survival – Rising S Bunkers – American made All Steel Bunkers and Bomb Shelters

Many homeowners seek ways to protect their loved ones and property from the dangers of severe storms. Safe rooms and storm shelters are two common solutions for dealing with unpredictable weather. While many people often use these terms interchangeably, they have some significant differences.

Storms, tornadoes, hurricanes and other severe weather events are becoming more common. By October 2023, the United States had already experienced 24 extreme weather events, costing the government over $1 billion in repairs. This figure surpasses the record of 22 in 2020. Because of this rise in dangerous circumstances, it’s best to prepare so you can protect yourself and your family.

Safe Rooms: A Closer Look

Safe rooms are fortified areas within a house to protect against severe weather events, such as tornadoes or hurricanes. These rooms can withstand powerful winds and debris, ensuring the safety of those inside. You can retrofit safe rooms into existing homes or integrate them into new constructions.

Safe rooms are typically part of the house’s existing layout, often resembling a closet, bathroom or basement. Their positioning within the home ensures easy accessibility during an emergency. Safe rooms are constructed using heavy-duty materials, such as concrete or steel. Walls, ceilings and doors can endure high winds, flying debris and even minor structural damage.

Safe rooms often feature ventilation systems, lighting and communication tools and are sometimes stocked with non-perishables, ensuring safety and comfort during a storm.

Benefits of Safe Rooms

Safe rooms have the following benefits:

Protection from flying debris: Their solid construction helps shield occupants from potentially deadly projectiles during storms.
Convenience: Safe rooms offer the primary benefit of being readily accessible within the home. This accessibility is ideal for families seeking a swift and secure refuge during severe weather.
Comfort: Safe rooms often include ventilation, lighting and communication systems, offering a more comfortable environment for occupants during extended periods of sheltering.
Customization: You can tailor your safe room to suit your family’s needs and preferences, allowing for design elements that align with your home’s aesthetics. You can upgrade them to include additional features like storage shelving, generators, bunk beds, air filtration systems and even toilets. You can also get concealed built-in gun vaults for added protection.
Year-round use: Safe rooms can also double as storage spaces or functional rooms in your home when not needed for storm protection.
Affordability: Integrating a safe room into an existing structure may be more cost-effective since you can utilize the building’s structural elements. Costs can vary based on size, location and features.
Protection during break-ins: A significant advantage of a safe room is its ability to provide protection from potential intruders. They have reinforced walls and locks, making them a secure refuge during home invasions or other security threats. In 2019, approximately 1 million burglaries occurred in the U.S. In times of danger, occupants can seek safety in these rooms, knowing they have a secure space to protect themselves and their valuables.
Increased property value: Safe rooms are valuable additions to residences, and their presence can be an attractive selling point for future buyers. Homebuyers often view safe rooms as an investment in their family’s safety and security, making the property more appealing. Some homeowners may even qualify for insurance discounts or incentives, further enhancing the economic value.
Security for valuables: Safe rooms offer a secure location to house valuable belongings, documents and cherished items. This added layer of protection can be particularly beneficial for homeowners with assets they want to keep safe from natural disasters and theft.

Storm Shelters: A Closer Look

Storm shelters are standalone structures designed solely for protection during severe weather. Unlike safe rooms, they are typically located outside the house or as a separate building on the property.

Storm shelters are above-ground or below-ground. Above-ground storm shelters are often pre-fabricated and installed near the home. Below-ground shelters are dug into the ground, offering protection from wind and flying debris.

Storm shelters consist of robust materials and thick walls capable of withstanding strong winds and debris impact. These shelters generally feature reinforced doors and ventilation systems. Some models may serve other functions, such as storage space or even an additional living area.

