Safe Room Publications and Resources

The free safe room resources listed below have been developed by FEMA's Building Science Branch.

Have a question? View Frequently Asked Questions about the design and construction of safe rooms. If the answer to your question isn’t there, email the Safe Room Helpline or call (866) 927-2104.

• Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building a Safe Room for Your Home or Small Business (FEMA P-320)
• Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building a Safe Room for Your Home or Small Business (FEMA L-233 Brochure)
• Safe Rooms for Tornadoes and Hurricanes: Guidance for Community and Residential Safe Rooms (FEMA P-361)
• Safe Room Resources CD & Accompanying Resources (FEMA P- 388 CD)
• Tornado Protection: Selecting Refuge Areas in Buildings (FEMA P-431)
• Mitigation Assessment Team Report - Spring 2011 Tornadoes: April 25-28 and May 22 (FEMA P-908)
• Formal Observation Report - Tornado: Moore, Oklahoma, May 20, 2013 (FEMA P-1020)

• Community Safe Room Fact Sheet
• Community Tornado Safe Room Doors Installation and Maintenance Fact Sheet
• Best Available Refuge Area Checklist
• Residential Safe Room Fact Sheet
• Residential Tornado Safe Room Doors Fact Sheet
• Foundation and Anchoring Criteria for Safe Rooms Fact Sheet
• Flood Hazard Elevation and Siting Criteria for Community Safe Rooms
• Flood Hazard Elevation and Siting Criteria for Residential Safe Rooms
• 2011 Tornadoes Recovery Advisories
• Tornado Safety Initiative: Saving Lives When Tornadoes Strike Fact Sheet
• Highlights of ICC 500-2014 
• Fair Grove Community Safe Room Operations & Maintenance Plan
• Joplin Schools Community Safe Room Operations & Maintenance Plan

Related Agencies and Organizations

Legacy and Historical Information

Please note that FEMA does not endorse, approve, certify, or recommend any contractors, individuals, firms, or products. Contractors, individuals, or firms, shall not state they are, or produce products that are "FEMA approved" or "FEMA certified."

Door Assemblies and Components

The following links are maintained by their respective organizations and provide lists and information on safe room door assemblies and components that have passed previous missile impact testing criteria. The UL site also lists required design pressures and test-rated pressures, while the Texas Tech University site notes “ICC 500 Pressures” when the listed component assembly has demonstrated compliance.

Depending on the year and expected application of the products listed, the current pressure and impact criteria may be different than at the time of testing, so these lists are intended to be used as a resource to provide a starting point on what door assemblies and components could be considered for safe room use.

• Information on debris impact testing, including reports on doors and components that have passed missile impact testing, can be found at the Texas Tech University National Wind Institute.
• After linking to the UL Online Certification Directory, enter ‘zhla’ in the UL Category field and ‘ICC 500’ in the Keyword field for safe room-tested products.

Wall Sections That Passed Previous Missile Impact Test

The Texas Tech University National Wind Institute (NWI) provides reports on wall sections that passed previous missile impact testing standards, and more information on the testing protocol. The testing on these wall sections may or may not have been more stringent than current standards, and it is important to note that they may not necessarily pass current missile impact testing. View the results of the Construction Materials Threshold Testing Report.

Report information typically includes a description of the wall construction (e.g., stud wall with plywood and/or metal sheathing, stud wall with concrete infill, reinforced CMU wall, insulating concrete form [ICF] wall), cross-section illustration, test missile speed, and description of damage. The list is to be used merely as a resource of knowledge gained from past testing to determine which wall sections could be considered for use in a safe room application.