Oklahoma Tornadoes Lead To Jump In Storm Shelter Business

Darren Brown, NEWS9

EDMOND, Oklahoma -- Installing storm shelters in Oklahoma City and the surrounding areas has always been steady business, but it just picked up tremendously.

It has been, for lack of a better word, insanity," said  Lisa Ingram.  "The last couple of days things are extremely busy." 

Ingram is Sales Manager for FlatSafe, a metro company that sells and installs pre-fabricated in-ground storm shelters.  She and her staff have made about a month's worth of sales in the past two days. 

"Sometimes you think 'I've lived in Oklahoma all my life, you know, and I've never had a tornado,'" said Ingram.  " But it happens to somebody each and every single year."

Stephen Ball got tired of huddling with his family in a closet every time a tornado came through.  He just got his shelter installed from Ingram's company.  Ball said he looked at many shelter options, including above-ground safe rooms.

"I've looked at some of those before and they end up being a catch-all for a closet," Ball said.  "When you need it you've got to take time to dump, you know, your brooms and shelves and everything you've put in there."

Ingram's company has been in the shelter business for the past eight years, and she claims the testimonials she's received lead her to believe they're selling not just shelters, but peace of mind. 

Stephen Ball agrees.

"We have insurance for our cars, we have insurance for our homes," he said.  "This is insurance for our lives."