Forget the shelter, get a safe room

updated 2:01 p.m. ET May 16, 2005

MIAMI - Got an extra $125,000 lying around? Spending that much would get rid of boring, uncomfortable stays in shelters when the next monster hurricane hits.

The pricey safe room by Acoustic Innovations Inc. is among the many products companies are pitching to residents in hurricane-prone areas following last year's brutal season.

A room that can withstand hurricane-force winds isn't a unique concept. But the concrete room designed by Acoustic Innovations is built to offer more than protection. The steep price buys a home theater with a movie screen up to 14 feet wide, motorized leather recliners and other creature comforts.

"You probably would not be able to tell that a hurricane is going by while you're happily ensconced in the theater," said Jay Miller, the president and founder of the Boca Raton company, which has received at least two orders.

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Acoustic Innovations, a home theater designer, decided to go into the hurricane protection business after last season's quartet of storms ravaged Florida and other Southeast states. But it's not the only company that has sized up the potential opportunities in hurricanes.

Other companies are pushing less expensive creations. They include alternatives to plywood or metal hurricane shutters to protect against flying debris. These fabric shields cost about the same as shutters, starting around $8 to $20 per square foot.

Armor Screen Corp. of Riviera Beach, Fla. uses trampoline-like woven plastic screening that is touted to take a hit from a two-by-four at about 60 mph without breaking. That's nearly twice the speed required under local building codes.

"Part of the reason for the strength is that there is a little bit of give," said president and founder Ted Gower.

The lightweight transparent screens also block most water and have withstood wind up to 276 mph in tests, he said. A 100-mph wind that hits screens comes through on the other side as a 3-mph breeze.

"We can actually put it out around a porch and the people can spend the hurricane around the porch," Gower said.

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