General Discussion

Hassin Bin Sober

(27,424 posts)

64. An 8 inch thick reinforced concrete structure most certainly would survive above ground.

Mon May 20, 2013, 10:34 PM

May 2013

An outlet mall is a bad example of sturdy construction. Most are built on the cheap - steel or no steel. They are still flimsy. Paper thin walls just act as the sail to break the mast (steel).

Not much beats steel (for tensile strength) reinforced concrete (for mass and rigidity). There is a reason they make bunkers (above and below ground) out of it.

If lived in one of those tornado prone areas I would be investing a few hundred dollars in concrete and rebar to make me a shelter.

A great project for a local college would be a design contest for low cost, easy to build, effective, above ground shelters.

Click here to purchase valentine hearts!

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

72 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

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