by Blake Lee | Jan 15, 2018 | Storm Preparedness
Storm season is right around the corner which means many people are in the market for a new storm shelter for their home. We know that figuring out what type of shelter you need can be a difficult process so our team at F5 Storm Shelters is here to help. If you live anywhere around the Oklahoma city or Tulsa metro areas, you can call us an we will send a sales associate out to your house to go over all your options. WE have over 8 years experience in this business so we can help you decide what is the best type of shelter for your personal situation.
Our most common products that we sell are the underground garage models. While we are there, we can show you exactly where the shelter will be placed in the garage and go over with you how much space we will need cleared back in order to do the installation.
If you are thinking an above ground safe room may be more preferable, we can measure out areas in the garage that will fit our most popular size models. If nothing fits, we can measure out a custom size that will fit perfectly in the space you have. There is no extra charge to custom build a safe room. Just let us figure out the dimensions that will fit your space.
Lastly, if you are wanting a product outdoors in your yard, one of our sloped top cellars may be the perfect fit. WE can measure exactly how much access you have to your backyard and tell you whether or not you are a candidate for this type of installation. No guessing, you will know everything you need to know in order to go forward with a shelter installation that day. The best part about all of this is that it’s free! Just call or email us today and we can schedule a time around your convenience to meet with you and go over all your options and pricing. Storm season is almost here. Don’t be on a waiting list when it arrives. Call us today and set up your free in home consultation!
F5 Storm Shelters OKC (405) 824-7209
Tulsa (918) 970-4770 Stay Alive, Call F5!
www.f5stormsheltersok.com
by Blake Lee | Jan 13, 2015 | Uncategorized
F5 Storm Shelters opened our Tulsa location in June of 2014. It comes up quite a bit, but many people in the city have a feeling that Tulsa is a safe haven from tornadoes because a lot of the terrain in the NE region of Oklahoma is a bit more hilly. On the flip side, Oklahoma City, is in a much more flat area of the state and this leaves it more prone to tornadic activity. Is this information accurate? Does rougher terrain make it more difficult for severe weather to form? Is Tulsa protected against tornadoes? We wanted to find out.
A little bit of research and we discovered that tornadoes have been observed on terrain as high as 12,000 ft above sea level! There is also documentation of a tornado traveling up a 3,000 ft ridge unaffected.In 1944, a violent tornado cut a continuous path at least 60 miles through heavily mountainous territory in West Virginia, killing at least 100 people. Here are just a few examples of tornadoes we found that formed in rougher terrain:
A hill known as Burnett’s Mound on the southwest end of Topeka, Kansas was purported to protect the city from tornadoes, according to an old legend. However, in 1966, an F5 tornado passed directly over the hill through downtown, killing 18 people and causing $100 million in damage.
During the Super Outbreak, violent tornadoes crossed dozens of rivers, including the Ohio, Detroit River as well as crossing over mountains and ridges hundreds of feet high.
Another example of tornadoes hitting mountainous regions of the United States is the April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak, which hit mountainous parts of East Tennessee, Northeast Alabama, Southwest Virginia and North Georgia, killing many people, including an entire family of 4 in Ringgold, Georgia.
We are still figuring out how it is tornadoes form, but we do know that they can form anywhere. No terrain feature can prevent this from happening. Tulsa, like all of Oklahoma, is at extreme risk of having a tornado touch down at anytime of the year. Statistically, since 1950, Tulsa county and Oklahoma county have experienced almost the same amount of tornadoes. However, Tulsa has not gotten the giant F5 that has devastated OKC numerous times over the last decade. OKC has reported at least 2 F5 torandoes over the last 5 years. Joplin, Missouri has gotten one. Tulsa is located almost directly in the middle of both cities. It is not a matter of ‘If Tulsa can get hit by a tornado,’ it’s a matter of ‘when will Tulsa get hit by a tornado?’ Everybody in the state needs to be prepared for severe weather. We are here to help.
F5 Storm Shelters OKC (405) 824-7209
Tulsa (918) 970-4770 Stay Alive, Call F5!
by Blake Lee | Dec 19, 2014 | News
We thought it would be cool to come up with a list of facts about tornadoes that most people don’t know, but probably should. Living in tornado alley, it is important to know as much as you can about these terrible twisters in order to better stay safe when they touch down.
1. Most tornadoes tend to move from the Southwest towards the Northeast. It is also possible for them to move in the opposite direction for certain periods of time if the winds from the eye of the storm are strong enough.
2. Waterspouts are tornadoes that form over water. They tend to be weaker and usually occur during the late Fall or Winter seasons. If they do move on to land, they become full grown tornadoes.
3. On average. most funnel clouds last around 10 minutes. Most reported touchdowns only last a few seconds, but worst case scenario, some have been reported to be on the ground for over an hour.
