Outdoor vs garage below-ground storm shelters???

[TheDoubleD]

Thank you everyone for sharing your opinions, all food for thought.

Wife and I have talked a long time about this issue. Current plan is to go next door and get in daughters below ground garage shelter.

Last time we practiced we were just fine getting in, slow but we made it. We are 75 and not as agile as we use to be.

We are leaning towards above ground in the Garage. I am new to living in tornado alley. So don't know much more than what I read in the news.

We have seen the reports here of concerns with all the shelters-weather, debris build-up, flooding, fire, bugs and snakes.

We have seen reports of different kinds actual incidents with all shelters except the above ground.

What happens to the above ground shelter in a F5? Any actual incidents to report.

Fire. I never associated fire with a tornado hit. Make sense, but don't recall ever seeing a report of fire after a hit. Comments?

 

[1911Sooner]

https://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahom...rvive-an-ef5-tornado/#People & Storm Shelters

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

Quoted from the link above:

There have been no reports of any deaths in properly built above-ground safe rooms, Keisling says.

Yet the perception that the only way to survive an EF5 is by seeking refuge in an underground shelter persists. “It’s an untruth that’s very, very damaging, and I wish we could find a way to overcome it,” Kiesling says. “But, unfortunately, once an idea is out there, you can’t kill the idea.”

To be fair, that article is 10 years old so I don't know if it's still accurate. But the statement in bold is exactly what I'm talking about.

I did find one article about a lady killed in a 2014 tornado in Arkansas while inside her above-ground safe room. The door was impacted by debris and it failed. But... It wasn't a door designed to be used on a storm shelter. It was a regular steel door with a knob and deadbolt lock. Yeah...that's not gonna work.

All the certified above ground shelters survived the storm and protected the occupants in a 2013 EF5 in Moore:

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/wea...-up-in-face-of-ef5-moore-tornado/60929516007/

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

The real issue is misinformation. That probably contributes to many of the deaths in tornadoes. People have been told so long to believe nothing above ground survives a strong tornado so they just don't bother to do anything, shelter-wise.

The reality is far removed from the myths. Based on your needs and preferences pick a good, NSSA and/or FEMA certified shelter, above or below ground, get it installed, maintain it, keep it stocked and ready, and most importantly, use it.

 

[bcp]

We were originally going with the outdoor above/below ground shelter but my wife was having hip issues and would have difficulty using the steps or ladder in a timely manner. So we had a steel shelter bolted to the garage floor. We are happy with our choice especially with the fact that we are both approaching 70 and that we do not have to go outside to enter or move our cars to get in to it.

 

[C_Hallbert]

Ask yourself this:
Would I want to get dressed, go outside and get into a storm shelter while it's storming and possibly get smacked with hail or debris or rain?
Or
I can wear me pj's, get into my indoor garage shelter not located in the elements and stay dry.

When my wife needed to get to our vehicle in a hail storm, I had her put on a Flak Jacket and we’re a Kevlar Helmet. She said these worked well.

 

[JokerofDeath]

It goes off of need honestly, if you or people living with you are older or handicapped then probably an above ground shelter would be best…the safest is obviously a quality outside in ground shelter, just because don’t have to worry about drowning or gas inhalation. I wouldn’t do the in ground garage shelters simply because not too many people are happy with them. Yeah you could get hit by hail or debris but you could also have a tree come through your roof as you’re walking to your above ground.

 

[Letfreedomring]

It would probably be beneficial if whichever shelter you go with to register it with the city/town or county so they will know that more than likely you survived and would need dug out if buried in rubble.
We lived in Neosho during the Joplin tornado and went there a week after it went through. Pretty much everything in its path was shoulder high in debris with no possible landmarks to get your location. GPS coordinates are probably your safest bet.

 

[sh00ter]

On the above ground metal rooms, I keep thinking how many people have survived in a bathtub with a mattress on top of them and the metal room would be so much better so it would "seem" the chances of being injured in one of those is very low; especially if the house is the shell around it. BUT, there is also something about being under ground that seems the safest. I think a concrete one-piece 100% underground bomb shelter is probably the safest option of all of them. But I don't see too many of those these days.

 

[Chuckie]

Additional information that may play into choosing an above or below ground tornado shelter is the Tornado Shelter Registry for those living within the Oklahoma City municipality, which is designed to help First Responders rescue those that may be trapped within their shelter after a tornado.

https://app.okc.gov/applications/stormshelter/Forms/Welcome.aspx
Other municipalities or areas (rural) may have similar registries.