TORONTO – In the wake of a massive tornado that devastated the suburb of Moore, Oklahoma on Monday, the issue of safe rooms are being raised by U.S officials.
Safe rooms are hardened structures that can be built above or underground and provide “near-absolute protection” in extreme weather events, including tornadoes and hurricanes, according to FEMA’s website.
Two schools, Briarwood Elementary School and Plaza Towers Elementary School, were completely destroyed by the tornado and officials are trying to determine how everyone inside Briarwood survived, while several children died at Plaza Towers.
ABC news reported that while both schools regularly practice emergency drills, neither school had a safe room.
Oklahoma Director of Emergency Management Albert Ashwood told ABC news a lack of emergency funds meant that the state can’t always focus on mitigation measures like safe rooms and added that although more than 100 schools across the state already have safe rooms, authorities will try to increase that number.
In a February statement posted on the city of Moore’s website city officials complained that FEMA was stalling in delivering $2 million for 800 homes in the city.
“Our county-wide Hazard Mitigation Plan still has not been approved by the State and FEMA,” said the statement. “We’ve found that the FEMA requirements and their interpretations seem to be a constantly moving target, more so with the new wrinkles.”
The Oklahoma Emergency Department told Bloomberg News it would have cost $600,000 to $1 million to retrofit each school with safe rooms.
The mayor of Moore, Okla., is pushing for a new law requiring all newly-built homes to have safe rooms.
“We will try to get it passed as soon as I can,” Moore Mayor Glen Lewis told CNN.
FEMA has a rebate program offering $2,500 or up to 75 per cent for construction costs for a safe room per individual home for people who register on the Oklahoma Emergency Department website.
According to the website, the program uses a random selection process to determine which registered applicants will be accepted for the rebate.
Authorities say at least 24 people, including nine children were killed when an EF-5 tornado ripped through the Oklahoma city of 56,000 people.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday that U.S. President Barack Obama will view the tornado damage first-hand when he travels to Moore, Okla., on Sunday.
FEMA recommends that areas which experience extreme wind-events like hurricanes and tornadoes should build safe rooms in private residences and in large public areas like schools, hospitals, and community centres.
According to FEMA, a safe room must have the following requirements.
• Completely enclosed (no windows)
• The room should not be constructed in a flood zone
• The entire structure should be able to withstand winds of up to 250 miles per hour, and flying debris.
• Doors should open inward to ensure easy opening after the storm in case fallen debris blocks the outside.
• The room should be anchored securely to a concrete foundation to resist being overturned or uplifted.
-With files from the Associated Press
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