Shawnee Families Preparing For Next Round Of Storms

The deadly string of tornadoes that swept though central Oklahoma has many people calling it the 12 days from hell, after towns like Moore and El Reno were hit hard, and in Shawnee, where some folks are already preparing for the next round of severe weather

"We've been thinking about a safe room for years," said Shawnee resident Nanci Sackman.

Sackman will be getting her Jim Giles' Safe Room Thursday. Wednesday, she was helping oversee the installation of her mother's.

Their homes are less than two miles away from where a devastating EF-4 twister hit last month.

"I just have a feeling that we've just been really lucky," Sackman said.

It's that feeling that has hundreds of Oklahomans looking for a safe place and peace of mind when severe weather strikes.

5/22/2013 Related Story: Shawnee Tornado Victims Begin To Pick Up Pieces

Jim Giles' Safe Rooms in Sapulpa is booked eight weeks in advance, and has been cranking out 15 to 20 storm shelters, like the one in Shawnee, every week.

"We've definitely seen an up tick in business, but also an up tick in safe rooms in general," said President Tom Bennett.

That piqued interest is also attracting international attention.

Ekan Ozden is the U.S. correspondent with the Danish Broadcasting Corporation.

"This is something we don't have back home, we don't have tornadoes like this," Ozden said. "Driving around the area and seeing the devastation, the houses that were just collapsed, cars all over the place, piled up like toy cars."

5/28/2013 Related Story: Storm Shelters Of All Types Performed Well In Moore Tornado

You don't have to drive far through Shawnee to see what Ozden is describing. Crews are still working to clean up what's left of homes, cars, and uprooted trees from where the tornado cut it's 20-mile path. Two people were killed, dozens injured, and more than 70 homes were destroyed.

For people like Nanci Sackman and her mother, they know it could have just as easily been their homes.

"It's just always been a worry. Now I have safety to go to, and she has safety to go to," Sackman said.

Debris piles are common on the sides of the road along the tornado's path, and while there's still plenty of work left to be done, residents are getting the help they need, three weeks removed from when the storm initially hit.