by Blake Lee | Dec 1, 2014 | Storm Preparedness
Most people are well aware that spring time in Oklahoma means storm season. The Fall season is also a hot time of the year for producing tornadoes, but what about Winter? Is it possible to have tornadoes during the Winter months? The short answer is yes. Tornadoes can happen anywhere and at anytime. The state of Oklahoma has reported touchdowns in every month of the year. Obviously, the Spring time gets all the attention, and rightfully so. However, people need to be cautious of severe weather throughout the entire year. Since 1950, Oklahoma averages one tornado a month during the winter time.
Tornadoes that happen during the Winter season are different from their Spring counterparts. Winter tornadoes, although much more rare, are quite a bit faster then Spring time tornadoes. Winter tornadoes also develop a lot more quickly then Spring season tornadoes. This presents a pretty scary thought in the sense that you have tornadoes that move along the ground more quickly and form more quickly. This gives your family a lot less time less time to take cover. Winter tornadoes are also more likely to occur late at night. Tornadoes are often the last thing on a person’s mind during December so when you add in these factors, Winter tornadoes have potential to be more deadly then in the Spring! Make sure you practice a family tornado drill at your home every few months and always makes sure to be weather alert. There is little time to get to safety during the winter season when we experience severe weather.
Does your family have a plan? Do you have a place to go to insure that you are safe? If you have any questions then call us. One of our sales representatives would be more then happy to give you advice on a proper survival plan as well as give you information on all of our underground storm shelters and above ground safe rooms. We are here to help and will do everything in our power to help make sure all families in Oklahoma are safe during severe weather whenever it may strike. Stay Alive, Call F5!
Tornadoes by month in the state of oklahoma
F5 Storm Shelters OKC – 16524 N. Pennsylvania Ave. Edmond, Ok 73012 (405) 824-7209
F5 Storm Shelters of Tulsa 10846 S. Memorial Dr. Tulsa, Ok 74133 (918) 970-4770
by Blake Lee | Nov 17, 2014 | Installation Projects
Are you thinking about building a new home or even in the process of building? Have you been putting off buying a storm shelter because you have known the passed few years that you were not going to be in your current home long term? If any of these scenarios describe your current situation then F5 Storm Shelters has an idea that may be of interest to you. If you are about to start building and are interested in putting in a storm shelter then a really smart idea is to do a pre-construction installation. You may be asking yourself, ‘what does this mean?’ The answer is this, a pre-construction install (or, as we like to call it, a Dig and Stick) is done right before your builder is planning on pouring your slab.
This time of the year is a perfect for pre-construction jobs because we are not as backed up as we are in the Spring and Summer seasons so they are a lot easier to plan and coordinate. We can coordinate with your builder when he/she is planning on pouring the slab for your foundation. Once we know the date and as it gets closer to that time we will talk with your builder and make sure they are on schedule and ready for the tornado shelter to be installed. These jobs are pretty similar to a regular job in the fact that when we show up we will dig out the area you and your builder have marked for where you are wanting the storm shelter. WE dig the hole and once it is level, we put the shelter in the ground. We tell the builder ahead of time to mark on the stem wall were they are planning to pour the slab to and that marker gives us the area where we need to set the shelter to.
Once the shelter is properly in place, we will back fill down the sides of the storm shelter with some of the dirt we dig out. Tamping this dirt will insure that the shelter will not move prior to the pouring of your foundation. We will wrap up the lids with plastic wrap just in case in rains before they have all the framing and roof done. This will help eliminate any water or debri from getting inside. Within a few days, the foundation will be ready to be poured and they will pour wet concrete down the sides of the storm shelter, anchoring the shelter into the grounds. After this is completed, you have yourself a fully installed storm shelter. It’s just that easy.
Why install it this way and not just worry about it once the house is completed you may be thinking? Well, there are a few reasons. First of all is money. This type of installation is cheaper for the customer. At F5 Storm Shelters, you can save $150 by getting your shelter installed pre-construction because this type of install takes a lot less time. Typically, we can complete a pre-construction job in an hour and a half to two hours. Normal installs take anywhere from four to eight hours depending on size. WE also don’t have to worry about doing any of the concrete work because the people that pour the foundation will be taking care of it. Another reason to install your storm shelter pre-construction is because of placement. WE can put these shelters anywhere in the garage or house. We typically install tornado shelters about a foot in from your garage door and then about two and a half feet in from the exterior wall. We have a lot more freedom with pre-construction installations because there are not any obstacles in our way and we don’t have to worry about hitting any of your property. We have installed underground garage shelters in bedroom closets and underneath future stair cases by doing this type of installation.
If you have any questions or want more info about pre-construction installations, call one of our two locations.
F5 Storm Shelters OKC (405) 824-7209
Tulsa (918) 970-4770 Stay Alive, Call F5!
Pre construction storm shelter installation
Storm shelter installed in back of garage
by Blake Lee | Nov 14, 2014 | Uncategorized
We have all seen the Hollywood movies or heard the myths about being able to take shelter under a bridge or overpass during a tornado. The question is, is this really something that could save your life? Is it really safe to seek shelter under a bridge during a tornado? In reality, the answer to this question is pretty easy, NO. Seeking shelter under a bridge is extremely dangerous for numerous reasons.
1. You are still very vulnerable to being hit with all kinds of flying debris. The number one way people are killed during tornadoes is by going outside to seek shelter and eventually being hit with debris traveling hundreds of miles an hour. Being under a bridge does little to protect you from being hit.
