It has always perplexed me that slab construction with no basement is seemingly so common, I know its only like a grand or two, to turn a retrofit a closet , typically under a stairwell, into a reinforced room that would provide a good amount of protection. I would not think a small concrete underground storm shelter would be much more
The Hell With This Constitution
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I am under the impression that the only safe place is under ground. My concern with an under ground shelter is being blocked in.
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What percentage of houses are destroyed each year by tornadoes?
Yet you demand that every house be tornado proof. Take some time, calculate the odds of that bet, you'll find it greater than winning the lottery.
You can't "retrofit a closet" to make it tornado proof. Just tornado resistant.
Slab houses are cheap.
Tornado shelters are expensive, when most people will never need them.
Anonymous
Well it is true, foundations are built differently in newer buildings to be able to withstand up to a certain point. I am kinda shocked though, that a public institution like those schools did not have a storm shelter or bunker of some sort. Most schools in those areas do.
Nikki
You would think more homes and buildings would be required to be built with something to shelter people... tornados happen multiple times a year in the Midwest. It's shocking to hear how they had to transport three schools to one school that had an underground shelter.
Anonymous
Where do you live? I also live right on the edge of tornado alley and tornadoes can be pretty frequent here. Last spring we had a horrible storm that knocked out the power for several days. And yeah they are starting to test the sirens again. I think they turn them on the first tuesday of every month here.