Suburban Family Tornado Shelter and Preparation.

[Merovech]

Suburban Family Tornado Shelter and Preparation.
Part One.
By: Merovech

When I moved from Alaska to the middle of suburban Tornadoland I made a conscious change from the dangers of the cold and moose, to that of high winds and laughable winters.

One of the first things we did to our new house last June was purchase a tornado shelter, the demand was so high that it literally took 6 months to have it installed from the day I signed the contract.

I purchased the smaller of the two that were available, I believe it is the 8 person shelter and I paid $2700. No tax including a military discount.

Six Months later In late November they showed up and took to working.

First they marked my garage floor with chalk, the two guys doing the work didnt even talk to one another, it was rather amusing. They used hand signals and both measured it all out and marked everything without skipping a beat. I asked and they told me they had each done hundreds of shelters. Between one or two a day, 5 days a week.





They put a rock clause in the contract, in case you have a huge rock under your foundation and they have to get the bug guns out.
Thankfully, all I had was solid Oklahoma clay and sandstone. A bit of jack-hammering and hand picking and they made their depth.







Once the concrete truck came we were in good shape.









The guys left the shelter clean, inside and out, smoothed down the concrete well and cleaned up all their mess. The whole installation took about 6 hours total.
Sadly, just long enough for every single one of my neighbors to come home and see that I had a shelter installed.
They said not to mess with the shelter for 48 hours, and not to park a car over it for a week.

My wife now parks her little commuter car over the top with plenty of room to get in and out of the shelter.

It came with removable steps and a little removable hand rail that is pretty optional unless you really need some support.

[Merovech]

Suburban Family Tornado Shelter and Preparation.
Part Two.
By: Merovech

Finding a well thought out post or 'list' of how to stock a tornado shelter was a lost cause, there were a few little miniature write-ups but nothing at all serious or worth reading.

The shelter was basic, it is essentially a metal box in the ground lined with concrete, then covered by a sliding metal door with rollers.
While it would work totally as designed I needed to make a few basic custom improvements to make it a bit safer to my kids.

So the very first thing I did was lay down a strip of waterproof garage carpet in the bottom, it makes the floor less slick and a bit more comfortable. It also helped quite a bit with sound.

Second was putting down some grip tape on the steps, it was a necessity there was no way I would have just left the steps bare and slick like they came.

Next was a bit of lighting. I went to Lowes and picked up these neat magnetic strip lighting LED lights. They provide enough light to be fairly comfortable.

With carpet, lighting and the grip tape done it was pretty much a perfect little "Hidee Hole" as my grandmother would call it.

As I said, I hit the internet to find a list of items to 'stock' the shelter and I came up totally empty handed.

The bulk of things I found were the standard 3 day plan from Ready.gov and the like.

So after about a month of research and amazon, lowes and target trips... I welcome you to my fully stocked Suburban Tornado Shelter.
Hopefully the info will help the next person looking for a bit of guidance.

Remember, the most important part of your (and my) shelter is room for PEOPLE, it isnt designed to be inside for a week or two.
You are looking at 24 hours or less in all but the worst case scenarios.


Notice there is no Welcome Mat. This is for my family only, I don't relish anyone else coming knocking and having to turn them away.


Back wall holds a little mosaic magnet thing I picked up off of Amazon, my kids get a kick out of making pictures with them.
They are perfect for the steel walls of the shelter.
Got a bit of water, some other toys for the kids.
A Wrench to open the 'emergency hatch' on the back side of the shelter.
I also have the Full Sized Stanley FUBAR back there, Ill talk about that down in the gear lists.



Other side of the shelter houses the removable stairway and the bulk of the supply stash is packed away under the stairs.
I have room for myself, my wife, my two kids and one MAYBE two other people without removing the stairs and the supplies stay out of the way.



Center Tub is mostly food and bulky stuff, left side under the seat has boots and clothes. Right side is the smaller stuff and clutter.



A Bit of food.



Smaller supply Tub.






View of the top of the shelter with the support bars and the rollers.



This is the locking mechanism, which is basically a metal peg that locks over the frame of the rolling door.

-------------

The most important part of this shelter is to keep my family and I safe in the event of a tornado. The secondary goal is to make things a bit easier on us in case our house falls on top of the shelter and we cant get out for a while till Emergency Workers or Friends/Family can come out and get to us.

