Safe Rooms: Improving Your Odds

Photo Credit Wikipedia – Dimmitt, Tx Tornado

 

# 6850

 

Nearly two years ago, over a three day period (Apr 25th-28th) a storm system of epic proportions spawned 351 confirmed tornadoes across five southern states, killing 338 persons in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

 

This was the the third deadliest tornado outbreak in U.S. History. More than a dozen of these twisters reached intensities of 4 or 5 on the Enhanced Fujita [EF] scale, which can produce near total devastation.

 

After a near-record setting 2011 tornado season (n=1691), 2012 proved somewhat less active (n=936), although certainly not without its moments.

 

No one can say with any confidence how many destructive storms 2013 will bring - but when it comes to tornados - you only have to be hit by one to ruin your whole day.

 

Last spring, the CDC’s MMWR issued an analysis of the previous year’s massive tornado outbreak, that stressed the importance of safe rooms.  Due to the length of the report, I’ve only reproduced a few excerpts. 

 

Follow the link to read:

 

Tornado-Related Fatalities — Five States, Southeastern United States, April 25–28, 2011

Weekly

July 20, 2012 / 61(28);529-533

(Media Synopsis)

Individuals who work or live in a tornado-prone area should develop a tornado safety plan prior to severe weather.

During April 25–28, 2011, the third deadliest tornado disaster occurred in the southeastern U.S. despite modern advances in tornado forecasting, advanced warning times, and media coverage.  CDC reviewed data from the American Red Cross, death certificates and the National Weather Service to describe the fatalities by demographic characteristics, shelter used, cause of death, and tornado severity in the affected states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. Of the 338 deaths, approximately one-third were older adults, almost half occurred in single-family homes, and a quarter happened in mobile homes.  One-half of the 27 tornadoes were rated powerful (EF-4 or EF-5) and were responsible for almost 90 percent of the deaths. The use of safe rooms is crucial to preventing tornado-related deaths.

(Continue . . . .)

With the spring tornado season only a month or two away, now is the time to be creating a tornado safety plan – and if possible – setting up a safe room.

 

FEMA has a good deal of advice on exactly how to construct a safe room – either above or below ground.

 

 

Residential Safe Rooms

• Building a Safe Room in Your House
• Residential Funding Opportunities
• Examples and Case Studies

Having a safe room in your home can protect your family and save the lives of those you care about.

Find answers to your Questions about Building a Safe Room, including:

• What is the cost of installing a safe room?

• Can I install a safe room in an existing home?

• Can I build the safe room myself?

• Where is the best location for the safe room?

• Where can I find plans for safe room construction?

• And more....

Building a Safe Room in Your House

For more details about how you can build a safe room in your home, go to the Taking Shelter From the Storm: Building a Safe Room For Your Home or Small Business (FEMA 320) page before downloading it from the FEMA Library.

Residential Funding Opportunities

Grants, funding opportunities and various initiatives are available for individuals wishing to build a residential safe room.  See the resources below for additional information:

• Residential Funding

• Residential Initiatives

Examples and Case Studies

Learn how others have benefited from safe rooms.  See the following resources on the best practices case study web page.

 

Having a good (and well rehearsed) family emergency plan is essential for any emergency. Even with a safe room, family members could become separated (they may be sent to different hospitals or shelters) in the post-disaster chaos.

 

Some may be injured and unable to provide information about their families.

 

So it is important to set up a plan, including meeting places and out-of-state contacts, and individual wallet information cards -  before you need it. To that end READY.GOV has some advice, and tools, to help you do just that.

 

Plan to Protect Yourself & Your Family

Family Emergency Plan

(PDF - 3Mb)

Prepare yourself and your family for a disaster by making an emergency plan.

 

Download the Family Emergency Plan (FEP) (PDF - 750Kb), print the pages and fill them in offline.

 

Your emergency planning should also address the care of pets, aiding family members with access and functional needs and safely shutting off utilities.

 

You may also want to inquire about emergency plans at work, daycare and school. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one. Read more about school and workplace plans.

 

Once you’ve collected this important information, gather your family members and discuss the information to put in the plan. Practice your plan at least twice a year and update it according to any issues that arise.

 

Together with adequate emergency supplies, a solid first aid kit, and an emergency battery operated NWS Weather Radio, these steps will go a long ways to protecting you, and your family, from a wide variety of potential disasters.

 

For more on all of this, a partial list of some of my preparedness blogs include:

 

When 72 Hours Isn’t Enough

In An Emergency, Who Has Your Back?

An Appropriate Level Of Preparedness

The Gift of Preparedness 2012

»» Read More

MMWR: Tornado Fatalities During April 2011 Outbreak

 

Credit FEMA

# 6445

 

During a three day period (Apr 25th-28th) of 2011 a storm system of epic proportions spawned 351 confirmed tornadoes across five southern states, killing 338 persons in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. 

