Safety and security should never be a privilege. The ability to protect oneself from insidious threats should be universal. None of us should ever have to pay a premium to live to see another day. Regardless of where your opinion falls on the subject of government assistance, we can all agree that surviving a catastrophe or home invasion, should never be up for debate. Like any other of our Constitutional rights as Americans, safety should be guaranteed.

Unfortunately, the divide between the haves and have-nots is not limited to luxurious homes or vacations in the Caribbean. Safety and peace of mind are the new American luxuries. Every night, millions of Americans go to bed not knowing if they will awaken to see the sun. Millions of Americans currently reside in tornado and storm prone areas without adequate protection to see in the event of an unannounced tornado. An early demise is the uncomfortable reality of poverty that no one wants to talk about, but it’s not just economic disparity that renders untimely death and destruction.

Above ground safe rooms can protect millions

Did you know that more than thousands of disabled Oklahomans lack sufficient tornado protection? Even those residents that live within a couple of hundred yards from public shelters are an innate disadvantage as their traveling time on foot as severely hindered by their disability. Although well intended, handicapped accessible facilities are only part of the equation in solving the dilemma of inadequate storm protection for this beleaguered populace. Like in other worst-case scenarios, our most vulnerable friends, neighbors and family members must fend for themselves. This must stop. As a community, we can reverse this trend and save the lives of thousands.

Protecting what matters the most: our children

Disabled Americans are not the only vulnerable demographic that needs added protection. More than 36 percent of Americans currently do not have an emergency preparedness plan. Given this statistic, we can only assume that the number of Americans, who do not have access to a storm shelter is much higher. More often than not, the lack of funding is an overarching theme in the lack of allocating sufficient protection. This sobering reality becomes even harder to reckon with when you consider that our most vulnerable population – our children – often pay the ultimate price for this disparity. There’s not a set time for storm season anymore either. Despite the moniker, Mother Nature simply doesn’t seem to care about her children. The owners of a day care in Matthews, N.C. are coping with this strange dichotomy after a twister decimated their childcare center a couple of weeks ago. Miraculously, the 130 mile per hour twister sparred the lives of all attending children. Other nurseries and schools have not been so lucky. In 2013, seven children died during the 2013 Moore, Oklahoma tornado and it’s not a modern anomaly either. A quick glance through the record books will yield another forgotten but terrifying tidbit in history: nearly 70 school children died during the Tri-State Tornado outbreak of 1925 in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. Ultimately, nine different schools were ransacked from the heavens by these destructive storms.

Above and below ground steel safe rooms and bunkers have been proven to save lives

Storm protection is not a novel idea either; it’s been proven to work. Approximately 10,000 lives are saved each year due to the presence of a tornado shelter whether public or private. Steel protection is palpable. You can see it. You can feel it. And you can believe in it. At U.S. Safe Room, we think we’ve developed a solution to the disparity in steel safety. We get it. Private home shelters are not within everyone’s price range, but what would happen if we all pulled our resources together, for the greater good, so everyone could have access to a safe room or underground steel bunker?

Community shelters are growing in popularity. They can provide easy access to above ground protection for large groups of people, including office workers and school children. These units have become a sensational must-have. People have quickly realized that instead of just one benefactor or philanthropist having to foot the bill for steel protection, community members can take control of their lives and destinies by pulling funds together for a community shelter. Why wait for a miracle when steel protection is just a call or click away? Larger community shelters are also ideal for construction companies, trailer parks, apartment complexes and even cul-de-sac neighborhoods where only a few lucky residents have enough money to build personalized shelters. Check out the following specs below for an idea of what ultimate steel protection entails!