On Tue, 21 May 2013 19:32:01 -0700, Xho Jingleheimerschmidt
>> In earthquake country, building codes specify how a house responds to
>> shaking. In areas with significant rainfall, plot drainage is
>> specified. Everywhere, fire resistance and electrical standards are
>> specified.
>>
>> Should building codes in "Tornado Alley" specify some kind of
>> stormproof shelter? The reporter on today's radio interview mentioned
>> that such a shelter would cost about $4000, and that he'd lived in
>> Moore for four years now without getting one, but he would be speaking
>> to a contractor tomorrow. $4000 is a fair-sized chunk of money, but
>> it's only a minor chunk of the price of a house.
>
>It is a bigger chunk of the price of a "mobile" home.
>
>What do you get for $4000? I've been in some storm shelters, and while
>better than a tree house I don't know that I'd expect to survive what
>happened to Moore in one of them.
The traditional really cheap method I've seen in north Texas is to get
a length of galvanized steel drain pipe of six feet or so diameter,
dig a hole under your doublewide eight or ten feet or down to the
bedrock, whichever comes first, drop the galvanized pipe in, fill
around with concrete, and put the heaviest lid you could manage on it
flush with the ground, with big bolts into latches sunk in the
concrete. Then you cut a hole in the bottom of the doublewide so you
can just step down a ladder into it. Put a couple of lawn chairs and a
ladder down it, carry a flashlight and a radio, drill a few holes in
the lid for air, put a sump pump in with a hand backup.
One of my college fencing teammates moved to somewhere blowy, and
apparently had bedrock something like three feet down. He was renting,
but he got the landlord to agree to split costs with him, and he dug
down to the rock, then rolled a *concrete* culvert into the ditch thus
produced, but lengthwise, not vertically. He capped one end, built a
earth hill on either side, planted grass over the whole thing, and put
a heavy door on the door end. I saw pictures of it years ago, it
looked fine. Apparently the kids loved having a big long hill in the
backyard.
Neither of these is comfortable for a long time, but a tornado doesn't
go on for a long time. I think some of the large bids are coming from
people who want a basement, under the house, they can retreat into.
Well, ok, but that has to be engineered to hold up a god dammed house.
How about just a hole in the ground you can hide in, with a heavy
steel door?
--
Kevin