FEMA Tornado Shelter Funding

Paying for tornado protection, and justifying cost-benefits while reducing injury risks, are towering hurdles for most jobsites. Because tornado shelters aren’t federally compliant, most contractors and safety engineers can’t justify renting or buying a tornado shelter. Unfortunately, diligent, unprotected workers become collateral damage in short-sighted project management. While tornado shelter price tags can whiplash the accounting department with sticker shock, government funding programs could offset most inhouse expenditures.

Will FEMA Pay For My Tornado Shelter?

FEMA provides safe room funding reimbursement through its Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. This program provides funding channels for storm-prone states, tribes, and territories. With tornadoes becoming more common in previously unscathed storm corridors, FEMA hopes to offset potential tornadic risks by providing up to 75 percent of total storm shelter costs.

Eligible States and Jobsites

All 50 states are eligible for FEMA’s tornado shelter funding program. Qualifying companies must demonstrate a sizeable tornadic risk at the jobsite. Almost every construction site, manufacturer, and warehouse would meet FEMA’s funding requirement, because of increased tornadic activity nationwide.

Applying for FEMA Tornado Shelter Funding

Applying for FEMA tornado shelter funding is the first-step in securing perennial protection. All prospective applicants should contact their county’s emergency management office for additional information. We cannot file on your behalf, but will provide all necessary paperwork and detailed drawings, if applicable.

FEMA P-361 and ICC 500-2014 Compliant Shelters

All U.S. Tornado Shelters meet FEMA P-361 and ICC 500-2014 compliance standards for FEMA safe room funding applications. Furthermore, our talented engineers fabricate our storm shelters to withstand 250-mile-per-hour winds and flying debris. We subject our shelter models to a battery of tests, ensuring lasting compliance for every worst-case imaginable.

Pre-Disaster Mitigation Funds

FEMA also provides Pre-Disaster Mitigation Funds for eligible communities, including jobsites and manufacturing facilities. Federal funding priority is given to to areas that have “repetitive loss properties,” so as the storm-stricken Deep South and Midwest. FEMA also requires a “benefit-cost analysis” for each application, so researching previous nearby tornadoes through online news sources could increase applicant-approval rates.  FEMA funds 75-90% of the cost of the project, up to a $3 million cap on the federal share of the cost per project.