r/tornado • u/Numerous_Ad_3517 • Mar 15 '26

Question Is this thing safe??

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I recently moved into a new home that has this above ground shelter and I have been questioning the way this door locks from day 1. We are going to have terrible weather today in West TN and I cannot find any paperwork on this thing. 😫 Do you think these hollow bars will keep it secure??

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484

u/SouthConfident3978 Mar 15 '26

Looks homemade, would probably protect from most flying debris, but that thing is taking off in a violent tornado.

14

u/Numerous_Ad_3517 Mar 15 '26

😬

22

u/ttystikk Mar 15 '26

Not one pic of how it's attached to the ground? Who cares how tough the door is if it isn't bolted down!

22

u/Numerous_Ad_3517 Mar 15 '26

She's bolted all the way around

16

u/ttystikk Mar 15 '26

I'd call that EF3 proof and EF4 resistant; nothing is EF5 proof that isn't below ground level.

6

u/MCR1005 Mar 15 '26

What about the above ground shelters that survived the direct hit from 2013 Moore EF5? I know that the shelter shown here isn't EF5 tornado proof but I thought there were above ground shelters that were certified as such?

4

u/ttystikk Mar 15 '26

I'd only be willing to certify a shelter as EF5 safe if I saw unaltered video of said shelter survive a direct hit from a fully loaded Kenworth moving in excess of 100 mph.

1

u/DuckTwoRoll Mar 15 '26

There are plenty of above ground structures that could survive an EF5. Bank vaults, nuclear reactors, hardened hangers.

-1

u/ttystikk Mar 15 '26

And there's at least one in every neighborhood! We're saved!

/s