Benefits of Storm Shelters

Storm shelters offer the following benefits:

Accessibility: Storm shelters extend their benefits to individuals who may not have a safe room within their homes, providing a dedicated space for protection.
Multipurpose use: Some storm shelters offer more than a secure space for safety, serving as an additional living area or storage space.
Independence from home structure: Storm shelters are less dependent on the structural integrity of your home, which can be crucial in situations where your home may not be safe to remain in due to damage or flooding.
Location flexibility: You can position storm shelters strategically to minimize flooding risks, as they’re not confined to the layout of your home. They’re adaptable to a variety of terrains and property sizes.
Easy to install: Storm shelters are relatively simple to install. You can place standalone storm shelters in a yard, offering convenient and quick access without requiring major structural modifications to an existing building. This advantage makes them a suitable option for homeowners who want to avoid making changes to their homes.
Peace of mind: Knowing you have a dedicated and specialized structure for storm protection provides a sense of security, especially in disaster-prone areas.
Financial incentives: In some regions, governments offer financial incentives or rebates to encourage the installation of storm shelters. These incentives can help offset the initial costs, making them a more cost-effective choice.
Easy relocation: You can move above-ground storm shelters, offering flexibility if you decide to change the shelter’s location or take it with you if you move to a new property. This portability can be an advantage, especially for those in rental homes or planning to move in the future.
Protection from windborne objects: Windborne objects cause the most tornado damage, and while most above-ground shelters are sturdy, below-ground shelters offer extra protection.
Low maintenance requirements: Storm shelters usually require minimal maintenance. They can endure harsh weather conditions, and their materials ensure their durability. This durability means that once installed, there’s little upkeep necessary to keep the shelter in good working condition.
Scalability: If you have a growing family or need to accommodate more people during an emergency, upgrading your storm shelter or adding additional units to meet your needs is relatively easy.
Community safety initiatives: Community storm shelters contribute to a broader safety network in regions prone to disasters. They offer protection for individuals who may not have access to private shelters and can be a vital resource during emergencies.

Choosing the Right Option for You

Choosing between a safe room and a storm shelter depends on your specific needs and circumstances.

A safe room integrated into your home may be the better choice if you’re looking for versatile protection that can serve in various emergencies. It offers the convenience of easy access during emergencies, potentially lower costs and can also provide peace of mind against weather-related threats and intruders.

If your primary concern is protecting your family during extreme weather events, a dedicated storm shelter may be preferable. While it may involve higher initial costs and require going outside to access, it’s specifically engineered to withstand storms, ensuring maximum protection when tornadoes or hurricanes strike.

Choosing between a safe room and a storm shelter should be based on your unique circumstances and the hazards most prevalent in your area.

Prioritize Your Safety

While both safe rooms and storm shelters provide valuable protection from extreme weather events, their differences lie in their intended purpose, construction standards, cost and accessibility. Understanding these distinctions can help individuals and communities make informed choices about the type of protection that best suits their needs. Either way, your safety should be a top priority.

Steel fabrication is the procedure behind the creation of a wide variety of products, including survival bunkers and storm shelters. It involves many different techniques and requires pinpoint accuracy, but it’s the most efficient way to turn raw steel into complex structures.

Here’s a full breakdown of the steel fabrication process and its many benefits — plus the advantages of having a steel bunker over other materials.

A Simple Breakdown of Steel Fabrication

In a nutshell, steel fabrication is the practice of creating steel items through secondary manufacturing methods. While primary steel manufacturing takes place in steel mills and foundries, steel fabrication takes place in your average warehouse or assembly plant. This industry is more efficient than ever thanks to advancements in automated manufacturing.

Steel fabrication takes semi-finished steel items and turns them into finished products in a handful of ways:

Cutting: Technicians fracture the steel with a saw, drill or grinder into the desired shape, leaving small pieces called “chips” behind. Chips are recycled or repurposed for other items.
Welding: Instead of splitting up the steel, welding fuses two or more parts together through heat and pressure. Gas metal arc welding is the most common type.
Bending: Workers use a press brake tool to force steel sheets or rods into a predetermined shape.
Drilling: Drilling is a specific cutting technique that bores holes with specific dimensions into the steel, which requires a high-speed steel drill bit.
Bolting: After drilling the required holes, two or more steel parts may be bolted together with semi-permanent joints.
Coating: Metal coating is often applied to steel surfaces as a protective barrier against oxidation, which causes rust and corrosion. The process usually consists of hot-dip galvanizing or thermal spraying.

Each of these techniques has its place, but cutting is usually the primary steel fabrication method because pre-fabricated steel often gets split into multiple units. Bandsaws are the main tools for the job, as there are many specialty saws that can cut through heavy steel grades like a hot knife through butter.

Steel fabrication isn’t always the same as metal fabrication. The latter process deals with raw metals like copper and titanium, but steel is an alloy made from iron ore. Alloys go through a more intense fabrication because they’re stronger than naturally occurring metals. It starts with the purification of iron ore, followed by the addition of carbon to lower its melting point.

