How to Choose the Best Storm Shelter in Oklahoma

Choose on documents. Ask for FEMA P-320 or ICC 500 testing and engineering paperwork tied to the exact model on your quote, ask who signs the Certificate of Installation that Oklahoma's rebate program requires from the installer, and use the Construction Industries Board licensee search for any part of the job that is a licensed trade, such as electrical work. Oklahoma does not license storm shelter installation as its own trade, so paperwork is what a homeowner can actually verify.

The Oklahoma Construction Industries Board lists the trades it licenses as building inspectors, electrical, home inspectors, mechanical, plumbing and roofing, and its page notes that general contractors are not currently required to hold a state license for general contracting. Storm shelter installation is not on that list, so there is no single state license number to check for a shelter company. Verify the shelter's certification documents instead, and use the board's search for licensed trade work such as wiring.

FEMA P-320 is a published design and construction guide and ICC 500 is the storm shelter standard, so what a homeowner can verify is documentation showing a model was tested and engineered to them. The National Storm Shelter Association issues a seal to its producer members that is attached to each shelter once installation is complete, and tells homeowners buying outside that membership to ask for impact testing results and registered engineering reports stating compliance with FEMA and ICC.

Installed prices in Oklahoma generally start around $3,000 for a compact above-ground steel unit and rise with size, depth and site work. The National Storm Shelter Association puts manufactured residential tornado shelters at as little as $3,000 installed up to $15,000 installed. Our storm shelter cost in Oklahoma guide breaks the ranges down by type and lists what moves a quote up or down.

No single type is safest. An above-ground steel unit, a garage in-floor unit, an underground shelter and an in-home safe room can all be built and tested to FEMA P-320 and ICC 500, which is the line that defines tornado protection. Safety comes from the certification and the anchoring, so choose the type on fit with your lot, budget and mobility, then insist on the documentation.

Oklahoma's SoonerSafe Safe Room Rebate Program is a rebate rather than a free shelter, and its rules say names are drawn by a random selection process so that everyone who registers has an equal chance of being selected. Registering earlier does not improve your odds. The rules also state that an applicant may not build or install the safe room themselves, and that retrofitting an existing shelter does not qualify.

In Oklahoma the rebate route is the state's SoonerSafe Safe Room Rebate Program, administered by Oklahoma Emergency Management, which selects registrants at random. Its rules require the safe room to meet or exceed the most recent versions of FEMA Publications 320 and 361 and ICC 500, and require a Certificate of Installation signed by the installer. Check the program's own pages for what is current before you plan around it.

Oklahoma sits in the most active part of tornado alley and sees violent tornadoes most springs, and a standard interior room offers little protection in an EF3 or stronger storm. If your home has no safe place built to FEMA P-320 or ICC-500, a shelter is the most reliable way to protect your family, and the SoonerSafe rebate can offset part of the cost if you are selected.

A garage in-floor unit is usually best for a small or in-town lot because it uses no yard space, stays out of sight under a flush lid, and lets you shelter without going outside. A compact above-ground unit in the garage is another good option.

An above-ground unit or an in-home safe room is best for older adults or anyone with limited mobility, because there are no steps down into the ground and access is fast and easy. Both can meet FEMA P-320.

A compact above-ground steel unit anchored to an existing slab is the most affordable, often $3,000 to $4,500 installed. A unit built to FEMA P-320 may also qualify for the SoonerSafe Safe Room Rebate Program if you are selected. Never trade away FEMA P-320 or ICC-500 certification to save money.

A FEMA P-320 safe room built into the structure is ideal for new construction, because the reinforced walls and foundation connections go in with the build, and the room doubles as everyday living space.