Underground storm shelters around Springfield

Below-ground shelters are a popular choice in the Ozarks because being underground puts the earth between you and flying debris. Around Springfield they come in two main forms.

In-garage (below-slab) shelters

The installer saw-cuts an opening in the garage floor, excavates, sets a steel or concrete shelter in the hole, and backfills and pours concrete around it. When it's done, the top is flush with the garage floor and covered by a sliding hatch you can still park over. Access is down a steep stair or ladder.

• Shelter is reachable without going outside during the storm.
• The hatch should open from inside, and you shouldn't park in a way that can trap you. Ask the installer how the hatch is designed to clear debris.
• The steep stairs are hard for some people. If anyone in the house has trouble with stairs, look at an above-ground safe room.

Backyard (buried) shelters

A prefabricated steel, fiberglass, or concrete unit is buried in the yard with a door at or above ground level. These need a spot you can reach quickly in bad weather, good drainage, and access for the excavator.

Digging in Springfield's ground

The Springfield area sits on the Springfield Plateau, where the bedrock is Mississippian limestone interbedded with chert, often under only a few feet of rocky clay soil. In practice that means:

• Rock is common. An installer may hit limestone or chert at a shallow depth and need a rock hammer or breaker. Rock excavation can add time and cost — ask how a quote handles it.
• Karst and sinkholes. The Burlington-Keokuk Limestone under Springfield dissolves easily, and Greene County has more than 2,500 mapped sinkholes. Keep a shelter away from sinkholes and low spots where surface water collects.
• Water. A shelter that's tight in a dry August can take on water after a week of spring rain. Ask about sealing, drainage around the unit, and whether the design resists being pushed up by groundwater.

Before anyone digs

• Utilities. Missouri law requires a locate request through Missouri 811 before excavating; their guidance is at least three working days ahead. Gas, water, and electric lines sometimes run under or beside garages.
• Permits. Inside Springfield city limits, the City says permits are required for most building projects; check with Building Development Services or have your installer pull the permit. Rules differ in Nixa, Ozark, Republic, and the counties, so ask whoever you hire what your town requires.
• Your slab. Post-tension slabs (common in some newer subdivisions) should not be cut without an engineer's sign-off. A warning stamp or tag in the garage, or your builder, can usually tell you.