Peace of mind comes from having a storm shelter to protect yourself and your family each and every time a tornado warning is issued for your area. The horrible feeling comes from needing a place to go and not having a place to go to. It is not a matter of if, but a matter of when and how many times a tornado warning will be issued for your area any given year.

With advanced technology today and superior coverage provided by our local news stations we sometimes have more lead time for the more powerful tornadoes. But that is not always the case. Just ask the people in Joplin, MO. Joplin was struck by an EF5 tornado on May 22, 2011. It formed just outside of town and strengthened to an EF5 in a matter of a few seconds. Those in its path did not have much time to react, and we all know of the death and destruction it caused in that community. And then we must deal with the weaker tornadoes that can form without warning. They may not be EF5’s, but it doesn’t really matter to you what the rating is if it strikes your house, does it? The weaker tornadoes can still cause significant damage and injury, even death. These can drop out of the sky at the edge of your neighborhood, the end of your street, or even in your own backyard. Injuries can come from flying glass or any object that becomes a projectile.

So, where would you go? Can you go to your neighbor’s storm shelter? If your neighbor has been kind enough to invite you to their shelter, they may have invited their other neighbors as well. A storm shelter can fill up pretty fast. Can you even imagine having to leave someone outside a shelter because you just could not fit them in?
Recently I learned from a family of 5 whom we just installed a shelter, that they had access to a neighbor’s shelter. This family consists of mom and dad and 3 small children. Just last year they were running to the shelter during a tornado warning. The shelter was about 250 feet away. They had to run under a tree on the way. High winds broke off a limb and dad was hit in the head by the limb. Apparently he was ok, but he might have not been ok either. A lot of things can happen when you have a distance to go for safety. And, I haven’t even mentioned the hail that usually precludes a tornado.

What about public shelters? First of all, most communities do not have public shelters available. But then, there are also the concerns I just mentioned and have written about in other blogs. Just to name a few, traffic, severe weather while driving or running.

Peace of mind, or a horrible feeling. Which would you rather experience?

Mike Bennett

The post Peace of Mind versus A Horrible Feeling appeared first on Enid Storm Shelters.