Schultz Squared Architects LLC

Wishing everyone out there a happy and safe Memorial Day!

Let's not forget the what this celebration is all about. Thanks to all that paid the ultimate sacrifice so we may live in freedom! And thanks to all those families of the fallen who also sacrificed.

With the heightened probability of tornadic activity in our area, I thought I would post a video of a recent Nebraska tornado taken from a vehicle dash cam. I can only hope that no one was in the vehicle at the time.

A couple of things to note in this video. First, in-flow winds ahead of a tornado can themselves be very dangerous. Note the uprooting of the tree adjacent to the building. Which direction is it falling? It is falling toward the tornado. In-flow winds caused this.

The second thing to observe is the time. By my count, this tornado completely destroyed this building in less than 20 seconds.

Finally, I see many, MANY post questioning "I live in "X" city. Am I in danger of being hit by a tornado today?" The fact is no one can say exactly when and/or where any tornado is going to strike! It is that simple. There is so much that is unknown about tornadoes and their development. Science has a good idea of the prime conditions that potentially produce tornadoes and with technology today, they can predict fairly large areas that are susceptible at any given time but pinning it down to ANY city is just not in the cards at this time. Whenever these probabilities are issued in your area, the best thing to do is make sure your emergency plan is in place and you pay attention to what is going on not only in your are but in neighboring areas i.e. adjacent counties. Don't wait until you hear a siren go off before you start paying attention. At that point, it could be too late.

Be careful out there!

Dashcam video captures powerful tornado wiping out building in Nebraska in late April Dashcam video shows powerful tornado destroying a building and vehicles in a parking lot in Lincoln, Nebraska in late April. Video credit: Kimthu Nguyen/Tri Tran.

Our deepest 🙏 condolences to the family and friends of officer Lt. Jimmy Waller, Conroe, Texas.. He served his community for over 22 years. Tragically, he passed away from the injuries sustained by the April 28th Tornadoes in Texas. He and his wife sought shelter from the tornado. Unfortunately their mobile home was completely destroyed. He passed away yesterday from injuries sustained by an EF-1 Tornado in Trinity County, Texas. He is survived by his wife whom is still recovering from her injuries.

Please don't let him pass in vane. This was an EF-1 Tornado. These monsters , regardless of size, ground speed, wind speed, and/or location can kill you. This has been somewhat of a nasty tornado season thus far. Plan ahead and take action when needed. Do not become a statistic!

On this day, 1925 at approximately 1:00 PM, a tornadic event began near Ellington, Missouri known as the Tri-State Tornado. 3-1/2 hours later and a total of 219 miles, it passed through the southern tip of Illinois and ended near Princeton, Indiana. In its wake, 2,000 individuals injured, 695 lives taken many of which were children. Entire families ceased to exist in just a matter of seconds. An absolute tragedy.

Today, we have much better warning systems, radar, stronger buildings required by current building codes and even a spattering of storm shelters. But we should never take this for granted. The annual tornado season is upon us in this part of the country. Please keep an eye on the weather, plan ahead, and be safe!

Don't become a tornado victim statistic. It is avoidable!

Tri-State Tornado of 1925 | History, Path, & Facts Tri-State Tornado of 1925, the deadliest tornado in U.S. history, which passed through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on March 18, 1925, completely destroying a number of towns and causing 695 deaths. The tornado lasted 3.5 hours and traveled 219 miles (352 km)—setting records for both duration a...

The Kiesling Award is given annually to an individual for outstanding service and contribution to the storm shelter industry through effective initiative and leadership.

Congratulations to the 2023 NSSA Kiesling Award Recipient Michelle Barbee! Michelle's company Safe Sheds, Salem, Illinois, is a Producer Member of the NSSA. She has served as President of our organization during which she worked her tail off to keep the "Ship" moving forward! She is very passionate with the protection of people from these violent storms!

Michelle's contribution to the industry and to the NSSA makes this award well deserved. I am confident Dr. Kiesling approves of Michelle receiving this award. Welcome to the Club Michelle!!!

Pictured below are past and current recipients. R to L: Mark Levitan, NIST, (2017), Mike Vaughn, Vaughn Concrete Products, (2021), Michelle Barbee, Safe Sheds, (2023), Michelle's Dad (SUPRISE!), and Corey Schultz, Schultz Squared Architects LLC, (2019).

We wish all Veterans and their families a wonderful Veteran's Day celebration. Thank you for your service and your sacrifices so that we may live in freedom for which we all take for granted.

Since we live free every day, every day should be Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Armed Forces Day.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families affected by the deadly tornadoes in and around Rolling Fork, Silver City, and Amory, Mississippi.

I have viewed literally thousands of tornado damage and it still ceases to amaze me the power and violence of these storms. It is Mother Nature's way of letting us mere humans who is REALLY in control.

We may not be able to stop her, but at least we can prepare and protect ourselves. It is that time of year again. Make sure you are prepared, have a plan, and are ready to execute that plan in case of one of these devastating storms. One death in ANY storm is one too many!

Be safe out there!!!

Wow!!!

Satellite loop of wall of dust from Dec. 2nd, 2022 courtesy of CIMMS. (Click link to view.) https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1598824234205163520/pu/vid/1026x720/XxHEDw6bKG8U799v.mp4?tag=12

Shauna and I would like to wish all of our clients, colleagues, consultants, friends, and family a Happy Thanksgiving Holiday! Stay safe and healthy!

