Feeling Safe and Secure with Smart Shelters
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Smart Shelters and I received compensation for my time in creating this post. As always my thoughts and opinions are my own.
If you live in Oklahoma you feel my pain. If you don't live in Oklahoma I can tell you that we had a Tornado, snow, hail, rain storms and 86 degree weather all in the same week. In a nut shell Oklahoma weather is just CRAZY! For most of my life I lived in the Metro Oklahoma City area and we would constantly see Tornado's on TV ripping through neighborhoods and people losing everything , including their loved ones. We never really had tornados in the metro area. We have now been living in Edmond for the past 14 years or so and within the last couple of years we have, had several close calls with Tornado's. We even had one circling over our house. We knew it was time we did something about that.
After doing some homework online, we found Smart Shelters. We loved that fact that the stairs were removable and that it included a light and a fan. The seats are even carpeted. Smart Shelters can be installed in your garage, carport, patio or even outside in your yard. We chose to have ours installed in the garage.
The first thing you need to know about getting a shelter is you need to get a permit this will register your home so that if a tornado were to hit the rescue team would know where to find you. Did you know there is even a storm shelter layaway program? Smart Shelters is based in Oklahoma but they service the following states:
Oklahoma, Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois.
Smart Shelters arrived at 7:00am with their truck and about 3 workers who were all super nice. They wasted no time in getting to work!
They began measuring and outlining where the shelter would go then started the cutting process.
Then they brought in the “Big Guns”. They used a Bobcat to dig out all of the dirt to make room for the shelter.
Next the gently insert the actual shelter down into the hole.
Next the fill in the sides with concrete and smooth out all around the sides to make it all nice and neat.
I was thoroughly impressed at the amount of time it took for them to install the storm shelter. It only took them about 3 1/2 hours.
Once they were done, we needed to sign some paperwork stating that we were happy with the work and that it was installed. I can't believe it's finally ours. If you are worrying about being claustrophobic, I can tell you my husband is also claustrophobic and had no problem being down there.
We were very happy with everything and I would definitely recommend Smart Shelters to anyone. You can check out their website for more information or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.
Enter to Win:
One lucky Consumer Queen fan is going to win their very own Smart Shelter (Regular size. Holds 6-8 people and is valued at $2995.00)! Just enter using the Rafflecopter widget below: (must be in Oklahoma to enter)
Be sure you click this link and read ALL of the rules !
Fingers crossed! We would love to have a storm shelter!
Goodluck!
Wish me luck! 🙂
I would really love to win a Smart Shelter
I want to give it to my mom as a gift. Her house doesn’t have a shelter.
I would love to win because this weather is crazy in Moore!
My family’s safety is #1!
Safety first a storm shelter would be great to protect my family
It would be awesome to win a storm shelter!
We would be so blessed to win this!! 🙂
I want to win because I’m tired of having to intrude on our neighbors. We live in Piedmont, another town frequented by tornadoes, so it would be a literal lifesaver to win!
I have a family a five that would love to hunker down in one of these during a bad storm!!
Thanks for the opportunity!
I love the consumer queen. She has so many great ideas and coupons!
I would like to protect my family and not have to worry if we can find a shelter when storms approach.
I would LOVE to win this for the safety and security of my family! Tornadoes terrify me!
I would love to have this! My family would always be safe during storms! This is an awesome giveaway!
Would love to win this also, Bridge Creek is also no stranger to Tornados!!
When I was little I lived and Kansas and remember seeing many tornados come through my town. I thought basements and storm shelters came with every house, untill we moved to Oklahoma. Not only are they exactly what is needed for a tornado, but now that I have a little one and am home alone a lot, I see the importance of having a safe shelter for many reasons like if some one where to break into the house, or if my daughter were home alone and felt scared she could hide out in there until she felt safe. I can not wait until we are fortunate to have one in our home!!
We recently moved and intended to have one installed, but ran out of funds to do so. What a great opportunity, thanks.
I would love to have a smart shelter and really need one. We live in Moore and were not choosen for the rebate program, dying for peace of mind!
