FEMA 320: A Great Guide for Residential Tornado Shelters

FEMA P-320 is a guide to residential storm shelters: it promotes understanding tornadoes and deciding on the best protection for you and your loved ones. Survive-A-Storm Shelters follows the regulations outlined in the FEMA P-320 publication, from size and occupancy standards to engineering specifications in the construction of storm shelters.

Why Should I Use FEMA 320 As a Guide? 

Engineers, architects, and storm shelter manufacturers use FEMA 320. That's a good indication that you should too. And, there's no need to be intimidated by its contents.

This guide has been written so that every person will understand their risks; after all, knowledge is power. Some sections you may find of interest:

• Section 2: Understanding the Hazards
  This section details the nature of tornadoes, hurricanes, and straight-line winds, explaining how these extreme weather events can cause catastrophic damage. It has colorful maps, which are great for determining your risks based on your location. There is also a chart that illustrates the damage done by tornadoes, from EF-1 to EF-5. It introduces some tornado and hurricane terminology, which will be helpful when shopping for a storm shelter.
• Section 3: Planning Your Safe Room
  This section guides you through the steps to plan your safe room. The guide walks through the steps to plan a safe room, including choosing the best location, understanding size requirements, and addressing flood hazards. There is guidance on new construction and retrofitting existing homes, ensuring the safe room is both functional and compliant with FEMA and ICC standards.
• Section 4: Consumer Guidance
  This section offers advice for homeowners considering either site-built or prefabricated safe rooms, like those sold by Survive-A-Storm. It covers essential topics like materials, testing standards, cost considerations, and funding options, helping consumers make informed decisions about their safe room investments.
• Section 5: Building Your Site-Built Safe Room
  Here, detailed design plans are presented for those who opt to build their own safe rooms. It might just prompt you to build your own shelter, or to realize that there are professionally built, prefabricated options available!
• Section 6: Additional Resources, Emergency Planning, and Supply Kit
  The final section provides additional resources, including links to further reading and tools for emergency planning. It also offers recommendations for an emergency supply kit, ensuring that homeowners are fully prepared to use their safe room in a disaster.

Survive-a-Storm Shelters offers a variety of above-ground and underground tornado safe rooms.  We also have financing options available.  

To order your FEMA 320-compliant shelter from us, call 888-360-1492 or contact us via our website. We can't wait to hear what you've learned!