US20120222367A1

Movatterモバイル変換

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Publication number: US20120222367A1
Application number: US13/040,095
Authority: US
Inventors: Jerry Wirtz
Original assignee: Tornado Tech LLC
Current assignee: AMERICAN SAFETY SHELTER LLC; Tornado Tech LLC
Priority date: 2011-03-03
Filing date: 2011-03-03
Publication date: 2012-09-06
Also published as: US9702160B2; US20150345168A1

Abstract

An improved above-ground storm shelter having sidewalls comprised of two panels, an outer panel and an inner panel, a door means for allowing ingress and egress and for remaining securely closed during a storm event, and a roof adapted to be affixed thereto, whereby sound of articles striking the sidewalls during a storm event is lessened, and the two panels provide enhanced structural integrity compared with a single panel of comparable thickness. The sidewalls may be manufactured in modular segments adapted to be joined together to form a desired size of shelter. Preferably, at least one segment has defined therein a ventilation port with a cover means for preventing projectiles from entering the shelter during a storm event while allowing equalization of pressure. Also, a method of installing an above-ground shelter having the steps of providing modular wall segments having an outer panel separated from an inner panel a fixed distance by at least one structural member, the wall segments and structural members thereby defining a space between the panels; providing at least one door means; assembling a plurality of modular wall segments and a door means into a shelter; affixing a roof to a top edge of the modular panels and the door segment; affixing at least one transport means for rollingly moving the assembled shelter; transporting the assembled shelter to a desired location within the structure; and affixing the shelter to a floor at the desired location.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of shelters. More particularly, the present invention relates to above-ground shelters which either can be installed in new construction or can be retrofit in an existing structure.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The idea of a shelter from dangerous forces such as tornados, hurricanes or bombs has been around for decades. See, for example, Pierson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,114,153 for a Combination Shelter and Swimming Pool. While less than optimally functional (what, for example, does one do about the water in the pool if one needs to use the shelter?), Pierson illustrates that the idea of an in-ground shelter is not new. Presumably, Pierson was focusing his efforts as a shelter that might protect a user from the threat of Soviet nuclear attack. Before Pierson, many people installed simple cellars primarily for food storage, but also for protection from storms. Entrance to these early shelters was usually accomplished by a hinged door.

Hope et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,345, and Poole, U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,866. Hope et al., claimed a “tornado shelter,” and Poole claimed a “storm shelter.” Both are for a shelter which is designed to be installed below ground, and which has a sliding substantially flat access door near ground level to allow ingress and egress. The door in Poole, which is the patent closest to the present invention, appears to covers approximately one-third of the top of the shelter. The door sits on rollers, and rolls downwardly and inwardly to open. That is, it rolls down underneath of the rest of the shelter's top. This method of operation means that by rolling downwardly, it takes room out of an already cramped shelter, and by rolling under the lid, the size of the access door is limited because it must be smaller than the remaining portion of the top of the shelter under which it rolls. The opening in Hope's shelter cannot be larger than approximately one-half of the surface area of the top of the shelter. While an opening of this size may be sufficient for some purposes, for the disabled or for very large persons, it may be difficult to enter a shelter with such a limited opening size. Further, those who are claustrophobic would find such a shelter even more constricting knowing that the opening through which they have to pass out of the shelter is so small. Also, to the extent objects are to be taken into or stored in the shelter, the smaller opening makes putting them in or taking them out more difficult.

Poole claims a similar device, but the description in Poole and the drawings are much more limited. The opening covers about half of the top of the shelter area or less. There is no description in Poole about how the lid, as shown open inFIG. 6, is prevented from tipping over as it is opened. The force of gravity would, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 of Poole, force the leading edge of the lid to tip under its own weight. There is no structure shown or described in Poole which would prevent this from happening. Further, the Poole lid is well above ground level, which may prevent a vehicle from parking above the shelter if installed in a garage and which would also present a tripping hazard.

