How to pick a shelter
Always use arms to protect head and neck.

*At home:
By far the safest tornado shelter is a reinforced under ground concrete shelter. These shelters weigh around 20,000 pounds. These types of shelters have been used for many years, and have saved many lives. More commune is a basement under a home. This is also a very safe shelter as long as you seek shelter away from windows and pick a small enclosed area like under the stairs that lead to the basement. Also stay away from fireplace chimneys and other large items such as refrigerators, that are on the main floor. For those of you without either of the above. Seek shelter in a small enclosed area in the lowest level in the center of your home/office. Like a closet or bathroom (without windows), and try to get under some sturdy. Your house is probably built in accordance with local building codes that consider the
effects of minimum, "code-approved" design winds in your area. Building codes  require that buildings be able to withstand a "design" wind event. A tornado or extreme
hurricane can cause winds much greater than those on which local code requirements  are based. Having a house built to "code" does not mean that your house can withstand wind from any event, no matter how extreme.

Extreme windstorms in many parts of the country pose a serious threat to buildings and their occupants. The purpose of a safe room or a wind shelter is to provide a space where you and your family can seek refuge that provides a high level of protection. You can build a safe room in one of several places in your home.

• Your basement.
• Atop a concrete slab-on-grade foundation or garage floor.
• An interior room on the first floor.

Safe rooms built below ground level provide the greatest protection, but a safe room built in a first-floor interior room also can provide the necessary protection. Below-ground safe rooms must be designed to avoid accumulating water during the heavy rains that often accompany severe windstorms.

To protect its occupants, a safe room must be built to withstand high winds and flying debris, even if the rest of the residence is severely damaged or destroyed. Consider the following when building a safe room:

• The safe room must be adequately anchored to resist overturning and uplift.
• The walls, ceiling, and door of the shelter must withstand wind pressure and resist penetration by windborne objects and falling debris.
• The connections between all parts of the safe room must be strong enough to resist the wind.
• Sections of either interior or exterior residence walls that are used as walls of the safe room, must be separated from the structure of the residence so that damage to the residence will not cause damage to the safe room.

Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building a Safe Room Inside Your House
Check out this document with all the information you will need to build a safe room  8 mb PDF file

Also check out these sites for more information:
The National Storm Shelter Industry standard, along with other industry news, is available at http://www.nssa.cc/
Texas Tech’s Wind Science and Engineering Research Center explains the testing process and has a number of links:
Check out these tested shelter items: http://www.wind.ttu.edu/Research/DebrisImpact/TestedDoorsComp.php

*If at work or school:
Go to the basement or to an inside hallway at the lowest level.
Avoid places with wide-span roofs such as auditoriums, cafeterias, large hallways, or shopping malls.
Get under a piece of sturdy furniture such as a workbench or heavy table or desk and hold on to it.

*Mobile homes:
LEAVE, and find better shelter, such as the ones listed above.

*If in a car:
Never try to outdrive a tornado in a car or truck. Tornadoes can change direction quickly and can lift up a car or truck and toss it through the air. Get out of the car immediately and take shelter in a nearbybuilding. If there is no time to get indoors, get out of the car and lie in aditch or low-lying area away from the vehicle. Be aware of the
potential for flooding.

*If outdoors:
If possible, get inside a building. If shelter is not available or there is no time to get indoors, lie in a
ditch or low-lying area or crouch near a strong building. Be aware of the potential for flooding. Use arms to protect head and neck.

Storm Shelters

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Shelter photo from the Wichita Eagle. March 13th 1997 credit Ken Mantyla  Credit also to the National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and FEMA for providing us with much of this information used in this article.