JOPLIN, MO -- It's been almost a month since a deadly tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri. families slowly try to put the pieces back to together. for many those pieces will center around a safe room.
The devastation can be seen for miles in Joplin. Crews work to remove the debris but progress is slow due to widespread damage. Jeff Barber, an architect with university of missouri extension, inspects a safe room that was directly in the tornado's path.
Barber says, "We can see some scratches on the outside of it that indicate that it had debris on it, or was actually impacted by debris and so whoever was in there had one heck of a ride."
Harold Noirfalise took shelter in his safe room just moments before the tornado hit. Two years ago when they bought the house, Harold and his wife were not happy with the safe room…it took up too much space in the garage. Noirfalise says, "Since the tornado hit, I've grown to like it a little bit more."
MU Extension housing specialists are working with builders, neighborhood associations and insurance companies to look at safe room options for homes being repaired or rebuilt."
Crystal Harrington with the SW Missouri Home Builders Association says, "After being through an event like we have been in Joplin, I would venture to guess that there are people that will say, this will never happen to me again."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has guidelines on building safe rooms that can withstand extreme winds and flying debris.
Barber says, "Finding a closet, a pantry, a bathroom that with small adjustments could be made into a room that you could walk into and trust to ride out the storm."
Safe rooms typically cost between three and five-thousand dollars. a small investment in order to
shield loved ones from the physical and emotional damage of a deadly storm.
For more information on how to build a safe room go to the university of missouri extension website here.
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