Applicant previously obtained, along with a prior co-inventor, U.S. Pat. No. 7,428,800 for an in-ground shelter. It claimed an improved shelter of the type having a front wall, a back wall, two opposing side walls, a bottom and a top defining a substantially rectangular box with an opening defined in the top, a flat lid adapted to cover the opening, a roller means for alternately rolling the lid to expose or close the open top, the improvement comprising: substantially, the entire top of the box defining an opening; the lid adapted to be substantially flush with the surrounding ground level in a closed position; and a roller means for allowing the lid to slide above the ground level, exposing more than half of the top when in an open position.

The teachings of the prior art disclosed along with this application are intended to be and are hereby incorporated by reference into this application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An improved above-ground storm shelter having sidewalls comprised of two panels, an outer panel and an inner panel, a door means for allowing ingress and egress and for remaining, securely closed during a storm event, and a roof adapted to be affixed thereto, whereby sound of articles striking the sidewalls during a storm event is lessened, and the two panels provide enhanced structural integrity compared with a single panel of comparable thickness. Providing two panels separated by some distance minimizes the chances that an indentation created by a projectile will impinge into the shelter. That is, any deformation of the sidewalls is less likely, given the two panel construction, to deform the inner panel.

The outer walls may be manufactured in modular segments adapted to be joined together to form a desired size of shelter. Preferably, at least one segment has defined therein a ventilation port with a cover means for preventing projectiles from entering the shelter during a storm event while allowing equalization of pressure. The door means may comprise two doors, each of which may be hinged, with an inner edge of a first door adjacent to the inner edge of the second door in a closed position, and a closure means for securely retaining the doors in a closed position, whereby the each door can swing freely to open either inwardly or outwardly unless the closure means may be engaged. The closure means comprising at least one door bar adapted to be received at each end thereof within a pair of end brackets affixed to the interior panel at either side of the door and also adapted to be received within at least one holder affixed to each of the doors, the end brackets on at least the interior panel preferably cooperating with a profile defined on the door bar to releasably lock the door bar into place. Each segment may have an open top allowing an open space between the panels to be filled with a desired material, whereby additional weight, structural integrity and sound-deadening may be provided to the shelter.

Also disclosed is a method of installing an above-ground shelter comprising: providing modular wall segments having an outer panel separated from an inner panel a fixed distance apart by at least one structural member, the wall segments and structural members thereby defining a space between the panels; providing at least one door means for allowing ingress and egress into an, assembled shelter; assembling a plurality of modular wall segments and a door means into a shelter having a desired shape; affixing a roof to a top edge of the modular panels and the door segment; affixing at least one transport means for rollingly moving the assembled shelter; transporting the assembled shelter to a desired location within the structure; and affixing the shelter to a floor at the desired location. The method may include at least one of the modular wall segments with a transportation attachment point for releasably engaging a transport means. The transport means may have a jack-activated lift having at least one wheel adapted to rollingly support the transport means and an attachment point for releasably engaging a cooperating attachment point on a wall segment. Or alternately, the transport may be a powered lift.

There have thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in this application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a stack of modular segments that can be used to construct a shelter according to the present invention.

FIGS. 3-5 are detailed views of the protective plate, ventilation port and ventilation grate cooperating to prevent projectiles from directly entering the shelter while allowing ventilationFIG. 3 is a view from the outside of an embodiment of the shelter showing the protective plate and, behind it, the ventilation port and space.FIG. 4 is a detailed side sectional view of an embodiment of the protective plate, spacer, ventilation port, and ventilation grate that cooperate to allow ventilation while preventing projectiles from entering the shelter.FIG. 5 is a detailed view of an embodiment of the ventilation grate preventing projectiles from entering the shelter.

FIG. 6 shows the inside of an embodiment of a shelter according to the present invention, specifically, a pair of doors and a pair of door bars cooperating to securely retain the doors in a closed position.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are detailed sectional views of a bracket support for the door bar and, in comparison, they show how the u-shaped door bar releasably locks into place in cooperation with a u-shaped portion of the bracket support. The door bar may be rotated counterclockwise, as shown, from a disengaged position to the partially engaged position inFIG. 7, and finally into the engaged position shown inFIG. 8.

FIG. 9 is a detailed sectional side view of a portion of a wall segment of an embodiment of the invention showing how it is glued and fastened to the floor.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a hopper means for placing an aggregate material into the open space defined between the outer and inner panels.

