Creating a Safe Room or Storm Shelter

Where is a good place for a safe room? Do you need a storm shelter? What should be stored there?

Your home is one of the safest places to be during a tornado or severe storms, but most homes aren't built to withstand sustained winds exceeding 90 miles per hour.

If you live in an area where extreme windstorms, hurricanes, tornados, or severe lightening storms frequently occur, you may want to consider building some kind of cement or underground shelter.

This is a safe room built in a garage.

Safe Room

The purpose of a shelter or safe room is to provide a space where you and your household can seek refuge that provides a high level of protection.

To protect your family, a safe room within your home must be built to withstand high winds and flying debris, even if the rest of the residence is severely damaged or destroyed

Just like a shelter area in your home, this room should be stocked with supplies to last for a day or two.

Since your chosen room has no windows, you'll definitely need a good, reliable source of temporary light.

Keep your small supply kit stocked and ready in the back of the closet to help the frightening hours pass.

Creating a Safe Room

• Cover all doors, windows and vents with 2-4 mil. thick plastic sheeting.
• Cut the plastic sheeting several inches wider than the openings and label each sheet.
• Duct tape plastic at corners first, then tape down all edges.

Storm Shelter

This in-ground storm
shelter is made of
10-gauge steel.
All seams are seal
welded for both
structural integrity
and leak resistance.

A storm shelter that is below ground may or may not be connected to the house. It is especially useful in areas where it is not safe to be above ground during a storm, such as tornados. They can be built of concrete or steel as the photo on the right shows.

You may live in an area where building a concrete storm shelter would be overkill or do no good at all. I live in an earthquake-prone area. Even an underground shelter may break in pieces during a severe earthquake.

We have had exactly one tornado here (Utah) in the recorded history of our state, and hurricanes will never happen here. However, a safe room may be necessary for other types of disasters.

Whether you create a safe room in your home or build a storm shelter is considered a temporary protective measure to create a barrier between your family and potentially contaminated air outside as well as protection from flying or falling objects. It is a type of sheltering in place that requires preplanning.

Related Topics