Best Available Refuge Area Checklist

The Best Available Refuge Area (BARA) Checklist is a tool for registered design professionals to assess and rank areas within existing buildings for their suitability as refuge during extreme-wind events, such as tornadoes and hurricanes, when a dedicated safe room is not available. The checklist evaluates structural and non-structural vulnerabilities, including wind, flood, and seismic hazards, and provides a scoring system to compare potential refuge areas across multiple buildings. It is intended as a visual screening tool, not a substitute for detailed engineering analysis, and is used to guide the selection of the safest available areas for occupant protection. The checklist is referenced in FEMA P-431 and supports interim life-safety measures until a code-compliant safe room can be provided.