Landlord worries about renters with no basements in storms

An Ames landlord is going the extra mile for his renters and he said others should too.Watch video of this storyJohn Cramer rents duplexes that don't have basements.When one of his tenants asked what they should do when severe weather hits, Cramer admitted that he didn't have a good answer. He built storm shelters to protect the residents.The shelters cost $11,000."Very few rental units have a basement so really we are in a kind of dangerous situation if we get a direct hit from a tornado. I would hope that more people would look into providing shelters and come up with a plan," said Cramer.Each shelter is built with 4-inch reinforced concrete walls and a steel door.The shelters can protect people inside from winds up to 250 mph.

An Ames landlord is going the extra mile for his renters and he said others should too.

Watch video of this story


John Cramer rents duplexes that don't have basements.

When one of his tenants asked what they should do when severe weather hits, Cramer admitted that he didn't have a good answer. He built storm shelters to protect the residents.

The shelters cost $11,000.

"Very few rental units have a basement so really we are in a kind of dangerous situation if we get a direct hit from a tornado. I would hope that more people would look into providing shelters and come up with a plan," said Cramer.

Each shelter is built with 4-inch reinforced concrete walls and a steel door.

The shelters can protect people inside from winds up to 250 mph.