About Storm Shelters

Types

• Commercially-made underground shelters can be built out of a variety of materials, with steel and concrete being the most popular. Concrete shelters are a lot cheaper at an average of about $2,500, although they do have the risk of leaking or cracking over time. They are also more likely to gather musty smells or to require cleaning due to the presence of humidity or even fungus. Steel storm shelters, on the other hand, cost an average of $7,000 for the same size, but rarely require any upkeep.

Considerations

• When choosing a storm shelter, it's important to ask yourself some questions. For starters, you need to know how many people the shelter needs to hold. Most storm shelters are meant for a small family (2 to 6 people), but larger options are available if you want to keep a permanent storage of emergency supplies (such as water, canned food, blankets and a first aid kit) in there. Most shelters allow room for only sitting (sometimes with built-in benches) or standing, while others have enough room for lying down.

Details

• Also consider what extras are available within the shelter itself, such as lighting and ventilation. Both are important if there is a chance you will have to spend several hours inside. In areas where floods are frequent, you need to make sure the shelter will be able to stay dry. The same is true in places where the ground freezes up, as this may end up causing cracks in the shelter walls.

Function

• Not all storm shelters are completely built into the ground. Although these are the most common types, other shelters are partially over-ground, which is perfectly safe in areas where high-intensity tornadoes are not common. Safe rooms, on the other hand, are usually rectangular structures built with 1/4-inch steel plate walls and placed alongside, rather than under, a house or building. They are bolted to the ground or set on a concrete slab so they can withstand high winds as well as in-ground shelters do.

Expert Insight

• Storm shelters must be installed professionally. You will be asked to select your preferred location for it, but the company will confirm that the place is appropriate by checking for underground pipes, septic tanks or cables in the area. A hole must then be dug, making sure the ground is leveled, before the shelter itself can be placed in and soil packed firmly around to secure it. In some cases, cement is placed around it as well.