to Jabin

Go to the link I posted and they describe the testing. Basically the launch 2x4s at vulnerable points. Hinges, latch, vents, etc.

Quote:
The Debris Impact Test Center at Texas Tech shoots laser guided projectiles from an air cannon at a speed estimated to match that of an EF-5 tornado at vulnerable impact points on shelters and doors. The purpose is to determine if these impacts will cause the structure to fail or not.

clem93

11:20p, 5/6/24

https://www.stormdorms.com/

Even if they don't install in your area, give John a call and he will answer your questions.

zoneag

12:46a, 5/7/24

I've bought 2 above ground shelters for homes in Oklahoma through Ground Zero shelters. I believe they do business in Arkansas as well. Great company to work with. I think I paid around $3500 for the last one a couple of years ago, and it has an 8 person capacity. I also have an in ground shelter in the garage, but with kids and pets I wanted something easier and quicker to access.

Hamburger Dan

8:02a, 5/7/24

We've built two homes with a reinforced concrete shelter. In '95, the shelter was the master BR closet. In 2016, another shelter / safe room. This time it's our laundry room. Much bigger area, same concreter / rebar walls and top. Also a huge metal door with three huge deadbolt locks. My wife and I grew up in Wichita Falls and saw a few tornadoes. We now live in Lubbock, not as many storms, but we've used it twice.

Jabin

8:06a, 5/7/24

For those who've posted that they've bought shelters, why did you choose the shelter you did? Did you make any effort to confirm that it was, in fact, tornado proof and/or that the vendor was actually building it to specs? For those who bought above-ground shelters, did you confirm that that the attachments to the slab were sufficient and were done correctly?

Jabin

12:36p, 5/7/24

In reply to aggie_wes

aggie_wes said:
Precision Fabworx I know this guy personally, and he does good work.

I reached out and he called me right back. He's a great guy with great information. He answered tons of my questions. No question that they build what may be the best storm shelter of all. Unfortunately, their shelters also cost 2x more than most others. You get what you pay for, I guess.