General Discussion

Bigmack

(8,020 posts)

37. I'm reading all this about hard ground...

Mon May 20, 2013, 07:47 PM

May 2013

... high water table... etc.

I know that if I lived in tornado alley, I'd dig a goddam shelter with a pick and shovel if I didn't have the money to rent whatever equipment was needed.

Cement block or septic tank underground.. cement slab... one manhole with a loop to come-along the manhole to the inside of the shelter.

I don't care how small the town is... the goddam schools need shelters. Local volunteer labor... local cement company donations and rebar... at the least.

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Why can't they build a hill and then put a shelter below it? [View all] boston bean May 2013 OP

Maybe one in each neighborhood? Marrah_G May 2013 #1

expense? I dunno quinnox May 2013 #2

Eggzactly...most homes in OK have either basements or shelters angstlessk May 2013 #3

One report said the elementary school had a basement, but it was not designed as a shelter JPZenger May 2013 #71

Many homes in OK don't have basements The Velveteen Ocelot May 2013 #4

They should be mandated to have underground shelters in tornado alleys. boston bean May 2013 #6

Yep. There should be federal funding for shelters in schools in tornado areas. Lone_Star_Dem May 2013 #14

We cannot have basements here Texasgal May 2013 #30

and no need to pour a foundation below "the frost line" Kolesar May 2013 #51

You can bet that if they wanted to put a hotel or casino there, with a sub basement, they could RC May 2013 #52

maybe so Texasgal May 2013 #53

When I was a kid in Missouri justiceischeap May 2013 #5

There are ways. silverweb May 2013 #7

The school hallways are built to withstand a pretty strong tornado Horse with no Name May 2013 #8

Sad thing is, everyone knows underground shelters are boston bean May 2013 #10

I agree BUT Horse with no Name May 2013 #13

That is why it needs to be mandated somehow. boston bean May 2013 #17

I agree Horse with no Name May 2013 #21

To clarify, you are talking people who often don't have money for added taxes. nt Demo_Chris May 2013 #23

I disagree. n/t Horse with no Name May 2013 #24

With what? That people in many areas of the south are poor? Demo_Chris May 2013 #26

This is tea party talk Horse with no Name May 2013 #28

Get a grip, do some math, and save the Tea Party BS Demo_Chris May 2013 #31

Back off Horse with no Name May 2013 #32

Yeah, I live here too. In fact, until 10 minutes ago it looked like my town would be next Demo_Chris May 2013 #36

If they unified the school districts Horse with no Name May 2013 #39

I agree with you on the salaries... Demo_Chris May 2013 #42

One of the schools was in a congressman's neighborhood LeftInTX May 2013 #49

To clarify, the federal government should be paying for this, not just the local residents. boston bean May 2013 #25

I agree, but... Demo_Chris May 2013 #29

We could fund them Horse with no Name May 2013 #34

I'm sure you get the point I was making. It's fucking sad isn't it. nt Demo_Chris May 2013 #44

This we can agree on. Horse with no Name May 2013 #46

you as well. nt Demo_Chris May 2013 #50

In an F5 tornado, or an F6, which this one might be: Zoeisright May 2013 #48

That's how my brothers elemetary school in Nebraska was. One side of the school was underground, okaawhatever May 2013 #9

One of the schools in my county tried doing that back in the 90s... TheMightyFavog May 2013 #11

Just the shelter, not the entire school. boston bean May 2013 #15

They don't have basements in lots of Southern states BainsBane May 2013 #12

It has to do with the geology of the southern coasts: kentauros May 2013 #16

Thanks for the explanation BainsBane May 2013 #18

The ground is Austin is hard due to all the limestone. kentauros May 2013 #20

There's a good reason for why "massachusetts, where almost every home has a basement." kentauros May 2013 #19

You know we call them sellas right? boston bean May 2013 #22

No, but I can guess that's your colloquialism for kentauros May 2013 #27

Yup Marrah_G May 2013 #69

Which is back to its original purposes: living space and/or storage ;) kentauros May 2013 #72

I live in Connecticut. Almost everyone has some sort of basement. Jennicut May 2013 #59

My family lived in Connecticut in the late 1960s for a couple of years. kentauros May 2013 #61

Why don't they build homes that can withstand severe weather? MADem May 2013 #33

I had a similar idea -- why couldn't one or more of the hallways in every school be constructed Nay May 2013 #54

Get Guamanians to come to USA and build the schools! MADem May 2013 #60

almost nothing (except for underground) can survive F4-F6 tornadoes JCMach1 May 2013 #57

Not even a concrete egg surrounded by earthern berm? MADem May 2013 #58

maybe, but I still would not want to be above ground in such a powerful storm JCMach1 May 2013 #62

I've been in typhoons in the far east that went on for DAYS. MADem May 2013 #66

An 8 inch thick reinforced concrete structure most certainly would survive above ground. Hassin Bin Sober May 2013 #64

this is what can happen at just 135MPH JCMach1 May 2013 #65

You are confusing un-reinforced masonry (brick) with reinforced concrete. Hassin Bin Sober May 2013 #67

Bedrock... nadinbrzezinski May 2013 #35

I'm reading all this about hard ground... Bigmack May 2013 #37

I imagine some kind of shelters will now be built MNBrewer May 2013 #38

Build up the soil and place the shelter underneath that. boston bean May 2013 #40

I guess basements would be a bad idea, as some of the kids who died at one of the schools drowned, MNBrewer May 2013 #41

Im not suggesting a basement below the water table. I am suggesting boston bean May 2013 #45

I understand :) MNBrewer May 2013 #47

I remember a Twilight Zone episode about this loyalsister May 2013 #43

Concrete and steel would work well too. Can't take much room for 100 kids. nt piedmont May 2013 #55

They don't want to PAY for basements, that's the difference JCMach1 May 2013 #56

I suppose they'd rather rely on prayers and Gawd's blessings. kestrel91316 May 2013 #63

Yeah you sure got us pegged buddy CBGLuthier May 2013 #68

How would you do this? titaniumsalute May 2013 #70