Full Gear List:

Storm Go Bag. (This is grabbed on the way out the door to the shelter AFTER the kids are in.)
#1: Insurance CD. (This is a photo CD of all the items in my house for insurance claims.)
#2: Personal Papers. (Small Folder with Identification, Insurance Documents, and other important papers.)
#3: External HDD. (Family Pictures and Scans of the ID Info.)

Loose Items:
#1: Wrench. (This is a MUST HAVE, it is needed to loosen the bolts on the emergency hatch in case the rolling door becomes jammed or blocked.)
#2: Water. (I have 30 liters of water in half liter bottles)
#3: Rain Ponchos x4 (Cheap single use type things but they will work.)
#4: Change of Clothes and Shoes for every member of the family.
#5: Books, Grimm's Fairy Tales and Where the Sidewalk Ends.
#6: Dog Stuff. Dog Bowl, Leach.
#7: Flashlights, 1 good one, 2 cheap ones for the kids.
#8: Toys for the kids.
#9: Crank Wench (This came with the shelter and connects to the little triangle welded into the far end of the shelter to help open the door if needed.)
#10: Stanley FUBAR. (I didn't buy this for the zombie mythos, or for the cool factor. I bought this because it simply is the perfect tool to do demo on a typical suburban house. After a fire or tornado, that very night the scavengers start coming by. They will steal air conditioning units, copper wire and anything they can haul away with a truck. A Good quality demo tool will help me get at the items that are important to me and then get outta there.)

Green Tub: (Stored Int he middle under the stairs)
#1: Blanket
#2: Fleece Sleeping Bags x 2 (These fold out to Blankets)
#3: Blue Tarp
#4: Bungee Cords
#5: Diapers (3 days worth)
#6: Kleenex Tissues
#7: Potty Bags (Small trash bags, I think they are 5 gallon)
#8: Wet Wipes
#9: Food (Including 5 MREs)
#10: Snack Bowls/plastic sporks.

Clear Tub:
#1: N95 Masks x10
#2: Hygiene Stuff. (Deodorant, Toothbrushes/Paste)
#3: Batteries (AA and AAA)
#4: Emergency/Weather Radio (Crank Style)
#5: Kobalt Multitool (Went cheap on this, but I didnt want to lock an $80 leatherman in a hole in the ground)
#6: Duct Tape
#7: Paracord (Why not?)
#8: Compass and Whistle
#9: Leather Work Gloves (Two Pair)

----------

Like I said, the most important thing is room for my family. There were certain things that I HAD to do to make it safe and slightly more comfortable beyond that most of the preps are optional.
I tried to maintain a budget here. I spent under $3000 including the shelter, meaning I kept the inside supplies and customization down to $300. I used generic supplies instead of name brand to save a bit and stretch the budget a bit further.

I hope that this post has been helpful, a lot of this was trial and error and a bit of critical thinking between my wife and I. I welcome feedback and will keep it updated as I make changes.

Edit: I also use this radio to inform me and my family as to WHEN to get in the shelter, in case we sleep through the sirens outside or are otherwise not watching the news etc.



It is a Midland WR-300.

[Dawgboy]

Sweet! Does it have a bilge pump too?

[Clout]

Wow, this is so full of win. My envy is even jealous! Very clean, professional looking install and craftsmanship.

This may sound kind of like a "no dumb questions, just dumb people" kind of thing to say, but what would happen if your garage or some other debris were to land across the top of your entrance? I have always thought of this since the first time I saw these types of setups, but never mustered the cojones to ask someone.

Is this something that is planned for? Is it even thought of? I wouldn't wait for someone to remember, "Oh, hey. Didn't Smitty just put a shelter in his garage floor? Let's go make sure he's OK."

My armchair McGyver side is telling me to keep a small bottle jack in there, capable of lifting 5+ tons along with a small pile of wooden dunnage. With the stairs as sturdy as they look, I wouldn't think you'd have a problem with them giving out. The dunnage could be used to spread the weight across the door and then once you get it jacked up far enough, put a piece in the opening you've created. Then, release the bottle jack and prop it up on a piece of dunnage or use a piece as an extension to the jack's ram. Rinse and repeat. Obviously this wouldn't lift an entire garage, but enough that if the workbench and refrigerator were on top of the door with some other debris, you could have more pushing power than just your back and legs.

