Jefferson County EMA taking applications for buildings to become ‘safer places’ during severe weather

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - There are more than 35 storm shelters across Jefferson County, but some are dozens of miles apart and it’s leaving gaps in the county’s severe weather protection.

“There’s never going to be enough community storm shelters in the state of Alabama, there’s just not enough money out there,” Jefferson County Emergency Management Officer Baylee Pope said.

The county is now offering applications to become a state accredited “safer place”.

“This allows churches, businesses, municipal buildings, they can apply to serve as a safer place,” Pope said. “We like to talk about it as the ‘three little pigs law,’ because a house made of bricks is better than a house made of straw. So, a city hall might be a better place to take shelter than a manufactured home.”

Pope said one thing many people forget to think about in their storm safety plan is how long it may take you to actually get to a storm shelter and travel time.

“While that shelter may be 25 min away, you might have a church that is a block away that has a basement,” Pope said.

The 2021 legislation allows buildings to open their doors and allow in anyone seeking shelter, and Pope said it’s needed here.

“If you actually go and look at the map of a locations, there’s some big gaps in this county,” she said. “Using safer places eliminates the travel time and gives people more options.”

This is a new program for Jefferson County. They have been working with the state to get it launched since the legislation passed in 2021.

If anyone is interested in applying to become a “safer place,” click here.

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