Answer five questions about your home and household, and the planner recommends the type of shelter that fits — basement safe room, above-ground steel unit, in-ground garage shelter, built-in safe room, yard shelter or a community option — with the reason and the size. It's built around what decides the answer in St. Louis: whether you have a basement, whether water is a problem, and whether everyone can manage stairs.
The five questions
- What's under your house? Full basement · partial basement · slab · crawlspace · mobile or manufactured home.
- Water: Is the property in or near a floodplain, or does your basement or garage take on water in heavy rain?
- Access: Does anyone in the household use a wheelchair or walker, or have trouble with stairs?
- Garage: Do you have an attached garage?
- Household: How many people, including regular visitors?
Plus one optional question: Are you building or rebuilding?
How it decides
| If… | The planner recommends | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile or manufactured home | Community shelter or above-ground unit on its own pad | Mobile homes aren't safe in a tornado (NWS) |
| Building or rebuilding | Built-in safe room | Cheapest and best-integrated before the walls close |
| Basement, stays dry, everyone can manage stairs | Basement safe room | Below ground, plus tested protection |
| Basement, but someone can't manage stairs | Above-ground unit on the main floor or garage | Floor-level access |
| Basement that floods, or you're not sure | Above-ground unit (we'll check the site) | Keep the shelter out of the water |
| Slab or crawlspace, floodplain or wet site | Above-ground unit | No below-grade shelters on wet sites or in floodplains |
| Slab or crawlspace, dry, attached garage, everyone can manage steps | Above-ground or in-ground garage unit | Both fit; above ground is easier to reach |
| Slab or crawlspace, dry, attached garage, someone can't manage steps | Above-ground unit in the garage | Floor-level access |
| Slab or crawlspace, dry, no garage | Above-ground unit on a pad; a yard unit only on high, well-drained ground and only if everyone can manage steps | Access and water |
Size: floor area at 3 square feet per person (FEMA's figure for home tornado safe rooms), rounded up to a common footprint, one size larger if anyone needs wheelchair space.
What it doesn't check
Your slab's thickness and strength, stair dimensions, utilities, setbacks, permits and HOA rules — all things an installer checks in person.
Sources
- NWS — Tornado safety: during — current; accessed 2026-10-10
- FEMA — HMA Guide Part 12, B.8 Safe rooms — current; accessed 2026-10-10
- Survive-a-Storm — St. Louis storm shelters — pub. 2023-05-09, mod. 2024-05-17; accessed 2026-10-10
- Southwestern Illinois Flood Prevention District Council — updates 2018–2023; accessed 2026-10-10
Get a quote
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