My next door neighbor has one that's full of water.

Thanks, I'll probably go with this company. How do they secure the shelter to the ground to prevent the whole thing from floating if water gets between shelter and ground? I've seen swimming pools that floated out of the ground because the pressure relief valve in main drain that lets ground water into the pool malfunctioned, causing the pool to float like a boat.

There is a Septic tank/storm shelter place on 45 between Corsicana and Ennis. I always find it amusing that a crapper storage is also a good storm shelter. Haha. I imagine it would cost less than a septic tank, since it doesn’t need plumbing and electrical run to it. It’s just a place to hide for a 30 seconds….maybe once in a lifetime.

So, all I would need to do is flush myself down the commode when a tornado comes? Hmmm

There is a lot a dirt on top of it . And It is in the ground a lot too . I have a friend that put one in and his daughter put one in also about 6 yrs ago . They have not had any problems . He makes them and installs them , he is a nice guy . They are 6ft by 8 ft , and they are steep going into . It took about 2.5 hrs to install . He has a long waiting list

That's what this guy said , i'm selling something you way not need , But if you do , it's there .

I would pay to have it dug much deeper and larger, then dump several tons of 1" drainage rock on the bottom (like 2 ft) and set the shelter on top of that. Wrap the shelter with tar and plastic then backfill with 6"-1' of one inch rock. Cover with landscape fabric and top soil. No matter what you build, you have got to give the water a place to escape. Just digging a hole and chunking in shelter, you give the water no place to go.

You would just be digging a pond beneath it that will fill up with water. Would need to pipe it out or pump it out.

Also wouldn't the 1in rocks over time break the concrete casing?

They make fiberglass ones that go underground. A friend has one on his ranch I'll ask who he used.

I went with US Shelters, Brett said the shelter weighed six tons and there's not enough area in the hole to float the shelter, they also use an additive in the concrete that will seal a crack, if one happened to develop. Thanks for the info.

Below ground works better when the tornado pulls tile floor off your slab
But that doesn’t happen often, so the above ground might work as well

We run basements here but truth is, I have seen them sucked dry like the day they were poured. House without a basement 50 yards away undamaged. Tornados suck and I would never tell anyone a shelter would save them. I’ve installed a few.

We have an underground shelter in our garage (OKC):

It is accessible without moving our car
Installed in one day
No water, we do put DampRid moisture absorber in it
In Oklahoma there is a program called SoonerSafe which randomly selects registered homeowners to receive a rebate up to $3,000
Some counties, cities have programs for shelters for free
Some Indian tribes have programs to assist with costs

I highly recommend one even if it never gets used, the peace of mind is worth the cost

Can double up as a root cellar. They can make it water tight, this is 2025.

If there are big trees around you might consider the possibility of getting trapped inside so take a chainsaw down with you.