My $0.02.

[Pelagius]

With the wife and kids I would look into a folding toilet seat set up. Makes it much easier for kids and women. It will be difficult enough dealing with a tornado at least that can be made easier. And if the bags don't have anything for it I would put in kitty litter for the potty bags. Helps with the smell and with the clumping of it your not dealing with liquid waste.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk

[raptor]

Great Post! Thank you for such a great post!.

That is a great shelter and well done. I have wanted to add one of these for a long time.

[SkullGirl]

I too am curious about how you would get out if large or heavy debris falls on top of this shelter.

[Benny]

That's a nice setup!

Would you mind sharing the company that sells/installs these? My coworker is curious.

[Merovech]

I too am curious about how you would get out if large or heavy debris falls on top of this shelter.

These are NOT designed to be self sufficient (Island) shelters.

If a Tornado hits the house there are three possibilities.

#1: direct hit, nothing left but the foundation. News Helicopters get video of my wife and I coming out of our shelter.
#2: Indirect hit, house simply collapses. Emergency Crews seek out GPS located and registered shelters to get people out.
#3: Somewhere in between.

I read somewhere that the longest someone has ever been 'trapped' in a registered shelter in Oklahoma was 8 hours, not sure if that is accurate or not.

As the shelter is GPS located and registered with the city, Emergency crews are supposed to come out to the area and move the debris away to get people out.
Several members of my family also have the GPS location coords.

The shelter also has two 'emergency escape' methods of escape.

#1: The back half of the shelter lifts off with the use of a wrench to release the bolts.
#2: There is a crank wench with cables that attach to the little triangle on the back of the shelter and to the door. using the crank you can force the door open.

That's a nice setup!

Would you mind sharing the company that sells/installs these? My coworker is curious.

I used "Ground Zero Shelters" and I would recommend them, they offer a military discount and also do promotions every so often. I paid $2700 total for mine, not counting stocking it.
My wife says its the best $3000 we ever spent, having it makes her VERY happy.

[raptor]

I too am curious about how you would get out if large or heavy debris falls on top of this shelter.

That is a real problem with the location. Every shelter comes with that risk. The nice thing about indoor shelters is that critters and water are not likely to get into it. The bad news is that the risk of debris blocking the hatch is great.

Merovech I would suggest some alternate communication methods in case you are trapped.

Put two small openings on each side of the roof. I am thinking simply a 4 inch hole with an easy to remove plate. Holes big enough to put your hand though. That way you can hold up a cell phone to get signal to call for help. You can also run a POTS telephone line to the unit but odds are the POTS line will not be working if you are trapped by debris. As a last resort I would have a long stick with a flag that you could stick out of the hole. Get a bell and also attach it to the stick. You may be able to get the stick out of the hole and wave the flag and ring the bell for attention.

The other thing I would suggest is some sort of air blower to get fresh air into the shelter in case you are trapped. In the summer that thing will be stifling and fresh air could literally be a life saver.

I know this is not designed for long term occupancy and IMO does not need to be set up as such. However the risk of being trapped by debris is clearly real and you have wisely taken this into account.

One ops question. Have you planned your procedure in case a car is parked over the shelter entrance. Will you also move the other car or leave it?

Great job.


Edited to add: I did not know about the registered shelter program. That certainly mitigates the risk of going undiscovered. Nevertheless I would still suggest the holes as a plan B/C.

[Merovech]

Merovech I would suggest some alternate communication methods in case you are trapped.

I really like the POTS phone line idea, I don't have the service but 911 and operator services would work.

The shelter is VERY strong, I saw a lot of testing info. You can basically drop a car on the roof and walk out.

My wife's small commuter car is parked on top, but there is enough room to get inside at all times.

The shelter is not air tight, there are two air vents at the entrance and the whole top of the thing has a little air seam around it.

As far as heat, I was worried about this as well as it gets HOT in my garage. But being underground I have been amazed how cool it stays. It also will be used when it is raining and storming, not when it is hot and 100 outside.

When I first put water in there I was worried about it freezing in the winter months.
I tested it with a bottle of water all winter here and it never froze.

[duodecima]

My wife now parks her little commuter car over the top with plenty of room to get in and out of the shelter.