Today we honor all the Veterans for their sacrifice in an effort to keep us safe and maintain our freedoms. We also honor the families of these Veterans for their sacrifices too.

We salute you today, and every day!!!

Congrats to Scott Tezak for being the 2022 Keisling Award recipient! We'll deserved and long overdue!

The Wall of Worry 2 - Bahamas -
Sep 26th 2022
- Outer bands of Ian
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Our thoughts and prayers are with those in Florida affected by hurricane Ian. It continues to amaze me the power Mother Nature possesses and how this power keeps us mere humans in check.

'Tis the season (can skip the jolly with this one); with all the tornado activity that has occurred in the south this past week, this is an appropriate reminder.
https://www.nytimes.com/article/tornado-safety-tips.html?fbclid=IwAR3mVI3wNM73o2g4FI49Ac28PbutL_tdE7zktaKNWenDw-ncbqFCT-nNL8s

www.nytimes.com

Shauna and I wish all our family, friends, clients, consultants, and colleagues a very Merry Christmas! Stay safe! Stay healthy!

Very interesting!

What a mess!

PRELIMINARY REPORTS from the Severe Weather Outbreak during Friday night and into Saturday Morning. Over 100 tornado warnings issued and 8 tornado emergencies issued!

-Stephen Jones

Our thoughts and prayers for those affected by the line of severe storms and severe tornado outbreaks which occurred last night in Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Very sad news coming out of those areas this morning. We wish them all well.

Here's a pic of past (and the current) recipients of the Kiesling Award.

Left to right; Larry Tanner, Tanner Consulting, Lubbock, Texas, (2016), yours truly, (2019), Mike Vaughn, Vaughn Concrete Products, (2021), and Glenn Overcash, AECOM, Washington, DC (2018).

I'm extremely humbled to be included in this elite fraternity within the storm shelter industry. All of us have spent a large portion of our careers working to keep people safe.

(For those doing the math, Dr. Kiesling chose to not issue the award in 2020 due to Covid-19. The 2020 NSSA conference was virtual and it was important to Ernie to present the award in person.)

The National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA) Kiesling Award is given annually to an individual for outstanding service and contribution to the storm shelter industry through effective initiative and leadership.

I was deeply honored as the last recipient of the Kiesling Award to present this year's award on behalf of the late Dr. Ernst W. Kiesling to Mike Vaughn, Vaughn Concrete Products. Mike was long overdue for this award. He has done so much for the NSSA and for the industry in general. This man lives, breathes, bleeds, sweats, etc. storm shelters and the protection of his fellow humans.

I am proud to call him a friend! CONGRATULATIONS MIKE!!!

https://newsroom.statefarm.com/father-of-the-safe-room/

Father of the Safe Room To many he’s the Father of the Safe Room. To his friends, he is simply Ernie. And Ernie is a pretty unassuming guy. Humble is probably the best word for it.

Thursday evening, we lost a great individual. Known as "The Godfather of Storm Shelters", Dr. Ernst (Ernie) Kiesling passed away of natural causes. Without Ernie, we would not have storm shelters as we know them today. He committed most of his career while a professor at Texas Tech University to determining the effects of tornadoes on buildings in an effort to keep people safe when ravaged by these storms which all was a result of a tornado that struck his home town, Lubbock, Texas on May 11, 1970. His work and passion have/will save countless lives across this country.

Ernie was the founding father of the National Storm Shelter Association with the attempt to create a higher standard for the design and production of storm shelters. He created an award in his name which annually recognizes individuals for outstanding service and contribution to the storm shelter industry through effective initiation and leadership. I was very fortunate to be the 2019 recipient of this award for which I am very proud and grateful to be included in this elite fraternity.

I was fortunate to co-present storm shelter seminars with Ernie several times all across the country. I cherished those times as it allowed me to get to know him as an individual.

Late Thursday afternoon, I was in a meeting with the past Kiesling award winners and Ernie reviewing candidates for the 2021 Kiesling Award. He was in good spirits and was doing what he wanted to do only to pass later that evening. I am so thankful we had that time with him.

Ernie taught me so much about this industry. He was a true leader, my mentor, and most importantly, my friend. I am heartbroken.

Shauna and I are keeping him, his wife Nita, and his family in our prayers. God Speed Ernie!

That's what we like to see. Hopefully the new norm!

Kansas was tornado warning-free July-September 2021, the first time since records began in 1986. Year-to-date, 2021 has the 6th lowest tornado warning count, with only 46 warnings issued across the state. Typical tornado warning count through September is about 118.

Our hearts go out to all those affected by last nights building collapse in Surfside, Florida. It is an absolute tragedy. We pray for those that lost their lives and those still remain unaccounted. We pray for the victims families and for the first responders. May God give you all the strength you need to endure.

When you are involved in the building construction industry, events like this shake you to the core.

Good Information.

If you're under a tornado warning, take shelter immediately.

🔹 Get to a basement or safe room.

🔹 If that's not an option get to a sturdy building and stay away from windows, doors, or outside walls.

🔹 Outside? You’re safest in a low, flat location.

More tips: ready.gov/tornadoes

Not something you see everyday!