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Lightning strike near a city

Edible Things to Stock in Your Storm Shelter

When preparing for potential emergencies, having an edible stock for safe rooms is essential. While we often focus on essential supplies like water, medical kits, and tools, it’s equally important to consider your sustenance.

Edible stock for safe rooms plays a crucial role in ensuring your well-being during prolonged stays in a storm shelter. Let’s delve into the edible things you should consider stocking in your safe room to ensure you’re prepared for any situation.

Non-Perishable Foods: A Wise Choice

In times of crisis, non-perishable foods are your best friends. These items have a longer shelf life, making them perfect for storm shelter storage. Canned goods like beans, vegetables, and fruits are rich in nutrients and easy to store. Don’t forget about canned soups and stews that provide a warm and nourishing meal with minimal effort.

Dried Foods for Sustenance

Dried foods are compact and lightweight, making them ideal for stockpiling. Items like dried fruits, jerky, and nuts offer a balance of energy and nutrients. Additionally, consider including dried pasta, rice, and oats. These staples can be cooked with minimal resources, ensuring you have a variety of meal options even in challenging situations.

Nutrient-Rich Protein Bars

Protein bars are convenient and packed with energy. They’re easy to store and require no preparation, making them an excellent choice for emergency sustenance. Look for options that are high in protein, fiber, and essential vitamins to keep your energy levels up.

Comforting Hot Beverages

A warm beverage can provide not only physical warmth but also emotional comfort during stressful times. Stock up on instant coffee, tea bags, hot chocolate, or even instant soup packets. Having a way to prepare a hot drink can help soothe nerves and provide a sense of normalcy in an otherwise challenging situation.

Hydration is Key

While not strictly edible, having a supply of clean drinking water is absolutely essential. It’s advisable to have at least one gallon of water per person per day. Water is vital for hydration and preparing food, so ensure you have enough for the duration of your stay in the storm shelter.

Remember Nutritional Balance

When selecting items to stock, aim for a balance of nutrients. Carbohydrates, proteins, and other nutrients are all crucial for maintaining energy levels and overall well-being. Prioritize items that offer a good mix of these essential nutrients.

Terrifying lightning strikes

Regular Rotation and Check

Always check the expiry dates of the stocked food items. Rotate them out and consume them within their recommended timeframe to ensure they remain fresh and safe to eat. This practice helps you avoid wasting resources and ensures that your food supply is always ready for use.

As you prepare your storm shelter for any potential emergency, don’t overlook the importance of an edible stock for safe rooms. Non-perishable foods, dried goods, protein bars, hot beverages, and clean drinking water are all essential components of a well-stocked safe room.

By carefully selecting a variety of items that provide nutrition and comfort, you can be confident that you and your loved ones are well-prepared for whatever challenges may arise. Remember, it’s not just about surviving; it’s about thriving even in the face of adversity.

Make sure your storm shelter is well-equipped with edible supplies.

Contact Oklahoma Shelters for professional advice and solutions to ensure your preparedness needs are met!


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safe room ready to be installed

Choosing the Right Location for Your Safe Room Storm Shelter

When it comes to protecting your family and property during severe weather events, having a safe room storm shelter is crucial, especially if you live in storm and tornado-prone areas like Oklahoma.

A safe room provides a secure and fortified space to seek refuge when tornadoes, hurricanes, or other violent storms strike. However, to ensure the effectiveness of your safe room, it is essential to carefully choose its location within your home. Here are some factors to remember when choosing the right location for your safe room storm shelter.

Accessibility

One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a location for your safe room is accessibility. You need to be able to reach the shelter quickly and easily, especially during an emergency. Ideally, the safe room should be located on the ground floor of your home, as it’s typically more accessible than upper levels. If you have family members with mobility issues or disabilities, ensure that the safe room is easily reachable for them as well.

