Choosing a Storm Shelter

Tornadoes and hurricanes are just an accepted part of living in certain parts of the country, particularly the Southeast and Midwest. Every summer, major storms rip through, tearing apart homes and flooding communities.

If you're a resident of one of those storm-prone places, you might want to consider building or buying a storm shelter. The right shelter, whether built into your home or nestled into the ground, can protect you and your family from the vicious winds that destroy and, sometimes, kill.

Here are some tips on getting started.

Are you at risk?

That's always a maybe, not a definite. But your risk from a hurricane is higher if you live within a hundred miles of the Atlantic or Gulf coasts or anywhere in Florida. For tornadoes, you're most at risk if you live within a triangle that stretches from Chicago down to Tampa, over to Abilene, Texas and back up. The worst spots for tornadoes are around Dallas/Ft. Worth and around Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Ohio and parts of Illinois are among the states with the highest winds in the country - wind zone IV, with gusts up to 250 mph.

What kind of shelter?

There are two basic types of storm shelters: A safe room built into your home, or an underground shelter located beneath the house or in the yard nearby.

Building a safe room is easiest when constructing a new home. The Federal Emergency Management Agency suggests locating safe rooms in basements, or within the interior of the home, since interior rooms are often the only ones left standing after a home is struck by catastrophic winds.

Safe rooms must be built so that all the connections between walls, the roof and the door will withstand extreme winds, and the walls, roof and door must be reinforced to withstand impact from windborne missiles. The safe room should be anchored to the foundation of the home, or be built on its own foundation.

Safe rooms are easier to get to in a storm, but they may not be practical, or even possible to put into an existing home because of cost and space concerns. If you can't put one in your home, you might want to opt for the underground storm shelter. You can have a shelter built by a contractor, or buy a pre-fab model from one of several dozen manufacturers.

It's typically safer to be underground during high winds, but underground shelters can be vulnerable to stress if the ground freezes, or could begin to float if the storm saturates the ground enough. And, keep in mind that storm shelters are meant to protect you and your family from winds, not water. Do not use an underground storm shelter if you live in an area prone to storm surges or flooding.

Choosing the right shelter

There are several considerations to keep in mind when choosing a shelter, whether above- or below-ground.

Your shelter needs to comfortably accommodate you and your family for the duration of the storm. A shelter used for short periods, such as during a tornado, can be smaller, allowing about five square feet per person. But a storm shelter for hurricanes, which last considerably longer, should allow about 12 square feet per person.

The shelter needs to be properly vented. Remember, if the door is blocked by debris and you have to spend several hours inside the shelter during a hurricane or waiting for rescuers, the air could quickly become unbreathable without ventilation.

The shelter needs to be close to your home and allow for fast, easy access when a storm threatens. There should only be one door, and it should be reinforced and latch securely, with at least three latching mechanisms.

The shelter should be tested for impact resistance. The Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University is the only lab in the country that tests shelters, components and building materials used in shelters. The center's Web site has a list of all storm shelter manufacturers that have been tested.

And finally, you need to think about how much you want to spend on a shelter. The cost could run anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000 depending on the type of shelter you choose and the materials used in construction.