Tornadoes!

[dmccarty]

I would not have a storm shelter with a door that open outward. One could easily have enough debris land on the shelter that a bottle jack won't even budge the debris. The house I helped clean up after the 2011 NC tornado storms was moved off the foundation and dumped in the back yard, right were you would place a storm shelter. The debris pile was 5-6 feet tall in places and took a dozen or so people working with a tractor to get down maybe 3 feet. No way in heck a jack was moving that pile. It might have been possible to wiggle out of the pile but it would have been iffy and certainly dangerous.

The volunteer fire fighter who found the homeowners body after the storm had just been to training on crawling through debris piles to find victims. Thankfully he did not have to crawl through the pile since she was just outside the home.

Having a jack, saw, hatchet, pry bars, etc. in the shelter would be a very good idea since that would help get out of some situations but if a large tree, house, or part there of, falls on the shelter the people inside will be stuck for a while. Better have food, water, and a place to go to the bathroom in the shelter. Twould be even better to have a second way out of the shelter.

Later,
Dan

 

[Western]

The volunteer fire fighter who found the homeowners body after the storm had just been to training on crawling through debris piles to find victims. Thankfully he did not have to crawl through the pile since she was just outside the home.

Having a jack, saw, hatchet, pry bars, etc. in the shelter would be a very good idea since that would help get out of some situations but if a large tree, house, or part there of, falls on the shelter the people inside will be stuck for a while. Better have food, water, and a place to go to the bathroom in the shelter. Twould be even better to have a second way out of the shelter.

Later,
Dan

Agree on a "2nd" door, that would be a nice addition. I would like to have a door that can be totaly remove by somehow removing a secondary hinge system, or other design.

Dan, I'm guessing that the lady in your post, would have gladly been stuck in a shelter for a day or so, versus no, to little protection. Keeping a shelter ready for a 3-4 day "sleep over" seems to be a good idea. 1st aid kit,prescription meds, water, porta potty, stable food weather radio and whistle or other location type device.

 

[KYErik]

I can see how it would be hard to design a door which is at a 45 degree angle or so to open inward and not leak over the course of 20+ years (unless a rubber seal was replaced every several years). I suppose such a door could be caulked shut/resealed after each use.

Although it would be more expensive (and perhaps not as strong), the blocked outward opening door issue could be solved by having the steel door frame bolted to the inside of the shelter, so that the bolts could be removed from the inside and the whole door and frame assembly could be lowered into the shelter. Of course one would have to remember to stow the correct sockets in the shelter...

 

[dmccarty]

Agree on a "2nd" door, that would be a nice addition. I would like to have a door that can be totaly remove by somehow removing a secondary hinge system, or other design.

Dan, I'm guessing that the lady in your post, would have gladly been stuck in a shelter for a day or so, versus no, to little protection. Keeping a shelter ready for a 3-4 day "sleep over" seems to be a good idea. 1st aid kit,prescription meds, water, porta potty, stable food weather radio and whistle or other location type device.

Yep, she sure would have. She knew the tornado was approaching so she had time to get in a shelter. In her case, help arrived within minutes and if people knew she had a storm shelter that was buried under the debris they could have started work to get her out. In a built up area it might take long to find a buried shelter much less dig people out. In our case, it might be days before someone checked on us much less tried to started digging us out. I have plans to build a storm shelter/food cellar, like I have time and money to do so, and the design has more than on entrance.

I would not want a shelter with a door that opened outward since it can cause problems and the problem is easily avoided by having an inward opening door. Having said that, if a house falls across the shelter door, even an inward opening door is only going to get you so far. But at least you have a chance of being able to wiggle your way out or maybe get a cell signal. With an outward opening door you ain't going anywhere in the same circumstances.

Later,
Dan

 

[Bird]

Keeping a shelter ready for a 3-4 day "sleep over" seems to be a good idea. 1st aid kit,prescription meds, water, porta potty, stable food weather radio and whistle or other location type device.

You're right, of course, but such plans always remind me of a coworker in the Post Office in the early 60s. His house blew away in a tornado that hit Dallas in 1958. He said he, his wife, 2 little boys, and the dog were all under the bed. He said he and the dog were trying to dig a foxhole in the hardwood floor with their fingernails. Anyway, it blew the house away and left that bed sitting there with them under it. No more house, but no injuries. So when he rebuilt, he had an underground storm/bomb shelter installed in the backyard, and he stocked it, as you recommended. And 3 or 4 years later, when he had not gone into it for a few months, he went out and opened the door and found his storm shelter plumb full of water and a terrible stench; had to rent a pump to pump it out, and of course throw away all his supplies. It seems those 2 little boys had run a garden hose into the storm shelter and filled it up to play in the water, and naturally didn't tell anyone.

 

[Piperflyer]

What do they do with all the debris that is generated from a storm of this size. It must be a big landfill it is taken too.

 

[Western]

Bird that is "almost" funny:laughing: Wouldn't think a couple youngsters would do such a thing!!

If I build underground, I think some kind of waterproofing membrane will be in order. I kinda like the idea of a "half" buried, with a shallow egress. Whatever I do, family and friends will know it's location, that should cure the "outward door" problem. Another possibility would be a 2nd location on the shelter with a "knock-out" area. The shelter I was looking at only has 3" thick walls, seems a bit thin for me.

 

[Pixguy]

What do they do with all the debris that is generated from a storm of this size. It must be a big landfill it is taken too.

Or a landfill just by itself!

I would think the out swinging doors must work best if they are readily available and bought, and if it is registered with the authorities, then they would uncover it in short time, as they did in this storm.
Easy for me to surmise, I've only worried about hurricanes in the NE and FL.

 

[rekees4300]

This is a tearjerker

 

[greasemonkeyok]

That, and Mr. Orr having to put down some of his horses.