Other common alloy elements that manufacturers add to steel include aluminum, chromium, nickel, copper and manganese. They all have varying effects, but their overarching purpose is to make steel stronger and yet more malleable.

Benefits of Steel Fabrication

When it comes to underground shelters, fabricated steel is the best material hands down. A steel bunker is the safest place someone can be during an emergency event. Here are some of the biggest reasons why steel fabrication is so valuable for bunker construction.

Saves Time and Money

Fabricated steel is much easier to install than other metals during construction. The steel already has the required dimensions to seamlessly fit within the building’s infrastructure. It’s much easier to prepare the steel in a controlled environment and transport the finished parts to the worksite. Technicians can prepare each part with pinpoint accuracy, allowing for greater customization.

Steel fabrication is an essential component of a greater trend called prefabricated construction. With “prefab” construction, workers develop sections of the building off-site and transport them to the site for assembly later on. This new method of construction makes it much easier to add steel panels, beams, trusses and fasteners.

Enhances Steel’s Durability

Steel is already one of the most durable and long-lasting metals available, which is why it’s so popular in construction. Steel fabrication enhances these qualities even further. Technicians can cut, bend and weld the steel into exact shapes, drill or bolt parts together and add protective coatings.

These improvements make steel the superior material for underground structures because it can withstand cracks, corrosion, moisture and harsh weather. Buildings with fabricated steel are more likely to last for their expected lifespans and less likely to require frequent maintenance.

Better for the Environment

Fabricated steel is also the best choice for the environment. It’s corrosion resistant, which means it takes a long time to decompose and seep into the earth at landfills. Buildings with fabricated parts also tend to produce less construction waste — especially timber, concrete and steel. Waste is the biggest contributor to the construction industry’s overall pollution.

Steel is also 100% recyclable, meaning that builders can repurpose it again and again without sacrificing its durability. In theory, a building’s panels and beams could consist entirely of recycled steel with no difference in quality.

Advantages of Steel Bunkers

Underground shelters are either made of steel or concrete. Although concrete is usually more affordable and easier to install, steel has some more important advantages. Here are the most relevant reasons why fabricated steel is the best choice.

Unmatched Flexibility

Bunkers come in many shapes and sizes. There is no one-size-fits-all solution because every family has different needs and preferences. That’s the biggest reason why steel is the perfect material. Steel bunkers are fully customizable for both security and luxury, allowing homeowners to specify every detail and make changes during construction as necessary.

For example, a family might need handicap accessibility for an elderly or disabled relative. They might also want to expand the bunker in the future if they plan on having more children. Whether they want to add another bedroom, kitchen, bathroom or recreation center, these customization options are the easiest to pull off with steel.

Resilient to the Elements

The strongest survival bunkers are made of quarter-inch carbon plate steel, which is two times thicker than federal requirements for steel structures. This level of thickness makes bunkers twice as resilient against the elements, including earthquakes. It would take an apocalyptic disaster to remove a steel bunker from its foundations.

Steel plates also usually have industrial rubber coatings that improve the shelter’s longevity. The coating provides extra protection against all forms of corrosion. This added layer is a huge advantage for underground shelters because they’re supposed to support long-term residency. Occupants might have to stay there for years, so they need all the protection they can get.

Steel’s anti-corrosive quality also neutralizes the greatest nonlethal threat to underground bunkers — moisture. Over time, rain and groundwater can corrode concrete and other metals, leading to leaks, mold and significant foundational damage. Steel doesn’t absorb any water, so the bunker’s occupants never have to worry about these problems.

Those who are willing to pay extra can also request galvanized steel, which has an extra coating of zinc. Galvanized steel is more resistant to rust than regular steel, and it can also protect against fire more effectively. Fire resistance is a must-have for bomb shelters in particular.

Fabricated Steel is the Only Real Option

Based on all of these benefits of fabricated steel — both in terms of construction and long-term performance — this material is the only real option for survival bunkers. No other material can offer the same combination of durability and flexibility.

While it’s not the cheapest option, money shouldn’t be the deciding factor when preparing for potential disasters. The deciding factor should be which material gives the best chance of survival, and fabricated steel is the clear answer.

Tag: survival

What’s the Difference Between a Safe Room and a Storm Shelter?