Damaging Easter Sunday Tornado

Destroys Homes, Shelter Saves Lives

Darcy Ambrose has uncanny timing.  On April 14, 2000, he had a heavy steel-plate underground shelter installed on his property in northwestern Louisiana by F-5  Storm Shelters.  Nine days later, on Easter Sunday, a major outbreak of tornadoes swept through the area, inflicting major damage to or destroying over 300 homes and causing dozens of injuries.

Darcy recalled, "A F-2 rated tornado passed right through our area, with a path of destruction 40 miles long and as much as five miles wide.  But thanks to our new storm shelter, we were safe and secure.

"It was all over in a few minutes, but when my neighbors, my son, and I came up afterwards out of the shelter, we discovered our homes seriously damaged and trees down everywhere we looked.  the shelter definitely saved our lives."

Darcy appreciates the peace of mind his shelter provides and since it's installation, has taken refuge in it 15-20 times to escape threatening weather.  It's so comfortable, he even sleeps in it when there is danger of severe weather overnight.

They Rode Out Hurricane Katrina's Worst in Comfort and Confidence

“Outside, Katrina’s 150-160-mph eyewall winds wreaked havoc on our world … while, from Sunday evening to Tuesday morning, my wife and I stayed safe and comfortable in our shelter. We never even lost power. Our separately sheltered diesel generator kept our air conditioning, lights, and TV going for days, through the storm and well beyond.

“Homes all around, including our own, were rendered unlivable or destroyed … but our shelter was a precious lifesaver.”

Over the years, longtime Mississippi residents Carl Hartzman and his wife endured their fair share of hurricanes to come through the area. However, their timing was excellent in finally making the decision to have one of our shelters installed on their property--as always, built to meet (usually exceeding) FEMA standards in all respects

Their heavy-gauge steel shelter was in place just in time to protect them from a direct hit from the worst storm to ever hit the U.S.

Said Carl, “We opted for an above-ground steel shelter, anchored in concrete, installed on high ground on our property. We also had a separate shelter built for a diesel generator. I know something about steel-work and from the very first time I saw the craftsmanship and robust design in these shelters, I knew it was the only shelter for us.”

It turned out to be one of the best decisions the Hartzmans ever made.

“We could hear branches and debris striking the outside of the shelter,” said Carl, “but even through 160-mph winds, we could feel no vibration or movement of any kind through the walls. When it was all over, the devastation outside was unbelievable, while the shelter itself didn’t even have a scratch on it!

“I cannot speak more appreciatively of my whole experience with Robert, our shelter builder and installer. These folks go above and beyond in delivering to the needs of the customer, and the quality of the product is exactly the kind of peace of mind we wanted.”