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Shipping container for a storm shelter

26K views 40 replies 25 participants last post by  Cracked Cranium 
#1 ·
I live in the SE coastal are of NC and I'm looking at using a shipping container for a storm shelter. It will have to be an above ground shelter because any attempt to bury a container or build an underground block shelter is out of the question because they would fill up with water in no time.

I want to add a steel door on the side for access and will need to anchor and ground it before we could use it. I work at the port here and the containers don't seem to be bothered by hurricaines unless they are stacked 4 high, so I figure it will be better than my wooden framed house. I will not be putting it on a concrete slab.

Any tips, links or ideas would be appreciated.
 
#2 ·
I've seen empty unsecured shipping containers tossed around in a hurricane here in Texas.

Unless you have a way to secure them to the bedrock or to a slab I wouldn't want to be in one during a class 4 or 5 storm.

Once secured it should be proof against most debris though.
 
#3 ·
When the containers are stacked and latched together, up and down and placed side by side, they are pretty much all connected together and form a pretty solid structure where the wind can't really get a good toe hold on them. Single containers will not be that stable in a hurricane.

Anchoring to a slab, or using plenty of deep screw in anchors, or deadman anchors, with the straps/cables going over the top as well as attached at the bottom and the corners will be needed. I'd also reinforce it some, and use at least some foam insulation board on the inside, even if fairly thin, so you don't go deaf when it gets hammered with debris. Have a easy open, but very secure door latch so the door doesn't come open in high winds. Have a good hydraulic jack, some cribbing, pry bars, and chainsaw to force the door open if something blocks it, like an over turned vehicle or downed tree. Might even be good to put a simple, well built top hatch with ladder in it, for the same reason.

Along with the noise insulation, I would either pad it up really well in case it does get loose and roll, ore better yet, bolt down some old bucket seats out of wrecked vehicle, with seatbelts still in good shape and make sure everyone is strapped in, with a bicycle helmet or better strapped on their head.

Just a few thoughts and my opinion.
 
#4 ·
We went to help a grandma and her grandson who made it through one of the tornados last month in a shipping container. The container was adjacent to a mobile home they were living in. Everything destroyed except the container. The container rocked as the tornado went through and a tree fell on the container which blocked them initially getting out but they made through the ordeal without a scratch.
I am not saying that shipping containers is the way to go. I am just saying that in this instance two people were saved by going into a shipping container AND by the grace of God. They lost most everything but feel really blessed by all the help from local and distant folks who have just stopped by to offer assistance.
I should note that the container was pointed in the direction of the tornado. I am thinking that it might have been a different story if the container was broadside to the tornado when it came through.
 
#6 ·
I have owned a couple and I would say it depends on how you do it. First, living on the coast, how high above sea level are you? That is going to be the big thing. Storm surge where I lived (onboard my sailboat) was estimated 18 feet in a direct hit Cat 3. Don't even guess if a Cat 5 hit. If you are not 30 ft above sea level I would say Bug Out. If you are above 30 ft. I would say place container, pour concrete footing at the corners and bolt down with 1in. bolts. The corners are the strong spots. The side walls are weak. Wind can give you problems there. I would say after the corners are secured, build a block wall up to near the top and use fill from the top of the block out about 25-30 feet, sloping out to keep the higher winds and debris from the container walls. I bought insulated containers. Most work already done. I would add vents for fresh air and a door on the end (instead of the standard truck like full size doors. I would also build a small wall there also and backfill, but far enough out to not block the door (that should open inward- along with big bar to block it closed from the inside. Otherwise I would rather have a poured steel re-enforced concrete that would be tornado proof.
 
