Storm Shelters to Ease Evacuation Complications

Written by Leslie Cranford

As Hurricane Dean blasts its fury on Mexico, proving that the 2007 hurricane season is indeed underway, residential storm shelters may be an alternative to evacuation in some cases and can protect families from these storms.

Ernst Kiesling, a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Texas Tech University and executive director of the National Storm Shelter Association, recommends that homeowners who live above the flood plane in hurricane-prone areas should buy a storm shelter for their home, but to look for a seal of the National Storm Shelter Association when purchasing the shelter. This seal ensures that the installed shelters meet the stringent standards of these organizations.

As was seen in Houston preceding Hurricane Rita, evacuations can put immense strain on urban areas, leading to traffic jams and - in the case of Houston - fatalities. By utilizing in-home storm shelters, some homeowners who are not required to evacuate can remain where they are and ease the hurricane evacuations of others. However, homeowners should be aware that not all storm shelters are the same.

The NSSA seal distinguishes shelters whose quality has been verified from those for which quality has not been verified. The NSSA has provided a list of shelter producers qualified to affix the NSSA Seal. Kiesling points out that NSSA members now offer a wide range of shelter types so that individual preferences and circumstances can be accommodated.

The association was created to ensure the highest quality of manufactured and constructed storm shelters to protect people against tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters. Members must have their product tested through certified, independent entities for compliance with association performance standards.

NSSA standards are consistent with criteria laid out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) 320 booklet titled Taking Shelter from the Storm. This booklet gives specifications, including the construction plans and estimated costs, for building a safe room inside a house.

 Kiesling was instrumental in creating the concept of the above ground storm shelter or Safe Room in 1974 and has continually worked toward shelter quality and standards development. He can speak on the construction and use of residential and community shelters.

Texas Tech's Wind Science and Engineering (WISE) Research Center has pioneered in the evolution of storm shelters and has made numerous other contributions to mitigating the effects of severe storms. Texas Tech is the only institution in the world offering a doctoral degree in wind science and engineering.