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How do I know if my concrete slab foundation is thick enough and reinforced with steel for an above ground storm shelter?
The quickest and easiest way to tell if your concrete slab foundation is thick enough for a Tornado Alley Armor above ground storm shelter….. Drill a small hole through your concrete slab using a hammer drill and masonry bit. If you’re a minimum of 3.5”- 4” in before...
Above Ground Storm Shelter customer feedback in Little Rock, AR- Tornado Alley Armor Safe Rooms
Review Date: August 26, 2013 Member: Judy Little Rock, AR Category: Builders - Garages/Barns/Sheds Services Performed: Yes * More Weight is given to a review where work has been completed. Work Completed Date: July 22, 2013 Hire Again: Yes Approximate Cost:...
Above Ground Safe Rooms/ Storm Shelters Saved Lives in Moore OK EF-5 Tornado
Researchers who toured Moore after the May 20, 2013 F-5 tornado said above ground storm shelters held up great in the storm and can be a better choice than underground storm cellars. Aboveground storm shelters held up exceptionally well in the tornado and could be a...
Drilling Wedge Anchors with a Rotary Hammer into your Reinforced Slab Foundation with Tornado Alley Armor’s DIY Option
If you choose to you can DIY your Tornado Alley Armor Safe Room and save some sweet moolah, while at the same time turning it into a family time hands on project. Here's a video from our YouTube page showing the wedge anchors being drilled into a reinforced slab...
Feedback from DIY Customers in Winnipeg, Manitoba about Tornado Alley Armor Safe Rooms
I'd like to share some feedback from customers in Canada: Hello everyone at Tornado Alley Armor, Well, we hauled the pallet with our shelter encased from Pembina, North Dakota to home in Winnipeg (about 4 hour round trip) on Saturday without concern from the...
I’ve seen houses ripped off slabs during a tornado. How do your storm shelters not blow away as well?
I've seen lots of news reports that show houses and other buildings being torn off of slab foundations during tornadoes. What keeps your storm shelters anchored to the slab? It seems like they would be sucked away also? Houses lift...
Can I Choose Where the Storm Shelter Door will be Located and what about an Inward Swinging Safe Room Door?
Can we have the safe room door assembled on the end of the storm shelter (and swing inward) as opposed to the middle of the front? It depends on the size safe room you order. For anything from the Rampart 7 adult safe room or larger the door can be placed just...
This is how easy it is to DIY your Tornado Alley Armor Safe Room using a Rotary Hammer
Thinking of doing it yourself but not sure about the anchoring part? Here's a quick video that demonstrates just how easy it is to drill your reinforced slab foundation with the right tools. We recommend using a right angle rotary hammer. It makes quick work of the...
Do I need to add upgrades to Tornado Alley Armor Safe Rooms?
If your Tornado Alley Armor above ground storm shelters are EF-5 certified, what's the purpose of the "Secondary Steel" and "Fort Knox panels?" And if one were to select one of these safe room options here, "Secondary Steel" and "Fort Knox panels," what would be...
Can you install your above ground storm shelters in a closet, den, bedroom, or office?
I want to buy a tornado shelter but don’t want to have to put it in the garage or outdoors. Do you have any other options? We sure do! As long as your house is on a standard reinforced slab foundation we can install your above ground storm shelter in any room that has...
Metro Safe Room Rebate Program for the 4 Metro Counties (Collin, Dallas, Denton, or Tarrant) in North Central Texas
Tornado Alley Armor has had some calls and questions concerning the FEMA Safe Room Rebate program going on in the 4 metro counties in Texas. Tornado Alley Armor is a Producer Member of the NSSA and an approved supplier from which to buy your safe...
Feedback from Tornado Alley Armor Customers about their Above Ground Safe Room
We'd like to share the feedback we received from some customers of ours. It's always nice to have input after installation of one of our storm shelters. Name Don K. and Gwyn W. Message...
Comparing Underground Storm Shelters to Above Ground Safe Rooms
Q: I'm trying to decide between buying an underground tornado cellar or an above ground storm shelter. Can you help me compare? A: When considering underground storm cellars I highly recommend that you take 5 minutes to look at this information about in-floor shelters...
Anchoring an Above Ground Storm Shelter with Wedge Anchors- Tornado Alley Armor Safe Rooms
I'm looking into buying one of your tornado shelters and am curious about how they are anchored to the slab. How do you anchor your storm shelters to a slab foundation? We anchor the safe room to your reinforced slab of adequate mass and geometry by using Red Head...
Where is the ventilation inside your above ground safe rooms? Are there air vents for breathing in your tornado storm shelters?
I'm claustrophobic and concerned about being able to get fresh air and being able to breathe while inside a Tornado Alley Armor above ground storm shelter. Where are the vents and how does that work? We have two methods of ventilation in our tornado shelters....
Moore Oklahoma Tornado May 20, 2013
Our hearts go out to the people of Moore, OK who were attacked by a devasting EF4 tornado earlier today. It breaks our hearts to think of what those families are going through... some still trying to find their loved ones. We at Tornado Alley Armor express our...
Tornadoes Tear Through Oklahoma, Kansas And Iowa… Leaving Shawnee, OK Devastated
The tornado that tore through Shawnee, Oklahoma on 5-19-13 has left at least one dead and much destruction. This isn’t too far from home for Tornado Alley Armor. Sometimes it takes something like this hitting close to home to bring things into perspective....
Tornadoes Rip through Granbury,Texas
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people in Northern Texas, especially Granbury, TX where they were hit so hard by the tornadoes that ripped through the area last night. Spring isn't over yet. May is the peak month for tornadoes and June has almost as many...
I’m Getting a FEMA Rebate for a Storm Shelter. Why does FEMA Require it be from a Safe Room Company that’s in the NSSA in Order to Get My Rebate?
I live in Grayson County in Sherman, Texas and have been chosen by FEMA to get a rebate on a Safe Room. Why does it matter who I buy it from? Basically it’s because the tornado shelter industry is unregulated and anyone can make storm shelters and say anything they...
Jackson, Mississippi Rated #2 out of Top Ten Tornado Cities
The myth that tornado alley is in the Plains and Midwest states have been shattered in recent decades. Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia have all had deadly tornado outbreaks in the past few years. Of the top ten cities most likely to be hit by a...
Storm Shelter Buyers, Beware! Misleading Safe Room Claims EXPOSED. Trust the National Storm Shelter Association to Verify.
Dr. Ernst Kiesling, Executive Director of the National Storm Shelter Association and professor of Engineering at the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University, addressing an emergency preparedness conference in Alabama....
Huntsville and Birmingham Alabama Rated #1 & #3 Tornado Cities
Hunstville, Alabama are you aware that your town was rated #1 in top 10 of cities where homes are most likely to get hit by a tornado by Tornado expert Dr Greg Forbes of The Weather Channel and weather.com? Birmingham, Alabama was rated #3. Dr....
The Worst Week of the Year for Tornadoes
Historically speaking, this is one of the worst weeks of the year for severe weather. Experts say we shouldn't let these blue skies fool us; this is the time of year when moisture from the gulf starts meeting up with hot, dry air from the southwest. That’s when we...
Tornado Alley Armor Safe Rooms on the ABC News!
Looking for a Claustrophobia Free Above Ground Storm Shelter that is Entrapment Proof
I'm terrified of tornadoes and also claustrophobic. I need a tornado shelter that I can't get trapped in. I need more than one way out in case the door gets blocked! Tornado Alley Armor NSSA verified EF5 safe rooms bolt together and can be totally disassembled from...