Would love to win. I hate tornados
Would love to win. A storm shelter would be a great peace mind
Would love to win storm shelter
With a little one it’s more important to have shelter available nearby
I would love to win this and give it to my parents 🙂
I’d like to win a shelter for my parents.
I’d love to win a storm shelter because my Fiance and I really need one at our new house. Since we are planning our wedding, we can’t afford to do both at the moment. I hope that we win, it would make us both feel safer.
We have had an increase in tornados in our area over the last few years. I always panic when I hear the tornado siren go off. I would love to have a safe place to go when they go off.
Would live to win a storm shelter!
I have a 5 year old and we live next door to her 5 cousins I would love to have a shelter we can all share to keep all these precious kiddos safe!!
Moved to Green Country recently from CA I couldn’t believe when looking for a place to live that safe room were a rare find. Would love to have one!
I would love to win a shelter to help protect my babies!
We NEED this! Here’s to hoping!
We just bought our home last year and have some unexpected repairs we need to complete before we are even able to consider saving for a shelter. This would be amazing if we win! Would be such a relief for our family. I know there are many families out there that would feel the same way. Thank you! Hope everyone stays safe this bad weather season.
Need some peace of mind!!
I need and want a storm shelter!!
This would be such a blessing for our family and our neighbors!
I would love to win a shelter!
I would really like to win this because I have two small children. My husband is a firefighter and is on storm watch when bad weather hits. So my two babies and I need a safe place to go while daddy is working in the field.
We need to put one in at our home, to save ourselves and some of our neighbors.
i WANT TO WIN CAUSE I WANT MY FAMILY TO BE SAFE
Would love a storm shelter to feel more secure
We survived a house fire and don’t want to die by tornado that is why I want to win the shelter!
I hope to win a tornado shelter! We have wanted one for so long and haven’t been able to afford one!
I would love to win! We just bought a new house last August after our other home was damaged by a hail storm. We had a shelter at that house and don’t at the new one. I know my 4 boys would feel better knowing we had somewhere safe to go.
I would love to win a shelter!!
Would really like to win
Awesome! Thanks for the chance to win!
We are a family of 8. I am a stay at home mom to 6 boys, while my husband works out of town 2 weeks at a time. We live just a mile north of the ’99 tornado in Moore. That was too close for comfort. I want to feel secure when I need to round up all my boys when the sirens start going off.
I never really worried about tornado season until I had a baby. Now I’ve got 2 to keep safe! It would be a huge blessing to have a shelter!
Love to win!!
Thanks for the drawing
I have two Autistic kids . Last time we had a tornado I took them in our tiny bathroom as it is only room with no window . As the house school more my son who was sitting against the door thought he wasn’t safe enough and jumped over his sister into the bathtub
They were both shaking and crying .
This would stop him freaking out his sister when he jumps over her and give both if them peace of mind
I would love to win because you can replace items and things, but you can’t replace your loved ones. Oklahoma’s weather is so wishy washy that you never know what will happen! Thanks for the chance!
Family safety!
What a great contest!
I want to win this shelter to protect my family. Last year was heart breaking to hear my baby say she didn’t want to die. To hear my husbands voice crack on the phone when he thought the kids and i were in the direct path of the tornado. He asked me to drive away from it but I told him there was no where to run. I said i loved him and prayed that we would be fine. It was a scary time. We cannot afford a shelter at this time. My husband retired from the military after serving 23 years last April and we have not been making the money we used to. No matter who wins the shelter it is a wonderful thing you are doing saving somebody’s family from those terrible storms.
My husband is a firefighter / medic as well, he works for a paid department which means we definitely cannot afford to purchase a shelter:) it also means that when bad weather hits my 3 boys and I are on our own. It would really give me peace of mind to know that I could keep them safe while he is out keeping others safe.
Fingers crossed
Thank you for the chance to win something so important in Oklahoma.
Awesome giveaway!!
I would love to win this storm shelter because we have no safe room in our home. If there is a tornado warning we get in the tub with the mattress over us. We don’t really even have a closet that is big enough for all of us to fit into. A storm shelter would make me feel so much better!
Thank you for the giveaway opportunity! I would love to win a shelter!
We would love to win this, we are in Moore & we need one.
