Indiana's leading single family Tornado shelter solution
With over 20 years of industry leading experience and innovation, Granger Plastics continues to be the leading manufacturer of single family, underground Tornado shelters.
Do I need a Tornado Shelter?
Will your family will be safe in the event of a severe storm or tornado? If you are asking yourself this question purchasing a Tornado shelter for your home can offer peace of mind. Having a safe place to go in an emergency is an investment into the safety of your family. When making this decision there are many things to consider. There are many different types of Tornado shelters available and navigating these differences is the first step to making sure your investment goes as far as possible.
Tornado Shelter Safety
When thinking about buying a Tornado shelter the cost, size, material and installation process are usually the initial considerations. There are many sizes and shapes of shelters from very small to those able to protect entire communities. The size of a Tornado shelter needed is largely determined by the size of the family using it. Though most storms will not require long stays in a shelter, being sure there is comfortable seating and ample room for some emergency supplies is important.
Underground is Safest
There is also the consideration of if a below ground shelter or above ground shelter is right for your family. Being under the ground is the safest place to be in a tornado and an in-ground shelter designed to protect you in these storms is safer than any basement. Any person who is physically able to get into an underground unit is safest in the ground. For those who are not physically able to get into an underground Tornado shelter there are many above ground options available. Though above grounds units have been known to perform well in tornados, being above ground simply is not as safe as being below the ground.
Shelter Materials Make a difference
Understanding the material a tornado shelter is manufactured from is the most important element to consider how long your shelter will last. This is especially true for in-ground tornado shelters. The material a shelter is made from dramatically influences maintenance and lifespan of this type of product. Some materials deteriorate much faster than others, especially if they are buried in the ground. Different shelters need different degrees of maintenance which can include painting, cleaning, patching cracks or deterioration, oiling hinges, inspecting latches and scraping rust.
Shelter Door = Safety and Security
The most important part of any Tornado shelter is the door. For most underground tornado shelters the door is the only part exposed to the tornado. Because the door being safe is such an essential part of being protected, FEMA requires shelter doors to be tested to withstand an F5 tornado. Manufacturers of shelter doors that have been tested to withstand an F5 tornado should be able to verify that they have exceeded FEMA 320 or FEMA 361 requirements by documentation of the test.
Industry leading features
The Granger ISS answers both safety and durability concerns and is manufactured by a company with two decades of experience with this type of product. The Granger ISS manufactured by Granger Plastics Company is a rotationally molded tornado shelter made of polyethylene. The polyethylene construction of the Granger ISS will last longer than any other material on the market. The door of the unit, also polyethylene is both FEMA 320 and FEMA 361 exceeding.
Innovative Safety
The Granger ISS Tornado shelter also has many other benefits such as the double wall design which is foam filled for extra rigidity. The foam also acts as an insulator providing additional comfort to the interior of the shelter and more resistant to condensation. The Granger ISS has a reverse taper design which does not require the unit to have an anchoring system. This means a faster easier installation and the possibility of installation in areas other underground Tornado shelters would have issues.