Storm Shelter Accessories

[flyingw]

How many of you have storm shelters? What do you put in your storm shelter? This is a loaded question to say the least. Back in 2010, I went through a tornado here in Oklahoma. Ya, imagine that..... Needless to say I rode out the tornado in a closet and I survived. In past years, My wife and I have sheltered in neighbors shelters but we had warning but what if we had little or no warning of an impending tornado threat? Answer, get our own shelter which is exactly what's going to happen tomorrow. So they come out and dig a hole and drop a concrete shelter in to the hole. Does it end there? Not for me. Bordering on a little OCD.... OK allot OCD just having a fraidy hole to escape to is not complete enough. When I decided to have a shelter installed, my brain started running as to what needs to be in the shelter in the event we are **** down there for very long. WELL, Some basics come to mind.

Bottled Water
Flashlight

Seems reasonable right? Still not enough. I have ordered some plastic wall mount foldup shower chairs to reside in the shelter. Does it stop there? Oh hell no. How about a little plastic cabinet to store things in? Yep, on order. Now the techy side of me says we need a weather radio. Ok, but a little DC powered over the air TV seems much more reasonable. Got that on order. How about a DC powered fan, Yep, got that on order. What if my wife or I needed to use the bathroom while we're down there? How about a 5 gallon bucket toilet just in case? On the way. My wife about lost her mind when I told her I bought one of those but when you gotta go, ya gotta go. I also ordered some fold up shelf brackets to put the TV and fan on and it will fold up out of the way when not in use. Reasonable right?

Ok, here's where it gets good. The other times we have been in shelter with the door closed, We had no way of seeing what's going on outside without opening the door so how about a single wide angle surveillance camera mounted to the top of the shelter? I will pop a hole in the top of the shelter and route the two wires from the camera through the hole and they will hook to a marine battery for power and plug in to the TV for video and now I can see what's going on outside without opening the door. The marine battery will power the TV and the DC fan as well. There will also to an antenna mounted to the top of the shelter for the TV reception all routed through the same hole. I've come up with a waterproof mount that the camera and antenna will attach to that turns so I can turn the camera from inside and the part of the mount with the camera and antenna can be removed and stowed in the off season. I told ya, OCD!!!!!!!

I asked my wife what she wanted to be put in the shelter. Her answer "RUM and a couple cans of Coke" I can see where her priorities are.....

SO, What's in your shelter?

 

[bczygan]

My first thought was a bucket.

But even more important is:








































A LID!

 

[btdobie]

My shelter is basically the space under the stairs in my basement. It seems as if you are about as stocked as you could be with a couple exceptions. I would definitely have a first aid kid down there and put some cat liter in the bucket to keep the smell down if someone uses the toilet. A couple more OCD ideas for you. Put a small solar panel next to the camera for extended stays. Have a tile marker flag in there and a small hole you can feed it through and wave it to get rescue workers attention if the doorway gets blocked by debris.

 

[Pack Rat]

A deck of cards.

 

[Clemson13]

and TP...

Things could get much less comfortable without TP

 

[ItsNemo]

Register the shelter with the local FD so they come around to check on you in case you're buried.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Tornados pass through pretty quickly, so it's not like you're going to spend a lot of time in the storm shelter. I think the main thing to have would be a weather radio, although it would be worthwhile keeping some water and foodstuffs there in the event that your house got wiped out.

 

[kelpaso1]

I wouldn't call that OCD. I would call it being PREPARED

 

[Richard Cranium]

some thing to eat. A folding card table, some thing to put a fire out. Wool blankets, foam mats so a person is not on the floor. How big is your shelter? My thought is a full height cabinet that is anchored into the wall so that it would not tip over. Could store a lot in there. Paper and some thing to write with. And the list goes on. Go to any prepper site and they will have list after list of stuff to store. What about every day meds. Birth control, female pads and stuff. A ocd person could write a book on this subject.

