On mentioning storm shelters, one’s mind always pictures an underground bunker or cellar, and that’s probably because most shelters in the past existed below ground.
However, technological advances and design changes have helped introduce storm-resistant safe rooms that can exist above ground. All that is required is for these shelter options to fulfill the FEMA guidelines for ensuring user safety.
If you’re exploring storm shelter options in Dallas and Fort Worth in 2025, this guide offers you a list of above-ground shelter options that you can choose from.
- Reinforced Safe Room
A reinforced safe room can be described as a human vault and works as a small room that’s mostly tucked away within a house, probably within a room or a closet.
The fortified structure of the room, as well as its strong exterior, is designed to withstand high winds, pressure, and infrastructure damage. Due to this construction, they easily withstand outside damage or displacement due to high winds.
- Wall-Mounted Safe Room
As compared to reinforced rooms, a wall-mounted safe room is found on the exterior of a house. However, it’s still attached to the property by the wall, acting like an extension to it.
Wall-mounted safe rooms are often solely meant for protection during storms and are composed of steel plates or concrete panels.
- Modular Steel Shelter
When a steel shelter is installed inside an existing room above ground, such as a garage, it is known as a modular steel shelter. The technique provides a similar level of safety as wall-mounted safe rooms, but in a home’s interior, with pre-fabricated steel installed on the walls.
- Concrete Safe Room
A concrete safe room has the same structure and exists in the same parts of a house as a modular steel shelter; the only difference is that the pre-fabricated steel is replaced with reinforced concrete on the walls.
The strategy is to make the inside of a house weatherproof rather than building a separate weatherproof section.
- Shelter Pods
Shelter pods exist on the exterior of houses and aren’t mounted or attached to the property’s wall. They’re present as a separate room/pod that is made of steel or fiberglass and is installed into the ground. Some shelter pods are also portable and can be moved from one space to another.
Choose An Option Wisely
When picking your storm shelter options, you must be mindful of factors such as property size, your needs, and the best material. Take your time to research and compare options.
Looking for a shelter service to assist you in Dallas and Fort Worth? Check out U.S. Safe Room Tornado Shelters.
We offer a list of above-ground and below-ground shelter options that you can customize and handle with ease due to our 10-year product warranty.
Interested in seeing our catalog of storm shelters in Dallas? Contact us now!
