When living in areas susceptible to tornadoes and extreme weather conditions, having a root cellar storm shelter on your property is an essential way to safeguard your family in case of disaster. A shelter provides an important space where food, water, blankets and first aid kits can be stored – essential items should not be lost! Basements, earth-sheltered structures and shipping containers can all provide shelter options, while garage shelters may even offer more convenience; although fully-buried underground shelters may offer greater protection.
If you have the resources available to build a shelter on your own property, it’s imperative that you do so as soon as possible. Once you have an idea of how and what materials will be required, along with its location. Furthermore, be mindful of local regulations regarding building permits and zoning restrictions before beginning construction of the shelter. Once your plans have been finalized and you have started construction.
As with any basement structure, when building a root cellar storm shelter it is crucial that it is well insulated. You must also monitor temperature and humidity levels within the cellar as they may fluctuate significantly during a severe storm. In order to control airflow effectively and reduce moisture issues it would also be a good idea to add ventilation systems with additional windows allowing airflow controls as well as prevent moisture problems arising.
An underground shelter on your property can be the most reliable way to store food and supplies during a natural disaster, but this might not always be a feasible option depending on where your land lies; flooding could make a buried shelter vulnerable against ice or snowfall, so it’s wise to research weather patterns in your region to see if floods or other forms of disasters pose any additional threats.
An ideal location for buried shelters should be away from homes, trees and other structures to prevent landslides and structural damage from storms or other forms of natural disaster. You must install hatches and stairs so you can escape in case a storm approaches – this may prove expensive but provides reliable protection in any event of disaster.
If you are in search of a more cost-effective underground shelter solution, consider installing a shipping container storm shelter in either your garage, outbuildings in fields and yards or purchasing prefabricated underground shelters like GarageCube which is specifically designed to fit into garages while accommodating 10 people and offers much lower costs than concrete or stone structures.