Storms across the central United States last week were no joke. I live in Missouri and we saw flooding one day, then snow the next. Folks in other states got it even worse, including Kentucky where Ryan Hagan and Buddy Rolley hail from. Those two decided to get smart and build their own storm shelter with what they had on hand: a minivan, some dirt, and an excavator they bought off the online bargain site Temu. As you probably guessed, this got people’s attention.
Hagan’s cousin Erika Cobb posted a TikTok of the DIY safe place on Wednesday, and since then, it’s been viewed 1.9 million times. The comments are a hoot, too—you can bet more than one person chimed in to say “Country boys can survive.”
Cobb even posted a follow-up video showing the inside of the van per commenters’ requests:
According to Cobb, her uncle owns a salvage lot, meaning he has plenty of vehicles to spare. That apparently includes the early 2000s Nissan Quest that he plucked from the yard and proceeded to bury in it. And because it still ran, they were able to listen to storm warnings on the radio… after ensuring the exhaust wouldn’t seep into the cab, of course.
The excavator they used is a CO-Z brand unit with a 13.5-horsepower engine. At least, that’s what the Temu ad says. It only costs about $6,000, which is ridiculously cheap as far as new mini excavators go. My guess is they already owned the CO-Z and decided to use it for this; I doubt they bought it just to dig this hole.
It’s wild to see the windows covered in dirt in that second video. That alone would be enough to make me freak out inside. But, as Hagan told the Lexington Herald-Leader, it’s what they were able to do in a pinch.
“They think we’re about the biggest rednecks you can get, burying a van, but it is what it is, and we needed something to get out of the weather,” Hagan said in an interview. “That was the best we could do temporarily.”
Honestly, if you’re knocking these guys for trying, you should check your heart. It’s not like they expected this to be a totally foolproof solution.
“People underestimate what dirt actually weighs… it’s not likely the tornado is going to rip it out,” Hagan continued to the Herald-Leader. “The whole hood and everything is buried under three feet of dirt, so we feel safe in that.”
The National Weather Service office in Memphis issued 223 total warnings for severe thunderstorms, flash floods, and tornadoes from April 2 to 6; for reference, it issued 262 such warnings during all of 2024. Thankfully, there was no confirmed tornado touchdown in Muhlenberg County where Hagan and Roller live. That’s not to say it could never happen, which is why they’re keeping the van buried for future use.
Good on ya, boys.
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