#7 ·
Good ideas to keep in mind. I live far enough inland that storm surge isn't an issue, but the ground is still just sand. I will have to try and anchor them in place as best as I can.
I have rode out hurricaines on the port and the containers here are not lashed together. They simply stack them, empty or loaded on the asphalt lots in rows for easy access. The single ones don't even slide around in the cat 3 winds, but the stacked one will tip over. Of course with a tornado, if it gets hit, it will become airborne as will anything else. My biggest concern is flying degris, tree limbs etc. Our wooden house as opposed to a steel box. I have a lot of concerns to address.
The noise issue is something I hadn't looked at until now. I'll look into that and possibly coating the interior with bedliner also. Being inside a faraday cage in an electrical storm is a concern too. Keep the ideas coming.
 
#8 ·
I'd think that a shipping container would make a great above ground storm shelter.

A heavy slab should be more than enough to provide enough anchor points and can be raised to get it above any possible flood waters.

It might be pretty noisy in a tornado, but I'd rather be in that than in a stick home.
 
#10 ·
I'm in the same part of the world, Not to far away from where I live, someone has a container that is partially covered with soil.
I wouldn't mind riding out a hurricane in a container that had been tied down, and sealed good, and a nice clay berm piled high up if not over the container.
Make it look like a bid flower bed, or a pile a dirt for 4 wheeler to play on and folks wouldn't think about too much!
 
#14 ·
I would not use a shipping container for a storm shelter. Why? Because it is not built like a safe room that is designed to be able to absorb direct impacts from debris flying as much as 300 mph. Plus, what about falling debris, LIKE A SEMI TRUCK?

If that is your only thoughts because of their cheap availability, you are not thinking hard enough.

Even anchored, I would not trust one in a strong tornado. Even trailer homes that are anchored have been tossed in tornadoes and shipping containers are the same shape as the average trailer home. Yes, they are built of steel instead of aluminum clad 2x2 stick frame construction, but shipping containers are built so that they are very strong at the corners (for loaded stacking) and not so much along the long sides.

Even if you were to set a shipping container on level ground and then mound dirt up and over the shipping container, the roof and sides could start to collapse under the weight of the soil and there WOULD be rust issues to deal with, so it might only be good enough to use for a few short years.

I don't know what the cost of the concrete storm shelter that many septic tank companies build and sell would be in your area are, but that could be sat ON THE GROUND and then mounded over with dirt if ground water is the problem and still give you much better protection than the shipping container you are thinking about.

I realize that you see these shipping containers every day and you think, "Hey, I know what I could do with one of those!", but there are much better options when it comes to really protecting your family. Please don't take chances when it comes to protecting your family. A false sense of protection IS NOT really protection.

I'm sure some will disagree with me and these have been my own opinion. You are the one that has to sleep at night with your decision. Good luck with that.

Medic73
 
#15 ·
A good friend of mine builds homes on the shore and most of his work is engineering piers for their foundation.
If you do not use piers where there is the posibility of high water, you are basiclly wastin time .
Piers and elevating with solid skirting all round, is my advise .
Concrete piers sunk deep, and anchored to the structure thuroughly, usually provide the best performance .
1, to get in, one must assend not decend as into a swimming pool.
2, the view is more defenceable and steel shutters can prevent wind dammage.
3, Cameras below and all round are safer then windows and personal exposure.
4,it is easier to secure against break in.(depending on how it is designed.)
5, I would use zink annodes to distract corrosion and perserve the container.
6.I would use solar pannels, both photovolic and thermal water heating, on the roof for power and a battery bank in it's own cabinet well ventelated to the out side.
7. using one or more of the piers ,hide the electrical and plumbing if any .
8. from a floor hatch /ladder/stariway, use a hoist as an elevator for lifting/lowering, preps and furniture.
Learn the hight water can reach and exceed the expectations anticipating the weather systems to worsen as the years progress.
Being a hi profile you might surround it with indigenous trees.
A wood stove would be great, but alcohol might be better,no smoke, and easier to store..
again, one of the piers could hide the resivour,("6" steel pipe) for a liquid fuel .
 
