Actual facts needed about storm shelters being sucked out of the ground/doors failing

[Glocktogo]

Mine hasn't been twister tested yet, but I feel pretty safe with it. Above ground obviously. Door is a boxed frame heavy steel unit with massive hinges (3) and large through frame crossbolts (2). The door frame is fully boxed and the door swings inward, hopefully to aid in egress should debris be blocking the door. I keep a 2# sledge and wrecking bar inside, just in case (along with water, blankets and other essentials to ride it out until rescue). It's vented and heavily bolted to the concrete pad. I think any storm that could suck the door off would probably take the entire unit out. If it's that bad, I'm not sure I'd want to be in an underground shelter with the possibility of drowning or suffocating. The water table at my house would require a pretty heavy weight to keep from floating.

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[cobra1]

Co-workers storm cellar FAILED! just like the one you posted, 134 and Eastern in Moore, co-worker that helped him clean up witnessed it, his wife was under the staircase and a huge tree fell on the door and it collapsed, pics will be obtained as soon as possible.

Moore has Experienced the most devastating tornado's in history.

We have seen posts on this forum about fiberglass shelters being sucked out of the ground, in-ground concrete shelters getting the doors sucked out, and so on.

What I'd like to see in this thread, is pictures, from this storm or any other that shows failures of storm shelters, be it in ground or above ground.

Real honest to God facts, not a report from a brother in law.

Pictures, news story's, etc.

If site management will allow it, dealers that sell shelters, should have this information at hand.

99% of the folks on this forum can't afford a $40,000 shelter, so if possible, keep it something that we can all afford, even if it involves taking out a loan from the bank. Better to have a payment, vs being dead.

This is the design of what I have.

Has there been any door failures? There were posts that said there was. Any pics?

http://www.tornadostormshelters.com/Shelter.htm

 

[1shott]

This is not the information I'm looking for.

No reports. Facts, first hand, I've lived through it, this is my shelter, or I had a shelter failure, and here are the pics.

No first hand, just what I saw on KFOR in a interview with a moore resident saying they had to hold onto the door latch to keep the door down.

 

[4play]

No first hand, just what I saw on KFOR in a interview with a moore resident saying they had to hold onto the door latch to keep the door down.

I heard that too but I wonder if they were holding it because it actually broke the latch and flung open, or it was just rattling and they thought it might open.

 

[dennishoddy]

No first hand, just what I saw on KFOR in a interview with a moore resident saying they had to hold onto the door latch to keep the door down.

I keep hearing stories about doors being sucked off of shelters, and KFOR even reported on it this morning. I sent them an email yesterday and asked them since they have been in there for 4 days now with cameras and unfettered access, do they have tape of some of these shelters.
Went even further and suggested they get their investigative reporter Scott Heinze to see if this was true, and was it the same brand of shelter that supposedly failed. If it was, the public needs to know.
I have not received a reply.

 

[victor3ranger]

One of the interviews I saw where a person was talking about the door was pulled open, what I could see during the interview was a concrete shelter with a white wooden door, the door looked like some of the wood was rotten on the bottom but it was hard to tell. However, the door was still attached to the shelter.

 

[Glocktogo]

One of the interviews I saw where a person was talking about the door was pulled open, what I could see during the interview was a concrete shelter with a white wooden door, the door looked like some of the wood was rotten on the bottom but it was hard to tell. However, the door was still attached to the shelter.

Why would one go to the trouble to install a concrete shelter, then finish it off with a flimsy wooden door?

 

[ripnbst]

Why would one go to the trouble to install a concrete shelter, then finish it off with a flimsy wooden door?

This. Steel door seems logical.

 

[NikatKimber]

Why would one go to the trouble to install a concrete shelter, then finish it off with a flimsy wooden door?

If it was old. I couldn't see doing that in a new install. My family's cellar is probably close to a hundred years old. It has a heavy (!!!) wooden door, with steel sheet on the outside.

 

[LightningCrash]

"One example was a mostly underground storm shelter that had been pulled out of the ground about eight feet."
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/07/alabama_tornadoes_meteorologis.html

Sounds like a slope-front unit.