Rowlett (WBAP/KLIF) – The City of Rowlett has secured an over $450,000 grant to help residents install tornado safe rooms.
The move comes more than two years after a tornado tore through Rowlett, destroying 13-hundred homes.
The grants will help about 150 randomly selected households. So far the city has received more than 180 applications; those not selected will be put on a waiting list for future grant money.
Grants cover half of the purchase and installation costs, up to $3000, which installation experts say can withstand F5 tornado damage.
Rowlett City Manager Brian Funderburk WFAA-TV people are very concerned about where to go during dangerous weather.,
“I remember, a lot of people, including my family, were under the stairs or in a closet somewhere [during the tornado,] people were very concerned about this.”
The steel rooms are bolted to a home’s foundation, often placed in the garage. Installation can take as little as an hour.
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