 

This was the the third deadliest tornado outbreak in U.S. History. More than a dozen of these twisters reached intensities of 4 or 5 on the Enhanced Fujita [EF] scale, which can produce near total devastation.

 

NOAA releases aerial imagery of Tuscaloosa, Ala. tornado damage

April 30, 2011

Before and after imagery depicting tornado damage in the vicinity of the intersection of 15th St. E. and McFarland Blvd. E. in southeast Tuscaloosa, AL. The before imagery is courtesy of Google, the after imagery was acquired from an altitude of 5,000 feet above ground level by the NOAA King Air April 29, 2011.

 

Despite an early and accurate forecast, and the issuance of timely tornado watches and warnings, the death toll from this super-swarm of tornadoes was woefully high. 

 

Late last week the CDC released an analysis of these storm fatalities in their MMWR that stresses the importance of safe rooms.  Due to the length of the report, I’ve only reproduced the synopsis and a few excerpts. 

 

Follow the link to read:

 

 

Tornado-Related Fatalities — Five States, Southeastern United States, April 25–28, 2011

Weekly

July 20, 2012 / 61(28);529-533

(Media Synopsis)

Individuals who work or live in a tornado-prone area should develop a tornado safety plan prior to severe weather.

During April 25–28, 2011, the third deadliest tornado disaster occurred in the southeastern U.S. despite modern advances in tornado forecasting, advanced warning times, and media coverage.  CDC reviewed data from the American Red Cross, death certificates and the National Weather Service to describe the fatalities by demographic characteristics, shelter used, cause of death, and tornado severity in the affected states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. Of the 338 deaths, approximately one-third were older adults, almost half occurred in single-family homes, and a quarter happened in mobile homes.  One-half of the 27 tornadoes were rated powerful (EF-4 or EF-5) and were responsible for almost 90 percent of the deaths. The use of safe rooms is crucial to preventing tornado-related deaths.

 

 

What is already known on this topic?

Known risk factors for death and injury from tornadoes are sheltering in mobile homes, proximity to the path of a tornado registering 4 or 5 on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, being an older adult (aged ≥65 years), lack of accessibility to a safe room (e.g., a basement or reinforced shelter), and night-time tornado impacts. The southeastern United States is considered particularly vulnerable to tornado fatalities because of the high concentration of mobile homes and frequency of EF-4 and EF-5 tornadoes. Traumatic injury, including head injury, is the leading cause of death during tornadoes.

What is added by this report?

Although extensive public health warnings were broadcast before the tornadoes touched down, this was the third-deadliest tornado disaster in U.S. history, with 338 confirmed fatalities. Head injury was the cause of death in nearly 22% of fatalities. Approximately 47% of the fatalities were in single-family homes. A composite of the multistate deadly tornado tracks was created from the National Weather Service's tornado survey points in a geographic information system (GIS); more than 90% of the geocoded addresses were spatially linked to a deadly tornado.

What are the implications for public health practice?

To prevent tornado-related fatalities, public health messaging needs to specify what constitutes a safe room and to increase awareness that these should be used during all tornadoes. Spatial analysis of health impacts of tornadoes using GIS provides a better understanding of risk factors and the underlying characteristics of the affected population for public health preparedness and response.

 

 

Thankfully, this year has provided a far less violent spring storm season in the United States, although during the first 6 months of the year we have seen 68 storm-related fatalities (cite).

 

While I preach preparedness, there is admittedly one potentially fatal gap in my preparedness plan.  I have no `safe room’ in my current dwelling, and frankly, no good way to create one in what we euphemistically call a `manufactured home’.

 

When I lived in Missouri – which gets its fair share of tornadoes – having a full basement/storm shelter was both practical and a great comfort.

 

But here in Florida – where the water table is so high – basements are largely impractical. Luckily, Florida is less at risk for the really big tornadoes. We are, however, are a frequent target for hurricanes.

 

EF-3 or Greater Tornado Threat – Credit FEMA

 

Those living in tornado prone areas should seriously consider the possibility of creating one of these potentially life-saving additions to their home. To that end, FEMA has a good deal of advice on exactly how to construct a safe room – either above or below ground.

 

Residential Safe Rooms

• Building a Safe Room in Your House
• Residential Funding Opportunities
• Examples and Case Studies

Having a safe room in your home can protect your family and save the lives of those you care about.

Find answers to your Questions about Building a Safe Room, including:

• What is the cost of installing a safe room?

• Can I install a safe room in an existing home?

• Can I build the safe room myself?

• Where is the best location for the safe room?