I want to win because we live in Piedmont which got hit pretty badly in 2011. I also have a 2 1/2 year old daughter and would feel much safer with a storm shelter.
I would love to win this to know I am safe in a storm!!
I want to live!
I would actually like to win this for my Mom. She can no longer crawl on all fours to back into the interior linen closet and is terrified now with our storms.
I would love to win the storm shelter because I know how important they are to have. I lost my home and all my belongings in the May 3rd 1999 tornado.
My family and I would love to win a shelter its something we have been trying to obtain to keep us and neighbors safe
That would be great if we won this. Last year,it went through close to our community.we were so lucky. I never felt “death” in my life. I wanna keep my beautiful daughters safe place in this crazy Oklahoma weather. Wish you all luck!! Thank you so much for this opportunity.
Thank you for this opportunity.I’d like to win so I can give my beautiful daughters safe place.Last year,it hit close to our community.we were so lucky but still remember the fear.Wish everyone luck!!
Thanks again
Great giveaway!
Winning a shelter would be such a blessing for my family. Spring weather is such an anxious time around our house. We have a family member in a wheelchair and our city does not have a public shelter in place. Having a safe place to go during storms, where we do not have to leave the house to attempt to find shelter would be an answer to prayers!!
Would love to have a storm shelter in my garage. When the weather gets bad we go to my moms safe room which I don’t feel is very “safe”.
I would love to win a shelter for my family. We live in Moore and it was so frightening last year.
I would love to have one of these for our crazy OK weather!
Winning a shelter would give me a huge since of security and peace of mind during Oklahoma’s severe weather season, especially after the horrific tornadoes in May 2013.
Hoping I win! Thanks!
I need this to keep my fur kids and me safe. thanks!
Would love to win to keep my son safe. Also for my grandchildren and my daughter and son in law for when they visit.
awesome!
Crossing and Fingers!!
I would like to have a safe place for my family and other families in the future during bad weather.
We just moved into our new house & we have NO interior rooms w/o windows! Yikes! With 4 kiddos and no neighbors with large enough storm shelters to share with us, we definitely need a good storm shelter. Go Pokes!
It just makes sense to have one!
I would love to win, my family and toddlers safety is so important!
I want to win one for my parents. They live in Tecumseh and came very close to losing their home a few years ago.
Thanks for the drawing!
I live in plaza towers addition in Moore and I’m terrified of another tornado hitting this area. My house was not blown down last time but it came very close. I see everyday what a tornado can do to a neighborhood and would feel so much better if I had a shelter to run to
I’ve lived in Oklahoma my entire life. My entire family is here. I live in between both of my parents by just a couple miles. They are both disabled. My sisters and their little ones are near as well. Having a shelter at my home would mean safety, security, and peace of mind for my family. Anyone that wins will be truly blessed.
I moved to Oklahoma from NM a few years back, and when my husband and I were buying a house we had to compromise getting one with a shelter to get the square footage we needed to live in.
After barely being missed last year with 2 kids, and now another on the way, I still hhave a rough time with the situation and find myself in tears sometimes. It’d definitely give peace of mind.
After barely being missed last year with 2 kids, and now another on the way, I still have a rough time with the situation and find myself in tears sometimes. It’d definitely give peace of mind.
Pick me and my family of 6;)
Would be great for my daycare!
So my Dear Husband thinks there is nothing to worry about when a tornado is coming!!! He thinks that you just get in the car and go the other direction!!! Nope not me never ever!! I want to be down in the ground as low as I can go…Being on disability we have no way to purchase one so I am taking a chance…thanks for the chance
To better protect my family, and so that my little one won’t be petrified of the storms.
Super excited about this contest! My fingers are crossed!!!
What a great opportunity for us Oklahomans! I am terrified of tornadoes and we sure get them in tornado alley.
Woodward tornado survivor!
I would love to have a shelter for my kiddos to be safe!
Would love to win for peace of mind since I can’t afford to purchase at this time.
Been wanting one all my life especially for my wonderful 5 kids and to all that don’t have one…. I would let anyone use it 😉
What a great opportunity! Thank you!
