BRYANT, Ark. (KTHV) – After 39 tornadoes ripped through the plains on Wednesday, one woman was left dead, but not from the tornado itself.
Her storm shelter flooded from the rain, drowning her. It's brought concerns to Arkansas still looking to purchase shelters following last year's active season.
"There's always that two to eight percent that if it's your time to go it's your time to go," said Robert Toll, who owns Arkansas Storm Shelters in Bryant.
According to FEMA, underground shelters offer 98 percent protection against tornadoes, while above ground shelters give 92 percent, a number that could potentially decrease if that underground shelter is placed in the garage.
"Things that go in the garage are things you don't want in your house," Toll said. "Gas cans, paint cans, insecticides, cleaning fluids. Those things could implode and could trickle down into the doorway if the door's blocked and then you could suffocate."
Toll's words aren't meant to scare but inform. He's been selling shelters in Bryant for nearly 20 years and says he's seeing more people gravitate towards putting their shelters in the garage for quick access that's shielded from the elements.
"Some water heaters are inside the garage and if that goes away and your door is blocked, you're in the lowest point of the room and you could drown," he continued.
According to the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, another big misconception comes with doors.
Many shelters offer steel doors with three deadbolt locks, seemingly strong material. But that steel can in fact break off causing the door to fly open, as it did in one Arkansas woman's death last year- so experts say to always ask and make sure the shelter doors have been tested.
A Kansas couple almost suffocated in their shelter after Wednesday's storms after it filled with gas, so keep Toll's tips in mind when purchasing and placing a shelter.
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