2. Even if there is some type of barrier to hold on to, wind speeds can be in the excess of 200 miles per hour. This isn’t the movie ‘Twister.’ Not many people would be able to hold themselves against a barrier while fighting off wind speeds of that force for possibly multiple minutes. If you were pulled out from under the bridge, survival would not be likely.
3. Many people are aware that roads, and bridges for that matter, in this state are some times very old and dated. The structural integrity of many bridges during tornadoes is not known and many could fall apart due to excessive wind speeds crushing people below. Even if the bridge doesn’t completely fall apart it could still crack or chip causing debris that could still fall down on to people seeking shelter.
These are a few reasons why a person should not seek shelter from a tornado underneath a bridge. If your on the highway during a tornado, then what should you do? Definitely don’t stay in your car. Being in a parked vehicle is just as deadly as being under a bridge. Your only option in this scenario is to try and park your vehicle off of the highway and seek shelter inside some type of sturdy structure or lie flat on the ground as far away from the highway as you can get (to avoid being hit by cars that could be thrown by the tornado). Neither of these options are great and will still take luck in order to survive. In a prefect world, everybody would be able to get inside of a storm shelter. Being underground is your best bet of survival.
F5 STORM SHELTERS
Storm Shelters, Tornado Shelters, Safe Rooms
Tulsa – (918) 970-4770
Oklahoma City – (405) 824-7209
by Blake Lee | Nov 5, 2014 | Storm Preparedness
We know that it is the beginning of November and not to many people are thinking about severe weather, but we think now is the perfect time to advise people on what they can do to get their family ready for Oklahoma’s next storm season. Here is a list of things you can do to make sure that you are prepared for when tornado season begins (in just a few months from now I might add).
1. GET A STORM SHELTER!! If you haven’t got one already then this is the absolute first thing that you need to do. Storm shelters not only offer you a safe haven from severe weather, but they also offer you piece of mind. It’s is a very relaxing feeling to know that even if the tornado sirens are going off, that you have a place to take your family. If you live in the state of Oklahoma, it is extremely important that you have some type of tornado shelter at your home. If you don’t have a shelter, right now is the perfect time of the year to get one. Let everybody else focus on the holidays and wait until February or March to call and get on a waiting list. By that time, you will already have yours installed and for quite a bit less money 🙂
2. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR STORM SHELTER SUPPLIED WITH SURVIVAL ITEMS. Don’t put off getting all the necessary items you need for inside your shelter. In case you don’t know what items you will need, we recommend having flash lights, weather radio, bottles of water, fan, non perishable food items, and an air horn. Another heads up, make sure all the items you keep inside your shelter are battery powered. You may not have power when using your storm shelter during a tornado so plan accordingly. We also recommend getting a five gallon bucket to store all your items. This way nothing gets lost or misplaced.
3. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. Remember back in school when we used to have to practice doing fire drills? This is a similar concept. Once every couple of months, get together as a family and simulate being under a tornado warning. In case you didn’t know, tornado watch = take caution, tornado warning = take action. Practice getting in and out of your storm shelter or safe room. Make sure everybody in the family knows how to open the lid and get inside. You never know what time of the day a tornado will hit. It is likely that children could be home by themselves so it is very important that they know how to use the storm shelter. Lucky for you, we make our shelters very easy to use for just this type of situation.
4. INSPECT YOUR SHELTER. It is a good idea to look inside your tornado shelter from time to time. If your shelter has a leak and is allowing water inside it is much better to figure that out before you have to use it during storm season. Leaks don’t happen often, but if you notice one, they are a very easy fix. Another thing that I do with my shelter is to bug bomb it once or twice a year to eliminate insects and other undesirable critters.
If you have any questions or concerns you can always give us a call. If you are interested in installing a storm shelter or safe room at your house, we can help with that as well. We have show rooms in both Oklahoma City and Tulsa so it’s easy for just about anybody in the state to see us.
Underground Garage Tornado Shelter In Broken Arrow
F5 STORM SHELTERS
Storm Shelters, Tornado Shelters, Safe Rooms
Tulsa – (918) 970-4770
Oklahoma City – (405) 824-7209
by Blake Lee | Nov 3, 2014 | News
THE BEST TIME TO PURCHASE A STORM SHELTER
Most people don’t know this, but one of the best times to purchase a storm shelter is during the Fall and Winter seasons. One of the main reasons for this is because there are not a lot of long waiting list. You can typically get your storm shelter installed within 2-3 weeks of purchase as opposed to in the Spring and Summer months when the wait could be multiple months. Choosing to purchase a storm shelter now is smart because it guarantees that you will have the shelter when you know you are going to need it, during storm season. Waiting until March to sign up for installation can almost guarantee you the you wont have it until the following years storm season. This can be kind of frustrating.
Another great reason to purchase a storm shelter later on in the year is the savings! Who doesn’t love saving money? Storm shelter demand is obviously a lot lower in November then it is in April or May.
This strongly benefits the customer. Right now, we are taking $200 off any storm shelter or safe room purchase. This deal will not be around in the Spring. Take advantage of the time of the year and get your family prepared for next storm season!
If you are interested in purchasing a storm shelter or if you won one of the many rebate programs going on through out the state then give us a call. We can answer any questions you may have and would love to help you protect your family. We sell all types of storm shelters. From our most poplar seller, the underground garage model, to above ground safe rooms, and outdoor storm cellars, F5 Storm Shelters has you covered. With locations in both Tulsa and Oklahoma City, we can get anywhere in the state easily. Call us today! Stay Alive, Call F5!
F5 STORM SHELTERS
Storm Shelters, Tornado Shelters, Safe Rooms
Tulsa – (918) 970-4770
Oklahoma City – (405) 824-7209