• Where can I find plans for safe room construction?

• And more....

Building a Safe Room in Your House

For more details about how you can build a safe room in your home, go to the Taking Shelter From the Storm: Building a Safe Room For Your Home or Small Business (FEMA 320) page before downloading it from the FEMA Library.

Residential Funding Opportunities

Grants, funding opportunities and various initiatives are available for individuals wishing to build a residential safe room.  See the resources below for additional information:

• Residential Funding

• Residential Initiatives

Examples and Case Studies

Learn how others have benefited from safe rooms.  See the following resources on the best practices case study web page.

 

Having a good (and well rehearsed) family emergency plan is essential for any emergency. Even with a safe room, family members could become separated (they may be sent to different hospitals or shelters) in the post-disaster chaos.

 

Some may be injured and unable to provide information about their families.

 

So it is important to set up a plan, including meeting places and out-of-state contacts, and individual wallet information cards -  before you need it. To that end READY.GOV has some advice, and tools, to help you do just that.

 

Plan to Protect Yourself & Your Family

 
Family Emergency Plan

(PDF - 3Mb)

Prepare yourself and your family for a disaster by making an emergency plan.

 

Download the Family Emergency Plan (FEP) (PDF - 3 Mb), print the pages and fill them in offline.

 

Your emergency planning should also address the care of pets, aiding family members with access and functional needs and safely shutting off utilities.

 

You may also want to inquire about emergency plans at work, daycare and school. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one. Read more about school and workplace plans.

 

Once you’ve collected this important information, gather your family members and discuss the information to put in the plan. Practice your plan at least twice a year and update it according to any issues that arise.

 

Together with adequate emergency supplies, a solid first aid kit, and an emergency battery operated NWS Weather Radio, these steps will go a long ways to protecting you, and your family, from a wide variety of potential disasters.

 

For more on all of this, a partial list of some of my preparedness blogs include:

 

Inside My New Bug Out Bag

Picking Up The Pieces

When 72 Hours Isn’t Enough

In An Emergency, Who Has Your Back?

An Appropriate Level Of Preparedness

The Gift Of Preparedness 2011

 

But the time to make these preps is now, before the storm clouds gather.

 

»» Read More

CDC Statement On Helmets & Tornadoes

Photo Credit Wikipedia – Dimmitt, Tx Tornado

 

# 6316

 

File this one under `it’s probably better than nothing. . .  ‘

 

Although I’d never heard it suggested until the past couple of years, some experts and those in the media have been recommending the wearing of bicycle or motorcycle helmets to provide a degree of protection from flying debris during a tornado.

 

One such recommendation issued in 2009 can be found here, at the North Dakota State University Extension Service.

 

While it certainly sounds like a reasonable precaution (assuming you have a helmet handy, and donning one doesn’t delay your seeking more appropriate shelter), until now the CDC has not commented on the practice.

 

Today, we’ve a cautious statement from the CDC regarding the wisdom of using a helmet during a tornado.

 

For Immediate Release: May 3, 2012
Contact :CDC Division of News and Electronic Media
(404) 639-3286

CDC Statement on Helmets and Tornadoes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend, as its first recommendation, that people in the path of a tornado find a shelter or a tornado-safe room. The safest place in the home is the interior part of a basement. If possible, get under something sturdy such as a heavy table or workbench.  If outdoors, lie down in a gully or ditch.

 

We understand that people who have seen the tragedy that tornadoes can impose are looking for any useful and effective ways to protect themselves. We don’t have research on the effectiveness of helmet use to prevent head injuries during a tornado, but we do know that head injuries are common causes of death during tornadoes, and we have long made the recommendation that people try to protect their heads.  Individuals may decide to use helmets to protect their heads. However, because the time to react may be very short, people who choose to use helmets should know where they are and have them readily accessible.  Looking for a helmet in the few seconds before a tornado hits may delay you getting safely to shelter.  For those who choose to use helmets, these helmets should not be considered an alternative to seeking appropriate shelter. Rather, helmets should be considered just one part of their overall home tornado preparedness kit to avoid any delay.

 

CDC continues to promote protective measures for use during natural disasters including tornadoes.  For more detailed information, go to http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/tornadoes/during.asp.

»» Read More

Safe At Home

 

Credit FEMA

 

# 6230

 

Although I preach preparedness there is admittedly one glaring lapse in my own emergency preparations   . . .   my current accommodations preclude my having a `safe room’ – designed to protect occupants against tornadoes and hurricanes.

 

When I lived in Missouri – which gets its fair share of tornadoes – having a full basement/storm shelter was both practical and a great comfort.

 

But here in Florida – where the water table is so high – basements are rarely practical.

