The Emergency Preparedness Center 7 Store

The Toto Storm Shelter:

The Toto Storm Shelter is the most robust extreme weather shelter on the market.  The Toto Storm Shelter features “strong design” angular surfaces to deflect storm energy around the occupants and the entrance, a hurricane certified roof hatch protects the occupants from direct “missile” impacts, bunker engineered ventilation system maintains quality of air during extreme weather conditions, “plug in” aftermath generator connection along with temporary shelter accommodations allows for use of the shelter during after event situations.

This shelter stands above all others in terms of quality, compactness and flexibility.  It is the shelter of choice to get you through the extreme weather event and help you get back on your feet.

1. Beehive shelter design expertise:  The Toto Storm Shelter is designed by the same engineering group that brings the world the innovative Beehive shelter, NBC bunker systems.  This standard of excellence is carried throughout the Toto shelter.  Engineering details are factored into the shape, layout, detailing, materials, and methods.  This shelter brings total peace of mind during all kinds of extreme weather conditions.

2. Concrete material:  The Toto Storm Shelter is a pre-cast concrete capsule that protects the occupants under extreme weather conditions.

Other shelter companies will try to mislead you in believing that concrete is an inferior building material; the reality is in fact just the opposite, concrete is superior to all other building materials in the shelter industry!

Consider THIS: Concrete is the material of choice:  Concrete is the preferred professional material of choice for any structure that is in contact with mother earth; this includes, footings, foundations, columns, slabs, skyscrapers, bridges, tunnels, mines, dams, bunkers, and shelters etc.  This material provides unparalleled load bearing properties, impact resistance, fire resistance, corrosion resistance, noise resistance; this material is eco friendly, energy sustaining and harbors a long product life cycle.

Consider THIS: Concrete is Stronger: 
Concrete is stronger than any other man-made construction material and can achieve strengths of up to 50,000 pounds per square inch in compression.   Reinforced with steel, concrete is universally used in all types of loading bearing conditions.  It is the material of choice used by design professionals throughout the world when considering loading, safety, durability, workability, and maintenance.  (Consideration) What material do you most often see in commercial construction to hold up buildings?  Do you ever see fiberglass or raw steel? 

Consider THIS: Concrete is Safer: 
Solid concrete has an ultimate compressive strength far greater than any other shelter material. It acts as a natural barrier between the occupant and the outside environment protecting them from direct and indirect impacts.  (Consideration) What happens to the occupants of a fiberglass shelter if any surfaces are exposed to a direct impact of an object such as a flying vehicle or tree? How well would a fiberglass shelter hatch connection hold up under a direct debris impact?

Consider THIS: Concrete is Fireproof: 
Concrete will not support combustion or flame spread and can achieve a fire rating of 2 hours or more.  The thermal massing of the concrete will temper the inside conditions even during extreme exterior situations.  (Consideration) What happens to the occupants of a fiberglass or steel shelter if there is a debris fire above or around you?

Consider THIS: Concrete is Durable: 
Concrete is resistant to freezing, thawing, abrasion; heat, cold, chemicals, water intrusion, rotting, corrosion etc.  Concrete can last well over 30,000 years in time and actually gains strength over the product life cycle.  (Consideration) What kind of condition would a steel shelter be in after being buried in the earth for five, ten or fifteen years?  Should you be concerned about rust or rot?  Would earth movement or fractures adversely affect a fiberglass shelter?

Consider THIS: Concrete is Eco friendly: Concrete is friendly to the earth due to its natural material base, i.e. sand, aggregate, lime.  (Consideration) Does your fiberglass shelter accommodate “green construction” methods?   Is it friendly to the earth after its product life cycle is over?

Consider THIS: Concrete is maintenance free: Once poured and set, concrete will get harder with time and is resistant to rot, rust, corrosion, and all other natural corrosives.  (Consideration) Does steel or fiberglass shelters have any maintenance concerns over five, ten or twenty five years?  What happens to steel when exposed to moisture over a long period of time?

3. Pre-cast Concrete concept:  The Toto Storm Shelter is a pre-cast concrete system. This means the concrete is cast in a manufacturing plant where the materials and curing are controlled to maximize their strength. Cast on site concrete projects create quality challenges due to the open exposure of the forms and reinforcement while the project is being prepared thus reducing optimal strength and integrity.   Precast eliminates all of these concerns and allows the concrete to be installed and cured in a controlled environment thus helping us to achieve the maximum strength and integrity of the concrete, bringing to the customer the “best shelter” in the industry. Pre-cast concrete can add up to 15-20% more strength to its properties due to these pre-cast qualities.

4. Hurricane resistant roof hatch: The Toto Storm Shelter uses the “Bilco NB rated roof hatch”.  This roof hatch is the only roof hatch in the building industry to receive a hurricane certification rating based upon the Florida Building Code and the Miami-Dade County high performance criteria. The Bilco roof hatch is tested under high-pressure uplift and downdraft cycling, large missile impact and water intrusion.  The NB hatches feature heavy-gauge construction for overall strength as well as fully welded corners on both the curb and cover and full perimeter gasketing for complete weather-tightness.  The hatch is equipped with heavy-duty slam latches to ensure that the covers remain closed under these extreme conditions.  The hatch is the weakest link in the system and must carry a hurricane certification rating in order to be considered of value in any shelter system.

Consider: You are entering the shelter during an 85 mph windstorm and you lift up the hatch to climb in and the velocity of the wind compromises the hatch hinges or latch?  How important is the strength and quality of this item?  How safe would you be if the roof hatch were damaged or non-functional?  How well would a non-certified roof hatch hold up under missile impact from debris?

5. Ventilation system: The Toto Storm Shelter ventilation duct is a simplified system that was developed for our NBC bunkers to help preserve the vital quality of indoor air.  Our ventilation tube is high strength steel and not aluminum or tin like other shelters.  This high strength ventilation system will preserve air quality during extreme weather conditions. 

Consider: You are in the shelter and a large tree is blown over on your ventilation intake pipe. How important is the strength and integrity of this item?  How strong would the ventilation pipe be if it were connected to ¼” fiberglass shell?

6. Electrical connections: The Toto Storm Shelter provides an exterior electrical sleeve for use after the weather has passed.  This feature allows the occupants to have a small microwave and light inside the shelter for survival accommodations during the aftermath of the event.

Consider: You have survived the extreme weather condition but as you emerge you discover that house is damaged or un-inhabitable.  Do you need “temporary” accommodations to continue to until you can get help and back on your feet?  Does your shelter have temporary electrical connections for a generator to help you provide basic survival solutions, i.e. Meals, drinking water etc.?

7. Accommodations: The Toto Storm Shelter provides sitting, standing, sleeping, eating, and temporary restroom accommodations for survival conditions for you and your family; before, during and after the extreme weather event.  

Consider: You are in an extreme weather condition and someone needs to go to the restroom.  Does the shelter have some type of accommodations for this?  How about the safe security of a family pet?  Is there enough floor space to actually move around?