Storm Shelter Companies Struggle To Keep Up With Demand

As we enter storm season, storm shelter companies across the metro are facing a severe backlog.

Nearly a year after the May tornado's, shelter installers have a more than three month wait, and calls continue to pour in.

Shelter companies have been struggling to keep up with the demand. Flatsafe Tornado Shelters out of Yukon has been installing up to 30 a day, and they're still about a month behind.

"As it stands right now, we might not be able to get a shelter to put in this house during storm season," said Edmond homeowner, Mark Wilson.

Wilson and his family live along a creek line in his Edmond neighborhood. Another road block put in the way of getting a storm shelter installed.

"I talked with the city of Edmond, and they said, we can't give you a permit to do that, because of the way your property is set up," said Wilson.

He's told his home sits at base flood elevation. But even if Wilson was given the green light for a shelter install, it would be at least a month before any metro shelter company could start digging.

"We want a shelter. We want to be able to take care of ourselves like most Oklahomans do in the event of a storm," said Wilson.

"We definitely have that frustration with, you're a month out? Well, that does not do me any good," said Lisa Ingram, with Flatsafe Tornado Shelters. "A lot of the concern right now is how quick, how quick can you get to me."

Lisa Ingram says they're trying to keep up as best they can.

"It's busy, you can hear the phones, they're ringing," said Ingram.

And they're not alone, Wilson says he's contacted companies across the metro and hears similar wait times if not much longer.

"I think one of them was 14 weeks out," said Wilson. "Most of them are about four weeks out."

As the height of storm season gets closer images of last May's tornado outbreak are still fresh on many minds.

"And so, we're still trying to work to keep up," said Ingram

"My family is the most important thing in the world," said Wilson.

Right now, Flatsafe Shelters is booking installs around the second week of May.