The Biggest Weakness of Basement Storm Shelters

Where we used to live (in the Midwest) basements and storm shelters were common place and for good reason: tornadoes and human bodies don’t mix real well. As such, a storm shelter is a wise addition to most any home. I’d certainly recommend one if you take your family’s safety to heart. Now, the typical image most people conjure up of storm shelters look like this:

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And it’s true these do exist, especially in older or more rural communities. The thing is that many storm shelters I’m accustomed to seeing in newer communities look more like this:

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Aside from the fact that the rest of the house hasn’t been constructed yet, there’s one glaring problem with the above shelter… can you guess?

Yup, no door. And the problem is that it will stay like that. Well, it will probably be sheet-rocked if the basement gets finished and they’ll add a hollow core door to make it look nice but that door will do you no good.

Instead, you want it to look more like this:

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Ok, that’s a little overkill but you can’t blame a guy for dreaming, can you? All kidding aside, you really do need something better than no door or even a hollow core door. After all, what’s the point in having something that only partially protects you when you need it the most?

There are plenty of options, from DIY reinforced solid-core doors–usually a mix of steel and plywood–to manufactured steel doors (here’s another option), you can find something that fits your needs and budget. FYI, you can find more information from FEMA about building a safe room here and another article on Building a Storm Shelter to ICC-500 Requirements as well.

Whatever you choose to do, please do something sooner rather than later. Tornado season is here and you never know when they’ll strike!


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My latest book, The Survival Blueprint: How to Prepare Your Family for Disaster, can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJ49Y5X4

Comments

7 responses to “The Biggest Weakness of Basement Storm Shelters”

  1. Thanks for explaining that the doors for below ground storm shelters will have to be a bit less conventional. I want to find a good contractor that could install one in my property because I want to adopt some of the philosophies of the prepper lifestyle moving forward. Having a dedicated place where I could store emergency supplies will be a good idea.

  2. Lee Teyler

    The only negative to a basement “Safe Room” would ‘possibly’ be getting into it quickly during a storm. All of the other reasons would be better in the basement. Most of these rooms are made of concrete block and are very heavy for an upper floor installation, unless the the blocks go down to the reinforced basement concrete floor. If the house should collapse during a storm/fire, the basement is still best for structural support.

  3. ranchtruck

    Biggest problem with these type of shelters…no way out if the house collapsed on top of you.

    1. Lee Teyler

      The reason for going into a Safe Room is to keep the wood structure from falling on you, rescuers should be able to get you out alive. Good idea to have about 4-hour tank of oxygen (per person) in this Safe Room, in case of a fire.

  4. Harry

    And few of these rooms have ventilation for fresh air. Cooking and farting in a storm shelter are forboden.

  5. Austin Kall

    Another big problem is that the shelters are under ground level and probably have zero drainage so are worthless for a flash flood or large rainfall with tornado.

    1. Lee Teyler

      Install a floor drain out to above grade pointed down with a heavy rodent screen.

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