Shelter Types
Community Storm Shelter
Also known as: community safe room, P-361 shelter, multi-occupant shelter, public storm shelter
Where community shelters are used
- Schools in tornado-prone districts
- Mobile-home and manufactured-housing parks
- Workplaces with no basement and no interior refuge
- Neighborhoods that pool funds for a shared structure
Capacity and square footage
FEMA P-361 specifies a minimum of 5 square feet per standing occupant for tornado shelters and 10 sq ft for wheelchair users. A 200-person shelter therefore needs at least 1,000 sq ft of usable floor area, plus space for ventilation equipment.
Distinguished from
- Safe room
- A safe room (P-320) is residential and typically 4 to 12 occupants. A community shelter (P-361) is 16+ and adds accessibility and ventilation rules.
Practical example
A 60-unit mobile-home park installs an above-ground 80-person community shelter at the park entrance. Each home is within a 1,000-foot walk per FEMA P-361 guidance on warning-to-shelter time.
Authority: FEMA P-361, ICC 500. Last reviewed 2026-06-07.
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