Do Storm Shelters Work & Are They Effective?

Tornadoes threaten life and property.

Hurricanes damage coastal regions, and more than 1,000 tornadoes occur every year in the United States, according to the National Climatic Data Center's Storm Data. Improved warning systems still require you to respond to the warning.

Function

Storm shelters protect people and vital equipment from injury and death caused by high-wind events such as tornadoes and hurricanes. Flying debris is one of the primary dangers of these events. Today, above-ground shelters, which can be freestanding or a reinforced section of a larger building, are considered safer than underground ones that might have egress blocked by debris.

Considerations

Incorporating a shelter into an existing building lowers construction cost, improves access and increases your home's value. A shelter protects pets and valuables. In hurricane-prone areas, you avoid the cost and hardship of evacuation, have more time to secure your property and assess damage and start repairs sooner after the storm.

Effectiveness

The National Storm Shelter Association and the International Code Council, jointly, and FEMA, separately, have created construction standards for storm shelters. According to the Wind Engineering Research Center (WERC), shelters meeting FEMA standards withstand tornadoes as well as they do straight-line wind events. FEMA reports that storm shelters built using the load calculation approach of ASCE 7-98 provide "near-absolute protection" from injury and death.

References

• National Climatic Data Center: Storm Data Publications, Annual Summaries
• United States Fire Administration: Evaluation of Above Ground Storm Shelters
• FEMA: FEMA 320: Taking Shelter From the Storm: Building a Safe Room for Your Home or Small Business
• ICC/NSSA 500: 2008 Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters
• National Storm Shelter Association: Presentation: In-Residence Storm Shelters

Resources

• American Society for Civil Engineers: Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures (7-98)
• FEMA: FEMA 361: Design and Construction Guidance for Community Safe Rooms