Avoiding Flood-Prone Areas

In addition to wind and debris, flooding is a common concern during severe weather events. It is important to choose a location for your safe room that is not prone to flooding. Avoid areas in your home that are susceptible to water accumulation, such as basements or low-lying areas. If you live in an area prone to flooding, consider building your safe room above ground level to minimize the risk.

Ventilation and Communication

While safety is the primary concern, it is also crucial to consider ventilation and communication when selecting the location for your safe room. Adequate ventilation is essential to ensure a fresh air supply during extended periods of sheltering. The safe room should have vents or other means of providing ventilation while still maintaining its structural integrity.

Furthermore, make sure the location allows for reliable communication. Cell phone signals may be weak or non-existent during a severe storm, so it is a good idea to have alternative communication channels, such as a landline or a two-way radio.

A safe room installed in a house

If you’re planning to get a safe room installed, our professionals can install a safe room in an appropriate location in your home!

Oklahoma Shelters is a renowned safe room and shelter company based in Oklahoma. We offer all types of safe rooms, including concrete storm shelters, tornado shelters, garage shelters, in-ground shelters, and more. Moreover, our team also helps install these safe rooms properly and in the right location.

Get in touch with us now for more details.


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A large steel safe room.

The Advantages of Private Storm Shelters Over Community Shelters in Oklahoma City

There’s no questioning the need for community shelters in Norman and Oklahoma City during a storm, but more and more people in Oklahoma are beginning to see the necessity for adding private storm shelters in residences.

Tornadoes have historically had devastating consequences on communities, educating state and local governments on the benefits and drawbacks of relying only on community shelters. It’s a drastic and exclusive measure, but many communities have banned community shelters completely. Oklahoma City is one of them.

But here’s the thing: a private shelter offers considerably more advantages than community shelters, such as an underground bunker or garage shelter.

Here are a few of the most important things to think about:

The Risk of Overcrowding in Public Shelters

Unfortunately, public shelters typically lack adequate room, which is especially problematic as populations continue to rise. This means that the city will need to prepare by constructing more shelters and venues for people to gather in times of crisis and that existing facilities will be overcrowded.

In 2011, as an EF-5 tornado threatened Edmond, Oklahoma, the district’s schools opened their doors to the public. Over 8000 individuals came up seeking shelter. Although these campuses swiftly reached capacity in their safe rooms, many people continued to arrive with nowhere else to go.

Community shelters should be large enough to accommodate everyone in need of them, but in practice, this is rarely the case. Disabled people, among others, are disadvantaged in this scenario because they may not have the financial resources to secure a private shelter that meets their needs in terms of accessibility and safety.

Attempts To Reach Community Shelters Put People In Danger

When a warning is issued, a large number of people will rush to community shelters, causing a gridlock and potentially dangerous situations for others who live nearby. In the event of a tornado warning, every second counts, making it challenging for residents who live further away to make the journey to designated shelters.

That, along with full shelters and individuals being left to fend for themselves when the tornado strikes, is a tragedy waiting to happen. It also calls for pinpoint accuracy and fast thinking, which are hard to muster in the face of cataclysmic events.

Cars stuck in a traffic jam

One obvious advantage of private storm shelters over public ones is that everyone seeks the nearest and safest place to take cover in the midst of an emergency. The peace of mind that comes from having your own personal storm shelter installed within reach during severe weather is invaluable.

Although community shelters may not seem efficient at first, they should not be written off entirely. They’re crucial because they provide safety for people who don’t have access to private shelters due to financial constraints or a lack of room. Disabled persons, the homeless, those living in mobile homes, and the elderly are just some of the groups who can be negatively impacted if community shelters were to disappear entirely.

Therefore, we offer community shelters constructed to FEMA standards and backed by a 10-year warranty against corrosion and leaks, in addition to residential above-ground storm shelters, underground cement shelters, and garage shelters.

If you have any questions regarding our safe rooms, contact our storm shelter experts in Oklahoma City or Norman today.


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