I bought my mini-refuge in July for the upcoming tornado season. In August, we were surprised to hear it was not a tornado we would be seeking shelter from, but hurricane Katrina. My family and I went into our mini-refuge and stayed inside for nearly four hours.

Whenever we emerged, the damage and destruction was all around us, but we remained safe despite the forces of Mother Nature. It proved to be one of the best investments that we ever made. The price of life greatly outweighs the small amount of money we spent to obtain this life-saving storm shelter.

My family lives about 150 miles north of the MS Gulf Coast. In Laurel, MS 30 miles SE of my home, wind gusts were measured at 110 mph, but then the device that measures wind speed broke, so actually they don’t know the actual wind gust speed.

Most of the damage in our area was from trees, power lines, and homes. We have a huge oak tree in our front yard that could have destroyed our home if it had fallen. We went into the “Mini-Refuge” at about 1:00 pm and stayed there for 4 hours. We had a feeling of complete safety being there. My husband feels this is the best purchase and investment in our safety that he has ever made.

As I listened to the radio and heard warnings being issued and reports coming in from spotters, I looked at the faces of my children. As a father, I would gladly give my life for my children and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect them. That moment, the price of the shelter was more than paid for in full. I cannot thank you enough. You helped me protect my family that night and gave me the means to protect them from severe weather in the future. Getting the Refuge is one of the absolute best things I’ve done and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.