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How To Build A Storm Shelter

Construct a safe room for shelter against tornadoes and hurricanes

By the experts at The Family Handyman

From The Family Handyman Originally in How To Build A Storm Shelter

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A  Yes, you can construct your own storm shelter (now called a “safe room”). Most people go to an interior room as you did or head for the cellar and hope for the best. Unfortunately, even those areas aren’t designed to withstand extreme winds and the wind-driven debris that comes with them. A drywalled, 2x4-framed room is no match for a 2x4 traveling at 100-plus miles an hour, even if it’s in the middle of a house. “Force 5” tornadoes or C5 hurricanes (the two most serious storms) can pack winds of more than 200 mph-enough to blow a well built house right off its foundation. So a safe room can pay off, especially if you live in a vulnerable high-windzone area. It won’t cost a fortune, either. A little elbow grease and $1,000 worth of materials will all but guarantee your family’s injury-free survival in any storm that comes down the pike.

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