Safe Room

The fury of Mother Nature is well known with her tornadoes but some people are learning to sit and wait her out. How do they manage to do this?

Tornadoes are one of the most powerful, unpredictable and destructive storm systems on our planet.  These storms can produce winds anywhere from 74 - 200+ mph and cause millions of dollars worth of property damage and loss of life every year.

People know that the uplift winds from a tornado can pick up and blow both small and large chunks of debris around with such force behind it making a dry-walled 2X4 room no match for a 2X4 flying at 100+ mph even if one is located in the middle of their home. 

A solution to surviving this storm is knowing in advance the wind zone of your locale and building a ‘Safe’ room.  They are engineered to provide shelter with a tough, impact-resistant shell with ‘near absolute’ safety in mind and built to be adequately anchored, resist overturning and uplift, withstand high wind pressures and prevent penetration of debris that accounts for most personal fatalities and injuries.

FEMA has made funding available for homeowners to apply for assistance in building a safe room with their recommended specifications. Shelter kits are available to build your own or you can hire a contractor.  

A full service lumber yard may carry all or special order the materials you may need to build this room.  Steel parts and sheets can be found through your local ‘Steel Distributors’ supplier in the Yellow pages of your telephone book.

A few other tips to keep in mind when there is a tornado warning are the following:

– Ensure emergency supplies are on hand in your Safe room.
– Know how to shut off the utilities to your home.
– Pre- designated meeting ground for your family, if separated.
– Practice drills for all family members
– List of home and personal inventory and important papers, stored off site
– Know all towns and counties around you
– Buy a all Weather Radio with battery backup
– Frequently pay attention to the weather report

A Safe room requires a budget and can be a expense but the benefits for you and family will be far more valuable in the long term. Today, tornadoes may be somewhat predicted more easily but they cannot be avoided or ignored. They must be endured and a ‘Safe’ room at least increases hope to survive the fury of the storm for you and your family.

A second use for the 'Safe' room can be for storage of your rifles or other home items but ensure they can be quickly removed in the event of emergency needs and safety. Read related –> here and there.

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Article(C)2009 Dame Scribe, all rights reserved. Dame Scribe creates articles and posts online. She creates articles on business skills & development, health, science, technology and society and has a strong passion for writing.