#16 ·
Nothing will stand up to a direct tornado hit. Even a block house will lose and go flying.
High water isn't an issue either as I don't live on the beach or in a flood zone. I live 20 miles inland and is in a wooded area surrounded on three sides by forest. Tree limbs and even trees snapping off are concerns. I have to think that the 20 foot steel container is better than a small wooden house. It's not perfect by no stretch of the imagination.
 
#18 ·
One other concern is air pressure.

What sort of doors are you thinking of using? The ones that come on a container are very secure and lock from the outside.

Doors made to lock from the inside might be far less strong.

Have you seen how a stick home tends to explode as the sudden change in air pressure between the inside and the outside of the home are created by a close tornado?
 
#21 ·
I live in the SE coastal are of NC and I'm looking at using a shipping container for a storm shelter. It will have to be an above ground shelter because any attempt to bury a container or build an underground block shelter is out of the question because they would fill up with water in no time.

I want to add a steel door on the side for access and will need to anchor and ground it before we could use it. I work at the port here and the containers don't seem to be bothered by hurricaines unless they are stacked 4 high, so I figure it will be better than my wooden framed house. I will not be putting it on a concrete slab.

Any tips, links or ideas would be appreciated.
Nothing will stand up to a direct tornado hit. Even a block house will lose and go flying.
High water isn't an issue either as I don't live on the beach or in a flood zone. I live 20 miles inland and is in a wooded area surrounded on three sides by forest. Tree limbs and even trees snapping off are concerns. I have to think that the 20 foot steel container is better than a small wooden house. It's not perfect by no stretch of the imagination.
So, IS high water an issue or isn't it? You seem confused. You have already made up your mind to do this anyway, so I have nothing to add that you will listen to anyway. :headshake:

I love when people ask for any tips, links or ideas, but don't want to hear any unless it agrees 100% with them.
 
#24 ·
You seem confused. High water, as in STORM SURGE OR FLOODING isn't an issue. The WOODEN floor should be kept a few inches above ground to prevent rain water from gathering there and rotting it.
No offense, but you seem overly critical before understanding what I am asking. Your input is still welcome though.
 
#22 ·
I have thought about this too. They are already designed to withstand high winds aboard container ships. How about attaching it to big concrete footings made from buried 55 gallon barrels. Fill any gaps with cinder blocks so wind can't get underneath. An earthen berm on the most likely side would help. And a frame for a big good tarp so you are not in an oven in the sun. The tarp or sail or whatever could be taken in for heavy weather.
 
#27 ·
I've been thinking of doing this as well. Can't bury one because of the ground water table being so high where I live (roughly 1 or 2 feet down in some areas), but I live 25 miles for the shore and trees are a big problem. I've thought about digging some trenches down a few feet and filling with concrete and heavy chain across the top.
 
#30 ·
I have been at the center of 12 Hurricanes, 3 Direct hits from Tornadoes, and offshore in a sailboat through a Tropical Storm. I worked as a Disaster Recovery Coordinator in Florida, Georgia and Alabama after numerous Floods, Storms, Tornadoes, Chemical Spills and FireStorms. I was a Firefighter and EMT, and did work as a contractor for FEMA and various State and Local agencies. I am now retired and live in Tennessee.

FEMA has done extensive work developing and testing various ideas for storm shelters. The have published plans for Masonry, Steel and Wood Shelters that can withstand the strongest winds (EF5) in a storm. They also explain how to evaluate your risks and different levels of protection.

Not everyone NEEDS to have a shelter for a Tornado, or a Cat 5 Hurricane, but IF you feel that you want one, there are easy sets of plans that you can download from FEMA.

For myself and my family, I used a 20 ft shipping container as my base structure. I dug 6 post holes (3ft deep) then used Mobile Home screw type 4ft anchors down another 3 feet. Topped that with regular strength concrete for extra mass. Then I got 6 inches of "Road Base" rock over the entire site for good drainage. The Container is raised above that by 3 railroad ties which are drilled through for 4 ft rebar (#5 or 1/2") and bermed, or surrounded by more rock, compacted and settled.

