A Safe Place to Go: The Mississippi Safe Room-Storm Shelter Initiative
Background
Mississippi is subject to a variety of natural and human-caused hazards. The state experiences approximately 20 tornadoes per year that continue to pose a threat to life and property. The statistics of the 25 deadliest tornadoes within the U.S. (1840-present) includes five Mississippi communities. Between the years of 1950 and 1994, the “Magnolia State” ranked number 12 in the nation in regard to tornadoes reported (1,039), number two in fatalities (386), and number two in injuries (5,344). There have been two recorded F5 tornadoes since 1950, the Vicksburg tornado in 1953 and the Jackson tornado in 1966.
As a result of the tornadoes and severe weather events of February and March 2001, eight people died and another 106 people were injured. President Bush issued a major disaster declaration on February 23, 2001. This declaration made Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds available to the state for the implementation of the Mississippi Safe Room Initiative.
The Mississippi Shelter Initiative
“A Safe Place to Go” is the state of Mississippi’s Shelter Initiative, administered by the Mitigation Bureau in the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), and it has enjoyed unqualified success. HMGP funds are used for the implementation of long-term, cost-effective measures that will significantly reduce or eliminate the loss of life and property from natural disas
ters. The success of the program can be attributed in large part to being developed and administered by MEMA in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the county emergency managers, and county grant administrators.
The state has used the HMGP federal funds to reimburse up to 75% of the eligible costs of constructing or installing safe rooms or shelters not to exceed $3,500 for single-family shelters or in-residence safe-rooms and $5,000 for group shelters. The 25% non-federal share was provided by the project participants or some other non-federal source.
Funding Priorities for Eligible Recipients
Eligible recipients are individuals, private non-profit organizations, and local governments in the 50 declared counties.
The first priority of the state was to make the grant funds available to homeowners, businesses, local governments, and private non-profit organizations that sustained documented damage to their properties as a result of the declared incident period of February 16 through March 15, 2001. Over 400 applicants who sustained damage accepted the offer for single-family shelters and 55 applicants accepted the offer for group shelters. This represents an allocation of $1,801,000.
The second priority, for the remaining money, is to offer the grants to those 3,635 applicants within the declared counties that did not sustain damage.
Specifications
The construction of a “Safe Room,” which is an above ground shelter, must meet the written specifications publicized in FEMA’s August 1999 Publication 320 or the National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA) standard. The installation of an “In-Ground Storm Shelter” likewise must meet the written specifications developed by FEMA or NSSA for in-ground shelters. No in-ground shelter may be installed in a floodplain or any other identified special flood hazard area. The construction of a “Community or Group Shelter” must meet the specifications in FEMA Publication 361 or NSSA standards.
The Process
In order to insure the success and integrity of the program certain steps must be followed.
The first step in the process is to execute a signed State-County Grant Agreement. Under this agreement, MEMA oversees the responsibilities of the state and the designated county grant administrator (CGA) supervises the interests and responsibilities of the County.The CGA then sends an offer letter to the applicant, providing information about the amount of reimbursement for which she or he may be eligible to receive after meeting the documentation requirements. The offer letter must be signed within two weeks of the date of the offer.
A contractor or installer (who is licensed in the state of Mississippi) must fill out and sign the certification instructions form. Essentially, the contractor certifies that the shelter has been constructed according to the blueprints in FEMA Publication 320 or in accordance with the stamped and sealed blueprints of a professional engineer or registered architect licensed in the state of Mississippi. This form is mandatory and must notarized and submitted to MEMA to receive reimbursement.
An applicant’s compliance checklist is also required to be submitted to receive reimbursement. It outlines certain forms and documents that must be attached, including bills and invoices, receipts, cancelled checks, and a picture of the shelter.
Upon completion of each eligible project, the CGA will complete, certify, and submit a copy of the required forms and supporting documentation to MEMA. Following satisfactory review of this documentation, the state will remit a check for the requested reimbursement.
Success
On August 8, Governor Ronnie Musgrove presented over $19,000 to eligible first priority recipients in Pontotoc. As of September 15, over 30 applicants had submitted their required paperwork and received reimbursement.
The Mississippi “A Safe Place To Go” shelter initiative is the hallmark for the rest of the country. Other states are using this as the model for their own safe room/storm shelter initiatives.
The success can be directly attributable to the synergy of all concerned parties at every adjunct of the program, incorporating lessons learned from the county, MEMA, and FEMA through face-to-face discussion or by telephone, e-mail, or fax. Congratulations should go to all contributors.
Paul Fox, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Al Goodman, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency
For further information on this project, contact Paul Fox, FEMA-Mitigation, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, P. O. Box 4501, Jackson, MS 39296-4501; (601) 360-0943; fax: (601) 360-0942; e-mail: paul.fox@fema.gov; or Al W. Goodman, Jr., State NFIP/Dam Safety Coordinator, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, P. O. Box 4501, Jackson, MS 39296-4501; (601) 960-9973 fax: (601) 360-0942; e-mail: agoodman@memaorg.com; WWW: www.memaorg.com.
Building a Safer World Foundation Established
The International Code Council (ICC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing a single set of national model building codes, has established the “Building a Safer World Foundation” to support its mission to protect lives and property through safer building construction. The foundation will enable the ICC to expand its charitable offerings of education, disaster relief, and research related to the building industry.
The foundation will sponsor International Building Safety Week, promote national awareness of building safety through public education, serve as a resource for building safety information, promote the use of building regulations that serve the public interest, and enhance training and education in the safe and appropriate use of building materials and methods.
For further information about this new foundation, contact William J. Tangye, ICC, 5203 Leesburg Pike, Suite 600, Falls Church, VA 22041; (703) 931-4533; WWW: www.intlcode.org.
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