Severe Weather Special: In-home safe rooms provide another option for tornado shelter

In-home safe rooms and storm shelters are becoming a popular option across the Plains and Midwest as spring storms are becoming more frequent.

Roger Mertensmeyer started a personal storm shelter company in Boone County called Protect in Place back in 2018. His experience with the Columbia Fire Department opened his eyes to the need for more storm shelter options in Mid-Missouri as the number of slab homes without basements continues to rise.

“Shortly after we started that tornado came through Jeff City in 2019 which kind of accelerated our business a little bit, put it a little more on folks’ minds, and we were kind of able to take off from there,” he said.

The process to install a shelter can vary, especially depending on the time of year it's ordered. Each unit is custom built to FEMA standards at a manufacturer in Nixa to withstand EF-5 tornado winds higher than 200 mph. In the past, these units and materials were tested at Texas Tech by catapulting different types of debris at the walls and doors to ensure the safety of the people inside. Each shelter is made of a standard 3/16" thick steel and are anchored to concrete every 13" around the base.

Homeowners can choose a unit that is cut and measured to fit their space, whether it be in a garage, outside on a thick slab of concrete, or in an interior closet inside the house. Once Roger picks up the unit, it can take less than two hours to install.

“As we age, it's marketable for the home. If you’re selling it to anybody who may be more elderly, it’s hard to get down inside of a cellar. With these options you just literally walk right in,” said Mertensmeyer.

Shelters range in cost depending on size and type of unit, but typically land somewhere between $5,000 and $8,000.

Depending on a customer's needs, the units can be larger to accommodate medical equipment like a wheelchair to make getting in and out quickly very easy, which is imperative when a severe storm is imminent.

We talked to a homeowner in Ashland who installed her safe room about five years ago. She coined it "Oz," after the Wizard of Oz.

“I know we could maybe get out and go look for a community shelter, but the one time I thought about doing that, there was hail, there was storms, and I thought we're safer staying here in the closet than getting out. So this makes us feel so much more secure. We had gone through the Joplin area and seen all the damage all the damage there. And then there were the tornadoes that went through Jefferson City, and that made the final decision. It was time to have something where we just didn’t worry," she said.

Protect in Place also installs heavy bolted doors on rooms with concrete walls in basements to seal it off from tornadic winds.

Some states like Oklahoma offer homeowners rebates on safe rooms, but FEMA doesn't currently provide assistance in Missouri. However, there are multiple community safe rooms across Mid-Missouri, including three more that are in the design phase in Callaway, Miller, and Moniteau counties.

“Anytime, planning for tornadoes, is to have a plan, whether it’s a purchased, engineered safe room or it’s that interior of your house or a basement, but have a plan," said Mertensmeyer.

In Boone and Cole counties, residents who install a safe room can register it with local authorities through Smart911 and Rave Alert systems.