So you can still open the door and get in with the car in place, right?
Also, any reason not to keep a permanent duplicate of the go-bag with the insurance info, etc IN the shelter, so it's one less thing to grab? Or is the location not secure enough?
Looks great!

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Maybe include one of these:

and one of these:

[Smü]

Maybe another "dump people" question, but I don't see any facility to answer nature's call. What about a camping or chem toilet? Given the 8 hours you mentioned, I'd think I would like to have the option that the kids can go to the toilet if the need arises.

Absolutely theoretical here, I don't live in a tornado / hurricane area.

[raptor]

Maybe another "dump people" question, but I don't see any facility to answer nature's call. What about a camping or chem toilet? Given the 8 hours you mentioned, I'd think I would like to have the option that the kids can go to the toilet if the need arises.

Absolutely theoretical here, I don't live in a tornado / hurricane area.

The green tub (emptied of course) would work fine since it has a lid. Alternatively a simple 5 gallon bucket with a lid would work also.


On a different note you may want to throw some basic hand tools in there like a Hacksaw, bolt cutters and some more PPE like leather gloves and safety glasses more for cleanup post tornado sake than while inside the shelter.

In the aftermath of a storm leather gloves and similar PPE are very important.

[Merovech]

Maybe another "dump people" question, but I don't see any facility to answer nature's call. What about a camping or chem toilet? Given the 8 hours you mentioned, I'd think I would like to have the option that the kids can go to the toilet if the need arises.

Absolutely theoretical here, I don't live in a tornado / hurricane area.

The green tub (emptied of course) would work fine since it has a lid. Alternatively a simple 5 gallon bucket with a lid would work also.


On a different note you may want to throw some basic hand tools in there like a Hacksaw, bolt cutters and some more PPE like leather gloves and safety glasses more for cleanup post tornado sake than while inside the shelter.

In the aftermath of a storm leather gloves and similar PPE are very important.

Hacksaw is a good idea, but honestly if the house is fallen down Im not going to be subtle with the demo... Ill just use the FUBAR.

Work Gloves missed the write up, they are in there. I just edited the post.

a 5 gallon potty bucket would be a good idea to supplement the potty bags, I could shove it under the left side and fill it with the clothes.

[Prepared American]

Full of win.

I am a USAR guy in a stat north of you, also in a tornado prone area, been to 4 in the last year or so, and I too was unaware of the GPS registration. Probably exists but nobody told the responders...lol. But that happens more frequently then you can imagine.

Love the shelter. Looks like it is stocked perfectly for its purpose. I need one here for my wife and kids..

[raptor]

a 5 gallon potty bucket would be a good idea to supplement the potty bags, I could shove it under the left side and fill it with the clothes.

A good plan the pail with the lid will also keep the clothes dry and clean.

BTW I cannot stress in a disaster zone the value of good quality leather work gloves to protect your hands from debris, nails, shatter wood and broken glass.

[Pooter]

Nice Grave, do you plan to get inside when Tornadoes blow over.
I'd have mine built a little further from the house, so if the house topples on
top of it, and everybody thinks since nobody came out, everyone must be dead,
And so with tons of bricks, trees, and debris blocking your only way out, what do you do?

Do you have a ventilation system set up?
What about crapping, lights, and the possibility
that that metal coffin blocks your CB radio?

I'd rather have some type of above ground Prison security barred structure, with a wire mesh to protect against flying debris
or one of those shipping containers to bug out, like these:
http://www.containersales.com/ContainerSalesUS.aspx?PageID=Container-Sales-US-Home

What I find a bit nutty about this whole endeavor,
is that you live in a brick house,
not a wooden mobile home.

Didn't you learn anything from the 3 little pigs and the big bad wolf children's story?

[bufordtjustice]

Nice Grave, do you plan to get inside when Tornadoes blow over.
I'd have mine built a little further from the house, so if the house topples on
top of it, and everybody thinks since nobody came out, everyone must be dead,
And so with tons of bricks, trees, and debris blocking your only way out, what do you do?

Do you have a ventilation system set up?
What about crapping, lights, and the possibility
that that metal coffin blocks your CB radio?

