Storm Shelters Overview

Every year in America, tornadoes whip through the Midwest, and in 2005, Hurricane Katrina brought tragic evidence of a hurricane’s power, and a record number of tropical storms appeared in the Atlantic Ocean. The increased wind speeds of these storms combine with the stress produced by the wind’s change in direction to put so much pressure on buildings that the buildings fail. Storm shelters, however, are specially designed and constructed to withstand the force of tornadoes and hurricanes, as well as earthquakes, fires, bombs, nuclear radiation, and biochemical dangers.

 

A storm shelter is a small structure, often separate from homes or buildings, which is built specifically to offer occupants protection from storms. The chief danger in tornadoes and hurricanes is flying debris, so storm shelters, which are commonly built of concrete, steel, or fiberglass, offer security against this danger. 

 

The two main types of storm shelters are those that are installed into the ground and those that are built prior to construction and are within a home or building, similar to a basement. Installed shelters are either completely underground, partially underground, or artificially underground (set partially into the ground with soil built up around and covering the shelter). 

 

The other primary difference between storm shelters is their size. Shelters are measured by the number of people that they support, but don’t be fooled, they never have much space. A five-person shelter, for example, has only thirty square feet while a shelter that is eight feet by twenty feet “supports” twenty-six people. Except for the cramped space, people can survive indefinitely in a storm shelter, as long as they have the correct supplies.