My son had a close call yesterday from the tornado. He heard it nearby and put his family in a closet with mattresses.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

If the water table is not an issue. Almost any in ground unit is going to offer good protection in comparison. Could or should be both cheap and easy to design something and install it.

Living in any area prone to them without some form of tornado shelter quickly available is not that good an ideal. Especially if the usual construction type is house on a slab in the area.

Unfortunately in his area you can strike water with one shovelful a good part of the year. His house is stick built but resembles a double wide in that it sits on piers every 12' or so. Best case would perhaps be a reinforced concrete above ground room, perhaps in the center of the house.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

No, I would think a concrete structure like you suggest, but appended to rear or side of house with an exit to the outside. If room is in center and house falls around the room you are trapped. If pile of rubble then catches fire, you are cooked.

It was bad down there. I talked to my former neighbor on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and they lost a few trees from the storms. No tornados like that though.

There has been MUCH research in recent years regarding safe room construction. If it's a new house, it is relatively inexpensive to build a concrete block room that will withstand almost all situations. Such rooms were proven effective during the severe tornados in Oklahoma last year or year before I don't remember which. Debris trapping someone in such rooms is normally not an issue because everything surrounding the safe room typically is dissipated by the storm.

For existing residences there are inexpensive storm cellars that can be installed for less than $3K.

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inexpensive storm cellars that can be installed for less than $3K.

This sounds interesting.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

The $3K cellars are cramped, but will protect a small family. They're precast and set in the ground much like a septic tank. Not the old fashioned ones big enough to sleep in overnight. With today's weather forecast technology there's really no need to sleep in them overnight.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

We don't have basements because of the high water table.

Is it really impossible to waterproof a basement? At least a small safe room type? What about using several layers of heavy duty plastic around the outside?

- Peter.

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Yikes! Glad to hear they were lucky enough to get through that unscathed.

I'm not familiar with the area so I don't know if it's in a tornado-prone area, but it looks like a safe room might come in handy during hurricane season.

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The vast majority of the South and Midwest are tornado prone areas.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

No idea. Haven't looked into it. I know when I build a house in the near use future it will have a fortified safe room for hurricanes

Here are some pictures around Pensacola. Looks really bad. I heard Pensacola got over 26" of rain. keep in mind this damage is not from a river or waterway overflowing. This was caused by severe rainfall.

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More pics of Pensacola.

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