A growing threat: south is the new epicenter for deaths from tornadoes. Learn more about our F5 250 MPH Wind Speed Certified tornado shelters

Seismic shifts in weather patterns have shifted the crosshairs of dangerous tornadoes from the Midwest to the southeast. The discovery of this disturbing trend comes on the heels of scientific analysis that indicates most deaths as a result of tornadic activity now occur in the south. So, what does this mean exactly? Mother Nature has a new target and southerners are ill-equipped to handle this growing threat. While scientists are still trying to formulate a logical reason behind the shifts, they suspect it might have something to do with changes in oceanic temperatures brought on by climate change. Regardless of the facts, one thing is certain. Tornadoes in the south are now twice as deadly as tornadoes anywhere else in the Unite States. Our F5 250 MPH Wind Speed Certified tornado shelters could mean the difference between life and death.

NOAA records dating to 1950 show that tornado activity has increased in the Southeast since the late 1990s and that the trend—and death toll—has accelerated in recent years. Since January 2019, 99 of the nation’s 120 tornado-related deaths occurred in the Southeast, NOAA records show. That’s 83%.

It’s true. You can’t change the weather, but you can change your approach to severe storms and sporadic tornadoes. U.S. Safe Rooms has a vaulted line of steel panel bolt together safe rooms and above ground shelters to help your family stay safe during the upcoming storm season, which continues to grow every year. Our bolt-together safe rooms offer top-of-the-line protection and can be implemented into an existing room or large closet. With just a few simple hand tools, you can transform a spare bedroom into a state-of-the-art steel fortress that can handle windspeeds up to 250 miles per hour.

Scary facts about twisters in the south

The Southeast’s rolling hills and thick forests conceal tornadoes from spotters and the public.
Most deadly tornadoes across at night, when victims are sound asleep in their beds.
Few southern homes have basements, which makes unprotected residents particularly vulnerable to killer storms.
Deaths in mobile homes are responsible for a disproportionately high amount of tornado fatalities. Unfortunately, trailers have become fact-of-life in economically depressed areas, such as the south.
Someone in a mobile home is 15 to 20 times more likely to be killed during a tornado than someone in a home with a foundation. www.scientificamerican.com.

They’re (mobile homes) a small fraction of housing types that are responsible for a majority of these deaths. Even if it has the best tie-downs, if they’re steel and in the Southeast, they’re going to corrode,” Stephen Strader, an atmospheric scientist at Villanova University. “A lot of times, we see fatalities in mobile homes where anchoring was sufficient, but it’s corroded and it’s broken, so it failed.”
Source: Weather, Climate and Society

During the 2019 Alabama tornado, 19 of 23 victims were killed in mobile homes.

Don’t risk your life by seeking shelter in a mobile home, invest in above ground tornado shelter from U.S. Safe Room

Not too long ago, a concerned customer in Alabama sent us a Facebook message about our line of safe room storm shelters. She was growing increasingly concerned about the frequency of tornadoes in her area, and rightfully so. Out of sheer desperation, she inquired about possibly installing a panelized safe room in her mobile home. We strongly advised against it. Any qualified engineer knows that retrofitting a metal pre-fabricated mobile home will undoubtedly compromise the residence’s structural integrity. In other words, installing large steel plates into a weaker structure, such as a trailer, can fragment and irreparable damage to the home and its load bearing walls. Instead, we recommended an above ground tornado shelter that could be installed next to the trailer on a concrete pad.