Winds with 100 mph strength, tornadoes, and flying debris would threaten our safety, thus a tornado room with a design and engineering under ICC 500 and FEMA P-361 standards, has life safety features to protect us from these natural calamities.
It is observed that tornadoes are more common in the United States compared to any other countries. We are also informed that there are four times more tornadoes in the United States than the occurrences of this natural event in the whole of Europe. There is also an observation that the frequency and number of tornadoes reported have increased over the years, plus the intensity and strength are noticeably increasing too.
The current trend whenever a severe weather event happens, more tornadoes per event and stronger tornadoes with higher winds would also occur. Thus it is observed that there is an increase of devastating costs and tragedies and damage and loss of life would accompany whenever winds of over 200 mph of multiple tornadoes would occur. To solve and prevent these disasters, the International Code Council and the National Storm Shelter Association decided to create the first Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters and safe rooms. In effect, safe rooms in schools, tornado safe rooms and buildings are increasing in building their tornado room.
There are several reasons why a building has to have a tornado safe room. It is typical for a house to be built withstanding around 70 mph winds, and note that a tornado with around 70 mph winds would create damage and possible loss of lives, especially if your place or location is prone to hurricanes and tornadoes.
An example of a devastating tornado had wind speed rated at 318 mph, and this does not only cause safety concern and damage, but it also can create deadly flying projectiles and negative and positive wind pressure. Imagine the wind forcing roofs to lift off and buildings separating from foundations, with the impact of flying debris that penetrated metals, considering those speeds.
Codes are thus created by associations and agencies as a result of the many destructions in areas that are prone to severe tornadoes and hurricanes, encouraging communities to build their homes under ICC 500 building code. Successfully accounted are numerous lives saved in buildings that either have a tornado room or a storm room.
The composition in building a tornado room would be sturdier walls, roof structures and tornado safe room doors. Consequently, the roofs of the building must be able to transfer wind loads to the walls and the walls to the ground or foundation.
Know that there are companies that is famous for the security and design of tornado room. You can then have safe room doors that are hidden above your ceiling with the sleek construction of this firm, resulting to a more open and airy design.