Protection Shelters LLC Photo Galleries

Humboldt Elementary School

Tornado Storm Shelter (Saferoom) installed in Garage

Our steel garage shelter can be made in various sizes —you tell us how many people you need to protect or give us the measurements and we’ll build it for you! This shelter is bolted and anchored to the existing concrete in your garage. Our garage shelter has been tested and passed at Texas Tech Wind Science and Debris Impact Testing Center, the same center that does FEMA testing. Each shelter bears a certificate with a serial number from the National Storm Shelter Association stating that the design, construction and installation meet the FEMA P-361, April 2021 Fourth Edition 2021 4th Edition and ICC 500 2020 which are the highest standards for the building of tornado shelters. It is structurally built to bear wind loads in excess of 250 mph or an EF5 tornado.

Above Ground, Handicap Accessible Tornado Storm Shelter

This shelter is made of concrete that tests at 6,000 PSI and has reinforced steel bar and fiber mesh for additional strength with 4” walls.  Shelter has a steel door that has been tested at Texas Tech Wind Science and Debris Impact Testing Center and is rated for 250 mph winds or EF5 tornado.  The Concrete shelter can be attached to your existing pad/patio.

Handicap Accessible Storm Shelters

Above-ground shelters can be custom built attached to an existing structure, like your home, or built to stand alone. We can provide a new entry from your house into the shelter. The emergency shelter exterior comes smooth-faced, however, exteriors are finished to your specifications.

Below Ground Tornado Shelters Photo Gallery

Our steel below ground shelter is totally buried in the ground with only the wind turbine and door showing above ground making it possible to plant or place things “on top”. This shelter has 7 non-slip steps constructed of expanded metal on the same incline and decline as normal basement stairs, a hand-rail the full length of the stairs, is pet and elderly friendly and comes with a bench. The door has 3 grease-able steel hinges, 3 deadbolts and a gas air operated shock to aid you in opening and closing the door. This shelter is welded on inside and outside for leak resistance and structural integrity. Welding is done by a certified welder. Shelter is rust and corrosion proof for longer life.

Our below ground concrete shelter has double hand rails (1 on either side) of the 5 step (non-slip tread plate) 10” rise stairs and is approximately half underground with half showing above the surface.

We will take care of the installation however should you wish to dig the hole yourself this shelter requires an 8’ wide x 10′ long x 53” deep hole to be excavated. It is imperative that the hole has a level bottom at the 53” mark.

The door has a gas/air operated shock/door closer, has been painted with a metal primer and has greaseable hinges with 3 locks.  There is an 8” ball bearing turbine and 6” vent.  The exterior has a stamped, textured concrete finish making it easy to paint or stain should you wish to do so.  These shelters are built with 4” thick walls made of reinforced fiber as well as steel rebar and poured to a minimum 6,000 psi concrete.

Group and Community Storm Shelters

FEMA, the National Storm Shelter Association, and ICC 500 current guidelines for a “group” shelter state that you should allow 5 square feet per person with allowance for at least one 10 square foot for a wheelchair (more if for more than 200 people). When determining what size to build the square footage should also include another 15% beyond the footage for occupancy to allow for supplies – totes or cabinets with first aid, water, flashlights, etc. All of our Group Shelters are built with 8” walls and have full sized handicap accessible 36” doors. The roof is coated with sealer and concrete UV elastic membrane covering which will help keep temperatures cool in the heat of summer. After completion a serial number is affixed to the shelter and a certificate issued stating that all components used by Protection Shelters LLC in construction of Tornado Shelters – doors, vents and louvers — have been tested, inspected and passed by the National Storm Shelter Association and Texas Tech Wind Science & Debris Impact Testing (the company that does testing for FEMA) — and meet the standards for design and construction of FEMA P-361, April 2021 Fourth Edition 2021 4th Edition and ICC 500 2020 Edition.

Tornado Storm Shelter installed in Basement

Each shelter bears a certificate with a serial number from the National Storm Shelter Association stating that the design, construction and installation meet the FEMA P-361, April 2021 Fourth Edition and ICC 500 2020 which are the highest standards for building tornado shelters. These shelters also have a tested steel debris resistant door.

South East Kansas Shelter

We offer concrete storm and tornado shelters in various standard sizes or can custom built group shelters to accommodate any number of people. Steel shelters, including handicap accessible storm shelters, can be custom built in the home, garage, or basement. To learn more, please visit our Above Ground Shelter page.