 

EF-3 or Greater Tornado Threat – Credit FEMA

 

 

Florida is less at risk for big tornadoes (we have a fair number of small twisters), but is a frequent target of hurricanes. Therefore, when I do eventually move again, one of my hopes is that I can incorporate a hardened safe room to my preparations.

 

With memories of last year’s devastating tornado season still fresh, now is a good time to consider this potentially life-saving addition to your home. To that end, FEMA has a good deal of advice on exactly how to construct a safe room – either above or below ground.

 

 

Residential Safe Rooms

• Building a Safe Room in Your House
• Residential Funding Opportunities
• Examples and Case Studies

Having a safe room in your home can protect your family and save the lives of those you care about.

Find answers to your Questions about Building a Safe Room, including:

• What is the cost of installing a safe room?

• Can I install a safe room in an existing home?

• Can I build the safe room myself?

• Where is the best location for the safe room?

• Where can I find plans for safe room construction?

• And more....

Building a Safe Room in Your House

For more details about how you can build a safe room in your home, go to the Taking Shelter From the Storm: Building a Safe Room For Your Home or Small Business (FEMA 320) page before downloading it from the FEMA Library.

 

Residential Funding Opportunities

Grants, funding opportunities and various initiatives are available for individuals wishing to build a residential safe room.  See the resources below for additional information:

• Residential Funding

• Residential Initiatives

 

Examples and Case Studies

Learn how others have benefited from safe rooms.  See the following resources on the best practices case study web page.

 

»» Read More

Safe Rooms: Shelter From The Storm

 

 

 

# 5539

 

 

The wry joke down here in hurricane country is that before buying a house in Florida, you should always make sure that there is plenty of leg room in the closets. 

 

While its true that many people have – in desperation - ridden out hurricanes in their closet surrounded by mattresses, it is hardly ideal. 

 

The protection it affords is minimal, at best.

 

Last week’s severe weather outbreak across the southland illustrated just how vulnerable many homes and businesses are to high winds and tornadoes. More than 300 lives were lost, and several thousand were injured.

 

In recent years many builders have begun offering an optional `safe room’ – designed to protect occupants during a storm - when building a new home.   It is also possible to `harden’ an existing bathroom or closet to withstand 200+ MPH winds.

 

Either could prove to be a wise investment in your family’s safety.

 

FEMA has some advice for those contemplating the construction of a safe room, including detailed plans, available on their website.

 

 

First a press release from FEMA, then some links to a brochure, and to building plans.

 

 

Safe Room Offers Best Protection Against Tornadoes And Hurricanes

Release Date: May 4, 2011
Release Number: 1969-020

» En Español

While it may not have the allure of granite countertops or a whirlpool bathtub, a residential safe room is one rock-solid home improvement worth considering.  A safe room can protect a family from the deadly high winds associated with a tornado or hurricane.

 

“Any time is a good time to install a safe room, but when a home undergoes restoration—that’s the best time to include a hardened bathroom or a reinforced closet,” said Mike Bolch, federal coordinating officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency in North Carolina. “It’s easier and less expensive to plan and build a safe room during a full-scale repair.”

 

A small interior room on the lowest living level of a home is the most practical location because warning times for tornadoes can be very short, making quick access to the safe room important.

 

The safe room could be described as a room within a room that will remain intact even if the surrounding house sustains major damage. The room needs to be rated to withstand winds in excess of 200 mph and flying debris that could include tree limbs, two-by-fours and concrete blocks.

 

The FEMA publication Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building a Safe Room for Your Home or      Small Business helps home and business owners assess their risk and determine the best type of safe room for their needs. The publication also provides designs for basement, in-ground and above-ground safe rooms.

The publication can be downloaded at: www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=1536.

 

 

This from the FEMA library.

 

Taking Shelter From the Storm: Building a Safe Room For Your Home or Small Business

Having a safe room built for your home or small business can help provide “near-absolute protection” for you and your family or employees from injury or death caused by the dangerous forces of extreme winds such as tornadoes and hurricanes.

 

Taking Shelter From the Storm, Building a Safe Room For Your Home or Small Business, FEMA 320, now in its third edition, helps home or small business owners assess their risk and determine the best type of safe room for their needs.

 

The publication provides designs for basement, in-ground, and above-ground safe rooms. Construction plans and specifications are available in PDF format and can be downloaded from the link at the end of this page, or individually in CAD DWG or PDF at:

http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/saferoom/shplans/.

For additional information on content updates to this publication, go to

www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/saferoom/fema320.shtm .

 

A safe room cannot be reasonably constructed for every home, of course.  But for homes where it is practical, it can be a lifesaving preparation.

 

One that, quite frankly, I wish I had living down here in Hurricane country.

»» Read More