 

[GH85Carrera]

We have a bucket with a lid! And some toilet paper only because that is better than going on the floor.

We keep several flashlights in the house and those are ready to go with us. We have enough water in the shelter to last us both a couple of days. That is total overkill for a tornado. I want to get a DC operated fan because it can get stuffy down there.

We need to get some "pee pads" for the dogs to use. They will be down there with us. Of course the bug out bag has a place for the wife's purse and we can grab the meds from the bathroom in seconds. We also need some leashes we can just keep down in the shelter.

Tornadoes are so different from other disasters. They hit a very small area. Within a 1/2 a mile of utter devastation can be normal modern civilization. The big worry is a mega F5 tornado that wipes the house off of the foundation and drops a tractor or a 18 wheel truck on top of the shelter. The rescue folks know the exact location of our shelter as it is registered.

We have lots of warning that tornadoes are possible and that puts us in alert mode. Highly unlikely a tornado can sneak up on us. Most likely the neighborhood will be full of storm chasers photographing the storm before the storm gets here.

 

[Evilunclegrimace]

Food and clothing for at least 3 days.

 

[ItsNemo]

For those who are saying it's overkill to have the shelter stocked right up. What about in the case of a house fire? Or a utilities outage? There's a lot of other reasons to be prepared and if the storm shelter is on site but a separate building that isn't susceptible to the same perils you're that much further ahead.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Yes, it is called a storm shelter, not a tornado shelter, who knows why you might feel the need to use it. Hell the in laws could stop by.

 

[ratdoggy]

For those who are saying it's overkill to have the shelter stocked right up. What about in the case of a house fire? Or a utilities outage? There's a lot of other reasons to be prepared and if the storm shelter is on site but a separate building that isn't susceptible to the same perils you're that much further ahead.

You might be in there for a day or so. Depending upon if an 18 wheeler is deposited on top or not... Basically maybe some MRE meals. A battery powered camp light. bottled water for you and a bucket (with lid), a place to sit or lay down, first aid kit, personal meds...Might make sense to have a ditch bag by the front door
House fire...Motel
Utilities are out...Stay in house
Being prepared for a distinct possibility is one thing preparing for that one in a gazillion chance...Not worth it

 

[BaMaDuDe87]

Water, food, clothes, potty (and big time agree with who ever said kitty litter or the like to keep smell down), tp or even better wet wipes, radio, fan, blankets, pillows, cot, chairs, flashlights, candles, games/books/magazines

When not in use, I'd prob keep a few moisture absorbing packs down there.

 

[GH85Carrera]

If there is major damage to the house, it is motel time. I could not stay there even if I wanted to. It is simply nothing like the Katrina disaster where the entire area was screwed. Just a few blocks away is the modern world. When the last mega F5 tornado devastated Moore, OK the lights at my house never even flickered. We carried on as normal since it was just business as usual.

The only major concern is survival for the short time the tornado is in the area. After that asses the situation. My grandparents on both sides came to OKC in the 1905. In 111 years not one family member has had a house hit by a tornado. They really are rare. Not something to be scoffed at, but nothing to worry much about.

 

[ItsNemo]

You might be in there for a day or so. Depending upon if an 18 wheeler is deposited on top or not... Basically maybe some MRE meals. A battery powered camp light. bottled water for you and a bucket (with lid), a place to sit or lay down, first aid kit, personal meds...Might make sense to have a ditch bag by the front door
House fire...Motel
Utilities are out...Stay in house
Being prepared for a distinct possibility is one thing preparing for that one in a gazillion chance...Not worth it

I'm not saying in the event of a house fire you'd stay in the storm shelter (that would be silly lol) but what it does provide you is a place to put your "backup" stuff so you can actually get to and pay for the motel. So prepping with a few extra things, say a change of clothes or some extra cash or spare keys or documents doesn't hurt, sure you won't necessarily need it in the case of a tornado, but other disasters it might come in handy.

