No matter what storm shelter you decide is right for you, for your safety and the safety
of your family make sure you are getting a shelter that has been tested by Texas Tech University and meets the safety requirements
of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
In our search for the best shelter for our own family, my wife and I found several "copycat"
shelters on the market. These companies took the designs of tested shelter manufacturers, took various shortcuts in
their own manufacturing process and produced an inferior product. Without thorough research, however, the average customer
cannot determine the difference. Oftentimes, these shelters do not have doors that meet FEMA and Texas Tech University
standards in either general construction or in locking mechanisms among other deficiencies we found. These "copycat"
manufacturers are taking your life into their hands by selling you an inferior product with no regard for your safety.
Please, for your own sake, make sure the shelter your life is depending on is an approved, safe shelter.
Texas Tech University
Engineers at Texas Tech University's Wind Engineering Research Center and other wind engineering research facilities
have been studying the effects of extreme winds on buildings for over 20 years. For information on their extensive research
and a listing of shelter manufacturers who have had this testing performed on their product(s), please contact Texas Tech
University or click on the link below.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, in cooperation with the Wind Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University,
has developed specific performance criteria for tornado shelters. For more information on that performance criteria,
please contact FEMA in Washington D.C. or via the website link below.