I am terrified of tornados despite how beautiful they are! I have babies I need to protect! Our children deserve to live and play and love, and since I cannot afford one myself, I usually throw the kids in the closet with a crib mattress and pray we don’t get hit. Good luck to all and God bless
I would love to win this shelter, i have a huge fear of tornadoes and having 3 children makes it that much scarier! We just purchased our first home and winning this shelter would be amazing!
I so would love to win this! I have two small children at home and we live in the country! So need this. My parents looked into one and they said it would be 10 weeks before they could come install it! Would really love to win this!!
We have had too many close calls in SW Oklahoma…this would be a blessing!
We live in Moore and barely missed being hit by the tornado last year. My daughter was 3 weeks old at the time and it was such a scary day, but we realize that we were very lucky to be safe and still have our home. Too many were not that fortunate. I would love to win this storm shelter for added peace of mind during severe weather season! It means so much more to me now that I have an almost 1 year old to protect! Thanks for the opportunity!!
Would love to win one of these for my family to feel safe during tornado season
Would love to win this storm shelter for me and my grandkids to be safe. Not able to get one right now on my own and tornado season is upon us now. We have heard great reviews from your company. Thank you.
live with my grandbabies we need shelter big time. Want somewhere safe for them (ages 8 and 9) to go when needed
tornados!
We have 4 princesses and another prince/princess on the way. What a blessing it would be to have a shelter on our property!
Best wishes to all who enter 🙂
Would love to win a storm shelter so myself and children will feel safe and secure during storms.
I’m terrified of tornadoes!!! We really need one!!
We really need this badly.
I want to win one so bad. I’m terrified of storms!!!!
I would love to win because I get so stressed out every spring. A little peace of mind would be nice!
this would be amazing for my family..I have a niece with very complex medical needs and it is too difficult to go to a public shelter. We need to be able to keep her in her home environment and have a shelter on the property to be able to get to quickly and safely for everyone.Thanks for offering the contest. It will be a huge blessing to the winner I am sure!!!
we live in tornado ally in ark. a few years ago a tree uprooted and fell on our house, it was a close call.. I am so terrified of storms I sit with a helmet on , we have no basement I would love to have a safe place that my family and pets can go in.. thanks so much for the chance
aw darn I live in arkanas I just realized its only okl… thanks anyway .. I so was hoping for a chance
i live on the border of ok and ark maybe they will let me enter.. i am so close to you… thanks for teh chance i am so scared of these storms
Would love to keep my family safe this way.
Thank you for the giveaway! I would love a shelter to help keep my kids safe!
I have always been concerned about tornadoes and since becoming a mother its even more of a concern for me. Thank s for the chance.
I’d love to win this!
Awesome!
I would love to win a storm shelter because I now have a daughter that I have to protect during the storm season and this would be a great addition to our house!
NEED!!! Crossing fingers and saying a prayer that I’m picked! Thanks for doing this!
I would love to win to keep my 5 children safe. It is such a horrible and scary feeling during the storms to know that I have no where safe for them! This would bring such peace of mind to my entire family! Thank you for the chance.
We got stationed out here 5yrs ago and have not been able to afford one. He got Honorably Discharged after 14yrs and decided to go to school. We have a family of 5 and 4 fur babies. It would be nice not having to pack up the vehicles with kids and large fur babies when one is coming our way. Please choose us.
To keep my kids safe! The May 20 tornado almost destroyed our house with us in it! Just one street away, the houses were leveled to their foundations!
Love to have a safe place for my grandsons from the Moore tornados
Definitely need one for my family.
I want to win because I am a transplant okie and my first tornado was may 3rd which hit blocks away. I have a terrible fear of tornados and I want to know that my family would be safe.
I would feel very blessed to win this. Thank you for the opportunitu.
I would feel very blessed to win this. Thank you for the opportunity.
I would love to win one of these for my family. I’m a fellow Okie (so I know exactly what you’re talking about) and stay-at-home mom of 3, ages 10, 3, & 3 months. Due to my extreme emergency c-section and subsequent NICU stay for my baby we have a ton of unexpected medical bills and can’t afford to buy a shelter. My husband works a lot so I’m alone with the kids most of the time. I’m terrified at the thought of trying to keep all 3 of my children safe in our house, which doesn’t even have an interior room or closet that is big enough for us all to fit in. Thank you for giving us a chance to win one of these.
