This past week was the 46th anniversary of the deadly Lubbock tornado. With the possibility for more severe weather tonight and this weekend, above-ground storm shelters are a hot topic right now.
“Most of our community members are getting older, and the older we get, the harder it is to go down in one of those underground shelters, so a good alternative is above-ground ones,” says Keven Anderson, a shelter installer with Vaughn Concrete Products. “If a tornado comes through here, I’d rather jump in one of these than in my bathtub. I’d feel a lot safer.”
The shelters may seem small, but they have the ability to save lives.
“We certainly recommend having a safe room. It will offer a lot of peace of mind just knowing that there is a safe place available,” says Dr. Ernst Kiesling, who is the Executive Director for the National Storm Shelter Association.
Kiesling and his team devote their time to making sure the shelters are equipped to protect people.
“Whether it’s steel, concrete, timber or whatever. If it meets the standard, then it offers a very high degree of occupant protection, and you should not have to worry about what the intensity of the oncoming storm is, because they’re designed to withstand the worst case scenarios,” he says.
Kiesling and his team even use a special test facility to make sure the shelters pass the proper evaluation.
“The producer member is responsible for producing shelters that are in compliance with the standard, so if you see an NSSA seal on a shelter, you can be pretty sure that it’s in compliance with the standard and it’s a quality product,” he says. “Storm shelters or safe rooms must have the structural integrity to withstand the wind induced forces and it must have the ability to resist perforation or damage by wind blown debris.”
Kiesling says one of the major advantages to above-ground storm shelters are that you can use them for multiple purposes, like storage of valuables or a safe spot in case of intruders. It also easily accessible in the case of a tornado warning.
“If it’s an above-ground storm shelter that you can simply walk into or even roll a wheelchair into, then it offers some advantages,” he says.
If you have a storm shelter or plan on getting one in the future, Kiesling recommends registering it with the city.
“If you cannot manage to get a storm shelter, then simply look at your surroundings and decide on a plan in case a tornado occurs. Identify what you feel is the safest place in the building, usually a small room in the interior with as many walls as possible in between you and the outdoors,” he says.
