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Why don't tornado prone areas have more safe home options other than going entirely underground? Like an actual concrete home or more use of steel beams? I know

Why don't tornado prone areas have more safe home options other than going entirely underground? Like an actual concrete home or more use of steel beams? I know it's more expensive but with the tornados seemingly increasing in intensity due to climate change, they're still less expensive than starting over entirely with a new home.

lopmotr 6y ago
Probably still not economically feasible: "Lloyd’s of London puts the odds of a structure in Tornado Alley ever taking a direct hit from a tornado at 5,000 to 1." [1] [1] https://www.builderonline.com/building/predictable-destruction-building-in-tornado-alley_o https://www.builderonline.com/building/predictable-destructi...
thingsgoup 6y ago
It’s much more reasonable to build/install a storm shelter and - in the unlikely event that you must use it - let insurance bear the cost of repairing/rebuilding the home, putting your family in a hotel, etc.
kyuudou 6y ago
I've recently read about ICF (Insulating Concrete Form) houses fairing well in tornado environments, with an anecdotal report about a neighborhood whose ICF houses mostly stood after being otherwise flattened by a large tornado. Here[1] are some more reports on that. ICF seems like a decent compromise between a typical NA wood+drywall home and a moldy concrete fortress. Basically a lego-like form of blocks is built and a lighter concrete mix is sprayed into it then the blocks removed. I've been tracking Handeeman[2] on youtube since about a year after started their homestead in SE Arizona which is how I first heard about ICF as they just raised a new ICF home on their property. The guy does some great drone and video work tracking his progress and it's honestly quite inspiring to watch them go. They are trying to rely totally on rainwater collected from the brief annual monsoon rains and eventually to be self-sustaining with their vegan lifestyle. 1: https://icfhomesofva.com/2019/02/14/icfs-turn-tornados-into-tornadonts/ https://icfhomesofva.com/2019/02/14/icfs-turn-tornados-into-... 2: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb0s0qC96lCcx2pO2za6mcw https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb0s0qC96lCcx2pO2za6mcw
bluGill 6y ago
Tornados are strong winds - it is hard to build anything that will stand a big one. That said, modern engineering has learned a lot and new houses will fare better (but they may not survive either)

lopmotr 6y ago

Probably still not economically feasible: "Lloyd’s of London puts the odds of a structure in Tornado Alley ever taking a direct hit from a tornado at 5,000 to 1." [1] [1] https://www.builderonline.com/building/predictable-destruction-building-in-tornado-alley_o https://www.builderonline.com/building/predictable-destructi...

thingsgoup 6y ago

It’s much more reasonable to build/install a storm shelter and - in the unlikely event that you must use it - let insurance bear the cost of repairing/rebuilding the home, putting your family in a hotel, etc.

kyuudou 6y ago

I've recently read about ICF (Insulating Concrete Form) houses fairing well in tornado environments, with an anecdotal report about a neighborhood whose ICF houses mostly stood after being otherwise flattened by a large tornado. Here[1] are some more reports on that. ICF seems like a decent compromise between a typical NA wood+drywall home and a moldy concrete fortress. Basically a lego-like form of blocks is built and a lighter concrete mix is sprayed into it then the blocks removed. I've been tracking Handeeman[2] on youtube since about a year after started their homestead in SE Arizona which is how I first heard about ICF as they just raised a new ICF home on their property. The guy does some great drone and video work tracking his progress and it's honestly quite inspiring to watch them go. They are trying to rely totally on rainwater collected from the brief annual monsoon rains and eventually to be self-sustaining with their vegan lifestyle. 1: https://icfhomesofva.com/2019/02/14/icfs-turn-tornados-into-tornadonts/ https://icfhomesofva.com/2019/02/14/icfs-turn-tornados-into-... 2: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb0s0qC96lCcx2pO2za6mcw https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb0s0qC96lCcx2pO2za6mcw

bluGill 6y ago

Tornados are strong winds - it is hard to build anything that will stand a big one. That said, modern engineering has learned a lot and new houses will fare better (but they may not survive either)