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SafeRoom Installation

SeattleKent

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Redmond, Washington
Just watched some YouTube videos of the Jarrell Texas F5 tornado. Unbelievable destruction. Now I understand why you would want of of these and why they are built that way. I would get one too if I lived in Tornado Alley. Thanks for posting.
 
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Big-Foot

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Midlothian, TX
Tornado warnings excede 10-15 minutes these days.

Jim :cool:

I wish that were always the case... Unfortunately it isn't... But they are getting better at it. Currently the only way to issue a tornado "warning" is to have a verified and corroborated sighting of a tornado. This is the human element and darned tough to ensure that it always works... The worst time for tornados is at night when they develop as part of a long running thunderstorm. You may be the one turning in the initial spotting of the activity once it is done pummeling your house...

Best bet is to get yourself a plan and an NOAA Public-Alert radio and be ready for the possibility at all times..

Also rehearse your plan with the family. Talk frankly about possibilities, what to do and when - etc...
 

JakeKohl

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My parents witnessed the F4 that hit the Chattanooga (Ringold, GA) area last year (or was that two years ago?) as it ran down the far side of a ridge visible from their back yard. Their house is built on a crawl space and they had nowhere to go other than get in the car and make a run for it. Fortunately for them, their area was missed by this monster - but the houses that weren't were scraped clean of their foundations as it traveled along and up/over a ridge line for over a mile. Lives were lost by people seeking shelter in their homes. They have several neighbors putting these in. I wouldn't hesitate to do so either giving a similar situation. Even if it only adds 60% chance to your survival, I think it's worth having the option.
 
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bgarrett

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I have seen safe rooms in the floor. I guess those people think they will wake up and have time to go out and move a car and get in the hole. We have above ground cinderblock safe rooms up here with the same problem.
What is going to wake you up at 2 in the morning and give you time to get to the safe room?

screw that, I'm putting my bed in my safe room and y'all wake me up when its over.
 

41ratrod

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Springfield Mo.
The company I work for build steel storm shelters for Ozark Storm Shelters
some a bolted together and others are welded.
Both are very heavy and made heavy steel,just anchor it to a concrete floor or pad.
missouristormshelters.com
 
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bgarrett

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The company I work for build steel storm shelters for Ozark Storm Shelters
some a bolted together and others are welded.
Both are very heavy and made heavy steel,just anchor it to a concrete floor or pad.

whats the name of your company? google doesnt show a Ozark Storm Shelters
There is a ozarkstormsafe. is that it?
 

clarkebd

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Mar 21, 2012
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So I assume it's air tight, otherwise seems like it could start to fill from the top?
How do you get air into it?
 

JakeKohl

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Greenville, SC
I have seen safe rooms in the floor. I guess those people think they will wake up and have time to go out and move a car and get in the hole. We have above ground cinderblock safe rooms up here with the same problem.
What is going to wake you up at 2 in the morning and give you time to get to the safe room?

screw that, I'm putting my bed in my safe room and y'all wake me up when its over.

It's actually pretty amazing how much notice gets to people during these storms. Again, in Chattanooga, I remember police evacuating an apartment complex in time before a tornado hit it at 10pm. The tornado did substantial damage and there likely would have been casualties (this was about 16 years ago). I get a notice on my ipad anytime there is a rotating cloud mass detected in my area that could become a tornado and you are likely to hear the storm coming before it gets to you (they aren't exactly quiet and sneaky).

I haven't really looked at these systems, but it seems to me like you could put the entrance to the box between the parking areas so it would be more accessible.
 

jhelrey

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MN
I'd just hide in a shed with a solid pipe, wrap a belt around myself and my wife and hang onto that water pipe for dear life. Even if the shed gets ripped off, I'd still be able to hold onto that pipe with **** flying around me!
 

Big-Foot

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I'd just hide in a shed with a solid pipe, wrap a belt around myself and my wife and hang onto that water pipe for dear life. Even if the shed gets ripped off, I'd still be able to hold onto that pipe with **** flying around me!

