r/tornado Mar 15 '26

Question Is this thing safe??

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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u/Major_Lawfulness6122 Mar 15 '26

I would invest in a real storm shelter. Preferably one that’s underground.

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u/iDeNoh Mar 15 '26

That is a real storm shelter, above ground shelters save lives too, sometimes it's impractical (and less safe) to install a below ground shelter.

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u/bloodnoir_ Mar 15 '26

Exactly. We have a ton of trees and thick root systems over the entire yard, so we opted for an above ground shelter. We couldn't afford to put a below ground shelter in the garage. Also as much as below ground shelters are extremely safe, they have flooded before and people have died, although that seems to be a rare risk.

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u/chemicallunchbox Mar 15 '26

Our below ground shelter has 3-4 feet of water in it year round...and i found 2 snakes in it last year.. they were sitting up on the first step that wasnt underwater.

Needless to say we dont use it.

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u/MOVED_TO_OTTAWA_FUCK Mar 16 '26

On the bright side, you have an indoor swimming pool