Community block grant funds now available to build tornado shelters in manufactured home parks

Community block grant funds now available to build tornado shelters in manufactured home parks

On 3 December 2003, the president signed into law the Tornado Shelters Act,which amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, authorizing communities to use community development block grant funds to construct tornado-safe shelters in manufactured home parks. To be eligible, a shelter must be located in a neighborhood or park that contains at least 20 units, consists predominately of low- and moderate-income people, and is in a state where a tornado has occurred within the current or last three years. The shelter must comply with tornado-appropriate safety and construction standards, be large enough to accommodate all members of a park, and be located in a neighborhood or park that has a warning siren.

The full text of this legislation, Public Law 108-146, is available on-line from: http://thomas.loc.gov

(Extracted from the Natural Hazards Observor, March 2004)