Preparation Articles
If you just learned that tornadoes happen in October and November, you’re not alone. Most households in the United States associate tornadoes with April and May, put away their weather worries after summer, and never hear a word about the second tornado season. Meteorologists have tracked that second season for decades. The gap is in…
Buying a commercial tornado shelter is not like purchasing office furniture or fleet vehicles. If those purchases go wrong, you deal with a complaint and a replacement. If a tornado shelter purchase goes wrong, the consequences are worse. That should shape every step of how you evaluate manufacturers, and yet most buyers treat it as…
When a tornado warning sounds, it’s time for everyone to take shelter. A warning could mean that a tornado is just minutes away. For facilities with a commercial tornado shelter, that makes capacity planning an important part of the initial design and selection process.When selecting a commercial tornado shelter, facility owners and planners need to…
Prepared homeowners don’t just react when tornado warnings blare. They’ve already made the critical decisions, stocked the supplies, and practiced the plan so that they know what to do when sirens sound. The difference between being prepared and unprepared isn’t luck or extra money. It’s systematic preparation that transforms tornado threats into manageable, survivable events.The…
For Skylar Henson, owner of Latitude 37 Development in Wichita, Kansas, tornado shelters aren’t a luxury upgrade or an optional add-on. They’re a standard feature in every new home his company builds.In a region where severe weather is part of life, Henson believes tornado shelters in new home construction are a must-have feature for both…
If you watch the weather, you’re probably wondering two things right now: Is 2026 going to be a bad tornado year?Do businesses really need a shelter now, or can this wait? The answer to these questions boils down to three forces converging at once: a sharper understanding of shifting tornado risk, code and standard updates that create…
What Makes A Home Storm-Ready? A storm-ready home resists wind uplift at the roof, keeps cladding and soffits tight, moves water off the walls and away from the foundation, manages moisture in the lowest level, and aligns with known flood risk from FEMA or local maps. If any one of those pieces looks weak, the…
Most successful community shelter projects integrate three streams—grants, financing, and local contributions—into a single budget. The reason? Federal mitigation grants rarely cover 100 percent. Loans and bonds cover gaps and timing. Local dollars can unlock the grant match and keep the project moving, so you aren’t waiting through another storm season while paperwork sits on…
When is tornado season? You want a concise answer so you can plan weekends, set alerts, and stop worrying. But, unfortunately, it’s tricky, and something about the old answer no longer holds true. The old “spring-only” mental model misses too many real risks, including the kind of late night twister that arrives when no one…
Looking for a family tornado safety plan your kids can actually follow without spending all weekend on it? The goal is simple: when the threat of a tornado or severe thunderstorm looms, every family member knows where to go, what to grab, and how to communicate. There should be no debates, no scrambling, and no…
You want to know what tornado shelter liability for businesses really looks like–because leadership, insurers, or maybe even your gut is asking if the risk is worth the cost. What are your obligations? The short version: liability from tornadoes, or other severe weather events, flows through three channels: OSHA enforcement, employee injury systems, and civil…