I would love to win one, we have one that I think has literally been there 100 years, it fills with water and mud and slugs and has mold in it, I think it is probably a bigger threat to go down in it than just staying above ground a hoping for the best, although I am deathly scared of the storms!
I would so love to win a shelter for the safety of my kiddos!
I would love to win this and have a safe place from the Moore weather.
I would love to win this for my family to keep them safe!
I hope I win! My family and pets would be safe. Thank you for the chance!
How wonderful it is for Smart Shelters to do the giveaways! You’re right – Oklahoma weather is crazy!!! I would love to win a shelter to protect our family (and neighbors
How wonderful it is for Smart Shelters to do the giveaways! You’re right – Oklahoma weather is crazy!!! I would love to win a shelter to protect our family (and neighbors!) when Mother Nature decided to throw a tornado our way!!! Thank you Consumer Queen for posting this your story and the pictures of the friendly and professional install process!!! I would love to win!!!
I need a shelter as I have three small children to protect. Three of my immediate family members have been completely wiped out including myself (1999) my sister (2013) my inlaws both (99 and 2013) the inlaws have a shelter now but I live right smack dab in the middle of the “zone” w no protection but plenty of space for a shelter.
We have always wanted a storm shelter, but simply have been unable to afford it with my wife in school as a full-time student, two children in school and my work being mostly through contracts. We have the perfect location in a detached garage and/or inside shop for this in-ground shelter. My children watch the storm results and often ask, “When are we getting a shelter?” and I have to tell them, “someday”. I simply do not want that “someday” to be too late. I’d be happy to have this shelter used as a demo for our neighborhood, friends, and others. It would give my children and wife a peace of mind that we have desired for years.
I live in Moore, OK. We were lucky in 1999, 2003, and 2013 when Moore was hit by tornadoes. I’m afraid our luck could run out the next time, yet my kids insist they finish their school years here. This is our home and I wouldn’t raise my babies anywhere else. We would love to have a life-saving shelter, but cannot currently afford one. Thank you for giving one away to some lucky family!
My grandkids live with me and would love to keep them safe and sound! ;^)
We found ourselves, me, my husband, all 3 of our kids, our nephew, a dog and 2 cats, trying to out run the last tornado. I don’t ever want to have to do that again.
I have lived in Oklahoma my whole life and tornado season makes me very uneasy. I would love to have a shelter to have piece of mind when storms are approaching that I have someone safe to go!
Would be great for peace of mind. Our neighbors don’t have shelter either, so we could help them out as well.
I would love to have a storm shelter. I take care of my two grand-daughters while my daughter works. It would give me such peace of mind to know that I could keep them safe.
This would be great to have to help ease some of the anxiety of the tornado season. And it’s the perfect size for our family.
I just moved out of a house with a basement into a house with … well … nothing! Having a storm shelter would ease my California soul!
We are so desperate to get a shelter installed! We live in Moore and my children are still very upset by storms.
Peace of mind for my family. Not having to make decisions about where to take shelter during storms would take away a lot of stress for my husband and I and it would take away the fear for our kids.
I would love to win this shelter! To know my family of 6 would be safe in a tornado would be priceless!
I want to win because all the tornados come in my area. Luckily last year the may 20th tornado barely missed us. And with having 3 kids I’d like to keep them safer rather than using a closet.
Thanks for the wonderful giveaway!!!!
I would love a shelter for my family!
After losing my home last year on May 20th and not having a shelter, it was a very scary experience, I still do not have a shelter and I panic every time the weather starts to get bad. I would love to have a safe place to go when we have severe weather.
Would love to have one to feel like we really have a safe shelter we can go to.
Need this for my family.
Thank you!
We’ve always wanted one of these, but have never been able to fit it in the budget. It would be wonderful to have the piece of mind, not to mention the added value to our home!
Tornadoes make me nervous. I really want a shelter.
Our neighborhood got hit by the tornado last, but luckily the tornado missed our block. We would like to win a tornado shelter!
