Eagleville is a small city in the far southwest corner of Rutherford County, surrounded by farmland and close to the Williamson and Bedford county lines. On April 10, 2009, an EF4 tornado touched down near Eagleville and tracked more than 23 miles northeast into Murfreesboro, killing two people and injuring 58, according to the National Weather Service. For many local families, that day is the reason they're thinking about a shelter.
What the 2009 tornado showed
- Strong tornadoes destroy ordinary houses. NWS damage surveys found homes swept from their foundations. In a home with no basement, an interior closet may not be enough in a storm that strong.
- Tornadoes cross the whole county. The path ran from farmland to dense neighborhoods. No part of the county is immune.
- Warning time is limited. Even with a warning, you have minutes, not hours. A shelter you can reach in seconds is the one that gets used.
Tested safe rooms are designed for exactly this. FEMA P-361 safe rooms are built to resist 250 mph winds and the impact of a 2x4 board flying at 100 mph. FEMA has documented many cases of safe rooms left standing while the houses around them were destroyed.
Choosing a shelter for an Eagleville home
- Newer homes with attached garages: an above-ground safe room in the garage, or a garage floor shelter where rock depth allows.
- Older homes on crawl spaces: a safe room on a new pad near the door, or an in-ground yard shelter if the soil is deep enough.
- Building new: a reinforced closet or bathroom safe room built in from the start, which FEMA notes is less expensive than adding one later.
Much of this area sits on shallow limestone. Ask any installer to check the ground before quoting a shelter that goes below grade. See building on Rutherford County rock.
Night and off-season storms
Middle Tennessee's tornado season isn't limited to spring. Tornadoes here also happen in late fall and winter, and often at night. Keep a weather radio with battery backup by the bed and phone alerts switched on year-round.
Permits
Inside city limits, ask the City of Eagleville about permits; outside them, Rutherford County. Your installer should confirm which applies.
Get a quote
Send your ZIP code, household size and home type. One installer who covers Eagleville will contact you. See the cost guide and what the safe room standards mean.
Common questions
Would a safe room have survived the 2009 tornado?
Safe rooms built to FEMA P-361 are designed for winds and debris from the strongest tornadoes, rated beyond EF4 conditions. FEMA has documented safe rooms standing intact after violent tornadoes destroyed the homes around them.
When is tornado season in Eagleville?
Spring is the peak, but Middle Tennessee also sees tornadoes in late fall and winter, often at night. Be ready year-round.
Who handles shelter permits in Eagleville?
The City of Eagleville inside city limits, and Rutherford County outside them.