Residents Encouraged To Build Safe Rooms
Release Date: June 20, 2004
Release Number: 1520-038
» More Information on Indiana Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Wind Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University have developed specifications for safe rooms. Having a safe room built into your house can help you protect yourself and your family from injury or death caused by dangerous forces of extreme winds.
Emergency response personnel and people cleaning up after tornadoes have often found an interior room of a severely damaged house still standing when little else remains of the structure. “A safe room is designed to withstand sustained winds up to 250 miles per hour, which would be an F4 tornado, and to resist penetration by a horizontally driven, 15-pound 2 x 4 stud traveling at 100 miles per hour,” said FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer, Justo “Tito” Hernandez.
Construction costs typically range from $4,000 to $10,000, depending upon the specific design, materials, and local construction costs. A safe room can be constructed either above or below ground, with either reinforced concrete or wood-and-steel walls, anchored to a concrete slab foundation or floor. Homeowners who receive a loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to repair or rebuild a damaged or destroyed home may have some of the loan proceeds designated to construct a safe room. The SBA may also increase the approved disaster loan by up to 20 percent to help pay for mitigation measures.
Indiana is susceptible to severe storms and tornadoes. “We encourage people to consider building safe rooms,” said Luther J. Taylor, Sr., State Coordinating Officer for Indiana. Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building a Safe Room Inside Your House (FEMA 320) is available free from FEMA. This 28-page, illustrated booklet provides a homeowner risk assessment sheet, guidance for selecting a shelter design, detailed construction plans, materials and cost estimates for building an in-home safe room. To obtain a copy, call FEMA publications at 1-888-565-3896. This is also available electronically by going to www.fema.gov/fima and select “Safe Rooms and Community Shelters.”
On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.
Last Modified: Monday, 21-Jun-2004 09:00:00