4. The middle part of the country known as ‘The Great Plains’ (North Dakota down to Texas) is a breeding ground for tornadoes during the Spring and early Summer months. The flat terrain makes it easy for twisters to form.
5. Oklahoma City has been hit with more tornadoes then any other city in the United States! OKC has reported over 100 known tornado touch downs, but the numbers are thought to be much higher since documented reporting only goes back so far. OKC seems to be the bulls eye on the tornado map dart board.
6. Texas is the state with the most reported tornadoes. This is not surprising due to the massive size of the state.
7. Three out of every four tornadoes that touch down throughout the world, touch down in the United States!
8. The widest tornado ever reported and the tornado with the highest wind speeds ever reported both happened in……Oklahoma. In fact, the wind speeds reported during the Moore tornado in 1999 (302 mph) are the highest wind speeds reported on planet Earth!
9. The average time of the day to expect a tornado is between the hours of 3pm-9pm.
10. Tornadoes have occurred in every state in the United States and during every month of the calendar year.
by Blake Lee | Dec 1, 2014 | Storm Preparedness
Most people are well aware that spring time in Oklahoma means storm season. The Fall season is also a hot time of the year for producing tornadoes, but what about Winter? Is it possible to have tornadoes during the Winter months? The short answer is yes. Tornadoes can happen anywhere and at anytime. The state of Oklahoma has reported touchdowns in every month of the year. Obviously, the Spring time gets all the attention, and rightfully so. However, people need to be cautious of severe weather throughout the entire year. Since 1950, Oklahoma averages one tornado a month during the winter time.
Tornadoes that happen during the Winter season are different from their Spring counterparts. Winter tornadoes, although much more rare, are quite a bit faster then Spring time tornadoes. Winter tornadoes also develop a lot more quickly then Spring season tornadoes. This presents a pretty scary thought in the sense that you have tornadoes that move along the ground more quickly and form more quickly. This gives your family a lot less time less time to take cover. Winter tornadoes are also more likely to occur late at night. Tornadoes are often the last thing on a person’s mind during December so when you add in these factors, Winter tornadoes have potential to be more deadly then in the Spring! Make sure you practice a family tornado drill at your home every few months and always makes sure to be weather alert. There is little time to get to safety during the winter season when we experience severe weather.
Does your family have a plan? Do you have a place to go to insure that you are safe? If you have any questions then call us. One of our sales representatives would be more then happy to give you advice on a proper survival plan as well as give you information on all of our underground storm shelters and above ground safe rooms. We are here to help and will do everything in our power to help make sure all families in Oklahoma are safe during severe weather whenever it may strike. Stay Alive, Call F5!
Tornadoes by month in the state of oklahoma
F5 Storm Shelters OKC – 16524 N. Pennsylvania Ave. Edmond, Ok 73012 (405) 824-7209
F5 Storm Shelters of Tulsa 10846 S. Memorial Dr. Tulsa, Ok 74133 (918) 970-4770
by Blake Lee | Nov 14, 2014 | Uncategorized
We have all seen the Hollywood movies or heard the myths about being able to take shelter under a bridge or overpass during a tornado. The question is, is this really something that could save your life? Is it really safe to seek shelter under a bridge during a tornado? In reality, the answer to this question is pretty easy, NO. Seeking shelter under a bridge is extremely dangerous for numerous reasons.
1. You are still very vulnerable to being hit with all kinds of flying debris. The number one way people are killed during tornadoes is by going outside to seek shelter and eventually being hit with debris traveling hundreds of miles an hour. Being under a bridge does little to protect you from being hit.
2. Even if there is some type of barrier to hold on to, wind speeds can be in the excess of 200 miles per hour. This isn’t the movie ‘Twister.’ Not many people would be able to hold themselves against a barrier while fighting off wind speeds of that force for possibly multiple minutes. If you were pulled out from under the bridge, survival would not be likely.
3. Many people are aware that roads, and bridges for that matter, in this state are some times very old and dated. The structural integrity of many bridges during tornadoes is not known and many could fall apart due to excessive wind speeds crushing people below. Even if the bridge doesn’t completely fall apart it could still crack or chip causing debris that could still fall down on to people seeking shelter.
These are a few reasons why a person should not seek shelter from a tornado underneath a bridge. If your on the highway during a tornado, then what should you do? Definitely don’t stay in your car. Being in a parked vehicle is just as deadly as being under a bridge. Your only option in this scenario is to try and park your vehicle off of the highway and seek shelter inside some type of sturdy structure or lie flat on the ground as far away from the highway as you can get (to avoid being hit by cars that could be thrown by the tornado). Neither of these options are great and will still take luck in order to survive. In a prefect world, everybody would be able to get inside of a storm shelter. Being underground is your best bet of survival.
F5 STORM SHELTERS
Storm Shelters, Tornado Shelters, Safe Rooms
Tulsa – (918) 970-4770
Oklahoma City – (405) 824-7209
