Rooms Safe From Tornado, Hurricane Winds And Rain
As part of your normal safety routine, you replace burned-out lightbulbs at the front door. Your test the smoke alarms and keep flashlights in strategic areas for when the power goes out. You might even have a sump pump or generator in the basement for emergencies. BUT, have you designated a place in your home that will protect your family from broken windows and flying debris during those “once in a lifetime” weather events? The basement or an interior room on the ground floor of your home is often the best location for a safe room; check out the storage space under the stairs. The criteria are to find a space without windows and with a lot of structural support. If you have already experienced a storm and have found yourself trying to clean up water damage or other types of storm damage, call a professional restoration company right away to minimize the extent of the damage.
Dedicated “Safe Rooms”
A safe room is a hardened structure specifically designed to meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) criteria and provide near-absolute protection in extreme weather events, including tornadoes and hurricanes. Near-absolute protection means that the occupants of a safe room built in accordance with FEMA guidance will have a very high probability of being protected from injury or death.
An experienced contractor can equip your safe room or storm shelter with reinforced floors, walls and ceilings. Safe rooms:
- Must be structurally isolated from the main structure of your home.
- Must be designed for wind speeds up to 250 mph and debris impacts from a 15 lb 2×4 board traveling at 100 mph.
- Must be securely anchored to the foundation.
Safe rooms installed in or over a crawl space must have a separate foundation and adequate ventilation. All components of safe rooms, including walls, ceilings, and door assemblies must be designed and tested to resist the specified wind forces and prevent perforation by wind-borne debris.
Estimated Costs
Costs for construction vary; the cost for constructing a safe room inside a new house is between $2,500 and $6,000. Such a room can double as a master closet, bathroom or utility room, depending on the type of foundation on which your house is built and the size and location of the shelter.
Restoring Storm Damage In Waukesha
Hopefully, you plan out space and never have to use it. However, if wind and rain have breached your roof, windows, or doors, call White Knight for immediate water damage board up and clean up.
Serving Waukesha, White Knight Carpet Rescue provides services to residential customers with a one hour or less response time. The company offers a wide selection of services to protect your home including intense cleaning, refinishing and emergency flood response.
The longer water damage goes unchecked, the more liquid will spread, the more harm done, and the greater the potential for mold growth. According to EPA.gov, it is important to dry these areas and items within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth. If your problem is too large to handle quickly on your own, enlist qualified experts like White Knights Carpet Rescuers in Waukesha today.
