Have a septic tank manufacturer nearby? They all occaisionally make a "leaker" - the concrete doesn't completely fill in one of the corners etc. They generally have to break them up and scrap them, or sell them to someone to use as a "bunker" Bury one and install a larger access hatch and you are all set.
Have you seen tornado damage up close? Even tying it down with heavy logging chain to burried anchors is no guarantee it will stay where you put it - and no guarantee it will stay intact either.
I'm not sure what container you're thinking -- the storage containers I'm thinking of will prevent most penetration certainly, I wouldn't go so far as _no_ penetration or partial crushing. I'm trying to think if there were any at Greensburg; can't recall one, specifically.
For the septic tank, unless it were reinforced which I don't think they generally are, I don't believe they would be rated adequate although certainly again it would stand up to a lot more than just ordinary stick-frame construction.
I'd suggest looking at the Texas A&M site for construction guidelines; they're about the most comprehensive I'm aware of.
We use the basement and hope it doesn't lift the entire house off...
What _can_ happen in the truly monsters is simply beyond comprehension until one sees some of the results first hand.
At Greensburg a couple of the more incredible were a full-size automobile deposited on the top of the courthouse (a 1900s three-story structure w/ 10-ft ceilings high).
The second was a new JD STS 70-series combine was rolled/carried and ended up almost eight miles from the dealership equipment lot from whence it started. These puppies weigh 30-32,000 lb base weight w/o the header. This one didn't have a header on it and was essentially nothing but a rolled-up ball of green metal to look at afterwards. It was several days before it was located it was so far from where anybody had any thought of what might have happened to it.
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I live in Dallas, Texas, so it is medium high risk. I've carried out bodies afterwards.
There are so many ways to get killed. One of them is guaranteed to get me. If I worried about all the low probability risks, I'd be to busy to enjoy the time I've got.
Tornados are a good example of how badly people think about risk. Like plane crashes, they are spectacular events that are relatively rare, so they get lots of press coverage. So people tend to thing of them as much riskier than they are. The real high risks are those things that steadily and quietly kill some people here and some there every day, such as heart attacks and cancer.
Don't smoke, eat well. Wear seat belts. Watch your weight and blood pressure. I'd guess it is far more cost effective to invest in an automatic defibrillator than a tornado shelter.
-- Doug
I might argue with your numbers for tobacco and diet but. . .
As long as you're scaring folks-I just saw this number last week and it blew my mind- 195,000 deaths from medical errors in hospitals.
Jim
Douglas Johnson wrote: ...
... And one might as well not bother to buy fire insurance, either. Odds just aren't that good on collecting.
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snipped-for-privacy@snyder.on.ca wrote: ...
Oh, you could tie it down easily enough.
Penetration and integrity would depend on actual construction and materials, primarily door connections, etc.
I'm just not sure what their actually built from to judge absolute survivability. As noted above, Texas A&M has good data/guidelines on structure requirements and building techniques.
The effects _can_ be designed for, it just takes far more for the truly extreme event than most folks can comprehend.
A "standard" cargo containers is made from 1/4" reinforced steel plate, weighs 8,800 pounds, holds up to 67,000 pounds of stuff, and is designed to be stacked ten or more high.
Containers routinely sustain sixty foot waves moving at 30 knots (which has got to pack more energy than air moving at 300 mph).
Scale your other stats to match the population in tornado alley and they might have some relevance.
Yes, a cargo container *underground* will be safe from most any tornado damage, as well as being plenty big for comfort.
Cargo container walls are fairly strong, however anyone familiar with them has seen plenty with gouges and holes poked in them and 300 MPH tornado propelled missiles will certainly penetrate unless you back that sheetmetal with a foot of solid cement. Underground there are no tornado missile threats.
Not much would be likely to penetrate. I'm not sure what A&M uses as their design requirement otomh. The one difference is the flying pointy-sticks in the tornado environment not likely seen mid-ocean. It's that high-velocity projectile that's the penetration danger and it can have a fairly small cross-sectional area so is more dangerous than the bigger stuff from that standpoint.
I do remember the 30,000-lb combine ending up 8 miles away at Greensburg. That's 3X the weight in probably roughly same sail area. What _can_ happen is indeed truly incredible.
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Apparently you missed the "bury" in my sentence above. A 5,000# cargo container 9' underground and capped with a concrete patio aint' going anywhere in a tornado.
Penetration is not an issue, everyone seems to have missed that I am going to *bury* the container.
The FEMA publication I noted was mostly produced with T A&M tornado lab data.
Doesnt matter if i loose my life ; I know the Lord Jesus Christ in a personal way. I hope you know and love him too.
HeyBub:
Not everyone lives where the weather is mild.
Here we suffer from hurricanes which bring the double threat of winds and flooding so a buried container isn't safe unless it's watertight.
On Apr 16, 4:59=A0pm, " snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com" wrote: Snipped BS
This isn't alt.home.biblethumpin'morons, Fool
that makes sense, but a) couldn't you patch the flaw and b) if it leaked, it wouldn't be a very comfortable bunker, would it?
nate
Patched won't meet standards for septic tank, so you patch it and use it for a bunker.
I thuink they are - but you are brying it anyway - plenty strong enough - like concrete house foundation.
>
I saw a picture of a 40 foot semi trailer spun in like a drill about
20 feet - with the cab still attached. Miraculously, when removed, very little damage to the rear of the trailer. I have also personally seen Wheat straw driven right through a hydro pole. Pink fiberglass insulation half way through concrete bricksHomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.