LOL

Not if some of that flyin' ch!t clunks you in the noggin you goofball!!! :D

:bounce:

If I remember right you guys had a twister cruise through your neighborhood not that long ago....
 
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coolreed

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Oklahoma City, It's a Windy Heat.
I liked the pictures of the crane drooping an old beater on an above ground safe room. Hardly, a real world scenario. If you consider that car flying around above 50 mph and twisting violently I am not sure I would feel safe in that room and not sure if the anchor bolts would hold. My point is it is better to be below ground. The old timers concur. (Wait a minute,..I may qualify as an Old Timer?!)

The manufacturers have thought this design out very well and have about all the bases covered. There is plenty of ventilation in the unit as the tops have a slight gap and there are two holes/handles also.

I got a very good deal on my Safe Room due to it being January. In a few months the price will go up and most likely there may be a waiting list. The company I used was offering a 6 man unit for $2495 installed and a 12 man unit for $3795 installed at this time. It takes about four hour to install the 6 man and six hours to install the 12 man. I chose this company because the quality was excellent, the top is considered a flush fit and the price was right. Also, as I said earlier the state awarded me a rebate because I entered the program and my number was drawn. :)

(Besides,..if North Korea attacks it is considered a bomb shelter too.)

When the concrete cures (one week) I will stain it to match the floor. I out a broom finish on it after the pictures were taken for safety and it looks a little different now. (better).

Enjoyed sharing this tidbit with you GJ types.

:3gears:
 

carap

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Aug 17, 2010
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OKC
I'm with ya coolreed. My house was destroyed in the May 1999 tornado in OKC. We had a metal shelter installed in our backyard at the new house we had built. 315 mph winds can do some amazing things.
 

RBI

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Nov 29, 2006
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Mind sharing the name of the company?

I applied for the 2013 rebate, maybe my name will be drawn. :)
 

bdamico

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I liked the pictures of the crane drooping an old beater on an above ground safe room. Hardly, a real world scenario. If you consider that car flying around above 50 mph and twisting violently I am not sure I would feel safe in that room and not sure if the anchor bolts would hold. My point is it is better to be below ground. The old timers concur. (Wait a minute,..I may qualify as an Old Timer?!)


:3gears:

Having lived in n tex, i totally agree that below ground is way to go
 

G_P

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Central CT
I'm assuming you can drive over the closed doors? It would **** for someone to drop a car into it coming home from work:eek:

Sent from my C5120 using Tapatalk 2
 

JakeKohl

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Greenville, SC
it also looks like it has a sliding door - not one that you have to lift...which would make it a little easier to work around any debris to escape.
 

bdamico

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So they had these on CNN this morning. They said that less than 10% of homes had these in the area. Then the reporter showed how they work. He was on a slab where the house was basically scraped--he slid open the door, went down the stairs into the tiny room, and slid the door shut. Door looked totally new as did the shelter
 

ar2stp48

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Feb 20, 2008
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Magnolia, Arkansas
Have been considering an underground shelter and the weather this week has me ready to buy or build. Could you repost the link to pictures? I did not find pictures or a link in original post.
 

ford33

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Feb 26, 2011
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Location
Chicago, IL. USA
FEMA has an online guide to safe rooms. It provides recommendations on construction and placement in the home. They even have a set of construction drawings for building your own safe room.

Google: FEMA P-320 Taking shelter from the storm

After seeing the devastion in Moore, OK, I would get one of these if I lived in a tornado prone area. I have a basement and one corner of it has a radio, flashlights and water stored. It is not a "safe room" but at least we have a place to go.

As someone said earlier...it's not the wind that kills you, it what's in the wind that kills you.
 

Coleman

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Apr 11, 2010
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I'm going to build a shelter in an existing basement in leu of recent tornatic activity. Simple 4x6 ft room. 14 gauge with couple layers 3/4 ply wood built with 2x6 walls. I have an in finished basement with a couple nice corners.
 

cwalt

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Jun 20, 2013
Messages
9
I like your idea of storing a hydraulic jack in the safe room. I believe one of those hydraulic jacks that have long extensions built into them would be perfect.
 
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