CHICAGO – Through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), FEMA has awarded $6,000,309 to Crawford County for the construction of a multi-purpose safe room at the Crawford County High School and Middle School. The safe room will have capacity for 906 people with 7,000 usable square feet and when not in use, serve as a gym for the attached schools.
“FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program enables communities to implement critical mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate the risk of loss of life and property,” said Tom Sivak, FEMA Region 5 regional administrator. “The construction of this community safe room will protect vulnerable citizens by providing a secure location to seek shelter from tornados and other high wind events.”
“With the unpredictability of Indiana’s weather, this project will serve as a critical element of mitigating disaster and potential injuries to residents in Crawford County. Safe rooms are a wonderful enhancement to the resilience of the community and will serve residents well for many years to come,” said Joel Thacker, executive director of IDHS.
HMGP provides grants to state, local, tribal and territorial governments to implement long-term hazard mitigation measures following a natural disaster. For this project, FEMA will pay 75 percent of the $8,000,412 eligible project cost. The remaining 25 percent of the funds, $2,000,103, will be provided by Crawford County. To learn more about HMGP or FEMA’s other Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs, visit www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation.