Here Are The Different Types of Oklahoma Tornado Shelters

When it comes to the wild weather in Oklahoma, there has always been one golden rule during tornado season.

Seeking shelter underground offers the best odds of safety during the worst of Mother Nature's fury, but there are countless examples of how that's not the only way to survive a tornado.

It's all about how bad a twister gets.

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In all honesty, the overwhelming majority of tornadoes that strike Oklahoma can be survived without a dedicated shelter. You've heard your local meteorologist say it a thousand times - the lowest level of your home, small interior room. The idea is to put as many walls between you and the weather as possible.

That's solid safe advice for most tornadoes that rate EF0-EF3 on the scale most of the time. Since the scale measures damage instead of intensity, it's iffy...The largest tornado in the world was only measured to be EF3, and one of the most intense twisters of all time was rated an EF1 - all because they happened in the middle of nowhere with very little things to damage.

It's only in the aftermath of a tornado that a rating is given based on the destruction, that's why having a shelter is so important. It's the 'just in case.'

TYPES OF TORNADO SHELTERS

At the core of this topic, there are really only two categories that all tornado shelters fall into. They're either above ground or below ground.

The majority of underground shelters are similar. Made of reinforced concrete, buried either partially or completely within steps of the backdoor.

Sprague's Backhoe Service in Central Oklahoma was kind enough to let us use some of their photos to show examples. Big thanks to them for this. If you're wanting a tornado shelter for your home or business, Sprague's offers them all. Check out their website here.

Totally Underground.

Whether you have a beside or behind your house, the flat-type shelters are very common across the OKC metro and state. They're out of the way and easy to live with, and a godsend when a tornado is headed your way.

 Partially Underground.

The other massively popular underground-type of shelter is the kind that is half-and-half.

It's also pretty common in new construction to have a shelter built-in to the garage floor, but as is the commonly reported issue with these, there's almost always a car parked on top of it.

If you don't have the room for that, or you're wanting something a little easier to pile into during a severe weather-induced panic, there are above-ground options as well.

Above-Ground Tornado Shelters.

I'll admit, after seeing the devastation of the May 3rd, 1999 'Mother of all Tornadoes,' that storm did more to convince people underground was the only way to live during the biggest twisters... but as time has gone on, there are examples that you can survive above-ground too.

It was another EF5 tornado that rolled from El Reno through Piedmont, Oklahoma in 2011. It was another monster twister in Central Oklahoma. When the storm passed and the dust settled, houses in Piedmont were stripped to the slab except for the handful of above-ground reinforced storm shelters that were installed during construction.

I remember watching the coverage, even the news crews and meteorologists were beside themselves having witnessed what seemed like a miracle. Since then, above-ground shelters have become just as common as underground structures.

Reinforced Concrete Safe Room.

The big-daddy of them all, these safe rooms are tied into the slab, made of thick high-pressure concrete, and have proven time and time again that they will be the last thing standing after even the biggest tornadoes sweep the house away.

Of course, there are also options offered at big box stores like Home Depot too. I'm sure you've probably either walked by or even sat in one just to see what it was like.

Basic Shelter.

and the larger safe rooms that are gaining popularity...

Like most Oklahomans though, we see these and scoff at the thin plate steel these are made with. We have an almost universal assumption that these wouldn't survive something like the Piedmont EF5.... but I can't find a single example of anyone being hurt or fatally wounded while sheltering in any NSSA certified shelter.

Then again, the world hasn't had an EF5 tornado since 2013 either, and I think the vast majority of Oklahomans would feel better protected by proven reinforced concrete than sheet metal.

I'd like to again thank Sprague's Backhoe Service for letting us share their pictures of the supreme work they do installing these shelters. If you'd like to look into a shelter for you own home or business, visit SpraguesBackhoe.com.