Bathroom: Safest Tornado Shelter, Here’s Why

Weather-related myths and misconceptions are commonplace, but this isn’t one of them.

The safest room in your house is always going to be the bathroom. 

Let’s learn how to protect yourself from a tornado and why the bathroom is the safest place in a tornado to take shelter (especially in an apartment).

Why do people hide in bathrooms during tornadoes?

If you look at any floor plans, you will notice that the bathroom is typically in the center of a home or building and on the lowest floor. That’s the primary reason it’s the best place in a building or home to take shelter.

But there’s more to it than that.

6 Reasons Why the Bathroom Is the Safest Place in a Tornado

A Natural Safe Room

We can’t all afford fancy storm shelters, and we don’t all have basements.

Did you know that the bathroom could double as a safe room? The plumbing and water pipes add an additional layer to hold the frame in place. And, it’s a small space and more compact. 

Not to mention that bathrooms typically don’t have windows because of their location. It reduces the threat of shards of glass to the eye.

The only exception to this rule is if the bathroom is not located inside the home or has too many links to the outside world.

Is bathroom or closet safer during tornado?

The bathroom vs closet wholly depends on the situation. A bathroom will always be number one, but it’s not always possible with short notice.

An inner hallway closet makes a decent substitution because it has no threatening windows that could explode. Closets have far less structural support than a bathroom, though.

Your Bathtub Isn’t Likely to Go Anywhere

The sink, the bathtub, and the toilet are not likely to go anywhere, even during a tornado. That’s not to say grip the toilet as you do after a hard night out.

But the bathtub is sturdy and firmly planted in the ground. You will often see pictures where nothing but a bathtub and toilet are left behind.

The Pipes Protect the Bathroom

We’ve mentioned several times how a bathroom’s plumbing pipes make it the safest room to hunker down during a tornado. But it’s worth repeating and explaining.

• Increased endurance level. Pipe systems work like concrete and firmly attach everything from the ceiling down. It can take a bigger and longer beating than the rest of the house.
• All of those walls. Bathrooms are generally in the center of a home. It means they have all the walls, which are extra barriers against debris.
• Pipeline pipes create an extra frame. You need all the barriers you can get because flying debris is the most significant danger of a tornado.
• Plumbing pipes are what keep the commodities grounded. A toilet, sink, and bathtub stay put because of the pipe system.

Get Into the Bathtub

The bathtub will be your best bet when riding out a tornado if you don’t have a basement or shelter. 

• A bathtub is made of fiberglass and has an added layer of protection. 
• Mattresses and pillows make good protection in the bathtub. They will protect your head from falling or flying debris.
• The sides will protect you from debris when lying flat inside.
• The bathroom pipeline keeps everything anchored, including the bathtub you’re lying in.
• If the bathroom does take a tornado trip, it is more likely than not to land on the ground safely because of its shape.

What is the safest room in the house during a tornado?

If you have access, a basement or storm shelter is the best option during a tornado. But a bathroom will protect you the most from the dangers of tornadoes.

Windowless Spaces Are Always Safer

Most bathrooms have no window or a small one for ventilation. That’s why it makes it the safest choice. 

Tornadoes easily shatter windows because they can do it in a couple of different ways – increased pressure and flying debris.

Location, Location, Location

A first-floor bathroom is usually located deep within a home. You are looking for a spot with zero connection to the chaos outside.

The hallway that connects to the bathroom helps to protect you from the tornado’s violence.

And leave the bathroom door open. You want an exit point when it’s over.

Where shouldn’t I be during a tornado?

Since you know where you’re supposed to be, let’s go through a list of places you don’t want to be.

• Anywhere that has a covered top and exposed sides.
• Avoid underpasses and overpasses.
• Mobile homes.
• Cars.

Why the bathroom is the safest place in a tornado?

1. Works as a safe room.
2. The bathroom is securely attached to a home by a pipeline.
3. Bathroom pipes do a ton of protecting.
4. The sides of a bathtub do more than just hold in water.
5. No windows.
6. Most of all, a bathroom’s location is why it’s the safest place in a tornado.

FAQs

How does a bathtub save you from a tornado?

A tub is securely held in place by a water pipeline frame. And the fiberglass sides of a bathtub protect you from flying debris.

Pile pillows and mattresses on top of you as you lie flat to keep falling objects from striking your head.

A basement is actually the ideal place to take shelter during a tornado. But not everyone has access to one.

So, the bathroom becomes the safest place to ride it out because of its location and the layers of protection it provides.

Are brick houses safer in a tornado?

Maybe if Dorothy’s farmhouse had been brick, she wouldn’t have ended up in Oz.

Brick houses take beatings from tornadoes, hurricanes, hail, and high winds and stay intact.

Can a tornado rip up concrete?

As of right this second, concrete slabs in a home or garage have never gotten ripped up by a tornado. 

Can a tornado rip up an asphalt road?

Concrete slabs stand up to tornadoes, but asphalt roads don’t always fair as well.