Joplin Globe:
Although Sharon Camp has seen firsthand the devastation a tornado can leave in its wake, the Pea Ridge, Ark., resident said she isn’t afraid of the swirling funnels; she just respects them.
It’s that respect that motivated Camp to insist on a tornado safe room for her home. She went with an above-ground shelter made by Twister Safe in Neosho.
‘I feel a lot better knowing I have this,’ Camp said.
She said her home came close to being hit by a tornado in the past but has avoided them so far. Relatives in Neosho haven’t been so lucky.
‘My husband’s uncle’s house started out on one side of the street, and after the tornado it was on the other side,’ she said. ‘The house was totaled, and we helped him clean up the debris.’
Jeremy Davis, co-owner of Twister Safe, said he cannot save a family’s home, but he can protect its occupants. Davis started building above-ground safe rooms in 2005 after furnishing below-ground units built by other companies.
‘It all started with this one little old lady who spent $3,000 on a tornado shelter, but she was scared to go down the steep steps, so she wouldn’t ever use it,’ Davis said. ‘We thought we could build a better product.’
Camp said not having to brave the weather in the middle of a storm to crawl down steep steps was part of her reason for choosing Twister Safe’s above-ground model. Read full post.
Photo T. Rob Brown Jeremy Davis / Globe
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