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"With tornado preparedness on many people's minds, shoppers should be cautious of predatory companies when buying a storm shelter. \u00A0\"It's one thing to buy a knockoff T-shirt or pair of sunglasses, but you don't want to buy a knockoff tornado shelter,\" says KMBC 9 News meteorologist Nick Bender.Bender has seen the wrath of a Midwest tornado season firsthand. \u00A0He covered an unprecedented string of tornadoes last year as a meteorologist in Oklahoma. \u00A0Sunday Bender was on the ground for tornado warnings in Bates County as KMBC's newest meteorologist. \u00A0\"There's a lot of shelter businesses that have cropped up because it's a business of opportunity,\" Bender cautions. \u00A0\"The most important thing is that shoppers verify a tornado shelter has been built to FEMA code before buying.\"\u00A0The best resource for technical information about a tornado shelter is the Federal Emergency Management Agency. \u00A0Certification from FEMA can also be helpful if a buyer wants to qualify for funding with state and federal programs. \u00A0Another gold standard for the tornado shelter certification process is Texas Tech University's Wind Science and Engineering research facility.\u00A0If you are purchasing a safe room, you can ask the maker about its results at Texas Tech. \u00A0Video is taken of each test at the facility. \u00A0EF5 strength tornadoes are simulated with wooden boards and other debris launched at the shelter's exterior. \u00A0There are also professional groups such as the National Storm Shelter Association with reputable safe room producers as members. \u00A0A number of the NSSA producers are in the Midwest, but they are not in the greater Kansas City region. \u00A0Still, most producers will build a storm shelter for someone in the Kansas City-area if that person pays the cost to deliver the materials. \u00A0 \u00A0\u00A0For example, the Tornado Alley Armor company charges $200 for the delivery of its smallest three-adult-size safe room to Kansas City from Tulsa, Oklahoma. \u00A0The New Day Tornado Shelter company, also in Tulsa, says its steel-capped dome unit can be delivered to Kansas City for a total cost of $3,750. \u00A0\"That cost includes delivery, installation and lots of peripherals,\" says company owner Dirk Rose.An NSSA member producer closer to the metro is Protection Shelters, of Wichita, Kan. \u00A0That company charges $3 a mile - one way - to deliver a fully constructed safe room. \u00A0Member Workman Fencing &amp; Construction has a dealer in King City, Missouri. \u00A0To see a list of other NSAA member producers, click\u00A0here.There are other groups that approve the quality of safe rooms. \u00A0For example, the American Tornado Safety Association is a non-profit organization that approves the blueprint of a safe room before its construction. \u00A0KMBC 9 News anchor Lara Moritz recently interviewed a Prairie Village family that bought its tornado shelter from the Staying Home Corporation.\u00A0 Company officials say its design blue print is approved by ATSA. \u00A0See a list of ATSA\u00A0producer-members here.Tornado shelters can be very expensive. \u00A0However, the cost pales in comparison to the risk of not having one. \u00A0The probability of a tornado touching down around Kansas City is also a volatile factor.\u00A0\"Partially because of our location, we get hit with a possible tornado twice a year,\" says KMBC 9 News Chief Meteorologist Bryan Busby.\u00A0\"You never know when or where a tornado will strike,\" Busby warns. \"The time frame from winter to spring and from autumn back to winter are two times of year when a sturdy tornado shelter would definitely come in handy. \u00A0Buyer beware. \u00A0Do your homework as you would any other important purchase.\"\u00A0"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.kmbc.com/article/advice-on-shopping-for-tornado-shelters/3682135>