Storm shelter types
Garage in-ground (below-ground) shelter
A steel box set into your garage slab with a sliding lid you can park over. Common in the OKC metro, often installed in one day. Needs stairs, so less ideal for limited mobility.
Above-ground safe room
A reinforced steel room bolted to a slab, in a garage or closet. No stairs and no digging. Good for accessibility.
Outdoor underground shelter (storm cellar)
Concrete or steel shelter buried in the yard, sometimes slope-front. Needs yard access and excavation; can flood or float if not engineered for it, which is why OKC asks for an engineer flotation letter (City of OKC Development Center).
What to ask any installer
- Proof the design meets FEMA P-320 / P-361 and ICC 500.
- Door type and impact testing.
- Who pulls the permit and schedules inspection.
- Warranty terms in writing.