Tornado Shelters- Flat Safe, Ground Zero or Taylors??

ultimase · Mar 27, 2015

My big worry about above ground shelters is echoed by dale. If cars are being thrown around, then above ground shelters are somewhat vulnerable. I believe the stats for deaths or injuries from tornados are not from a direct hit, it's from the debri. At the very least if a car hit an above ground shelter your ears are going to be ringing for a while, and I wouldn't want to be on the side of the wall that takes the impact. And car might actually pose less of a danger than something small and traveling at a high speed.

If it's your only option, it's decidedly still better than nothing.

XD-9Guy · Mar 27, 2015

I have the plastic/composite/fiberglass/whatever it is FlatSafe and it has been great, got in it on Wednesday as a matter of fact. Guys had it installed in or around 4 hours, they said the two of them do 2 a day on a normal day. They cut a clean hole, the finish on the concrete looks good and they cleaned up after themselves well. My only negative comment isn't a big deal but it bothers me enough to mention: the fella that stapled the carpet to my removable stairs(which are just 2x10s) was in too big of a hurry and did a sloppy job. I would have preferred that he just left the all-weather carpet with me and let me do it, but it doesn't effect the function - I will pull the staples and fix them myself one of these days if it continues to irk me.

Shadowrider · Mar 29, 2015

ultimase said:
My big worry about above ground shelters is echoed by dale. If cars are being thrown around, then above ground shelters are somewhat vulnerable. I believe the stats for deaths or injuries from tornados are not from a direct hit, it's from the debri. At the very least if a car hit an above ground shelter your ears are going to be ringing for a while, and I wouldn't want to be on the side of the wall that takes the impact. And car might actually pose less of a danger than something small and traveling at a high speed.

If it's your only option, it's decidedly still better than nothing.

Check out the Oz safe rooms. I'm pretty sure they'll hang with anything except possibly a locomotive and they might withstand that too.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

farmer17 · Mar 29, 2015

I build above ground concrete shelters and statistics that I have read say there has never been one person hurt or killed in any legitimate above ground shelter in any tornado. There was one old woman who died in her above ground shelter in Joplin and it showed the door was all mangled up, but later the news said she died of natural causes and the door was torn up by the fire department getting her out. There have been people killed in underground shelters. Houses can fall in on top of the shelter and catch on fire from the natural gas/propane lines, people can die from breathing dust or toxic fumes, etc. I remember hearing about the children in the Moore school basement that died of drowning, did anyone hear any details on that?

SMS · Mar 30, 2015

Statistics can say whatever you want them to, especially when those statistics are used to promote sales. How many underground shelters are in use compared to above ground? How many direct hits on above grounds vs. underground etcComparing fatalities in either is not accurate unless it's boiled down properly. Anything else is anecdotal at best.

(The kids in the Moore school weren't in a basement, they were in a hallway and were killed when the walls collapsed in on them. The drowning in a basement story came from early inaccurate reporting.)

We do this whole Above vs. Underground thing every year. At least we're talking about shelters though right? I still say any shelter is better than none. LOL.

excat · Mar 30, 2015

BadgeBunny said:
I got one from F5. Got the OSA deal (they are members here). I loved the process ... guys were great to work with, installers were pros -- left my garage floor clean!!, and no complaints about the shelter afterwards.

I'll use them again ... if we ever move and need another shelter installed.

Oh ... and 348, it's a "slider" ... very smooth. Easy to move, even for me with my neck issues ...

Anyone know who on the forum to get a hold of that is F5 affiliated?

bsmith918 · Mar 30, 2015

It's the owner. I think he goes by tampabucs or something like that.

cheese79 · Mar 30, 2015

i sent him a pm but havent heard anything back

excat · Mar 30, 2015

cheese79 said:
i sent him a pm but havent heard anything back

I've done some calling today, and best people I've talked to has been Tornado Safe. They actually talked to me like a human being and not like I was an inconvenience. I won't bad name the other companies I spoke with ( called most all of them that other members have named with positive reviews ), but I will say I can say something good about these guys as they treated me the best on the phone. I'm going in tomorrow to look at their products first hand.

Some of these companies need to invest in friendlier people that answer their phones...a little courtesy goes a long way.

SMS · Mar 30, 2015

excat_56 said:
Some of these companies need to invest in friendlier people that answer their phones...a little courtesy goes a long way.

Byproduct of a seller's market. They all have people lined up to give them money. No need to spend time/money on courtesy LOL.

Tornado Shelters- Flat Safe, Ground Zero or Taylors??

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