Storm Shelter Articles

AWFUMC and SAS Add Storm Shelters to Disaster-Affected Areas

Natural disasters like tornadoes can wreak havoc on communities, leaving behind destruction and displacement. It’s been such an ongoing challenge in the service area of the Alabama-West Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church (AWFUMC) that the church created the Disaster Response and Recovery Ministry to assist after these natural disasters strike. The team typically…

Dispelling Myths: The Truth about Tornado Shelters

Social media has changed us as a society. Instant opinions are everywhere. It’s no surprise that even the most well-intentioned topics face scrutiny from naysayers. Tornado shelters, designed to be safe havens during severe storms, are no exception.We have many kinds of shelters because there are many, many different environmental concerns in the US. Think…

A Step-by-Step Guide: Installing Underground Tornado Shelters

A Step-by-Step Guide: Installing Underground Tornado SheltersTornadoes are devastating and can be unpredictable. They cause extensive damage to homes and properties and sometimes take lives. One of the best ways to stay safe during a tornado is in a tornado shelter. Tornado shelters come in different types, but above-ground and below-ground tornado shelters are the…

Ensuring Tornado Safety in Mobile Homes: Secure Shelter Solutions

Living in a mobile home can bring many benefits, like affordability and flexibility. Maybe you’ve found the perfect plot of land and you aspire to build your dream home. But before you can get to it, you need a less expensive place to stay on your property. Or, maybe you want the community and amenities…

How to Gauge a Tornado Threat: Alerts and Polygons Explained

In many areas of the United States, tornado season is well underway. In the Southeast, states like Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee have already had a particularly rough start and they’ll be on edge until June. (And they may have a secondary tornado season in the fall, depending on weather conditions.) Residents of the Central US,…

Tornado Alley vs. Dixie Alley: A Comparison

People have heard the term “Tornado Alley” often enough to know that it is a region of the United States where tornadoes are the most prevalent. However, there is some disagreement over the area’s borders, and whether or not Tornado Alley is “shifting.” While there is no official boundary, the region typically includes the Great…

2022 in Tornadoes – A Look at the “Worst”

Your past 12 months are likely full of ups and downs. Looking back at 2022, many people will size up the events in their lives and the significant accomplishments or setbacks. The purpose might be to set an intention for the coming year or to figure out what we want to accomplish.At Survive-A-Storm, we’d like…

Choosing a Commercial Tornado Shelter for Your Business

Imagine being at work, all day you’ve heard the sound of driving rain, the skies are dark and now it’s starting to hail. While it’s bad weather, you can’t just leave work every time the sky looks threatening. You’ve just heard that the National Weather Service has upgraded your area from a tornado watch to…

Don't Risk It - Invest in a Commercial Tornado Shelter for your Business

Everyone knows tornadoes are risky. Thanks to Hollywood, we know that tornadoes can be dangerous, even deadly.At their least worrisome, an EF0 tornado can cause mild damage to outbuildings and small sheds, and take shingles off of roofs. At the other end of the Fujita scale, an EF5 tornado can have winds 200-300 mph and…

Measuring Tornado Intensity-F5 or EF5? The Differences

When it comes to measuring the intensity of tornadoes, you may have seen an “F5 tornado” referenced or an “EF5 tornado.” So, what is the difference, or are they essentially the same? Let’s take a closer look.The F and the EF reference the Fujita scale and the Enhanced Fujita scale (EF scale).  Both of these scales…

How to Write An RFP for a Commercial Tornado Shelter

If your company is in the market for a tornado shelter, chances are, you’ll want to get multiple quotes and find out what’s available before making your purchase.If you’re a small company with few employees, that might be an easy task; in fact, you might not even need a large commercial tornado shelter. In that…

FEMA 320 Shelter Construction Guide

In 1998, FEMA published a guide called “Taking Shelter From the Storm.” The publication, currently in its Fifth Edition, includes construction plans and specifications for building a storm shelter safe room for your home. It is officially called FEMA P-320, but is most commonly referred to as FEMA 320.The tornado shelter construction plans are still…

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