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CALM BEFORE, AFTER STORM Local firm makes shelters By RUSTY DENNEN Two years ago in May, when a monster tornado ripped through Jarrell, Texas, Richard McCalley got to thinking about what he might do to protect his family from a killer storm. His wife, daughter and mother-in-law were staying in the nearby Texas town of Salado, which was spared. But it was too close for comfort, he recalled. Tornadoes occasionally make the news here, too. McCalley, owner of Rappahannock Forge in southern Stafford County, came up with an idea: a shelter kit that a homeowner could buy and easily install himself. The idea has come to fruition at a time when the nation’s consciousness is riveted on the Midwest where tornadoes this week killed at least 49 people, destroyed more than 10,000 homes, and wreaked damage estimated at over $1 billion. Rappahannock Forge has begun producing its KeepSafe severe weather shelters, which McCalley believes could have saved lives in Oklahoma and Kansas. The kits, made at the plant off State Route 218 in White Oak, include 1,500 pounds of heavy-gauge galvanized steel panels, beams, bolts and instructions for the 4- by 8-foot enclosure accommodating a family of four. The most basic shelter, one of five in the works, sells for $2,850. “This is really like an insurance policy,” McCalley said in an interview earlier this week. “I would hope that anyone who purchased one would never have a need for it. But, like insurance, it isn’t any good until you need it.” The kits can be installed in a basement, on a concrete slab, or in a garage and are designed to exceed Federal Emergency Management Agency standards for home shelters. McCalley said his kit has been tested to withstand winds over 250 mph, and a direct hit by a 15-pound two-by-four traveling at 100 mph. Brian Mucha, an engineer and owner of Atlantic Framing Design in Baltimore, helped McCalley with the design. “I thought it was a great idea,” he said of the shelter. “I’m unaware of anything [else] specifically designed for this.” Mucha’s firm has worked on several projects with McCalley over the years. Rappahannock Forge is in the process of setting up a dealer network, McCalley said. The Gemroi Co. in Fredericksburg will be offering the kits in the Southeast. Rappahannock Forge plans a presentation before Oklahoma City homebuilders later this month. It has also set up a Web site, www.keepSaferooms.com. “The demand will be a function of tragedies like what’s happened in Oklahoma,” McCalley said. “It heightens people’s awareness.” The company aims to produce about 50 kits a week initially. Founded in 1970, Rappahannock Forge does specialized steel work. For example, it fabricated steel for Virginia Railway Express stations. McCalley said he’s been easing his company out of existing contracts so he could focus on the storm shelters. Storm shelters have been around for years. FEMA and Texas Tech University jointly put out a brochure, “Taking Shelter From the Storm,” with instructions for contractors on how and where to install them. McCalley said a mass-produced kit and design are what make his idea unique. Rather than building one from scratch, “Harry homeowner can put this up on a Saturday and Sunday.” McCalley likens it to the cocoon-like steel cages around NASCAR drivers that protect them from 200-plus mph crashes. The steel walls and roof are engineered to dissipate energy from projectiles, falling debris, and wind. Wind in a tornado can be devastating: The Oklahoma City tornado was rated an F–5, the most powerful, with winds over 260 mph. The KeepSafe shelter, which resembles a large walk-in closet, is attached to a wall or masonry, and bolted to a concrete slab. McCalley, 54, has a patent pending on the structure. He ran his designs by specialists at Texas Tech, where he is an alumnus. The school has been a pioneer in wind-engineering research. McCalley graduated in 1970 with a degree in animal science and he started Rappahannock Forge here the same year. Tornado protection has been getting some national attention. Last year, after devastating tornadoes in Florida, the government launched its “safe rooms” initiative to encourage the construction of modern versions of old-fashioned storm cellars. Oklahoma City residents are said to be particularly vulnerable to tornadoes because the unstable clay soil makes it expensive to build basements. According to the National Weather Service, about 800 tornadoes are reported in the U.S. each year. This week’s storms were the worst since February 1998 when tornadoes killed 42 people around Kissimmee, Fla. Forecasters say La Niña, the weather phenomenon behind record snow in the Northwest this winter and dry conditions in Florida, is to blame for this year’s unusual spate of storms. © 1999 The Free Lance–Star, Fredericksburg, Va. |