Panic Room - No! We are not talking about the famous Hollywood film 'Panic Room' here. You can also call it a safe room, it is a strong structure designed to protect you from any natural disaster or war situation. In most countries, having a safe room is mandated by law. Countries like the United States of America face tornadoes, blizzards, and heavy rains more often than other countries. That's why FEMA recommends building a safe room for people to stay safe. If you live in such a country, we will see how to build a safe room. So, keep reading this post.
Know Why You'll Need a Safe Room First
You may need a safe room for the following reasons.
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To Store Things: If you want to store things that you don’t want to get rid of, use a safe room. Always keep the safe room stocked with essential items because an emergency can happen at any time.
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Surviving a Natural Disaster: Although natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and heavy rain can be forecast, they cannot be stopped in any way. When they come, they put you in an emergency. During a natural disaster like a tornado, you can save your life by taking shelter in tornado safe rooms.
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Surviving a War or Attack Situation: When a war or attack happens bullets and missiles come from all directions. Militaries target everything for destruction to win over each other. In a situation like this, if you have a safe room, you can take shelter in it with your family.
Pick a Location For Your Safe Room
Building a safe room is not an easy task because you have to consult a builder for this. Not all safe rooms are the same. The exact location of a safe room reflects the purpose for which it is built. If you want to be safe from tornadoes, strong winds, and icy storms, consider creating a panic room at the ground level.
Besides, if you want a low-cost safe room for basic security that can serve as a hideout in case of robbery or ambush attacks, consider building it in the basement. Choose to create a safe room below the ground for situations like military war. Underground construction serves as a bunker that can also withstand missile attacks.
On the other hand, if the intention is to safeguard valuables, proximity to people may not be as crucial. Instead, choosing a location with existing solid walls, such as a basement safe room, is advisable. It may also be wise to disguise the location of the safe room or use spaces designed for displaying collections, such as a walk-in closet.
Choose The Materials To Build Your Room
If you are building your safe room from scratch, choose reinforced concrete for building the walls and ceiling. RCC slabs are the strongest and most budget-friendly option to keep you safe inside the safe room storm shelter. Make steel-framed windows if necessary. Avoid flammable materials such as wood.
If you do not have enough time to build a safe room yourself, consider having a professional safe room builder install it. Several companies deal in safe room wall and ceiling panels that you only need to assemble. If you want a customized safe room, order a builder with your requirements and safe room ideas.
Other Essentials And Power Supply For Your Panic Room
Essential Supplies
Firstly, it's important to ensure that the panic room is adequately stocked with essential supplies such as food, water, and medical supplies. Consider keeping a stock of non-perishable food items, bottled water, and a first aid kit in the panic room to ensure that you have enough supplies to last for an extended period.
Power Supply
Secondly, having a reliable power supply is essential to ensure that the residential safe rooms are functional for an extended period. A backup power supply such as a generator, solar power system, or backup battery bank should be considered. These power sources can keep the lights on, power communications devices like radios or cellphones, and maintain environmental control systems such as heating or air conditioning. Check Anker 757 PowerHouse for this aspect which adopts HyperFlash technology and can be charged to an 80% level within one hour.
Communication Devices
Lastly, consider including communication devices such as two-way radios or satellite phones to stay connected with the outside world. Also, a self-defense tool such as a firearm or pepper spray can help protect against intruders. However, it is crucial to obtain proper training and licenses for any self-defense tool to ensure safe use.
Conclusion
During ongoing incidents of natural disaster or war, your priority should be to save yourself and your family. Houses can withstand earthquakes or storms but they cannot protect you. You need a panic room that provides complete protection against natural disaster situations. Some may say that no safe room can be 100% safe as they remain at the mercy of nature. But even so, learning how to build a safe room to keep yourself safe from earthquakes, tornadoes, and blizzards is still a worthy investment. We hope that we have lucidly explained what is a safe room in a house.
FAQ about How to Build a Safe Room
What are 3 Attributes Of a Safe Room?
The safe rooms for homes must possess the following characteristics:
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It must not be visible from the exterior.
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It should be able to endure a 3-alarm fire or an EF3 tornado for at least 15 minutes.
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The entry door(s) should be locked with a minimum of one deadbolt lock and two other locking mechanisms, such as a keypad or combination lock, etc.
How Do You Vent a Safe Room?
You need to install a special ventilation system for your panic room. Relying solely on windows is not recommended if the safe room is at ground level. You should talk to your builder about installing a ventilation mechanism. One ventilation system may not be enough because if nature turns severe, your ventilation system may stop working. So keep a backup system ready.
How Big Should a Safe Room Be?
According to FEMA p-320, panic rooms should be sized between 512 cubic feet and 1568 cubic feet according to the FEMA P-320 specification. If you want it in dimensions, a size between 8 ft*8 ft*8 ft and 14 ft*14 ft*8 ft is recommended. Surely you can customize your safe rooms to make them perfectly fit you.
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