FIG. 11 is a detailed view of an embodiment of a closure plate received within a receiver defined in the hopper means.

FIG. 12 shows an embodiment of a jack means for releasable attachment to a wall segment for rollingly moving an assembled, or partially assembled, shelter into position for mounting.

FIG. 13 shows an embodiment of a cheater tool to provide added leverage to rotate the door bar for disengagement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows an above-ground shelter of the current invention in perspective view. Asidewall100 is shown comprised of three segments: afirst segment124, asecond segment126, and athird segment128. The three segments are joined to create thefinished sidewall100. Joinder may occur by any number of known means, including, but not limited to welding, bolting, screwing, or joining them by cooperation of interlocking members. Segments may be provided in a wide range of standard sizes—from, for example, 6 inches to 6 feet—and they are expected to be produced in two-foot segments and other lengths allowing for easy assembly of asidewall100 having a desired overall length.FIG. 2 shows thesegments200 in astack210 prior to them being assembled into a shelter. Both theouter panel102 and the inner panel202 (not visible inFIG. 1) as well as thestructural member206 connecting them and holding them a fixed distance apart, thereby defining an open space therebetween can be seen. An open top208 may be provided before the shelter may be assembled allowing aggregate materials (such as sand, concrete, gravel, polymer, or the like) to be added thereto providing additional sound insulation and structural integrity.

FIG. 1 further shows theroof104 affixed to the shelter. Fork truck lift handles120 are shown inFIG. 1, which allow the assembled shelter to be lifted intact by a fork truck. In many, if not most, installations the fork handles120 will not be attached to theroof104 because they add enough height that they make moving the assembled shelter into the typical garage installation more difficult given height restrictions associated with typical garage door clearances.

Each wall segment124-128, as shown, may have twoprotective plates106 mounted thereon. A more detailed discussion of theprotective plate106 and associated elements creating a ventilation port may be provided below in conjunction with the discussion ofFIGS. 3-5. Two doors, afirst door108 and asecond door110 are shown, and for a variety of reasons, two doors are preferable to a single door, but either single or double doors may be used. Each door has hinges116 along an outer edge and an inner door edge, a firstinner door edge112 associated with thefirst door108, and a secondinner door edge114 associated with thesecond door110. The first and

second edges

112 and114 abut one another in a closed position, as shown inFIG. 1. As shown, thehinges116 are piano-type hinges that extend along the entire length of the door, though any type of hinges may be used. Piano-type hinges are preferable because they distribute any impacts over a larger area. If a projectile strikes a door with piano hinges, the door is less likely to become disconnected from the piano-type hinge, and the impact is spread out over the length of the hinge instead of being concentrated in a small area around a typical hinge. The hinges116 allow the doors to swing either inwardly or outwardly providing maximum flexibility for egress from the shelter in case a storm event causes debris to be lodged near or against the doors. Outer door handles122 are provided. The doors are mounted in anouter door frame118. As shown, theframe118 forms one entire side of a shelter, but it may have additional segments joined to one or both of its sides to make a wider shelter, if desired.

FIGS. 3-5 show the elements that cooperate to allow ventilation of the shelter without allowing projectiles to enter.FIG. 3 shows theprotective plate106, which can also be seen inFIG. 1. More of an embodiment of the structure is illustrated inFIG. 4, which is a side cross-sectional view. Theplate106 may be separated from theouter panel102 by a pair ofspacers304, thereby creating aventilation channel404 therebetween. From theventilation channel404, air may pass into or out of the shelter through aport302 defining an opening between theouter panel102 and theinner panel202. To prevent communication with theopen space402 defined between theouter panel102 and theinner panel202, theport302 may be preferably lined, for example by a piece of tubing or pipe, whether square, round, or some other shape. Further protection against projectiles entering the shelter may be provided by aventilation grate400 affixed to theinner panel202.