To meet FEMA suggested criteria, I added 2 layers of 3/4" Exterior Plywood to the exterior of the box, and on the interior, I added 1" of EPS foamboard and 1/2" of Interior Plywood. Did the same to the roof. Also added 2X6X10' boards onto the roof 16 inches on center, to provide a good airspace, and simply stapled ShadeCloth over the top to reduce the effects of the sun, which can turn that box into an oven.

With the $2000 for the box, only $200 for all the anchors and concrete, about $750 for the rock, and about $1000 for all the lumber and connectors. I estimate I ahve about $4000 for the entire project, and by MY engineering, should be sufficient to protect my family and a few friends through just about ANYTHING!

By the way, a group of Miami-Dade Florida Students made a few videos trying the make a shipping container fail the test of shooting a 15 pound (8ft) 2X4 at 130 mph at various weak points at the walls, doors, seams, etc. They did a lot of damage, and even got one seam to start to open (a bottom seam in the center of the wall of a 40 footer), but failed to penetrate the box at any time.

FEMA had UL test their plan designs at a cost of almost a million dollars, and found that the 2x4 standard test could deform a wall of 2 layers of 3/4" plywood alone, but the addition of just 14 GA sheet metal stopped everything. Shipping container walls are NOT made to be bulletproof, but they are made from 10GA steel and bent (corrugated) to improve the impact resistance.

I use my shelter as storage for garden tools and supplies. I keep a small generator and battery chargers for some tools there, with a few back up supplies and snacks.
 
#33 ·
With the $2000 for the box, only $200 for all the anchors and concrete, about $750 for the rock, and about $1000 for all the lumber and connectors. I estimate I ahve about $4000 for the entire project, and by MY engineering, should be sufficient to protect my family and a few friends through just about ANYTHING!

.
For about the same cost, you can buy a real above ground storm shelter.
https://www.safesheds.com/
 
#31 ·
Interesting thread with some very good information. Thanks for resurrecting it MT.
We are able to get shipping containers relatively cheaply where I'm located and they are quite commonly seen in backyards and I have been considering getting one, however after reading the posts here I am now thinking that perhaps a concrete rainwater tank might be a better idea.
Our concern here is more to do with bush-fires than storms or cyclones and as rainwater tanks are very common around our area and a thick-walled concrete tank would make a very unobtrusive fire-shelter/store-room.
 
#34 ·
I didn't read where you said what size of shipping container that you plan to use. I'm guessing that you plant use a smaller one. If that's the case, air flow or fresh air will quickly become a major issue if you end up in a small container with a couple of other people. In the south, with all that humid air down there, just normal breathing can be a chore at times. So you will probably need an easy means of drawing in fresh air for your shelter system.

I know that most shelters are not used for long periods of time but a little bit of lighting of some kind would be nice to have in one of those. Most of the old ones I was in had kerosene lanterns or lots of candles in them. Later on, after electricity made its way to rural homes, there was the obligatory single light bulb hanging down from the center of the ceiling of the shelter. It wasn't until the advent of the nuclear bombs that anybody began to take shelters seriously and design them to be comfortable with lights and creature comforts in them. So you might want to think about some kind of primary and back-up lighting systems for your shelter. It really doesn't have to elaborate to make the dark, dreary space seem a little better.

Doors that open in are a good thing but you can also re-enforce those doors so that they don't fly open if something hits them real hard too. Also mark the area of the door swing on the floor as a warning zone to avoid being in for those "just in case situations." If you aren't in the marked warning zone and the door swings open in a violent manner, there's a good chance you won't get hit by a violent door action.

