Backyard Storm Shelters Become Relics Of The Past

[Purveyor]

(05-27) 12:36 PDT Little Rock, Ark. (AP) --

When storm clouds threatened Tornado Alley back in the 1930s and `40s, thousands of families knew just where to go: a bunker-like cellar or underground shelter in the backyard that could withstand even the strongest twister.

But old-fashioned storm shelters have become relics of the past as developers increasingly build homes and entire neighborhoods without them. That leaves many people with nowhere to go except an interior hallway or a bathroom when the sirens blow. And as this week's storm in Joplin proved, that's often not enough.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/05/27/national/a123613D39.DTL#ixzz1NaGN1LL4