Community Tornado Shelters

Community/Commercial Tornado Shelter

A Community tornado storm shelter is defined as any tornado shelter not defined as a residential tornado shelter. These tornado shelters include both public tornado shelters and private tornado shelters for business and other types of organizations. Community tornado safe rooms have been designed and constructed to the highest criteria set forth in FEMA P-361 and the standards set forth in the ICC/NSSA 500. Any group involved in designing and constructing community tornado safe rooms should also obtain the latest guidance from the appropriate FEMA regional office.

FEMA defines a community safe tornado shelter as providing: “near absolute protection based on their current knowledge of tornadoes and hurricanes. The occupants of a tornado shelter built according to FEMA criteria (including operational and emergency planning criteria) will have a very high probability of being protected from injury or death.”

Community/Commercial Tornado Shelter

The NSSA prefers to use the terminology Community/Commercial when referring to tornado shelters that qualify as Community Tornado Shelters under the NSSA/ICC 500 Standard and FEMA P-361 guidelines given above. The reason we do this is because it best describes the real world uses of these Tornado Shelters.

Many businesses, both public and private, provide tornado shelters for their employees for protection from tornadoes. Highway departments, oil companies, wind farms and others provide remote rural locations with tornado shelters.

Simply put tornado shelters are not only used for community based projects like schools, rest areas, parks, and community shelters, but they have been adopted for many commercial reasons as well.

Community/Commercial Tornado Storm Shelter

Option 1 - Pre-Manufactured Tornado Shelters

Pre-Manufactured Advantages

Flexibility – Can serve multiple purposes and provide storm protection
- Archive Storage – Communications Control Rooms – Equipment Rooms
Mobility – Ability on most models to be relocated to help expansion or new locations
Wide Variety – Sizes, construction materials and accessories such as heating, cooling, and lavatories.
Adaptability – Can normally be added on to or connected to an additional tornado shelters.

Pre-Manufactured Community/ Commercial Tornado Shelters Listings

Producer Members

Professional Designers

THird Party Reviewers

Option 2 - Site Built Tornado Shelters

Site Built Tornado Shelter Advantages

Design – Meet your architectural preferences and provide for multi-purpose use.
Construction – Ability to bid or choose contractor of choice.
Control – Hire a general contractor to provide all your needs or put together a team of professionals.