Tornadoes!

[Western]

Thank you for your concern. Looks like we have more coming this morning; hopefully no tornadoes, but the rain and possible flooding is not helping those poor unfortunates in Moore.

Man! they cant catch a break, at least the death toll was much lower than earlier reported.

Dan, Them recommending an East or West facing door, may have something to do with the rotation of tornadoes in the northern hemisphere, combined with the ne tracks??

 

[dmccarty]

Dan, Them recommending an East or West facing door, may have something to do with the rotation of tornadoes in the northern hemisphere, combined with the ne tracks??

I don't understand the door placement. Tornadoes in the US rotate counter clock wise so the winds could be from the east or the west depending on the storm track. I don't see how the door or window placement makes a difference. They used to say to open windows on the side of the house away from the storm but this has been debunked.

Later,
Dan

 

[fordmantpw]

I don't understand the door placement. Tornadoes in the US rotate counter clock wise so the winds could be from the east or the west depending on the storm track. I don't see how the door or window placement makes a difference. They used to say to open windows on the side of the house away from the storm but this has been debunked.

Later,
Dan

Tornado winds are circular, not straight-line, so the wind comes from the East AND the West (and North AND South). Tornadoes do typically come out of the SW, though, so I'm sure that has something to do with the recommended door placement, but I don't know the reason either.

 

[daugen]

22 people survived tornado in bank vault The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer - CNN.com Blogs

now these folk were in the right place at the right time.

Dan, thanks. super info

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Tornado winds are circular, not straight-line, so the wind comes from the East AND the West (and North AND South). Tornadoes do typically come out of the SW, though, so I'm sure that has something to do with the recommended door placement, but I don't know the reason either.

My guess is that relative to the rather large circular motion of a tornado, the small profile offered by the door on a shelter effectively would face a straight wind. Assuming the tornado comes out of the WSW, as they seem to do most often here, then the chances of the wind catching the edge of the door and blowing it either open or off, would appear to be lessened if the door placement was on the East or West.

 

[dmccarty]

My guess is that relative to the rather large circular motion of a tornado, the small profile offered by the door on a shelter effectively would face a straight wind. Assuming the tornado comes out of the WSW, as they seem to do most often here, then the chances of the wind catching the edge of the door and blowing it either open or off, would appear to be lessened if the door placement was on the East or West.

But would not a north side door be better? :confused3::laughing::laughing::laughing:

I did some quick reading and I could not find any definitive statement that tornadoes have higher winds on one side of the cyclone. If there was a "stronger" side to the tornado maybe that might explain the east/west door placement. :confused3:

Later,
Dan

 

[Western]

I couldn't find the quote I read, I cant download the construction manual since I'm on a limited meg allowance (verizon:mur

If one of you want to download it, then give us all the "skinny":laughing: Look in here, other good info here too.

Frequently Asked Questions: Tornado/Hurricane Safe Rooms | FEMA.gov

 

[farmgirl19]

I cant download the construction manual since I'm on a limited meg allowance (verizon:mur

If one of you want to download it, then give us all the "skinny":laughing:

:laughing: So I am not the only one. Have AT&T 4G, and end up spending the last 5-7 days of each billing cycle avoiding videos and downloads, as I am out of allowance. No cable out here, and, given the reliability I had when I had satellite TV, with rain, clouds, etc., won't pay for it for TV or Internet, so the 4G card is as good as it gets.

 

[dave1949]

DESIGN
I will post a copy of the useful parts, in sections for those on a download budget.


Q13. What is the recommended square footage per person for a tornado community safe room?

A13. For a tornado community safe room, the number of standing, seated (wheelchair-bound), and bedridden spaces should be determined based on the expected occupancy of the safe room calculated by the designer and the applicable authority having jurisdiction. However, each community safe room should be sized to accommodate a minimum of one wheelchair space for every 200 occupants.

It is also important to note that floor areas within community safe rooms should have an access route in accordance with the International Code Council (ICC)/American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A117.1, Standard on Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities. The minimum recommended safe room floor area per occupant for tornado community safe rooms is provided in Table 1.

Table 1. Occupant Density for Tornado Community Safe Rooms
TORNADO COMMUNITY SAFE ROOM OCCUPANT MINIMUM RECOMMENDED USABLE FLOOR AREA* PER SAFE ROOM OCCUPANT
Standing or Seated

5 square feet

Wheelchair Bound

10 square feet

Bedridden

30 square feet

*See FEMA P-361 (FEMA, 2008b) Section 3.3.1(o) for recommended usable safe room floor area.

Please note that, if you wish to build a FEMA-funded tornado community safe room, the recommendations shown in Table 1 are required.

 

[dave1949]

FEMA shelters, cont.

COST

Q16. What is the cost of installing a safe room in a new home or small business?

A16. Costs for construction vary across the United States. The cost for constructing a safe room that can double as a master closet, bathroom, or utility room inside a new home or small business ranges from approximately $6,600 to $8,700 (in 2011 dollars). This cost range is applicable to the basic designs in FEMA P-320 (FEMA, 2008a) for an 8-foot by 8-foot safe room (approximately 64 square feet of protected space). Larger, more refined designs for greater comfort cost more, with 14‑foot by 14-foot safe rooms ranging in cost from approximately $12,000 to $14,300. The cost of the safe room can vary significantly, depending on the following factors:

The size of the safe room
The location of the safe room within the home or small business
The number of exterior home walls used in the construction of the safe room
The type of door used
The type of foundation on which the safe room is constructed
The location of the home or small business within the United States
For additional cost information for small safe rooms in a home or small business, see FEMA P-320 (FEMA, 2008a), Section II, page 34. For additional cost information for community safe rooms, see FEMA P-361 (FEMA, 2008b), Section 2.3, page 2-21.

Furthermore, see High Wind Safe Rooms.org for sample remodeling costs for an 8-foot by 8-foot safe room and a 14-foot by 14-foot safe room.