There is nothing as important as your safety and that of your loved ones. But we all know that threats to our safety are neither all the same nor are they predictable. Sometimes, the threat can be a storm that turns your life upside down. To protect your family from it, you may have the choice between a basement and storm shelter built for that very purpose. Both a basement and storm shelter structure can mean the difference between safety and disaster when a storm strikes, but it is important to note that they can be used interchangeably. Let’s explore their differences. A storm shelter is your refuge when storms strike. Storms with debris, winds, and thunder are very destructive, and storm shelters are made specifically to take the blunt force that storms can dish out. Their foundations are securely anchored, and the structure is reinforced with steel or concrete (or both) to give them the structural integrity to stay intact in the face of the harshest weather. Because they are made specifically for disastrous circumstances, they are often fitted with basic survival-related considerations that you will need in case of a time you had to use it. There are, however, other compromisable options if you do not yet have access to a storm shelter. In this case, we will discuss being able to choose between a basement and storm shelter.
During storms, you are advised to be as close to the ground as possible and stay away from all windows and open spaces. In fact, it is recommended that you stay in the innermost room of your house if you cannot be secure in a bunker. This is where a basement works can function stand in as a storm shelter. Since most basements are underground, it provides a comparable level of protection to a storm shelter, albeit without the same level of fortification. Unlike storm shelters, which have to be fitted to a property, basements are a nearly no-cost option since most of them come with the house. They have been known to increase the value of a house in tornado-prone areas. Nonetheless, even if they are not built to the standards of a storm shelter, they can always be renovated to fit the code for storm shelter construction.
Not all people have a choice between a basement and storm shelter. In this case, you can still take precautions to be as safe as possible in your basement. If your circumstances, and weather in your area, call for the installation of a storm shelter, give us a call today at Barrier Waterproofing Systems at (615) 257-1060 for more information. We can discuss the solution that is right for you to increase the safety of your family.
