We just moved to Arkansas from Louisiana and our new house came with a cement underground storm shelter. I have been through many hurricanes, but never seen or heard a tornado. What do I do with this thing? It is full of bugs, I can barely open the big metal door, I am guessing if we get in it I will be able to close the door somehow? My husband says we will do some drills soon after we clean it out, but I am guessing he plans on me doing that also, lol. Plus we have 3 dogs, who will not be happe when we have to go in. they will be barking and crying and peeing on themselves, lol. I will be scared, the kids will be scared, I am beyond freaking out about this. I am also worried about if we would actually hear the siren or not, I have never heard one of those either. I have googled supply lists for it, so I can put some stuff in it. Have you ever ridden out a tornado in one? How long do you usually have to stay in it?
No help here. That is one reason I deal with AZ summers is so I don't have to worry about tornadoes, hurricanes, or earthquakes. Good luck.
I suggest investing in a good weather radio. In times of inclimate weather, it's better than a siren and the all-clear will be given when it's safe again. As to how long... Well, it could be minutes, it could be hours. I would have a small supply of needed items in the shelter; things like flashlights, board games, snacks, etc. can be kept in a water-tight container and left in the shelter so you aren't scrambling when it's more important to get out of the house. Set reminder alarms on your phone or other calendar to rotate and check the items every few months. Do a thorough clean each March (roughly the start of tornado season). The most important thing to remember, though, is that 99.9% of the time that a tornado siren goes off, nothing happens. So don't panic. Remember that you are safe and it's only for a short time then life will go on.
I agree with Amie! A weather radio with good batteries is the best tool to have in there. Also, make sure you have a pair of close-toe shoes for everyone. If you have some shoes that are maybe a little too small for the kids or hit up a garage sale/goodwill for some cheapies.When it's time to go down, you want to grab and go but when it's over, you don't want to be walking around in flip-flops, KWIM? I also kept chalk in my kit (we moved and don't have a storm shelter now ). The walls are cement, so they're perfect for drawing with chalk. If you shelter doesn't have built in seats, you might want to put some lawn chairs down there. The good thing is, if you pay attention to the weather on tv/radio, you'll get a pretty good warning of when a storm is approaching that could produce a tornado. If you have things prepared, you should have plenty of time to get it gathered up and get ready to go down. We just usually put everything by the door and put our shoes on just in case. Like Amie said, most of the time the sirens go off, nothing happens. I've lived in Oklahoma in "tornado alley" my whole life and have only had to take shelter a handful of times. We've been very fortunate that the most we've ever lost have been a few tree limbs.
Take the sirens with a grain of salt. My county is 35-45 miles across. If I live at one end, and a tornado is sighted at the other end 40 miles away, the sirens go off. But if one is sighted in the next county over only 5 or 10 miles away, it might not.
My husband told me to add that you need a hammer or something heavy that you can use to bang on the metal door (and maybe some earplugs) with in the event that it becomes covered by debris and you need the rescuers to know you're there. Oh, he also said you need a video camera so you can stand out in the front yard and record it as it passes by. But that's only for people who grew up in tornado alley.
ok, this may sound weird, but when we had a house with a shelter,I thought it was a really cool place and we liked to play in it. If it's like a secret hide out or playhouse, then it's not scary at all when you HAVE to go down there. During tornado season, keep a laundry basket or something full of emergency stuff by the door or somewhere you'll find it, and grab that when you hear the sirens.
Thank you guys, for all the replies. I like the idea of letting the kids play in it to get over it being a scary place; I think I will join in, lol. We are all a bit wary of it right now. We look over at it, but have been avoiding it so far. I would not have thought of the hammer, but that does make sense, it is a metal door, so if we banged on it, someone would heat. The good thing, I hope, is that it has 3 wind air thingies on top to let air in, like on the top of the roof. It has those cirlce things that turn with the wind. I don't know what they are called, but my husband says that they usually are used for the attic fan in a roof.
I know after living in Mobile for years. I had my evacuation plans and used them about 7 times and 3 of those where the summer that Ivan came. Believe me you are blessed to have a storm shelter, I just lived through a horrible night of tornado's here in Alabama and was so blessed to be in my basement, the nearest one missed use by 5 miles. I grew up with the storm shelter in Alabama. My grandfather kept milk jugs of water incase you get covered up. He also kept some empty 5 gallon bucket for elimination (I know gross but necessary) also oil lamps. I basically have the same stuff in my basement shelter. Oh he also use to keep one of those blow horns in case you get burried folks can find ya. Back in the day he kept a crank radio but seriously now days we keep a weather radio tv. You really need to learn your new states geography. I promise our weather guys are great and if you listen they tell you when to get in shelter and when its safe to come out. The sirens go off for the whole county not a specific area. We watch the news guy and they usually tell you specifically what towns are in danger. I live in a tri country area so the warning system doesn't really help me a bit. We here all 3:roll: But also living in the country and growing up with animals. I notice that my animals go in to hiding way before the news folks say anything. I watch all the birds and bugs disappear within 24 hours before Katrina hit us.
I'm so jealous that you have a storm shelter! We live in a double wide and we had three tornadoes come WAY too close for comfort this spring. I would love to have a storm shelter. When I had a basement I kept a Rubbermaid bucket with non perishable foods. Someone else mentioned closed toe shoes, also kept work gloves, a basic tool kit and basic first aid kit in there.
Believe me, I know we are so blessed to have the shelter. I could not believe when we found the house and it had one. I was very worried about the move because of the tornadoes and not knowing what we would do. At least now I can make a plan and have a set up to be safe at home. I am still nervous, but it does make us feel much safer
I think it's awesone you guys have that. I would also google some freeze dried food, you know the kind that is meant to last 25 years or sth. I'm planning on looking into that myself. Tornadoes arent the only bad thing that can happen. Dont mean to scare you, maybe I watch too many movies, but a little food stowed away cant hurt... Oh, yes, make sure as many friends and relatives as possible know you have that storm shelter. In the event something happens, God forbid, rescue workers might not know where to look, but it helps if everyone else can tell them
Not sure if they have it in your area, but in OK I think there is a way you can "register" your storm shelter so that rescuers will know where to look for you.
If they are anything like our city, the sirens will also sound in any abnormal weather. Ours get sounded even during a heat advisory. Like I need a siren to tell me how hot it is outside! :roll: We have a basement, so no storm shelter. Although, I would rather have a storm shelter. If you catch yourself in the middle of a tornado warning, you will be thankful for it.
