Proven Test Results
Storms are unpredictable and can never be tamed, but when seeking shelter in “THE REFUGE” storm shelter you are giving your family the best chance for survival. There are increasing dangers with today’s more violent weather patterns. The link below is the results of testing performed by The Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX.
Test Results from Texas Tech University
The storm shelters meet all requirements put forth for American Tornado Shelter Association (ATSA)
The R-1 and R-2 Meet all Design , Construction and Installation Instructions for full compliance with National Storm Shelter Standards( NSSA)
1999/2000
Debris Impact Testing
Sept, 2000
Shelter Component Testing: Meeting FEMA 320 Guidelines
Jan 2001- March 2001
Investigation of Wind Projectile Resistance
Texas Tech University
The Wind Science and Engineering Research Center
2006
Third Party Evaluation of THE REFUGE
by McDonald-Metha Engineers
Specializing in Wind Engineering
2000 and 2011
Professional Engineer Support Calculations for shelters
by Frank W. Neal and Associates, Inc.
Buoyant Force Data Calculations with Water Table level Specs Calculations for Stress in the Fiberglass Sleeves connection of the pipes to the shelter
Meets the ICC/NSSA 500-2008, and the Tornado Design criteria for safe rooms presented in FEMA 320-2008 Taking Shelter From The Storm: Building a Safe Room For Your Home or Small Business
Hurricane Katrina Testimonials
I bought my mini-refuge in July for the upcoming tornado season. In August, we were surprised to hear it was not a tornado we would be seeking shelter from, but hurricane Katrina. My family and I went into our mini-refuge and stayed inside for nearly four hours.
Whenever we emerged, the damage and destruction was all around us, but we remained safe despite the forces of Mother Nature. It proved to be one of the best investments that we ever made. The price of life greaty outweighs the small amount of money we spent to obtain this life saving storm shelter.
Donald Thornton, Raleigh MS
My family lives about 150 miles north of the MS gulf coast. In Laurel, MS 30 miles SE of my home, wind gusts were measured at 110 mph, but then the device that measures wind speed broke, so actually they don’t know the actual wind gust speed.
Most of the damage in our area was from trees, power lines, and homes. We have a huge oak tree in our front yard that could have destroyed our home if it had fell. We went into the “Mini-Refuge” about 1:00 pm and stayed there for 4 hours. We had a feeling of complete safety being there. My husband feels this is the best purchase and investment in our safety that he has ever made.
Marie Thornton
Refuge Testimonials
Mr Toll, I bought a Refuge 1 tornado shelter from you about two months ago and wanted to let you know how unbelievably happy I am with it. You advised me well; with the size of my family and the layout of our yard, this shelter was exactly what we needed.
The day of installation, I came home from work and saw it in the ground. According to my wife, the installation went exactly as you told me when I bought it. The placement was perfect. I didn’t think it possible, but just seeing it available to us in our yard made the purchase worthwhile; it was completely about peace of mind. That is, until a couple of nights ago when that peace of mind turned into real-life safety.
You’ll remember the massive outbreak of storms that night. At two o’clock in the morning, a tornado warning was issued for us. We immediately got the family together and went into the shelter. It wasn’t long after settling down there, we heard the report of a funnel cloud in our area. Fortunately for us, we received only minor damage to our property. Sadly, last I heard, six people died that night from these storms.
As I listened to the radio and heard warnings being issued and reports coming in from spotters, I looked at the faces of my children. As a father, I would gladly give my life for my children and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect them. That moment, the price of the shelter was more than paid for in full. I cannot thank you enough. You helped me protect my family that night and given me the means to protect them from severe weather in the future. Getting the Refuge is one of the absolute best things I’ve done and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Very gratefully,
-Scott Yakoubian
Little Rock, AR