Storm shelters play a vital role in keeping people safe during a tornado in tornado- and hurricane-prone areas where high ...

3. Make sure your shelter follows proper guidelines FEMA 320, FEMA 361, and ICC-500; safe rooms built to FEMA guidelines are able to withstand winds of an EF-5 tornado 4.

Since the tornado, 66 homes have registered their storm shelter. More than 500 homes are registered that were in the storm's path. There are more than 1,300 storm shelters registered citywide.

Since then, several rural communities have built storm shelters, and Smiths Station is now following suit. “The storm shelter is going to have a capacity of about 500, give or take,” Cooley said.

TEMPLE, Texas — When severe weather strikes Central Texas, residents have traditionally sought shelter in bathrooms or interior hallways. But as tornado seasons become increasingly unpredictable ...