Mobile home tornado shelter

A tornado shelter, specially adapted for use with mobile home lots. The shelter is an underground enclosure defined by an annular sidewall and a top and bottom. The top of the enclosure has an entrance and egress passageway in communication with both the enclosure and the bottom of a mobile home. The passageway is surrounded by a flexible sidewall which is moveably attached to the top of the underground disclosure and the bottom of the mobile home. An associated collapsible stepladder allows convenient and egress. When the mobile home unit is moved, the passageway sidewall may be removed, and the shelter sealed until a new unit is moved in place.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a continuing problem in areas of the country 
exposed to tornadoes, especially during the spring and fall. Those persons 
in highest risk during the tornado season are people living in mobile 
homes. Typically this is because mobile homes have no cellar for use as a 
shelter, and the home itself is highly susceptible to damage by a tornado. 
There is, therefore, a continuing need for the improvement of mobile homes 
and lots for the same, such that mobile home users can have the same 
safety as owners of fixed homes with cellar storm shelters. This invention 
has as its primary objective the fulfillment of this need. 
While heretofore there have been some shelters useable for mobile homes, 
such have had limited success, primarily because of their expense in 
building, difficulty in use with mobile home lots where there is a 
continuing turnover rate of the homes using any particular lot, and where 
there are numerous freeze-thaw cycles coupled with drastic changes in 
ground water level during the seasons. 
The mobile home tornado shelter of the present invention is functionally 
easy to use, safe, economical in building, can be conveniently capped over 
when a trailer lot is vacant, and is adequately anchored to the ground to 
prevent damage by freeze-thaw cycles and prevent uplifting during times of 
high ground water. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A mobile home tornado shelter, which makes use of an underground annular 
disclosure defined by steel sidewalls, with the enclosure having a vent, a 
top and a bottom. The top of the enclosure has a passageway in 
communication with the bottom floor of a mobile home and thus provides 
access to the interior. The passageway is surrounded by a flexible 
sidewall which is removably attached to both the mobile home and the 
entrance to the underground shelter. The shelter itself has a stepladder 
which is collapsible to allow entrance and egress from the mobile home. 
When the lot is vacant, the shelter may be easily unlocked from the 
trailer and sealed off. The shelter itself is anchored in the ground to 
prevent damage from freeze-thaw cycles and to prevent uplifting during 
periods of high ground water.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
With continuing reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown in FIG. 1 a 
mobile home, generally designated as 10. Mobile home 10 is associated with 
a tornado shelter positioned in the ground 12, such that it may be used in 
association with the floor 14 of the trailer 10. Floor 14 of mobile home 
10 has an associated door 16 and hinge 18. 
The tornado shelter is comprised of an annular or cylindrical walled 
enclosure defined by annular wall 20, in association with bottom 22 and 
top 24. Top 24 has an exterior vent 26, vented to the outside. The 
underground enclosure, defined by annular wall 20, bottom 22 and top 24 is 
anchored into the ground 20 in a manner best depicted in FIG. 2. The 
enclosure is positioned in a concrete foundation 28. Bottom 22 has 
downwardly extending, spaced apart brackets 30, 32 and 34, and anchor 
cable 36 anchors the enclosure into the ground 20. In this manner the tank 
or vessel defined by annular wall 20, top 24 and bottom 22 is successfully 
anchored to the ground, and is prevented from damage by freeze-thaw cycles 
and importantly will not rise out of the ground during periods of high 
water level when the same has a tendency to be buoyed upward and out of 
the ground by the same. 
Top 24 has a passageway 38 to allow ingress and egress from the underground 
enclosure or shelter. As seen generally in FIG. 2 and with more 
particularity in FIG. 3, passageway 38 is surrounded by a removably 
attached flexible side wall grommet 40. Grommet 40 may be made from any 
weather-proofed rubberized material. It functions as a removable sealing 
gasket to protect from exterior environmental hazzards, both the shelter 
and the bottom floor 14 of the mobile home. Associated with both the floor 
14 of the mobile home and the underground enclosure is a collapsible 
stepladder 42. 
With continuing reference to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, one can see how the grommet 
is in sealing relationship with both the underground tank (not 
specifically depicted with a numeral) and the floor 14 of the mobile home. 
Door 16 has a handle 44. Opening of door 16 shows an associated floor 
plate 46, and gasket plate 48 and passageway angle iron 50. As best 
depicted in FIG. 4, angle iron 50 attaches the top 24 of the enclosure 
tank via bolt 52 to a band 54 and ladder 42, adjacent at the top. Ladder 
42 is of conventional construction and may be pulled up when not needed to 
climb down into the underground shelter. 
In actual operation the unit works as follows. During a period when a 
tornado warning is given, floor door 16 is opened up, ladder 42 is 
extended, and the users climb down into the shelter, closing floor door 16 
behind them. Grommet 40 provides for a sealing relationship between the 
mobile home and the tank. Ladder 42 may be raised during use, if desired. 
When the mobile home is moved, grommet band 54 may be opened, the grommet 
removed and a lid placed over passageway 38. In this way it can be seen 
that a safe and effective shelter is provided. Moreover, freeze-thaw 
cycles and ground water buoyancy tending to push the tank out are 
countered by the exterior tank foundation 28 and the anchor system by 
brackets 30, 32, and 34, and anchor cable 36. It thus can be seen that all 
of the stated objectives of the invention are accomplished.