Kansas Turnpike Tornado Shelters Offer Another Option For Severe Weather Safety

[John Olexa]

Very interesting, could work. Might have to watch out for squatters taking over them though.

https://weather.com/safety/tornado/news/kansas-turnpike-tornado-shelters?cm_ven=FB_WX_JK_42916_4

 

[John Moore]

We sat out a TOR warned after dark event a few years back in a KTA plaza, feeling a bit more secure knowing where the shelter was. I didn't realize they only hold 15 people, though! There were about 50 people sitting out the storm.

 

[Greg Campbell]

What a riotous waste of money... Most of these will never be utilized for their primary function.
And the 15 person capacity is only going to encourage a life-or-death Musical Chairs act.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Would be a good idea to keep the existence of these in mind during a big event. It's likely the interstate could be blocked by people just stopping and running into the shelters. The next 4/26/91 event with a tornado tracking along the interstate could result in getting trapped.

 

[Matt Tottle]

What a riotous waste of money... Most of these will never be utilized for their primary function.

One could call the post-Moore outcry for retrofit installation of safe rooms in schools - the overwhelming majority of which will never be used - a riotous waste of money too....... At least the ones on the Kansas Turnpike weren't paid for with tax dollars.....

 

[Randy Jennings]

The new Safety Rest Areas in Texas have storm shelters as well. The one on I-35 in Bell county even has an exhibit on the Jarrell TX F-5 tornado from 5/27/1997. You can see pictures of the Bell county one (including the Jarrell tornado exhibit) at: http://www.lanabird.com/2012/11/12/safety-rest-areas-in-texas/. Offical website is http://www.txdot.gov/driver/travel/rest-areas.html, but it doesn't contain much info about the storm shelters.

 

[Jeff Wright]

I was hoping for something like this. Good to get out of hail...snow...staging area. Many uses