re: Tornado warning NW corner of LA - squall line about to move through Shreveport

There are two big storms about to collide around Jasper TX. Looks impressive on radar.

Yeah a couple of tornado warnings here in NELA

Trying to get home....trees across the road everywhere.

Just following a group of locals with chainsaws and tractors as they clear the road.

West Monroe had a couple. Huge tree fell in my yard and just missed the house when we were having dinner in the dining room. Power still out but really just happy to be safe. Drove around the roads by my house after to assess some damage and there were a lot of trees down. It kinda came out of nowhere. One second it was just cloudy and then within 5 minutes our power was out and we see limbs and leaves flying everywhere through the window.

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Do people really have basements?

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There are a few basements in Shreveport from my experience growing up there but still not many... my school at First Baptist had one and we had to hunker down many times for storms

I've never lived in a louisiana house that had a basement. I'd love one and would feel a lot more secure. Plus the extra space.

A few government/commercial buildings in my town have basements.

Best thing here is to buy a shipping container, dig down about 3 or 4 ft, and pour a heavy wall slab with anchors. Set your shipping container down on it. Make sure both ends can open and then make an escape hatch at the top as well and air seal it for leaking purposes. You can also tun some type of air system to this thing. Then bury it with dirt and pack it in around it and on top of it, then dig your hole out where your escape hatch is and shore it off by a concrete wall around it or metal, with a water run off. You can do multiple hatches if it makes you feel more comfortable, but you definitely need just incase of a flooding event you can get out of this thing.

With all of that said, this is the closest and best option we have here in lower Louisiana to a basement. I know a guy that has one and it is pretty damn cool. He made his liveable and when he goes in he doesn't have to worry about shite. He also has his on higher ground with a good runoff too so water never stand around it at all, and that's the most important thing, is to figure out how to keep the water away from it.