Interest in Storm Shelters Rising in Texas Panhandle

In a region that frequently sees tornadoes, Texas Panhandle residents are considering storm shelters and other tools to stay safe in a twister as dangerous and deadly as the ones that have recently struck North Texas and Oklahoma.

Mike Vaughn, the president of an Amarillo concrete company tells the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports that his phones “have been ringing off the hook.” And a Lubbock homebuilder says buyers are increasingly asking about whether a new home comes with a shelter or a basement.

But specific data is hard to find. The newspaper reported that it wasn’t clear how many area residents have storm shelters. Officials are asking Lubbock residents to register their shelters, so first responders would know to look for them during search-and-rescue after a catastrophic storm.

Deadly tornadoes this year in North Texas and Moore, Okla., have heightened attention paid to storm shelters.

But shelters appear to be few and far between in Lubbock, particularly for people living in apartment complexes.

“I think that’s a very real concern,” said Ernst Kiesling, a Texas Tech University professor who researches wind hazards and safe room standards.

Kiesling said most structures built and kept in compliance with local codes would protect residents relatively well in a tornado.

“They may have a roof ripped off, but the structure generally remains,” he told the newspaper. “Of course, there are always exceptions.”

The kinds of tornadoes that can cause multiple deaths are “very rare,” Kiesling said. According to the National Climactic Data Center, about 95 percent of tornadoes in the United States fall below an intensity rating of EF3, the third-highest ranking used on a common scale.

Lubbock Mayor Glen Robertson said local leaders should consider how many residents can access a shelter in an emergency. But making shelters a requirement could drive up costs and force some people to relocate, he said.

“If we were to make those requirements, we could end up with an affordable housing problem,” he said.