I'd rather have some type of above ground Prison security barred structure, with a wire mesh to protect against flying debris
or one of those shipping containers to bug out, like these:
http://www.containersales.com/ContainerSalesUS.aspx?PageID=Container-Sales-US-Home

What I find a bit nutty about this whole endeavor,
is that you live in a brick house,
not a wooden mobile home.

Didn't you learn anything from the 3 little pigs and the big bad wolf children's story?

You sir...are a jackass.

[Merovech]

Nice Grave, do you plan to get inside when Tornadoes blow over.

Hello Sunshine, do you always fart as soon as you walk into a room?

I'd have mine built a little further from the house, so if the house topples on
top of it, and everybody thinks since nobody came out, everyone must be dead,
And so with tons of bricks, trees, and debris blocking your only way out, what do you do?

It's called friends, family and rescue services, as well as GPS located and registered with the city. The Longest someone has been 'trapped' in a shelter in my state has been 8 hours according to the city.

Do you have a ventilation system set up?

It is not an air tight structure, in fact there is a quarter inch gap all around the lid as well as two vent holes in the top.

What about crapping, lights, and the possibility
that that metal coffin blocks your CB radio?

Bucket and potty bags, got it. (Did you actually read the thread or just look at the pretty pictures?

I'd rather have some type of above ground Prison security barred structure, with a wire mesh to protect against flying debris
or one of those shipping containers to bug out, like these:
http://www.containersales.com/ContainerSalesUS.aspx?PageID=Container-Sales-US-Home

It's not a place to bug out, are you high? It is a life boat that can be accessed within 60 seconds in the middle of the night when my weather radio goes off and the news says there is a tornado coming and is going to knock my house down and I have no time to flee.

What I find a bit nutty about this whole endeavor,
is that you live in a brick house,
not a wooden mobile home.

What I find nutty is that a pizza delivery man from texas doesnt know that a tornado can wipe out a whole neighborhood of brick houses.

Didn't you learn anything from the 3 little pigs and the big bad wolf children's story?

Not sure why you decided to go on the attack as soon as joining this forum, but you will find you dont need to walk in and be a jerk to be respected here, in fact I suggest you simmer down a bit before you hurt yourself or one of the mods puts a dunce cap on your head.

Oh, and clownshoes.

[raptor]

Nice Grave, do you plan to get inside when Tornadoes blow over.
I'd have mine built a little further from the house, so if the house topples on
top of it, and everybody thinks since nobody came out, everyone must be dead,
And so with tons of bricks, trees, and debris blocking your only way out, what do you do?

Do you have a ventilation system set up?
What about crapping, lights, and the possibility
that that metal coffin blocks your CB radio?

I'd rather have some type of above ground Prison security barred structure, with a wire mesh to protect against flying debris
or one of those shipping containers to bug out, like these:
http://www.containersales.com/ContainerSalesUS.aspx?PageID=Container-Sales-US-Home

What I find a bit nutty about this whole endeavor,
is that you live in a brick house,
not a wooden mobile home.

Didn't you learn anything from the 3 little pigs and the big bad wolf children's story?

Pooter please check your PMs . You should refrain from posting in this forum until you read the PM and read the rules.

[TacAir]

I have to admit, the shelter looks pretty cool.

I also have to ask a couple of things, that since gasoline fumes are heavier than air, how will you keep the shelter space free of an explosive gas mixture> you did say your wife parked right over the top of the shelter - yes?

Conversely, if the auto is parked on top of the shelter and you get hammered - but no clean sweep - what happens when the tank ruptures and dumps 20 gallons of high test down in there for you to breath?

No harsh on your shelter - but did the mfg literature expressly say say it was OK to park on top of the shelter?

Least you think me a jackass, I am a certified Disaster Recovery Planner - people actually pay me to worry about just exactly this kind of shit.

If the shelter dealer hasn't said anything about heaver than air gasses - also consider the carbon monoxide gas from auto exhaust, maybe he hasn't been sued by the estate of a customer - yet. To that end I would recommend a gas detector, to check prior to entry - if it goes off while you are inside, it would be an AMF situation anyway.

Hope this has given you something to think about... Best of luck and thanks for posting the images, it does look like a nice setup.

[Tobias05]

Love it!

Is there a reason the steps face the garage door? For egress? I didn't see where the door to your house was, and in my case I would turn them 180*, at least in my garage, so that I could enter quicker.

Great set up! I want one.