Almond Tree Group Shelter

Georgia Pacific Gypsum Corporation Storm Shelter

This storm shelter was built for Georgia Pacific Gypsum Corporation, in Acme, Tx. It will be used as a multi purpose room for safety meetings, safety orientation as well as a tornado shelter. The 30×35 Storm Shelter, built per Texas stamped sealed drawings to comply with State of Texas building codes and the specifications of FEMA 361 and ICC 500 Standards for the design and construction of storm shelters. This unit has multiple HVAC units for the movement of air to provide comfort.

Bathroom was roughed in (piping only) for sewer, water, drain, only and all piping stubbed through floor and exterior wall for future finishing. Electrical was exposed conduit with strip lighting and ninety minute battery backup system. The walls 8″ thick poured with 4000 PSI concrete and reinforced steel on 12” centers each. The roof double matted reinforced steel, 18″ thick poured with 4000 PSI concrete. Doors-two in number outswing per code, hinges, hardware and frames bear certification that product has passed testing for FEMA specifications used in a Group storm shelter. All components used were tested to withstand EF5 tornados and winds in excess of 250 mph. This Shelter was painted company colors of royal blue and white to match existing structures.

Winfield, KS Housing Authority Storm Shelter

This shelter is stand-alone with 2 doors, 1 bathroom, benches, fresh air vents and painted to match established buildings. To be drained in the winter this shelter is low cost maintenance and provides safety and security to numerous people from the surrounding area. Battery back-up lights provide 1 1/2 hours light should power be interrupted.

Concrete shelters can be custom built depending on your needs. Price on request. Complete our inquiry form for a custom quote.

Chapman Community Tornado Shelter

This shelter was built with stamped engineered drawings, and was partially funded by FEMA. Constructed of poured concrete, it was built with a dual purpose to be able to do your laundry and be able to look out a double-pane window from inside the shelter. This shelter is not only safe but also appealing by allowing residents to look through the washroom hallway to the outdoors. The glass window is covered by a Ceco Storm Pro 361 FEMA tested door. The hallway door is also a Ceco storm pro 361 that meets FEMA specifications. By installing a doorway in the laundry, the occupants never have to go outside. This shelter has handicap accessible restrooms with a walk through door from the main building to the shelter. A 90 minute backup power battery lighting is provided as well as a fresh air vent damper to be used in the event of a power failure.

Deliverable Shelters Gallery

Above Ground Handicap accessible concrete shelters as small as 8X8 to as large as 10X24 can be built and then delivered to your location and set in place. They require no additional anchoring, just flat level ground.

Build on Site Shelters

These shelters can be just a basic shelter or can provide an auxiliary multi-purpose space with drop ceilings, electricity, HVAC, bathrooms—Whatever your wants, needs and size requirements, we can provide a shelter that will more than meets your expectations.

If you would like to know more about these shelters, please visit the main Build on Site Shelters page.

Sargent Nebraska Shelter

We offer concrete storm shelters in various standard sizes as well as custom built group shelters to accommodate any number of people. Steel shelters, including handicap accessible storm shelters, can be custom built in the home, garage, or basement. To learn more, please visit our Above Ground Shelter page.

Debris Impact Testing

Part of the terror of an EF5 tornado like the one that hit Moore, OK is the notion that nothing above ground can survive a direct hit of 200 mph winds that rip homes off foundations.

But that’s not exactly true. Above ground storm shelters held up exceptionally well in that tornado and could be a better choice than a traditional underground storm cellar, said Larry Tanner, a research associate at the National Wind Institute at Texas Tech University.

Tanner was among a team of researchers from the institute that toured the damaged areas after the Moore tornado. They examined how different types of structures held up in the storm, with particular attention given to storm shelters.

if you would like to watch footage of our impact testing, you the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4vQ5_pZLro

Lyons Salt Company Storm Shelters

In March 2011, we installed an 8×10 concrete above-ground storm shelter to protect the employees at Kansas Ethanol in Lyons, Kansas.

We offer deliverable concrete tornado shelters in sizes as small as 4x 8 to as large as 10X24 or we can custom build on site a group shelter to accommodate any number of people.

Kansas Ethanol Storm Shelter