Jefferson County EMA re-launching ‘Safer Places’ program amid tornado season

PRATT CITY, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Rebuilding efforts are underway after tornados and severe storms tore through Oklahoma over the weekend , leaving four dead.

Tornadoes in Iowa and Nebraska also wreaked havoc on Friday, killing one near the Iowa-Nebraska border and injuring three others.

With tornado season underway in Alabama, Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency is about to re-launch its “Safer Places” program to provide residents with more options when it comes to staying safe during severe weather.

The FEMA-approved storm shelter in the Pratt City neighborhood can hold nearly 900 people. There are 39 storm shelters in Jefferson County, but some say that’s not enough room for everyone.

Anthony Clemons can remember the tornado that tore through Birmingham’s Pratt City neighborhood in 2011 like it happened yesterday. His first instinct was to jump into the bathtub, but he didn’t stay there long.

“I said ‘Well God’s getting ready for me here, he’s going to take me anyway,’ so I got out of the bathtub to come outside and look,” Clemons said. “I don’t play with the weather now.”

Now during severe weather, Clemons heads to the storm shelter near his home. For those who don’t live close to one, Jefferson County EMA hopes businesses and churches will sign up for its Safer Places program.

“We have people who don’t live close to the FEMA-rated storm shelters,” Baylee Pope with Jefferson County EMA said. “We have people who don’t have vehicles to get there. Sometimes you have young teenagers at home taking care of other children themselves and it’s easier to go down the street to the church than to drive 15 minutes to come to the FEMA-rated storm shelter.”

Pope hopes churches and businesses will open their doors to the public during severe weather when seconds count, especially for those living in manufactured homes.

“We think about the tornado that hit the town of Fultondale in 2021,” Pope noted. “They had nine minutes. You have to take action right then.”

The “Safer Places” program application is now available on Jefferson County EMA’s website, which you can find by clicking here. Residents can also sign up for Jefferson County EMA and the City of Birmingham’s alert system here.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42.