Tornado season occurs between the months of April and June, with 50 percent of all confirmed tornadoes being located in the southern states. In addition, most tornadoes occur between noon and sunset. However, tornadoes are very unpredictable; therefore, they can appear suddenly at any time, day or night, January through December. Due to unpredictable situations in which these numbers can produce, sheltering is not only needed after a natural disaster, it is also needed before and during one. The tornado season of 2011 was one for the record books. As of today, there has been 1,276 confirmed tornadoes in 2011, 77 of which were rated EF3 or higher. In addition, these tornadoes, which caused 20.25 billion dollars in damage, were responsible for 544 fatalities.
Image 1 - A community after being demolished by a deadly tornado
Before a tornado struck Oklahoma City, which killed ten people, Glena Jones and eight other people packed together into a neighbor’s storm shelter. Glen Jones told New York Times reporters that as soon as she gets over the shock of the recent disaster, she is going to order a storm shelter for her house. Therefore, 2001, being one of the deadliest seasons in the nation’s history, has persuaded Gloria and thousands of individuals, within tornado alley, to purchase and install a storm shelter. As on now, only three percent of American homes are equipped with storm shelters. However, when purchasing a storm shelter, there are a number of elements to consider: materiality of the walls and flooring, the wall’s thickness, and the shelter’s maximum wind speed.
Image 2 - A volunteer helps a tornado victim out of her life saving storm shelter
The first element, the shelter’s materiality, can either be made from fiberglass, concrete, and/or metal. Fiberglass storm shelters, although being cheap, light, and easily installed, they tend to crack under the extreme high winds of EF4 and 5 tornadoes. Much like fiberglass, concrete shelters have many positives. However, in the humid tornado alley, the shelter’s concrete walls can sweat and become moldy. In addition, under the high winds or a deadly tornado, concrete wall can crack; therefore, water can seep into the shelter’s interior usable space. On the other hand, metal shelters, if coated properly, are safe, long-lasting, and keeps the interior dry. After researching, you might be able to find a cheaper storm shelter solution; although, the quality and durability of the shelter in a strong EF 4 or 5 tornado will lack when compared to a metal shelter.
Image 3 - A house was removed from its foundation, only leaving the entrance to a storm shelter
The material of the shelter’s floor is just as important as its wall’s material. Due to increased lighting strikes in a strong storm, a metal storm shelter should be located on a metal floor. By doing this, the metal walls and floor are completely grounded. On the other hand, if located on a concrete surface, the users who were touching the metal exterior walls become the new ground during a lightning strike; therefore, causing electrocution. The second element, the wall’s thickness, if metal, can range from 1/8 to ¼ of an inch. However, the walls for a concrete shelter, on an average, are six inches thick.
The exterior wall’s thickness closely corresponds to the maximum winds that the shelter can withstand. A 1/8 of an inch metal shelter can withstand a maximum wind speed of 250 miles per hour. On May 3, 1999, the fastest tornado wind speed ever recorded reaching 318 miles per hour; therefore thicker shelter walls are needed. To solve this problem, some shelters are using ¼ inch metal walls. These thicker walls would provide the users protection from winds up to 330 miles per hour. In addition, all storm shelters should incorporate a three deadbolt door, as well as be able to withstand a 100 mile per hour debris strike. By doing this, the users are provided with a shelter what is as secure as possible.
Image 4 - Individuals walking around a storm shelter showroom
To respond to the increasing frequency of tornadoes per year, some states are beginning to incorporate storm sheltering requirements. Apartment buildings in Minnesota and Kansas require that storm shelters must be built near mobile home parks. In addition, Alabama passed a law this year which requires all new schools to have storm shelters build into them. When questioned about these requirements, William Bell, the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, stated that, “people in Alabama get very sensitive when you start to talk about the government mandating certain things. If [the government is] going to put a mandate on people, how are you going to help them pay for it” (Severson para 6).
On an average, a typical storm shelter’s cost can range from $3,000 for a concrete bunker to $10,000 for an elaborate steel room. On the other hand, some of the lower quality storm shelters are a little more than a septic tank which is rigged to accommodate people, as described by Dr. Ernst Kiesling, a professor of civil engineering at Texas Tech University. To help lessen the economic impacts of mandatory sheltering, FEMA has offered to pay for 75 percent of the cost of all approved storm shelters. In addition, FEMA had encourages all states to use a portion of their federal disaster relief funds to help homeowners and communities offset the cost of installing storm shelters. After Hurricane Katrina struck the Unites States in 2005, Mississippi used part of their 6.6 million dollars in relief money to help pay for hundreds of new storm shelters.
TextSeverson, K. (2011, May 25). Storms Create a Scramble to Install Shelters. Retrieved
October 19, 2011, from http;//www.nytimes.com/2011/05/26/us/26shelter.html
Hey bro. Cool blog
ReplyDelete