Building For The Worst

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By Holly Bailey

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Lightning may not strike twice, but as residents of Moore, Okla., recently discovered, tornadoes do. After more than half the town was destroyed by a May 1999 twister, the Oklahoma City suburb was cleaning up again after a tornado this month destroyed more than 300 homes and businesses. The twister, which carved a 19-mile path through the city, followed virtually the same course as the deadly 1999 storm, which left 44 people dead and more than 500 injured. While just as destructive, the latest storm injured just 145 people, none seriously, and resulted in no fatalities. "We were incredibly lucky," says Moore Deputy Fire Chief Gary Bird.

But it may be more than just luck. After the 1999 tornado, Moore residents rebuilt their homes to include storm shelters and "safe rooms"--above-ground concrete bunkers built to withstand winds in excess of 250 miles per hour. More than 6,000 safe rooms were added to homes in the Oklahoma City area in the last four years, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which offered loans and tax breaks to offset shelter construction. Windowless, with concrete walls and a reinforced door and ceiling, a safe room can cost more than $5,000. But less expensive technology is on the way, including a $2,800 tornado-safe bed, which replaces a box spring with a foam-lined steel bunker. It looks like a regular bed, but is strong enough to withstand a 15-pound two-by-four flying at 200 miles per hour, says inventor Dale Watson. Engineers at the Wind Science Research Center at Texas Tech University say homes that can better withstand tornadoes and severe storms are on the horizon, including roofs that stay put and houses that better adhere to their foundations. "The technology is there for a tornado-proof home," says Texas Tech engineer Ernst Kiesling. "But the massive cost involved in building it may impede it from ever happening."

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