Milan Seeking Funds For Public Storm Shelter
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The City of Milan is looking for new ways to keep residents safe during severe weather. City leaders are applying for a grant that would help pay for a storm shelter, giving residents a place to go during a tornado. Mayor Chris Crider said since he has become mayor, the city has had two floods, and two big tornadoes. Now, he said it is time for residents to have a safe place during storms. “The recent storms in 2011 have showed us that Milan is not prepared to do something for its citizens when a storm comes, and we thought we should change that,” Crider said. Crider said they are hoping to build what he calls a tornado safe space. They would tear down two old buildings on Williamson Street. The project would cost $2.7 million, and the grant from FEMA would pay for 87 percent of it, costing the city between $100,000 to $150,000. “When WBBJ-7 tells us there’s a storm coming, people can come down here and brace up for the storm and have a place to come, and certainly anybody from Milan, and I don’t know that we could turn people away from somewhere else either,” Crider said. But how is it different from a regular shelter, like at a school or a church? “What’s different about this is that it’s built to withstand at least a EF-4 tornado,” Crider said. “The doors can withstand over 200 mph winds.” Many residents said a shelter like this in Milan is much needed. “There’s not a whole lot of places to go here in Milan, so if there’s a central storm shelter, it would be a good thing for everybody,” said Milan resident Jeff Hewitt. Mayor Crider told 7 Eyewitness News they have been working on the grant for about two months now, and it could take them a year before they find out if they get it. He said he is optimistic they will.
