Well into spring and fresh from the first severe weather outbreak of the season, some homeowners in Ohio are turning to different options to keep their families safe.
Jerry Collins of Point Pleasant had a tornado shelter installed into his backyard since he has no basement.
"We have no place to go to protect ourselves. We keep our grandkids quite a bit and we just wanted to be safe, have a place for them to go where they can feel safe," Collins said.
Phil Smith of Tornado Safety Shelters has installed over 20 FEMA approved storm shelters in the past two years.
These shelters can fit six to eight people, are installed in about two weeks, and can cost between $6,000 to $7,000.
He says there are grants that can help cover costs.
"Our governor over the past couple years has been able to get a lot of FEMA grants and where it might cost a resident 500-1000 dollars to put one in," Smith said.
Contact your area Emergency Management Director for more information.
If you don’t have a tornado shelter you can still protect yourself in case severe weather strikes, think of the acronym D.U.C.K.
D: Get Down to the lowest level
U: Get Under something
C: Cover your head
K: Keep yourself safe until the storm passes