FIG. 6 shows the inside of a shelter according to the present invention, specifically, a pair of

doors

108 and110 and at least two

door bars

600A and600B, as shown, and potentially three or more door bars cooperating to securely retain the doors in a closed position. The door means preferably includes two doors, but it may be a single door. Double doors provide double the opportunity to safely ingress and egress should a hinge or other door component become damaged. Also, a wider opening can be provided with less swing clearance required. Preferably, each door has ahandle606. The doors, mounted within aninner door frame608, are shown in a closed position, and the door bars are in position to securely retain them in that position. Each door bar engages, at each of its ends, an

end bracket

602A, and602B. The end brackets have a u-shaped profile adapted to releasably engage the u-shaped door bars to effectively lock them into position. See descriptions ofFIGS. 7 and 8, below. The doors are prevented from moving by engagement with holders,604A and604B. These holders are affixed to the

doors

108 and110 near the inner door edges112 and114 respectively. For each door bar, there are a pair ofend brackets602 and a pair of holders604.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are detailed sectional views of abracket support700 for thedoor bar600 and, in comparison, they show how the u-shaped door bar releasably locks into place in cooperation with a u-shaped portion of thebracket support700. Thedoor bar600 may be rotated counterclockwise, as shown, from a disengaged position to the partially engaged position inFIG. 7, and finally into the engaged position shown inFIG. 8. Other well-known means could be used to perform the same function such as, for example, using a keeper rotatably affixed to the inner door,frame608 to close over thedoor bar600 once it is in position and some sort of fastener, such as a rotatable locking clip, to secure the keeper in place. Alternatively, one end of thedoor bar600 may be inserted into a close-fitting keeper, with the other end bound to theinner door frame608 by a cable lock mechanism. Many alternative ways of releasably, yet securely engaging the door bar are known in the art, and those are incorporated herein by reference. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,806,179 to Roessle; U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,911 to O'Neal et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,436 to Cole, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,770,420 to Carr and the patents referenced by them.

FIG. 9 is a detailed sectional side view of a portion of a wall segment showing how it may be glued and fastened to the floor. Abase plate900 may be affixed to a bottom edge of a segment, preferably to both the inner and

outer plates

202 and102. Two means of affixing theplate900 to thefloor906 are shown,glue902 between the plate and the floor, and ananchor904 passing through theplate900 into thefloor906.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a hopper means for placing an aggregate material into theopen space402 defined between the outer and

inner panels

102 and202. Ahopper1000 is affixed above and connected to a dispensingport1002 adapted and sized to be received within theopen top208 of a wall segment. Between thehopper1000 and the dispensingport1002 may be aclosure plate receiver1008 defining a slot therein for slidingly receiving aclosure plate1006. An operator moves theclosure plate1006 by grasping theclosure plate handle1004 and either pushing or pulling it as indicated to move adispensing slot1102, shown inFIG. 11 into the desired position to either allow flow of an aggregate material (i.e., with thedispensing slot1102 lined up with the dispensing port1002) or to stop such flow.

Preferably, each segment has an open top208 allowing an open space defined between the

panels

108 and208 to be filled with a desired aggregate material, whereby additional weight, structural integrity and sound-deadening may be provided to the shelter. The aggregate material may be selected from the group of sand, gravel, concrete, foam, plastic, fiberglass, shredded paper, or a polymer. Any material that may be flowingly added to a void space may be used for this purpose, and the material selected for any particular installation will depend on factors including cost, purpose to be achieved (for example, concrete adds strength, while sand may merely add weight and sound-deadening properties), and ease of installation and availability. Other properties of the aggregate relevant to selection may include its insulating properties (e.g., fiberglass) or its susceptibility to burning (e.g., shredded paper), or its weight (in some cases, extra weight may be desirable and undesirable in others).

FIG. 12 shows a jack means for relatable attachment to a wall segment for rollingly moving an assembled, or partially assembled, shelter into position for mounting. The jack-activatedlift1202 has at least onewheel1204, which may be preferably fitted with acaster1206 to allow it to pivot. On a lower plate1210 ajack1208 may be mounted which is adapted to engage anupper plate1212. The plates are slidingly connected by slidingguides1216. A shown, the sliding guides are affixed to thelower plate1210 and slidingly received within theupper plate1212, but that configuration could be reversed. Affixed to the upper plate may be ahook post1220 upon which ahook1218 may be mounted. The hook may be adapted to releasably engage a cooperatingattachment point1200 affixed to theinner panel202 or anouter panel102. Aroller1214 may be also affixed to the upper plate for pressing engagement with theinner panel202.

