Storm Shelter Gives Tulsa Family Peace Of Mind After Close Call

With severe weather season on the way, now is the time to have a tornado shelter installed.

Shelter companies say once we start seeing tornadoes on the ground, it's tough to keep up with the demand. 

News On 6 caught up with a Tulsa family who experienced that problem first hand.

Bryant Tyler and his wife called to have a storm shelter installed last summer but in the thick of storm season, it was so busy that they didn't get one in time.

“The tornado that hit in August on 41st Street did quite a bit of damage to some businesses it was actually less than a mile south of us,” said Tyler.  

8/7/2017 Related Story: 25 Homes, 152 Businesses Impacted By Tulsa Tornado

With the sirens blaring, Bryant and his pregnant wife Maizie ran for the bathroom. 

“She was 5-6 months pregnant with Charlie, I just put her in the shower, that was the most central location of my house, put pillows on top of her and just kinda got around her and hugged her," Tyler said. 

Days later, the couple confirmed their order for a safe room, especially since little Charlie was coming in February. 

There storm shelter was installed a couple weeks ago. There are access points where you can remove any one of these walls if something were to cave in on you, giving this now family of three peace of mind. 

"I just want her to always be safe and so we're glad to have it now, especially in Oklahoma you just never know,” said Maizie Tyler.  

"When you see your town completely devastated and taken away it really throws a lot of things in perspective,” said Joshua King. 

King survived the Joplin tornado and now sells Safe Rooms for Atlas. 

“It's a matter of where we live, it's not a matter of if it's going to happen to you it's a matter of when," said King. 

With severe weather season here, Joshua said things are starting to get busy. 

"We haven't had that first storm but people are starting to really ramp up now that we know it's right around the corner," said King.  

You might be wondering how much these shelters cost.

The one Bryant has is about $100 a month. 

They start at about $4,000 and can be financed for about $60-70 a month. 

For more information about the different types available, check out atlassaferooms.com