You'll have to forgive me for being persistent. I don't give up too easily. Especially since I'm scared to death of tornados and wish to have some sort of protection. What area are you located? (We're in Houston.) There's a tornado warning somewhere everytime a thunderstorm comes through. And I know basements do exsist here, I just thought the lack of them was due to moisture. Are you in the building profession? Would you be able to help us with other aspects of the design? Perhaps you can comment on a more stable structure (concrete forms, steel) without raising costs.