Tupelo Gets Grants for Two Large Storm Shelters

TUPELO, Miss. — The City of Tupelo has been awarded funding through FEMA and MEMA for two large-scale safe rooms. These safe rooms will be located at Theron Nichols Park in the Southern Heights neighborhood and Dot Cooper Kelly Park in the Lee Acres neighborhood.

Each safe room will measure more than 6,000 square feet and will have the capacity to shelter more than 1,100 people. The monolithic dome design of the safe rooms will provide protection from wind speeds up to 250 miles per hour.

The total cost for both safe rooms is just over $2.5 million dollars, with ninety percent of that cost paid by FEMA and MEMA. The City of Tupelo is responsible for the remaining ten percent.

As of today, funds have been released for Phase 1 of the project, which involves architectural design and engineering. Additional funds for construction will be released after FEMA grants final design approval for the projects. At that time, the City will move forward with bids and construction.

Theron Nichols safe room

Location: Theron Nichols Park

Size: 6370 sq. ft.

Capacity: 1102 occupants

Cost: $1,226,225 (City pays 10% of that.)

Lee Acres safe room

Location: Dot Cooper Kelly Park)

Size: 6813 sq. ft.

Capacity: 1179 occupants

Cost: $1,311,503 (City pays 10% of that.)