Stone County to Receive Federal Funds for Stone Middle Shelter
Release Date: September 10, 2008
Release Number: 1604-678
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BILOXI, Miss. -- A federal grant will pay for a 5,000-square-foot facility on the Stone Middle School campus in Stone County. The building's design will follow established federal guidelines for shelter construction.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will provide a $1.4 million grant from the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) to fund the project. The HMGP is administered by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency which identifies and manages the projects from beginning to closeout.
The stand-alone single use shelter will be built to current FEMA shelter standards, providing near absolute protection for approximately 500 people in approximately 5,000-square-feet of shelter space, for a period of up to 36 hours. The design of the shelter must be coordinated with FEMA to ensure that the construction is in accordance with FEMA 361, Design and Construction Guidance for Community Shelters.
The facilities will include back-up water/sewage systems, a reserve power generator, restrooms and all other sheltering necessities. The shelter will be constructed to maintain structural integrity in three second bursts of winds of 200 miles per hour, as well as withstanding a missile impact test of a 15-pound object traveling at 100 miles per hour.
The project will be completed in two phases. Phase One will include architectural design and engineering, development of the shelter maintenance plan, development of shelter signage plan, development of shelter operations plan, completion of a Benefit Cost Analysis, permitting and procurement of a contractor for construction. Phase Two will consist of site preparation and construction of the proposed shelter as well as architect oversight and project management.
The HMGP can be used to fund projects to protect either public or private property, provided the project fits within the state's and local government's overall mitigation strategy and complies with HMGP guidelines.
The objectives of the HMGP are to reduce or eliminate future risk to lives and property from all hazards, provide funds to implement projects previously identified in state or local hazard mitigation plans, and enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the immediate recovery from a disaster.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Thursday, 11-Sep-2008 13:46:44