Community Shelter To Be Built In Crisp County
Release Date: March 4, 2002
Release Number: R4-02-19
Atlanta, GA -- risp County public safety employees will soon be safer during tornadoes and windstorms, thanks to a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
"Firefighters, law enforcement officers and EMTs are literally the first responders in most all disasters," said Georgia Emergency Management Agency Director Gary McConnell. "We need to make sure that these people, who are our first line of defense on the local level, have a safe place to ride out tornadoes and windstorms, so they will be able to continue helping citizens when the winds subside."
"With a capacity to hold 150 people, it will truly be a community shelter able to house the family members of first responder, as well as visitors to the government complex," said Kenneth O. Burris, Jr., FEMA region IV director.
The nearly 2,400 square-foot community shelter will be located on the southeast side of the Sheriff's Department and Detention Center on Georgia Hwy 300 South near the city of Cordele. Designed to hold up to 150 people, the shelters will be constructed to meet or exceed FEMA's 200 mph wind speed criteria and the National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA) standards. NSSA minimum standards require that the shelter's sidewalls be able to withstand the impact of a 15-pound 2x4 traveling at 100 mph and the roof withstand the impact of same size and weight object falling at 67 mph.
The estimated cost for building the shelter is $302,219, with FEMA paying $67,575 and the remaining funds coming from state and local sources.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 27-Aug-2003 11:58:30