[twoplanekid]

Bedroom #2 is the safe room
The one window in #2 was upgraded to a hurricane window.
Our exterior walls are concrete block.
The adjacent house is poured concrete and would block all direct window/wall strikes on that side/bedroom #2.
Can exit both through the window and to foyer/main entry
Second bathroom is very close to bedroom #2!
Can sleep through it all on the queen size bed rather than in a bath tub.
Tornadoes here are not the much stronger EF4 or 5

[LLamers]

Be sure to check the ceiling if using a walk-in closet! Just walk in and look up - if there is a trap door to access the crawl space, then the closet isn't safe. In many houses the safest place would the second bathroom if it has no windows. Supplies can be stored under the sink. As for the mirror - not sure, perhaps include a roll of duct tape in your supplies and tape the mirror to hold it together? Time would be one question and pattern for tape another - just a thought.

[OhioBuckeye]

Originally Posted by OhioBuckeye

I have 3 bathrooms & only one has glass blocks. Haven’t you heard that bathtubs are the best place in your homes to be safe at. The only other place to be is a closet! Where would you suggest to go to in your home?

Don’t take me wrong Stuart but you told me that bathroom weren’t safe because bathroom have windows but you never said where we should go if caught in a tornado in your home?

[Chatbrat]

All homes in TV are basically the same as far as 3 bed room designers are concerned:

I believe the safest spot in a Begonia is the inside master bedroom closet, it has 3 interior walls and a pocket door, next choice the laundry room, two interior walls & two doors

[Spikearoni]

Originally Posted by twoplanekid

Bedroom #2 is the safe room
The one window in #2 was upgraded to a hurricane window.
Our exterior walls are concrete block.
The adjacent house is poured concrete and would block all direct window/wall strikes on that side/bedroom #2.
Can exit both through the window and to foyer/main entry
Second bathroom is very close to bedroom #2!
Can sleep through it all on the queen size bed rather than in a bath tub.
Tornadoes here are not the much stronger EF4 or 5

Aren't windows in homes built after 2013 upgraded hurricane windows? If not, who constructed yours?

[Chatbrat]

BIG difference between hurricane force winds and a tornado--a real tornado will shred almost any structure in TV, and when a tornado is spotted you will not have any time to get to a supposedly safe structure outside of your house

Guess no one here has seen pictures of structures cleanly sweep off their foundations

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by Stuart Zaikov

Might be better than our walk in closets. Two ways out and a source of water.

I guess the debate is whether the two ways out are more important than the structural strength of a wall versus a door.

[bowlingal]

DO NOT forget a battery operated radio

[twoplanekid]

Originally Posted by Chatbrat

BIG difference between hurricane force winds and a tornado--a real tornado will shred almost any structure in TV, and when a tornado is spotted you will not have any time to get to a supposedly safe structure outside of your house

Guess no one here has seen pictures of structures cleanly sweep off their foundations

According to the data, most tornadoes in Florida are EF0 through EF2 with a very few exceptions such as the EF3 in 2007 that hit parts of The Villages. Note that an EF2 tornado has winds of 113 – 157 mph and a Category 4 hurricane winds are 130-156 mph.

Tornadoes in Florida since 1950 | tallahassee.com

Along the coast, hurricane rated windows are required but not in TV so far as I am aware. Out house was built in late 2013 and did not have hurricane rated windows.

The Florida Building Code (FBC) requires windows to be impact-resistant or protected if located within one mile of the coast where the wind speed is 110 mph or greater. -> http://www.floridabuilding.org/fbc/p...506revised.pdf

[seara1214]

Sounds like a good idea about the hurricane proof window. In our master bath we have shelving to the ceiling for storage. Not a good idea to stay there.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

I guess the debate is whether the two ways out are more important than the structural strength of a wall versus a door.

Hopefully we will never have to find out.

[Velvet]

Place a sledge hammer inside your safe room, then you’ll have an exit out.

[mulligan]

IMHO, being in a "safe room" hiding from a tornado is a futile exercise. If the tornado rips the roof off ( a fairly common occurrence), you're screwed anyway.

[TimeForChange]

Originally Posted by Nucky

Any concern about COVID?

Only if you bring it.

[TimeForChange]

Except for my time in the military I have lived in the South all my life and I'm 74. Lived in AL, TX, GA and FL. I have been in tornado Country the entire time. Actually had a house damaged in TX in the 80's. With doppler radar today it is entirely different. If we are under a watch I stay alert. If we are under a warning the best place to get if you do not have a basement is your bathroom. If you hear it coming then lie down in the shower or tub.