A couple of the shelters I visited had benches along the walls with no benches on the wall opposite of the entrance door. This was a safety feature deliberately done in case the door got blasted off the hinges and came tearing through the shelter. People found that entrance doors when blasted off of shelter fronts would smack against the far or rear wall of the shelter during the peak of some storms. That's why when the storm was raging people sat against the walls on the benches and waited out the passing of the storm. If the front door did blast off with force then more than likely it would bounce off the far or rear wall and not kill anybody sitting on the sidewall bench seats.

The bench seats were also big enough for some people to stretch out on and rest if need be as well.

In most shelters the people had board games and decks of cards handy to help fight off boredom. A couple even kept some books in them too as a means to entertain children who might become scared.

The idea of an emergency shelter is a good thing, a real good thing. The thing to remember is that it could become more than something you seek comfort in for a couple of hours. That means you might want to ramp it up more than you presently are thinking about right now. The longest stay I heard about from some of my Alabama relatives in their storm shelters was 4 days straight. That was back many years ago in about the 1930's if I remember right. Back then, things weren't as technologically advanced as they are now. So survival meant you and your family were pretty much on your own in those days. Just about EVERY farm in rural Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia all had storm shelters when I was a kid. They were great fun to go look in and mess around in but you always had "to watch for snakes or cottonmouths" as my Grandmother used to say.
 
#36 ·
Well, we live well above sea level and above the ground water level, so my answer addresses that. For 4k, I can pour a partially sumerged root celler with a room attached that has its own entry/egress with pre-stocked comforts and equipment. That way you have multi-use and quite a bit of food in place if you have to restart from scratch.

Shipping containers are often treated chemically to discourage critters that are would cause quarentine in ports of call. Great for equipment storage but not for habitation or food storage. Those headaches and breathing problems have a source, and, it is not allergies or pollen.
 
#37 ·
Respectfully, it is only the wood floor inside the containers that's treated. Food and other storage is a non-issue unless you leave it on the floor and unwrapped, which no one does. I have large metal shelves and store canned food, supplies, my generator, fuel.

Alternatively, you can remove the treated wood floor and re-floor it. This would be advisable if the container is meant to be a living space (as opposed to storage or a temporary shelter).

ConXs rock. And they are mobile!
 
#39 ·
My pal about a mile east of me, built with two containers set parallel 12 feet apart. He laid down 6 inches of gravel and applied 4 by 8 sheets of 2 inch foam to the south and west side of the southern container and to the north and west side of the northern container.

He dug holes for railroad ties, cut down trees, whatever he could find about every 2 feet against the container. Put the poles in against the foam sheets. The he built a sloped roof from the south container to the north container that slopes to the west. Covered the whole thing with dirt, about 18 inches on top and covering the south, west, and north sides.

All you can see is the container opening doors on the east side with a 12 foot covered area and then another set of doors. The west side is all buried logs. He has a bed a bathroom and a kitchen in one container and a workshop in the other. Parks his truck and hangs out in the covered area.
 
#40 ·
To secure the container to the ground is easy enough. Just pour some holes with concrete with a pipe sticking up that fit into the corner blocks of container. You can either weld or cross drill the pipes and pin. The container wont be going anywhere.

Another option is half bury it up against a burm of dirt. You will still have the bottom floor off the ground. That wood doesnt rot very easily. The slope container is buried against will keep any chance of water intrusion from happening.

But if you dont have any mechanical aptitude or common sense, better have a lot of money to throw away paying for someone elses brain matter.

Another simple way is four corner holes concreted with anchors. Throw a couple of chains over the top of container and boom them tight. This will keep it firmly solid on the ground.
 
#41 ·
If you want to use a container you need to anchor it as others have said. Earthen berms would be a good idea as well to protect from flying debris. You'll have to install ventilation of some kind.

I wouldn't use a container but rather build a purpose built re enforced concrete structure.

FEMA has a publication titled "FEMA P-320 - Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building a Safe Room for Your Home or Small Business"

Very detailed publication.
 
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