FEMA Media Library
This publication presents important information about the design and construction of community and residential safe rooms that will provide protection during tornado and hurricane events. The third edition of FEMA P-361 presents updated and refined criteria for safe rooms compared to the second edition’s 2008 criteria. This edition also features clarified guidance and revised commentary to reflect 6 more years of post-damage assessments and lessons learned, including those based on many safe rooms directly impacted by tornadoes.
Following publication of FEMA P-361 (2021), FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Assistance Branch provided an extended grace period for prefabricated residential safe rooms to comply with the testing, listing, and labeling requirements of ICC 500-2020 as referenced in FEMA P-361 (2021).
Be advised that the extended grace period allowing FEMA-funded prefabricated residential safe rooms to comply with FEMA P-361 (2015) and ICC 500-2014 expired on January 1, 2024. Accordingly, applications for FEMA-funded prefabricated residential safe rooms must now demonstrate compliance with FEMA P-361 (2021) and ICC 500-2020.
This interactive, Web-based strategic planning tool provides more realistic visualizations of release behavior and impact estimates to help planners understand how an event may unfold, its impacts, and possible response actions.
Before a chemical release event happens, the Chemical City Planner Resource (chemCPR) tool helps federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial (FSLTT) response and exercise planners better prepare resources and personnel to save lives.