County resident uses MEMA money to build shelter

By Greg Smith (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Friday, June 29, 2007

NATCHEZ — Hurricane Katrina left Sam Saucier of Adams County without power for 10 days and fearful of future storms.

Her solution was a 20,000-pound hollowed-out box of reinforced concrete with a thick steel door, also known as an above ground storm shelter.

The shelter is anchored to the ground behind Saucier’s home in Cranfield.

“It will withstand winds of up to 250 mph,” Saucier said. “Having it really gives me peace of mind.”

Saucier’s peace of mind is the first of its kind to be installed in Adams County. In order to get her new shelter she worked with Natchez-Adams County Emergency Management Agency Director of Civil Defense George Souderes and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

“While funds last, and if your request fits the requirements for a shelter MEMA will reimburse 75 percent of the price of the shelter up to $3,000,” Souderes said.

Saucier’s shelter is only one of the three different types of shelters MEMA considers for reimbursement, there are also in ground shelters and safe rooms, which are attached to houses, Souderes said.

But getting help with buying a shelter isn’t just as easy as asking for one. People who want a shelter of any kind must go through a whole evaluation of their property and an application process.

“Proposed land for a shelter can not be on a flood plain or marsh area,” Souderes said. “The shelter applicant must also be able to provide proof of ownership of the land for the shelter.”

Shelters approved by MEMA must be built by federal standards and by a federally approved contractor.

Saucier went through the whole approval process and now she has her own shelter in her backyard.

Before Saucier was reimbursed the shelter cost $4,000 but in the end she paid for 25 percent of the total construction.

“After we got approved Southern Home Safety came out and installed it, the installation took about two hours,” Saucier said.

Adams County didn’t catch the brunt of Katrina, but for Saucier a taste of the devastation a powerful storm can cause was enough to take precautions.

“People in town don’t understand we get storms out here that they don’t and they can be bad,” Saucier said.

In addition to the shelter Saucier said she is going to have a small containment building built onto the side of her new shelter for a generator so they can have electricity in an emergency.

Currently Adams County has approved 18 other shelters to be built, Souderes said. The construction date of the new shelters’ has not been finalized.

“After Katrina MEMA only helped people to get shelters if they could prove their property was damaged by the storm,” Souderes said. “Now anyone can apply for a shelter and can get reimbursed if they get approved.”

For information about storm shelters contact Natchez-Adams County Emergency Management Agency at 601-442-7021.