HOW TO BUILD A TORNADO SHELTER AS EXPLAINED BY OTHER PEOPLE (NOT ME)

I am not an expert at evading tornado dangers, but I do know that, like many of you, I want to be. So I've compiled a list of resources to help us both achieve maximum tornado safety with the minimum amount of work.

You can boil down the Tornado/Storm Shelter into two basic groups: A) Your basic homemade installation and B) professional prefabricated units. The first may be cheaper and more attractive, but the second route is probably easier pending your cash situation.

It should be noted that I am not an expert. I cannot and do not vouch for the accuracy or safety of any of the options presented here. It's merely a list compiled to help you research the right solution for your specific needs.

A) Here are some hints, tips and plans to build your own shelter:

OFFICIAL FEMA safe room construction plans from FEMA P-320, Taking Shelter from the Storm by FEMA.gov

How to build a tornado shelter by DoItYourself.com

How to build your own 10x6 storm shelter/safe room for under $2,000 by the SurvivalistBlog.net

How to build a low cost Earthbag tornado shelter by the NaturalBuildingBlog.com

B) Here are some sources of prefab units, most made in the USA:

FamilySAFE Shelters
Purveyors of steel above and below ground tornado shelters.

SECUREALL Tornado and Hurricane Shelters
Suppliers of steel aboveground safe rooms.

Cozy Caverns Storm Shelters
Manufacturers of custom full steel below ground shelters.

The Refuge by Fiberglass Creations, Inc.
Manufacturers of fiberglass below ground shelters.

Tornado Master Severe Weather Shelters
Producers of above and below steel or concrete shelters.

Survive-a-Storm Storm Shelters and Tornado Shelters
Builders of steel above and below ground residential storm shelters, survival bunkers, community safe rooms and bulletproof panic rooms.

Flat Safe Tornado Shelters
Makers of flat lid, in floor shelters made from hot dip galvanized steel or Fiber Reinforced Plastic/Polymer.


Verdict: Heads down and spirits up. Good luck out there, people.



Image: US Air Guard responds to Moore, Ok Tornado via US Air Force Material Command.

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MEMO: GO THE $&#% HOME (NSFW, LANG)

Even after all this time the New Normal is a relentless mistress.

Despite signs that the economy is finally taking a minor, tiny, itty bitty, ever-so-slight turn for the better, your work life is / has been / will always be a lagging indicator. As a generation, we the American people, are still pulling longer and harder hours for stagnant pay just to eke out whatever statistically higher productivity gains our enlightened MBA's manage to falsify into questionable Excel documents. (Overruled! Hearsay! -ed.)

So how do we take control? How do we normalize hours? Reset the work/life balance? see the sunlight? Meet our first born child?

Well, here's the first rational advice I've ever heard:

Go. The Fuck. Home.

Go tell it on the mountain, Pam Selle.

So let's do it.

Turn it off.

Shut it down.

Let's go The Fuck home.



Image: C.P.Storm via flickr, Used Under Creative Commons, Attribution.

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DISCOVERIES: THE ALL-NEW 2014 GMC SIERRA 1500 ALL TERRAIN 4x4

This is America. In America, we love trucks.

And, as an American, I am officially duty bound to love trucks, too. None more than the all-new 2014 GMC Sierra All Terrain. (Much to the detriment of his marriage... -ed.)

To the standard - and completely revamped - GMC Sierra platform, the All Terrain ups the ante with loads of off-road hardware. We're talking functional stuff, like on upgraded Z71 off-road suspension with Rancho® Tenneco shocks, Hill Descent Control, front recovery hooks, an automatic locking rear differential and a comprehensive transfer case shield - not to mention, beefy 18-inch wheels wrapped in meaty, red-blooded off-road tires.

Style-wise, like all lawyers, I tend to judge a book by it's power tie, so the dapper HID/LED headlights, exclusive available ebony interior and unique exterior appearance package don't disappoint.

No, the All Terrain is not as stupid dramatic as the Ford Raptor or the Ram Power Wagon, but it also doesn't look quite as stupid rolling up to lucrative Client lunches... which definitely makes it tops in my roster.

'Merica.

Proud byproduct of Flint, Michigan/Roanoke, Indiana.

Verdict: The 2014 GMC Sierra All Terrain is all over my mind... And I like it.

Image Ref: GM News, © General Motors.

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