 

[joe_padavano]

This may sound silly, but add copies of important documents and computer backups. Having copies of passports, medical data, insurance policy, and the backup hard drive will make life MUCH easier in the coming days after the storm.

 

[wfopete]

Ask yourself if the house is G-O-N-E what do I to need out of it before it goes away?

I know some folks that hang thier 3 day bags in thier shelter. If you need one you may need the other.

 

[charleyw]

We have much of the above plus a safe for important papers, etc. Being claustrophobic, I have an above ground 6' x 4' metal shelter in my garage, knowing I'm much more likely to use it rather than run outside and go below ground. (For the naysayers, similar units have went through F-5's intact.)
It is bolted together and comes with wrenches for disassembly. I also keep a pry bar and hydraulic jack just to make me feel better.
Not for everyone, but works for me.

 

[Blazinzuk]

Look up 72 your kit. Good thing to have. Storm shelter would be a good place to have it

 

[Pwrgeek]

My shelter doubles as my safe. I built it to survive anything (I'm in hurricane country so 150mph winds aren't out of the question). It's not going to do any good if a bus falls on it but anything short of that it should be fine and all our important things that are too big to fit in go bags are in there.


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[sublimate]

My shelter doubles as my safe. I built it to survive anything (I'm in hurricane country so 150mph winds aren't out of the question). It's not going to do any good if a bus falls on it but anything short of that it should be fine and all our important things that are too big to fit in go bags are in there.

I assume it's underground - so what about flooding?

 

[Pwrgeek]

It's at ground level. Flooding isn't an issue as we're at about 50' of elevation


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[jives]

Though I don't have a shelter, I would run a cable from my computer to backup drives in the shelter. Like others have said, I'd store safe-worthy documents -- birth certificates, mortgage docs, auto titles, passports, etc.

 

[nadogail]

A box of powdered bleach to sprinkle in over the contents of the bucket.

 

[zyx5432]

Make sure it has a stripper pole.

 

[bob from indiana]

A scanner radio set up for local fire, police and two meter ham would be a great source of info. Program it and put it in a.50 cal ammo can along with a power cord and a list of Freqs. you may need an outside antenna if you are under ground.

Gloves prybars and a hi-lift jack could be life savers after a tornado.

 

[mdbeck1]

Howdy neighbors....

I've lived in Oklahoma all of my life. Most of the tornadoes are not a problem. They show up, leave a 1/2 mile wide path of devastation and are gone. Usually they are identified and gone in an hour. So you don't need stuff for a LONG time in the cellar. ...and most of them tend to get damp/wet inside. Things to put in there:
- Bottled water
- Snacks
- Waterproof container to put the perishables in (put some oil dry/kitty litter in there to absorb water)
- Weather radio - preferably with a radio built in.
- 12 VDC jump battery with power run into it.
- 12 VDC fan
- 12 VDC light
- A way to open the door. This depends on the type of door. Fence stretcher or hydraulic jack. Figure it out BEFORE it's an emergency.
- Five gallon bucket and lid. Add Clorox or RV black tank fluid. ... TP.
- A couple of chairs.
- First aid kit
- Small bug out bag
- Make sure it's registered with the city. They'll be by within a couple of hours if the house is damaged. They might even make it before the friends/relatives.
- Carry your cell phone and shoes out with you.

- Computer stuff is already set up with backup drive in the house. The drive is inside the gun safe bolted to the concrete floor.
- If the power is out... ...pull out the generator and crawl in the RV.
- If the house is gone I've got friends/relatives not too far away. They've got a bed for me. I've always had one for them.

 

[brownbagg]

if you go to the fema site they have a code book that show basic designs for storm shelters, its a free download, and not all of them are underground units

 

[southalabama]

Whistle or signaling device. Some tools such as pry bar in case you to work your way out.

