Posted on 03/21/2006 1:44:58 PM PST by finnman69
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - With red flags flying high for the 2006 hurricane season, consumers who are thinking about sprucing up their homes this year may be better off adding a lifesaving "storm room" instead of that fancy whirlpool.
Chemical maker DuPont (Research), which invented such products as nylon, Teflon and the bullet-resistant Kevlar fiber, has been testing the market for pre-built storm rooms in the tornado-prone regions of Texas and Oklahoma for the past two years.
DuPont says its 'storm room', made of bullet-resistant Kevlar, can provide protection against wind speeds of up to 250 miles an hour.
The FEMA certified Kevlar storm room can also serve as a walk-in closet or a wine cellar.
"We worked with a few authorized distributors in those regions and found that the concept was well received," said DuPont spokesman Anthony Farina, adding that the company later expanded the pilot test to hurricane-affected areas like Florida.
"Farina said DuPont's storm rooms are certified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a protective shelter against tornadoes and even a powerful category 5 hurricane.
Additionally, the walls and door are reinforced with Kevlar, the same material used in bullet-resistant vests.
According to company information, Kevlar is five times stronger than steel and provides a powerful and highly resistant barrier against wind borne debris, which Farina said is one of the leading causes of injuries in major hurricanes.
The pre-built storm room comes in two sizes of 4 feet by 6 feet and 4 feet by 8 feet but the custom-made sizes can vary, Farina said."
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
In a series of tests conducted by an independent lab, the engineered panels built into the DuPont StormRoom™ with Kevlar® were able to deflect a 12-foot, 15-pound two-by-four piece of wood shot out of a cannon at 100 miles per hour. This represents the speed that a 250 miles per hour wind during a tornado would propel the timber. View some of the testing conducted at Texas Tech.
With a strong steel door it would make a nifty gun safe.
I would think a rebar reinforced concrete room would be just as safe and cost half as much.
I was wondering if it could float.
I was thinking the same thing myself, plus you get mass which would provide you radiation shielding.
I live in Kansas and we have a great feature in the homes here. It is a room underground with access from either inside your house or from outside. It's called a basement!
Or you could use a car, like this guy: The Tornado Rider
How about a good Army surplus CONEX container? ; > )
Don't forget storm beds
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4490864.html
And you can make it yourself - if you have a welder, sheet steel, etc, etc......
Likewise, I thought those that lived in tornado alley had below ground shelters.
I saw a news piece a while back about a professor that built an air gun that could shoot 2x4s at ~225mph. For the purpose of
testing what it would take to build a tornado resistant shelter at minimal cost. But that was with reinforced
concrete or brick.
BTW, what's the useful life of kevlar? Doesn't it lose its effectiveness?
Sixteen-inch ceiling? I'm sure most folks would like something a bit taller.
Oh yeah! Absolutely!
Strange, the girls and I never really thought of it as a "friend". More like a big pain in the b**t.
I keep telling Mrs. Slim I want a walk-in gun closet.
Now all you need is to tile the inside of it and put in a steam generator and you've got the perfect home steamroom.
You mean the red tornado?
Great if you can have a basement. My grandma in northern Oklahoma had a basement. However, just south of central Oklahoma the water table is too high. My brother ended up with an indoor pool under his front porch...where the 'fraidy hole was supposed to be. It really wouldn't have been comfortable during a storm.
Aunt Flo?
See my post #37. Then there are also places like Austin, TX. We live on rock. I think we have 2 or 3 inches of dirt on top of the rock. The cost of drilling into the rock to put in a shelter is extreme. Believe it or not you won't find that many backyard pools here for that same reason. Had the hubby move a shrub one day. Thought it would be an easy job. Only took 4 hours as he had to almost drill the hole. No shrubs have been moved or planted since.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.