| Tornado Shelter Enclosures | ||
| Are you a manufacturer or dealer? | Manufacturer. | |
| Since what year have you been in business? | 1998 | |
| Since what year have you been manufacturing or selling shelters? | 1999 | |
| Where are you located? | Haverhill, Massachusetts | |
| What areas do you serve? | Midwest, Southwest, Southeast, all of Tornado Alley as well as any international areas that experience high wind destruction. We have just set up a distributor in Texas, but will be setting them up in all states. | |
| Is your shelter made to be installed above ground level, fully below ground level, or only partially buried? | In Resident above ground. | |
| What material is your shelter made of and how thick is it? | 3 1/2" square tube, 5/16" thick with a 1/2" polycarbonate skin. | |
| What is the length, width, and height of the shelters that you sell? | We have three basic sizes. Dorothy I is 7' square, Dorothy II is 3'8" by 7', and Dorothy III 3'8" square. All of our units are 7' in height. We will custom build what ever the consumer wants. | |
| Do you enter the shelter while still in the home, or do you leave the home and enter the shelter from the outside? | ||
| How does one access the shelter? | Through the door. | |
| How does your shelter provide fresh air? | The unit is not air tight so air can flow through the connections plates. | |
| How is the shelter anchored in the ground? | The only criteria that we need from the home owner is that there first floor be a four inch concrete slab with three thousand PSI concrete wire reenforced, which is typical construction.We use Hilti Anchor Bolts. | |
| Was it designed to be installed when a home is first being built, or is it installed on the lot of a finished house? | .Either | |
| How is the shelter delivered, and by who? | It is shipped via Roadway trucking to a distributor or directly to the home. | |
| Who installs it? | We have certified installers. | |
| Is any heavy equipment needed to install the unit? | Not neccessary but helpful. | |
| What kind of issues with shelter installation are you and your customers most likely to run into in your area(bedrock, high water table, frozen ground etc.)? | ||
| What provision has been made in case the entrance/exit is blocked by a fallen tree or debris? | Not needed, but by removing a panel you can have a possiblity of ten accesses. | |
| Is there a second exit in the unit? | . 22. Yes. Occupant can remove panel from the inside of unit. | |
| Can the entrance door be locked? | 21. Standard unit comes with a locking system from the inside only, however we can provide exterior locking. | |
| Do you have any handicapped-accessible units? | Yes, it is handicap accessible. | |
| What provision has been made for seating, lighting, or storage? | Homeowner can do all seating and lighting and the unit can be used as storage, pantry, closet, home office, etc. | |
| Are these items included in the base price or are they extra? | No | |
| Are there other accessories and options that are available? If so, what are they? | Yes Cell phones, phone mounts, weather radio, first aid kit, battery operated mag light, fire extinguisher. | |
| What is the typical cost both uninstalled and installed? | Dorothy I retails for $16,000 plus shipping, Dorothy II retails for $14202.50 plus shipping, and Dorothy III retails for $9776 plus shipping. | |
| Do you have a warranty, and if so, for how long and what does it cover? | ||
| Has your shelter undergone any kind of testing by engineers? | Yes. We have been certified to FEMA 320 at Texas Tech Univ. Wind Research. Shelter must be re-certified if and when it experiences a severe wind event and the home sustains damage. | |
| What else do you think we should know about your shelter? | It exceeds the criteria set by FEMA. | |