NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee - Building Tornado Shelters At Home

Building Tornado Shelters At Home

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- In Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky, severe weather can strike and endanger homes and families.

It's so important to keep families safe and to have a safe place to be in case of severe weather or a tornado.

David Shappley of FlatSafe Tornado Shelters said a new alternative to save lives is gaining popularity in Middle Tennessee- tornado shelters.

Started in Oklahoma City three years ago, FlatSafe Tornado Shelters has installed more than 1,000 units every year in Oklahoma City.

"This takes up no square footage in your home or in your garage," Shappley said Friday morning on Talk of the Town. "You're still under the same roof so you don't have to go out in the hail and take your life into your own hands. Come right in your garage, you slide the door open and you get in there."

The units are installed after cutting the concrete and removing the slabs with a mini excavator, Shappley said.

Then they excavate the dirt and subgrade and haul it away. The excavator sets in the unit before the area is back filled with premium concrete, Shappley said.

"They are made to sit down in," Shappley said, entering an eight-person unit. "Once, you're in the unit, the stairs unlatch to give you more room."

The shelters are available in four sizes; the smallest provides emergency seating for up to four adults, while the largest offers emergency seating for up to 10 adults.

There is about an eighth-inch gap all around the unit and three vents. The units are not air tight.

"It needs a garage or a carport over it because it will leak if it's out in the weather," he said.

The top weighs about 200 pounds. The units are certified to pass impact tests by the Wind Science Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University.

If something heavy falls atop of the unit, occupants can use a hand-operated device to escape. The top was weighted to withstand 10,000 pounds.

"That's a great deal of security for families," said Meryl Rose of Talk of the Town.