In operation; thejack1208 may be raised or lowered to a height where thehook1218 can engage theattachment point1200. The jack is then raised so that a bottom edge of the shelter clears the surrounding floor by a desired clearance. At least one other jack-activatedlift1202 is preferably attached to adifferent attachment point1200. Once at least a couple of jack-activated lifts are attached, the entire shelter can be raised to a desired height and easily wheeled to a desired location. The design of the jack-activatedlifts1202 requires only minimal clearance above the surrounding floor since nothing has to be inserted beneath the shelter for lifting. Rather, theattachment point1200 is on the inner or

outer panel

202 or102.

As an alternative to the jack-activatedlift1202, a powered lift can be provided. The powered lift could be electric or powered by an internal combustion engine. The lift may engageattachment points1200, or it may lift the shelter by engagement with theroof104. The powered lift would be of the type commonly known as a forklift. Preferably, the powered lift will have a customized engagement feature for engaging the shelter, either like the engagement point shown for the jack-activatedlift1202, or it may engage the roof of the shelter to lift it for rolling into place. A properly designed powered lift could also engage a lower edge of the shelter, but that method is disfavored since it would then be disposed between the lower edge and the floor when lowered, potentially damaging the floor and/or spreading the glue that may be used to affix the shelter in place.

FIG. 13 illustrates an embodiment of acheater tool1300 adapted to engage thedoor bar600. The tool has ahandle1302 attached to an engagingjaws1304 adapted to engage thedoor bar600. Once engaged, a person in the shelter can apply added torque through the operation of thehandle1302 on the engagingjaws1304 and thus onto thebar600 to ensure that it can be rotated into a removal position even if the shelter doors are damaged in a storm event. Preferably, the cheater tool will be stored on a hook on an inside wall of the shelter.

Claims

1. An improved above-ground storm shelter having sidewalls comprised of two panels, an outer panel and an inner panel, a door means for allowing ingress and egress and for remaining securely closed during a storm event, and a roof adapted to be affixed thereto, whereby sound of articles striking the sidewalls during a storm event is lessened, and the two panels provide enhanced structural integrity compared with a single panel of comparable thickness.

2. The shelter ofclaim 1, the sidewalls manufactured in modular segments adapted to be joined together to form a desired size of shelter.

3. The shelter ofclaim 2, at least one segment having defined therein a ventilation port with a cover means for preventing projectiles from entering the shelter during a storm event while allowing equalization of pressure.

4. The shelter ofclaim 3, the cover means comprising a protective plate at least as large as the port, the plate being affixed a distance from the outer panel.

5. The shelter ofclaim 4 further having a ventilation grate behind the protective plate, whereby a ventilation channel is created around a periphery of the protective plate defined by the space between the protective plate and the outer panel and the ventilation grate stops smaller debris that may be able to pass through the channel between the periphery and the outer panel.

6. The shelter ofclaim 5, the door means comprising two doors, each of which is hinged, with an inner edge of a first door adjacent to the inner edge of the second door in a closed position, and a closure means for securely retaining the doors in a closed position, whereby the each door can swing freely to open either inwardly or outwardly unless the closure means is engaged.

7. The shelter ofclaim 5, each door being hinged by piano-type hinges extending along substantially an entire edge of each door.

8. The shelter ofclaim 7, the closure means comprising at least one door bar adapted to be received at each end thereof within a pair of end brackets affixed to the interior panel at either side of the door and also adapted to be received within at least one holder affixed to each of the doors.

9. The shelter ofclaim 8, the end brackets on at least the interior panel cooperating with a profile defined on the door bar to releasably lock the door bar into place.

10. The shelter ofclaim 9, a cheater tool being provided having engaging jaws adapted to engage the bar, whereby added torque can be applied to the bar to rotate it into a disengaged position.

11. The shelter ofclaim 3, a base plate affixed along to a bottom edge of the panels defining the shelter, the base plate adapted to affix the shelter in place, whereby the shelter cannot be lifted off of its mounting location by forces during a storm event.

