Dude... if you dont get anything....get a battery powered fan...
The air does not move much in those things, you will find out in a hurry if you have the SLIGHTEST hint of claustrophobia.
The air does not move much in those things, you will find out in a hurry if you have the SLIGHTEST hint of claustrophobia.
Will your shelter be hard wired for electricity? Will it be vented? If so, a small electric fan will be a great investment as humidity from everyone's breathing inside the shelter will be a factor.
A couple of suggestions...
Register your shelter with your city's Emergency Management office. Most now days keep a list of people who have safe rooms & garage in-ground shelters so they know to look for survivors if the house is ever demolished in a storm.
I strongly suggest that you [do not] store your radio & other devices with the batteries installed. And store them in a air tight container with some desiccant to remove moisture & humidity. The devices will be stored for long periods of time and your batteries can leak... damaging / corroding your devices electrical contacts. Once you get inside the shelter, then you can install the batteries. and make a list of the supplies & their expiration dates and post it prominently on the wall where it will remind you to check the list whenever your in the shelter.. so they can be replaced as needed.
For flashlights, get at least 160 lumen LED flashlights. They are very bright and will burn for 4 hours or more on high power... longer on low power. They usually run off of 3-6 AAA batteries. You can get pack of these at Sam's for about $29 right now.
Rig yourself a good external cell phone antenna that is located some where outside the home's walls. Some people also run a hard wired telephone jack from their home phone into the shelter and put a cheap corded phone in there. If a tornado drops most of the neighbors house on top of yours.. your winch may not be of any use and and end up dropping a lot of debris into the shelter with you. And, no one may know to look for you right away.
Finally, don't want to overly concern you... but there has been a few cases told about where people were in their in-ground garage storm shelter and heavy debris like a car or pickup was dropped on the door breaking the seal.. and then water from heavy rain or a broken water line in the house flooded the shelter. I'd stick some tubing in the shelter for everyone in there...just in case I had to run it out a crack in the door a few feet and breath through it. Same for a natural gas leak from the house... if it settles into the shelter and you can't get out... you will want to have a way to breath fresh air.
A couple of suggestions...
Register your shelter with your city's Emergency Management office. Most now days keep a list of people who have safe rooms & garage in-ground shelters so they know to look for survivors if the house is ever demolished in a storm.
I strongly suggest that you [do not] store your radio & other devices with the batteries installed. And store them in a air tight container with some desiccant to remove moisture & humidity. The devices will be stored for long periods of time and your batteries can leak... damaging / corroding your devices electrical contacts. Once you get inside the shelter, then you can install the batteries. and make a list of the supplies & their expiration dates and post it prominently on the wall where it will remind you to check the list whenever your in the shelter.. so they can be replaced as needed.
For flashlights, get at least 160 lumen LED flashlights. They are very bright and will burn for 4 hours or more on high power... longer on low power. They usually run off of 3-6 AAA batteries. You can get pack of these at Sam's for about $29 right now.
Rig yourself a good external cell phone antenna that is located some where outside the home's walls. Some people also run a hard wired telephone jack from their home phone into the shelter and put a cheap corded phone in there. If a tornado drops most of the neighbors house on top of yours.. your winch may not be of any use and and end up dropping a lot of debris into the shelter with you. And, no one may know to look for you right away.
Finally, don't want to overly concern you... but there has been a few cases told about where people were in their in-ground garage storm shelter and heavy debris like a car or pickup was dropped on the door breaking the seal.. and then water from heavy rain or a broken water line in the house flooded the shelter. I'd stick some tubing in the shelter for everyone in there...just in case I had to run it out a crack in the door a few feet and breath through it. Same for a natural gas leak from the house... if it settles into the shelter and you can't get out... you will want to have a way to breath fresh air.
A natural disaster is by far the most likely SHTF scenario. Since civilization isn't ending, a weeks supply of food and water isn't really necessary. I keep a bug out bag with a change of clothes, our savings book, and a credit card. The plan is to grab car keys, checkbook and wallet on the way to the shelter. After the storm, you won't be staying there. It's nice to still have access to your funds. You may also want copies of various insurance papers. They'll have the contact numbers you'll need.
Since most people don't remember other peoples phone numbers anymore, a list of numbers for family and friends so you can let them know you're ok and make sure they are too. Cell phones may or may not work for awhile depending on how many towers are taken out and getting phones recharged may take awhile.
Since most people don't remember other peoples phone numbers anymore, a list of numbers for family and friends so you can let them know you're ok and make sure they are too. Cell phones may or may not work for awhile depending on how many towers are taken out and getting phones recharged may take awhile.
whadcha say?
I mentioned it on another thread, but will repeat it here. If you have the room, an exterior shelter might be best, preferably Southwest of the house. Some of the photos that I saw of the Woodward tornado had the garage area covered with the collapsed garage roof and beams. While an exterior shelter could still have debris land on it from a neighbor, it would likely be a better shelter, even if one did have to leave the house to go to it.
My late mother-in-law would never go into a storm shelter. As a child, they were in one and it took three men to push the shelter door open just enough to let her out to go get help. Since they were up in the Panhandle area, she had to walk miles to get help.
My late mother-in-law would never go into a storm shelter. As a child, they were in one and it took three men to push the shelter door open just enough to let her out to go get help. Since they were up in the Panhandle area, she had to walk miles to get help.
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