How do I claim FEMA money?
A: You can file a FEMA claim online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone at 800-621-3362 (voice, 711 or VRS) or 800-462-7585 (TTY). Due to high demand, lines may be busy. Please be patient, and try calling in the morning or evening when call volume may be lower.
Do storm shelters add value to a home?
Dr. Kevin Simmons of Austin College and the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes has studied tornado safe rooms and found they increase home values. According to Simmons, tornado safe rooms increase the sale prices of homes by about 3.5 percent.
How much does it cost to install a storm shelter?
Premanufactured storm shelters can cost as little as $3,000, including installation. The average cost of an 8 foot by 10 foot above-ground structure is between $5,500 and $12,000. This includes delivery, installation, and a range of features, such as a welded steel box and steel planks.
Do above ground storm shelters work?
However, research has revealed that an above ground storm shelter can be just as effective. In some cases, our older customers prefer the ease of getting into and out of an above ground steel storm shelter as opposed to walking down a small flight of stairs. The threat of a tornado already makes many people nervous.
Are above-ground safe rooms safe?
Above-ground safe rooms are required to be rigorously tested to ensure that they can also provide protection from windborne debris. Therefore, all properly constructed safe rooms offer life-safety protection if they are properly designed and constructed.
How are safe rooms anchored?
How is the above ground shelter anchored? All our safe rooms must be anchored properly to a concrete slab that weighs at least 2 cubic yards has steel reinforcement, has wire or rebar and is not severally cracked. Normally, storm shelters are installed inside the house or in the garage.
How much do oz safe rooms cost?
Price tag: $7,999 within 30 miles of Tornado Alley’s bull’s-eye, Oklahoma City, about twice the price of the typical storm shelter. The larger model, handicap accessible, is 5 by 8 feet, with the same thick walls, and weighs in at 30 tons for a heftier price tag: $10,999, about three times the typical home shelter.
How thick are safe room walls?
“The standard safe room, with 6- inch-thick walls and rebar at 2-foot spacings vertically and horizontally, can resist winds up to 250 mph,” says Lite-Form marketing director Wayne Fenton. “Using thicker walls and more rebar, contractors can build structures that resist winds up to 400 mph.”
Is a crawl space good for tornado?
A crawl space is a possibly safe place, depending on the type of construction of the house. However, especially intense tornadoes, though they occur rarely, have the capability to totally obliterate houses constructed on crawl spaces.
Should a safe room door open in or out?
SHOULD THE DOOR OF A SAFE ROOM SWING INWARD OR OUTWARD? Beyond code requirements, both inward- and outward-swinging doors have benefits. For example, inward-swinging doors are less likely to be blocked by debris, while outward-swinging doors provide more space within the safe room.