Video: All Nine Lee County Volunteer Fire Departments To Get Storm Shelters

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LEE COUNTY, MISS. (WCBI) – Lee County Supervisors have approved a bid to put storm shelters at all 9 volunteer fire departments. As WCBI’s Allie Martin reports, the $64,000  project will help protect those who volunteer their time to serve their communities.

On Tuesday morning, Lee County Emergency Management Director Leonardo Bowdry was helping crews place a storm shelter at Tupelo’s Veteran’s Park.

Bowdry has helped install several above ground storm shelters around the area. The shelters can hold up to 34 people and can withstand winds of 250 miles an hour.

Similar shelters will soon be placed at all 9 volunteer fire departments in Lee County. The costs are divided three ways with FEMA paying 75 percent, MEMA covers 20 percent and Lee County provides 5 percent.

“Most of the time, now with the way the storms come, we know in advance so they can pre stage and they have a place to wait until the storm is out , then if another wave of storms is coming through, they can go back to the fire station and wait until that wave is passed also,” Bowdry said.

One of the shelters will go at the Pratts-Friendship Volunteer Department. The chief says the shelter will fill a big need for first responders and the community.

“Many times we are out on call when the weather is really bad and if we get caught here in a storm it gives us a place to go, also we have a lot of people in the community who do not have a place to go when threatening weather is imminent and it will give them a place to come and have shelter also,” said Joe Blassingame, Chief of the Pratts-Friendship VFD.

Chief Blassingame says all 20 members of the Pratts Friendship VFD are ready to have the shelters in place.

“We’re thrilled to be able to get them,” he said.

The shelters should be in place by the end of May.