By Butch Bridges
August 9, 2011
Lone Grove, Oklahoma
updated: 9/02/13
On October 15, 2009 we applied at the Lone Grove City Hall for a storm shelter through a FEMA program which would reimburse 75% of the cost of the shelter, up to a max of $2,000. Of course when you’re waiting it seems like a long time, but we finally received our Letter of Approval, and proceeded with the purchase of a storm shelter.
We chose a shelter made in Durant, Oklahoma by The Hausner Company and was delivered by Hausner on Monday morning. I contacted installer Casey Morgan of Morgan Dirtworks to do the install of the shelter. Casey began the installation of our new shelter on Tuesday August 9, 2011. Total cost was $2,200 so if the FEMA program does as planned, I should end up with an out-of-pocket expense of about $525 after the FEMA rebate.
Even though the install date was scheduled for Tuesday, the Hausner Company brought out the shelter Monday morning and set it off in our gravel driveway in preparation for the Tuesday job. This pic is of Hausner reloading the 2 piece shelter on Tuesday morning on their truck to move to the install site a few feet to the north. Hausner 1 and Hausner 2 and Hausner 3.
This next pic is just a view of the bottom section of the shelter before Hausner loaded it on the truck from moving. Hausner 4This first picture is of the east side of our home before installation began. You can see from the ground our property was dry dry dry from the drought and 100 plus temperatures for 40 days. Photo 1
In this next photo is installer Casey Morgan of Morgan Dirtworks unloading his John Deere backhoe in our driveway. Photo 2
About 9:05am on Tuesday the 9th Casey makes the first dig on the east side of our home. Photo 3
In this pic Casey has just begun the dig of the 8′ X 9′ X 63 inch deep hole Photo 3
In about 45 minutes of starting the dig, Casey has the hole finished and ready for Hausner to lower the shelter in place. Photo 4 and Photo 5
But not before the hole is measured several times with a laser level for the required depth. Photo 6 and Photo 7 and Photo 8
The next 3 photos is the Hausner Company truck backed up to the hole to unload the shelter. Photo 9 and Photo 10 and Photo 11
The Hausner shelter comes in 2 sections. A top section and a bottom section. Before lowering the top section into place and securing it with 4 steel plates or straps on two sides, 2 thick beads of Sikaflex Sealant (a polyurethane) is applied around the entire outside edge in two places. The shelter is guaranteed by Hausner for 10 years not to leak. Photo 12
After the two sections are secured together by the straps, Casey is back at work in the backhoe filling in the space on all four sides. Photo 13
And finally I did snap a pic of Casey Morgan standing by our newly installed storm shelter. Even though the temperature was 117 degrees, Casey did a great job getting our new storm shelter installed. Thanks Casey! Photo 14
By 11:30am, less then 3 hours after starting (including the 1 hour wait for the Hausner truck to return and lower it in the ground) this is the finished product! Photo 15
When we first went inside, one of the things I first noticed is how smooth the inside walls, ceiling and floor are… smooth as a baby’s butt. Very nice finish!
We also placed two glue boards or traps inside the shelter to catch in critters crawling around.
Now for the wait on that reimbursement check from FEMA. I will update this webpage when the dough-ray-me arrives in our mailbox.
August 11, 2011 Turned in our notarized paperwork with receipt to Lone Grove City Hall.
October 13, 2011 Lone Grove City Hall mailed a bunch of Storm Shelter completions, including ours, to FEMA for reimbursement.
November 30, 2011 Received our reimbursement check today! So our out of pocket expense for the shelter is $512. A real good deal!
06/01/13 Photo of the storm shelter.