As far as communications gear I'd have some type connection to wire antenna. Concrete and steel don't do well under those circumstances.

 

[ZRX61]

Tornados pass through pretty quickly, so it's not like you're going to spend a lot of time in the storm shelter.

Unless a house, car or cow land on the door...

 

[bjcouche]

For those placing 12V batteries in the shelter, get the "gel" or "AGM" type batteries. Don't get the automotive type or the "maintenance free". The automotive types and maintenance free batteries gass when charging, can spill, and because of the gassing the posts corrode quickly.

I didn't see anybody recommend a stash of extra cash....

I've been to a couple small cities for work, that were recently hit by a tornadoes. Don't count staying in a hotel, they will ALL be overbooked. The people who don't have a house left won't be able to get a hotel because the hotels will be filled with people with perfectly good houses that are staying at the hotel because their house doesn't have power. If you want a hotel room, plan on driving 1-2 hours away before you'll find one with vacancy. Been there, done that. If your car got destroyed along with your house, it's a long walk...

Thus, I'd store a camping tent and gear in the shelter as well, so that I had a place to stay after the storm wiped the house out.

Where I'm at we have tornado sirens. They go off whenever there's a potential, possibility of a highly unlikely possibility of a heavy rain, or maybe even a thunderstorm. Thus the siren is totally useless because it's always going off and nobody bothers to take notice.

Brian

 

[jsherid1]

The weather radio with an alert siren is useful if you cannot hear the municipal sirens or are in an area that does not have sirens.

Backup batteries for a cell phone would be useful as well--just remember to keep them charged.

 

[The mean fish]

My shelter doubles as my safe. I built it to survive anything (I'm in hurricane country so 150mph winds aren't out of the question). It's not going to do any good if a bus falls on it but anything short of that it should be fine and all our important things that are too big to fit in go bags are in there.


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Without giving away any secrets can you share any details of it's design? I'm thinking of adding on to my house and part of it will be a storm shelter/closet/safe room.

 

[Nowater]

Fema has plans adapted to a closet idea. Briefly, the room has independent walls and roof (sometimes a flat roof inside of your trusses) and heavy metal doors.

The idea is that since a closet is used for storage, a little extra space makes spending a hurricane day a little more bearable. Some people locate them adjacent to a bathroom.

Extra water is more important than lots of food, as without power it will be hot. At my house, the last major hurricane did no damage, but an acquaintance in Tampa lost power for seven days. That meant no power for the well, no showers, no cooking inside, no AC--wow, that stinks. Even my shop has AC!

 

[Pwrgeek]

Without giving away any secrets can you share any details of it's design? I'm thinking of adding on to my house and part of it will be a storm shelter/closet/safe room.

The room is 8' by 12'. The walls are 2X6 framing on 8" centers. They are Hilti bolted to the slab every 8" and all the studs have Simpson ties to the overhead joists and top plate. They have 2 layers of 3/4" plywood on the outside that sandwich a layer of 1/4" A36 plate. The walls are insulated with fire resistant batts and then the interior has Sheetrock tape and texture. All of the penetrations through the wall are in conduit as close to the floor as possible. The interior of the ceiling is the same plywood sandwich (I'd rather it be on the outside but that would make the floor of the room above unworkable). I have a 70 pint dehumidifier. The door is a 3070 steel door that has three deadbolts across from the hinges. Overall I think it is secure enough that I wouldn't want to try to get into it and I know how it is all screwed together. I figure without that knowledge it'd take a good bit longer.

 

[steve185]

A couple of bottles of rye.

 

[Vista]

Best advice ever: Once your construction and outfitting is complete, you and your wife should go into the shelter, lock the door, and spend 24 hours there. You'll discover what you don't need, and what you should have included...please let us know how it turns out.

 

[Farmall 1066]

Kinda surprised nobody mentioned it yet, but 3-5 days worth of any important prescription drugs, that are kept in rotation would be a good idea.