![]() The standard gives the minimum requirements to safeguard safe room occupants from conditions commonly experienced during tornadoes and hurricanes. The criteria outline’s the standard for the design and construction of storm shelters and is considered the primary standard for storm safe rooms, storm shelters, and hurricane impact doors. The standard developed was entitled ICC 500 and was initially published in the Summer of 2008 and subsequently updated in 2014. FEMA P-361 also sets the criteria for FEMA tornado shelter grants and outlines the standards for design, construction, and operation of storm-safe rooms which include debris impact testing.Īfter years of post-disaster investigations into the performance of safe rooms and storm shelters, the International Code Council and the National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA) formed a national committee to develop a consensus standard to define the design and construction requirements of tornado and hurricane storm shelters. In 2000, FEMA published a follow-up document entitled FEMA P-361 – “Safe Rooms for Tornadoes and Hurricanes: Guidance for Community and Residential Safe Rooms” whereby community safe rooms are built for groups of 16 or more people. In fact, the United States sees more tornados, hurricanes, and high wind activity than any other place on the planet (National Centers for Environmental Information, n.d.) To combat these weather events, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 1998 published FEMA P-320 – “Taking Shelter from the Storm – Building a Safe Room for Your Home or Small Business.” This document outlines the official standards for the design and construction of safe room storm shelters in the US. ![]() In parts of the US – tornadoes and hurricanes are an expected part of life. The list can be used by consumers and industry as a resource of knowledge gained from past testing to determine which wall sections could be considered for use in a safe room application.A Quick-Reference Guide for Manufacturers of High-Performance Storm Shelter Doors Report information typically includes a description of the wall construction- stud wall with plywood and/or metal sheathing, stud wall with concrete infill, reinforced CMU wall, insulating concrete form wall-cross-section illustration, test missile speed and description of damage. The testing on these wall sections may or may not have been more stringent than current standards, and it is important to note that they may not necessarily pass current missile impact testing. ![]() The Texas Tech University National Wind Institute (NWI) provides reports on wall sections that passed previous missile impact testing standards, and more information on the testing protocol. Wall Sections That Passed Previous Missile Impact Test
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