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 ...
I wonder how the cost of one of these would compare to just making the walls and ceiling of a basement room of reinforced concrete?
The folks at Ruby Ridge had a small shed for such times. Such practice is not unheard of in certain nominally Christian religious groups, right here in the USA.
Be best if buried completely underground. Otherwise it's just another piece of debris flying around in the tornado.
Little baby ones usually, compared to the killers of the plains.
Likewise, I thought those that lived in tornado alley had below ground shelters.
Not in most of the "worst" areas. Especially in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas (at least southern KS). The farmers often have a "cellar" of some sort, but the town and city folks don't even have a basement, in most cases. I'm thinking of tearing out my pool, and putting a shelter in the what is now the "deep end". (Except that we are about to begin caring for two of our great nieces, who would most likely like the pool as is, as would our granddaughter an any other grandkids to come)
If it's within the house, it must be under an existing roof and ceiling of some sort and if that falls in or is destroyed, it won't hurt anything - but it still seems like it *could* fly at that point.
I just keep thinking of those little doggie "igloo" cave-like houses made of some kind of indestructible plastic - like this is the human version.
I think this is an excellent idea. A padded room with racks of wine. Add a few good books, and it couldn't get much better.
I have one of these (the 48 x 72 model) in my garage. I assembled it in a weekend with the help of a teenage nephew. Build a little shelf/seat/storage compartment, keep a radio with some batteries inside, and you can ride out just about anything likely to hit Ft. Worth.
Cost about $2,000, if I remember correctly.
At the farm, however, I still depend on a good, deep hole in the ground.
Should have pinged you to #67.
LOL... Well, living near Memphis, I gotta tell ya - I'm not sure I agree with your assessment, cause I've seen worse...
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