Safe rooms are part of an on-going FEMA program called Project Impact to shift the focus from simply responding to disasters to taking actions in advance to protect lives and property before disasters strike. The rooms are said to be the single most effective way for people to protect themselves from high winds and flying debris during a high-win storm. Research at the Wind Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University has shown that homes with concrete walls are less likely to experience heavy damage during such turbulence. The findings were used to build national standards for storm shelters. According to FEMA, every dollar spent on prevention saves at least two in disaster recovery costs.
Safe rooms are small and windowless.
Often, they are made with a new wall system known as insulating concrete forms. ICFs are polystyrene forms that are stacked like blocks and then filled with concrete to create a solid structure. But they also can work as an addition to the dwelling. The difference between a safe room and a storm cellar, the traditional method of protection, is that they can function as usable space year-round. Okla. Not longer thereafter, a monster tornado roared through their area, killing 42 people and damaging more than 7,000 houses.