How to Build a Storm Shelter

Most of us live in areas where storms can become dangerous quickly, whether the great hurricanes on the oceans or the destructive tornadoes that skip across the interior of the country in spring and summer. Most locations in the northern plains can expect a blizzard-type snow storm once a winter and folks in New England fear the howling Nor'easter. Everyone watches when the weather gets bad for severe thunderstorms and high winds. Short of building a complete safe room, an alternative that many Gulf coast residents are choosing after the last few disastrous hurricane seasons, there are plans and sources for temporary to long term storm shelters available from several sources. No matter where you live and what your budget, you can create shelter from the storm to give you and your family a better chance of survival when these powerful weather events come your way.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Plans
• Engineered lumber, MDF or wood-plastic composite building materials
• Hurricane clips
• Cement nails, screws
• Hammers, saws, screwdrivers

1. 
    

   Find space for your shelter. The best shelter is one you can get to in a hurry. Basements are best for storms where flooding is not a possibility. If you live in the country, you may have an old vegetable cellar, with an angled door to pull up and walk down stairs. A central hall or bathroom without windows on a main floor can also be used for a shelter. Whether your shelter is to be used for temporary safety from a tornado or as an extended-stay safe haven from a blizzard, it should have sufficient space for your family to eat, sleep and sit, storage for food, water, communication devices and power as well as a way to dispose of waste.

2. Use engineered wood and structural composites to build a room in the southwest corner of your basement or as reinforcement for arches and doorways in your first floor room. These manufactured wood products are stronger and more humidity resistant than regular wood and they won't splinter. If you're using an old cellar, get an engineer with trenching experience to advise you on how best to reinforce it.

3. 
    

   Secure the ceiling. Use hurricane clips (required by many localities for roof joists) to attach studs to floor joists. The extra little bit of stability they provide can be critical.

4. Construct storage space as part of your shelter. You'll need to store water, food, blankets and other supplies for anywhere from an afternoon to a week, depending on what sort of storms your area experiences. Include storage and batteries for lights, radios and cell phones. Provide housing for a portable generator (exhausted properly) if you can anticipate a scenario where you would be without electricity for an extended period of time.

5. Provide for disposal of waste in your construction. You may simply need a trash can or you may anticipate stays long enough to need a small chemical toilet. If there is a toilet adjacent to a basement shelter, incorporate it in your plan but be sure that there is a way to turn the water on and off -- water and gas lines are often affected by the damage done by violent storms.

Tips & Warnings

• More green alternatives are entering the manufactured materials market. MDF and wood-plastic composites use recycled plastics and waste wood, eliminating the need for toxic adhesives. This material is being used for decks and other applications when a light, rugged, maintenance-free material is needed.
• Keep in mind that most storms are not the disastrous monsters that destroy everything and everyone in their paths. A sensible plan prepares for the type of storm your area experiences.
• We're fortunate to have a warning system in this part of the world to let us know when and where severe storms are occurring. Buy a weather radio or learn to use the National Weather Service's informative web site.
• If you live in an area that is flood-prone, your emergency management organization has evacuation plans. Be familiar with these plans and provide storage on an upper floor for any valuables or memorabilia that you can't carry.
• Use storage as part of your design to reinforce and provide stability. Build in shelves and cabinets rather than using freestanding metal shelving.
• Storm shelter preparation should not lull you into a false sense of security. Be prepared to leave if an evacuation order is broadcast.
• When using engineered wood or structural composites, make sure that they are safe for indoor use. Insist on MDI or polyurethane rather than formaldehyde UF or PF adhesives.

Resources

• Shelters and shelter manufactures
• Articles about shelters
• National Weather Service

[StreetBloggers]

on 11/10/2008 great article tip thanks for the tip