There are many designs and many different types of materials used to construct storm rooms. Some features that should be common to all of them are:
- The room must not have any windows
- The room should not be constructed in a flood zone or storm surge zone
- All surfaces of the room should be able to withstand winds of up to 250 mph and wind-borne projectiles
- The room’s door should open inward to assure easy opening after the storm in the case that fallen debris blocks the door
- The room should be securely anchored to a concrete foundation to resist overturning or lifting
Some storm safe rooms will look much like a septic tank constructed of reinforced concrete. Others have walls constructed of fiberglass, carbon fiber, or Kevlar, a product used in bullet-proof vests. The fibers are bonded to structural foam, sandwiched between layers of plywood.
If you are building your safe room strictly for tornado protection, allow a minimum of five square feet per person for an anticipated wait time of two hours. If you are building to ride out a hurricane, you should allow at least 10 square feet per person as your total time in shelter could be as much as seventy two hours; maybe more if you have to wait upon rescuers to remove debris blocking your exit.
Other considerations might include allowing for ventilation and toilet facilities. A safe room’s number one function is to protect you from the storm. But don’t forget the aftermath. Your room should include a first aid kit along with any required medications, an emergency radio, batteries, flashlight, basic tools, blankets, food and lots of clean water.
Instead of throwing away or recycling soda bottles, reuse them. Bottle clean tap water before your well or municipal water supply becomes contaminated by storm water. Label these bottles with the date filled and then stockpile them in your safe room. In an age when our water supply is susceptible to numerous industrial, natural and terrorist threats, we should be storing such water bottles at every school, church, synagogue, mosque, and community center with an available closet.
Aevia — Consider the Source