Single-story ranch
Interior bathroom or closet away from large windows. Avoid rooms under skylights or next to the garage door.
Home storm safety
Find the safest room in your house before the next storm.
Answer a short set of questions about your home. Get a ranked list of rooms with clear reasons, plus a printable checklist so your family knows where to go.
No account. No tracking. Works on any device and prints cleanly.
How it works
1
Describe your home
Tell us the home type, number of floors, foundation, garage, and which rooms are on the lowest level.
2
See ranked rooms
Rooms are scored using FEMA-based rules. The result panel updates as you answer, so you can see trade-offs in real time.
3
Print your plan
Get a one-page summary with the recommended room, the reasons it scored well, common mistakes to avoid, and a supply checklist.
Your home worksheet
Answer what you can. Uncertain answers still help. The results include notes about what to double-check.
Common floor plans and safe-room choices
These simplified plans show typical best-room picks. Your result may differ based on the answers you gave above.
Two-story
Go to the lowest floor. Pick an interior bathroom or closet with no windows. Stay away from the garage wall.
Slab-on-grade
With no basement, a small interior bathroom or closet is usually best. Keep it away from the garage wall and large windows.
What to keep in your safe room
Aim for enough supplies for 72 hours. Refresh food, water, and batteries twice a year.
- Water: one gallon per person per day
- Food: non-perishable, ready to eat, manual can opener
- Weather radio: hand-crank or battery-powered with NOAA alerts
- Phone power: charged power bank and cable
- First aid kit: plus any prescription medications
- Shoes and gloves: sturdy pairs for each person
- Helmets: bike or work helmets protect against debris
- Whistle: to signal rescuers if trapped
- Blankets or sleeping bags: one per person
- Important docs: copies in a waterproof bag
Common mistakes
- Standing in a doorway. Old advice, not supported by modern research.
- Using a room under an HVAC unit. The unit can pull down the ceiling.
- Choosing a room with skylights or large windows.
- Sheltering next to the garage. Garage doors fail early in high winds.
- Forgetting pets. Practice getting them to the safe room quickly.
- Storing supplies somewhere else. If you cannot reach them, they do not help.
Edge cases and special situations
Renters
You may not be able to modify walls. Focus on choosing the best room and stocking it. Ask your landlord about adding a deadbolt to an interior closet door. Keep a go-bag in the room so you can shelter fast.
Apartment dwellers
Ask your building manager where the designated shelter area is. If none exists, pick an interior hallway or bathroom on the lowest floor you can reach. Avoid ground-floor rooms with glass doors.
Manufactured or mobile homes
These homes offer very little protection in strong tornadoes. Identify a nearby community shelter or sturdy building ahead of time. Leave early if a warning is issued.
Limited mobility
Plan for extra time. Keep the path clear. Store supplies in the safe room so you do not have to carry them. Practice the route at least twice a year.
What this page assumes
This worksheet is built from FEMA P-320 and P-361 guidance and general building-science rules. It is not an engineering report for your specific home. Your local emergency manager, building inspector, or structural engineer can give you a more precise answer. Re-run this worksheet after any major renovation, room addition, or change to your foundation.