12. The shelter ofclaim 11, glue being applied between a floor onto which the shelter is to be affixed and the base plate, whereby the shelter is bonded in place by the glue.

13. The shelter ofclaim 11, at least one fastener passing through the base plate into a cooperating anchor in a floor onto which the shelter is to be affixed.

14. The shelter ofclaim 3, each segment having an open top allowing an open space defined between the panels to be filled with a desired material, whereby additional weight, structural integrity and sound-deadening is provided to the shelter.

15. The shelter ofclaim 14, the desired material selected from the group of sand, gravel, concrete, foam, plastic, fiberglass, shredded paper, or a polymer.

16. The shelter ofclaim 1, each sidewall comprised of at least three layers, inner and outer metal panels and, therebetween, another layer comprised of a nonmetallic material.

17. The shelter ofclaim 3 further comprising:

a. the cover means comprising a protective plate at least as large as the port, the plate being affixed a distance from the outer panel, and a ventilation grate behind the protective plate, whereby a ventilation channel is created around a periphery of the protective plate defined by the space between the protective plate and the outer panel and the ventilation grate stops smaller debris that may be able to pass through the channel between the periphery and the outer panel;

b. the closure means comprising at least one door bar adapted to be received at each end thereof within a pair of end brackets affixed to the interior panel at either side of the door and also adapted to be received within at least one holder affixed to each of the doors, the end brackets on at least the interior panel cooperating with a profile defined on the door bar to releasably lock the door bar into place;

c. a base plate affixed along to a bottom edge of the panels defining the shelter, the base plate adapted to affix the shelter in place, whereby the shelter cannot be lifted off of its mounting location by forces during a storm event; and

d. each segment having an open top allowing an open space between the panels to be filled with a desired material, whereby additional weight, structural integrity and sound-deadening is provided to the shelter.

18. An improved above-ground storm shelter comprising:

a. sidewalls manufactured in modular segments, each segment comprised of two panels, an outer panel and an inner panel, and at least one structural member maintaining them a fixed distance apart;

b. at least one segment having defined therein a ventilation port with a cover means for preventing projectiles from entering the shelter during a storm event while allowing equalization of pressure;

c two doors, each of which is hinged, with an inner edge of a first door adjacent to the inner edge of the second door in a closed position, and the doors adapted to swing freely inwardly or outwardly;

d. at least one door bar adapted to be received at each end thereof within a pair of end brackets affixed to the interior panel at either side of each door and also adapted to be received within at least one holder affixed to each of the doors; and

e. and a roof adapted to be affixed thereto,

whereby sound of articles striking the sidewalls during a storm event is lessened, and the two panels provide enhanced structural integrity compared with a single panel of comparable thickness.

19. A method of installing an above-ground shelter comprising:

a. providing modular wall segments having an outer panel separated from an inner panel a fixed distance apart by at least one structural member, the wall segments and structural members thereby defining a space between the panels;

b. providing at least one door means for allowing ingress and egress into an assembled shelter;

c. assembling a plurality of modular wall segments and a door means into a shelter having a desired shape;

d. affixing a roof to a top edge of the modular panels and the door segment;

e. affixing at least one transport means for rollingly moving the assembled shelter;

f. transporting the assembled shelter to a desired location within the structure; and

g. affixing the shelter to a floor at the desired location.

20. The method ofclaim 19 further comprising at least one of the modular wall segments including a transportation attachment point for releasably engaging a transport means.

21. The method ofclaim 20, the transport means a powered lift adapted to rollingly support the shelter.

22. The method ofclaim 21 further comprising affixing a base plate to a bottom edge of the shelter, the base adapted to provide additional surface for a glue to bond the shelter to the floor and for passing at least one anchor therethrough to affix the shelter to the floor.

23. The method ofclaim 22 further comprising prior to affixing the roof, using a hopper means to fill each modular segment with a desired material.

25. The method ofclaim 23, the desired material selected from the group of sand, gravel, concrete, foam, plastic, fiberglass, shredded paper, or a polymer.

26. The method ofclaim 20, the transport means comprising a jack-activated lift having at least one wheel adapted to rollingly support the transport means and an attachment point for releasably engaging a cooperating attachment point on a wall segment.