BENTON COUNTY (KFSM)-- As tornado season draws near, some in Northwest Arkansas are preparing for the worst.
Logan Boudrey owns Signature Storm Shelter and said over the past five to six years, has installed thousands of tornado shelters.
He said the majority of what they install is the underground shelter that can cost anywhere from $3,500 to $5,800.
“Even if you’re only going to get in it two or three times a year, I mean that’s good enough for the peace of mind for the families," said Boudrey. "Cause I mean if it hits your house and you don’t have something you could lose a loved one.”
Boudrey explained that peace of mind is the number one reason his customers choose to install a shelter, which takes only about an afternoon to do.
David Martin is no different.
He is building a house in Rogers and installed a stand-up shelter, which costs roughly $5,000.
“It’s one of those things, you pay the money and hope you never need it," Martin said.
Martin said he grew up in Joplin, Missouri and had family that experienced the Joplin tornado in 2011.
He heard of one friend's mother who lived through that storm but was trapped in a stand-up shelter for a short amount of time.
“They didn’t have electronics, so it was really calling for help and waiting till someone came around and heard she was in there," Martin said. "She was stuck behind a door and someone had to dig her out. She was fine because she was in a safe room.”
Martin decided to go with a stand-up shelter because of his claustrophobia.
He said that size will be just fine for his wife and family members that live close to his new home.
Boudrey said he likes to tell his clients that even though some of the shelters may not be too big, they will not be in there for too long.
“I tell people if you want to feel safe, you might sit in there ten, fifteen minutes but really that’s about the bulk you’re going to sit in there and it’s already going to be past you or have missed you already.”
Some states offer residents a storm shelter rebate.
Boudrey said Arkansas had one of these programs up until last year when it ran out of money.
Various counties in Arkansas do have a registration program with the Offices of Emergency Management.
Boudrey explained that shelter owners can call their local county office and place their shelter on this registry.
This will give emergency responders a location to search after a tornado situation.
Martin said he does not expect a tornado to hit anytime soon.
He does know that he is moving to an area where they often happen.
“Just coming down here visiting we’ve had tornado warnings when I’ve just been down to visit," Martin said. "So it’s in the area, it’s in the belt. Again just better safe than sorry.”