I am not entering for myself, but for my wonderful sister and her family who moved into tornado country last year. I know they could definitely use this! Thank you for the opportunity!
I would love a shelter for my family
IF we had a shelter it would be a huge load off our minds. There are disabled family members that make getting to a shelter difficult. Last year we went to one and there was water running down the walls and flooding the floor. I am claustrophobic and it was very hard to stay inside. The whole time my daughter was worried about our animals. With our own shelter we could avoid a lot of the panic attacks and be safe.
This time of year has always made me so uneasy, but now with a grandchild and no decent hidey-hole, I’m very concerned about all of our welfare when the storms come rolling in. This would definitely make me feel more at ease.
Would love to win one!
My wife and I have three kids ages 5,4 and 2.5. It would make my family feel safer when severe weather happens to know we have a safe place to go, rather then the bath tub. I would love to have one for my family.
would like to have it for my family
I don’t think I have ever realized how scary tornadoes can be until I became a parent! Just the idea of a thunderstorm keeps me on my toes with our bags packed ready to run out the door to try and find a safe place to wait out the storm. Having a storm shelter would mean more than words could express but a piece of mind for my family! Pick us!!!!
I would love to win!
Would love to win this for my family. Knowing we can just go in our own shelter instead of driving somewhere would be awesome.
I am what one of thousands and thousands of Oklahomans who need this shelter. But I would appreciate it is so, so much if I was chosen.
I am the mother of a severely disabled boy who just turned 16. He is completely blind and severely autistic. He is the light of my life and keeping him safe is my number one priority. Late last year I was able to finally able to achieve every parent’s dream of home ownership to provide him a place of stability and routine he needs. It was my intention to use a portion of the loan to build a storm shelter since our home is twenty minutes from any place we could go in case of bad weather, however due to unplanned expenses and everything taking twice as long as anticipated the money just didn’t stretch far enough to cover it. I am nervous as spring approaches knowing I have no plan for the bad weather that comes with this time of year and have prayed for a solution for our situation that hopefully this give away will turn out to be. Even if we don’t win one of these awesome shelters, I am so happy for the people who do and God bless this company for all the wonderful things they do for my fellow Oklahomans!!
Winning a storm shelter would be wonderful especially for my husband who is not from Oklahoma. This time of year he is always on pins and needles during tornado season and not go mention trying to find a safe place when a tornado is near is not easy.
Would love to win this, my son lost his home last year from a tornado that didn’t have any shelter, very happy that he got out before it hit his home.
would love to win to keep my kiddos safe!!!
I would truly live to win this shelter for the security if our safety. My children are afraid of severe weather. It would be a blessing. Please pick me
We would Love to win a storm shelter.
Yes please
We would love to win not only for our family’s safety, but to help our neighbors when there is a threat. Many in our neighborhood are without a safe place to go and it would be a great help for our little neighborhood.
My apartment got trashed by the May 3, 1999 tornado. I was 8 months pregnant with my oldest son then. I have two boys now and they are my world. On the May 3 tornado, I had a place to go. My father lived on the north side of town. He’s moved to Texas now and we have nowhere. I have panic attacks and have to make myself calm down, for the boys sake. This would set my mind at ease, so much.
Please
Awesome giveaway!
Last year a tornado ripped thru our small town. I would love to have a shelter to know that my family would always be safe during these times!
I would love a storm shelter because last year we had a tornado rip thru our small town. I would be so comforting to know that we don’t have to worry about finding a safe place to go.
My husband and I are newly weds. We want to start a family soon and have had some incredibly close calls during tornado season. This would give us peace of mind knowing we would have shelter for a new baby. Good luck everyone!
I am trying this because it is worth trying for. I live and own my home in Moore. I have lived here my whole life. I have never been afraid of tornados…but they have never directly impacted or affected me before either. Until May 3, 1999 or again on May 20, 2013. Now I am more humbled by the power and force of these storms. Having a shelter is a necessity, but in this state of financial strain of our country-it is also a luxury. A luxury my family cannot afford to have.
Would love to win a storm shelter for my wife and I.
Would love to keep my babies safe!
We definitely need one at our Oklahoma home!
Please pick me my children are terrifies of the storm!!