More Texans Inquiring About & Installing Storm Shelters
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - After seeing the destruction from the Moore, Oklahoma tornado, some Texans are thinking about their own safety.
The phone has been ringing off the hook at Texas Tornado Storm Shelter and other companies in the state that sell or install in-ground safe houses or shelters.
Texas Tornado Storm Shelter employee Jennifer Gracy said, "We always get a bump whenever there are storms, however we have never seen an increase like yesterday."
According to the National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA), members of their group "ensure the highest quality of manufactured and constructed storm shelters for protecting people from injury or loss of life from the effects of tornadoes, hurricanes and other devastating natural disasters."
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, homeowners typically pay between $6,600 and $8,700 for a steel-reinforced 8-by-8-foot room. It's a cost, that given the recent events, a lot of people are now willing to pay. The past few days Gracy said, "The phone was ringing and email coming in just as fast as we could answer it."
Storm shelters certified by the NSSA are tested against 250 mph winds and debris traveling at the same speed.
In the last two weeks, more than 20 tornadoes have touched down in Texas and Oklahoma.
The North Texas storms on May 15 left six people dead. The May 19 twister that touched down in Shawnee, Oklahoma killed two and the EF-5 Moore tornado took the lives of 24 people.
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